Chapter 5: Aliana Reynolds

Santino had some Astragalus at home, but the roots were so old their potency had faded, so he had to head up the mountain to gather fresh herbs. He made his way through the mountains, stopping now and then, until he came upon a small lake. Right by the water was a healthy Astragalus plant that looked nicely mature.  He grabbed his hand hoe, walked to the shore, and carefully dug up the plant, tucking it into his basket. He was about to leave when a sudden splash echoed from the lake. Santino moved toward the sound and looked over. A seventeen-year-old girl was bathing in the lake. She had just finished bathing and stood up. Santino was dumbstruck. His lower part was reacting. Aliana Reynolds was feeling down after receiving the university admission letter. It should have been a joy, yet she had grown up with her grandfather, Pablo Reynolds, after losing her parents. There was no money for tuition. Worse, Pablo had fallen ill.  She had argued with Pablo about dropping out of school to care for him, and he had refused to let her quit.  Overwhelmed, she had come to the lake to bathe and clear her head, only to be mortified by Santino's presence. Santino noticed Aliana was heading to the shore. He quickly found a place to hide, but his foot slid, and he fell. "Who's there?" Aliana shouted from the shore.  She hurried to dress. "Uh, it's me," Santino said, dusting himself off, awkward and embarrassed.  Once Aliana saw it was Santino, she flushed with anger.  "You creep! You were peeking at me, and you think an apology fixes it?" Her frustration swelled into tears. This was giving Santino a headache. He stepped closer and apologized again. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. Look, I was only here for this," he said, showing the Astragalus in his basket.  "I really didn't see anything. Please, don't cry. I didn't expect someone to bathe in the lake." Santino felt guilty. Aliana's eyes were red as she glared at him. "So you're saying I wanted you to look?" "I didn't say that," he answered, weary and flustered. "Believe what you want." "I'm going to report you to the police!" she snapped. "Let them deal with a creep like you!" "Please don't!" Santino blurted. "I'll make it up to you." "What can you compensate me?" Aliana snorted. "You can watch me bathe," Santino teased. "Bastard! I'll report you to the police!" Aliana snapped. Her tears came again. "Why is my life like this? My grandpa is sick. I need to take care of him, but I want to go to college." "What illness does your grandfather have? I'm a doctor. I can help. Stop crying." Santino felt annoyed. The sharpness in his tone startled Aliana into silence.  She swallowed and sniffled. "You can... help my grandpa?" "I can try," he said, voice gentle now. "I need to see him before I can say for certain. First, please, no more tears." "I won't cry." Looking at the unexpected softness in Santino's face, Aliana realized he didn't seem so terrible after all, and the thoughts that had been spinning in her mind began to settle.  A shy smile crept onto her lips. Santino waved a hand in front of her face. "What are you thinking about? Where do you live? What's your name?" "Huh?" Aliana snapped out of it, remembering she had been staring at Santino, and flushed even redder. "I'm Santino Simmons. What's your name?" Santino asked again. "I'm from Stream Village, just up the road. I'm Aliana Reynolds. You can call me Aliana." Santino knew Stream Village. It was a couple of miles from his village.  "Aliana, what exactly is your grandpa's illness? Tell me everything you can." She straightened, voice steadying as she spoke.  "My grandpa cannot walk. When it rains, the pain gets worse. Some nights, he couldn't sleep due to the pain. I wanted to take him to a hospital for tests, but we don't have the money." Aliana's expression dimmed. From her description, Santino made a guess. Aliana's grandfather likely suffered from Rheumatic Bone Disease.  In the damp, windy mountains, older folks often have this illness. A hospital could treat it, but the cost would be heavy, the kind of burden that, for a poor family, could wipe out years of savings. "Aliana," Santino said, meeting her eyes, "I can treat your grandpa's illness. Don't lose hope." "Really? You can really cure him?" Aliana's eyes locked on his, like she'd found a lifeline. "Yes," he said. Her devotion moved him, and his resolve hardened. He would do everything in his power to heal Pablo. "Yay! That's wonderful!" Relief lit Aliana's face. She planted a kiss on Santino's cheeks. Santino was stunned. He instinctively kissed her lips.