Author: authorrowland

Chugging Along

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What is it about writing that so fascinates us?  I mean in the kind of way that a lot of people at least try it to a certain extent.  A lot of persons I know either write of did in their yoot (cousin Vinnie reference).  The thing is most people stop doing it.  And to be fair a lot of the time our literary attempts when we were younger are not exactly the best of out work, we all can’t be S.E. Hintons (outsiders reference).

Do i really need to actually point out the things I am referencing?    I have no idea.  Not like I have actual demographic data about all four people reading this drivel.   For all I know they are all well read sixty year olds……  Then again they could be bots.  In any case, I just like to ramble from time to time.

I’m still not sure what bug crawled up my ass to evoke my need to write again.  Not that it really matters.  I f I could pick one thing to actually learn about my writing though it would be want made it not as shit as it used to be.  I have always wanted to get back to writing since my yoot, but every time I tried I found it lacking, personally.  Then I would go back and read the bits of crap that I had kept from those long ago days.  They were bad, so further discouragement.

Along the way though something clicked.  Was it experience?  Was it pages and pages of professional writing?  No clue.

I know why I can write fast and furious, and why knocking out 1500 to 5000 words in a sitting is easy.  All the education.  Not that I learned anything, just the sheer amount of it.  I had to force myself to write long ass essays and papers on deadlines, so now doing it is easy, since now it is for me and I enjoy it.  Still doesn’t make it good.

I know why I am able to share my work freely.  I have no shits to give.  You like it, cool.  You don’t, tell me why.  You don’t and give me shit, then fuck off.  I could care less if people hate what I write.  I am able to take criticism and critiques and ignore asshats.

behold-the-field-in-which-i-grow-my-fucks-lay-22772104

This, I find, is the most liberating.  Not saying it don’t sting a bit, but whatever I can live.  But in regards to the less suckage of the words I write, I cannot pinpoint when that changed.  And most likely never will. Then again not giving a shit about what others think is a huge win.  A lot of the “advice” one gets in pursuit of a degree is to “not take it personally” when pieces are rejected or harsh words given.  I mean that is good advice in general, but my thought has always been if you react adversely to saying something you create is no good, why are you writing?  This can apply to most creative things though.

We can’t write classics every time, shit most of us will never even write one.  I have no illusions about what I write.  I am not setting out to do a Gatsby or 1984.  Could I create one?  I think I have the ability too, but I doubt I ever will.  Cause I like the more light hearted stuff, not so much when it comes to messages but in the whole package.  I can write about headier issues and all that, but in a much simpler way.

My target is simple, can my kid read it, understand it, and be entertained by it?  If yes, then goal.  I am not writing for awards or all the elitist shit.  I write for me.  If I can make some dollar signs off it, cool, if not, oh well and even if I do I wouldn’t mind just enough to get a nice dinner.  Not everyone can “make it”, getting six figure advances and selling movie rights.  It would be cool, but I am aiming low, both in quality and goals.  No need to be self-delusional.

That doesn’t mean I won’t strive to become better and better at the craft, I just have to be reasonable in my approach and chug along the path I have set for myself.

Vampires and POV

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Late again.  but to be honest I have been writing a lot of posts at once and then just scheduling them.  T His one is late, but fresh.  So to the point.  I have been trying something different lately and so far so good.  Back in school, like a month ago, I wrote a short story for my fiction class about inter dimensional magical vampires.  It was more of a tell and not show story and was 6000 words.  My plan was to use that for a synopsis for a longer tale.

Thing is when I went to look for it I couldn’t find it…… oops.  So I lost all that.  Now I had to try and recreate the idea from scratch.  It wasn’t too long ago so no real problem, but I did lose a good chunk of a day.  The one thing I wanted to do differently though, and had been thinking about a while was doing a POV approach.  That is with the different chapters following different characters.

Up until now, most of my writing has been third person and following one character.  So a spin is to do various chapters with different characters.  It has been fun thus far.  I also have set a goal of a chapter a day, and five days in I have five chapters and a solid word count.

It’s about setting goals and going with them.  I have had a hard time writing on older projects and being productive each day has literally been a pain in my ass.  This approach has been working and I feel as though I am getting back on par again.  By setting a goal and sticking with it I’m not pushing myself.

I have a nice little outline for the first part of the story and just do it piece by piece.  Once I am done I have a day or so to mull over the next part and how it fits into the overall narrative.  This allows it to stew and integrate any changes that I have made so far.  I still input the things that pop in my head as I write, but also creates a more coherent story.  At leas that’s is what I tell myself.  But it’s working so why not?

So for a treat here is the first chapter, still a little rough, but it works as a stand alone too.

