Chapter Two: His Mouth
I was walking through town to make sure that there wasn't any other merchants, when I heard someone call my name.
"Meg!"
It was Vanessa, and as tempted as I was to duck between some houses and run away, I turned and waited for her to catch up with me.
"Meg, where have you been?" she asked.
"Helping Dad."
She gave me the 'why in the world' look.
"I woke up early," I explained, "Besides, what else could I have done?"
"Help me find Gilbert?" she replied. I grimaced, having walked right into that.
"What fun is that for me?"
"Well, I though where Gilbert was Michel wouldn't be far and we could make plans!" she reasoned.
"Maybe I don't want to make plans." I half whispered.
She frowned at me. "You said you liked him!"
"Well I changed my mind."
"Meg!" she whined, "Please don't ruin this for me!"
Oh no. She was going to use a pity.
She knew me to well. I can barely compete on a guilt trip.
"I'm sorry, but its one of those things. You know I barely ever like guys long!" I argued.
"You liked that Andrew guy forever," she pointed out. I looked at my feet. Andrew was the two-year crush guy.
"That's different...I...," I don't think I'll ever get over him, I wanted to say. "I really liked him. He was perfect."
"What's wrong with Michel?"
"Nothing, I just..."
She grabbed me by the shoulders. "Please, Meg, don't do this! I was so excited! Can't you just go along with it for the rest of the stay?"
"We're staying here for weeks!" I reminded her. We were meeting my brother here. I hadn't seen him in a year.
"Meg!"
"What if I want to hang out with another person?"
"Who?" She smiled suddenly, her curiosity peeking.
"No one, but what if I found someone?"
"Meg," she reminded me, "Its you. You're not going to find anyone."
I glared at her, turning around and walking away. How dare she? Who did she think she was!?
She was just short, ugly, annoying, obnoxious girl.
I walked a good bit, then found a bench, sitting beside this old, haggard man missing one of her legs.
"Charity, kind girl?" he asked, the wrinkles on his small head over lapping each other in this disgusting way.
I grabbed a coin from my purse and dropped it in the hat he was holding out to me.
I brought my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around me legs.
"Life is hard." he mumbled with his aching voice. It made my heart sting.
"Tell me about it," I said sarcastically, smiling at him. He gave me a grin, showing all the gaps where teeth were supposed to be. Then I noticed something. He had something black on his teeth.
His teeth weren't missing. I looked at his stomach, with was very bulgy for the rest of his skinny body.
I gasped. He was a fake! He wasn't really missing an arm, or teeth!
"Your!" I started. He immediately sprang up and started to run. I stood up, and debated whether to follow him.
I watched him run out of sight. What would've been the point to catch him, anyway? Lecture him on kindness?
I laughed at the thought. I let it roll of my shoulders. Besides- if he needed money bad enough to dress up like a cripple, my money didn't go to bad use.
Of course, he could've just done it for fun.
But I shrugged those thoughts away.
I started my way back to my dad's cart, having not seen one other merchant. When I got back, my dad was conversing with a gypsy, who was examining one of mom's candles.
"This is my daughter, Megan." my dad introduced me.
"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking the old lady's wrinkled hand. I turned towards my father. "You won't believe what happened to me!"
"What?" both of them asked, looking up at me.
I smiled, realizing the humor in the story as I told it, "and then he took off like I was a demon!"
The gypsy went pale, and abruptly left.
"Meg, your driving away out customers!" My dad teased.
"What was her problem?" I asked him, though I knew he couldn't answer.
Hours went by, Dad serving customers, me lighting a stick on fire and blowing it out, Dad scolding me.
It was about time to pack up, when Mom came out of nowhere.
"Come here," she motioned for my dad to follow her.
They went of my hearing range, talked for a minute then hugged. My mom started to cry.
"Meg, close up for me, ok?" my dad called to me.
"What's going on?" I asked, going towards him.
"Just do what I say, I'll be at the inn."
"What's going on?"
