The Sign From A Thousand Miles

Gina had loved her mother unconditionally, but she also knew when to let go and move on. That was a quality her father lacked but who could blame him? He had lost two wives already.

When Gina looked at the door to her room, she noticed a light getting closer and closer. It was Donna, Missy's mother.

'Gina, I seek to speak with you.' She announced as she got to Gina's room door.

'What about?'

The hairs on Gina's skin stood upright like they did whenever she felt Richard's warm lips on her bare skin.

She suspected her uncle's wife knew about her encounter with Richard but decided to keep quiet about it during nonmete.

While she thought of that possibility, she also thought of ways to cover her tracks. She had come up with different lies to tell but her only struggle was picking the most believable. Gina knew she had given her word to Richard on secrecy, and she wanted nothing more than to keep that word.

'Missy came to me on account of your upset stomach. I have come to make sure it is settled.' Donna hung the lamp in her hand on a nail close to the room's entrance.

The sigh Gina let out after hearing those words could be heard from miles away, especially given that the night was cold and quiet.

'I have sorted myself. I do not need Missy breathing down my neck.' Gina was not accustomed to people caring for her.

For so long, she had looked after herself and her father, especially when it came to their health. So that feeling of getting care choked her.

'Missy was only helping. An upset stomach is no joke. She has told me of your taste in food and I shall have the cooks take care of your meals from now.' Donna walked into the room to where Gina stood.

Donna had always wished for another child or just someone who she could look after. And like a miracle happened, Gina walked into her life.

'I do not want to bother you, aunty. I shall train myself to tolerate your meals.' Gina moved away from Donna a little.

'No one in my house shall be ill after meals. You do not need to go through all of that trouble. Allow the cooks handle your meals. Whatever are they here for then?' Donna threw her hands in the air and laughed.

'As you wish, aunty. Missy tells me we must leave at dawn tomorrow so I shall put off arranging my things until our return.' Gina looked at her luggage which was placed beside her bed.

'Your uncle never misses the wrestling at Pumford. He also likes to go early to secure the best seats in the house. I bet he has even placed his bet by now.' Donna whispered.

It was strange for a woman of Donna's position to talk to Gina the way she did. Donna spoke to her like they were playmates and best of friends. It did not sit right with Gina.

'I do not enjoy the game of wrestling.' Gina confessed.

She in fact did not like wrestling. She thought it was a game that used too much energy for little to no resource profit. The only time Gina watched wrestling was when Richard was in the game.

'Do not bother your head, child. You shall soon become acquainted with it, and you shall look forward to it like we always do.' Donna went back to the door and took her lamp from where she hung it.

'Do have a wonderful night, aunty.' Gina said, standing still and waiting earnestly to see her aunt's back leave her room.

'You too Gina. And forget your things at this time. You shall sort them later. For now, you must get some sleep.' Donna closed the door behind her and went back to her room.

Gina took her aunt's advice because she knew how rude she was going to seem if she woke up after everyone else the next day.

Even though she kept thinking about Richard and how he made her feel, she knew it was only going to be fruitless to touch herself as they had been interrupted earlier that day and so, she had no idea how to touch herself.

Gina ignored the tingling feeling between her legs changed into her clothing for bed. She wore the tightest night dress she had packed, and she laid on her bed. She shut her eyes tightly and before long, she fell deep into sleep.

But for Missy, sleep was not forthcoming. She continued to think about the man at the bar. The man who had stared at her. The man who had stuttered, who could not even speak his own name.

Missy tried hard that night to remember what the stranger looked like. She knew he had a broad chest and lashes that looked like they belonged to a woman. His eyes were hooded and they seemed to have been deprived of sleep.

She had also seen the lines on his forehead and concluded he must have gotten them from hard work. But even though Missy thought about this stranger's looks, she was not fazed by them.

What had really struck her was his behaviour. He acted like he had been charmed when he set eyes on her and that was the first time anything like that ever happened.

However, the next morning was too busy for Missy to think about her stranger. She had woken up quite early like she always did and she went into her cousin's room to wake her up like she had promised.

'Gina, it is time to begin preparations. We shall leave with dawn.' Missy tapped Gina's legs a little.

Gina was a very light sleeper and so she had already woken up when Gina entered the room but she wanted to hear what her cousin would say.

'I am up, Missy. I will draw the water for my bath now.' Gina sat up and rubbed her eyes.

She had thought that Missy and her mother, Donna were only joking the night before about leaving for the ferry station with dawn but when she looked around, she knew it was no joke.

There was no light seeping into the room from anywhere, it was still pitch black outside and the only light in the room at that time was the candle Missy held.

'Worry not about that. There are workers that will draw your water.' Missy smiled.

The lives Missy and Gina lived were very different. Gina's father, Edmund had trained her to do everything herself. She cooked, cleaned, washed her own clothes and even drew her own water.

But for Missy, there were workers for everything and in return, she worked for her father in the tavern.