Chapter 1 – The Score

Nelson turned the engine off.  He sat a moment.  He hated this part of town.  He knew he didn’t belong and normally he would just pull up and get what he needed through a simple exchange out of the window on one of the blocks he had passed.  The sad fact was that the police had been cracking down in the last few weeks.  His normal dealer was in the county lock up.  He had managed the last few times to find one of the competitors and get what he needed.  Tonight, he wasn’t as lucky though.

He did know that they liked to hangout at the bar just across from where he was sitting.  There was an occasion or two, maybe even more, where he had to meet his former dealer in the area when he was looking to score outside the normal time.  Since everyone was keeping low because of the increased police presence he thought they would be there.  He knew he would look out of place.  A well-dressed man from the finance world coming down to the run-down area of the city was not the norm.

Nelson sat a few more minutes watching the traffic go in and out of the bar.  He finally got out and crossed the road.  On his way he pointed his keys at the brand-new white BMW and clicked the button.  The alarm engaged and made the sound that they do.  A couple of men out front of the bar smoking looked at the car and then him.  He walked cautiously towards the front door.

His plan was to go in and order a drink or two.  He hoped that someone would approach him, knowing he didn’t belong and maybe offer him what he wanted.  It was a bad plan, but all he had right now.  He didn’t want to just go around asking.  Who knew that they might do if he asked the wrong person the wrong thing?  The door rung when he walked in.  He stopped and looked; it was just a simple bell that was hooked to the top of the door.  Nothing too fancy.

He went up to the bar, “Can I get a Bud Light?”

The bartender just looked at him a minute.  Then reached down into a cooler and handed Nelson the drink.  Nelson handed him a five in return.  He really didn’t like Bud Light, but it was the lowest brand he could think of and he could tolerate it.  He slowly sipped from the bottle as he looked around.  There were a few people in here, not a lot.   The cops must have caused most of the regulars to stay home.

The last time he was out front is looked much busier through the window.  A couple of people he did recognize.  Many other he did not.  He was about to order another beer when he felt a tap on his shoulder.  He turned and saw a man just under six foot looking at him.  Nelson was then met with a smile.  “I take it you aren’t a regular here?” the man said.  Nelson nodded.

The man continued, he was only one of a couple of other white people in the bar, “I assume then that you are looking for something that you can’t find at, shall we saw a higher end outfit?”

Nelson nodded again.

The man looked him up and down for a few moments.  “Your work must be hectic based on the way you’re dressed.  I imagine it blows.”  Then the man winked at him, “I might know how to remedy that, but I for that we’ll need to take this conversation somewhere else.”

Nelson waited for the man’s next move.  He apparently had found someone who was willing to provide what he was looking for.  The man took the glass he was holding and finished whatever it was he was drinking in one gulp, then slammed the glass on the bar, tossed a ten down and walked out of the bar.  Nelson tipped his bottle up, even though it was empty.  After about two minutes, he set it down and exited as well.  As he found his way back onto the sidewalk, he saw the stranger. He walked up to him.

“I have my wares nearby, if you drive, we can be there in a couple of minutes.”

Nelson was nervous but desperate, he nodded, and the two men went to his car and he drove to where he was told.  It was right by another bar, The Shiny Badge.  “Isn’t this a cop bar?” Nelson asked.

“What better place to conduct business, no one would suspect.”  The man got out and went into an alley next to the bar.  There was a lot of noise going on in it, even for the hour.  It was almost two in the morning on a weekday, so the streets were almost empty, if not the bar.  Not a lot of traffic regular or foot was good.  Nelson was sure that no one saw him go into the dark passage after the man.  He was about halfway down the alley behind a dumpster, he was holding up a bag, Nelson moved to him.

“So, what’s your poison?” the stranger asked.

“You were right in the bar, cocaine.”

“Oh, high tastes, I see.  Tell you what, just to put you at ease, I’ll let you have a line right here to know the stuff is top notch.”  He reached into the bag and pulled out a smaller container and handed it to Nelson.

Nelson opened it and saw his beloved addiction.  He dipped his finger in and took a hit, straight up his nose.  The euphoria hit him quickly, “Man that is some good shit.”  He shook a little as it worked its way to his brain.  It had been too long since he had some.  His stash had run out after a tough day at work.  “How much for the whole lot?” he asked.

“Your life,” the stranger replied.

Nelson, still high, looked at the man.  He had a straight face.  The tension was fierce for a second.  Then the stranger smiled.  Nelson, still coming to terms with what the man just said took a moment to start laughing.  Then they both were.  The dealer put the lid back on the container and placed it on the edge of the dumpster.  Nelson was still laughing and moved his hand to wipe his nose.  That was when he accidently knocked the container onto the ground.  He panicked and followed it down.

