Thread: Crossing Oceans (roxtrox7 and DevonArch)

It's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it? David Brighton looked up from his work and wiped his brow with his forearm. Sweat made wood shavings cling almost comically to the skin of his forehead. Sure is, sir...twenty-one! he answered with a nod, sounding more enthusiastic than he really was. The truth was that he hadn't been excited for a birthday since his thirteenth...the year his parents died. He had no plans for the day, no one to celebrate with other than the aging Mr. Westbrook. Don't all me sir, David. I'm your friend. After all these years, I wish you'd see that you don't have to call me Sir any more! Mr. Westbrook laughed, but quickly turned serious. I'd like to give you something this year. Stuffing a hand into the pocket of his overalls, he stepped around and stood facing David across his work bench. He held up a key, dangled it between his thumb and finger and let it drop with a chime onto the table. I'm sure you saw this coming. We've had a wildly successful year. Good enough for me to move out of that drafty apartment above us and into my own house. He looked up at the cieling, and a smile cracked his stone expression. It's all yours, if you want it...a thank you for all the work you've put in here as my apprentice, helping me build this from a humble carpentry shop to the successful business it is today. David didn't protest, and for the first time in what felt like years, the smile on his face was genuine. ... The cool breeze from the water tossed David's sandy blonde hair in front of his deep blue eyes. With a quick flick of his head, he cleared it away and continued scanning the faces of the new arrivals, stepping wide-eyed from the ferry. He loved spending sunny days on the piers, listening to the new languages and exotic accents of the new immigrants as they took their first look at the vibrant city, eyes full of hope and wonder. It had an odd way of comforting him, the way their excitement always carries with it hints of anxiety, sometimes even fear. He would look from one set of eyes to the next and smile to himself as he easily picked out the emotion in them. 'Excitement...fear...awe...excitement...fear...' he said in his head. A girl stepped off the ramp alone, and his heart broke the second he saw her bright green eyes. There was no excitement in them, and surprisingly, no fear. They looked lost and lonely and beautiful. David scooted to the edge of the crate he was sitting on and watched the girl more closely. He waited for her eyes to brighten when she spotted her family, then run to join them. But it never happened. He stood and watched her wander away, alone, toward the warehouse at the other end of the pier. Something wasn't right, he thought. He knew what it was like to be alone, and he recognized that sadness in the way she walked as if she didn't know where to go. The soles of his shoes knocked quietly against the wooden planks as he approached her. David didn't know what he was doing...it was so unlike him to approach a stranger, but something about this girl drew him in. He still had that feeling in his chest, like he had stepped wrong and missed the bottom stair and still wasn't over the shock of almost falling. Excuse me... he said in a soft voice, stopping just a few steps behind her. Can I help you find someone? His voice was kind, and it was obvious that he was concerned, taking one tentative step closer.