Of Gossip and Dances

Hugh was disgusted with himself. He could not quit replaying the events that happened the night before. Once the mysterious woman left him upset and with a wounded foot, he tried to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen. At one point in the night, he thought that he caught eye of her dark colored dress, a royal blue is what his mother described it, but he was whisked away by his cousin before he could reach her.

“Hugh!” His mother was calling him from downstairs. But he did not want to get out of bed to get dressed. For the first time since he was a child, all Hugh wanted to do was lay in bed and forget the night ever happened. Of course, he knew that it was not possible. “Hugh, get down here this instant!”

He groaned, turning to his side. He could only guess that his mother had their entire day planned, as she always did. They would have to go into town, shop around the stores, and talk to every single person that even looked their way. It’s important to make a good impression on everyone that you meet, is what she always said with her head held high and a smile on her face.

His bedroom door slammed open and Hugh did not turn his head to glace at the intruder. He knew exactly who it was. “If you won’t get out of bed, then I’ll make you get out myself!” But the voice that he heard was not his mothers, but his cousin, Richard.

Two hands clasped around his leg, and pulled as hard as they could, flinging him off of the bed. “What the?”

Richard’s face came into his view, smiling down at him. “Your mother told you to get up. I’m just helping you out.” Hugh rolled his eyes and stood up, rubbing his head. A dull pain pulsed through his head where it hit the ground, but as he stood, the pain subsided a bit. The pain was small and annoying, but Hugh could easily ignore it as long as it did not get worse.

“What is so important that we’re going that I must get up?” She never gave him a single day to sleep as long as he wanted to without worrying about having to be as productive as they could for the day. “Are we meeting a king or something?”

Richard chuckled. “The king of England, yes. Because your mother has that type of connections, of course.” He turned around the room, examining everything that he could get his eyes on, not once glancing at Hugh as he changed into his clothes for the day. Books lined the shelves of one wall with titles that he had never heard of. “Do you even read anymore or are these for decoration purposes only?”

Hugh pushed Richard on the shoulder playfully. “I read… when mother gives me the time by myself. I have been reading less and less lately though.” When the two boys were younger, other than playing outside as boys did, they two enjoyed reading the books that could be found around Hugh’s house. His father collected books, old ones, that were older than his great grandfather. Books from another time. The two boys seemed to be inseparable; they did everything together. Because neither of them had any other siblings, and they lived so close to each other, they stuck with each other until they could venture out into the world by themselves. And after all these years, the two remained as close as brothers.

“So why on earth do you want to stay hidden in your room all day? Was it because of that girl?” Hugh had told Richard what happened that night. Richard was embarrassed for him, but laughed at the pain his cousin was feeling. “Don’t worry about it! Just forget it! You may never see that woman again, Hugh. For all we know, she could live in another town.”

But his reassuring words did not make Hugh feel any better. All he could think of was the woman. She could be telling all her friends about how clumsy he was. And what if he did meet her again. What on earth would he say to her? “You know, you aren’t making me feel any better.”

All Richard could do was laugh. “Just forget it! Let’s go, I’m taking you out to forget about that girl! She’s just one girl anyway; there are hundreds more out there that you’ll meet!”

“Fine, fine, just quit dragging me!”

The two men walked down the stairs together, and at the bottom was his mother. And she looked angry. Her hands were on her hips and she was tapping one foot, the rapid clicking ringing in his ears. “So you won’t get up for me, but you’ll do it for Richard!”

“Mother, he dragged me out of bed. I had no choice,” Hugh replied as Richard laughed at the pain he had caused.

“I’m already late and I need your help!” Of course she needed his help, she always did. And what she was late for, he would never know because he never did ask. If he did, she would simply reply that it is something that was very important, and repeat that she was already late.

Richard grabbed his mother by the shoulders and forced her to face him. “I am taking Hugh out into town with me, okay? We can always help you later if you need it, but it’s important that we leave now.” Hugh had never spoken to his mother with such authority as Richard had. And it seemed that his mother had never been spoken to like that in her lifetime. She seemed dumbfounded and confused. But after a few seconds, she nodded.

“All right, thank you for notifying me.” And without another word, she left the room still in shock.

Richard turned to face and winked. “Let’s go.”