To his relief it did not spill of open.  He closed his eyes and breathed a moment.  When he opened his eyes, he saw a pair of shoes at the edge of the dumpster, beneath it.  He started to panic again, he followed the shoes to legs and then to a body, then a face, then the eyes.  The empty eyes of a dead man.  He stood quickly forgetting the container.

“Dammit I knew I should have moved that,” the stranger said.

“What’s going on?” Nelson almost screamed.

“I was hoping just a business transaction, but you had to go and find him, so now a double feeding I guess.”

“Feeding?”

“You know I actually like that you found him.  I was planning on just selling his stash to get some money to get out of city, but you look like everything I need.”  He approached Nelson quickly.

Nelson confused and not sure whether to run or scream, then the remembered no one was around.  He quickly ran towards the stranger and elbowed him to one side and ran down the alley away from the road.  He hoped it looped around behind the building.  Then he could make his way to his car and get out of there.  “I am done with drugs if I make it out of here,” he thought to himself as he turned left.

Nelson could see that the alley did turn back towards the road.  As he ran up, he grabbed a stick from a trash can, incase the man went around front.  As the alley was coming to an end, Nelson raised the stick in a defensive manner.  He saw nothing and as he was about to emerge onto the road, he heard a noise from above.  As he glanced up, he saw the stranger coming down.  Nelson fell to the ground.

“Where do you think you are going?” the man laughed as he placed a foot on Nelson’s chest.

Nelson went to hit him with his stick that he managed to hang on too.  The man grabbed it as it was about to make contact and tossed it aside.  Nelson tried to get up.  The stranger wasn’t that much bigger than him, but no matter what or how hard he tried he couldn’t seem to budge the man.

“You are a fighter, though much of a good one.”

The stranger stepped off Nelson, then reached down and pulled him up with one hand.  That is when Nelson saw the fangs.  More than that though.  The stranger opened his mouth as he pulled Nelson towards him and it was normal.  Then fangs grew from his incisors, then they were in his neck.  The pain was quick, then the feeling of life leaving him.  He was tossed to the ground.

Nelson watched as the man went through his pockets, taking everything that he had.  “I like it when you run, the adrenaline adds a little flavor.”  Soon all of his valuables, including the keys to his BMW had been confiscated.  Once that was done the stranger stared at him for what seemed like an eternity.  All Nelson could do was watch; he was too weak to do anything else.

Finally, he was picked up and felt the fangs reenter his flesh.  Soon the last of his life was drained from him and he was tossed again to the ground.  He watched as the man casually walked out of the alley and heard the beep of his car from the alarm being disarmed, then his eyes closed for the final time to eternally stare into oblivion.

This is why people hate the VA

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This is a side rant from my usual musings.  but being a vet makes me want to learn about various things, one of them is the Veteran’s Administration .  Well recently the United States Cort of Appeals for Veteran Claims started a Youtube channel and putting up cases.  I must say if you like this kind of stuff it is fascinating.   But Each time I have watched I get an urge to stab a mother fucker.  Why  you may ask?

Here is a ling for reference, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVqkuWIPPnw, if you can’t sit through it all then jump to about min 30.  It basically states that if a government agency, in this case the National Academy of Sciences, generates a report and gives it to the VA stating something to the lines of “exposure to X causes condition Y” that it doesn’t have to use that report for a claim.

This doesn’t mean that they can ignore it, what it means is that if some says, I was exposed to X and have Y and they do not reference the report, that the VA can deny their claim even if they KNOW the vet was exposed.  This puts the burden of proof on the veteran when the VA knows damn well of the connection.  To be clear though, this only applies to something that is not considered predetermined, basically when to qualify for benefits the vet just has to prove they were at a certain place at a certain time because the cause is acknowledged.

Personally I think this puts a large responsibility on the veteran.  The current system the VA uses is intentionally convoluted and complicated for the purpose of intimidating those they are supposedly there to help.  If you miss one line, forget to dot one i or cross one t you are denied.  That is why there are lawyers that specialize in VA cases, because they know that the VA purpose is to Deny until you Die.

I myself have been on again off again with them for almost a decade and know how complex the system is.  It is cheaper to pay bureaucrats to rubber stamp and mail denials that it would be to actually take of the people that have served this country.  Look at the inadequate mental health services, even after the outcry of the fact that 20+ vets commit suicide a day.  That number is still the same after years of “attempts” to improve services. Or the secret lists at VA hospitals used to wait for vets to die.

