A love note for Valentine.

St.Valentine as told to me then

Author's Note:

Bless thee Father for without his love, we would still be lost.

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I do not know what lies ahead of me as all I seen was a single dark image. It’s the sight of one who is without the gift of sight. But as I am without a sight but I was no clumsy lady of my age. I can hear and smell better than most and what I feel with my hand gave me their shapes in my mind. I was then led by the person I knew as my father who is ever anxious to find me a cure for my sight. His prayer to God was that I may see him with my own eyes. But many a times, I have lament to him that none was to cure me of my ailment. ‘I am without sight, Father but I know you from your love and touch’ I told him many times but he was still ever insistent to grow me my sight. To him, the gift of sight was crucial to me but what he does not know that his daughter while sitting on the patio daily listened to the sounds of others who may be in a play or on a stroll. Little did he know I could smell the lilac growing at the flower bed beside our home, and the sound of the wind as it weave through the spaces in between the houses. Father, I was not alone but with them every moment.

"Aargh!" My feet had stepped on the damp flooring of the place I was to venture with my father.

"Father, pray tell me we are not going into your place of work. I find the smell there very uncomfortable." I was able to pick up the pungent aroma of the place he worked. It was familiar to me when my mother then had brought me along when she was still with us. Those were the time when the family had lived as a whole and happiness prevail despite the pain of the infliction on their daughter. But it was soon to end with her passing and my father inducement with the liquor. His sleep in the night assisted by the intoxication drink was then disturbing while his snores kept me awake.

"We are there, my child." I found my touch on the familiar walls of his work place. It was damp and coated with the grime of dirt. "Priest, I brought her now. Please do your merciful acts for us. I will pray to your God as if its mine. Do it."

"Father, why do you speak in such rude words? Our faith is within us and we may not impose on it nor can we be imposed on it?" I was deeply sad at my father for his shallow thoughts on the belief of the faith. When mother was here then, she used to take me to the place of worship and we will pray on our faith. She used to drag my father along as he was not one of the strong believer's but he came along.

"Hush, you girl. I am speaking to the Priest." His words were a slap to me for he rarely raised his voice on me. I heard the shuffling of the body and then the smell that came from the person. It was not usual smell of a man covered in dirt and grime. He did have a distinct smell but it was not pungent to my nostrils. Yet it comes refreshed to my senses. What manner of man was I to meet then.

"Fear not, my child. I meant you no harm. If you were to permit me your belief, I would like to extend mine. It’s not of any miracle I can do but the works of GOD. He works in many different ways that even I do not know how and why, but I leave it to his judgment on the action. I am but his faithful servant to serve his works here." I felt a hand on my forehead and then over my eyes. I remained still with my eyes shut tight and yet I did not fear him.

"I heard of your ailment from your father, but as i have said, I do no miracles. It’s work of GOD who does it. If he chooses to cure you, he will do so."

"I understand, Priest. I do not impose on you for my recovery. I have been blind since birth but I do desire to see the things that others do. But one's desire and needs can be a distance apart never to be met. I am resigned to that fate." I knew myself from the days with the healers in every corner far and near. But none has done any which will show me a slight belief that my sight will recover.

"Have faith, my child. GOD sometimes test us in his works but he is ever merciful in his grace. Maybe your ailment is not to be cured but a gift of sort which you can work with." He may have spoken the truth but my father was harsh to act then. I heard his whip lash on the Priest while he cursed at the later..

"Father, please do not do that. He speaks his mind and I fear you are the one who cannot accept the truth." I reached out and found my father's arm. I pulled at him to stop his loathsome act on one who does us no harm except to speak his mind. He relented and lowered the whip.

"Forgive me, Priest. She is my only child and I do not want to see her walk alone when I am gone. You are a Priest and of the knowledge on the books. Pray teach her the words, so that even if she was to join the convent, she may be a learned one and not a servant of the broom. I beg of thee for thy mercy in granting me this last wish." I saw not but I felt the rustling of the body clothes. My father had bent down to seek for the Priest help.

"Arise, my gaoler. I did say I cannot perform Miracles but GOD may. For what you asked later of me, is not his works but mine. I can teach as I was taught, and she will learn as I have learned. But please heed as what she would learn is my Faith. If you can accept that then the Words I will impart to her will be the Words of my faith to strengthen her beliefs in the way of GOD." I listened and I knew the Priest words may be harsh to some but I found solace in his words. I felt enlightened in myself as if I was to be freed of my bonds.

"Thank you, Priest. May I know your name........., Teacher.?" I knew we have spoken for long and yet we were never introduced.

"My given name is Valentine. I am a Priest of the House of GOD. I know your name, Rose as your father has spoken of you to me. We can start our lesson as of now as time is not on my side.”

