Just Like Magic

Chapter 15: A New Friend

   " Hey. "

   " Hey! "

   " Wake up! "

You awoke to someone kicking your side and from the man's yelling. Your eyes opened, and you sat up with hay sticking to your body. The sun was bright, making your squint to look up at the person talking to you. The man looking down at you wore stable clothes; in his other hand, there was a pitchfork.

   " What are you doing in my barn? "

Before answering, you stretched your arms upward before letting your limbs fall to your side. Then, yawning, you responded to his question.

   " I was leaving Vumaedal, but I had been traveling all night, so I got tired. I found this barn and thought I would rest before continuing my journey. "

   " Well, can ya move? I need to get some hay. "

You shifted off the hay and onto the floor while the man stabbed the hay with his pitchfork. Then, he brought the hay to the horses and fed them the hay, leaving it in their stalls before making his way back to you. 

   " Come inside, and sit down for some breakfast. I made too much this morning, so you can have some. "

You nodded without words and followed the man inside. He opened the door, letting himself in first, leaving you outside of the house alone. Baffled, you entered the quaint cottage and followed your sense of smell to the kitchen. The man had made too much for breakfast and set a plate for you on the table. 

   " Sit down and eat, then we can talk. "

   " Okay. "

Doing as you were told, you sat at the table and started eating the plate of food. The food was simple, but it was good. Compared to the food you were served in your homes, it was different than what you were used to. The man sat in front of you and crossed his arms, watching you eat, but said nothing until you had finished your meal.

   " Thank you for the meal. "

   " Not a problem, I just made too much for myself this morn. Now, why were you exactly leaving Vumaedal at night? Usually people leave when the sun's out. "

   " I was fleeing from my fiance. We are to be married in a few weeks, but I didn't agree to the marriage. My mother basically chose him for me, but I do not love him. We were attending a ball, and I faked being sick, so I could go home and escape. "

   " And where are you heading? "

   " Anywhere, but there. "

The man looked away, thinking for a moment, before standing up from his chair. He pushed his chair into the table and picked up your plate, setting it in the sink.

   " You're in luck. I need to head to the next town north of here. You can come with me, and then we can split ways there. I have a cart we can ride in on the way there. "

   " Thank you, I very much appreciate it. "

   " It's nothing. And call me Thomas if you need anything. We'll leave in a few minutes, after I've collected all I need. "

   " Okay. Is there anything I can do to help? "

   "Keep your butt in the living room while I get everything. It won't take long. "

Thomas left the kitchen, leaving you sitting on the chair alone. With nothing left to do, you wandered the small house until you appeared in the living room. Paintings littered the walls of family members. Fresh logs sat in the fireplace, ready to be lit with paper sitting between the logs. You took a close look at the paintings, looking at each of the members. A woman stood in all of them with blonde hair that stretched to her lower back with red lipstick. Then there would be five children in one painting, while another contained the husband and father of the children. 

You started to wonder where everyone went if only Thomas was left in the house. However, you knew you couldn't ask Thomas, as you had just met, and he offered a ride to the next town. 

   " Alright, let's be on our way. "

Thomas appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a bag in his hands, waving his hand to follow him. You nodded and followed Thomas out of the house. He walked to the back of the house, where a cart sat. Thomas placed his bag in the back, then started to fill the back of the cart with vegetables. You sat at the front of the cart where the ledge was and set your bag and basket in the back.

   " I'm gonna grab one of my stallions, and then we'll be off. "

You continued to say nothing as he pulled the stud to the front of the cart and locked the horse in. Thomas jumped onto the cart, grabbed the whip, and whipped the horse to start walking. The horse galloped down the dirt road without fault. 

   " So, how come your mom's ruling your life? Why not take it yourself? "

You didn't expect the sudden question, but after processing what he asked, you deeply thought about his question before answering.

   " I guess it's because she went through the same thing. My father proposed, and my grandparents were overjoyed, so they accepted the proposal. No one else would propose to my mom except my father. "

   " Hmm, that's odd. "

   " Odd? Didn't your parents go through the same thing? "

   " No, when you live in a small village or a small town, it doesn't matter. You decide for yourself. "

   " And, are you married? "

   " . . .Sort of. "

   "Sort of? It's really a yes or no question. "

   " I am, but we're going through hard times right now. Money's getting rough, and my wife got agitated at me. I told her I would stay at my parent's old home for a while until she calmed down. I let the kids stay with her. "

   " How come she got agitated? Something must have happened to make her that way. "

   " She's. . .upset about her weight. "

   " Her weight? "

   " Her weight. She's given birth to three kids, and her weight has increased because of the belly you grow. She's self-conscious about her weight and doesn't want to go out in public, but I told her that it doesn't matter if she's fat, skinny, or whatever; she's still my wife, but she yelled at me, saying it wasn't what she wanted. She wants more kids, but she doesn't want to gain more weight. "

   " Oh, I see. "

   " Yes, so I left so she could calm down and figure out what she wanted to do. I didn't want to go, but I felt that it was better I leave than continue to possibly agitate her. "

   " Does she live in the town we're going to? "

   " Yes. I'm going to sell my vegetables and then drop off the money to her. "

   " That's kind of you. Why not tell her that her weight isn't the problem? Or tell her that she is beautiful the way she is. "

   " She stopped listening to those comments some time ago. "

   " How long have you been gone? "

   " About a week and a half. I miss her and my kids, but I don't want to make her mad. "

   " You know, you can only be gone so long. Talk to her while you're dropping off the money. Try and work things out before something terrible happens and you regret leaving. "

   " I'll think about it. "

The small talk continued from there, but it was about the differences between regal lives and the lives of smaller towns. You found that you liked what small towns had to offer. They seemed free and capable of doing what you wished without gossip hitting you hard.