Current...Past...Sin...Alexander...Forum...Notes...Survey...D-land

Memories From Another Life
2002-07-08 - 11:26 a.m.

I sat and listened to his rather sad life. Mother died when he was too young to know her. Father died later on, leaving him and his brother, Henmi, grieving into the arms of an uncle who showed no love. Then leaving them with the tavern, where they made little pay.

What shocked me the most was that he did not like being in my house. I always thought it was quite welcoming. I guess Sindor just did not find it so, with a life like that.

I smiled at him. Then I told him about my mortal life, "I was born in Paris, to a very wealthy family. I was the middle child of five. I had two older brothers, and I had two younger sisters. My eldest brother, Wilfred, became a lawyer, following after my father. Then my next brother, Charles, became an architect for the city. My younger sister, Abagail, was married off at the young age of fifteen. And my youngest sister, Ella, with no great ambition in life like my other siblings, stayed by my side as I chose my career."

I paused for a moment, catching my breath. It was also hard to talk about my family, I did love them very much. But I continued, "I fell in love with fencing when I was ten. I trained very hard to become the best in Paris, which I attained at the age of twenty. I even opened my own school and taught there for five years. My father never really liked what I did, calling it foolish. My brothers were awed at my skill, as well as my mother and sister, Abagail. Ella, on the other hand, was my devoted partner. It was not respectable for a woman to fence, but I taught her anyway, in secret. She was never as quick as I was, but she was still good. She would help at the school, making sure the students were holding their swords right, and properly fitted into their uniform. I loved her very much."

I stopped. I really never thought about my family, but Ella I thought about everyday. And it hurt to do so, and telling Sindor about her, pained me even more. I looked away from Sindor, hoping I would not start crying the blood tears that I felt coming. Sindor felt sympathy for me, I could tell. He even found it in his heart not to talk to me then, while I was recovering.

"Anyway," I said, turning back to him, "I had an agrument with my father, about teaching Ella to fence, and I left. I travelled the world, discovering different fencing schools, where I was welcomed to fight. I had a wonderful time, except Ella was not there to share it with me. She would send me letters, telling me how she hated our father. I told her she should not hate him."

I sighed, thinking back on those letters, so long ago, which I still had, locked away in a box in the library. I quickly looked at that box. The next chapter in my life contained the day I died, turned into a vampire. But I felt it not the right time to explain that chapter. I skipped over quite a long time for Sindor to when I arrived in New Orleans.

"My travels brought me to the new world, where I discovered a few schools here. I was brought down to New Orleans on a tip that there was a school going to be built here. When I visited this city, I found no plans for a school, but I fell in love with the city itself, and I decided to stay. And that is my story."

I looked at him, as he sat there, taking it all in. "Why don't you open a school here?" he asked me.

"Believe me, the thought has struck my mind a couple of times, but I am not sure I want to have such responsibility again." I looked out the window.

He asked another question, "What happened to the school in Paris?"

"I still own it, getting royalties and the like, but I left it under the care of my sister, who found some good teachers," I replied, still looking out the window.

"And, what about your sister?"

I closed my eyes, feeling the tears well up again. Yes, my dear sister, what had happened to her? I could never tell him the truth. Not now, anyway. I told him the best thing close to the truth though. "She is still in Paris, at the school, of course."

He nodded at me. I could tell he was understanding my pain of talking about my family, so he stopped asking questions.

"Maybe, this is good enough for tonight," I said, looking back at him. "You should come back again, soon, and we can talk some more."

"I would like that," he replied.

I showed him out to the door, telling him good night. Before he left, however, he turned to me and gave me a quick, tight hug. I thanked him silently as he walked down the path.

Alexander