Tusktaker's Secret Part 20

	Lorka sighed as she fiddled with one of her hunting spears. Jor’ak wanted to go on a trip this weekend to capture some Snaths, so she needed to properly prep all her gear in case something went wrong. Snaths weren’t the deadliest of creatures, but their hide was damn thick. Snath hunting spears needed to be properly reinforced to have any chance of getting past their well-armored backside.  It might be a huge pain in the ass, but it was worth the effort. Snath meat tasted delicious, and the hide was vital for making durable but light leather armor. Lorka’s favorite arm leathers were made from a particularly tenacious Snath she’d caught with her father. Took her almost two days to skin the thing even with Jor’ak’s help, but it was totally worth it.

After Lorka put the last spear in the little rack by her bed, she let out a small yawn. Everything was good to go for the hunt on her end. A well prepared Tusktaker was a successful Tusktaker. Her dad told her that constantly. Personally, Lorka found getting ready for a hunt rather boring. At least now, she could pull out a book and enjoy some well-earned…right. She’d gotten rid of her books. Whatever, there’s always something new you can learn by going over an old Orcish Bestiary. Boning up on Snaths could be useful for the weekend.

As she reached for the manual, something else caught her eye. “I can’t believe I forgot about this.” Lorka muttered as she pull
ed out her hardback edition of A Prayer for Owen Meany. She smiled as she traced her finger over the stuffed armadillo on the cover. She’d been so shocked when Thomas gave it to her. It brought back so many memories, seeing this book. Lorka frowned. Maybe it was time to give up on those memories once and for all. Seeing Thomas again might be awkward, but she didn’t think holding on to this was going to do her any favors. Tossing it didn’t seem like the right thing to do. A part of Lorka wanted to go see Thomas and give him the book in person. Maybe she could get some closure. It was better than just dwelling on the past.

Lorka gently placed the book in her worn leather backpack and made her way down the stairs.

“Mom, I’m going out for a bit!” She yelled.

“Alright, just be back before ten!”

“’Kay!” Lorka shouted before shutting the door behind her. All right, now she just needed to get to Thomas’s house.
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Walking to Thomas’s neighborhood wasn’t that big a deal. Lorka had walked longer distances on a hunt. Still, it gave her some time to clear her head and get her emotions in check. She’d just drop off the book, say a couple words, and then be on her way. It wouldn’t be a big deal. Right?

As she walked past the front lawn, Lorka noticed Thomas’s car was missing. Maybe he was running errands? Well whatever, she could at least see if he was home. After ringing the doorbell, Lorka found herself fidgeting as she waited for someone’s response. There was no reason to be nervous, she thought. So why couldn’t she stop shaking?

After a couple seconds of waiting, Lorka breathed a sigh of relief. No one was home. Oh well, too bad! She’d just come back again later. Maybe. But as she started to walk away from the house, the door swung open and a tall woman appeared. Thomas’s mother. Lorka had seen her picture in Thomas’s home, but she was quite stunning in person. Six feet tall, with beautiful platinum blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. A modest but sensible bust and motherly hips. Lorka felt somewhat ashamed. She wished she could look half that beautiful.

“Hi, can I help you with something?” The woman looked expectantly at Lorka, clearly waiting for a response.
“I’m uhm…here to…return this.” Lorka stammered as she pulled the book out of her backpack.

The women blinked for a moment before giving Lorka a reassuring smile. “Oh my, you must be Lorka. Would you like to come in and talk for a little bit? I just sent Thomas on an errand, so I don’t think he’ll be back any time soon.”

Lorka nodded her head meekly before putting the book back in her pack. “I guess I can stay for a little bit.”

The older woman held open the door as Lorka trudged into the house. “Wonderful! I’ll make us some tea. Do you like mint?”

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	Lorka made herself comfortable on the couch while Thomas’s mother prepared their drinks. Honestly, she wasn’t expecting his mother to be back in town. It felt kind of awkward being treated with such hospitality by her ex’s mother. She tried not to think about it as she examined the living room. It’d been a couple months since she saw the inside of Thomas’s house, though not much had changed. It still felt rather sterile and empty. Either Thomas’s mom kept the place spotless or she didn’t spend much time living here. The longer she sat on the couch, the more Lorka felt like she didn’t belong here.

The idea of quickly making an exit just entered her head when Thomas’s mother strolled into the room with a small platter of tea. Dammit. Well, she could least be cordial for a couple minutes before making up some kind of excuse to leave.

“Here dear, you look like you could use a cup.” she said as offered Lorka her drink.

Lorka thanked her as she took the cup from her hands and gave it a sip. It was quite good. Maybe not as good as Thomas’s tea, but similar. She must have used too much sugar, Lorka thought. It was a little too sweet for her taste.

