King Mesa

(This is a continuation of High-Heeled Princess)

Althea’s gleaming black hair flowed like a majestic river flowing through a beautiful countryside as Mesa eagerly followed her through a vast jungle behind their village. The scent of white tea and citrus permeated his senses and filled him with glee. The aroma was a delicate blend of soft perfumes made from natural ingredients because Althea had sensitive skin, and nothing else would do.

Mesa understood that completely because he suffered from skin allergies, too. If a single pollen spore infiltrated his nostrils, his eyes would swell like balloons. It was just another thing they had in common, like fate kissing time to set things right. Althea and Mesa were one in every way.

The dirt pathway was surrounded by emerald shrubbery and various trees with thick vines hanging everywhere like cobwebs. Red lilies were scattered throughout the tall weeds like shining diamonds in a dark cavern, and the love birds were singing a blissful tune.

Althea unsheathed a machete that was tied around her red floral dress and cut through a swath of green webs. “Just a bit further, my love,” she said with a mysterious smile.

Mesa melted when he saw her mesmerizing grin. Her light always lit the way. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“You will soon find out, Meu Tesouro.”

Mesa swatted a fly that landed on his brown shorts and adjusted his white T-shirt. “I love your surprises, sweetheart, but I still can’t understand how you can move so gracefully in those high heels.”

“Another thing for you to marvel at,” Althea gushed. She loved his honeysuckle voice and soulful hazel eyes. “This will be worth it. I promise.”

Althea loved Mesa so much that she often compared him to a long-lost chest full of gold. Over time, she gave him the unique nickname of Meu Tesouro, which meant My Treasure. Mesa had several nicknames for her, but he struggled to find one that matched her worthiness and splendor.

After a few more yards of hacking and slashing through the jungle, the pathway opened to a vast field of tall grass with red tulips reaching for the heavens. The sky was blissfully blue, but with a herd of storm clouds rolling in, it wouldn’t stay that way for long.

As Mesa and Althea took in the view, a few rain droplets fell on their shoulders.

“This field is a magical place full of wonder and beauty,” Althea exclaimed. “My father often talked about it at church during his sermons, and once I learned where it was, I wanted to share it with you like we do all things. Together.”

Mesa grabbed Althea’s waist and pulled her close. He placed his soft lips on her red-painted mouth and drank her love. Their passion was a fire that no amount of water could extinguish.

Althea reached for her phone and played a ‘70s love ballad. As the rain poured down, they swayed back and forth. Mesa could feel her heartbeat against his, and they were in perfect sync. He saw a tear fall from her left eye and gently kissed it away.

“We’ve been dancing in the rain for eight wonderful years,” Althea said, “and it never gets old.”

“I still remember our wedding day two years ago and how we exchanged personal vows,” Mesa said with a beaming face. “It was the second-best day of my life.”

Althea stared into Mesa’s eyes and swooned. She placed a soft peck on his nose and asked, “Oh, Meu Tesouro… What was the first best day?”

“The day I saw a high-heeled princess twirl across the street when I was just thirteen years old.”

“Oh, my treasure!” Althea gushed. “I love you like the moon needs the night.”

Mesa kissed her forehead and said, “I love you like the desert needs the rain, my beautiful queen!”

A crack of thunder shook the ground, and a flash of lightning ripped through the sky.

Mesa looked at his watch and said, “Oh, my goodness! We need to get back before we are late for dinner. I promised Mom that wouldn’t happen again!”

“You’re right,” Althea said. “The last time we were late, your Papi kept talking about all the times he was late for dinner, ha, ha, ha. And Lola, bless her heart, couldn’t stop bickering with him.”

“That’s them alright,” Mesa laughed. “Well, let’s get going. We can always come back here later for an encore.”

Mesa turned to leave, but Althea grabbed his hand. “Before we go…there was a reason I wanted to bring you here…”

“What is it, sweetheart?”

Althea guided his hand to her belly and smiled.

“…Oh…my… Is this what I think it is?!”

“Yes. We are expecting!”

They pulled each other into a warm hug and embraced their love with a million kisses. Not even the heavy deluge could spoil their mood. The consummation of their love was blessed indeed, for they were going to have a child. 

“This dinner will be a feast, my love!” Mesa yelled. “A celebration of our life to come. Mom and Papi will be so excited to hear the news.”

“Oh, so will my family. They will be over the moon, Meu Tesouro,” Althea said, placing her lips on his. “Let’s stop wasting time and spread the joyous news!”

As Mesa and Althea ran back through the pathway, they discovered the dirt had turned into mud. Their quick sprint turned into a slow trudge.

“Be careful,” Mesa said. “This stuff is like quicksand.” 

Althea took her high heels off and sloshed through the wet dirt. “Don’t worry about me. You’re the clumsy one—”   

The soggy ground pulled Althea to the side, and Mesa quickly grabbed her arm before she fell. The hill they were standing on was about ten feet up and full of rocky boulders.

“Are you okay?” Mesa asked.

“Yes…” she said with shuddering breaths. “That would have been a disaster. If the waters pick up from the Jade River, it will spill over into this trench. Pretty soon, this place will be flooded. Maybe we should have come another day.”

“Don’t be silly,” Mesa said. “The rain belongs to us. So many good memories have happened in the rain. From the very first moment we met and had that special dance in the market, and to all the times we made love in it because the refreshing water made us whole.”

