Author note(s): Poor Pearl is depressed. She needs more reviews. Anyway,around here is where chapters start getting longer. ;)
When father returned from Charles home I was sitting,silently,studying the music for the cello he had bought me only a short time before he left. I wasn't uneducated in the least,and I'd taken to music quite quickly. According to my music tutor I could get first chair in any of the instruments I already played,and the cello was fast becoming my favorite. My cello was my life for the time I wasn't doing arithmatic or Charles wasn't around. I supposed I could play averagely,I was convinced my tutor was only flattering me. My music tutor had also taught me a bit of dance,ballet mostly,and she constantly tried to convince my father to let her teach me more. Finally,he'd given in the night he bought my cello. The next day I had started learning how to sing...unfortunatly,I had trouble controlling it.
Now,I won't say my voice was bad,because it wasn't. I simply couldn't tell close pitches apart,and,as my tutor said,I had more of an ear for instruments than I did voice. E and E flat in the C major scale always sounded the same to me when I sang,but if I had a violin,cello,even a flute,the difference was the same as night and day to me.
Father groaned when he saw me and shook his head. He never did understand that I simply couldn't get enough of,first,music,and later on,art. "Charles is allowed to come here again,Pearl. Not as often as he used to,but he will be here day after tomorrow." That drew my attention away from my pretty polished friend. "Why won't he be here as often,Papa?" My voice lacked the usual demand it had. "Because," He answered tiredly,"He has another friend he has to entertain. A girl named Jeanette Lescot."
I may interject here,that once in a while,I judge people too quickly. This time I was right. I disliked the girl's name from the moment I heard it. It sounded almost as bad as Madeleine's. I shuddered at the thought of my mother. We,father and I,planned to go see the Woman (as Melinda always referred to her) on my birthday,which was only a few short weeks away. In that time period,father asked Melinda to marry him,to which she happily agreed a week later,the old milk cow,Belle,finally died,and I learned to hate Jeanette Lescot. The very sound of her name was enough to make me scream. She was only allowed to accompany Charles to my home once..I wonder why...
The moment she entered the door,she began making snide remarks about my home. It was too small,it was ugly,Melinda had no taste in decoration... Charles looked nervous. I didn't tolerate any woman other than Melinda very well and I loathed people who insulted others or their belongings just to hear themselves speak! I also had a hairline trigger of a temper.
Though I'm quite certain it had only wanted to be friendly,a wall met Jeanette's face several times in rapid succession.Oh well,walls don't have eyes and blood seriously improved Jeanette's looks,in my opinion and in Charles' too. Unfortunatly,before I could improve her face a bit more,she pulled me by my hair and practically threw my thin body over the den's couch. I dropped against the ground,then got ready to spring,crouching low against the carpet. When she came around to see what had happened to me,I pounced. Though when I went to pay her back for pulling a handful of my hairs out,I not only got revenge for those....
But I got an entire head of hair in my hand! A wig! Good lord,I'll never forget the look on her face! Her eyes went as wide as saucers beneath the thin,limp,straight hair. that had been cut short,apparently,so it would be easier to hide under the mass of fake curls.
Charles let out a high pitched squeal of laughter as Jeanette and I stared at one another. When I looked at the thing I held,it put me in mind of a cocker spaniel. I started to hand the ball of hair back to her when she tore off into my father's office,where he and Madame Lescot were having a cup of tea. "She did WHAT?!" I heard Etienne bellow. Madame Lescot was rather ruffled as she demanded she talk to me alone "right this instant or else!" Charles and I exchanged glances and ran up to my room.
The moment we got to my room,Charles began shifting uneasily on his feet. "What's wrong?" I asked in a soft whisper. "I...I wrote you something...Pearl." He said,completely avoiding my eyes as he pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and began to read. "Roses are red,violets are blue,you're..um..really pretty...and I like you a lot too.."Charles blushed bright red as he finished and I blinked at him. My gaze turned into a stare as if he were an alien who'd just appeared in my room. Suddenly the words seemed to sink in,since my faced turned bright pink and I began to giggle uncontrollably. He frowned and flopped down in father's story telling chair and grumbled as I fought to gain control of myself. "Really..Charles," I managed to snort out between laughter. "It's..really sweet and nice and...um.." I paused,seeing Madame Lescot,father,and Jeanette standing at my door.
Charles stifled a snicker at seeing the spoiled brat still without her precious hair piece,but I swallowed. Father didn't look very pleased with me..but it wasn't as if I'd meant to rip her hair off just...out. I suppose I did earn my punishment that time..
Sometime later,the "rumor" of Jeanette having that thing on her head broke out at the school she attended and quite a few others. I may honestly say I had nothing to do with that,and Charles sending that letter to his cousin,who happened to attend Jeanette's school,was completely his idea. Of course I made no attempt to stop it either....
