Of Salvation and Perdition - Chap 2
This was written for the Ink Smudge Forum - The 100 Words Challenge.
This story and characters belong to me.
Please, do not use.
Hard-worker Vinia unknowingly accepts a no-man to her bed out of loneliness, and despair, but before she could even phantom what all this entailed she ends up with his child.
Of Salvation and Perdition
Chapter 2
“I don’t want him here,” Ahrida said one of those mornings when Vinia went to get some juice for her and Sintro. The sun was hot and it wasn’t even mid-morning.
Vinia didn’t even glance down at her daughter and continued to add water to the juice, “I don’t want to work,” the older woman said simply. Sintro had stayed since that night when he brought her drunken self from the village. He was a sedulous worker and she hadn’t realized until then how helpful having an additional set of arms could be in the field. Vinia added some sugar to the juice and finally turned to go out of the kitchen. Her dark eyes finally fell on the thoughtful frown of her daughter and she stopped, to see what her daughter had to say.
Ahrida didn’t disappoint. After a moment where she thought over what Vinia had said she raised chiding hazel eyes, “You can’t stop working,” she said as if angry to be made fun of, “Where will the food come from… or the money?”
Vinia rolled her eyes and started walking towards the back door that led to the farming area, “You don’t say,” said Vinia with a little smile, “Is so sad, right?”
Ahrida followed her mother, long strands of straight, black hair floating behind her, “Sad?” she asked as she trotted over the wooden floors.
Vinia nodded and her light brown hair bobbled with the movement, “Sad that we don’t always get what we want,” she said and then eyed her daughter knowingly, “Sintro is staying.”
Anger blazed through the girl’s eyes, “He’s not even handsome!” she cried before making a hand motion of disgust, “I’ve seen many men who look better.” The last was said in a faint mutter.
Vinia’s hairy, right eyebrow rose with her daughter’s words. Where did she learn all that? She was only a child and the way her thoughts worked already scared her, “He has something that’s more important than physical appearance,” the older woman said simply but with a hard edge to her voice.
No… Ahrida was a child no more. Those girls at the village had filled her daughter’s head with air… and she ignorantly allowed it.
“He doesn’t have any money,” cried Ahrida while flailing her arms.
Vinia sighed in disappointment. Of course her daughter would think about money, “He’s strong,” reminded Vinia, to see if her daughter grasped it, “Money goes away…the strength for hard work doesn’t.”
Ahrida made a noise of disagreement, “I’ve seen stronger men,” she retorted hotly.
Vinia could take it no more. Angry at her daughter’s cold ways and her domineering attitude she turned and sent her angriest glare ever, “I love him,” she finally said, her lips almost forming a snarl, “Love, affection, desire,” she numbered angrily, “thing that you seemingly do not understand. Those, those, Ahrida are the things that mean something in life. Money, money, leaves you, destroys families, bring forth pain, war and misery… money is but a fleeting thing. Money is not everything.”
Ahrida opened and closed her mouth… surprised at the intensity of her mother’s glare and totally against her mother’s reasoning. She was simply incorrect.
She had seen how happy the ladies who were married to rich men were. They wore nice dresses with sparkling jewels and always, always, smiled.
Perhaps this working-kind of logic explained why her mother was not as happy as those ladies. It could also be the reason as to why her hair was so ugly and her nails so short and dirty.
Ahrida shrugged her nose when her mother opened the door to the back yard, the rotting smells coming inside of the house making her head ache, and watched as her mother walked away with angry steps.
Sintro was definitely not a man who could help in her cause. He had no class whatsoever… and the candies he brought for her were not that good either. He knew nothing.
Nothing.
He was worthless… and… strange.