“Yes, but—”

“Ah…no buts,” Mesa cut in. “I’m glad you brought me here to tell me about our future baby. It’s special. I can’t tell you how often I envisioned having a daughter with your beautiful smile and black hair mixed with my eyes and nose. It’s pure bliss, but if we had a boy, there’s no doubt that he would have the best of us in him. Either way, I am over the moon with this grand news!”

“Awe…you are the sweetest man I’ve ever met,” Althea admitted with smitten eyes. She leaned in to kiss him and said, “I love you.”

“I love you too—”

The mushy ground gave way before Mesa could finish his words, and he fell into the trench. Althea tried to grab him, but the force of nature was too quick. He hit three giant boulders before everything went dark.

Althea screamed, “MESA!”  

Later that night, Lola and Papi cradled Althea in a warm embrace. The hospital’s bright lights were a stark reminder that this wasn’t a nightmare. Her beloved Mesa was hurt badly.

Althea’s father, Crisanto, stepped out of Mesa’s private room and hugged his daughter. “He is strong, my love. I know he will pull through.”

“But what if he doesn’t?!”

“I have prayed for his swift recovery, and I believe God was listening,” he said. “It will take some time, but your love will bring him back. He does love you so fiercely.”

“Oh…Papa…”

“This reminds me of painting a house on Pesa Drive several years ago,” Papi blurted. “We had a crew of twelve guys standing on a fragile scaffolding, and Alberto sneezed a series of hurricanes that rocked the boat one too many times. They all fell except for me…” he paused and pointed to his wrinkly forehead. “You see, I was smart and tied myself to the window seal.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Lola scoffed. “This is not the time for your jokes, Papi.”

“I meant no offense,” Papi said. “My point is Mesa is strong and smart. I believe he will be okay…” He sat down and covered his face, but there was no hiding his tears.

Lola sat down next to him and put her arm around him. “Yes. Our Mesa is strong. I do believe that he will make it.”

Althea’s mother, Mona, gave Lola and Papi a wink as she embraced her daughter. It was her gentle way of telling them everything would be alright.

“Mesa is a wonderful man,” Mona said. “The way he fills your heart with love is an amazing thing. We are all here for you, Althea.”

Crisanto leaned over and kissed Althea’s forehead. “We can’t always control life because it is out of our hands. We must trust in God and pray that he will comfort us in our time of sorrow and guide Mesa back to us. We must not lose hope.”

Her father’s words rang strong and true.

“Hello, are you Mesa’s family?

Althea broke away from her mother’s grasp and looked at Doctor Banzi with tearful eyes. “Yes. I’m his wife. Is he okay? Will my Mesa make it?”

Doctor Banzi glanced at his clipboard and scratched his fluffy white beard. “He took a rather hard hit to the head, which has left him in a coma. We have machines helping him breathe, but time and more tests will give us a clearer picture of his recovery. But if I’m being honest. I don’t like giving false hope. There is a chance he may not make it. We will do everything in our power to help, but the rest is up to him.”

Althea’s eyes swelled with an ocean of tears, and her lips quivered. She lost contact with the doctor and ran to Mesa’s room.

Mesa’s face was bruised and battered, and he had thousands of tubes connected to machines. The small hum from the respirator and the digitized beeping from the vital signs monitor were the only sounds in the room. Althea laid her head on Mesa’s firm chest, crumbled, and sobbed.

“Oh, my Mesa…please come back to me…please don’t leave me…” her heart felt like it was torn out and the oxygen in her lungs was stolen.

After a few hours, Althea kissed his cheek and said, “I will make this right. We just need a miracle, Meu Tesouro.”

Althea ran past her family and stormed out of the hospital. The rain was still hammering down, but it did little to halt her progress. There was only one place she wanted to go—a place where God could hear her prayers.

The pathway through the jungle was flooded with a foot of water, so Althea grabbed a long stick and used it to guide her through. She didn’t want to join Mesa in the hospital or, worse, see her deathbed. So, she took each step with careful consideration for the baby inside her womb. It took her two hours to reach the clearing.

Althea saw the moon shining above, and the rain looked like falling daggers ready to pierce her hollow heart. The field sat higher than the pathway, so the flood posed no threat. She ran to the middle of the land mass and fell to her knees. The red lilies gravitated towards her.

“Please…” she prayed, “don’t take my Mesa. Please bring him back to me. I beg with all my heart and all that is holy, please bring him back to me! I can’t live without him…”

Althea’s words turned into an agony of pain and sorrow. She lowered her head to the ground and sobbed for what seemed like hours.

The red lilies around her flickered and cast a soft red glow. A pulse of warm light passed through Althea’s soul and raced to the sky. Comfort caressed her inner being and lifted her spirits. She opened her eyes and wiped the tears away.

“My queen!”

Althea’s eyes grew ten times larger, but were her ears deceiving her?

She turned and saw Mesa standing before her. He had a white, soggy bandage wrapped around his head, and his teal hospital gown was soaked.

“Mesa…?”

“It’s me, sweetheart.”

“H-how can this be…” she stuttered.

Mesa smiled despite his cheekbones hurting. “When I woke up, they told me you ran off. I don’t know how, but I knew you were here.” 

Althea ran to his arms and squeezed him tightly.

“Ouch!” he moaned.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Meu Tesouro! I’m just so happy you’re here. I thought I lost you!” 

Mesa placed his hands on her cheek and gave her a passionate kiss. “Face it, sweetie…you ain’t never getting rid of me. You are, after all, my wife and mother to my child. I love you, my high-heeled princess… My queen!”

Althea melted in his arms. A sweet relief touched her soul, and warm butterflies fluttered in her womb.

“I love you too, my king.”