You know,Fate has a very annoying way of throwing the things you do back at you in ten fold...
When father returned from Charles home I was sitting,silently,studying the music for the cello he had bought me only a short time before he left. I wasn't uneducated in the least,and I'd taken to music quite quickly. According to my music tutor I could get first chair in any of the instruments I already played,and the cello was fast becoming my favorite. My cello was my life for the time I wasn't doing arithmatic or Charles wasn't around. I supposed I could play averagely,I was convinced my tutor was only flattering me. My music tutor had also taught me a bit of dance,ballet mostly,and she constantly tried to convince my father to let her teach me more. Finally,he'd given in the night he bought my cello. The next day I had started learning how to sing...unfortunatly,I had trouble controlling it.
Now,I won't say my voice was bad,because it wasn't. I simply couldn't tell close pitches apart,and,as my tutor said,I had more of an ear for instruments than I did voice. E and E flat in the C major scale always sounded the same to me when I sang,but if I had a violin,cello,even a flute,the difference was the same as night and day to me.
Father groaned when he saw me and shook his head. He never did understand that I simply couldn't get enough of,first,music,and later on,art. "Charles is allowed to come here again,Pearl. Not as often as he used to,but he will be here day after tomorrow." That drew my attention away from my pretty polished friend. "Why won't he be here as often,Papa?" My voice lacked the usual demand it had. "Because," He answered tiredly,"He has another friend he has to entertain. A girl named Jeanette Lescot."
I may interject here,that once in a while,I judge people too quickly. This time I was right. I disliked the girl's name from the moment I heard it. It sounded almost as bad as Madeleine's. I shuddered at the thought of my mother. We,father and I,planned to go see the Woman (as Melinda always referred to her) on my birthday,which was only a few short weeks away. In that time period,father asked Melinda to marry him,to which she happily agreed a week later,the old milk cow,Belle,finally died,and I learned to hate Jeanette Lescot. The very sound of her name was enough to make me scream. She was only allowed to accompany Charles to my home once..I wonder why...
The moment she entered the door,she began making snide remarks about my home. It was too small,it was ugly,Melinda had no taste in decoration... Charles looked nervous. I didn't tolerate any woman other than Melinda very well and I loathed people who insulted others or their belongings just to hear themselves speak! I also had a hairline trigger of a temper.
Though I'm quite certain it had only wanted to be friendly,a wall met Jeanette's face several times in rapid succession.Oh well,walls don't have eyes and blood seriously improved Jeanette's looks,in my opinion and in Charles' too. Unfortunatly,before I could improve her face a bit more,she pulled me by my hair and practically threw my thin body over the den's couch. I dropped against the ground,then got ready to spring,crouching low against the carpet. When she came around to see what had happened to me,I pounced. Though when I went to pay her back for pulling a handful of my hairs out,I not only got revenge for those....
But I got an entire head of hair in my hand! A wig! Good lord,I'll never forget the look on her face! Her eyes went as wide as saucers beneath the thin,limp,straight hair. that had been cut short,apparently,so it would be easier to hide under the mass of fake curls.
Charles let out a high pitched squeal of laughter as Jeanette and I stared at one another. When I looked at the thing I held,it put me in mind of a cocker spaniel. I started to hand the ball of hair back to her when she tore off into my father's office,where he and Madame Lescot were having a cup of tea. "She did WHAT?!" I heard Etienne bellow. Madame Lescot was rather ruffled as she demanded she talk to me alone "right this instant or else!" Charles and I exchanged glances and ran up to my room.
The moment we got to my room,Charles began shifting uneasily on his feet. "What's wrong?" I asked in a soft whisper. "I...I wrote you something...Pearl." He said,completely avoiding my eyes as he pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and began to read. "Roses are red,violets are blue,you're..um..really pretty...and I like you a lot too.."Charles blushed bright red as he finished and I blinked at him. My gaze turned into a stare as if he were an alien who'd just appeared in my room. Suddenly the words seemed to sink in,since my faced turned bright pink and I began to giggle uncontrollably. He frowned and flopped down in father's story telling chair and grumbled as I fought to gain control of myself. "Really..Charles," I managed to snort out between laughter. "It's..really sweet and nice and...um.." I paused,seeing Madame Lescot,father,and Jeanette standing at my door.
Charles stifled a snicker at seeing the spoiled brat still without her precious hair piece,but I swallowed. Father didn't look very pleased with me..but it wasn't as if I'd meant to rip her hair off just...out. I suppose I did earn my punishment that time..
Sometime later,the "rumor" of Jeanette having that thing on her head broke out at the school she attended and quite a few others. I may honestly say I had nothing to do with that,and Charles sending that letter to his cousin,who happened to attend Jeanette's school,was completely his idea. Of course I made no attempt to stop it either....
You know,Fate has a very annoying way of throwing the things you do back at you in ten fold...