Post by nathaniel buckford on Jun 27, 2011 17:37:45 GMT -5
This was always the place Nathaniel went to get away from everything; his lecturers, work, Jill, life in general. She had always loved the zoo, mostly to spoil everyone's fun by running off as many facts as she could manage about any animal she could find. The zoo had offered her a job, at one point, as a zoo keeper, but her studies had kept her away from it. Perhaps if she'd taken it, the Jill that Nathaniel knew would still be here, not this...ghost, this shade of a wonderful woman. She was still in there, he was sure of that much, but those occasional moments when he thought Jill was back made the whole affair so much more bitter. The fact he was still madly, head-over-heels in love with someone who sometimes even refused to acknowledge his existence was possible the most painful thing in the world, with the exception of Katy Perry's boobtastic music, which made dogs cry.
Crying wasn't one of the things Nathaniel did any more; after the first week he realised that he needed to stop being selfish and live for Jill - there was no-one to look after her but him, and even if she thought he was a kind stranger, he'd be there for her until his legs all broke and his mind left his body a gibbering wreck. Nathaniel wanted to spend every moment of his life with Jill; if it meant a little hardship, there was no problem. After all, the Lord had more than his share of hardship in his short time amongst the world of men, and never once did he complain or moan. If he was content to die in agony, Nathaniel could handle this - after all, God was on his side. The walk had been largely uneventful, spent in idle chatter, but so much had changed. Before, they would have had their hands laced together, finger between finger like a little fence. Now, there was half a foot between them, and each millimetre felt like a gulf of a thousand miles, not just physically, but to the past inevitably left behind. It was a warm Saturday afternoon, Nathaniel had his day off, and this place, at least, could make him feel just for a moment that everything was all right again.
Trying to stop his smile bursting into full laughter, Nathaniel struggled not to stare at Jill as they passed the gates into the zoo, today in a pair of purple jeans, with a white shirt and black waistcoat, finished with a pair of sunglasses hanging from his unbuttoned collar, where the shirt separated into a 'v' to show Nath's modest chest. A look of utter glee seemed to come over Jillian's face as she entered, suddenly surrounded by a menagerie of creatures. Now the laughter came out, and after a moment Nathaniel beckoned for Jill to come along, to catch up with him. They were going to enjoy today, and Nathaniel put to one side all thoughts of what he had lost, focussing only on what he had now. A lovely girl, a day out, the sun, and the future.
Crying wasn't one of the things Nathaniel did any more; after the first week he realised that he needed to stop being selfish and live for Jill - there was no-one to look after her but him, and even if she thought he was a kind stranger, he'd be there for her until his legs all broke and his mind left his body a gibbering wreck. Nathaniel wanted to spend every moment of his life with Jill; if it meant a little hardship, there was no problem. After all, the Lord had more than his share of hardship in his short time amongst the world of men, and never once did he complain or moan. If he was content to die in agony, Nathaniel could handle this - after all, God was on his side. The walk had been largely uneventful, spent in idle chatter, but so much had changed. Before, they would have had their hands laced together, finger between finger like a little fence. Now, there was half a foot between them, and each millimetre felt like a gulf of a thousand miles, not just physically, but to the past inevitably left behind. It was a warm Saturday afternoon, Nathaniel had his day off, and this place, at least, could make him feel just for a moment that everything was all right again.
Trying to stop his smile bursting into full laughter, Nathaniel struggled not to stare at Jill as they passed the gates into the zoo, today in a pair of purple jeans, with a white shirt and black waistcoat, finished with a pair of sunglasses hanging from his unbuttoned collar, where the shirt separated into a 'v' to show Nath's modest chest. A look of utter glee seemed to come over Jillian's face as she entered, suddenly surrounded by a menagerie of creatures. Now the laughter came out, and after a moment Nathaniel beckoned for Jill to come along, to catch up with him. They were going to enjoy today, and Nathaniel put to one side all thoughts of what he had lost, focussing only on what he had now. A lovely girl, a day out, the sun, and the future.
