December 1st
TIS THE SEASON TO BONE๐๐๐๐
"Theres so much to do: cigarettes to smoke, sex to have, swings to swing on."
scythesms
On walks through the town, Edmund caught sight of the same girl on the same balcony more often than not.
Her day-to-day labor wasn’t as strange to him as the realization that he’d never seen her anywhere besides on that balcony. Her presence wasn’t common in church, school, or large gatherings of the community. He couldn’t recall ever seeing her in the lower level of the building she labored in. She was always doing laundry - which was fitting. She worked above the laundry shop.
Edmund’s curiosity concerning the stranger usually lasted
seconds, sometimes less. When he thought back on it, he was unsure why he
approached her that day. He didn’t know why she took time away from her task at
hand to amuse him. She usually seemed so busy. If she shooed him away, he would
have apologized and taken his leave, but she didn’t.
She smiled when he introduced himself just as she had to smile at customers. He didn’t have the chance to ask her name because she was swift to ask, “Is there anything I can help you with, Edmund?”
“Forgive me,” Edmund apologized. “I was curious.”
“Curious? About laundry?”
“No, you.”
Her eyebrows creased. She studied the boy who she would later admit to recognizing due to his many trips into town with his family. Neither of them knew whether the other remembered the several instances of the brief eye contact they made in the past.
“You are always here,” Edmund spoke up to her.
“Are you admitting to looking for me elsewhere?”
“I am,” he confessed. “You don’t go to church or school, and you can’t be any older than I am. I want to know why, is all.” As the words left his mouth, he half expected her to take offense to his prying. If Mary or his mother were around, they’d scold him for being rude.
The girl shrugged. “I have to provide. Can’t care for my family and go to school.”
“I don’t understand… I do both.”
“I can assure you we do not provide for our families in the same manner.” She nearly laughed as she furthered her analysis of him. His tone expressed the utter unawareness that she was accustomed to when in the company of people who came from families like his.
Edmund frowned. He realized he’d taken her words lightly. She stood covered in sweat and dripping in water with grime on her apron as he waited for his brother and sister to meet with him after finishing their day of browsing through hats and dress shoes. “I suppose you’re right… My apologies. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“You didn’t.” She waved his apology away. “But you have been a distraction. I need to get back to work now.”
He understood that he’d lingered for too long, but his feet remained rooted to the ground. “When will you not be as busy?”
“Why?”
“You answer my questions with questions.”
“Do I?” She smiled when he pulled a face. “I don’t work tomorrow… But that doesn’t mean I have much free time, neither.”
“I’ll see you then…” He’d forgotten to ask her name.
“Imogene.”
His smile mirrored hers. “I’ll see you then, Imogene.”
