After I have scarfed down 6 slices– a man's got to eat– I scout the area looking for the perfect place to watch and wait for her arrival. I don't want her to know I am watching over her, so I shift into full stone- transforming into a traditional gargoyle perched atop a building. It is completely offensive to take this particular form, but no one other than a fellow gargoyle will be the wiser. And a gargoyle passing by will just assume I needed to rest or I am undercover.
I wait, and though it feels like only several minutes have passed I know it is more likely to have been hours. Time passes differently in stone. Finally I see her. The sun catching her golden locks just right- it is like her hair illuminates the sun rather than the other way around. She is magnificent, even from this great distance. Because of my magic, I am able to see and hear her clearly, so I know she is narrating people as they pass by. She sits on a bench offering the best view of the area. From her vantage point she can basically see the entire square.
She mocks people as they take phone calls, pretending to know what the other person on the other side of the phone is saying. She watches as people fight on the sidewalk guessing what offenses have occurred. Normally she does not spend too much time on one person or group. But for some reason this group has her eyes glued. I hone in to try to decipher what has caught her attention so deeply. It appears to be a conflict between a man his mate, she is upset thinking he has been unfaithful. As a gargoyle I can see the small bits of magic even humans have- basically just the magic of life itself, so I can see their emotions and intentions, their auras, if you will. And here I can see nothing but the most pure and beautiful-love. I can see that his aura is pure and completely untainted. This is rare, he has not committed any offense upon her for which he has not made ammends, though she is convinced otherwise. Other women join the conversation, their auras pure as well. I can see family ties in my shifted form, especially when they are strong, and I can see clearly that these other women are his family. It appears he is explaining the situation to her and then he is on his knee with a massive rock in hand. Begging her to spend their short lives together.
My eyes go back to Daliah and she has a look of absolute disgust on her face. She hasn't even finished her crusts, which are her favorite part– but she throws them into the garbage, chuckling as debris is splashed onto the now celebratory couple and their entourage. She looks around as if she searching for something or someone, though I am not sure for what or whom… She begins walking in the general direction of the Frog Pond, and I watch as she disappears from my sight. In this state, I can sense her emotions and I am surprised at the immense amount of grief and resentment emanating off of her after watching that human interaction. What is she thinking? Why is she feeling such grief and resentment? Is that a touch of jealousy I sense?
I wait what could only be no more than a few minutes in mortal time before making my way toward the Frog Pond as well. It just occurred to me that in a few short days she will officially graduate from Harvard and she will have no reason to stay here in the Boston Area… She will likely go down south to be close to her parents, who are only here for business dealings or to be close to her. Who will be tasked with watching over her on a daily basis? What credentials will that asshole have? How many Queens has he protected? Does he know her tells? Will he know when she is overwhelmed and needs a minute to breathe and gather her thoughts? Will he know the difference between her 'happy to be here' smile and the 'I am here because I have to be' smile? Will he know that she likes her coffee black with 5 sugars? Will he know that she likes 3 salsas with her breakfast burrito? Will he know that she is anxious about public restrooms so she will leave an event just so she can use her own toilet?
Fucking asshole… I don't know who the fuck he is but I know that I hate his fucking guts and want to punch him in the face.
As I walk toward her, feeling the pull that must be a result of the imprint my gargoyle has made on her, I ponder these things and plot the demise of her future guardian. Where will she choose to live after her coronation party? Will she go to New York? Will she go back down south to be with her family? What is her next move? In all the weeks we have spent planning this revolutionary coup d'etat, not once has she let slip her plans, or if she even thought about life after graduation….
If she goes to New York I could just take charge of the Lawson & Sons office there rather than running the Boston branch. It is a bit of a commute to get from Manhattan to Cambridge but I could always change my schedule to have class online, though Harvard may not appreciate that. I could make my classes later, or on select days only… I could hire a TA to run lectures that I have prepared, though I do love my role of actually teaching. I already have an apartment in Manhattan, so it would not take much effort to make that happen. Although, four hours one way on a train does not seem logical for daily commute even if its only a few times a week- I may have to resign from Harvard. NYU Law is an excellent school. Its not Ivy League, but it is excellent. I could probably walk into a tenured position there with little to no effort.
As I contemplate resigning my position at my family's law firm and consider resigning from my tenured position at Harvard, I realize If she goes down south, I may have to stoop low. USC is an excellent school, sure. But its not the top school in the country in any category, much less law… But, surely USC-Law would want a Harvard Alum & former professor on staff… I could just pack my home up and follow her to Colombia. USC is no Ivy League, not a top school nationally, but it is one of the best in the southeast region… I could live with that. For her, I could live with that. Even if she chose to go back to her hometown rather than move to Columbia, a few hours drive is better than the 10 it would take to visit if I stayed in Boston.
What if she goes out west, or over seas? Could I go back to California? I hated it there. And my brother lives in London. It would be highly unfortunate if I had to live on the same continent as him again. But what reason would she have for doing either of those things? I dont think I have seen her take any interest in the West Coast at all, and she seems annoyed everytime she has to go to Europe. Surely she won't want to move there? But if she did go to Eurpope- I could certainly go from Cambridge Mass. to Cambridge England. I have a flat there as well.
I ponder all these things, running through the possible scenarios in my head as I arrive at where I am sure her final destination will be. I come upon the play ground and find a bench seat, pulling out my phone so I look less like a creepy weirdo who sits outside of playgrounds and more like a guy who just needed a moment to sit on a bench and use his phone. I partially shift, so that I can scan the area and quickly assess with out turning completely to stone. This is a very useful ability when watching over someone in public spaces where I may need to interact with others. I spot her, just where I expected her to be. On one of several benches between the pond and the play ground. She is watching the children, and I sense a suppressed longing from her. I sit and just watch in amazement as her hair blows in the breeze, and something that feels like an anvil weighs me down. I look more closely and see that she is crying. I can feel each of her tears as if they were a weight on my very soul, each one weighing me down more and more until I cannot take it anymore. I have to intervene and try to stop these tears of hers from flowing. I stand up and make my way toward her, not knowing what exactly I am going to do or say…