Good Morning, Smár Einn!
Thank you to Mel and Jill!
.: Tuttugu ok Þrír :.
The days stretch out as we head deeper into summer. Most of them are spent learning, if not from Eydís and Rúna, then from Edvard. Occasionally Josurr and Arni interact with me in some way, but I notice there is a slight tension from Edvard when they do. I don't know what it is exactly, but they more or less resign themselves to polite smiles at a distance.
The children are the ones who help me more than anyone though. Playing with them after meal times in the evening, I start to pick up on their language. They speak in simple sentences, and most of their communication happens through gesturing anyway, which allows me to start comprehending their language.
It's slow, but after several more days have passed, I can finally understand basic sentences.
This has helped particularly with Eydís, who wastes no time utilizing my new skill and putting me to more complicated tasks.
Sometimes, when Rúna is working with us, she'll try to speak to me, to further my knowledge of their language. She has a slightly different accent, so it's harder for me to pick up her words, but eventually I start to comprehend her.
It's a bright summer morning, and I'm working in the garden to harvest berries, when I see a very pregnant woman wandering the path toward the farmstead. In my time here, I've met very few people, though I know that this home sits on the edge of a village that rests closer to the sea. I haven't seen it, and the few people who have come by have been men. When they come through, I'm instructed to stay out of sight.
I watch the woman make her way up the path, her swollen body still strong despite how pregnant she is.
She pauses on the road when she sees me in the garden, bringing her hand to shade her eyes as she squints at me. "Eydís?" She sounds confused and rightfully so. I don't look like Eydís, not at all, but I certainly could never be confused for the statuesque blonde Rúna.
"I'm Bella," I call to her, using her native tongue. "Shall I fetch Eydís?"
The woman nods, approaching the garden gate.
At the sound of our raised voices, Eydís comes out from her workshop, brushing her hands on her apron.
"Tove," she calls in greeting to the pregnant woman. Tove smiles at Eydís. "What brings you to my door?" Eydís' voice is familiarly brusk. Thankfully, I've spent so much time with her that I understand her, even when her words tend to be more clipped than the others when they speak.
Tove's hands go around her swollen stomach. "I need sleep," she says, shaking her head. "And I wonder if you can check my son, to make sure he is still well?"
Eydís waves her into the workshop. She pauses, casting her eyes to me. "Come, Bella," she calls to me. "All women should know this."
I leave my gardening, stepping into the workshop behind them. The familiar dusty smell of old spices drying and wood chips soothes me. Eydís has Tove sit on a low stool while she herself gets to work.
"Bella, put together an aid for sleeping," Eydís tells me. "Do not include the valerian. It is not good for the baby."
I nod, setting to my task quickly. Eydís taught me to make a sleep aid a long time ago, and it's something I've made frequently since.
While I work, Eydís moves to Tove's side. "Any problems?"
Tove shakes her head. "None, he is a very active child, just like his father. Strong too."
Eydís gives her a smile as she reaches down to feel Tove's swollen belly. I pause what I'm doing, transfixed. I've never known a pregnant woman, never felt a child in the womb. I have a sudden and inexplicable urge to reach out myself.
Eydís feels her belly before nodding. "He's getting ready, starting to turn as he should. It won't be long now."
Tove smiles, looking relieved. I return to my work as their conversation turns to the village. Eydís asks about people I don't know, and Tove tells her stories of her neighbors. I work silently, content to listen to the women speak. Sometimes the language doesn't make sense, and I have to work hard to understand what is being said. Other times, it becomes effortless, flowing in and through me as if I've been listening to it my whole life.
I finish the mixture for Tove, gathering it together into a pouch and bringing it to her. She takes it, offering me a grateful smile in return.
"Thank you, Bella," she murmurs, tying the satchel to her belt. I can see her looking at me, trying to figure out perhaps, how I fit into Eydís's life.
I'm a little curious about that myself.
I'm not part of the family. That is clear to me. But despite how much Eydís tries to separate me from the family members, I am often included as an equal. I don't know what they think of me, how they view me in their house, but I've come to consider them all friends.
It's a sentiment I haven't dared voice though.
When it becomes clear Tove is here for a long visit, and that my services are no longer required, I excuse myself to go out to the garden and finish my work.
It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the sun, and I stand in the garden, squinting into the trees, breathing the freshness of the air. In the meadows beyond the main house, I can see three figures I know to be Edvard, Josurr, and Arni.
The world is calm and quiet and predictable, and in the warm summer sun, I am reminded once more how peaceful this world is, how rich my life has become. Things are harder than they've ever been, but the rewards have been immeasurable.
For the first time in my life, I'm happy to be exactly where I am.