Cassia lied still on the bed, "I am tired," light of a rising sun glinted in the window, it was morning and she hadn't slept the whole night, watching her languid husband preparing himself for work, for once again she was going to be alone with her doleful son and would try to mend the relationships again but had no inspiration to do it anymore, "My dear, can you please go and check Arlo is he sleeping or not?" Cassia had found Arlo so many times awake during midnight, "He's sleeping," he said, "Don't worry too much about him, he knows how to take care of himself," the breeze infused with the dim sunlight stuck the window and then Atticus walked to her, "You rest, I will eat something on my way to the office," Cassia smiled and then Atticus went out of the room, She hadn't seen the smile on either one of her loved ones and had realized that Amelia was the one who made them feel happy but now she's gone and so as the jovial smile, she stood up and went to open the window, the sunlight mingled in her skin and felt the warmth of it on her face and the bright sunlight compelled her to go out and take a walk, she walked out of the room and knocked on the door of Arlo, "My son, are you sleeping?"
"What is it?" he asked
"You want to come with me for a walk? Today's weather is so good,"
"No, I don't want to go, leave me alone for fuck's sake!" she stood there in silence, her hands fell down from the door, "Okay," she said, "I am going to take a walk, take care of yourself" she waddled to her room and changed her clothes and went to the main door, she found the floor awash with the bright sunlight, she stepped outside, the sun was bright on her hair, she followed the mosaic floor, walking was avocation for her but for the last few years she had given her gaze to her house and had only left her house for essentials things only, her days were hectic mostly, beneath the sloppy road the sun was evident as a speck and had already began to go up, the gorgeous breeze pressed against her dress and saw a café, an tattered old café it was the spot where she met her beloved husband Atticus but now it had been shut closed for almost a decade, the wind moved again and it felt somewhat good to her, the sun had already became hot and the hot sunlight glimmering in the dusty road, she had remembered the lake half a miles away, it was always been a gorgeous to her, she walked to the lake, the water was shimmering to her eyes and it was compelling her to sit near the lake, the breeze was cold, amazingly cold, she sat near the lake, the wind helped the water running and the breeze made her gorgeous blonde hair flutter, sunlight glinting in the water and she heard the stirring of the leaves, the lake had been surrounded by the trees, the chirping of the birds seeped into her ears and felt relaxed, the aroma of the oak trees had been appended her agitated moments and her ruining life, the leaves moved with the breeze and then she heard a click of a camera, there he was, A tall, lean man, maybe 40-45, there was a camera on his hands, he walked up to her, "Here," he said, "Take this," he was already began to go bald and the eyes were dark blue, the warm smile was on his face, Cassia took the picture from him, it was hers from right now, "I know, I can't capture the beauty of you but I tried my best," the picture was perfect, her hair fluttering with the wind and the lake moving looking abundantly alive, "It's... it's perfect," she said as she felt agitated because of what he said to her, "I can't capture the beauty of you, " she kept rewinding his words to the intonation, the breeze infused her again and she felt abundantly alive, it was after a long time that someone had said it to her and she remembered her relationship with Atticus, it was already bad and she knew it would keep getting worse, only worried about Arlo, they seemed not to talk so much these days, "Can I sit down here?" he asked, Cassia nodded, he sat down with her, "My name's Aidan," he said, reaching to shake her hand, "Cassia," she introduced herself with shaking his hand "I love photography,"
"Yes, I can see it, you seem a good photographer, is it your profession?"
"No, it's just my hobby," Cassia nodded, "You have a nice camera, my husband used to have a camera like yours,"
"Does your husband love to click photos too?"