“I really wanted to meet you for a long time, dear. Thomas spoke highly of you. I was quite sad when he told me you two broke up.”
This was not how Lorka wanted the conversation to go. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather avoid that subject Mrs.…”

“Oh dear, I didn’t mean to dredge up bad feelings. And Lorka, you can just call me Cynthia.” She gave Lorka another reassuring smile. Lorka could see why Cynthia had such a successful career in her firm. Something about the way she approached people felt very warm and inviting. It made Lorka feel at ease.

“Thank you, Ms. Cynthia.” She said as she sipped her tea.

“So,” Cynthia said, trying to change the subject, “You came here to return a book?”

“Yeah. It was a gift from Thomas.”

“Then if it was a gift, why return it? I’m sure Thomas would want you to keep it.”

“I’m just…I’m going through some rough stuff in my life right now. I don’t know if Thomas told you about my father.”

Cynthia nodded patiently, her eyes becoming momentarily cool as she spoke. “Yes, I know about Jor’ak.”

“…Yeah. So you understand. I just don’t think I can hold onto this anymore. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Why not dear? He told me how much he enjoyed sharing books with you.”

“That’s the point!” Lorka exclaimed “It isn’t the same without him! It was so much fun, getting to share stuff with him! And then he just abandoned me and…”Lorka chocked up as she tried to finish her sentence. She just wanted to leave. It was hard keeping her emotions in check all the time, and now they were all bubbling to the surface again in front of someone who was basically a stranger. Lorka felt like she was going to cry. She closed her eyes in the vain hope Cynthia wouldn’t see her tears. This was so stupid, why did she decide to come here?

Then, to Lorka’s surprise, she felt something warm press against her. When she opened her eyes, Cynthia was sitting next to her, her arms wrapped around Lorka in a comforting hug. “It’s all right, dear. Just let it all out.”

Everything came tumbling out, as Lorka spoke. “Why did he leave!? I know my dad was a huge ass, but I thought Thomas loved me? He just gave up! Then he gives  me all this garbage about how he’s ‘a burden on me’! Thomas was never a burden! I loved ever second we were together! Why would he ever think that!?” Lorka sobbed.

Cynthia sighed as she handed Lorka a couple tissues. “I think I know why.” She said quietly. “Lorka, did Thomas ever tell you what happened to his father?”

Lorka shook her head as she wiped away her tears. “No, he just told me he passed away.”

“I see. Well, I don’t really want to go behind my son’s back, but I know he’s still miserable about what happened, and I think I know why he’s acting this way.”

“Wait, he’s miserable!?” Lorka asked.

“Dear, he’s absolutely devastated. I think he’s as upset as you are at all of this. But I also think he’s made this whole situation far worse, even if his heart was in the right place. ”

“So what happened?” Lorka asked, her sadness and frustration replaced with curiosity.

“I guess really it all starts when I married Robert. He was so cute when he first arrived from the Homelands. Always so confused by life on Earth, like a lost child. But he was gentle and strong and…I guess you could say he swept me off my feet. He’d wanted a child so badly. I’d venture to say Robert wanted children even more than I did. He was a very passionate man.” Cynthia said with a wistful sigh.
Thomas’s mom paused when she saw the blush spreading across Lorka’s face. “Maybe I’m getting a little too personal.” She said with a meek grin.  “I’m sorry, dear. Guess I’m just feeling a little nostalgic. Anyway, Robert wanted children right away. Within a year of our marriage, we had Thomas bouncing around the house. You should have seen him. Such a bundle of energy! My husband desperately wanted Thomas to be an outdoorsman like himself. He’d take Thomas to his work place and have him help do minor chores while Robert tended to the area.”
Lorka nodded. “Yeah, I remember him saying something about his dad being a park ranger.”

“He was excellent at his job. Believe me; I placed him in the position myself.” She said with a playful wink. “Thomas wasn’t quite the bookworm he used to be. Oh sure, he loved reading but he was much more social and willing to deal with people than he is now.
Before Robert passed, Thomas was shaping up to be the quite the hunter. He even managed to bring down a buck. We have the antlers mounted over the mantle.”

“Heh, I know about the deer. I'd Thomas over it all the time.” Lorka said with a small grin.

“Oh yes, that’s right! Tusktakers mostly hunt in the Homeland species game preserves. I don’t think Robert would ever let Thomas near any of those beasts.” She said with a shiver. “Anyway, that all changed in Thomas’s second year of Middle School. Robert wanted to take him on a hunting trip over night. I was really nervous over the idea, but he…well he could be very persuasive.” Cynthia’s expression darkened as she spoke. “I should have stopped them.”

Cynthia didn’t say anything for a moment. She looked troubled. Lorka could cut the tension with a knife. “What happened?” she said quietly, wanting to break the silence.

