A beautiful young woman served tea on the table for the two men to continue their conversation in the garden—the very land the old man had built with his own hands.
"You should come more often, Max," said the old man.
"Yeah, I'll try for sure," Max replied, sipping his tea.
"My daughter can be... a bit much to handle. Make sure not to trigger her," the old man advised with a chuckle.
"Isn't it a bit late for advice? We've been married for ten years now, sir," Max replied, smiling.
Upon hearing Max, the old man laughed as he always did—slapping his thigh before descending into a coughing fit. His daughter rushed to his side, gently patting his back and helping him sip water.
"We can hire a maid or a butler to help you out," she suggested. "You still haven't fully recovered. Or maybe... come live with us in New Zealand?"
But the old man shook his head.He could not leave this land. Not the land he had built—with gentle hands and patient care.
"Fine..... Sir! But don't you have any friends?" asked Max.
"Friends? Oh, friends. I did. But now... most of them lie buried beneath the ground. Gray, Adam, Arthur... and so many others," the old man replied, a faint smile of sorrow, one that never quite left his face.
Max, despite his youth and status as son-in-law, was genuinely curious.
"Tell me about them. About your friends. Your first love. Their departure."
The old man nodded.
He had once told this same story to his daughter, Mary, many years ago.
A tale so extraordinary, that no one ever believed him.
"But first—have you ever been in love?" Max asked.
"Love? Oh yes. Once... I did fall into that trap. Despite all the cruelties... it was a wonderful experience."
"Who was it? You never told us the name."
"Hahahaha!!! I still remember those dark brown eyes of her. Her red and soft cheeks. Those silky hair had the same colour as her eyes. Her voice charmer than any birds singing. Though she preferred to speak with her kindness. We never exchanged our sight. We never spoke to each other. And yet I observed her daily, her smile, her laugh, those beautiful tears of happiness, and her red cheeks whenever she got embarrassed." He stopped.
He let out a heavy breath.
"I could have talked to her, I could have got her, I could have stayed with her, with all of you idiots.
And yet I didn't.
For I knew all from the start. The curse of wisdom, the curse of being forgotten, the curse of fate, the curse of being alone with truth. I had foreseen all of it, for much I have experienced them.
We lived together, talked a lot, and shared our pain and laughter. BUT only I remained with these memories. Only I was left behind. It's not like I regret, after all it was my decision to begin with. The world we lived in, we all. The world that gave me everything yet I despised it, was wonderful. Wasn't it...., Eterna Silentia?" He spoke of his feelings in his mind.
Mary touched her father's shoulder who was lost in his own world of thoughts. He opened up his eyes to see Max, who was still waiting for him to speak.
"Shall we begin—"