Love has gentle hands

Love has Gentle Hands

It was morning like these that Bill Trevor cherished all his life. Mornings that bore great news like the miraculous recovery of Esther Rivers who was near dead the night before. Bill's eyes were warm, his manner pleasing, and at all times affectionate. When he spoke his voice was lively and filled with so much hope and joy. His mother, Mildred, who had been a single parent for over a decade now, was proud of him and pride bore greatly on her face each time she spoke of him. She had raised a unique son who bore a strange gift that even she didn't know of. Mildred was given to stints of temper and she became so enraged when people spoke ill of her son. She was the over protective kind. A mother who knew all she had left in this world was a son who embraced life head on and that made her proud. When Bill decided to work for the Rivers to support her she refused. Mildred was never keen on her son working for the same people she worked for- a decision which troubled Bill.

Mary Elise Rivers questioned her daughter relentlessly. She was ruthless, and usually curious to know what had happened. The bubonic dictator had killed each victim except her daughter and her overzealous interest in how it happened was yet to be questioned. At first, Esther resisted the temptation of telling Bill's secret because she knew her mother would not only punish her, but have him hanged for touching her. If she mentioned anything about a kiss, that would be instant death that very hour. When Nina overheard, her mother shout at Esther, she scurried down the corridor to Esther's room. “Mama?!" She interrupted, drawing all the attention to herself. “What?" Mary Elise answered in a loud strong voice. "That's why it's called a miracle," She replied gracefully, "...you don't question it; you accept it, and be grateful for it." She followed it with a smile so innocent even her mother could not resist. "Come on, Esther, let's go down by the river" Nina said to her sister as she gazed at her mother in disappointment, "the apples and peaches will be much nicer during this time of day."

Bill had returned from his last errand of the day. He was fatigued and in need of a cold bath. A nice meal after that would just suffice. Mildred had prepared a feast for three but Bill wasn't sure who the third was. Most nights, they dined together, alone and in silence. Mildred never talked much unless she was giving out instructions. Bill was pleased that her mother had finally found someone to keep her company whilst he was away secretly working at the Rivers' estate. He had barely taken a bite of the baked chicken when Jeremy Gibbons took his seat at the table. "Sorry for the lateness, my apologies." He said, with a hint of joy and appreciation in his voice. Bill greeted, as did Mildred whilst serving him a plate. It was a busy evening at the Trevors'. Mouths were engaged, enjoying the tasty meal Mildred had prepared. Even the Rivers attested that Mildred's cooking was nothing like they had ever tasted in the entire town. It all seemed a happy moment and was leaning into becoming a memorable one when Jeremy Gibbons broke the news about her daughter's interest in Bill. Bill, of course, felt a cramp which almost led him to throw up. Following right after the quick ordeal, was a loud, "What?" Mildred dropped her chicken out of excitement. "Oh thank the heavens!" "Are you serious?" He yelled; his appetite completely damned at this point. As Mildred's heart was pouring with implacable joy, Bill sat speechless gazing down at the food in utter disgust with no appreciation for the words Mr. Gibbons had just uttered. “Mr. Gibbons, sir, please out of respect for you and your daughter, I must kindly refuse and say that I have little interest in your daughter." And without another word, he departed from the table, carrying his food to his room. "I don't suppose he'll deign to accept my daughter in marriage..." Jeremy said, as he took another bite. "Mildred, what did you put in this chicken? …must say I've never tasted anything quite like it.” Jeremy turned to look at Mildred whose attention had settled on her son.

Marry the Messenger

She tiptoed along the corridor toward Esther's room. Her feet hurt terribly but she had to see her. Nina watched her sister stir feverishly; helpless as she was, she held her hand and cleaned her face with a cold, wet towel to cool down her burning temperature. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Esther. Was she going to survive? Would she get better? The old doctor couldn't tell. The illness wasn't like anything he had ever seen. The Rivers family was smacked right in the middle of this bubonic storm and no antibiotic was strong enough. When Esther tried to speak, it was a croaky whisper filled with her sadness. Nina looked at her sister whom she adored so dearly, and she reached out softly to her and touched her cheek which was burning with a fever. "I'll be back, sis. The water is not cold enough." Nina whispered tenderly.

