| |
“Jus!”
“We’re out of Jus, mom.”
”Out of Jus.”
“Can we go to the store?”
”I’ll go get the wagon!”
“Please! The three of you leave mommy alone. Go play in the other room.”
”But we’re thirsty, and there’s no jus!”
“JUS!”
This was Elizabeth’s life now. Three children left for her to raise by herself. After John didn’t bother to return from “A small trip back home” over six months ago, money was tight. She met him the day she returned, and married John a year after. After they got married, they moved into a village on the outskirts of Finela called Minel. The main export: animals. The weather there was just right for breeding horses, cows, chickens, hogs, and a variety of less commonly used animals like duck, and deer. There, they had their first child William, and soon to follow was Derek. A few years after him came Kayla. Both Kayla and Derek looked like their father: tall, dark hair and eyes, and an expression that shouted the yearning for adventure with Elizabeth’s light skin color. William on the other hand, had sleek, almost white blonde hair, and clear, crystal blue eyes with a more sit and watch attitude. But his skin was like his fathers. Dark. All three were energetic though, and didn’t know the meaning of bedtime, or quiet time. Although, Kayla was better then the boys. She usually clung to Elizabeth in her diaper and yellow shirt too big for her while Elizabeth attempted to keep the boys under control.
Kayla was just a year old when her father left. Derek was six, and William eight. The boys soon had him wiped from their mind as the wonderful world of school started. Elizabeth couldn’t have been happier when they strolled off along with the neighbor children for six hours of quiet, five days a week. Kayla slept all afternoon, so it left Elizabeth time to clean, and mend torn pants, or shirts. She had decided to be independent, taking a small amount of money from her parents when she left, and nothing more. She liked the simple life she led, and sometimes even the stress over money for food, or other necessary supplies made her happy to be on her own. But after John ignored her letters, she was becoming desperate for help. She had a small job feeding animals in a farm down the road just after sunrise, and got home just as her kids were waking up. It wasn’t much, but it kept food on the table, and a roof over their heads.
She sometimes wondered if they, even more so Will, remembered the estate. The last time she was there, it was election night. Her father had stopped running, and in his place was Donovan. John was still around, and they made the one-day journey to Koura to wait the results. Heather, like Elizabeth, was in the middle of pregnancy. She was pregnant with Derek at that time, and Heather was going to have her first. The two of them managed to sneak away for a bit to sit and catch up while eating most of the desserts served. John was a bit nervous to be there, and absorbed himself in watching and playing with William. And when the results were in, Donovan came running in to the sitting room Heather and Elizabeth were in, and lifted Heather right out of her seat with an enormous hug. He twirled her around once before she laughed, and told him to stop.
That was under six years ago. She’d kept in touch with them through letters, but with every letter, she’d hear about the renovations being done; they were turning the first floor offices into guest bedrooms, as well as cleaning out and putting a new floor down in the cellar. It made her want to go home and witness the changes firsthand. But, as Heather had said in her letters a year back: “A construction site is no place for women and children.” That pretty much kept her where she was, as well as the stress in the house. With her father no longer Leader, he usually spent his time relaxing in his country house in the woodsy city of Arbra, leaving Donovan, a rookie, with keeping everything in order. The city of Arbra was northeast from Koura, and about a day and a half’s ride by carriage, and always proved to be shorter with every time Michael had to return to get Donovan out of a jam.
One of the few qualities Elizabeth’s children inherited from her was her stubbornness and unruliness, hence the no concept of bedtime, or quiet time. A trait john often disapproved of, and tried to discourage in vain. With each reprimand he gave Will, or Derek, they were ten times as bad the next morning. And lucky for John, he had work. And speaking of Johns work, he held a high position as being the owner of a pub and the only Inn in the village. It brought home money, but John was stupid. He sold both businesses a week or two before he left, not bothering to tell Elizabeth. He left them with money, enough for a few months in case his little vacation was extended. And Elizabeth remembers the day she and the children stood on the windy docks in Finela to see him off on the boat taking him, he just stood there, scratching his chest as he bid them all farewell.
It didn’t take more then three months for Elizabeth to realize he had no intention of coming back, just as he had no intention of even telling her why he left. Why he left three beautiful children, and a cozy home in the quiet, peaceful village of Minel to the hustle and bustle of his city back home. She feared she’d never know. Of course, she didn’t tell anyone at the estate what was happening, worrying that they’d come to get her, and bring her back. She had started a life here, even if it was a false one in the eyes of her husband, and planned on keeping her life there. But the pleading for jus by her three children made her realize she couldn’t be stubborn anymore, and had to leave the village to keep them well. She didn’t act on this thought right away. She let it float through her mind for weeks as the boys started to bring home stray animals they found wondering the streets, and Kayla started biting with those sharp, new baby teeth. Soon the bread was gone, and even the materials used to make fresh bread were gone. Treats had vanished many weeks ago, leaving vegetables as the only source of food. And even that was soon gone. With the money she earned, she bought potatoes, being the cheapest vegetable around.
It was when winter hit that she realized she couldn’t keep feeding her children potatoes, and she packed up, and left Minel with the money she had kept saved away for desperate, desperate emergencies. This qualified as one. She loaded the three of them into a large red wagon John got Will for his fourth birthday, seating each one with a bag to hold, and she pulled them out of Minel to Finela where they boarded a carriage headed to Koura. The carriage brought them to the Marble fountain in the center of the city where they disembarked a day later. Elizabeth pulled Kayla up into her arms, resting her on her hip and with her other hand, she pulled the wagon down the streets, weaving through throngs of people, stopping every few blocks to check she had all three children, and all three bags. With each step closer to the estate, the feeling of failing kept creeping up on her, and she was afraid if she didn’t except it, it would bite her arse like a mad dog.
