Gur’mekh loved Lenti. If he had to choose between her and all his other grand dreams, he would have had a hard decision indeed.
Lenti had never liked Gur’mekh, but he determined to do something about that. He exhibited his usual flattery, guided unerringly by his psychic sense, but it rarely got him more than a begrudged ‘oh, hello.’”
Lenti was rarely impressed by flattery, and Gur’mekh’s reputation had preceded him. A shy and quiet sort, she resented Gur’mekh’s attentions. She only loved the quiet and thoughtful Demrath.
One evening Gur’mekh stood just few feet from her bed as she settled down for the night. He regaled her in his fine voice with words from La’kresh:
Lenti came to him and smiled. “Very good, Gur’mekh! You memorized that whole poem just for me!”
“I was hoping you’d like it.”
“I do. I’m crazy about it. You’ll have to perform it at my wedding. Demrath likes poetry too.”
“Demrath?”
“Yes. If I needed an excuse not to marry you, it would be him. I suggest you give up now before he finds out you’re making passes at me. He’s the jealous type.”
This angered Gur’mekh, especially because Demrath was so well liked, and most people thought Demrath would be Roh’mach when Amarakh retired.
Gur’mekh decided that he had sold himself short. “If she does not like my praise, what WOULD she like?”
The next day he followed her at a distance, and when he finally got the chance to speak with her alone (and that was not easy) he strolled to her casually to avoid suspicion.
She sighed in disgust. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Well, aren’t we discrete!”
“I’m sorry. Hello, Gur’mekh. Nice weather, isn’t it? Well, I have errands to run....”
“Your small talk is as good as your manners.” He cleared his throat. “Look, I need you to do a personal favor for me, OK?”
“That depends on what it is--and if you’ll leave me alone for a change.”
“It’s nothing naughty, and yes, I’ll leave you alone for the rest of today if you’ll help me.”
“OK, you’ve made it worth my while. What’s on your mind?”
“I have this problem with my eyes. I think I’m getting cataracts, but I need someone with sharp eyes to see if they’re clear.”
“Why don’t you go to the healer?”
“She doesn’t like me. I don’t think she’d tell me the truth, and if she did, she wouldn’t want to help me.”
“I don’t like you either. Not that it stops you from reciting erotic poems to me in the middle of the night.”
“At least you’re honest. Please, Lenti. You don’t want me to go blind, do you? I mean, you’re getting to marry the one YOU love. You’re set for life. Why should you wish more harm on me?”
“I don’t hate you. I just don’t like you. Sure, I’ll look in your eyes if you promise to behave yourself. This isn’t one of your tricks, is it?”
“If it was, would I tell you?”
“Yes. I believe you would. Bluntness with bak’rets is your one good trait.”
“You’re refreshingly honest.”
“But why here when were alone? That’s what I don’t understand. I know you’ve been following me all morning.”
“I don’t want anyone to know if I’m going blind. Surely you can understand that? And I don’t want Grou’besh to have the satisfaction of knowing I’m worried.”
“She is a bit of a prig.” She smiled and laughed, something that made Gur’mekh light up like the full moon. He admired the light of her ka that shone from her gentle face, and it took all his strength not to melt in front of her.
Lenti came close and looked into Gur’mekh’s deep amber eyes. “They look fine to me. I really don’t see....”
“Look harder.”
“Oh!”
She froze, her gaze locked into his, staring straight ahead as Gur’mekh fondled her soul, violating her privacy.
“I can see now. You don’t like people who talk too much or brag about their accomplishments. You like quiet males that are good listeners. You like gentleness and shyness, but not TOO shy.” He touched her cheek with his paw, and she gasped. Drawing close until his nose almost touched hers, he searched her with his eyes. “You think I’m shallow, that I have no deep feelings or tenderness. You don’t think I’d ever show my vulnerable side. Now tell me, what is your favorite color?”
“Blue,” she stammered. “Sky blue.”
“You are surrounded by blue. It is filling you like the heavens. It is covering your memories, covering over our little talk. You try to remember looking into my eyes, but it was only the blue, the sky blue. Close your eyes and count to eight, and when you open them, I’ll be gone.”
