Silver Oranges

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ABSTRUSE
ABSTRUSE
126 Followers

Jaelle slowly traced with her thumb over the back of Elise's hand. "I don't think you are boring at all. In fact, I think you are more adventurous than you let others believe."

"I think it's the company I've been keeping. I can't imagine being with you and not having some kind of adventure." She looked down at their hands, then flipped hers over into Jaelle's "Ok, Gypsy Woman . . . read my palm."

Jaelle studied Elise's hand, tracing her index finger over the lines, pausing in some spots and raising an eyebrow. "Hmmn."

"What?"

"I'm looking at your health line. I see . . . weight gain from the dessert we are about to share, but the good news is that it can be worked off with a walk and window shopping."

"I'm going to presume the dessert will be chocolate."

"Yes. And this . . ." Jaelle's finger ran down, from forefinger to the base of the palm " . . . is your life line. It's very long. This is your head line . . . Wow, it's like a gully."

"What is gypsy for 'Smartass'?"

"Hush, this takes concentration." Jaelle peered closer at Elise's hand, "Ah, your heart line and your sex line . . . curious, very curious."

"Oh?

"Your heart line tells me that you have a deep capacity for love, but it has to be earned." she closed Elise's hand in hers, "Your sex line is coiled like a spring."

"What does that even mean?" Elise laughed.

"It means you have a lot of sexual tension."

"You could read that from looking at my hand?" Elise pulled her hand away. "Maybe we should see about that dessert?" she motioned for the waiter.

There was a moment of silence before they placed an order, deciding on sharing a Dobos cake and coffee, along with a glass of brandy.

"I'm too forward, aren't I?"

Elise licked the chocolate filling from her fork. "A little, but that's not a bad thing. I'm just not really used to socializing. Maybe I should start people - watching."

"No time like the present." She smiled at Elise, obviously enjoying her torte. "Unless you plan on having an affair with that cake?"

They paid their check and began putting on their coats. Elise contemplated getting something to take to snack on later. "I hate that the food here is so good."

"I have a feeling you workout before bed."

"Was that you who scaled the hotel walls and peered through my window? Next time at least bring me some pastries."

"I'll keep that in mind when I'm doing my nocturnal roaming . . . part of my vampire heritage as well." They walked out the door and into the brisk afternoon air. "And, in case you're wondering, my gypsy blood allows me to walk into the sunlight."

They spent the rest of the day walking the streets, looking at the window displays. Jaelle gave her a tour of sorts, sharing gossip about the locals, points of interest left after the war, and what she needed to be wary of being a foreigner. They made their way to the market place, sampling some treats. Elise found a few trinkets to send back home. Before long, they found themselves in front of Elise's hotel.

"I had a wonderful time, thank you." Elise took her packages from Jaelle and pressed them closely to her body, "I…" she looked down at her feet. Jaelle lifted her head and looked into her eyes. "I'm not expecting you to invite me to your room. I would like to see you again though."

"I'd like that a lot." Elise smiled, feeling slightly relieved. "I really did enjoy spending time with you, Jaelle. You've made me feel welcome here and I really didn't expect to meet anyone . . . I mean make friends . . . not that we aren't friends."

Jaelle put her finger against Elise's lips, "You ramble when you are nervous. It's cute." She leaned in and kissed Elise gently on the cheek. "Goodnight, You. I'll see you soon."

She started to walk briskly down the sidewalk, turning back only to wave and then she was gone. Elise realized she was still staring long after Jaelle had left. Her cheek tingled from where Jaelle had kissed her.

The next morning she woke to find herself wrapped around her pillow. She smiled, wondering what Jaelle looked like in the morning. She imagined her wild hair spread across the pillow. Elise closed her eyes, envisioning herself playfully waking Jaelle with kisses. Her reverie was soon broken by Beethoven.

Casamir, her co-worker had called to invite her to a gathering of friends. She tried to refuse, but he was very insistent and she didn't want to be rude. She didn't have any real plans for the weekend, but she did hope to spend some time on work. When she finally relented, he told her that he would pick her up and to dress very warmly. Elise found out earlier during her stay, not to question her new friends, or their way of doing things, because you never got a straight answer. Everything here was a surprise - not like back home where she calculated and planned everything she did or was going to do.

