Page 30 of Red River

"They were, indeed. Some dyed it, though."

"You really like… this hair color, don’t you?" River took with the end of his braid, his face slightly pensive.

"Yes."

He didn’t raise his head, his gaze still fixed on the end of his thick braid.

And then, suddenly, he said, "You know, I still have that flower you gave me back then. I pressed it in a book."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? You kept that marigold?"

River nodded, then suddenly turned and ran toward the stairs. He was gone for a moment before coming back down, carrying a book titledOur Alien Origin.

He placed it on the table and opened it. Inside was an orange-red, dried marigold—just like the one I had given him many years ago. I stared at it for a moment, then slowly reached out and carefully picked it up.

"It really looks like the marigold I stole from the neighbor’s garden. It was the Safari Red variety. It reminded me of your hair."

"It’s the same one."

It was a strange moment. I slowly put the marigold back and looked at River. His heart sped up again.

"I remember how much I liked you, River. It was like a spell. Your hair was so long and bright red, you seemed magical in my eyes. You enchanted me."

There was no sound in the room. River slowly raised his hand and ran his fingers along his braid—it was almost sensual. But then, as if startled by his own boldness, he quickly closed the book, hiding the marigold inside.

"What do you expect from me when it comes to household chores?" he unexpectedly asked.

The change of subject was so sudden that it took me a while to respond.

"Um. Oliver comes every day to cook and clean. He’ll still do that."

"I’ve always cooked and cleaned."

"Even when you were pregnant? With little kids?"

"Yes. We didn’t have money for a helper."

"Did you also work for Thomas at the same time?"

River licked his lips. "I did."

"While pregnant?"

"Yes."

"While having a newborn?"

"Yeah. I had a headset on me all the time and was taking calls from customers. I never had a day off."

"Never?"

River shook his head and I let out a snort.

"Let me get this straight. You took care of the house, the children, cooking, cleaning, and… worked for him all day, no vacations. But he was still the leader? He decided what the kids ate, whether you had a relationship with your family, and who your friends were?"

River didn’t answer as I fixed my eyes on him. His braid flowed down his shoulder, his long auburn lashes casting shadows on his pale cheeks. He was so small and fragile.

"So. He sat on his ass, ate himself to death, and left you in a mess. Is that accurate?"

---