"No Mother, please don't leave me." "My daughter, do not be afraid. My time has come. With my last breaths in this fragile body, I tell you this. By my death, you alone are entrusted with a sacred jewel, a diamond necklace. Keep it safe, for when you come of age, many men will say to you, 'Beau, entrust the diamond to me, and I will bring you great fortune.' Beware, my child, for not every man who offers his safekeeping is worthy of such responsibility. Know that the man deserving of the diamond's luster will not promise you fortune if you entrust it to him, but will bring you fortune regardless. Heed these words, Beau. Disregard them, and you will live a life of emptiness and regret, but follow them, and your life will be full of joy and prosperity. I love you, Beau. Now go, and live a life worth living."
After the death of her mother, Beau went to live with her grandfather, Soutien. He was long retired when he took her in, and could not support her for long with just his savings alone. This meant that Beau had to start working when she was just 14 years old. Her first job was bussing tables at a popular local restaurant called Luxure. One night at work, Beau was doing her usual duty of preparing a table to be ready for the next patron, when a man at an adjacent table whispered to her. "Psst. Hey, bus girl." Beau turned, walked to his table and asked, "Can I help you?" "This is for the good work you're doing here," he said as he slipped a ten dollar bill into the left buttocks pocket of her jeans. She replied with confusion, "Oh, thank you... sir." "You know," he went on, "there's more where that came from if you loan me that diamond necklace you've got there." Beau thought to herself, "Could this be what mother meant when she said fortune? No, there must be more than money involved. This man certainly is not worthy." Beau gave the man back his ten dollars and continued working the rest of the night, but decided that it was time to quit this job after just four months.
Soutien was an avid poker player, and often entered himself into local tournaments. While Beau was searching for a new job, Soutien finished in the money at a tournament with a decent purse. That extra money allowed Beau to take a break from working for a few months and focus on school. At least that's what she was supposed to focus on. She spent most of her new found free time with a boy from school named Toquade. He was a bit of a class clown, so he was always making people laugh, Beau included. Toquade and Beau got to talking after class one day and became very attracted to one another. Their relationship progressed quickly, and they became boyfriend and girlfriend after just one week. There was nothing they didn't like about each other. One afternoon, Soutien left the house to go play poker with his old Army buddies, so when Beau and Toquade arrived, they were home alone. They sat down on the couch, and Toquade took Beau's hand in his. "Beau," he said, "you're the most amazing girl I've ever known." "Really?" "You're smart, you're funny, you're gorgeous. There's nothing I would change about you." "Aw, Toquade..." "Beau, there's something I want to ask you. I've wanted to ask you this since the time I met you, but, I just didn't think the time was right. But now, I think we know each other well enough." "What is it?" "Your diamond necklace, it's... majestic. If you let me invest with it... we could run away from this place and start a life together. I know we could do it. Don't you think so?" "Well... I don't know, Toquade." "Come on, you know we could!" Beau then recalled her mother's dying words and thought to herself, "Laughter? Could that be what mother meant when she said fortune? No, laughter warms the heart, but does not heal all wounds. Toquade, I'm afraid, is not worthy." "Toquade," she said, "I'm sorry, but I can't. You make me laugh like no one else, but I'm afraid that is not enough. I'm sorry." "So what, you think that all I'm good for is a couple of laughs? Don't you love me?" "I love my grandfather, I loved my mother, but I cannot say that I love you. Not yet. Not now." "I thought we really meant something to each other, Beau." "I'm sorry, Toquade. Perhaps you should go now."
After Beau graduated from school, she went right to work as a receptionist for a real estate agency. About a month after she started, the company held its annual golf tournament at the Desepoir Golf Links. Beau had never played golf before and never held much interest in doing so, but after watching her co-workers play and hitting a few balls herself, she was hooked. Soutien had an old set of golf clubs that he never used, so he let Beau use them to hit at the driving range. One day, Beau was hitting at the range by herself and getting frustrated because she still was just a beginner. A man a few stations down noticed her frustration and decided to try to help. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I noticed that you were getting a little frustrated over here. Would you like a few pointers?" "Oh, certainly!" "All right. Go ahead and take a practice swing." Beau swung as if she was trying to hit a record drive. "Whoa there! Ease up on the swing speed. You need to stay relaxed to hit a clean ball." "Okay. Should I hit one for real now?" "Sure, go ahead." Beau lined up a ball, relaxed all the way through her swing, and hit a lovely, high-arching shot. "Oh my! I've never hit a ball that well! What is your name?" "My name is Guerison. And you?" "I am Beau. Pleased to meet you, Guerison." "The pleasure is all mine, Beau." After their first meeting at the driving range, Beau and Guerison became friends, and remained close for several months. During that time, they got to know each other very well. They knew each other's strengths, they knew each other's weaknessess, each other's shortcomings and each other's proficiencies. Guerison had always been in a relationship with some other woman, but eventually he realized that Beau was as right for him as any woman could be. He ended his then current relationship and invited Beau to a date. At the time, Beau was apprehensive about starting a relationship because she was planning on asking for a promotion at work which would send her across the country to the corporate headquaters. However, she didn't think her chances of getting the promotion were very high, so she agreed to the date. To Beau, the date experience felt very natural, but she didn't know what to make of that. She was half-expecting some sort of eureka moment in which she would realize whether or not Guerison was the right man for her, but there was no such moment. Regardless, there didn't seem to be any problem with dating him, so she continued to date him on a regular basis. After two weeks, Beau and Guerison had been on five enjoyable dates. Guerison was becoming increasingly attached to Beau, and she could sense this, but she had not developed the same feelings for him. All the while, Beau had been waiting for the right moment to ask for her promotion at work. When she finally did ask, she was ecstatic to hear that it would be granted. However, she quickly realized what that meant for Guerison. She decided that it would be best to tell him immediately, before he grew too attached to her. She called him and told him to come over. "Guerison, there is something I need to tell you." "What is it, my dear?" "Well, some changes have been made for me at work. I've been promoted." "Wow, that's great! What's your new title?" "Well, I'm still a receptionist, but I've done such a good job that they want me to work at the corporate headquarters." "At the headquarters? Across the country?" "Yes." "Well, you're not going to accept the promotion... are you?" "I already have." "But... what about us? I can't just pick up my business and move it wherever I want." "I'm sorry, Guerison. I really am. It's just that... I'm afraid I don't have the same feelings for you as you have for me. We have been close friends for almost a year now, but that's as far as it goes for me." "Beau, we have never had a fight. Do you not realize how rare it is to get along with someone so well?" "It is rare, yes, but to me that doesn't seem like enough." "Perhaps... yes, that must be it! Your diamond necklace, entrust it to me! That could be the final step, don't you think? You wouldn't have to work anymore. You wouldn't have to move away! We could live out the rest of our lives together in harmony!" Once again, Beau returned to her mother's last words, thinking, "Did she mean harmony? Perhaps, but how is one to grow in a state of content? No, Guerison is not worthy." "Guerison, you are my friend, and in that way, I love you. I'm sorry that we did not grow close to each other in the same way over these last few weeks." "You've broken my heart, Beau." "Forgive me, Guerison."
