Everyone says life is not very fair, and it can not be, but I do not think it's worth spending so much time poking around and whining about the way things are.
I learned early in life that we have to fight for what we want, my father and my mother died when I was seven and my sister Hannah four, because of which we went to live with our grandfathers by mother, Grandpa Jon and Grandma Susan, Pope's eldest couple and my only grandfather still alive .
I really miss my parents, and Hannah too, which was not easy, but we managed to overcome it in some way. We lived in a simple house in the province of Gardenia, which was ruled by King Big Jerry and our Queen Grace. And now, when I was 18, I felt even more responsible for my sister and grandparents who did and did everything to give us the best they could.
"Olivia?" called Grandmother called from the kitchen.
"Yes, Grandma." I said going to her.
I had gone to get some vegetables from our little vegetable garden at the back of the house, for the pies Grandma made and sold in the center of our province.
"Can you help me beat these masses?" She asked gently.
"Sure Grandma." I already started helping her "Where is Hannah?"
"As if you did not know ... She is in her bedroom entertained in her drawings. " She said.
Hannah always loved drawing and creating clothes for her dolls with the little scraps of cloth that Lanas got from one of the city seamstresses who gently gave them to her.
"Leave her ... If that makes you happy, that's all that matters ..." I smiled at Grandma who nodded.
We finished preparing the dough put in the shapes and then to bake. When they were ready I would go downtown and distribute pie orders in the small markets that existed there, Pope's grandma pies were famous in the province, everyone liked and praised.
I went upstairs to Hannah's room and found her as usual on the bed with her mess of papers and fabrics.
"Toc toc ..." I said, catching his attention.
"Liv ." She said, smiling.
"I can enter?" I asked.
"Of course," She agreed.
I walked to the edge of her small bed, then sat down. I took some of her drawings looking at them, she really had talent, her drawings were beautiful and her "creations" were very good indeed.
"They're beautiful, Hannah ..." I praised her and made her smile.
"It's just scribbles." She shrugged, shrugging.
"You know they're more than that," I said, touching his hand. "One day you will have vestido like this , I promise."
"I do not need them, Liv, I'd trade them all for Mom and Dad," She sighed.
I know she still missed them, even though she was so small when they were gone.
"I know Han ..." I said the her and hugging her.
I heard his small chuckle at the sound of my nickname, Daddy and Mommy always called her that and knew it was a loving way with her. I remember when Dad let me in the room some time after Mom gave birth to her, the first thing I saw was her brown hair and then her little angel face.
"You to the center to lead the pies?" She asked, her head resting on my shoulder.
"Yes, Grandma already put them to roast ..." I explained.
"Could you pass in Mrs. Lana and pick up more scraps?" She asked hopefully.
"Yes, I can when are coming back." I said kissing her forehead and getting up.
"Do one of these for me, I miss your drawings" She said softly.
" Yes, I will, it will be the most beautiful ... " He said smiling.
I went downstairs to find Grandma packing her pies while singing a familiar song.
Grandma was a full-time cook, from the time she was a child to cook and helped her as best she could, as soon as I entered adolescence, I wanted to help with the expenses of the house, so I started making sweets to sell, Grandpa said I had a gift for that, Made brigadeiros, tortillas, quindins and other sweets that also sold in the markets.
"Ready?" I asked, picking up the basket I would use to take them.
"Yes, dear," she said, putting them in the basket.
I kissed she i said goodbye, our house was about two kilometers from the center of the province, it was not very close, but I liked the quiet there, Gardenia was a calm province, without many conflicts and wars.
I walked down the stone street until I got to the center of the city, greeted the people I met on the street, and distributed the pies through the markets.
On my way back, I passed by the seamstress and picked up the scraps for Hannah, leaving the studio when I stumbled on one of the ornaments at the store entrance.
"Damn ..." I said, still sitting on the floor.
" Need help?" Came a hoarse voice.
"No, thank you!" She said angrily from my fall.
" Dropped down?" Insisted the person.
"No, actually, I like to sit at the door of the store and keep people from passing ..." I said wryly.
I heard his low chuckle and then I raised my eyes meeting his, they were blue as I had never seen before, he smiled, seeming to be amused by the situation which left me somewhat awkward.
"I can help you? Even if you do not need to be clear ... "he excused himself quickly.