“There was an accident…a lightning storm caused the barrier around one of the Homeland preserves to malfunction. A ner'xz escaped from the preserve.Thomas and Robert were cleaning some fresh kill when the thing appeared in their camp. They tried to get away…but Thomas broke his ankle running from the ner’xz.” Tears were beginning to form in Cynthia’s eyes as she continued. “I know my Robert. He wouldn’t leave Thomas to fend for himself. He did his best to hide our son in a hollowed out old tree, and then he tried to lure the creature away. Thomas told me he spent the entire night in that damp log, not sure if the ner’xz was still out there” Her voice began to shake as she tried to finish the rest of her story. “When they didn’t come back the next day, the authorities sent out a search party. Thomas was alive, his ankle was broken but other than that he was fine. They found Robert a couple yards away from Thomas’s hiding place, his body was tangled up with the corpse of the ner’xz. He’d driven his machete into the monster's heart before it killed him. ”

Cynthia sobbed as she tried to recollect herself. Lorka placed her hand on top of Cynthia’s as she gave her a concerned look. “I’m sorry for making you talk about that, Ms. Cynthia.”

As the older woman dried her tears, she gave Lorka a sad smile. “He really was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better husband. It hurts to think about it sometime, but at the end of the day he gave his life to save our son. I’m really proud that I could call myself his wife.”

Lorka nodded. “Ms. Cynthia, I just want you to know, that’s one of the bravest things I’ve ever heard. If it’s any consolation, your husband would have made a better Tusktaker than most of the orcs I know.”

Cynthia gave her a proud smile. “You’re so sweet, dear. I’d love to have a daughter like you!” Lorka’s face turned red. “Oh my, you’re quick to blush, aren’t you dear?” Cynthia said, her playfulness begging to return.

“Anyway,” Cynthia continued, “times were pretty tough after losing Robert. I had to pick up more shifts at work till they transferred me to the traveling division. I didn’t get to see Thomas as much, but I had to keep moving around for work. It was awful, Lorka. Thomas began to retreat into himself. He blamed himself for his father’s death. I could barely get him to leave the house. My son had always been such an open person! But after that day, he just started to wall himself off from everyone. I didn’t know what to do! He spent three years like this, shutting people out of his life. And then you popped up… He started gushing about you whenever he got the chance. Thomas finally found someone that brought him out of his shell. I was ecstatic. Until…"

“Until my dad happened.” Lorka said. The young orc balled her hands into fists as she spoke, clearly frustrated. “And now Thomas thinks he’s not good enough for me!"

Cynthia frowned. “I just don’t know what to do with him.”

"I really wish I could patch things up with him, Ms. Cynthia. But how can I fix any of this when he just keeps shutting me out. I don’t even know how to deal with my own problems!”

“Thomas told me about what was going on. Dear…don’t you think you have the right to live your own life? I don’t know what I can say to help you; I have no idea what it’s like growing up in an orcish home. But…”She plunged her hand into her purse, pulling out a small, golden embossed ticket. “I saw this the other day and I thought it might be useful to you, if I got the chance to meet you.”
Lorka took the ticket out of her hand and examined it. It was from the same art gallery they’d visited on their first date. She let a gasp as she read the event’s name. “This is for the same orc that did those amazing landscape paintings!”

“My tickets are yours! I’m too busy to go that night anyway.”

Lorka's jaw dropped. “I don’t know what to say!”

“Say you’ll go. It might give you what you need to straighten out this situation.”

"This is such an amazing gift. Thank you, Ms. Cynthia!”

She giggled slightly as she patted the young orc on the shoulder. “Not a problem, dear.”

Lorka got up from the couch. “I should go. Thomas will probably be back soon, and…don't think I'm ready to talk to him just yet."

“Oh and dear? Before you go, I need to ask you something.” Cynthia handed Lorka her copy of Owen Meany. “Do you still want to leave this with me? Or do you want to take it with you? It was a gift, after all.”

Lorka frowned as she took it out of Cynthia’s hands. “I really don’t know what I want any more honestly. I came over here to put this behind me. Now I just…” She shrugged.

 “Then if you aren’t sure, you should probably take this with you. You’ve got a lot to think about.”

“…I think you're right. I'll keep it with me for now. Thanks for everything Ms. Cynthia. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

Cynthia smiled as she put a hand on Lorka's shoulder “No matter what happens here on out, I think you were good for my son. I hope I was at least able to give you some insight."

"You did." Lorka assured her. At least now, she had some idea as to what was going on in Thomas's head.

After saying their goodbyes, Lorka departed for her house.  Cynthia sighed as she reclined on here couch. She caught herself staring at a portrait of her husband on the wall. “I hope everything works out between those two.”