"Tear inducing. It was like an Asian Titanic mixed with The Fault In Our Stars with a dash of Beautiful
Burn by Adriane Leigh. A delightful mashup of amazing love stories that I never really saw coming.." Sherelle Ellis "Ey Wades' When Clouds Touch goes outside the box from choosing to write about the aesthetically perfect heroine. As such, the story is richer and more meaningful for the effort. The lessons about finding strength and beauty from within are delivered with delicacy and courage through characters who love and live with purpose and joy.-Michelle Monkou USA TODAY HEAblog When Clouds Touch is the story of soul mates, Paisley and Malachi.
Destined to meet since before birth, their story wraps us somewhere between loving and caring, wanting the best for someone, while wanting to see them happy, even when it is risky and they must obey the demands of family. Paisley, a woman of Japanese descent, living with Albinism and heart disease, is meek, yet makes no apologies for seeking what she yearns to have. Hiding behind the protective fold of her wagasa, she longs for freedom from her overprotective parents and the love of a man she's known only in her dreams, even at the cost of her health. Malachi, a man who has visions of meeting an elusive shadow, uses his sense of humor and sensitive side to build their relationship. He's determined to win her love, even against the wishes of her parents.
Crash Into Me
Two
clouds, floating ever so slowly through the soft blue sky, one from either
direction, moved closer on a path towards collision. Angels, their beautiful
song filling the air like a lullaby, sat serenely on separate pillows of
softness, gently flapping their enormous wings to deflect the heat of the sun's
rays from the cloud's tiny inhabitants.
The tiny souls, cuddled within the silken
folds, glanced across the gap and in lightening recognition, they reached out.
Before their chubby fingers could touch, thunder boomed and puffs from their guardian’s breath
blew the clouds apart. Continuing in the same direction, yet inches apart, the
angels resumed their soothing tunes.
和傘
Both women reached the entrance to the Lamaze
class at the same time. Neither paying attention to the other, one searching
the contents of her purse, the other looking over her shoulder and urging her
lagging husband to move faster. The collision of their large pregnant bellies
causing a surprising halt to their forward motion.
“Whoa, did you feel that?” The purse digger
rubbed her stomach. “I think she tried to jump right into you.”
“Whew! Yes, I felt it.” The other released a
breath. “I thought my heart was going to stop, he jumped so hard. Look how he’s
kicking.” She raised her top, exposing her trembling stomach. “He’s been so
quiet lately, but he’s definitely awake now, Jaanu.” Turning to her
husband, she stepped away from the door.
“I told you he was fine. Smart fellow,” The
father pat his wife’s belly before pulling down her shirt. “Already knows his
attention should be on the ladies. I shall work hard to teach him to respect
them.”
和傘
Three weeks later, Paisley lay in her little
glass isolette, her face turned to her left and her newborn eyes trying their
hardest to focus on the face of the baby staring at her.
“His name is Malachi.” Turning towards the
voice whispering into her left ear, Paisley’s mother looked into the face of
the mother from the Lamaze class.
“Oh, hi. So, that’s who he is. That explains
it. I’ve been here ten minutes. The nurse has turned her face to the window
three times and little Paisley always turns back to watch him. He’s quiet and
content only when they are facing each other.”
“That’s so bizarre. Do you think infatuation
starts young?”
“Sure seems that way.”
“I didn’t know you would be having your baby
here.”
“I wasn’t supposed to, Paisley was in a rush.
Seemed as if nothing was keeping her from coming. We go home tomorrow.”
“We leave in a couple of hours.”
*
And that’s how they lived life, continuously
rushing past destiny. Accidentally enrolled in the same baby classes, same
schools- brushing past, but never really meeting.
For years Paisley and Malachi’s paths running parallel, but never crossing. In school she would have the urge to look up, see him watching her from across the room, hallway, school yard and move in his direction ... only to have something redirect their steps. Until many years later, when fate stepped in as they bumped each while trying to enter the revolving doors of the same office building. Her huge red wagasa 和傘 falling from her hands and landing at his feet.
Paisley clutched the material covering her
heart as Malachi released a rush of air. One of his hands holding her elbow to
steady her while the other put the Japanese umbrella back into her hands.
“You’d swear we’ve been through this before.
Feels like deja vu.”
“I know. I felt it too geeze,” She laughed,
head down as she lifted her backpack to her shoulder. “I thought my heart was
going to stop.” And stopped, she thought it had when she raised eyes and found
herself looking up into the face lowered to her height. For years she’d
imagined what she would do if she had a chance to meet him face to face and now
that she had, all she could do was stand like a love-struck groupie and calmly
try to get her heart rate to slow down.
“Well, don’t die right here, we’re already
holding up the line.” He indicated the people behind them with a tilt of his
head. “You go first.”
