Forgiveness Meetings: Part One 1.00
[Introduction]
It was a reflective ride. Noah had come a long way since he first found the book; from owning his own car and working for the Church, to pushing his muscles to their string-bean limits on a motor-less bike and printing things for a living…lots of uncomfortable changes.
Feeling the wind on his face as he peddled idly through the town back to his place was the only thing forcing him to relax despite himself. As he entered the apartment he could feel the warmth and love; Noah was finally home and this was his family.
Hank was sitting at the kitchen table as Ashes stood facing the kitchen counter making herself a cup of instant coffee. It was a surreal moment for Noah: The author of the book that changed his life was in his home, drinking his instant, chatting with his houseless friend Hank.
“Hey Pal! Took you long enough. You will be happy to know Ashes knows her way around your kitchen already and made us dinner. Hope you like vegan.” Hank spoke as if addressing someone known to him since birth.
Noah wanted this moment to last forever, so, in his true-to-random form, Noah took a mental picture for years to come.
“You alright with aborigine?” Ashes stirred a bit of cinnamon and vanilla into Noah’s pug mug then took a seat to the left of Hank.
“Honestly? I have no clue what that even is.” Noah had no problem admitting ignorance; he believed it saved everyone time and energy.
“Eggplant.” Hank smiled as he took a sip of his Jasmine Tea.
Noah remembered Hank spouting off at the Free-Market about drinking coffee with them that evening in celebration and Noah was not going to let it go for nothin’: “Thought you were gonna have coffee with us Hank.”
“Yeah…after dinner.”
The response was surprising to Noah. Hank was never one to compromise…not even for a woman.
“I’ve heard about this.” Putting his body in motion, taking off Prince William’s leash, Noah moseyed over to the kitchen table to join his company, “This is what it must be like when hell freezes over.”
The three laughed and Ashes slid her fresh cuppa in front of Noah as a gesture of kindness and affinity for her new kindred spirit.
“So, Noah…I am curious. How did you come to find a copy of me book?” Ashes stood up and turned on the hot-water kettle as she pulled out another mug, it was the one Mother bought him when she visited Greece. Noah contemplated her choice of words and coffee receptacle.
“I’m not sure you would approve of who I was when I happened upon your written words.” Noah looked down at his coffee, then at the floor.
“Well, I am not sure you would approve of who I was when I wrote the feckin thing.” Ashes smiled.
Noah thought her Irish accent was entrancing, the ‘bad words’ making her even more so.
Noah shook his head, “Doubtful.”
“True story,” Ashes raised her left hand and put her right on top of her coffee cup “Hypocrite to the maximum level.” Finished pouring a new cup, she sat back down between her new friends. “I am a firm believer that we preach what we need to learn the most [pause] and then hopefully we learn the lesson before it’s too late.”
Hank was staying out of this one. Refusing to give his young pal any hint or direction for what he should say or do.
“Fuck it. Fine. If you really want to know…” There was an internal struggle about where Noah felt he should begin…Noah knew where he should start, but he was scared Ashes would hate him or at least never look at him the same.
“You tell me yours; I’ll tell you mine.” Ashes winked.
Picking up the perfectly rolled doobie from the center of the table, Noah lit it up and exhaled to light the embers without just setting fire to the paper. Every movement was a sign of growth and an ever evolving young man.
“Alright, here goes nothin’. It was a dark and dreary night and as usual, I was overdressed for the occasion…”
Dear Reader,
Before we dive into who Noah was and the roads he would take to get to where he ends up (which is where you find him with Hank and Ashes) you need to be made aware of a few things.
First of all: The moments leading up to Noah acquiring the book that would rock his proverbial world were probably some of his ugliest ones. Reaching his personal bottom is not pretty to watch…apologies. However, without understanding his personal deconstruction, you will never fully be in a position to appreciate the beautiful being that is Noah.
Like so many of us today, Noah finds himself lost and drowning in the societal web constructed for us all which we are told is for our own ‘good’. When he finally stops accepting his daily dose of social medicine and starts to pick up and examine the broken pieces of his socially acceptable life…well, I will let you decide if change was for the best.
So without further delay and as your self-appointed story guide, I have decided to soften the blow by recalling such a story from a [mostly] unbiased outsider’s point of view. If you must still hate him…love him with that same blind passion. Balance has a way of keeping things in perspective, even if the two sides are sometimes found in the extremes.
Kindest of Regards,
Your Devoted Pendulum Writer
Into The Mystic,
Ash
Into The Mystic, Ash 