False Southern Gentility
False Fire
Christine strolled down the sidewalk, her small coin-purse grasped tightly in her hand. "Oh good morning, can you tell me where to find the market?" she said as she placed her left hand on a tall gentleman's shoulder.
He turned around, his eyes glittering with laughter, "So I see that I'm not the only one that you've tipped that pretty little head of yours at." Christopher said with a deep laugh that made everyone on the sidewalk and across the street turn their heads.
Christine's chest swelled with irritation and her cheeks flushed quickly, "How dare you, why in God's name are you still here?!" she asked as she turned away from him, her skirts pulling from side to side as she walked.
He stepped lively behind her, "Oh, come now darling Christine, have lunch with me this afternoon, or let me escort you to the market. You can't possibly wander around Atlanta all day looking for someone to tell you where it is. Not all strangers are as polite and chivalrous as I am. " he said as he took her forearm.
Christine groaned to herself and snorted. "Why are you still here? What do you want?" she asked as she snatched her arm away from him.
Christopher laughed and took a step closer to her, matching his large steps to meet her smaller ones. "You asked me a question. Or was I mistaken?" he asked as he took hold of Christine's arm that held her coin-purse.
She snatched her hand away, sending the coin-purse and all of it's contents scattering in-front of her. "No!" she screamed as she fell to her knees, scraping her hands around the dust, pulling the small dollars and coins into her hands quickly.
Christopher pulled her up, she shoved him away, lunging at the few pieces left, "Christine!" he said as he pulled her up, shaking in his arms, "Stop it, you're making a blasted fool of yourself!" he said as she blinked back tears of embarrassment
"Leave me alone." she said as she stuffed the few dollars that the wind hadn't blown away back into her purse. She ran her hand over them, counting them quickly in her mind. "Only three dollars left..." she said as she clasped her hand around them until her knuckles turned white.
Christopher touched her shoulder, gently, almost tenderly, "Come, I won't have you fall apart on the side of the street." he said as he looked up, having felt a raindrop on his cheek, "Hurry, it's going to start soon."
Christine stared at her hands as the streets cleared from every human, reptile and mammal, each set, scurrying as quickly as they could to escape the rain. "It was all that we had left, now what do I do? What do I do?" she asked as she clenched her hands together.
Christopher shook his head and took off his coat, and slipped it over her shoulders, "It'll be alright, I promise, hurry now." he said as he wrapped her close to him and stepped quickly.
As Christine stumbled, Christopher pulled her up, his hands gripping onto her shoulders tightly. Once, she stumbled so badly that she almost hit the ground, but he caught her, pulled her back up, and partially into his arms as he lifted her into the carriage.
"Why is it cold?" she asked as she looked out the window, her hand sliding up the soaked sleeve of her dress. "It should be warm. A fire makes it warm...doesn't it?" she said as she moved her other hand across the window. "It's warm outside...I don't understand why it's so cold in here."
Christopher rubbed his temples, "There's no fire, Christine. Atlanta fell years ago, you keep up with time, alright? Tell me about your dress, Christine, where did you get it, the blue is so lovely." he said as he rubbed her hands to warm them up.
Christine nodded, "Pa said it was pretty, like the sky woven into fabric...mama said that it made my hair look very dark and shinny--" Christine stopped, her sentence falling short. Suddenly she pulled the door of the carriage open and burst into the rain.
Christopher ran after her, past the stores and closed shops, all the way to the tracks, the same tracks that the Yankees had sat on fire. He knew that she would remember that. "Christine, come back here. It's raining! You'll catch your death!"
Christine stopped, staring at the burnt piles of wood and shattered glass, "The fire, I remember it. Mary and I ran through here, it was hot, so very hot, it burned my eyes, but I rode, with Mary latched in-front of me, she was crying...and the babies were crying," Christine said as she looked back at Christopher who was frozen where he stood. "she had the baby only a few hours before we made out escape... a troop came past us and I held the baby close to my chest, with my hand over it's mouth, keeping it quiet." she said as she ran to Christopher and let him engulf her.