Before long, Bill Trevor walked in to Esther's room to see his favorite friend. Esther looked oddly at him. "Bill," whispered Esther. She was surprised to see him walk in. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was almost inaudible but she still wore that perfect smile. It was so perfect it broke his heart to see her in that condition. "Bill Trevor! What are you doing here?!" Nina shouted quietly from the door also surprised "Mama would freak if she saw you." Bill turned to look at her as she walked in. "How is she, really?" He asked her. "Not good I'm afraid." Nina answered, saddened by the look on Bill's face. "Doctor has tried everything." Bill couldn't leave Esther's room. He sat on the bed, and leaned forward to take her in his arms. Nina stood there looking at the room which a few days ago, had everything filled with such life and happy memories. She remembered how often they talked about boys and getting married and then tears began welling up her eyes again. Bill looked at her. He was saddened greatly by Esther's state as he laid her back gently and covered her with the sheets. Esther closed her eyes and fell asleep. "Sleep, my dear, gently sleep," He whispered softly, "Time will be sweet for you." Nina cried in silence looking at a helpless Bill who was madly in love with her sister. "Ooh Bill...I love you. I have for a very long time." Esther whispered as her eyes finally closed peacefully with a smile on her face. He leaned over to kiss her head and then he left. Nina cleaned her face gently with the wet clean towel, changed the sheets and kissed her sister goodnight.

Dawn came early, and without any shilly-shallying, the sun gleamed everywhere with its morning glory and radiance. The sound of birds chirping in the garden, the squirrels running playfully in the grasses and the morning dew tumbling over the leaves to the ground was such a morning delight for Esther and Nina. They always woke up early every morning to witness in sheer glee the amazing scene. But this morning would be different. Or so she thought. "Nina! Nina! Come quickly!" Esther called from her room. "Come look at the squirrels..." Nina scurried over to Esther's room at the end of the corridor and found her speechless. "Esther?" She called out in disbelief. Esther lay silent on the bed just as she'd left her the night before. "Esther..." There was silence. Complete silence except for the birds chirping. "Ooh Esther" She whispered and walked over to close the open window. Nina gazed at her sister whose body appeared lifeless on the bed. She sat by her and reached out to her hand; her heart tearing from her very soul. "How I wish, you'd welcome this morning with me," Her eyes were brutally sad but she managed a dignified smile. "What would I not give to see you smile again..." Nina took the bucket and the towel and returned with a clean one to clean her. Everyone was asleep except for Nina and the maids, who were preparing the first meal of the day and putting the house in order. Nina immersed the clean towel into the cold water. "Nina, if you touch me with that towel, God help me I'll smother you." Esther said with one eye looking squarely into Nina's. Nina looked at Esther and smiled. “Not if I kill you first" she laughed humorously. She was brimming with joy and excitement. Nina felt somewhat drained but she celebrated this miracle with so much eagerness. Jumping and shouting and making loud noises, the sisters attracted the attention of everyone..."Wait... wait...how is that you are in such good health?" Nina asked abruptly, killing the excitement. Esther paused, "I don't know and I don't remember." She lied and quickly looked away. She remembered her healer's last words and his kiss. She still felt the afire touch of his lips on her head. Esther recalled clearly how his touch sent cold chills which were quickly followed by strange warmth relieving her of all the pain she was in. Her dimpled cheeks blushed as his voice echoed in the walls of her ears and his words lingered in her thoughts. She appeared smitten but her face was far from Nina's eyes.

Here are the links to the other parts

Love has gentle hands

The workshop (day one)

They say the past is never dead. It lingers waiting to surface, to ruin and to jeopardize everything you've built. But I've always thought that the past is as powerful as you make it. What has passed has passed. Let what has passed remain the past: every achievement, every wrong action, every wrong word said, every breakup, every loss. Why do we say the past is never dead? Fear!

Living in fear of your past is no way to live at all. God saved you from your past so that you can live in the now and look forward to the future. The reality is that you can't change the past but you can decide how to live now and where you'd like to see yourself in the future. Dwelling on the past never helped anyone and if anything, it changes your present because you decided to let it. Let it go. Your actions in the past has brought you up to this point, so stop lamenting on how you did this or that. Time for remorse and regret has passed. Move on! Forget it, the damage has been done. It'll be good for you to asses the damage and resolve it with a way forward. Look ahead! There are greater things than your past achievement. Good change always comes with assured growth. Keep your head up and live each day as it comes. I think we always make the mistake of taking on too much. Don't worry about tomorrow or the week after, in fact, don't even worry about today. just live it as it comes. Stop listening to you and listen to God.
Lastly, learn from past mistakes. Don't assume the situation is different or you are stronger to take it head on, when you are not. Mistakes sort of tell you where your assets are and what liabilities you should be worried about. Ask for guidance and trust Him to lead you through life. It's insane to do the same thing and expect different results. That's insanity. When you done it over and over again, it's not a mistake, it's a choice.