Chapter 2
Visitor
After school, Mandy hastily said goodbye to her friends and rushed home quickly. She burst into the farm door and ran to Bindy's stall.
"Mother, mother!" she called out. "Is Bindy OK?"
She caught sight of her mother and Bindy both sleeping peacefully on the hay. Bindy was safe and alive. Mandy felt a huge weight lifted off of her.
Mother woke up. "How was the picnic?" she asked groggily. Without answering, Mandy scrambled up to her mother and hugged her heartily. "Thank you," she said, "for saving Bindy." Her mother patted her back comfortingly.
"Bindy's safe now," she said, smiling. "So, how was the picnic? Did you meet anybody from the Boys' Academy?"
"No.."Mandy said instinctively. "Oh wait, I met this nice boy, actually."
"Oh, really?" asked her mother, interested. "Tell me," she said teasingly to Mandy.
"Mother, it's nothing!" Mandy muttered. "I probably won't see him anymore, anyways."
Her mother got up from the hay and pulled Mandy up with her.
"I met a nice lady at the aristocrats' council today," she told Mandy. Mandy's family was one of the richest in their town, and they lived in a neigborhood of extravagant mansions.
"The lady told me," she continued, "that she had a nice son who was looking for a girl. I told her about you, and she suggested that she and her son come visit us tomorrow."
"Mother!" Mandy said. "I'm not ready for a, you know, right now."
Her mother laughed lightly.
"Mandy, I'm sure you'll like him."
"He probably won't like me, though," she told herself sadly, without letting her mother hear.
"Time to get back to the house," Mother said.
--
The next day, Mandy awoke early to help her mother with preparations with the food for the visiting family. Meanwhile, Mandy's father was away on a business trip. Mandy's family didn't have a cook, because her Mother made such delicious food anyways. Mandy always helped her mother cook, and her mother taught her secrets to delicious food.
"Choose carrots in the summer, at their ripest time," Mother had taught her. "That way, the flavor will come out stronger and sweeter."
Or, "Leave the scones in the oven just long enough to be crisp, but not too brown."
Mandy always memorized these secrets, and she tried to make her food taste like Mother's.
Together, they prepared the hams, turkey, breads, and much, much more food.
"I wonder what this boy is like," Mandy kept thinking. Was he gonig to be arrogant? Kind? Shy? Loud?
Finally, they set their central table with the abundance of food. Then, Mandy scurried up the curved staircase to her room.
She opened up her ivory cabinet and flipped through her dresses. Should she wear a frilly dress? Or a simple one? She didn't know what to choose. She chose a light pink, long-sleeved one that was plain and long. It looked too formal. She chose a shorter sleeveless magenta one, with several frills and flower embroideries. She looked at herself. Her hair was a mess. She combed it up and placed a flower pin into her hair. There. She looked presentable now.
She scurried down the stairs. Mother was already dressed. Her mother always looked beautiful. Today, she was especially pretty. She wore a stunning green dress that had frilly sleeves and a decorative design around the neck. Her auburn hair was swept up into an elegant bun.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Mandy's mother went to answer it.
Mandy sat on her couch, nervous yet excited. She wasn't sure what to expect.
"Welcome," she heard Mother say. Then, they entered the room. Mandy looked at them. The boy looked sort of familiar. Then, she stifled a gasp as she remembered.
It was Daniel!
She snuck a look at him. He was smiling politely, and he hadn't noticed her yet on the sofa. Should she say hi, or should she pretend she didn't know him. Daniel, his mother, and Mother were standing on the other side of the big living room. Mandy decided to pretend she didn't notice him. She crept up from the couch and ran silently upstairs to her room.
She felt exhilarated yet nervous that Daniel was here.
She sat in her room for several minutes, and she heard the faraway voices of Mother and the visitors downstairs.
"Where's your lovely daughter, may I ask?" asked Daniel's mother, Madame Versoi.
"Ah, yes," Mother exclaimed. "Mandy, come on down!"
Mandy got up nervously and headed down the stairs. As she neared the bottom, Daniel and Madame Versoi looked up. She saw a look of shock on Daniel's face. His mother looked pleased.
"Hi, I'm Mandy," Mandy said quietly, shaking both of their hands. Daniel stared at herwith amusement on his face. She was feeling self-conscious. He didn't say anything about knowing her, though.
All four of themsat down to lunch. Daniel and Mandy sat across from each other.
"Mmm, this food is absolutely delicious!" Madame Versoi exclaimed enthusiastically as Mother beamed.
Mandy was too nervous to eat anything, since no boys usually visited her house.
"The tomato soup is absolutely the best!" Madame Versoi continued. Then, she and Mother talked enthusiastically about business and such matters.
Just then, Daniel grabbed Mandy's bowl.
"Hey!" she prostested. He filled her bowl with a portion of every dish on the table. Then, he placed it back in front of her.
"I noticed you weren't eating anything," he whispered to her. "Eat more."
She blushed.
Lunch passed by slowly, and Mandy didn't taste any of the food that she ate. She noticed that Daniel's eyes never left her face. It felt like eternity before everyone finished eating and talking.
"Why don't you two children go outside and get to know each other?" Mother suggested.
"No-" Mandy started.
"Sure," Daniel said enthusiastically. He got up from his seat and grabbed my wrist.
"Come on, let's go," he said openly.
Mandy stood up and followed him out to the garden.
"It's you, again," he said, chuckling. "It's like we're meant to be together."
Mandy laughed along with him.
"Yeah, maybe so," she said, not thinking so.
"So, the girl my mother was boasting about was you," he said. "I can see that they were all understatements about your beauty."
Mandy blushed. "And my mother didn't tell me anything about you. So we're fair."
Daniel looked shocked at first, then laughed at it.
"You're so quiet, some moments, and then so bold."
Mandy said nothing, therefore his point being proved.
"So..." he started. "How's Finishing School for you?"
His easy way of speaking made Mandy feel comfortable around him. He felt like an older brother she never had.
"It's quite boring," she said honestly. "Although I do like the headmistress."
"You do?" Daniel said, shocked. "The one who made you sit under the tree?"
Mandy nodded. "It was for my own good, I guess. Everyone says I'm her favorite."
She wasn't boasting, but just stating what she knew. Then, before she knew it, she was spilling out all of her secrets to him. What she thought of all the teachers, her best and worst friends, her close relationship with Mother and Father.
Yet, she didn't feel uncomfortable. In fact, it felt so natural.
In turn, Daniel revealed some things about himself. He enjoyed being popular at his Academy, and he liked to hunt. Hunting! That was quite manly.
"I like you," he wanted to say to Mandy. But he saw that she obviously didn't like him that way. She was just confiding in him.
They talked for several hours, openly expressing their feelings.
At dawn, they sat together on the grass ouside of Mandy's home, watching the pink sky fade slowly to orange, then brown, then black.
Madame Versoi came outside, beckoning to Daniel.
"Time to go," she told him. "We'll come here often to visit," she told Mother. They had become very good friends in this one day.
Daniel and Mandy got up.
"I guess I'll see you later, then," Daniel told Mandy.
"Yeah, we'll meet again," Mandy said.
Then, he and his mother left. He stole a glance back at her and waved. Mandy waved back.
Mandy hoped that he would come again soon.