"There, it's alright, it's alright." he said as he smoothed her hair easily.
The man that drove Christine insane simultaneously took away her breath.
He turned around, his eyes glittering with laughter, "So I see that I'm not the only one that you've tipped that pretty little head of yours at." Christopher said with a deep laugh that made everyone on the sidewalk and across the street turn their heads.
Christine's chest swelled with irritation and her cheeks flushed quickly, "How dare you, why in God's name are you still here?!" she asked as she turned away from him, her skirts pulling from side to side as she walked.
He stepped lively behind her, "Oh, come now darling Christine, have lunch with me this afternoon, or let me escort you to the market. You can't possibly wander around Atlanta all day looking for someone to tell you where it is. Not all strangers are as polite and chivalrous as I am. " he said as he took her forearm.
Christine groaned to herself and snorted. "Why are you still here? What do you want?" she asked as she snatched her arm away from him.
Christopher laughed and took a step closer to her, matching his large steps to meet her smaller ones. "You asked me a question. Or was I mistaken?" he asked as he took hold of Christine's arm that held her coin-purse.
She snatched her hand away, sending the coin-purse and all of it's contents scattering in-front of her. "No!" she screamed as she fell to her knees, scraping her hands around the dust, pulling the small dollars and coins into her hands quickly.
Christopher pulled her up, she shoved him away, lunging at the few pieces left, "Christine!" he said as he pulled her up, shaking in his arms, "Stop it, you're making a blasted fool of yourself!" he said as she blinked back tears of embarrassment
"Leave me alone." she said as she stuffed the few dollars that the wind hadn't blown away back into her purse. She ran her hand over them, counting them quickly in her mind. "Only three dollars left..." she said as she clasped her hand around them until her knuckles turned white.
Christopher touched her shoulder, gently, almost tenderly, "Come, I won't have you fall apart on the side of the street." he said as he looked up, having felt a raindrop on his cheek, "Hurry, it's going to start soon."
Christine stared at her hands as the streets cleared from every human, reptile and mammal, each set, scurrying as quickly as they could to escape the rain. "It was all that we had left, now what do I do? What do I do?" she asked as she clenched her hands together.
Christopher shook his head and took off his coat, and slipped it over her shoulders, "It'll be alright, I promise, hurry now." he said as he wrapped her close to him and stepped quickly.
As Christine stumbled, Christopher pulled her up, his hands gripping onto her shoulders tightly. Once, she stumbled so badly that she almost hit the ground, but he caught her, pulled her back up, and partially into his arms as he lifted her into the carriage.
"Why is it cold?" she asked as she looked out the window, her hand sliding up the soaked sleeve of her dress. "It should be warm. A fire makes it warm...doesn't it?" she said as she moved her other hand across the window. "It's warm outside...I don't understand why it's so cold in here."
Christopher rubbed his temples, "There's no fire, Christine. Atlanta fell years ago, you keep up with time, alright? Tell me about your dress, Christine, where did you get it, the blue is so lovely." he said as he rubbed her hands to warm them up.
Christine nodded, "Pa said it was pretty, like the sky woven into fabric...mama said that it made my hair look very dark and shinny--" Christine stopped, her sentence falling short. Suddenly she pulled the door of the carriage open and burst into the rain.
Christopher ran after her, past the stores and closed shops, all the way to the tracks, the same tracks that the Yankees had sat on fire. He knew that she would remember that. "Christine, come back here. It's raining! You'll catch your death!"
Christine stopped, staring at the burnt piles of wood and shattered glass, "The fire, I remember it. Mary and I ran through here, it was hot, so very hot, it burned my eyes, but I rode, with Mary latched in-front of me, she was crying...and the babies were crying," Christine said as she looked back at Christopher who was frozen where he stood. "she had the baby only a few hours before we made out escape... a troop came past us and I held the baby close to my chest, with my hand over it's mouth, keeping it quiet." she said as she ran to Christopher and let him engulf her.
"There, it's alright, it's alright." he said as he smoothed her hair easily.
The man that drove Christine insane simultaneously took away her breath.