"Its not your business! Close up!"
And he was off.
Not my business? I bit the inside of my cheek, swallowing the blood. I knew it was something about my brother. It had to be.
He wasn't exactly a good child. Worse the Vanessa, actually. He stole, cursed, drank, and well, everything a man likes to do.
A very bad man.
I kicked the cart, making all the goods clang together. Not my business?
I kicked it again. He was my business. Anything I loved was my business!
I banged my head against the side of the cart. I was angry, ok? But I calmed down, breathing in and out and pinching my arm. Sighing, I started to take all the goods out, stuffing them into bags.
"Need help?"
I turned around. Vanessa.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I only ever think of myself," she apologized, packing up some goods.
Yeah, yeah, I thought, I've heard this speech before.
"Its ok." It's not ok, I told myself, you're still mad.
"Lets just forget about it."
I wasn't going to forget about it.
"Thanks. Where's Dad?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"Its not my business, apparently," I sneered, not at her, but obviously at my step-father.
We packed up all the stuff and pulled up the cart. I was pushing the cart while Vanessa struggled to hold all the bags. It was working.
"Ok, I'll go put the cart up and come back to help-" I was cut off.
"No need. I'll help!" I turned my head to see goatee man leaning down to pick up a bag Vanessa had dropped, and smiling his big beautiful smile.
"Thank you, sir!" Vanessa smiled at him. He wasn't looking at her though, he was still fixed upon me. I cursed him in my head.
"What's wrong, Meg?" he asked, seemingly innocent. I cursed him some more.
"Its probably her brother. He's not making smart decisions- it hurts the family a lot," Vanessa told him casually. I glared at her. Go ahead, tell the world our problems!
"Permit me so, what is he doing?"
"Well, he's..." Vanessa started.
"He's a thief. A drunk. Sleeps with anything possible," I finished for her. "He's my favorite sibling."
I glanced, furious, at Vanessa, whose jaw was dropped. We were at the inn now, and she stomped inside.
Clopin smiled at me. What was so funny?
I'd just told him the shameful past of my brother most bluntly and insulted my sister horribly, and he was smiling at me, at if proud.
"I'm guessing there is much more to your family history?" he smiled even wider, if that was possible.
"Its basically a repetition. Ben is good, Ben is bad, Ben is good again, Ben is bad. Mom is ok, Mom is dying, Mom is ok, Mom is dying," I swallowed.
"You can tell me anything, Meg. Rant all you want, if its necessary."
"Its not."
"You really don't want to?"
"Maybe later."
"I'm not very patient."
I pushed our stand to the side of the inn, locking it to a pillar meant for a horse and stuffing the key in a pocket on my dress.
Then I grabbed what Clopin was holding and started to go inside the inn.
"No goodbyes, no thank yous?" he asked, a little annoyed.
"Thank you. Goodbye."
I went inside. Was that rude? Undoubtedly. Did I care? Yes. Did I care at that specific moment? No.
I just wanted to lay in my bed a sleep until everything was fine again. My mom was just going back into her room, but I caught her.
"What's going on?"
"Honey, Brian decided he wants to come home. For good," she smiled at me. "He gets released from jail tomorrow and will head straight for us."
"Jail!?"
"He was arrested for disturbing the peace. He was drunk and he was standing in the middle of the rode screaming. And now he's going to come home!" she smiled at me again. It was fake, I could tell. I handed her the goods I held, and she went to her room. I was in this hazed state, and for some reason it didn't seem real to me. Brian was in JAIL. Jail!
I stumbled over to the door to my room, but I heard voices. I put my ear up to the door. Eavesdropping? Yeah, I always did. And I read mail that came in after my parents read it and left it open on their dresser. Who cares? Its not that big a deal.
"She said that to you?" I heard my dad ask, shocked. My stomach sank, like always.
"Yeah," my sister squeaked through sobs. I rolled my eyes, getting more and more aggravated by the second.
"I'll talk to her, trust me."
He'll talk to me?
