Chapter Four – A Ray of Light in the Middle of the Night

Valentin age 17, Rose 15


Summer 2011, Saturday, 5:00 p.m.

"Come on it'll be fun, Rose."
"Could we do it some other time? I'll miss my favourite movie, Black Beauty."
"Rose, you can watch the movie tomorrow. People are talking about this comet. We shouldn't miss it."
"Ugh..." Rosaline sighed. "Okay."


Theme Song: "Always You" by Sophie Zelmani

While waiting for the night to come, Valentin and Rosaline played catch near the graveyard.

07:00 p.m.
"Can we go home now? Maybe it won't show up tonight?" 
"It will, Rose. Trust me!"
"Even if it shows up, can we see it with only our bare eyes?"
"Probably, but I promise if it shows up, it will be an unforgettable moment. Come on, we have nothing to lose!"
"Ugh..." Rosaline sighed. "Okay." 

At 10.00 p.m.

The comet was still hiding its face and both Rosaline and Valentin were feeling hungry. Luckily, Rosaline brought  vegetables from home and was roasting them. 

"Careful, Rose! I don't want you to die because of choking."

"You should try it.. It's delicious." 

"It is?" Valentin took a bite from her.

"Are you sure the comet will show up?" Rosaline gazed up to the sky. The night was clear, stars glistening around the moon.

"It will. Perhaps those clouds are covering it."

"Whatever you say, Val."

"Ugh." Valentin's food got burned. Rosaline chuckled.
"What are you laughing about, Rose? Do you forget that this morning you almost burned the kitchen ? Luckily, I was there to put out the fire. What did you try to cook anyway?"

"Frogs legs."
"Frogs legs...? Ugh."
"Hey, it's a delicious food if only I know how to cook it. You should try it first before giving any comment."
"Whatever you say, Rose. Where did you get those frogs anyway?"
"I bought them yesterday at the market. Too bad it got burned. By the way, it's pretty late. I'm going home. I bet the comet won't show up tonight."
"Don't! I have set a camp."
"Whatever. I'm walking."
Rosaline rose from her seat and then took a step forward.
"Rose! Wait up!" 

The next day, Rosaline went to a library. She really wanted to learn Frog Legs recipes, so she rented the recipe book. She only spent few simeloens by renting it and returning it on the same day. She's a fast reader and could easily memorize things she had read from a book. Now,  if only she could get  frogs legs and garlic.

Rosaline tried to find those ingredients, but she only found pomegranates tree in Jean Luc Pivert's garden. Of course, she had asked for Mr. Pivert's permission  and  Mr. Pivert seemed didn't mind.

She also found Pomelo plant there.

A boy with brown hair showed up in front of Mr. Pivert's gate when the sun was setting. Mr. Pivert introduced him as his son. His name is Pierre.

He seemed like a nice  boy.

Rosaline didn't have many friends in France, maybe Pierre would be a good friend for her.

They talked about Frog Legs recipes, but suddenly Mr. Pivert spoke about  how kind of brat Pierre really was. Mr. Pivert laughed after making few jokes about his adopted son. Pierre's face turned red, getting so embarrassed in front of a girl he had just met. 

He then helped Rosaline to pick pomegranates fruits on the top of the tree. Accidentally, he  fell from the ladder. Rosaline caught him before he fell.

"Rose, you have beautiful eyes there."

"Thanks, but could you move away, please?"

The sun was going to disappear, so Rosaline rushed off to say goodbye to Mr. Pivert and Pierre.

"I don't want this to be our last meeting. Can I call you sometimes?"

"Sure, Pierre, you can..."

Pierre was hoping to get Rosaline's phone number, but she didn't say a word. Mr. Pivert was still keeping his eyes on them.

"It's pretty late. I should go home now. Nice to meet you, Pierre." Rosaline left without telling Pierre her phone number.

In the morning, Valentin found Rosaline trying to fix the broken tub.

He couldn't hep but wondered of how different Rose was from other girls. She likes to spend her time more at the library, gardening or even doing men's job.
 

Though, it didn't take long for him to find himself laughing at her.  

"Val, stop laughing and help me!"

"Okay,  don't be angry." 

He gave her  his hands, but she had already finished repairing the broken tub. "Wow, Rose! You're amazing!."

"Now it's your turn." Rosaline smiled and then handed him then mop.

They were getting used to do household duties like these. They helped each other or taking turns in doing those.

"Don't get too tired, okay? You look a bit pale." 
"I'm fine, Val. I'm healthy like a horse."

but then, she ran to the bathroom...




... and threw up. Valentin knew about it. He prepared autumn salad just for her.

"Ouch!" He groaned as the knife hurt his finger.


Luckily, after a couple of days, Rosaline felt  better.

However.... "We only have $73 now. How we are going to pay the bills and our school's fees?" 

"Don't worry." Valentin patted her on her shoulder. "I will get a job soon." 
The time they  feared had finally come- they were almost running out of their parents' saving.

Valentin  tried his luck at Mr. Durant's  farm. 



But Mr. Durant said that he did not need any help. "Are you sure, Monsieur? I can help you. I know how to take care of a garden a little." 