At the given time, Elise stood outside her hotel, dressed in her warmest sweater and jeans, her long coat thrown over her arm. She felt naked without her laptop bag. After a twenty minute wait, Elise looked up the street seeing Casamir.

"You have got to be kidding." She said to Casamir as he sat atop the bench of a horse drawn wagon.

"Real gypsy cab, ready to take us to party." He laughed. "Climb up in the back and hang on!"

Elise walked to the back of the wagon, stepped up onto a small rung and raised her arms for others to help her in. As they lifted her up she was greeted by familiar co-workers faces as well as a few friendly strangers. They made space for her, covering her legs with a huge woollen blanket and passed her a bottle of palinka.

"You're going to have a great time, Elise." said Mara the small girl who worked next to her, "We're going to have good food, dancing, a huge fire and drinks."

"I have to warn you all, I'm getting addicted to this palinka." Elise laughed. "So I'm sure come Monday, the stories will go around the office about the American that can't hold her liquor."

A tall bearded man in a fedora laughed and told her not to worry; he would make sure she would be too busy dancing, to drink.

Elise thought about the night before, with Jaelle, at the little restaurant. How free she had felt dancing with her, how she smiled at Elise, how she touched her hand. She found herself missing Jaelle.

The group started to sing and Elise broke away from her reverie. Not knowing the words she clapped along with the others and laughed as the bearded man tried to dance aboard the moving wagon. The bells attached to the horse's harness reminded her of the sleigh rides her grandfather took her on when she was a child. Her family would gather at Christmas time at his farmhouse along with friends and neighbors. She had almost forgotten those times and how much she loved them.

The wagon came to an abrupt stop and the party goers were jostled against one another. As they climbed down from the wagon Elise noticed many other people were gathered around a huge fire. Older people, children, and what she thought was going to be a small gathering, seemed more like a block party. Music was playing and people were already dancing. Tables of food were heaped high with local dishes made with pride. Mara grabbed Elise's hand and pulled her along to meet some of her friends. Before she knew it she was sampling foods given to her by grandmotherly women, nodding their heads and smiling as she tasted their dishes.

"They think you are too thin."

Elise turned with a smile, knowing it was Jaelle's voice.

"Do you just turn up everywhere?"

"Yes," Jaelle laughed, "I'm the official gypsy greeter of the area."

"I was beginning to think there was more than one of you."

"No one could handle more than one Jaelle," said the bearded man as he took the plate from Elise and handed it to Jaelle. "Now we dance."

Elise looked back at Jaelle and mouthed "Help me" as the man whisked her away. Once again she found herself in a whirlwind of dancers, laughing and singing. She searched to find Jaelle amidst the throng of people. Exhausted from the dance, she excused herself to sit down. She spotted Jaelle talking to a man beneath a large tree. She noticed Jaelle handing the man a small plastic bag, him giving her money in return. Jaelle turned and saw Elise and waved. Elise turned her head and began to walk away.

"Great, a drug dealer." She muttered as she found a bottle of Tokay on a table and poured herself a glass.

Jaelle soon stood next to her. "Hey, You."

Elise downed her glass of liquor quickly. "Look, I don't want to be involved with what you're doing."

"What? You mean with . . ." Jaelle burst into laughter.

Elise felt her face flush with anger. "What you do is your business, but I'm not into that kind of thing."

Jaelle wiped her eyes. "You are so funny, Elise."

"Stop laughing at me." She started to walk away, but Jaelle grabbed her arm.

"You think I was dealing drugs?"

"I know what I saw."

"You saw me giving Raphael herbal tea. My grandmother made it for his mother who has stomach problems. My grandmother is one of the best herbalists around here."

Elise felt the blood drain from her face.

"Oh my God . . . " she stuttered "I just assumed. . . Oh, Shit. . . First I shoplift from you and then I accuse you of drug dealing. I'm so embarrassed now. You must think I'm such an ass."

Jaelle smiled and pulled Elise to her, embracing her gently, yet firmly. Elise buried her face in Jaelle's dark hair. She liked how it smelled and she loved how it felt to have Jaelle hold her like this.

"I don't think any such thing, but I do think you have a great ass."

Elise froze at that sentence. Jaelle sensing her fear, pulled back and winked. She then grabbed the bottle of Tokay and took Elise's hand.

