To the Rhythm of the Ocean's Tides
Defining Moment No. 1
It is said that eternity begins and ends with the ocean's tides. The waves come and go, endlessly washing the shores, roaring and foaming and crying their memories to the skies. Day turns into night and still the oceans churn and toil. Buildings crumble and fall into ruin, empires pass away, men live their lives and are buried and yet the seas do not run dry. They live on, whilst everything else is dust and nothing more than a memory and a passing dream; a whisper on the eternal breeze.
It is fitting therefore that our story begins on the ocean's shore; a story that would be told for many generations by the light of tribal fires, and would live on in the crashing of the waves and the murmur of the wind. As with many such stories, it tells of friendship and family, of love lost and love refound. But this is no ordinary story. This is the tale of Jacob Black and Bella Swan, and their love that spanned a lifetime and overcame many obstacles before reaching its ultimate fulfilment.
Our story begins on a rainy day in a little town called Forks. The fact that it was raining is not significant - indeed, if it was not raining it might be more worth noting. And on this rather ordinary rainy day, a little girl and her father were on their way to visit some friends of theirs, who lived in the neighbouring reservation, La Push.
Despite the ordinariness of the day however, this was no ordinary visit, for which one must be very grateful. Because this was a visit of condolence. The friends in question all belonged to one family, and they had recently suffered a most tragic loss. William (or Billy, as he preferred to be called) Black and his wife Sarah had been in a head on collision with a drunk driver a few days previously. Sarah had unfortunately been killed on impact, and Billy had been trapped in the wreck, the result of which was that he was now paralysed from the waist down.
It is often bemoaned that bad things tend to happen to good people, and this could not be more true than in the Blacks' case, for a kinder, more lovely family you could not find. The three children, Rachel, Rebecca and Jacob had been looked after by friends on the rez over the past few days, but just that morning Billy had returned from the hospital, and naturally he wanted his offspring around him. Charlie Swan (Bella's father) and seven year old Bella were on their way to see if there was anything they could do to help.
~ O ~ O ~ O ~
"Now remember Bells, the Blacks have just lost their mom and their dad is in a wheelchair now, so they probably won't want to play, OK? Just...be understanding and be there for them. I'm sure they'll appreciate it."
"Yes, Daddy. I know that. You don't have to worry. It must be so horrible to not have their mommy anymore. She was so nice. I remember she used to let me help her when she was baking. And she used to read me and Jake bedtime stories when I spent the night. Who do you think will read Jake bedtime stories now, Daddy?"
"I don't know sweetheart. Maybe Rachel and Rebecca?" he said rather doubtfully. "I'm sure that's the least of Jake's worries at the moment though."
Bella frowned to herself. She couldn't imagine not having a mommy to read her bedtime stories at night. Even though her mommy lived far away and wasn't married to her daddy anymore, Bella still knew she was there if she needed her. And now Jake and Rachel and Rebecca didn't have that anymore. Her little heart ached for them.
Gravel crunched beneath the tires as Charlie turned the truck into the Blacks' driveway. No one came out to meet them, but he had expected that, so he simply turned the engine off and let himself and Bella in.
Whilst Charlie went looking for Billy, Bella's eyes immediately honed in on the little dark-haired boy sitting hunched up in the corner of the couch. His chubby brown cheeks were streaked with dirt and tears, as if he hadn't bothered to bath for the past couple of days, and the black shirt that he was wearing was crumpled and stained with something yellow and sticky. Bella found it hard to reconcile the picture of total misery before her with the sunny little boy that she had had such fun playing with in the past. She felt her heart clench within her with pity whilst sympathetic tears filled her eyes.
Running over to him, she settled herself on the couch next to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his wet little cheek. It was a mark of Jacob's total desolation that he did not immediately squirm and wriggle away from her as he normally would have done.
"Oh Jakey, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed into his shoulder.
Jacob simply sat there listlessly, not responding in any way, shape or form. Although the astute observer would be able to see new wet trails tracking their way through the grime on his face.
Bella cried for a little bit, and then getting restless, she sat up again and said the first thing that popped into her head.
"Let's go for a walk. My mommy always says that when you are sad, there's nothing like fresh air to perk you up. Come on, Jake!"
And grabbing his sticky hand in hers, without further ado, she pulled him up and practically dragged him outside into the sunshine (fortunately it was not raining in La Push). Without really thinking about it, Bella's feet turned on to the well-worn path that had led to many misdemeanours and fun-filled afternoons with the Black family. Jacob tagged obediently behind, and before either of them knew it, they were at La Push First Beach.
It was not much to look at, as beaches go. For one thing, it had pebbles instead of sand. But the air that blew from the ocean was clean and salty and the sound of the crashing waves was soothing to an aching heart. Here Bella plopped herself and Jacob down, still not relinquishing his hand, and here they sat in silence together for a while. After a few minutes, Jacob's tears dried up, and he sat there, simply drinking in the sights and sounds and smells around them. And perhaps Bella's mother was right after all, or perhaps the ocean has healing qualities of its own, because strangely enough, he felt a little better, a little more...hopeful. Or perhaps it was neither of these things and was in fact the little girl beside him, who after a moment, turned and leaning in towards his ear, whispered softly "I'll always be here for you Jakey. I'll always be your friend."
Whichever it was, Jacob ended the day feeling marginally happier than he had felt when he had begun it. And as he managed to fall asleep that night for the first time in days, he could vaguely hear the rushing of the ocean in the distance; back...and forwards...back...and forwards...back...and forwards...and it was to this gentle lullaby that he slowly drifted off with a smile on his face.