I snorted, accepting his outstretched hand, as soon as we got up I could see him better, he was tall, much taller than I, who only reached his shoulder, thin, but in the right measure and his hair was a strange blond, half copper.
"Thomas, pleasure." He said, squeezing my hand still in his.
"Liv ..." I said, smiling a little.
"Ma Liv" (my Liv), "he said, smiling crookedly.
"As?" I asked, not understanding what he had said.
"Majes ... Thomas," said a middle-aged man coming toward us.
"Yes, Tom," he said, turning to you.
"This is our time, you know we can not delay" sir "..." he said looking both ways as if looking for someone.
Were they running away? I looked at his beautiful clothes and soon concluded that he was not. Ladroes did not dress so well, I guess.
"It was a pleasure to Know her Liv," he said, taking my hand and kissing it.
"The same Thomas," I said, still confused.
And then he was gone, I saw him getting into a car and disappearing down the street from downtown. I sighed taking my basket that was still on the ground and made my way back home.
" Grandmother!" I said smiling and going to him that was sitting in his old armchair in our small room.
" Hi Liv ... " he said smiling and dropping his book on the table next to him.
"How are you, sir?" I asked kissing her cheek.
"Well Liv ... and you?" He said tightening my nose.
"I'm fine, I was in the center delivering the pies ..." I explained with a smile.
"This is my girl," he said proudly.
" Only her?" Hannah asked from the kitchen.
"Of course not my doll," he said.
"You, your sister, and your grandmother are my eternal girls," he said, kissing her forehead.
"Speaking of Grandma, she's calling for dinner," Hannah warned.
"Come on, then," I said, standing up.
"Thanks Liv!" She said as she jumped out into the kitchen, making me and Grandpa laugh.
We dined as always in the midst of conversation and laughter, Grandpa Jon worked as a gardener in several houses of the most "lucky" members of the province.
Hannah and i, we wash the dishes, we dry and keep, Grandma and Grandpa had already retired to sleep. I said goodbye to Hannah and went upstairs to take a bath to relax. I put on my nightgown and finally I lay down in my bed, it was spring, so the weather was good, I left a window open where a small breeze came in that cooled the room.
I sighed closing my eyes, immediately the image of the blue eyes of the unknown came to my mind, surely he was the most handsome man I had ever seen. Was he new to the province? I had never seen him here before. Thomas ... He did not say his last name, but he was certainly one of the better-off families.
I turned on the bed pulling the thin sheet over me, needed to sleep, because tomorrow was another day and thinking about him was not going to help me at all.
{...}
The sun born and I heard birds singing in the tree outside the window, I stretched out of bed, needed to make my candy, tomorrow would be delivery day and some took longer to get ready.
I grabbed a dress of thin strips, put slippers and went down to the kitchen, finding Grandma making coffee.
"Good morning," I said, kissing her cheek.
"Good morning," she said, smiling, "have your coffee."
"Grandpa already left?" I asked, taking a piece of cornmeal cake.
"Yes, he has two gardens to look after today," he explained, pouring coffee into my cup.
"As soon as I'm finished, I'll make my candy," I said and Grandma nodded.
We ate together and soon Hannah joined us, after packing everything I started to prepare my sweets, Hannah helped me with the brigadeiros while I prepared the strawberry tortillas.
It was almost lunchtime when we finished it, cleaned the kitchen, and made our lunch, Grandma was in the yard looking after the garden, which was what she liked the most.
Grandpa as always arrived at lunch time and we all ate together, it was always like this, we ate together talking and laughing, I liked it, I was raised with great affection and devotion on the part of both, and was very grateful for everything.
"Grandpa, can you take these two orders since you're going downtown?" I asked as I watched him prepare to leave.
"Of course my angel," he said, picking up the basket from the counter.
"Thank you, Grandpa, I'm going to take advantage of the others," I explained, and he nodded and kissed my forehead.
I spent the afternoon finishing my sweets and leaving them ready to deliver the next day. It was almost night when I heard a car noise, I looked out of the kitchen window and saw a man of apparently expensive black suit come down and walk towards the door of the house. Half a minute later the bell rang and I went to answer it.
"Good afternoon, miss," he said with a small bow.
" Good afternoon ..." I greeted him.