Hell no.
I pinched the inside of my elbows hard, and then bit at the soft skin around my fingernails, ripping off bits of skin causing it to bleed. I walked out fast, incase Dad or Mom came out.
Outside, I just kinda did these haze walk, trying not to cry. What a wimp I am, I thought. I brought it upon myself, didn't I?
I was fighting tears, my face getting into crying position and me fighting it off over and over. I calmed myself to that silent cry, where the tears slid down my stone face cold. I started to pat my leg as I walked no where in particular, hitting it harder and harder.
Ok, I was abusive. But only to myself, which was better then other people, right? And I never did anything really bad, except those rare times when I was just so upset and I came out of my personal explosion with a couple bruises.
This would most likely be one of those times.
Every time I thought about my dad or my sister- excuse me, my step-sister- my anger was overwhelming. I wanted to knock someone's head off! I was bouncing with anger, becoming fidgety and gasping for breath. My arms shook, and I started to limp at the pain in my leg which I added to with every step by swinging my curled fist.
Someone on the street gave me a weird look. I abruptly stopped, glaring at them and sneering in my head. I brought my hand to my head to tuck my hair behind my ear, but just clawed at it and scratching.
Then I bawled. Can you blame me? I ruined everything. I just wanted to run away. I saw a graveyard, and it being close to dark it was deserted. I went into to it, finding a comfortable seat on a tombstone under a tree. I covered my face and cried. I needed to scream, but I refrained.
I calmed myself quickly, slapping a fake smile on. It was all right. I was being so stupid and dramatic. Nothing bad had even happened! It was just me and my stupidity working against all good things that God has given us.
I gnawed restlessly at my thumbnail, unsure of what to do now.
My stomach was sinking and rising over and over.
"You shouldn't bite your nails. Its a bad habit."
I covered my mouth, my stomach lurching into a hiccup, a tiny bit of throw up rising with it. I swallowed it instantly, almost gagging.
It was goatee man. Did he follow me or something?
"You hang out in graveyards often?" he asked my, smiling and sitting on the gravestone in front of mine.
"No. You?" I asked, noting the perfect perch he had on the marble slab.
He laughed. "You caught me."
"That's kinda weird."
He raised his eyebrow at me, giving me another grand show of his pearly white teeth. I gazed at the way the pointed tooth near the back curved away from the one behind it leaving a nice little gap. I liked it, it gave him character. A clef chin certainly didn't give you character.
"Are you ok?" he asked, as if suddenly realizing I had been crying. He was a good actor, but I saw right through him. He'd planned that one out.
"I'm fine."
"Don't try to hide from Clopin, Meg!"
"But I'm not!" I said innocently.
"But maybe you are."
"But maybe I just don't want to tell you what's not your business," I snapped, regretting it when I saw his smile fade. In fact, he looked extremely taken aback.
"I'm sorry." I whispered.
"What? Hmmm? I didn't seem to hear that?"
I grunted. "I'm SORRY."
"Can you repeat that?"
I smiled at him, a real smile.
"There you are!" he replied, standing up and grabbing my hand. He kissed it, leaning on one leg, " I was hoping I'd get to see that beautiful smile."
I blushed.
"Does that mean you forgive me?"
He pretended to be in deep thought. "For being quite rude, yes, for putting a wall between us, no."
I blushed even more, feeling naked. I really couldn't hide from him, could I? He made me feel so comfortable, and talked to me as if he'd known me for years.
"I didn't mean to."
He lifted me to my feet by pulling me off the tombstone. "You think you can take it down?"
"Wait and see."
"I'm not very patient!"
"Then you'll never know, huh?"
"Lets take a walk."
I nodded at him, watching his mouth smile down at me. It'd be awkward to kiss him if you had a small mouth, I thought, his being so wide. Mine was big, not wide, but my lips were...perfect. Our mouths were perfect for each other's. I bit my lip as we exited to graveyard.
What a shame my lips hadn't kissed his lips.