My father shuffled to his feet but the priest had stopped him.

“Gaoler. I know my fate like the inmates in these cells. The Emperor will soon call on me for the execution as he is vain and fear of my influence on the numbers he calls his army. His decree against the Faith as it’s a selfish act of his thinking he is doing good for them. But MAN will fight well when he has a reason to fight, and what better reason than that of his Family. None sits above his concern for his family, not even Emperor or King. He is a poor Emperor with poor Advisers around him. It will be his downfall if he does not get his ways corrected."

"Priest. I can save no more of you if you condemned the Emperor with your mouth. He is Almighty here and his command is ours to order." I sensed my father's fear of the Emperor. For one without sight, I saw not the Emperor or the Priest when both does not appeared in real to me. In my sight, they could be both a square or round, or even nothing in my mind. I knew my father and mother well as their image are defined by my mind, but if you asked me to describe it would be like a telling you how an elephant can fly over the walls. Ha! That was my mother told me once when I asked her to describe the boy next door. It’s our personal line of jest in my sightless world.

"Rose, please sit by me. I would teach you not of written words but of the spoken ones. They are faster and easier to pick up and above all remembered. But you must tell me when you tire or other needs. Then I will continue on your return." I felt the calm hand on mine as he who was a Priest led me to a place to sit by him. It was a hard flooring and yet comfortable to sit on. "Thank you, Gaoler. Your offer of the drink would be much appreciated. Please sit yourself as my class need not be her alone. As a show of Faith, I would teach all who would listen as there is nothing to fear from the words of GOD."

So it was a succession of days which I was to find myself with my father sitting by the priest named Valentine as he recites to us the words of his teaching. During the session, I heard the sounds of others who dwell in the other cells also lending their ears to this man of GOD. From the drones of his voice, I found fleeting images that shifted in my mind; one cannot be described as its the not the gift of the sightless to explain all they saw. I found myself feeling comfortable to sit by this man and bring him his daily bread for his meal. Above all, I sensed in me a feeling of relief and enlightenment within myself as if I am accepted to by someone I can love and cherish.

But the day I feared arrived that morning.

It was the day I took to the sick bed, and I was not able to move. My father went on his usual path and was surprised by the Priest for a pen and paper. He gave the priest his request although it was unusual in request. But little was he knew that the Execution guards were soon to come and asked for the priest. My father knew then what awaited the priest so he asked for a time to be alone with the priest.

My father asked for my forgiveness from the priest for not arriving today. But the priest was to stop my dad from his action. He said it was ordained and he would walk the last day of his lifetime alone here. Just before he was to depart for the execution square, he asked my father to hand me the paper he held in his hand. My father took it from him with his face in sorrow knowing that this is probably the last time he would get to see the priest. With that done, the priest was led away from his cell by the guards. My father soon left for home to see me.

"Rose, The priest ask me to give you this. He has been led to his execution at the Square.” Father left the note on my hand as I lay on the bed. I asked of his help to prod me up on the pillows so I can feel what was written on the paper. I slowly opened the paper and felt my fingers over it.

I felt nothing. It was just a paper.

I moved my eyes as if I have sight to see what was written. I asked for GOD's help in allowing me to see the paper as any living sighted person could. I laid my eyes to what was on my hand.

The image soon formed in my mind. It was in the forms which I have not seen before. It has shades to it and then more shades than I could imagine. I looked away and there were images around me.

"Father?" I saw what was to me than an image. It moved towards me. It was different form the form I knew. Inside me, I knew I was seeing my father for the first time.

Oh my GOD! I could see then. My sight was restored. The priest taught me to believe in GOD; that GOD may be merciful to the ones who believes in HIM. Yes, I do. And I do because you taught me the ways of GOD.

I looked to the paper now.

It was an image of something and yet its pleasing.....no, beautiful like the things I could see then.

"Father, what....is that I see in my hand?" I looked to my father for his assistance.

"It’s the paper which the priest gave you." I nodded to his reply and then pointed to the image on it

"It’s a flower. It’s a yellow crocus which your mother used to plant in the garden." The flowers petals floated from the stem and sway around the room. It was beautiful to see the colors as my mother used to say. I looked back at the paper and found something else on it.

"Father....."

"It was written by Valentine. He wrote it for you. From your Valentine; he wrote that for you. He loves you, Rose." My father hugged me for the first time after I was recovered.

"No, father, He loves me as I love him for teaching me the words of GOD. He taught me how to love GOD as in loving GOD, I learned to love HIM too. Just as much as I love you and the priest, he taught us more than words. We shall be blessed that Valentine did not die in vain. He died for the love of the people to rejoice in the love of one another and also in GOD."

I cried in joy as on this day, LOVE is declared with no barrier and imposed conditions.