“She was always my light” snippet from “MACTUS” Second Novel from “The Light-Bearer Series”

“Burdens of Responsibility” snippet o... “What are your novels about Emily? Wh...

“She was always my light” snippet from “MACTUS” Second Novel from “The Light-Bearer Series”

English: The Man in Black (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Neal said, “If you do not mind Tabbruis, please allow the flight attendant to clean and change her clothes.”
Tabbruis nodded and said, “Yes, but I will be the one to do it. Just ask the flight attendant to bring her travel bag. I will need some towels, soap, water and privacy while I clean her.”
Neal made the arrangements and left the room, so they could have privacy. The flight attendant brought in a few bowls of soapy water and towels. She also brought in Charmeine’s travel bag. Then Tabbruis asked her to leave.
Turning to Charmeine on the couch, Tabbruis said with a tear in his eye, “I guess I am the one to give you privacy now.” He looked at her beautiful face while he took off the ripped turtle-neck and bloody camisole.
Tabbruis gently cleaned her removing the blood on her front back and in her hair. Never looking anywhere except her face, he dried her off and took another camisole out of the bag and put it on her.
Then he thought, ‘Her rose lotion she liked so much, did she pack it?’ He reached in the bottom of the bag and found it. Tabbruis knew she loved the rose scent and rubbed it on her tanned arms. The smell of roses brought back a collage of memories of Charmeine. The first night he saw her, while he was carrying her to the limo, he smelled roses. The nights he held her, she had put it on right before she came to bed. Charmeine was intoxicating to him. Her love of roses reminded him of her love, purity and beauty.

Tabbruis found a thin zipper hoodie, and carefully put it on her. Charmeine’s jeans were soaked with blood and his stomach turned when he thought about what the Blood-Hunter wanted to do to her. Just looking her face, he took off her tennis shoes and gently unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. While doing this, he said, “I never thanked you for the way you treated me last night. No one, Charmeine…” and he held back tears “has ever treated me with such kindness and tenderness, but you offered it to me like you have an ocean of it to give.” Still looking into her face, he slid the jeans off keeping her panties in place. Tabbruis reached in the bag and pulled out a pair of yoga pants. He put them on her while looking at her face and then put her shoes back on.
Tabbruis made sure all the blood was off of her, and she was clean and perfect. He took out her hair brush and began to brush her soft golden hair. It was beautiful and it curled around her face. He held it in his hands and thought it really was like spun honey. He put the brush back in the bag. Tabbruis sat back on the couch and put her head back on his lap.
Tabbruis rang for the flight attendant saying, “Please I need a few favors; please remove these things, bring me a pillow and blanket for her, please ask my son and Neal to come in now and please, we all will require refreshment.” The flight attendant smiled and nodded, taking the bloodied basins of water and bloody clothes with her.
A minute later, Neal came in bringing a cut crystal decanter of blood. Tabbruis said questioning look on his face, “Donated?”
Neal looked at Tabbruis with an expression of disbelief and said, “Yes, Tabbruis, I do not take human life to sustain my life. I have been this way for hundreds of years. But over the centuries, I have come to like a little extravagance. I enjoy drinking blood from crystal rather than plastic donor bags.”
Neal handed Tabbruis a crystal glass of blood, and Tabbruis smiled. He could not argue with his sentiment. Tabbruis drank and it was very nice. Shane came through the door.
Tabbruis beamed, “My son, I am very proud of you. You saved your mother’s life, and I will never be able to repay you for your courage.” Shane’s eyes began to tear up. Tabbruis noticed his red hair was still hanging down and not tied up.
Shane came over and touched Charmeine with tenderness on her cheek and kissed her forehead. Charmeine turned her head still sleeping and smiled. Tabbruis said, “You have always been able bring a smile to your mother’s face.”
Shane said, “No, I was always getting into trouble and Char was constantly bailing me out. She always knew when I was lying, so I had to be always honest with her no matter how hard I tried to lie.”
Shane’s face became filled with regret and said, “I remember one time, I was caught with a bunch of the guys from the orphanage when we accidentally set fire to the tool shed. We were facing criminal charges of arson and they were going to send us off to Westbury, Long Island Juvie prison. Char… or Mom… showed up at the Suffolk County Courthouse when we were up in court for sentencing. She insisted on speaking with the judge. See they had no evidence that we set it intentionally.
We had just gone out to smoke in the tool shed. It was cold and we didn’t want to stand outside. However, the butt wasn’t put out all the way. She insisted that we be given work detail and probation instead of serving time because if they couldn’t show evidence of pre-meditation, no one got hurt, and the shed was valued at less than $1000, we were not guilty of a sentence that required jail time.

Charmeine always my light

Well, the judge was so impressed that he made us serve our time at orphanage doing year-round yard work. You name it. We did it. We raked leaves, shoveled snow, planted flowers, weeded and mowed. The custodian thought that we were the best thing to come along since sliced bread because he did not have to lift a finger outside. To her credit, it kept us out of trouble and close to home. We had too many chores to be wandering away.
Char, well she was the only light in my life. It is appropriate she’s a Light-Bearer. She was always my light.”
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We all have someone who believed in us and went to bat for us.
Today give them a call or a hug or think of them if you can.
This song came out in 1973…
I memorized it immediately….
I used to sing it all the time!
I just lit up whenever I sang it!
Love and enjoy the day!