Tears, frustration, questions about life, her life, not knowing of not knowing consumed Shepa.
Instead of taking the college route, she took the spiritual route and He sent her a humble soul. He was humble, talented, receptive and perceptive. Their energy was kinetic. They connected on a spiritual level. She saw herself in him and he in her and together they became one, shining like God. Shepa had this special gift with painting with her hands. She knew how to paint colors on a person's aura. Through the Creator, she would paint him green and white when he came in from work.
In a matter of time, the two started to illuminate. He attracted the raise he needed, the loan he requested, the dream he prayed for and Shepa patiently waited for the promise of marriage. In the meantime they were blessed with a beautiful son. But something happened.
A colorless shadow interfered and worked to tangle their future. Colorless shadow threw ounces of temptation in Shepa's man's workplace. Colorless Shadow sent his radiant and fresh looking women toward Shepa's lover. They seduced and teased him to follow their path which was very broad and extremely wide enough to accommodate her. He followed far until he was in a town Shepa would not enter. It was her choice. She loved him so much and cried hard and long for him to stay in their community. She would not dare enter colorless shadow's town for it did not feel right to her.
The town was very attractive and enticing, striking and gleaming. Looking through those broad, wide gates, from what Shepa saw, was exquisite and enticing models. Stunning jewels attached to attractive body parts. Freshly cut green grass, unique flowers and abundant trees. The gatekeepers dressed in black. Slender bodied, skirt suits and big sunglasses exited from private jet planes. Desperate yet happy people waved papers and pens as they hovered over shiny black, fancy Mercedes and SUV's. At night, the town sparkled with Christmas lights and gigantic alters of confident faces on billboards. Those same confident faces would be eating at the nearby restaurants, walking their dog or at a friend's party in their mansion homes.
The visuals caught Shepa's eyes, but the fragrance just didn't smell right to her. No one anointed themselves with oils of Frankincense, Myrrh or Egyptian Musk. Their fragrances stood tall in odd shaped vases that were manufactured in Italy or France. She saw her man riding away in a fancy, black car. Shepa called out his name but the people's chatter, their laughter, their questions, their admiration, the music and his bubble consumed him. She called his name but the car only honked goodbye.
She waited until the next day when the gatekeepers' foot nudged her thigh to move out of the employee's way. Most of which were Mexican, Black and Latino workers. They all worked different jobs with similar expressions on their faces. Discreet and secretive. Shepa spotted some of her friends behind the gate running and then hopping on to his bandwagon asking for a position. Colorless shadow's people laid hands all over Shepa's love and Shepa called out to him again and this time, they turned around and frowned at her showing their terrific smiles and perfect, white teeth.
She smiled back because of her innocence and naivete, but she felt confusion and defeat. Shepa started back home. She did not turn her back around toward her true love for she knew she would turn into a pillar of salt. The man she loved has been cuddled (like so many) into the arms of colorless shadow.
She and their son returned to their dusty shack, the untamed grass united with weeds. They returned to the very same place where many get down on their knees and pray. Where the pictures of the confident faces hung on street corners of buildings, store fronts, roofs of trains, waists of buses, t-shirts on the youth but these confident faces would not be found walking in the flesh. Unreal...
