Author's Note: Enjoy! Review! And, don't worry: Winnie is going to find what she is looking for very soon.
Chapter Seventeen: Hopeless
Hours later, Winnie decided that she was definitely not having fun.
The road leading east from Johannesburg was not an easy one, with its twists and turns and bumps and rocks. Every few moments, Winnie had to stop to remove a pebble from her dusty shoes. Even without the rocks, her feet were sore. The dainty shoes with satin trim were not exactly made for walking miles at a time on a road with no end.
When night fell, Winnie found a spot behind a tree that sheltered her from the curious eyes of anyone traveling on the road. She took out a roll from her flour sack and placed half of the cheese inside of it. A few hours before, she had eaten an apple, but it had not satisfied her. Now, her stomach was growling in anticipation of her makeshift sandwich.
As she went to repack her flour sack after finishing the roll, her fingers brushed against the strudel wrapped in cloth. She licked her lips and peeled back the covering. Within a minute, the pastry was gone and Winnie felt very satisfied. She drank a long gulp from her canteen, which she had refilled in Johannesburg, but was already half gone. With any luck, she would reach the next town tomorrow so that she could find information and water.
After repacking her bag, Winnie removed her shoes. She sighed with a mixture of relief and pain. Her feet were swollen and red and her toes and heels had developed some painful blisters. If only I had some ointment and bandages, she thought wearily. Knowing there was nothing she could do, Winnie settled back against the tree trunk and relaxed.
The next thing she knew, the morning sun was streaming through the leaves and into her tired eyes. She squinted and reached up to rub her face lazily. What she wouldn't give for a bucket of clean, soapy water to bathe with! What would Jesse think of her when she showed up at his doorstep smelling like something the pigs rolled around in?
Well you won't know if you don't find him, she chided herself. Winnie pulled herself up from the tree root and swung her knapsack over her shoulder. With some hesitation, she slipped her shoes over her feet, wincing the entire time. She added a pair of walking shoes to her mental list of wants.
The day stretched on as Winnie traveled further and further east. The sun beat down hard upon her delicate skin and she could see that she was developing a sunburn. The blisters on her feet pinched with every step. If it weren't for the fact that the road was covered in sharp rocks and the fields were infested with snakes and other creatures, she may have taken her shoes off and walked barefoot.
By the late afternoon, Winnie was down to her last few sips of water in her canteen and she was trying desperately not to drink anymore than she had to. However, the sun was unmerciful to her situation and continued its assault upon her body. She longed to see Mae Tuck driving down the road toward her, partially because she wanted to see her so badly and partially because she knew that Mae would let her borrow her huge, floppy hat to protect her from the heat.
Her food had also run out. She had finished the rest of her cheese and the last roll for breakfast and ate her last apple for lunch. Her stomach was growling loudly by late afternoon and she kept hoping that she would find a town soon so that she could get some water and food and shelter for as long as anyone would allow.
When the sun set that evening, Winnie was so weak that she barely had enough energy to place one foot in front of the other. Where was the next down? There had to be one! She had put miles between herself and Johannesburg. Surely she should have passed another town by now. Frustration grabbed hold of Winnie's heart and she choked back a sob. This was hopeless. She would never find the Tucks and she would never marry Jesse. She was going to die out here in the middle of nowhere from heat exhaustion and massive blister injuries.
Knowing that she could not take another step without crying or screaming in her frustration, Winnie practically threw herself onto the dried grass beside the road. The grass itched her neck and legs, but she did not care. She removed her shoes and tossed them beside her satchel. Then she curled up in a ball and closed her eyes. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.
Hours later, Winnie woke in darkness. The first thing she noticed was that it was very late because she could not see the moon. The second thing she was aware of was the fact that she was not alone.