Lenti shut her eyes, unsure why she felt the need. A few seconds later, her eyes opened. She felt a little disoriented, and shook her head.
She wandered around aimlessly for a while, trying to remember where she was headed. Gur’mekh encountered her.
“Hi, Lenti!”
“Oh, it’s you, Gur’mekh.”
He smiled gently. “You looked a little distracted. Thinking of Demrath?”
“Uh, yes.”
Gur’mekh blossomed into a warm smile. “He really loves you. I would have given anything to make you my wife, but I’m glad to see you found someone else that will make you happy. If he doesn’t treat you right, tell me and I’ll come thrash him.”
Lenti smiled shyly. “Why that’s very sweet, Gur’mekh!”
“I have a personal favor to ask of you, Lenti.”
“Well that depends on what it is, and if you’ll leave me alone.”
He hung his head. “You don’t really mean that, do you? I mean, I didn’t realize you felt that way.”
“Well I....” She was confused and a little ashamed. “What’s the favor, Gur’mekh?”
“We’ve never been really good friends. I know a lot of it is my fault. I’m painfully shy.”
“You??” She laughed.
He hung his head. “Please don’t laugh. I try to hide it. Too hard. I drive off all the really good people like Ber and Demrath. I think if Ber would even say hello to me, I’d shine like the sun. But they all think I’m shallow and callous.” He drew near to her. “I’d give anything for a second chance. Please, Lenti, when you are a respectable married lady, you will speak to me once in a while, won’t you? Or maybe ask Demrath to let me hunt with him once in a while?”
“Why Gur’mekh, I had no idea!” She looked at him appraisingly. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll bring it up. If you weren’t in trouble all the time, I’d have a much better chance of success.”
“I only do those things to fill the hole.”
“What hole?”
“Forget it. You’re just trying to be nice.”
“I’m just trying to understand. Stop speaking in riddles.”
Gur’mekh’s jaw quivered and his eyes misted up. “Lenti, there’s only one thing I’ve really wanted out of life, and that’s happiness. I’ve been denied happiness, so I seek my pleasure where I can find it. Someday it will catch up with me, but till then it gives me a reason to go on living.”
He looked away from her, but she walked around to face him. “Why Gur’mekh, you’re crying!”
“Don’t stare at me!” He turned again and burst into tears. “I don’t need your pity! Forget I said anything, OK??”
Before she could reply, Gur’mekh ran out. He scrambled up the ridge and into the small cave that served as his home. Balling up in the back corner, he began to sob brokenly.
A couple of minutes passed, then predictably Lenti’s quiet tread mixed with his crying. “Gur’mekh?” She nudged him. “Gur’mekh??”
“Oh, it’s you, Lenti.”
“I want you to understand that my heart belongs to Demrath. I don’t think of you as a lover, only him. But I see no reason why we can’t be friends. You, Ber, Demrath and I. Maybe I can even get my parents to meet you. IF you behave yourself for a while and stop these pranks.”
He looked up at her and wiped his eyes. A meek smile began to warm his features. “I’d like that. Don’t worry, I’ll be good.”
“And you could settle with being my friend? You’d understand where to draw the line in this relationship?”
He tapped his lower jaw with his paw. “Yeah. But it’s OK for me to be a LITTLE jealous of Demrath, isn’t it?”
“Well, just a little.” She smiled. “How do you feel?”
“Much, much better. Thanks, Lenti. You know, from now on, I’m just going to be myself. If my friends don’t like me for who I am, then they aren’t really my friends.”
“That’s the spirit! Make a clean break with the past, Gur’mekh. And someday you will find what you’re after. I just know it.”
She smiled, nodded, and trotted away to find Demrath. And as soon as she was out of hearing range, Gur’mekh’s mouth curled into a large grin. He chuckled.
“If Demrath wasn’t around, I’d be here to pick up the pieces, my darling little Lenti. He’d want some nice husband taking care of you after he was gone. Someone like--well--like me!”
Gur’mekh was determined to fulfill his great destiny. He saw Demrath as the largest obstacle in his way. He needed a way to overpower him so he could work on the Roh'mach herself and finally turn his gaze to Pride Rock. And standing by his side would be Lenti.