"Come on."

"Where?"

"To the forest."

They walked quietly through the forest, Jaelle holding branches out of Elise's way. There was barely enough moonlight for them to see the path, but Jaelle seemed to know her way in the dark. The sound of water running grew closer as they approached a stream. She missed the feeling of Jaelle's warm hand in hers when Jaelle broke away from their grasp. Narrowing her eyes in the darkness, she tried to make out Jaelle's form. The sound of a match striking and the brief flash of light made her wince. In a moment her eyes adjusted to the small fire Jaelle started. Beside the fire sat a small wooden bench. Jaelle waved her hand and patted the warm, thick rug for Elise to sit with her.

"This is my own little sanctuary."

"I like how you decorate."

Jaelle opened the Tokay and passed the bottle to Elise, who took a sip, and T passed it back to the gypsy.

"I could really get used to this country."

"I'm sure America is beautiful as well."

"Yea, parts of it are. My parent's home is great. It reminds me a little of this area here. The forests, the water…I have an attraction to water."

"So do I, it's very spiritual."

They sat in silence for a moment passing the bottle between them.

"About last night . . ." Elise started. She tugged her coat around her shoulders. The fire was warm enough, but she suddenly felt insecure.

"You don't have to explain yourself." Jaelle took her hand and gently squeezed it in her own. "And you don't have to be afraid of me. I would never hurt you."

Elise smiled back at Jaelle, then looked down at their hands. She noticed a long scar across the top of the darker woman's hand.

"How did that happen?"

Jaelle pulled her hand back and took a long drink of the Tokay. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand Elise could see her hard set jaw line as Jaelle took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, that's none of my business. I didn't mean to offend you."

Jaelle dipped her head down for a moment, her eyes closed and then she smiled slightly.

"No, you haven't offended me. It was from when I was a child. As you can tell, the people and culture here are different from what you are used to in America. People in your country think of gypsies as these colorful people who tell fortunes from their caravans, while people here think of us as no less than vermin. They see us as thieves and beggars. Unclean souls. During World War II many of us were slaughtered by the Nazi's. My great grandparents were thrown into the Danube, where we were yesterday. My grandparents had hidden away in the forest."

She paused for a moment, taking another drink and turning to Elise. Her eyes were dark with a mix of sadness and anger.

"When I was a child, about 6 years old, I was shopping with my mother in the market. The stall owner's son stole a piece of meat from another vendor. He accused me of doing it and being a gypsy it was only natural that everyone assumed that I did steal it. Meat was very precious back then. I told them I didn't take it. They, the police, came to our house and took me away. I remember crying for my mother. I didn't understand what was going on at the time."

She turned to the fire, picking up a small stick and poking the embers. "They put me in a cold dark room alone. How long I was there, I didn't know. I cried and cried for my mother. I could hear rats scuttling around the room and I was afraid they would bite me. Then I remembered the amulet my grandmother gave me, I took it out and held it, and when I did, I felt her spirit with me."

Jaelle stopped for a moment. Elise wanted to touch her, hold her close to her and tell her everything was okay but she was afraid to move.

"One day, they came in and took me to another room. I was called a dirty gypsy thief and that I needed to be punished. A man came in with a large knife. They put my hand against the table and he pressed it down against my skin. I didn't cry, because I knew I wasn't guilty. Just as he was about to cut off my hand for stealing, my grandmother, the vendor and his son came into the room. The son confessed to stealing the meat. I was free, but the man with the knife pulled the blade across my wrist before he released me."

"That's so awful, so unfair, you were only a child."

"I was a gypsy child. I had no rights."

Elise took Jaelle's hand and traced the scar with her finger tip.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. The best part is that my grandmother got the boy to confess. I never asked how or why, I just thought it was her strong spirit and some gypsy magic."

"You almost make me believe in magic."

Jaelle reached across and touched Elise's hair raking her fingers through the reddish brown tendrils. She loved how the firelight picked up the highlights making them almost glow.

"Don't you wonder why we found each other? You don't feel the magic in that?"

Elise let go of Jaelle's hand, took the bottle of Tokay and took a long drink. She let the liquor burn down her throat warming her body. Suddenly she was hot and shrugged off her coat, the cool night air suddenly sobering her.

"No, not magic. Coincidence."

"Why do you fight it?"

