Amagoh
Tell me about my mother, Jezerae," Raphael asked me.
We talked about her when we did our man trips. It might have been a horseback ride in the country, or a fishing trip, but she was a constant topic along with stories he'd heard about me. Tales about me were told with humor and joking, but the discussions about her were always serious. When his tone changed, I knew what he was about to ask. I think he was rebuilding a part of his life that had been stolen by Cuda Khan.
"Your mother was a very beautiful woman, you know. Every young man in the colony admired her-"
"-but she married you "
"We gave our hearts to each other, yes."
"Is that the same as being married?"
We would have been married the next day, but what was the point in sharing that with him? It never happened because Khan kidnapped Jezerae.
"Beyond her beauty, she was a strong woman as well" I told him. "Never intimidated by men. In fact, she was stronger than most men.""But not stronger than you."
"Well...maybe in some ways she was stronger than me, just like your mom, Volva, is stronger than me in some ways."
"But my mother, Jezerae died..."
Whenever we came to that point, he choked up and so did I.
"Yes, she did, Raphael. But she died in the most courageous way any person can die."
At that point in the conversation, he looked at me in hungry anticipation of the answer. Even though he knew what I was about to say, he wanted to hear it again.
"A person can have no greater love than to lay down their life for their friend, and that's what your mother did. She sacrificed herself to protect me and other people."
Awestricken, he usually nodded in solemn agreement when I got to that part.
I didn't know if what I told him was exactly right. They were only the facts I'd been able to gather. However, until someone proved me wrong, there was no way I would ever tell him different.
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