Follow Your Heart by Butterscotch
Follow Your Heart: Part One-In the Vineyard by Butterscotch
The late Autumn sunshine was cool and the air was heavy with the perfume of fires lit to guard against the chill. Even so, Cliff had worked up a sweat harvesting grapes. He pause long enough to shrug off his shirt, then resumed his work.
"Yoo-hoo! Cliff!" Manna called from the doorway. Though nearing middle-age Manna was still a beautiful woman. She had only a few laugh-lines near her eyes and there was no gray in her hair."Lunch is ready!"
Cliff put the grapes he was holding in the basket and walked over, pulling his shirt on as he did.
"You didn't have to go to all this trouble," he protested.
"What trouble?" Manna smiled,"I enjoy cooking!" Just then Duke staggered out from the cellar. Though he was only a few years older than his wife, Duke had not aged nearly so well. He had put on weight, making his once-handsome face rather jowly.
"Hey, there priddy lady," he slurred, looking at Cliff. "Wanna haf lunch wid me?"
"I'm a man, Duke."
"No. you're a gurl, cuz you got long priddy hair," Duke took hold of Cliff's ponytail and ran it through his fingers."Isn't he a priddy gurl, Manna?"
"You're drunk!" Manna snapped. Her face was flushed, but whether from anger or embarrassment, Cliff did not know. Perhaps both.
"I'm not drink," Duke protested. Manna shoved him into the house. She looked over her shoulder and smiled weakly at Cliff. Why does she stay with him? he thought. to be continued
Follow Your Heart: part two-By the Seashore...
Cliff did not go in and eat Manna's lunch. Rather he walked down to the beach and sat on the sand. The air by the shore was even cooler than at the vineyard and Cliff shivered a little as he watched the waves break. He did not realize how long he had sat there until he heard Zack leave. Cliff remained there, and so Zack found him there when he returned.
"Um, you okay?" Zack called.
"Hey, Zack,' Cliff said."May I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"You...you've been waiting for someone for a long time, haven't you?" Cliff did not look at Zack, but, insted, he looked out at the ocean.
"Yeah, I have" Zack admitted.
He sat down next to Cliff, who asked,"Why haven't you ever said anything to her?" Zack thought a moment.
"I owe a debt to someone. I can't act on my feelings without betraying that person." he finally said.
"Yes," Cliff murmured."But the person you owe is causing the person you want pain, right?"
"...yes."
"So,"Cliff went on,"either way you're hurting someone you care about."
"Yeah."
Cliff stood up and brushed the sand off his legs. "Thank you, Zack, you've been a real help." to be continued
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