Warm Morning and the Scent of Oranges

I sprung out of my bed immediately as soon as my eyes opened. It took me a moment to regain understanding of my surroundings, but then I remembered—the freezing night's air, the light in the forest, and the kind old lady who had taken me in.

Finally I felt mentally sturdy enough to take in my surroundings. The room was a bit on the smaller side, but there was enough space for me. The bed was tucked in the right side of the room with plain white sheets, which seemed obvious since it was a guest room. Across from it was a wide dresser with a few drawers and a mirror hanging on the wall above it.

Overall the room was a bit plain, which was a bit surprising considering how ornately decorated the living room was. But other than that, I quite liked it.

I took a few moments to sort out my belongings into the dresser drawers. I only had four extra sets of clothing and a spare jacket, so there really wasn't much to sort. Checking my appearance in the mirror, I absolutely despised how disheveled I looked. My brown hair was knotted and untidy, sticking to my cheeks in some areas. On top of that, even though I had just woken up, my eyes were so red that it looked like I hadn't slept in days. I stared at my own icy blue eyes for a moment before finally looking away.

I tried to desperately calm the tangles in my hair with my fingers—that was all I could do. Once I looked a little bit more presentable, I headed outside my room to see if anyone else was awake.

"Why hello there, young lady!" an older man greeted me as soon as I stepped into the kitchen. "You must be Brielle. I heard a bit about you last night. You can call me George, I'm Maia's husband."

"It's very nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand politely.

"Well then, what would you like to eat?"

"Oh, I'm fine! You don't have to cook for me or anything—"

"And what, let you starve?" For the second time I was reminded of my pitiful situation while rejecting kind offers. "I don't mind, really. It's been a while since I was able to cook for guests. How does toast and eggs sound?"

"That sounds great!" I smiled gratefully. "How can I help?"

George had me bring ingredients to and fro from the pantry to where he stood at the stove, cooking contentedly. As we ate our breakfast, I felt almost at home. I was struck by a sudden warm, nostalgic sentiment from somewhere in my past. He must've noticed because he noticed the forlorn, sorrowful expression that had grown on my face.

"Oh, it's just that eating warm food so peacefully like this reminded me of my parents," I admitted apprehensively.

"Has it been a while since you saw them?"

"Yeah. It's been three years."

He didn't say a word after that.

~~~

As we wrapped up our breakfast, I thought I'd investigate the trees and the path I had taken to the cottage the previous night. It had been scary in the dark, but I was curious to know what it really looked like in the daytime.

Stepping outside, a powerful scent crashed over me.

Laid out below the plateau was a wide grove of… orange trees.

They stretched out for what seemed like miles around the plateau; since it was November, all of the trees were small and hadn't grown very much. Light brown of the trunks and bright green leaves dotted the landscape for as far as I could see.

𝘐 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥, I thought inquisitively.

Just then, I got an idea.

What if… I worked here?

It was still November, which was the beginning of the orange planting season. If I could help take care of the grove at least for the season, that would take care of not just my money problem, but it would also give me a place to live. I just had to convince this old couple to let me stay.

But before that, I wanted to explore a little bit!

Down the stone pathway I went; it was like a wide, shallow staircase down the plateau. Whoever designed this place had my respects. The scent of the oranges rose up from the tree leaves even though no oranges had started to blossom—they were like tendrils of elation reaching towards me, beckoning me towards the grove to indulge in the crisp morning air and the gorgeous landscape. The grove was a temptress, a nymph luring me into her sweet grasp until I succumbed to sleep and eternal solace.

I neared the grove and was almost overwhelmed by the smell. It was strong, but I figured that I'd get used to it soon enough. I wandered through the rows of trees, looking down at their blossoming leaves. I had never seen such tiny orange trees in my life.

All of a sudden I was hit by the strong desire to stay here. I was ready to do anything to stay at the grove, whether it was to work here or otherwise.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I heard Maia's voice come up behind me. "The view's nice. Only problem is that I'm tired of the smell."

"I don't really mind it," I replied. "Who takes care of it?"

"It's just the two of us, George and I. We may be getting old, but orange trees are surprisingly simple to take care of. Besides, it's so quiet out here in the countryside, so it's not like there's much else for us to do."

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦! I thought in excitement. "If you'd like, I could help you take care of the grove. If you don't have anyone else to help, then I could do it! I know I look young, but I'm really quite capable."

Maia smiled in amusement. "Thank you, dear. But I'm really not so sure that's a good idea…"

I had to convince her to let me stay. There was no going back to Silkside, and I had no idea how I could get a job anywhere else. With no name and no visible future, who would want me? This was my only opportunity.

"Please let me stay, Miss. I really 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 to help you out here."

"What about your parents and your family?"

"I… I have none."

Her expression immediately changed from one of curiosity to one of pity. She was stunned for a moment but finally said, "Well then, you can stay here for as long as you'd like. You don't have to work here, but if you really feel like giving a hand, then I won't stop you."

I appreciated her straightforward answer. No extra questions, no "I'm so sorry for your loss," no incessant, useless words. I smiled with relief. "Thank you so much, Miss."

"It's no problem." She paused for a moment and looked out to the grove. "By the way, if there's anything you ever need, just let me know and I'll do my best to help you." With that, she turned away and headed back inside the cottage.

I took a few minutes to appreciate the grove. The sky was a light, morning blue; the landscape was easy on the eyes and certainly something I could get used to.

I spent a while in the grove, maybe an hour or two, before going back inside. Maia was the first to approach me and asked if I'd like to join them in visiting some friends.

"Of course, I'd like that very much!" I responded to her invitation. It's not like I had much else to do. Besides, knowing more people out here would only be in my best interest. "What should I wear?"

"Oh, it doesn't have to be fancy or anything. Their home is also out in the countryside, so you can wear whatever's comfortable for you."

I quickly thanked her and hurried to get ready.

For clothes, it's not like I had much to choose from, but I figured overalls would be the most fitting. I wore a plain white t-shirt underneath and black socks, then put my shoes back on. I was ready within minutes.

Oh, that's right!

"Miss, do you happen to have a hair brush I could borrow?"

"Of course, dear. Follow me."

I tailed closely behind her as we went upstairs. I hadn't expected to be invited upstairs so soon, but I wasn't about to complain. We crossed the hall at the top of the staircase and entered the master bedroom—it wasn't much bigger than mine, but it certainly had much more personality. Tapestries similar to the ones in the living room decorated the walls, and orange-tinted lamps ornamented the corners.

She produced a small stool from next to the dresser and gestured for me to stand in front of her.

𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦?

Before I could even object, she had undone my messy ponytail and got to work. By the time she was finished, I looked like a completely different person. She had done my hair in two braids and tied them off with baby blue ribbons. They perfectly complemented my eyes and the denim blue overalls I wore.

For the first time in years, I actually felt beautiful.