Corbin left the carriage outside his village as he decided to take the remaining road on foot. As soon as he entered the borders of his village- Broughton, he took a long drag of the familiar air.
A smile lit up his face, washing away all the tiredness of the journey. He was breathing in that air after more than seven months.
Now that he had finished his education, he could finally settle down where his heart belonged. Now he didn't need to think about missing his home.
Home where his beloved family and friend lived!
Corbin was familiar with the roads of his village. He had spent his entire childhood playing on these very roads. He was so accustomed to every slope and pothole of these roads that he easily manoeuvred his way through the dark.
He thought of calling his friends and announcing his arrival but then decided against it. It was late in the night, and he didn't want to disturb anyone.
He reached a humble small house settled in the middle of the village. He saw the lamps still burning inside. He shook his head with a sigh.
They must be waiting for him!
They always did!
He knocked on the door and not a minute later, the door was opened by a woman in her late fifties. As soon as her eyes fell on Corbin's face, her face lit up brighter than the lamp burning inside the house.
"Corbin! My son!" The woman pulled him in a tight hug, and he hugged her back without holding himself back.
Only he knew how elated he felt, hugging that woman after more than seven months. Her motherly warmth was the same as well as the scent of the spices that was exclusive to her.
He could never imagine that scent on anyone else. After preparing spices for years, that scent had become her identity.
"Who is at the door Selma?"
Corbin heard a man's voice before his lanky frame appeared behind his wife.
"Corbin! Here you are! Come come." Letting go of the woman, Corbin stepped inside the house and hugged the old man, who was in his early sixties.
This! This was his happiness! This was his whole world!
Corbin pulled away and said, looking at the couple.
"I missed you a lot Uncle Lincoln, Aunt Selma!"
"We missed you too my dear! Come on, get inside and eat something."
Corbin's uncle took his luggage and sent him to wash his face and hands while his aunt heated the food again. Ten minutes later, Corbin sat on the small dining table with his uncle and aunt on his either side.
"How was your journey, Corbin?" His aunt asked while Corbin ate his most favourite food in the world- the one that was cooked by his aunt.
Mention of the journey brought a face in front of his eyes, but he shook his head and answered with a smile. "It was fine."
"Son, I am so glad that you are now going to settle here in Broughton!" His uncle said.
But his aunt didn't look too pleased with that idea.
"Corbin, forget what your uncle thinks. But I am asking you again. Are you sure about your decision of staying here in this small village?
I mean you have learned so much. You can easily make a good and comfortable life in a city or a major town. You don't need to waste your talent and knowledge in this small village."
They had been through this conversation many times and yet Selma seemed to be stuck on one thing.
"Aunt, I have told you already that I do not wish to have a lavish life anywhere but here in Broughton. I don't want to leave you two alone when you are getting older, and I know for sure that you will never agree to move out of Broughton.
Besides, I love this place. I love the people of this village. I have grown here, and there is no better place than my home. I have learned that during my stay in the city for education.
I wish to open a factory here one day where I will provide employment to the youth of this village and other neighbouring villages."
His uncle chuckled, patting his shoulder. "You will need a lot of money for that young man. From where are you going to get it?"
"I will figure out something, uncle. Don't worry!" Corbin assured.
"But don't forget that there is another important thing for you to do." His aunt reminded him.
"And that is?"
"Of course, your marriage!"
Corbin groaned at his least favourite topic. "Why do you have to bring that topic, aunt? Don't you want me to pamper you with my undivided love and attention?
Why are you so eager to have someone else to steal it from you?"
"I am not eager for that boy. I am eager to get double love and attention once my daughter-in-law will join our little family.
In fact, it is you who is keeping me away from having a daughter!" She glared at him, but there was no trace of anger.
"Your aunt is right, Corbin. When you went to the city for education, we thought you will find a beautiful city woman and fall in love with her.
We were waiting for you to bring a woman with you rather than the seeds of fruits and vegetables for our farm!" His uncle pursed his lips, eyeing the bags of seeds Corbin had got on his way from the city.
Corbin laughed, shaking his head. "Uncle, aunt there is no such woman in my life. After mother and father..." His voice suddenly thickened, and his expression changed. "You took me in and made me a part of your life. You accepted me with my every flaw... e-everything!"
Selma shuddered involuntarily hearing that. Worry dawned on her face, but she remained silent.
"Nobody would have liked to do anything with a boy like me, uncle. If it wasn't for you and aunt then I-" Corbin choked on his own words.
"Don't talk about that, Corbin," Lincoln warned.
"But that's the truth, uncle. I... I am not the one you deserve. I am an evi-"
"CORBIN!" Selma raised her voice, her eyes teared up remembering the past. "Not a single word more!" She warned.
Her face softened the very next second as she cupped Corbin's face. The roughness of her palms made Corbin sigh in joy. How much he had missed it!
"I may not have birthed you, Corbin but you are my son! I have raised you since you were four years old. What happened in the past... was not your fault.
Your parents would have thought the same, Corbin. So don't ever think about it and feel guilty over what happened. You did nothing wrong. You are my child, and I love you very much! Do you get that?"
Corbin's chest tightened, thinking about how much his aunt and uncle had sacrificed for him. They chose to not have their own child because they didn't want Corbin to feel neglected.
They knew who he was and what his problem was. Yet they chose to accept him wholeheartedly.
"Corbin, you are the most precious treasure of our lives. I can never explain how grateful I am to my late brother for giving you to me.
Your aunt is right. You have to move on, my son. You have to let go of the past."
Corbin didn't want to hurt his uncle and aunt more. So he hugged both of them.
After finishing the food, his uncle prepared a bed for him. Laying in the softness of the mattress, Corbin stared out of the window and into the starry sky.
Its darkness reminded him of the raven hair and dark, sparkling eyes.
"Sylvia," He whispered her name, not understanding why his mind ran to her out of the blue.
He had not even seen her face clearly. She didn't talk much and acted quite rudely with him. Yet he found himself thinking about her in the middle of the night.
What she might be doing right now? He wondered.
Was she also thinking about him?
Corbin shook his head at his stupidity. To distract himself from her thoughts, he raised his hand to stare at his palm.
The cut he had in the afternoon had healed completely now. Thank god or his aunt would have shaken the whole house in panic.
Corbin's fingers curled into a tight fists.
Maybe his uncle and aunt were right. He should move on from the past. He could do at least that for them in return for keeping his secret for all these years, couldn't he?