Accepting things like failure wasn’t easy for Elizabeth to swallow. And while her mind endlessly obsessed on admitting, her feet guided her towards the estate. It began to get colder, and windier as they neared, which caused complaints from all three children.
“We’re almost there,” she sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time that minute.
“I’m cold,” Derek complained yet again.
“I know dear. We’re almost there.”
The words “We’re almost there” seemed to be tattooed on her tongue those six blocks separating her and the estate. When she glanced up to see where she was, she was surprised to see leaves on a lonely tree. They were bright red, but there nonetheless. She guessed winter came earlier for Finela and Minel then Koura. She was happy for the first time since they arrived. She would be able to kick the children outside for a few hours of jumping in huge piles of leaves, and rolling on the damp grass before they came trudging in, wet, cold, and their cheeks pink.
“You’ll be able to see your cousins,” she said breathlessly. Now there were only four blocks left.
“Ron, and June. Won’t that be fun?”
She huffed and puffed the last few blocks before the estates higher floors came into view.
“Look!” she said happily. “There’s grandma and grandpa’s house!”
Will let out a squeal of laughter. Elizabeth guessed he remembered the last time they were here. Ariel had spoiled him rotten with treats, and games of hide-and-seek, and ring-around-the-rosie before she read him a story before settling him down for a nap. That was usually when John was out drinking with Michael, Ryan, Mateo, and some of Michael’s siblings who were over at the time of the election.
They rounded the last corner bringing the count to zero. Past the gates, which were painted black, and past the dead beds of flowers and trimmed bushes, was the estate in its entire splendor. It looked the same as the last time she saw it, with the exception of new windows along the first floor, and a change of curtains in every window. Balconies were canopied with the reason of keeping the rain off them, as well as snow, and offering some protection from the sun. The stables on the sides were just the same, with the same old horses, now left for leisurely strolls through the city with younger ones pawing the ground impatiently, obviously waiting for a run. She was surprised to see her horse standing along the ones who were “retired.” She thought he’d go years ago.
“Look,” Elizabeth said as they approached the gates. “Horsies.”
Kayla lifted her head from Elizabeth’s shoulder to see the horses, and proceeded to squirm to be put down.
“Not-yet-Kayla!” Elizabeth said struggling to hold her and the wagon handle at the same time. “We’ll go see the horsies, just calm down!”
Kayla seemed to see the logic in that, and stopped fussing long enough for Elizabeth to put her in Derek’s lap, who in turn passed back the bag he was cradling. His eyes were half closed, and he yawned almost three times since having Kayla dropped on him.
“Looks like someone’s tired,” Elizabeth commented.
“No I’m not,” Derek said sleepily.
“Ok then. When we get to grandma’s, we’ll go read a story, alright?”
Derek nodded his head slowly. When he agreed to something so simple, it meant he was tired.
“I’m not tired,” Will said stubbornly.
“I know dear,” Elizabeth said, pulling the wagon.
When they got to the gates, Elizabeth opened them, and once they were inside, and the gates closed behind them, Will jumped out and ran up the path to the door, and started pounding on the door.
“Grandma!” he called out. “It’s me, William!”
Kayla was also struggling to get out, all the while screaming “Ho-sie!”
The door opened. “William!” Came Michaels voice as he picked him up above his head and commenting on how much he’s grown.
“Where’s grandma?” He asked impatiently.
“Grandma’s upstairs,” he replied. “Come, let’s go see grandma!”
“Gee, thanx dad,” Elizabeth said under her breath as she lifted Derek with difficulty while Kayla crawled across the lawn, speedily inching her way to the ‘ho-sies.’ He had fallen asleep while riding in, and with Will up with his grandparents, all she had to worry about was getting these two inside along with the wagon, and the bags. She saw no other way then to scoop up Elizabeth who started screaming, kicking, and digging her nails into the skin of Elizabeth’s arm in a tantrum only outmatched by a moody teenager hitting puberty.
“Let’s go see grandma,” Elizabeth said, biting her lip from Kayla’s fresh attempt to be put down again. “My arm isn’t a teething toy!”
She brought the two inside, closing the door with her foot, and then putting Kayla on the floor where she crawled off towards the stairs, her bum wiggling with each advancement.
While Elizabeth shifted Derek in her arms, Kayla veered off towards one of the sitting rooms where she disappeared. And then reappeared in the arms of Ryan.
“This one got away?” he asked, implying to the little girl contently playing with the small monogram on Ryan’s shirt. He broke out into a smile as Elizabeth looked at him exasperated, and moved past him to put Derek onto the couch.
“Any bags?” he asked, setting Kayla back on the floor of the sitting room.
“I’ll get them. You’re Kayla watching,” she said at the door. “I wish you the best of luck.”
Ryan laughed as she opened the front door, and left, returning seconds later with bags, and a red wagon.
“Don’t tell me you walked all the way here?” he said, his eyes wide with surprise.
Elizabeth chose to ignore that question as she gave the wagon a slight push, sending it whizzing across the entrance hall.
“Where’s John?”
The wagon came to a crashing stop against the wall.
|
Help Us Stop Plagiarism -
Nearly all works at PnP are original. However a few people choose to plagiarize.
To check, choose a phrase from the work, then either drag and drop to the search box or copy and paste.
click on search and works at Google will be shown which match. Just to be sure, please do this before
you recommend or rate the work highly...
|
 |
|
|
|
Select a Random Book
|
|
Welcome !
