Remembered by E. D. Brady Page B

and smiled. “Pay no mind to that old
coot, Annie. He has an over-inflated ego, apparently.”
    “Watch it, son, or you just might find yourself walking home
this afternoon,” Tol said smugly.
    Kellus laughed. “How are you?” he questioned her. “How is
Cora?”
    “We’re both well, thank you,” she answered.
    “What are you doing here again?” Tol questioned. “Do you
have nothing constructive to do in that big building across the street? I
thought you needed to sign out for the weekend.”
    “I have twenty minutes to spare before I sign out for
leave,” Kellus replied. “I had no intentions of coming back here so soon, but I
saw an angel walking through your door. I came to see her for myself.”
    Annie wondered if Tol could hear her heart thundering in her
chest.
    “Are you on your way home?” Kellus asked. “I could walk with
you part of the way.”
    “That would be nice,” she answered shyly. “It was wonderful
to see you again, Tol. I’ll visit you next time I’m in town.”
    “You had better, young lady,” Tol replied. “If I find out
that you were in town and didn’t come to see me, I’ll be very disappointed.”
    Kellus and Annie walked slowly up the hill.
    “Do you visit your father every day?” she asked, raising her
voice against the roar of the ocean.
    “Yes, every time I have a break from training. I miss the
rest of my family, though,” he answered thoughtfully.
    “How often do you see them?”
    “I go home one weekend a month,” he explained. “We are also
given two weeks leave in summer and two in winter. Markum and Zifini try to
visit me at least once a week, but it’s hard for them. We are only allowed
visitors between two and four o’clock, and Markum works on my family’s farm all
day.”
    “Your family owns a farm as well as the shop?” she asked.
    “One hundred and twenty acres,” he replied. “It’s as I told
you, my grandfather was wealthy. The farm was also his,” he shrugged his
shoulders as if it was no big deal. “May I ask you a question before I go back
to the Citadom,” he asked, stopping and turning to face her. “I’m on leave this
weekend…” he’s eyes flickered from hers to the ground nervously. “Would you
mind if I came to visit you tomorrow?”
    “I’d like that very much,” she answered, allowing him, once
again, to thwart her efforts at getting over him.
    Much of Annie’s night was spent in turmoil. She tossed and
turned for hours, unable to decide if seeing Kellus tomorrow was wonderful or
just plain foolish. She wanted more than anything to see him, but knew that it
wasn’t conducive to squelching the relentless yearning.
    Finally, she consoled herself with hopes that he may prove
to have a bad temper, or some other personality disorder that would change her
feelings. Maybe she would get to see a side of him tomorrow that would cure her
of her insatiable longing. She slipped off to sleep, satisfied that this would
be the case.
     
    What seemed like only moments later, she heard his voice
from the front of the house. “Hello, Max,” she heard him say cheerfully.
    Her eyes sprung open.
    “Kellus, it’s great to see you,” she heard Max reply.
“Please come in.”
    She nudged Cora then jumped up from bed. “Get up, Cora.
Kellus is here to see us.”
    “See us ?” Cora said, yawning loudly. “I don’t think
so.”
    Annie washed quickly and pulled on a lavender skirt with a tight,
white, sleeveless top. She fixed her hair and, taking a deep breath, opened the
door and walked into the kitchen.
    “Good morning,” he said, smiling up at her. He was seated at
the table, wearing tan trousers and a white linen shirt. It was the first time
she had ever seen him in something other than his apprentice uniform, and the
sight was breathtaking.
    “I hope you don’t mind me coming by so early. I realize I
forgot to mention a time,” he added.
    “You look different,” she said stupidly, hoping that he
couldn’t read on her