It took some coaxing and a head cocked to the side with that look, normally reserved for Pete, but eventually a tired got Helena up on their day off. All bleary eyed she rolled out of bed and stumbled off to the bathroom where the promise of a hot shower awaited.
Helena could never understand how Myka could wake up so easily at awful hours of the morning. No matter what time the alarm clock was set for, as soon as it made that horrid buzzing noise, Myka was wide eyed and ready to get the day started. Whereas Helena's always been a huge fan of the snooze button, which she considers to be a modern marvel. At least, thought Helena, on most weekends she could convince Myka to start the day a little late. They would lie in bed and cuddle as the sun streamed in through the windows, until waking for breakfast turned into waking for brunch. It was Helena's favourite time, just the two of them with no one to bother them and no artefacts to worry about. To Helena, Myka always looked most beautiful on those mornings in her oversized bed shirt, light dancing over her face, and curly hair going ever which way.
But much to Helena's dismay, this Saturday morning would not be one for staying in bed late. No Saturday morning had been since Leena died. Instead of having one person try to take over all that Leena had done at the B&B, the warehouse family had decided it would be easier if they broke it into smaller tasks and divided them amongst themselves. Food wise, Helena and Myka were in charge of keeping the house stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Helena walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where Myka was already drinking her coffee and Helena's tea was waiting for her on the table.
An appreciative "Mmmm", came from Helena as she sat down and took her first sip. "Just what I needed, darling. Thank you," she said as she smiled up at her girlfriend.
"Well you'll have to drink your tea quickly. You took a long time in the shower and I want to get there soon. You know I like to be there before it gets busy."
Helena raised an eyebrow, "I am going as fast as one can drink tea. It's not something to be rushed. And I love getting to spend time with you, but I would prefer to sleep in and not rush off to the farmer's market so early on our day off. It is such a bother when I'd rather use this time to catch up on the sleep the Warehouse deprives us of so often."
"Do I need to remind you that you're the reason we get our fruits and vegetables from the farmer's market and not the supermarket?"
Both women smiled at the thought of what they and everyone else at the B&B referred to as 'the food shopping incident'. Before Leena's death, the B&B was always stocked with food so Helena had never needed to buy her own and when Helena was living or working by herself, she had always just lived off restaurant and café food. So after Leena's death, when Myka had taken her to the supermarket, it had been Helena's first time. Myka had been expecting the comments about the sterile environment and Helena was fairly repulsed to find out what processed foods were and just how long they could last without spoiling. Throughout that trip, Helena quipped, 'Well that's quite unnatural, isn't it?' a few times or she'd pick something up and just ask 'why' while looking quizzically at Myka.
The actual 'incident' didn't occur until Helena and Myka made it up the cashier. The cashier told Helena what she owed for the produce. Helena told her that was too much and attempted to barter with the cashier. The cashier told Helena that she'd have to put some things back if she didn't want to spend so much. Helena stubbornly refused. The bickering back and forth became rather loud, drawing a sizable crowd of onlookers. Most of who were egging Helena on, as they didn't think food prices were fair either or they just wanted to see the argument escalate. Eventually the manager was called out and things got a little heated. It's not very often that Myka finds herself dumbfounded, but she just stood there watching the whole mess unfold. She couldn't believe that she was watching her girlfriend, the father of science fiction, having an argument about why she couldn't barter on the price of tomatoes in the store. But, just in time, Myka was able to snap back to reality and keep Helena from getting herself into any real trouble by calming the situation. Needless to say, Emily Lake was now banned from the only supermarket within a reasonable distance from Univille.
"Alright darling, you've made your point. And I've finished my tea."
Myka set her empty mug in the sink and walked over to Helena, bending down to give her the softest of kisses. The kind of kiss that let Helena know that Myka was not mad about what happened at the supermarket and wasn't bothered by Helena's inability to wake up early without grumbling and complaining. After all, not everyone can be a morning person.
Helena was awake now that she had finished her morning tea and had taken a bit of time to collect her wits. They quickly put on their shoes and were out the door and driving off in the SUV within good time to make it to the market.
. . . . . . . .
