Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 213

Chapter 213: Breakfast time
Ford hobbled into the house, a dressing of fresh bandages under his crutch arm and a clean set of clothes on his body for the first time in as long as he could remember. He was even shaved!

A chair was pulled out, and he gratefully sank into it, exhausted. Three women now bustled about the kitchen. Two were busy setting the table, and one was holding a plate of scrambled eggs, staring at him with an open mouth and wide eyes.

“Here’s our guest, Ford.” Seth announced, pulling a chair from another room and adding it to those already around the table. “This is my wife, Sarah, and my mother.”

“You can call me Grandma, like most people do,” The older woman smiled. “Welcome to our home.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Ford tried to keep up his manners as best he could. As long as he was being fed, he’d be as nice as he could.

“I’m glad our boys’ old clothes fit,” Sarah cocked her head to one side and looked him over. “You’re a bit smaller than they are, but I never threw away their old things.”

“Thank you,” Ford said again, though the comment about being small stung a little. Stooping in the mines with inadequate nutrition hadn’t done him any favors, but he was taller than many of the other miners. He measured her height with his eyes. He was taller than any of the women here, for certain. Just because he wasn’t a giant like these farmer-men…

“The boy’s hungry, let’s eat,” Seth said resolutely, “Come on Mia, don’t hold those eggs hostage.”

The words seemed to break the girl out of her trance. She jumped and set the plate on the table, turning a bit pink in the cheeks. Ford tried not to shake his head at her oddness.

He hadn’t been around women or girls much, maybe they all acted strange.

Seth’s father served them all portions of the dishes, and Ford had to restrain himself from eating it all in one ravenous mouthful. He’d make himself sick if he ate too quickly.

Nervously, he tried to match his bites to his host.

“This is amazing,” He said sincerely, and the women all beamed at him as if he were a king come to dinner and not a homeless vagrant.

“We’ve decided you’re welcome to stay for a time,” Seth declared. “Provided you behave yourself.”

Ford blinked. “I’ll… do my best.”

What did Seth mean? Ford hoped there weren’t customs here that would constitute ill manners that would get him kicked out immediately. He wouldn’t care, except that the food was so good, and sitting indoors in a clean house that smelled like heaven was a rather intoxicating experience.

At the moment, he wanted to stay here and eat free food for as long as they would let him. After all, he had no money left and no way to earn any.

“You’re hurt, but when you’re healed up some, we’ll find chores for you to safely help with,” Grandma assured him. “No one should be useless if he can help it.”

“I agree,” Ford tried to smile, since that’s what the old woman seemed to want. She eyed him and nodded once.

“Did you come towards Droth looking for any work in particular?” Seth paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. “There’s not a lot of mining operations here.”

Ford panicked, but tried to keep his story together. “I’m not sure what kind of work there is… I just knew I didn’t want to be in the mines anymore.”

“What did your parents do?” Sarah asked curiously, and Ford tried not to sweat. These people were interrogating him! Why did they need to know so much? Would his answers make them evict him before he’d finished the meal?

“Never met my father. My mother took in laundry. She died when I was about six. My uncle died in a mine collapse when I was eight, and I took over his job then. Been working ever since.” With his eyes, Ford dared them to disparage or look down on him.

Their responses were both shock and pity.

“Was there no one to take you in?” Grandma leaned forward.

“Orphanages aren’t exactly the best places,” Ford’s eyes tightened. “I was lucky to get a job so I didn’t have to go.”

Sarah clucked her tongue and shook her head, while Mia simply stared.

“There was no one to love you?” She asked meekly. Innocently.

Infuriatingly.

“What do you think?” He snapped, and she ducked her head. Ford grimaced as the others looked at him in surprise and–disapproval?

“I apologize,” He gritted out the insincere words. “That was uncalled for.”

“Mia?” Sarah prompted.

“You’re forgiven, Ford,” The girl kept her eyes downcast. “I’m sorry for my insensitive words. I’ve been very sheltered and blessed, and sometimes I fail to understand.”

Oh, how he hated her. Not really her, even, just what she represented. A perfect girl with a perfect life and a perfect family. Couldn’t imagine what it was to not be loved by anyone! Spoiled to her core, and didn’t even have any idea.

A perfect tear threatened in her perfect blue eyes. Ford couldn’t find it in himself to feel bad for her. The display of emotion only made him more bitter.

Imagine being so easily hurt that a few words could push her to tears! She wouldn’t have lasted ten minutes in the mines where one small mistake gets you chewed out ten ways from Sunday.

“If you know what kind of work you might be interested in, we can see if we can help you a little,” Grandpa changed the subject. “We know most of the people in Droth–farmers, the butcher, shopkeep, cobbler, tailor, most any of the main jobs you can think of.”

“Do any of them have magic?” The question slipped out as he thought of Martin, and the table fell silent for a moment.

“Are you interested in magic?” Seth asked, avoiding answering.

“We don’t have nearly any where I come from,” Ford tried to cover his awkwardness. “I thought it might be more common this way, and I wondered if there were any magic users here.”

“There’s several,” Mia put in, earning sharp looks from the older adults in the room.