"What am I fighting?"

"The world."

Elise stood up and walked closer to the stream. She needed to clear her head more. This woman, this witch . . . she was getting too close.

"I don't fight the world; I don't like things that are illogical. Everything has an order."

"Like your computer?"

Elise spun around, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Jaelle.

"How do you know about that? More of your magic?"

"No. Casamir is . . . my cousin. We talk all the time and he told me about the uptight American girl working with him."

Elise smiled and shook her head.

"You're such a bitch."

"I've been called worse."

Elise motioned for the bottle and took another drink. Then she sat back down next to Jaelle.

"So I guess this is where I tell you something painful?"

"Only if you want to, Elise."

She looked into Jaelle's eyes, those beautiful dark eyes she was getting lost in, and knew she would be safe.

"Yes, I do."

Jaelle noticing that Elise was shivering. She put her arm around her and pulled her closer. Elise let her.

"When I was growing up my parents were . . . Bohemian for lack of a better word." She looked up at Jaelle and smiled, "I guess you would call them gypsies. My grandfather, my mom's dad, was different. He was my stability. I thought I hated how my parents lived, hated being called "hippie's kid", hated being different. My grandfather made me feel 'normal'. Everything he did had sense and meaning. It was in order. There were rules to follow, and structure. I liked that. I spent every moment with him that I could. He taught me math and logic. He was actually the reason I got into computers."

"So, he taught you to calculate and format?

"No," Elise laughed "Not just that, he taught me how to fish and dance and sing and…"

"And?"

"How to enjoy the earth and life and look at sunsets."

"Your parents didn't do that?"

"They did, but with Grandpa it was different. I can't really explain. Their approach was too 'free' for me. The self discovery wasn't enough, I needed the facts. I wanted to know why the sunset was so many colors and why fishing at dusk was best. I wanted to know why wars were fought, why people died and why poison ivy made me itch. Grandpa gave me the answers to everything. He let me watch the news and read the papers. I wanted to know the world outside of where I lived. My parents sheltered me from that. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, they are just too . . .different from me. I didn't get punished, I had to think about what I did, why I did it and what would be a better solution. "

They both smiled, sipping more Tokay and leaning closer together, they held one another tighter.

"I'm baring my soul to you." Elise was feeling the effects of the Tokay and she felt liberated for once.

"Then please continue."

Elise took Jaelle's hand in her own, twisting their fingers together; lying against the dark haired woman, feeling absolutely relaxed, trying to remember the last time she lay against another person like this. Jaelle felt right. It felt like home.

"One day, when I was 12, I went out to the barn to see what Grandpa was doing. He fussed over his horses a lot. They were prize winning Belgians. I found him on the ground, face down. I ran over to him, tried to wake him, but he wasn't responding. I ran to the house and called my parents. They arrived a few minutes before the ambulance. He never woke up. He suffered a major stroke and died a few days later. I lost my best friend in the world."

Jaelle drew her closer and kissed the top of her head.

"I cried so hard, I thought it was something I did . . . or didn't do. My parents tried to explain, logically even, but it didn't matter. I couldn't fix it, I couldn't fix him. From then on, everything I did had to have a purpose, a meaning. Solving things is what I wanted to do best."

"You lost your magic."

"There is no magic."

Jaelle took Elise's face in her hands.

"Yes there is."

She pressed her lips to Elise's, tasting the Tokay, feeling her softness. Her skin was so smooth beneath Jaelle's touch. Elise responded, letting the woman's lips take away her pain. It felt good, the way Jaelle gently kissed her. She wanted the moment never to end. She parted her lips, wanting to feel Jaelle's tongue against her own. The taste of wine on their lips made Elise want to drink from Jaelle's mouth. She felt light headed and intoxicated from the kisses.

Elise let her fingers entangle in Jaelle's hair, relishing the softness of her curls. A soft moan escaped her lips as she felt Jaelle's hands move around her waist and glide up her back.

"How long has it been" she thought, "since I've touched someone like this? How long since anyone has touched me this way?"

She didn't want to think any more. She wanted to get lost in Jaelle's kisses. Greedily, she kissed her back. Long fingers traced patterns over, and over across the warm skin of her back. She felt Jaelle's hands move beneath her sweater.

ABSTRUSE
ABSTRUSE
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