When the location of the corporate headquarters for Beau's company was being determined, the powers that be decided it best to establish them in the city that the company was founded. The company was founded a long time ago, and was instrumental in developing the city. The company played off of its long history with the city to aid in keeping up its good reputation, seeing to it that a representative from within be present at every charitable event held in the city. After working at the headquarters for three weeks, Beau was chosen to represent the company at the Amour Center for Children's "Walk to Fight Inequality," which was meant to raise awareness of the growing economic gap between the lower and the middle classes. During the walk through the city's downtown, Beau met several nice people. About halfway through the walk, a little boy accidentally bumped into Beau. A man followed to reprimand the boy. "Bobby, watch where you're going. I apologize, ma'am." "Oh, no problem." "He gets a little too excited at times." "I was the same at his age." "Weren't we all... what's your name?" "Beau. And you?" "Vrai. Nice to meet you, Beau." "Same to you, Vrai." "So, is this your first Walk?" "Yes, actully. I moved here just three weeks ago." "Really? What brought you here?" "My job. I was given a promotion that moved me to the headquarters of the company." "Well, good for you. What made you want to participate in the Walk?" "Actually, I was chosen to represent my company. They try to have a representative at every sort of charitable event." "Oh, that's nice. More corporations should do that." "Certainly. What about you? Is this your first Walk?" "No, seventh. I've been doing it ever since I took in my nephew Bobby here." "Oh, he's your nephew?" "Yes. Unfortunately, his mother does not have the means to take care of him. He's autistic, you see. It takes a lot of work, a lot of patience, and a lot of money to support an autistic child. His mother is a member of the working poor, so she cannot support Bobby with her income. Even if she did make enough money to do so, with the long hours that she works, she would never have time to take proper care of him." "How awful..." "I know. She gets to see him every week, but that is not nearly as often as she'd like. She has no choice though." "So that is your motivation for doing the Walk?" "Indeed it is. That, and Bobby spends a lot of time at Amour." "I see. So how do you find time to support Bobby?" "I'm the head pediatrician at the downtown hospital, so my hours are flexible, and if I need to take extra time off to take care of Bobby, I can do that." "Oh, that's good." "It's a fortunate situation for Bobby. I'm glad I can help him. Have you ever had any interest in working with children?" "I've never thought about it, actually." "Well, in my opinion, there is no occupation that is more rewarding. I volunteer at Amour about once a week, mostly when Bobby is there. If you ever want to volunteer some time, just give me a call and I'll talk to the staff about having you come in. Here's my number." "All right, thank you. I'll try to find some time next week." "Great. I hope to hear from you soon." The more that Beau thought about working with children, the more she liked the idea, so she decided to give Vrai a call. He was happy to hear that she wanted to volunteer, and arranged for her to come into Amour. Beau only volunteered for two hours, but they were the most fulfilling two hours of her entire life. She began volunteering regularly at Amour, and in just one month, her passion for working with children had blossomed into her life's purpose. She quit her job as a receptionist and began working as a full-time staff member at Amour. Beau's new permanent position at Amour gave her the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Vrai's nephew, Bobby. This gave Vrai and Beau a lot to talk about. At first, they only talked at Amour for the most part. However, their shared passion for children brought them close to each other very quickly. After a few months of friendship, they decided to become a couple. This greatly benefitted Bobby, as Vrai and Beau were able to supplement each other's practices with their differing areas of childcare. The relationship could not have been more perfect. Several months passed, and even with the difficult task of caring for Bobby, Vrai and Beau were still a strong couple. After reflecting on the last year of her life, Beau knew in her heart that this was what her mother meant by fortune. "Vrai," she thought to herself, "is worthy." That night, Beau sat Vrai down and took his hand in hers. "Vrai, before my mother died, she told me something. What she said was very profound and very challenging to me. She told me how to judge men. She said that the right man would bring me fortune without asking anything in return. Only that man, she said, is worthy of... Vrai, you have brought me fortune. You led me to my purpose in life. For that, I thank you, and would like to present to you my--Vrai? Vrai, are you okay? Speak to me! Vrai... VRAI!!!" It was a rare occurance in a man of Vrai's young age, but unfortunately strokes were common in his family. Sadly, Vrai suffered from permanent memory damage, and was never able to recall his relationship with Beau, and never recovered well enough to start anew with her. Bummer, dude.
© 2006 Pflanzenfaser