Writing Prompts: Memory Lane and the Tender Heart

[losthunter]

Hunter was still taking his journey of self-discovery, and knew that there was still much that he wanted to accomplish. One of those accomplishments was going back to his old neighborhood with Faris. He was able to remember the confidence that he once had as 'Kyle', and was no taking slow steps to reclaim that confident spirit.

And in a way, he was learning a new style of confidence. How to believe in himself, and stand up for himself, without being cold or callous to other people.

During the Halloween ball, Kendra had told him that it was time for her to pass on her secrets to him. But Kendra herself did not tell him anything and before Hunter could truly take the time to research more about the Hyperboreans... he had to go back to his world one more time.

This time he went without Faris. Mostly, because Hunter wanted to go back and reconnect with the two people who he had spent most of a year with, the maid Zola Davies, his best friend Lindy and the tutor Will.

It was an easy thing to find Zola. After all, she had kept in touch with him through letters, telling him all about the joys of having her children reunited with her. They lived in one of the poorer sections of town. Zola still worked as a maid, tending to houses in richer neighborhoods, trying to earn enough to get a better place for her and her children.

Since they had exchanged letters a few times, Zola had known that Hunter's appearance had not changed. She embraced him warmly when he arrived at her door. She was just happy to see him. They spent the afternoon together, chatting and getting re-acquainted.

When her children came home, Zola happily introduced him to them. She told them some stories of their time together. And then some stories of being reunited with her children. Then together, just like a family, they had supper together.

Hunter left her house feel warm and loved. He also left Zola with contact information to his new Helping the Lost Foundation. He knew that Zola would never accept money just given to her -- but she would accept the support of the new Foundation. That she would be a good person that would give back to her community, once she got her own life settled. And perhaps, that Zola herself could take a role in the Foundation, counseling others who needed immigration support and advice.

Reconnecting with Lindy took a little bit more time. Fortunately, she was back in New York for a week stay, before flying off to a new adventure. And Lindy was more than happy to reconnect with Hunter. She and her new husband took him out for supper, where they talked about the past few months, and the excitement of the world around them. It was such a good feeling seeing Lindy so in love, and seeing similar love expressed in the eyes of her husband.

The hardest of the visits was left to the last. Seeing Will again. It wasn't difficult to find him, since Will now was one of the best instructors at the New York University. It was also easy for Hunter to sneak into the back of the classroom, and just watch his former tutor inspire a whole new generation to love literature.

After the class was over, and the students had left onto their next classes, Hunter headed down to where Will was marking some research papers. He had to smile slightly, watching the man rolls his eyes a few times after reading through a few papers.

"What's wrong? Are they all sourcing the same material?" Hunter asked softly.

Will immediately looked up at him, their eyes meeting for a long moment. Hunter could see the other man studying his face. He wondered what was going through the other man's mind, since this was the first time that Will actually saw Hunter's face.

"They are being lazy." Will answered him. "What are you doing here? Are you taking university classes?

"No. I have moved onto other projects. Art studies, actually." Hunter felt a lump in his chest as he spoke to Will. There was so much he wished he could change, about how he had just left Zola and Will behind, without even telling them about how the 'curse' had ended for him. Zola had at least taken the effort to keep Hunter involved in her life. But he had never heard from Will.

"Then what are you doing here?" Will asked, going back to the unanswered question he had asked.

"I wanted to see you." Hunter answered, shrugging his shoulders slightly. A big part of him wanted to leave the room, without finishing the conversation. But the part of him that wanted to seek improvement knew that he couldn't hide anymore.

"I wanted to tell you that you were a very important part of my life. And that I still think about you." Hunter continued. He could see that Will was a little shocked about the abrupt honesty. "And I am sorry that I left without saying goodbye."

"I don't expect a warm welcome. But wanted to let you know that I am okay. And happy. Really happy." Hunter takes out one of his business cards. And he puts it on Will's desk. "And if you ever wanted to reconnect with me, all you have to do is call."

Students were filing into the classroom, some of them gave Hunter an odd look as they past. But he just straightened his shoulders, and gave Will one more smile. "Thank you. For being a part of my life, when I needed someone to push me to be a better person. I am who I am now, because of you."

It was not the goodbye that Hunter had imagined. But it was not an ending either. He felt a little better about coming back to see everyone. And as he walked out of the university, and headed back to the PINpoint portal, Hunter felt a lot better about his future.