Lailah: The Milestone

Ja Lia and the pregnant lady

     "You know this a wrong direction, eh?"

   Ja Lia said walking side by side with the lady. He didn't know what he was thinking or why he kept following her but time would test it. That was the belief that had been driving him till that point. And nothing had been tested yet. 

    "I don't want to have to see him again."

   She said without looking at him. Not only were they or had they been working in the wrong direction. The pace they were covering per minute was nothing pleasant. 

   Ja knew he could never walk that slowly. All was because of the lady. Why did he always have to be in a loo because of ladies. 

    The sea abduction was because of a lady, Lailah. Now, he was straying away from the responsibility with another lady he knew nothing about other than she was pregnant and got jilted by her husband. 

  What if things went wrong and Poseidon came for him. Came for him in disguise, what would he do?

    He dumped the thought. He felt like he was only being harsh on himself and by extension being negative. 

   He needed more than that. He wasn't given a time span by Poseidon so he could take forever. 

  One thing first then the other. The strange lady first, then Lailah. 

    "If you keep avoiding him, we have no idea what would happen."

   She stopped walking and faced the sea. Twas an empty space up ahead of him. He turned too. 

     "Staying positively, let's say we  got to discover some new village, what would happen then? We know no one and possibly can't just start living there. Not good for you or the baby."

    He quit talking. He had his face glued on hers throughout the words. There was nothing else to see than the next line of action. 

   And that somewhat lied in her choice. He didn't think he really had any choice anymore. He felt helplessly tied to her. 

   He feared that the promise he had made to her might hunt him if he failed to fully it. 

   Probably just mere fear. 

   "You still want to meet her?"

   She looked at him. He threw his face towards the sea. 

     "Why? I have no idea of what you talking about."

     He argued. She smiled and said,

     "You can love two ladies at a time. It's possible but classified."

     She sat.  He thought of that as being careless. Though they've been walking since a while, that didn't mean they could stop everywhere.

      When would they get to a settlement if there was ever one up ahead. 

       She looked at him and pat the sand next to her.

    He sat, trying to sort the appropriate response to what she had said. 

     He wanted to weave more silk of lies and cloth her in them but he felt guilty. 

    He would be telling lies to two people. The lady and the foetus in her. 

   How does a foetus grow to feed on lies served by some reckless fellow keeping a known secret. 

     "I'll be honest with you."

    He was shocked at his own willingness to let the words roll. 

    He thought for a while. He was smothering the loops of air he was dragging in. 

   The lady was looking at him. He was quite close to her but their sides were not brushing. 

   She dragged her butt closer to him and rested her head on his arm. 

    "Wish he had said that too."

    She munched as tears reached for the base of the words. He kinda fought his other hand across his chest and rubbed her long but rough hair gently. 

    "I didn't come to the seashore to travel the sea or start a new life elsewhere like I lied."

   He was waiting for her reaction but he was disappointed. She wasn't stirred. She seemed to had been under the spell of the stroking. 

     "I was traveling on the sea after I discovered that Lailah was having sex with all my siblings. My two brothers, Jimin and Lao Tzu. Well, twas my fault. If I hadn't had sex with her and taught her what sex is, she wouldn't had transformed into that sexual beast she's now."

    He stopped for a while but kept stroking the hair. He didn't know if he was wise telling a total stranger his sacred duty. 

   But what point was there in hiding it. She was stranger, and if nothing good work out between the two of them, she wouldn't use the words against him neither would she say the secret to anyone he knew because she had no idea of who or where they were. 

    He continued,

     "I got annoyed after the discovery and decided to leave the land. My motherland. Close to that though."

    His face was glued to the horizon. Seemed as though the horizon was whispering some of the words to him. He wasn't a good storyteller.

     "While going, my boat met with something close to a tempest and I drowned. Well, this is the complications. Pretty much hard to believe you know."

    He saw a boat coming through the West of the horizon. He ignored. 

     "I met with Poseidon and he told me about how Lailah trespassed the orders of the Underwater kingdom. But I very much think that Poseidon wanted to have her as his queen but she wouldn't him. That was why she was thrown out of the sea, I guessed."

   He wanted to stop talking. He was getting exhausted but he had started it all.

   He continued,

     "Poseidon saddled me with the responsibility of destroying the power in her by having sex with her. After the sex, she would die and I would dump her corpse in the sea where Poseidon would retrieve her and make whatever he wants of her."

    He sighed,

     "None of mine business with that though. I loathe her heavily now! And you know the great thing, Poseidon would offer me a golden statue as a reward for carrying out the duty."

   He quit talking. He couldn't bear the weight of her head on his shoulder again. He stopped stroking and said,

    "Maybe lie on my lap."

   But no response came. He shook but no response.

   Then he raised her head and discovered her sleeping. 

      "Damn."

    He had no idea since when she had been sleeping. 

    He wasn't even sure if she heard anything about the story. 

    He slid down on his back without stirring her, and made her rest her head on his chest. 

   He wouldn't stay like that forever before sleep would catch up with him. 

    But as long as his eyes were open, he kept thinking about what he had gotten himself into.