"No, not anymore,"
"Oh thať's bad, photography is the most amazing thing, I mean we can capture anything in just a single tap on the camera," Cassia smiled at him, "You want to see the other pictures I have captured? How about you come to dinner in my house? It's not that far, I live there, it's my house," he pointed to the wooden house to other side of the lake, "Uh I am sorry but I can't, my son is sick these days and I have to take care of him,"
"Oh, I understand, you can have that picture by the way," he pointed the picture of her which he clicked, "Thank You," she replied and placed the picture on her pocket, the birds began to make a chirping sounds again, the moment was peaceful, the silence felt so compelling to her, "You have a beautiful skin, how about I click some more pictures of you?" the wind moved again and she felt hesitant but can't reject it, "Sure, why not?" she said, she stood up and he walked away from her, the lake was behind her and the gorgeous breeze pressed against her skin, "That's good, stay like that," a strand of her hair stuck on her lips but she willed herself to stay still, the white light splashed and he had captured the photo of her, he walked to her and let her see the picture, "You're looking so beautiful in this one," he said, She stopped her gaze on the picture and wanted her husband to see it, to make him understand how gorgeous his wife is, "Can I have this one too?" she asked, "Yes you can,"
"Thank You," she said, she had already wanted to show this picture to Atticus, "So I have to go, it was nice meeting you," he said, she nodded, he began to leave and she kept her eyes on him as he walked to the wooden house, soon he became a speck to her eyes, a lake breeze flowed in, somehow she felt connected to the lake and to that tarnished wooden house, Aidan was just a ordinary man, so much skinny, about to go bald and almost scrawny and yet he was a mystery but compelling to her, she turned around and walked away from the lake but still her attention was stuck on Aidan, she had the surge of loneliness deep down her heart, I am a married woman, stop this!" she imagined herself beside Aidan in that wooden house, sitting in the yard up front, eyes dismantling on the newspaper, the cold breeze from the lake seeping into her and there was Aidan walking up from her back and hugging her, "What am I thinking? " she splayed her hand onto his chest, the wind surrounded them again and she got the taste of his lips, "I have a son, stop it dammit!" she shook her head and tried to pull out Aidan from her thoughts but now he had became like a fever to her not him but his, his words were with her like a compulsion, she walked to her house, "It can 't be possible, he could have his own wife and kids, it's not realistic for me to be with him, " she opened the door and walked inside and lied down on the bed beneath the window, the soft breeze flowed in, Aidan still was on her mind, he was not a stranger anymore as she had already imagined him enough, she could not rest her mind because of that and stood up, she went to the kitchen and poured herself a white glass glimmering with the red wine, she went to Arlo's room with the glass on her one hand and the bottle on the other and stared at the emptied room, "This spoiled kid is making my life hell!" the wind gust inside the room through the window and she poured a glass again and sipped it down, "You deserves better my dear," She imagined her mother, heard her appalled mother's voice right down to the intonation, "You should go to him, " She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "I am a married woman, it's not right, " birds chirping outside and still it was a beautiful evening, "Just enjoy for once in your life for fuck's sake, " she walked to the bathroom ignoring her own thoughts, Her mother had already been deep down six feet under before Arlo saw the first light and she remembered her for the first time in so many years, her mother never wanted her to marry Atticus, she had knew that her mother was a divorced messy woman who messed up her own life because of the decisions she made and never tried to take care of the family when her father left her alone with her abusive mother, "When was the last time you had sex with your husband?" she saw the waters dipping down from the faucet but left it the way it was as she walked to the sofa, intoxicated and feeling dizzy, it had been years since she had any sexual moments with her husband, "I am a married woman, I can never do something like that," she refuted, shifting her gaze to the garden, "You only live once, why not have some fun?" The wind moved as she heard the car engine, She sat down on the sofa and found Atticus walking inside, he hastened to the room, "My dear, you are here so early today?" he ignored her or didn't able to hear the words, She realızed that he had always been ignoring her, she was shocked to realize how many conversations were perfunctory and only about Arlo, he walked outside, "Come here," he stopped, turning his attention to her, "Cassia?" he said, "Are you drunk?" hurried was infused in his tone, there were some documents on his hands, "No, I am not drunk, just come here my love," a bottle and a glass were there on a adorned table, she stood up and went closer to him and cupped her hands lightly around his face, "What are you doing?!"
"Give me a kiss my love," the clouds had hovered the sun again and the gorgeous evening had changed to the cloudy day, "You are drunk right now, just go and take a nap or something." his phone rang and he picked up the phone, "Yeah, yes I am coming, just wait a minute, I am on my way," he hung up the phone, "Listen Cassia, I am busy, I have to go, we will talk later, just go and rest for now," he smiled at her and she kept her eyes locked on him as he left the house, she stood there with utter silence same as the house, soon her eyes became wet, "I told you my sweet daughter, your husband doesn't love you, he never did,"