Bittersweet
Seven
"Mother, must we go meet these new people?" my barely eleven-year-old self asked my mother. We were seated inside our carriage, and we were on our way to meet the new family that had moved to town, the Worthingtons.
"Yes, Cathy, we must. They have a son who is your age, or so I hear. His name is Charles. Besides, it is our duty to welcome new members into our society," my mother said, patting me gently on the knee. It didn’t occur to me then that my mother wanted to befriend the Worthingtons because they had much more money than my own family did.
“Then why isn't Papa coming with us?" I asked, trying to use any excuse that I could to get out of meeting the new family. I had been with my mother to a few other houses of newcomers, and it had never been much fun. I was always told to be on my best behavior and in my best clothing. At my age, I hardly had the attention to sit through hours of adult conversation and politely nod my head as if I understood.
"Your father is busy," she said quietly, just like she always did when I drew attention to the fact that my father wasn't coming along with us. After I grew old enough to learn what it was to be unfaithful to one’s wife, I stopped bringing up my father’s absences out of fear of hurting my mother’s feelings.
I huffed angrily and leaned back in my seat to watch the trees and other landscape rolling by through the small window. My mother told me to sit up sternly; she was worried about me messing up my bouncy brown curls. Sighing, I complied. Soon after my fit, we arrived at the Worthington’s' house.
They had bought the large, pristine white almost castle-like house that I had always loved to look as we drove by it. It’s sprawling size and majesty fascinated me, and I had always imagined that a handsome prince lived there. No one had told me that the Worthingtons were moving there. If I had known that, I wouldn’t have put up a fight. I would have eagerly come so that I could see the inside of the mysterious and beautiful house. It had been abandoned since I was a little child, but it was in very good shape. Lately I had noticed men working on cleaning the outside of the house and landscaping the lawn. It had escaped my thoughts that someone would move into the house; I simply thought they wanted it to look prettier.
Our carriage pulled into the gravel driveway that was shaped like an arc to curve around a circular fountain with bright green foliage encircling it. The Worthingtons' footmen opened the door and helped my mother and me out of the carriage. Slowly and shyly, taking in the sight of the house and lawn around it, I followed my mother up the great white marble stairs to the wide double doors at the front of the mansion. The doors were opened for us and we were led inside where the Worthingtons waited for us in the parlor.
Mr. Worthington was extremely tall and looked like a giant. My eyes were immediately drawn to him above all else in the room. His face had a stern quality to it, but beneath that, I could see a soft, friendlier side. Mrs. Worthington was shorter and thinner than her husband was. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder, sitting down. Her hair was prematurely graying, and she had pulled it back into a tight, firm bun. Sitting away from his parents was their son, Charles. His dark brown hair was longer in the front than most of the hair I had seen on boys my age, but was trimmed neatly in the back, and hung over his bright blue eyes, which were trained on me. I gave him a small, timid smile, which he returned brightly, accompanied an excited wave of his hand.
"Hello Mrs. May!" Mrs. Worthington said brightly. She stood up and walked toward us to heartily shake my mother's hand. "This must be your daughter," Mrs. Worthington said, turning to look at me.
"Yes, this is Catherine," my mother said, smiling and putting a proud hand on my shoulder. She’d always been proud of my beauty, and was convinced that I would obtain a handsome, rich husband once I was old enough.
"Hello Catherine," the small woman said to me, her bright smile surprising me with its contrast to her dull, drab appearance.
"Hello," I said shyly. I was always nervous around meeting new people. I tried to keep my eyes downcast and on the shiny black and white tiles that covered the floor of the foyer.
"You must meet my son Charles. I am sure that you two will become great friends," Mrs. Worthington said to me. She looked over her shoulder and beckoned Charles to join us.
Charles walked over toward us. He smiled at me a held out his hand for me to shake. "Hello Catherine; I’m Charles.”
"Hello Charles. It is nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand. I was still nervous and Charles’ overzealous demeanor was a little disconcerting.
"Charles, why don't you show Catherine to the pond out back?" Charles' father asked. Charles nodded at his father's request and walked out the still open front door, beckoning for me to follow him.
I nervously followed him, after an encouraging nudge from my mother, out the double doors and down the stairs. Charles took me around the side of the house along the gravel path that led toward the pond. "So, Cathy, how old are you?" he asked me.
I was surprised that he had called me Cathy. Had my mother called me that without my noticing? "My name is Catherine," I said slowly.
"I know," he said, looking over at me with a wide grin on his face. "I like Cathy better.”
He was the only other person besides my mother who had ever called me Cathy, but I didn't want to argue with him; I was his guest. Instead, I shrugged as he led me to the pond behind the stables.
“I just turned eleven,” I told him, returning his smile.
“Me too. C’mon let’s go look for fish in the pond!” He began running the rest of the way to the large greenish lichen covered pond. I laughed and followed behind him, holding my skirt up in my hands as I ran.
We remained outside for three hours until our mothers had to come looking for us. They found us sitting shoulder to shoulder and throwing rocks into the pond, trying to see who could skip them farther; we had already established ourselves as best friends.
