Classification: Prose
Theme: Romance
Synopsis: Cassandra was a city girl who fell in love with Elizabeth, a farm girl who worked for her aunt. Could love prevail or cease as the summer season ends?
It was a bright sunny afternoon and Cassandra was reading her favorite book while sitting under a tree, stealing glances at Elizabeth from afar. She’d known to herself that she liked girls ever since high school, and she had dated some. She liked Liz for some reason. There was something about her that had caught her attention. In her mind, “Liz would be a great lover.” So, she would sit under the willow tree every time, watching Liz doing farm chores.
She would often daydream about “them” having their moment together under that willow tree. The truth was, she visited her Aunt Marie’s farm, which Liz worked at as a farm caretaker, every summer just to take a break from city life and to get a glimpse of her beautiful Liz. She loved the farm, especially… Liz. She was the reason why she kept coming back to the farm. Because her heart belonged to someone who worked there.
She vowed to herself that this summer would be memorable to her because she would confess her feelings for Liz, though she was hesitant. Asking herself. “What if Liz isn’t into her?”, or “Liz might’ve had another lover whom she doesn’t know about?”. But still, she would take the chance, rather than regret it later.
She stood up from where she was sitting and walked towards Liz who was busy feeding the chickens. “Hey Liz!” she called. Liz turned to her and asked, “What is it?”
“You meet me tonight, at the willow tree at exactly 7, I’ll wait for you,” Sandra replied, then off she ran inside her Aunt’s house. She ran to her room, facing the mirror. “What is this? I looked like a walking tomato after confessing my feelings to a girl,” she said to herself. It was the first time that she made the first move to someone. Maybe she liked her a lot or…“Am I in love? Is this love?” she said and jumped into her bed, covering her face with a pillow out of embarrassment.
While having dinner with her Aunt, Cassandra was reluctant and uneasy. “Hey, Cass. Is something bothering you? You know you can tell me,” her Aunt said, looking worried for her niece. “Oh! I’m fine, Aunt Marie. Don’t mind me,” Cassandra replied politely and continued eating while glancing at the clock. The clock struck at exactly 7 p.m. Cassandra immediately stood up and ran outside to the willow tree. She couldn’t hear what her Aunt was saying because her heart was pounding loud inside her chest as she was running towards the tree where Liz was standing. Unaware of her actions, she hugged Liz tightly, while Liz, on the other hand, was stunned by what Cassandra had just done. “I thought you wouldn’t come. I was thinking that you're busy,” Cassandra said while looking at Liz eye-to-eye.
“Tell me, What is it you wanted to say or…confess?” Liz asked, stopping in mid-sentence while smirking. “I knew it! She knows that I’m going to confess my feelings tonight,” she said to herself. “I like you, Liz,” she whispered. “What did you say? Can you please make your voi—”
“I SAID I LIKE YOU!” she shouted, then, immediately avoided eye contact, feeling the blood rush through her cheeks. “Oh, God,” said her mind. “Cassandra.” Liz held her chin to face her. “You don’t have to be shy.” Then, she slowly moved her face. Cassandra closed her eyes as she felt Liz’s gentle lips touched hers. It was so gentle that she didn’t even notice she moved to her rhythm. “I never have kissed someone before, but it felt like I’ve been doing this for a lifetime,” she thought. Cassandra felt the corner of Liz’s mouth quirk up. “She’s smiling. This woman is making me feel things, gosh.” Her thoughts are at it once again while they’re kissing.
“Cassandra!” they immediately turned to where the terrifying voice came from. It was Cassandra’s mother. Cassandra froze. “How come she’s here? She never visited my Aunt’s farm. She hated the smell of the animal’s manure, especially, the farm itself.”
“WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT FARM GIRL?!” Cassandra’s mom shouted and pulled her away from Liz. “Mom,” she spoke, trembling in fear, “I can explai—'' before she could even finish the sentence, her mother slapped her. “WOMEN ARE FOR MEN! AND A WOMAN SHOULD BE IN LOVE TO A MAN!” her mother emphasized. Those words stung because she hated feeling as though she doesn’t have the freedom to choose who she wanted to fall in love with.
“You’re going home with me. If I haven’t visited, I wouldn’t know that you’re doing horrible and unladylike things here,” her mother added, glaring at Liz. Disgusted by what her daughter did. Cassandra’s mother demanded Aunt Marie to fire Liz but she strongly disagreed. “It was all my fault. I confessed to her first. Please, Mom. Don’t do this to her,” she begged, while tears started to fall on her cheeks. “I’ll let you pass this time. But on one condition, you’ll leave with me tomorrow and you won’t come back here ever again,” her mom demanded while eyeing Liz. She had no choice. She had to sacrifice her happiness so that Liz wouldn’t be the one to suffer because of her mom’s selfish act. They walked back to her Aunt’s house and she didn’t look behind because she might change her mind and do something that would ruin both their lives.
Cassandra was in her room staring at the ceiling to sleep when she heard someone calling her. She walked to the window, looking out. It was Elizabeth, holding a paper saying, “Meet me at the barn.” Then, she walked away. She got curious. So, she sneaked out of her room and went directly to the barn. Good thing her mom is sleeping peacefully in her room. “What is—” Liz kissed her passionately. Her mind was telling her to stop but her heart and lips said otherwise.
There was something with the way her lips tasted. It tasted like her favorite wine, that made her crave for more. And then, she remembered her mother’s words. That made her snap back to reality. She broke the kiss. “My mom would be mad if she saw us together.”
“I don’t care. Runaway with me,” Liz said while holding her hand and kissed the back of it. “You know I can’t. I have to continue my studies and you too. You need the job at the farm. Aunt needs you. But don’t worry, I’ll send you a letter and I’ll find a way to visit you here,” she replied.
Liz was disappointed by what Cassandra answered to her proposal. They could have been happier, but what could she do if that was her decision. She didn’t want to force her. So, for the last time, they kissed and bid their goodbyes. The next morning, Cassandra left the farm with her mom. She never saw Liz before she left. She left the farm with a heavy heart. She left her heart to her Summer Swain.
Published by: Lloyd Agbulos
Date published: February 17, 2022
Time published: 1:11 PM
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