She was in that stage that exists between sleep and being awake. That little gray area where you just want to pull the furs up, roll over and forget getting up. She was warm, cozy, and still sleepy, but that did not last long.
She heard a commotion out on the steps of her wagon, and a very,very familiar voice. "I want to talk to Auntie Cana, and it is important!" The girls were trying to convince him to come back later, telling him that his Auntie Cana was still sleeping, but he was not to be deterred. "She will talk to me. I am Wily." Made sense, didn't it? Sitting up, she reaches to pull on the leather dress, and stumbles to the flaps, opening them. "Tal Wily, is something wrong?" He gave the two slaves and Rook "the look" and told them. "See, told you she would talk to me." And with no further ado, he pushed past the flaps into her wagon.
He stood for a moment looking around at the almost empty wagon. "Auntie Cana, where's your stuff?" She moved to lower back down on the edge of the furs, trying to wake up. Now, does she tell him that her "stuff" was mostly broken, from the night she tried to throw it all out onto the plains? No, why worry him. "It is in the other wagon. I am making room for the baby. You are up awfully early today." He looks at her curiously, with that look that only Wily gets. "It ain't early, you are just late." Now how could you argue with that kind of logic. She reaches to ruffle that red hair. "Maybe so, my warrior."
Standing there with his hands on his hips, he gets down to business. "Auntie Cana, can Tug come ride in the wagon today with me n' my new mate Nettie?" It was awfully early, but she did manage to bite back the laugh that wanted to spill out. Sobering her face, she nods. "That sounds lovely Wily. Did you ask Leonette if it would be okay with her?" His eyes narrow and he looks at her as if she had lost her mind. "I don't have to ask her. She is my mate. I am the man, she is the woman, so I am in charge." That little red head was just a bobbing as he made this statement. Skies, he was a handful now, what was he going to be like when he was old.
"I tell you what. You go tell the girls to get Tug up, feed and dress him, then he can go, but you will also take kasra with you, so she has something to do today." She knew that if Leonette felt it was too much, she would have kasra bring him to his own wagon. That red head nods once. "You needs to rest Auntie Cana, we will take care of Tug. It's our duty, with you bein' havin' a baby and all that." Without another word, he turns and runs out of the wagon, and the next thing she hears is him yelling. "She said yes Tug!" She falls back onto the furs, holding her middle and laughing. Skies, that boy was something else.
After she finished dressing and braiding her hair, she stepped out onto the platform to see Sinjin there as promised, helping Rook to hitch today's bosk to the wagons. This did not surprise her, for she had this feeling, he was a man of his word. Stepping carefully down the steps, she went to rouse juneau, and they made a morning meal for all of them. One that would have to hold them for most of the day.
It was time to get moving.
She heard a commotion out on the steps of her wagon, and a very,very familiar voice. "I want to talk to Auntie Cana, and it is important!" The girls were trying to convince him to come back later, telling him that his Auntie Cana was still sleeping, but he was not to be deterred. "She will talk to me. I am Wily." Made sense, didn't it? Sitting up, she reaches to pull on the leather dress, and stumbles to the flaps, opening them. "Tal Wily, is something wrong?" He gave the two slaves and Rook "the look" and told them. "See, told you she would talk to me." And with no further ado, he pushed past the flaps into her wagon.
He stood for a moment looking around at the almost empty wagon. "Auntie Cana, where's your stuff?" She moved to lower back down on the edge of the furs, trying to wake up. Now, does she tell him that her "stuff" was mostly broken, from the night she tried to throw it all out onto the plains? No, why worry him. "It is in the other wagon. I am making room for the baby. You are up awfully early today." He looks at her curiously, with that look that only Wily gets. "It ain't early, you are just late." Now how could you argue with that kind of logic. She reaches to ruffle that red hair. "Maybe so, my warrior."
Standing there with his hands on his hips, he gets down to business. "Auntie Cana, can Tug come ride in the wagon today with me n' my new mate Nettie?" It was awfully early, but she did manage to bite back the laugh that wanted to spill out. Sobering her face, she nods. "That sounds lovely Wily. Did you ask Leonette if it would be okay with her?" His eyes narrow and he looks at her as if she had lost her mind. "I don't have to ask her. She is my mate. I am the man, she is the woman, so I am in charge." That little red head was just a bobbing as he made this statement. Skies, he was a handful now, what was he going to be like when he was old.
"I tell you what. You go tell the girls to get Tug up, feed and dress him, then he can go, but you will also take kasra with you, so she has something to do today." She knew that if Leonette felt it was too much, she would have kasra bring him to his own wagon. That red head nods once. "You needs to rest Auntie Cana, we will take care of Tug. It's our duty, with you bein' havin' a baby and all that." Without another word, he turns and runs out of the wagon, and the next thing she hears is him yelling. "She said yes Tug!" She falls back onto the furs, holding her middle and laughing. Skies, that boy was something else.
After she finished dressing and braiding her hair, she stepped out onto the platform to see Sinjin there as promised, helping Rook to hitch today's bosk to the wagons. This did not surprise her, for she had this feeling, he was a man of his word. Stepping carefully down the steps, she went to rouse juneau, and they made a morning meal for all of them. One that would have to hold them for most of the day.
It was time to get moving.
No comments:
Post a Comment