"Sorry, maybe you can find a job somewhere else."

He tried again at Mr. Pivert's garden, but Mr. Pivert could take care of his garden just fine, especially when he had a boy to help him around the house.

But, seeing him a bit pale, Mr. Pivert  let him in inside his house.

Valentin thought that he could impress Mr. Pivert  by serving a dinner for him, so he went to the kitchen and then chopped the vegetables he could find on the table.  Mr. Pivert's cordiality gone as Valentin did that. Being so disappointed and worried, on his way to the front door,  Valentin noticed a lamp. "It's beautiful."

He grabbed it and then slid it into his pocket.

Back at home, he found Rosaline trying to fix their television. They could not afford to pay a repairman, so she tried to fix it by herself. She had never fixed a television before, but only had read the manual.

All the while, Valentin watched her. Rosaline refused his help as she didn't want to be bothered. 

He admired Rosaline for having a strong will. She did not give up so easily in  everything she did. Although in the end, she could not fix the broken television either and only messed it up -- and  he had to interfere with it. Still,...

He should not have given up like that. Even if  he could not find a job, there must be something he could  do.

It was Sunday. He went outside to refresh his mind.

On a hill, he saw a woman singing alone in front of the forest trees.

"Young man, why are you looking so devastating like that? You still have years ahead of you and dreams to catch on. You shouldn't be like this. Listen, I will teach you a song. It's about a Prince, who was about to be crowned as a King, but unsure of what he would do to govern his people. All that he had was faith. One day, the dessert was so dry-- all of his people could not find water resources. He went to the dessert looking for water. He walked for miles under the hot dessert and often got disappointed because all  he could find there were mirages. It was a long journey and tiresome that he almost gave up, but he looked at the sky and prayed for a sign. The next day, he could not believe his eyes. He found a water resource. Young man, even though our life is hard, you should not give up. There must be a way out of it, if you just keep your faith and look at what surrounds you."

Valentin looked at his surroundings. All he could see were only shades of forest trees, clouds, and a lake. 

"Wait a minute, that's a good idea." Why had he forgotten this? His father had taught him  basic skills about fishing. It would be a perfect time for him to try it. He could catch fish and sell it to the market. By doing so, he would earn money. 

The following morning, he rushed off to the lake with enough baits. First try ended up with no result. But then after hours without result, he finally caught a frog.

Not only frogs, but he also caught fish and snails. 

He noticed weird and reflective objects lying on the ground. He remembered of what his father taught him about ancient relics. He figured  that those must be one of them. So, he carefully took them and brought them home. 

Rosaline hadn't slept when he got home.

"Why haven't you slept, Rose? What are you doing?"
"Upgrading the stove,"
"How? By knocking it with a hammer?"
"No, I have read it in a book. I can make this stove self cleaning."
"Whatever you say, Rose, but would you please stop for a moment? I brought you something. You said that you wanted to cook Frog Legs, so here. I caught them at a lake."
"Wow,  I'm going to cook them tomorrow - you will know how delicious it is."
"Ugh, thanks, but I think I will pass this one."
"Why?"

 
Rosaline cooked those frogs, but she was disappointed because Valentin refused to try it.

She didn't know that Valentin did try to taste it and he really liked it.

***

"Val.." Rosaline said to him one day. "I'm sorry,  if I could only find a job."

"It's okay." Valentin patted her on her shoulder." I know how to earn money for us. Don't worry! I have caught  fish and found ancient relics. I will sell them today. There's going to be a way out for us, Rose. There's going to be a way out."

Valentin sold all the fish, frogs, snails he had caught....

...and all the ancient relics he had found. 

When he got home, someone was waiting in front of their house.
"Rose, someone's looking for you."

"Pierre, how do you know where I live?" 
"It wasn't hard finding it. You owe me your phone number. I was waiting for you to tell it yourself, but you .. just left."
"Sorry. It was kind of late."

"Sorry accepted. I cannot be upset too long at a girl like you." 
"Eh, Rosaline." Valentin interrupted them in.  "You never told me that you have a friend named Pierre."
"No, I never told you because we've just met."



Later at night, Valentin went outside and headed out to Mr. Pivert's house. He opened the mailbox and

put a lamp inside it. "Sorry, I did not know why I took it."

He took a deep breath. The air  felt so fresh that night.

"Who's there?!" Mr. Pivert shouted from inside the house. All the lights turned bright.



Valentin  ran off ... leaving the place before anyone knew his existence.

The next morning:

Valentin and Rosaline tended the garden. Rosaline had planted grapes, tomatoes, and an apple tree on their backyard.
 
"Ouch!" Rosaline groaned. A bug accidentally bit her finger when she pulled out the weed.

"Are you okay?"
Gently, Valentin blew an air to her finger.
"Is it still hurt?"
"No. It's okay. I'm not bleeding." She chuckled. 

"Rose, you should really look after yourself so you won't get yourself hurt."

Unexpectedly, Pierre came.

He wanted to talk to Rosaline, so Valentin left them alone.

Another cold morning came again, but Valentin felt more enthusiastic than before. He believed there would always be a way out for each problem and obstacles in his life -- if he would only try harder.