Chapter Eleven – Kitchen

The week they stayed at Tanner and Morwen's farm flew by. They were kept busy, rising with the dawn, working hard and collapsing into bed exhausted not long after sunset. Pazu was out all day every day, he and Tanner would be working by six and would eat breakfast and lunch in the fields. Sheeta and Morwen would make up food for them the previous evening and leave their meals wrapped in greased paper in the pantry where it was cool. Breakfast would be a sandwich of scrambled egg or a slice of cold meat, fruit such as an apple or some plums and a drink – most often milk although Tanner would rise fifteen minutes before Pazu and brew up a huge billycan of tea which would go down their throats like nectar in the cool of the morning when they reached the fields. Even stone cold at the end of the day Tanner's dark strong herbal tea was refreshing and they'd usually drain the billycan dry between them as they walked back along the lane. Lunch would usually be a cold meat pie or a huge chunk of bloomer bread and cheese and Morwen's own delicious pickle. And more hard boiled eggs to go with it. Again fruit for pudding or on some days a wedge of dark treacly cake mysterious with dried fruits and nuts.

The barley fields took them two and a half days and after that the potato field needed another day and a half, the sugarbeet, turnips, carrots and beans a day each. Pazu enjoyed every minute of it, adventuring was wonderful, especially if he could have adventures with Sheeta, but what he really enjoyed was putting his feet down somewhere, laying his hat aside and working. Steam engines, down mines, building flying machines, helping fire the trains that rattled along the Ravine, and now harvesting – he loved it all. Even though he came home each evening exhausted, his step was lighter that week than it had been for some time.

Travelling was good, yes. But standing still was better, if he could stand still in a place like this.

Home.

He realised that since the second day he'd thought of the farm as home. He thought about that and found it was a pleasant sensation. He thought about Sheeta's home and wondered what it was like. An appealing sense of belonging filtered into his mind and he reached to embrace it. But then he thought again of the rest of her community, her people, of whom she was ruler and the responsibilities she had there. Pazu let the pleasant thoughts of her home slide out of his grasp.

"Pass the bread, Pazoo," said Tanner.

Pazu hesitated, the stream of his thoughts still trickling away, chuckling over the stones of his feelings.

"Sorry."

He reached for the plate but Sheeta got there before him and offered it to the man.

"Uh, Hmm," Tanner nodded his thanks, his mouth full of vegetable broth.

Pazu looked at Sheeta but the girl ignored him and went back to her meal. He watched her for a few minutes, but she acted like he wasn't there, she turned to Morwen,

"All this lovely cheese and butter you have, do you make this yourself as well?"
"Oh, yes, course. Can't afford to go townwards 'n buy it."
"I used to make it as well, when I was younger. I'd help my grand-mamma, she was very good, she would make this delicious soft white cheese, but she was one of those women who never wrote her recipes down and after she died I could never make it."
"I'm not a one fer recipes, girly, I jus' makes cheese. Good solid an' yeller, that's all we need, eh Tan?"
"Aye. Best cheese this side o' Kingsbury."

It was the evening of turnip day and they were at the huge scrubbed kitchen table eating dinner. Pazu watched her talking, hoping she'd look at him, he only needed one look, she didn't even have to smile, just acknowledge that he was there was all. He could then use his eyes to indicate to her that he wanted to speak to her later. But she didn't look at him at all. Not once. Not throughout the whole meal.

Not throughout the whole week. It had been five days now since they'd argued in the lane. He worked all day, came home, washed, ate then he had time to be with her but she stayed in the kitchen working.

"Keechens is fer workin' boy! Out of it!"

Morwen had threatened at him one day when he'd gone in to try and speak to Sheeta. Morwen refused to let him hang about in there.

"You's takkin' up me space, so work or git!"

She would shout. So Pazu git and sat on the bench in the yard. He knew she was doing it deliberately, avoiding him. Punishing him. Perhaps she thought she was being kind, giving him time to think about what he'd said. He'd certainly had time to regret it. But now he wanted to talk about next week when they'd move on. The situation in the north sounded bleak, he didn't know what they should do. The glider was useless without a motor and no way could he talk Tanner into even buying a small one. So they'd have to walk, or ride with a journeyman perhaps. A train was another option. But he needed to speak with her so he could find out what she wanted. It was her home after all.

When Sheeta finished in the kitchen she either went up to bed to rest her leg or she'd sit with Morwen and do sewing or prepare food for the next day, shelling peas or peeling potatoes to leave them to stand overnight in water, something she could do sitting and rest her ankle. One evening he'd been sat in the yard and she'd come out with a bucket to fill at the pump. He'd turned, stood, intending to speak and she had seen him and gone right back inside.

"Morwen, I'm so sorry my ankle just hurt, I'm not sure I can carry the pail of water back. Would you do it please?"

And Morwen had, coming out to the pump instead.

avoiding me

Why is she like this? All I did was arrange for us to have separate rooms. He wracked his brains trying to think what else had happened. All he could think of was at the stream on the first morning. But that had all been inside him, he'd said nothing, nor had she. What did she want? What purpose was there to sharing a room? They couldn't do anything – they weren't married. So why was she so angry with him? But the main problem was he didn't trust himself when he was near her, so sharing a room would be too dangerous. And that was going to go on for ever wasn't it?

wasn't it Pazu? how can I resolve that?

These questions went round and around in Pazu's head for days, and then, the day Tanner and he worked the carrot field, something happened.

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7 March 2007

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