"I'd like to talk to ..." he said, looking at a paper in his hands. "Olivia Pope ..."
"It's me," I told him.
"That's great," he said with a small smile. "Then this is from the miss," he said, extending me an envelope. "I need you to sign here," he said, showing a sheet.
"What is it?" I asked confused.
"You will know when to open the envelope, but I need you to sign this confirmation you received." He explained.
I took the paper and the pen I was offering and signed my name in a dotted line at the bottom of the page.
"Thank you, miss, see you soon," she said with a small bow again. I saw his little glowing broach in the shape of a tulip, and then he turned and went.
I stood in the doorway watching the car disappear on the road, I looked at the envelope in my hands with my name in the middle of it.
I closed the door and turned to find Grandma who had just entered the room.
"What happened?" She asked, wiping her hands on the apron she wore.
"A man just gave me this envelope, I do not know what it is," I explained.
"Did not he say the name?" She asked, looking at me questioningly.
"No, but he was dressed in a black suit ..." I explained. "There was ... And he had a flower broach, he looked like a tulip, I do not know very well ..."
"A tulip?" She asked strangely.
"Yes ..." I agreed without understanding.
"It can not be ..." she said thoughtfully.
" What?" I asked confused.
Grandma seemed focused on her thoughts looking at the wall behind me.
"Did you open the envelope yet?" She asked.
"No, I was going to do it now ..." I replied looking at the envelope again.
"Come here, darling," she said, calling me to sit on the small sofa in the living room.
"You're scaring me," I said with a nervous laugh.
"We should have talked about this a while ago, but I thought maybe that would not happen, not with you ..." she said more to herself than to me.
"this what?" I asked with a frown.
"You know that to become king the prince must marry before, do not you?" She asked and nodded in agreement, "well, that was more than 30 years ago with our king and our queen ..."
"And?" She said, encouraging her.
" And ... To find a queen is made a "selection", 15 girls from the province are called to "live" in the palace next to royalty, and there the prince had chosen his future wife ..." She explained calmly.
"So ..." I said, thinking, "That envelope ..."
"It's a letter of convocation," she said, looking into my eyes.
I was being summoned to a "selection" in the palace that until five minutes ago I did not even know it existed. The envelope in my hands seemed to begin to weigh more than it was. Would I have to move to the palace? I do not know why, but thinking about it gave me a giant chill in the belly.
"Well, I'll let you read the envelope calmly, and then we'll talk, okay?" She said, gently squeezing one of my hands and leaving the room.
I opened the envelope calmly, as if this would postpone what was written there.
"Olivia Pope."
By means of this letter the prince of Gerdenia invites you to join the royal family in its majestic castle for its integration to the "Selection".
Your attendance will be demanded in the palace in two days, soon at sunrise a car sent by the royal family will be sent to look for it, you can take your belongings if you wish, but we guarantee that everything you need will be given to you.
Your non-attendance will not be accepted without plausible and irremediable justification. For we believe that your duty as a patriot and resident of Gerdenia is to honor the traditions of this province.
Thank you in advance for your presence and attention, we look forward to it.
"Prince Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III."
"Thomas," that name reminded me of today's stranger, but I dismissed those thoughts by concentrating on the contents of the envelope, two days, I had two days before I had to live in the castle. At least for a while, until the prince chose his future wife and queen of Gerdenia.
I read the second sheet that explained some things, such as that I would be entitled to a room of my own, two maids at my disposal during my time in the palace, and clothes and jewels suited to royal standards.
My heart relieved a little when I read that my family would receive a sum of money during my stay in the castle, since I would not be here to make the candy and sell at least they would have a helping hand.
I sighed, putting the sheets back in the envelope, and I ran my hand through my name in the middle of it in relief. The feeling of not knowing what my future would look like was not very good, not really good, but it was something else I would face in my life and would do my best.
I did not know if I wanted to be the new queen of Gardenia, I had never thought about this possibility, nor did I know it existed. I had never been in love, and I did not know what it was like, but of course I dreamed of a happy marriage like my parents'. And now he saw me going to the castle and possibly and miraculously marrying the prince.
That if he chose me of course, since there would be 14 more girls, probably beautiful and better off than mine. Now it was to wait and see what he was going to give, after all it was what Grandpa said:
One day at a time.