After making sure everything was back in its place, I found the kitchen
had become a controlled chaos. Crates lined the counter, full of glass
jars of jam, bags of dried herbs, and tonics. The smell of fresh loaves
of bread and scones baking permeated the room.
People from all over would come to buy and trade goods while participating
in the entertainment. Meg was old enough to join the other young girls in the traditional lunar dance. She had been practicing for months to make sure she knew all the steps.
“Mara, sit and eat your food before it becomes cold.” Gram handed me an
omelet overflowing with fresh vegetables, including mushrooms, onions, and
peppers. I took a large bite, savoring each cheesy morsel.
Meg eyed my plate, and I playfully growled at her. "Mine. Eat your fruit," I whispered.
Meg scooted away in pretend terror.
"Finish eating girls. We have much to do." Gram took advantage of Meg sitting still to brush her messy hair. “Meg, we'll be busier than normal tomorrow.
You'll need to stay with me at our stand until it is time for your performance. No
running off where I can't see you,” she instructed.
"Will I get to see the other stands?" Meg slouched in her chair.
"I'm sure Mara and Cole will cover us, and we'll take a break. Now, stop pouting and sit up," Gram ordered.
Meg meekly obeyed, and Gram twisted my sister's hair into two long braids.
When she weaved flowers into Meg's hair, I was reminded of the image I had seen, last night, of my grandmother as a young girl. Meg was the spitting image
of her.
When my grandmother finished her hair, she patted Meg on the head and
said, “Now, run along and practice your dance. Later, we'll have you try on your
dress to see if we need to make any more adjustments.”
Cole joined us in the kitchen. He squeezed my shoulder gently and kissed my
cheek.
Gram directed her attention towards my boyfriend. "If you got enough
breakfast, can you help me gather some tonics from the pantry?”
Cole stole a piece of the cut fruit from my plate and popped it into his mouth.
“Yep. I'm all done. I'm now at your service, fine lady.”
My grandmother handed a sheet of paper to Cole. Watching her go over how
she wanted the tonics stacked and assigning him additional duties, I could see the love she had for him. Cole brought so much happiness to my family, and he
made Gram’s eyes brightened as he joked. He was so much more than just my
boyfriend.
A twinge of sadness filled me as I thought about Cole's life. It had not been perfect. A few months after his sixteenth birthday, Cole's mother, Sarah, died.
Less than a year later, his father, Thomas, remarried a woman he had just met.
His new wife, Rosalind, was a selfish, cruel woman.
Gram warned me to stay away from Rosalind. My grandmother told me she
had never seen a person wear so many masks of deceit. That the woman was hiding something, but what, we didn't know.
When Rosalind and Thomas married, she insisted Cole give up his room for
her son. Instead of arguing, Cole moved to the cottage behind the house. He ended up spending more time at my home than at his own.