Helena would have been happy to get there at any time before it closed, but this was Myka's favourite time to get to the Farmer's Market. The sun had risen just enough that golden light filtered through the trees to make the market glow. The air smelled of the dew still on the grass and the flowering trees that lined the streets. The vendors were putting the finishing touches on their displays and talking to each other about the gorgeous morning. And best of all, thought Myka, the crowds have yet to arrive. There'd be no bumping into people or jostling to get a vendor's attention today. It was perfect.
They both loved the variety of the market. There was an artist's alley with local painters, potters, and sculptors. There was an area of craftspeople, like knitters and seamstresses. Helena was always drawn towards the custom vests that were made by a sweet older lady. Then of course, there were potted plant and flower vendors. There were vendors of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, eggs, salsa's, syrups, and breads.
Helena walked into that market with a confidence like she owned the place. By this time, she had learned the names and life stories of the regular vendors and knew exactly where to go to get the items that the B&B needed. Helena loved that it was local produce and that she could know the people that grew it. Myka wasn't sure how Helena did it, but she was always able to get the best deals. Maybe it was her accent, her charm, or that she was willing to hear about their morning and share hers, or the spark she got in her eye when a chance to barter came up. Maybe Helena was just using her years of experience in bartering on the streets of Victorian London. It didn't matter how it happened, Myka just let Helena take charge while she observed from a distance. She'd talk to other locals who were regular early birds at the market and scope out anything extra that the others might like. Myka couldn't leave without grabbing an apple pie for Pete.
Myka looked up from the pie vendor and couldn't spot Helena. It was a small market and there wasn't many people there so it was a little disconcerting to her that she couldn't see Helena right away. She felt a finger snake a path down her back. She shivered and turned.
"A beautiful flower for my beautiful darling," said Helena as she presented Myka with a single pink and white lily, which she followed with a gentle kiss.
Myka blushed. Helena had a way of making the simplest romantic gestures that always caused Myka's heart to flutter. "That's so sweet of you," she said while smiling and looking into her girlfriend's lovely brown eyes.
Had Helena shown affection like that in another small town, as occasionally happened, then Myka would have been a little more conscious the people around her. After all, not everyone is as liberal and accepting of her relationship with Helena as she'd like them to be, especially not in small towns. But, this was Univille and the people here had grown accustomed to seeing Helena and Myka being a couple. Most residents had even become quite vocally supportive and often asked if Helena and Myka had future plans for marriage or children. Their answer would be a shrug and sometimes a smirk, but they had talked about it extensively in private. It was something that they both wanted, but weren't ready for yet.
"I have everything that was on our list. Mr. Clark even threw in a few extra apples because he's deeply in love with me. He said so himself…. Jealous?"
"Well", said Myka as she began to ponder. "I wasn't initially jealous but now that I think of it, at seventy-five he is closer to your age then I am. Maybe I should be worried that you'll run off with him, or should I say, hobble off on his walker."
Helena raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Ha ha… those age jokes are never going to stop, are they? Though I suppose I walked into that one."
Myka laughed, "They'll stop when Pete, Claud, and I stop thinking they're funny. I must warn you, that might be never."
"Well I'll just have to work extra hard on a witty comeback for the next one." Helena smiles to let Myka know she takes it all in good fun. "Shall we then," she says as she holds out her hand to Myka. Their fingers twine together perfectly and they begin to walk back out the way they came in. All the while, stopping to pet dogs and say goodbye to their market friends.
. . . . . . . .
After the market, they took a short walk down the road and ended up at the their usual Saturday morning café, The Bean Cellar. It has all the charm that a local café should have; a friendly staff whose names you know even without nametags, wonderful coffee and food, twinkling lights, mismatched chairs and tables, local artwork, and an acoustic guitar that sits in the corner for any customer to play if the fancy takes them. The cute décor and laidback vibe make it the perfect place for a little relaxation after a hectic early morning.
They didn't talk about the warehouse or anything going on at the B&B. They didn't talk of the past or the future. They just talked about little things; things they'd noticed at the market, on the streets, or the Beth Orton song playing in the café. Helena and Myka didn't really talk about much at all, which worked out for the best as neither was paying the proper amount of attention to the other. Both were lost in the thoughts of their intricate minds that never seemed to take a break. They nodded and smiled at the other, as they thought about how lucky they were to be in that café with their lover, their best friend, the one person who knew them better than anyone else. And knowing that it might not last forever, but in this moment they were together and that's all that seemed to matter.