"Yes, Cathy, we must. They have a son who is your age, or so I hear. His name is Charles. Besides, it is our duty to welcome new members into our society," my mother said, patting me gently on the knee. It didn’t occur to me then that my mother wanted to befriend the Worthingtons because they had much more money than my own family did.
“Then why isn't Papa coming with us?" I asked, trying to use any excuse that I could to get out of meeting the new family. I had been with my mother to a few other houses of newcomers, and it had never been much fun. I was always told to be on my best behavior and in my best clothing. At my age, I hardly had the attention to sit through hours of adult conversation and politely nod my head as if I understood.
"Your father is busy," she said quietly, just like she always did when I drew attention to the fact that my father wasn't coming along with us. After I grew old enough to learn what it was to be unfaithful to one’s wife, I stopped bringing up my father’s absences out of fear of hurting my mother’s feelings.
I huffed angrily and leaned back in my seat to watch the trees and other landscape rolling by through the small window. My mother told me to sit up sternly; she was worried about me messing up my bouncy brown curls. Sighing, I complied. Soon after my fit, we arrived at the Worthington’s' house.
They had bought the large, pristine white almost castle-like house that I had always loved to look as we drove by it. It’s sprawling size and majesty fascinated me, and I had always imagined that a handsome prince lived there. No one had told me that the Worthingtons were moving there. If I had known that, I wouldn’t have put up a fight. I would have eagerly come so that I could see the inside of the mysterious and beautiful house. It had been abandoned since I was a little child, but it was in very good shape. Lately I had noticed men working on cleaning the outside of the house and landscaping the lawn. It had escaped my thoughts that someone would move into the house; I simply thought they wanted it to look prettier.
Our carriage pulled into the gravel driveway that was shaped like an arc to curve around a circular fountain with bright green foliage encircling it. The Worthingtons' footmen opened the door and helped my mother and me out of the carriage. Slowly and shyly, taking in the sight of the house and lawn around it, I followed my mother up the great white marble stairs to the wide double doors at the front of the mansion. The doors were opened for us and we were led inside where the Worthingtons waited for us in the parlor.
Mr. Worthington was extremely tall and looked like a giant. My eyes were immediately drawn to him above all else in the room. His face had a stern quality to it, but beneath that, I could see a soft, friendlier side. Mrs. Worthington was shorter and thinner than her husband was. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder, sitting down. Her hair was prematurely graying, and she had pulled it back into a tight, firm bun. Sitting away from his parents was their son, Charles. His dark brown hair was longer in the front than most of the hair I had seen on boys my age, but was trimmed neatly in the back, and hung over his bright blue eyes, which were trained on me. I gave him a small, timid smile, which he returned brightly, accompanied an excited wave of his hand.
"Hello Mrs. May!" Mrs. Worthington said brightly. She stood up and walked toward us to heartily shake my mother's hand. "This must be your daughter," Mrs. Worthington said, turning to look at me.
"Yes, this is Catherine," my mother said, smiling and putting a proud hand on my shoulder. She’d always been proud of my beauty, and was convinced that I would obtain a handsome, rich husband once I was old enough.
"Hello Catherine," the small woman said to me, her bright smile surprising me with its contrast to her dull, drab appearance.
"Hello," I said shyly. I was always nervous around meeting new people. I tried to keep my eyes downcast and on the shiny black and white tiles that covered the floor of the foyer.
"You must meet my son Charles. I am sure that you two will become great friends," Mrs. Worthington said to me. She looked over her shoulder and beckoned Charles to join us.
Charles walked over toward us. He smiled at me a held out his hand for me to shake. "Hello Catherine; I’m Charles.”
"Hello Charles. It is nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand. I was still nervous and Charles’ overzealous demeanor was a little disconcerting.
"Charles, why don't you show Catherine to the pond out back?" Charles' father asked. Charles nodded at his father's request and walked out the still open front door, beckoning for me to follow him.
I nervously followed him, after an encouraging nudge from my mother, out the double doors and down the stairs. Charles took me around the side of the house along the gravel path that led toward the pond. "So, Cathy, how old are you?" he asked me.
I was surprised that he had called me Cathy. Had my mother called me that without my noticing? "My name is Catherine," I said slowly.
"I know," he said, looking over at me with a wide grin on his face. "I like Cathy better.”
He was the only other person besides my mother who had ever called me Cathy, but I didn't want to argue with him; I was his guest. Instead, I shrugged as he led me to the pond behind the stables.
“I just turned eleven,” I told him, returning his smile.
“Me too. C’mon let’s go look for fish in the pond!” He began running the rest of the way to the large greenish lichen covered pond. I laughed and followed behind him, holding my skirt up in my hands as I ran.
We remained outside for three hours until our mothers had to come looking for us. They found us sitting shoulder to shoulder and throwing rocks into the pond, trying to see who could skip them farther; we had already established ourselves as best friends.
♠ ♠ ♠
Okay, so I never updated again the other day =\ sorry... anyway, let me know what you think of the flashback? I thought it'd be kind of nice to show how Catherine and Charles became friends.Thanks again to all of my faithful readers/subscribers! It means a lot