All of these are attempts to “thin” the herd.  When a person is no longer able to act as fodder in the service of the corporate run government, then they become an expenditure with little return.  In the corporate world people like that get fired, in the VA they look for ways to deny and stall until you are dead.

As in the case of one of my step-sisters, her father passed away while they were fighting with the VA (for years).  Once he passed away they “closed” the case.  I use quotation marks because there was a way to keep the case going for his estate, but it was some obscure and rarely used form.  This information was not even mention in the letter that closed the case.

They make the process as complicated as possible for the sheer reason of saving money and stalling.  A lot of people I know just say to hell with it, because they are tired of fighting this huge uncaring monster.  So if you or someone you know is thinking of signing up to serve, think long and hard.  I would recommend a two year contract, get your GI Bill and get out, because out of all the VA departments the educational one seems to be the best, but then again they don’t measure their accomplish with a body count.

I almost forgot

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I took Monday off cause a holiday and all.  Then I woke up this morning and realized that I hadn’t posted anything here, and even that it was Wednesday.  I guess my mind is slipping, though if you ask a few people they will say that happened years ago.

I am now taking the motivation to put something up 6 hours late, just cause I like all 4 of my fans…….. I might be able to dig something fun up for you to read……. One moment.

Just some random set up for something I thought.thinking about doing:

The bar was open from noon until, whenever.  It was still the same one that occupied the main corner in town so many years ago.  He sat and slowly sipped his drink.  Normally he would have had two or three by now, but he was contemplating things.  He had left the small town so many years ago, too many to remember.  He swore he would never return.  But things happen to bring you back home when you least expect it.  This time it was a death in the family.  Nothing our of the ordinary for a person who had some.

From time to time it would require you to appear to pay respects, in this case it was his father.  He never really cared for him, but he didn’t mind the rest of the clan.  That was the real reason.  His mother was still around and he felt that he owed it to here to at least appear for the services.  The viewing had ended shortly before he arrived at the house of booze.  It brought up a lot of memories.

He had visited his father when his health had first started to fail almost three years ago.  He said that when he died he would piss on his grave.  Then the bastard went and decided to get cremated.  He was going into the oven tomorrow, or what was left of him.  He giggled as he thought of the odds of him sneaking into the funeral home and pissing in the shitty coffin and not getting caught.

He was actually contemplating the idea when he glanced across the bar and saw the other man.  He looked familiar, but he wasn’t sure.  After a few moments he just downed the rest of his drink and ordered another.  When it arrived he grabbed it and went over the person he thought he knew.  He was trying to figure out what to say as he got closer, but he didn’t have too.

“Is that you Mike?” the face said to him.

“That’s my name.”

There was a moment of silence before the other man spoke again, “It’s me. Dave.  How can you forget me man.”

Then it all came back to Mike.  He used to roll with Dave when he was growing.  He looked for a few more moments and it all clicked.  It was Dave, but a lot worse for the wear.  When Mike got done realizing how long it had actually been since he saw him it all made sense.  “Of course I do.  I’ve just had a few already and it might take a minute or two for things to click.”  He ordered another beverage and then asked Dave what he was having.

It had been a shitty day, and he was feeling low.  So a chance to relive some old times, some good times, seemed like the thing to do.  He sat down with his new drink and prepared to partake in tales of the glory days.  Not the kind that revels in sports accomplishments and honors, but the times that you almost got caught, and even some of the ones that you did.

-end-

The idea was to take the craziest stories from my yoot and others that I knew and make it a kind of flashback thing with two old friends meeting in a bar and recounting their tales.  A kind of fiction/nonfiction fusion.  But of course I would try to make it cohesive, but that is a long way off, first I have to get enough funny stories to work with.  That is always the problem with using real life as inspiration or even writing about it, you have to think about it.  Even if just for the idea.

It’s not like you can just toss it down and change as needed like fiction, nope, need actual preparation, even in the starting stages.  We shall see though.

The Apt Chapter 3

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Chapter 3 The Audience

Scene 1 Waking Up

It felt like the ground was shaking as her eyes opened. There was little light in the room. It took a moment for her to remember where she was. When she did though she realized that it was Mrs. Wellman that was shaking her. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. The room looked the same as when she went to bed as it was still dark. One thing had changed though. Her dress was hanging on the front of the wardrobe. “You finished it?”

“Of course. I might not be an old spinster, but I can sew like one.”

“I hope you weren’t up all night working on that, I would feel bad.”

“I wasn’t. it was actually very little work. I just worked on it while Harold sat and read his papers for the day. We usually sit by the fire for a while each night. You extended out nightly schedule a bit, but nothing I cant handle. Never mind that though. It is time for you to get up and get ready.”

“The sun isn’t even up yet, why do I have to. This might be the last time I can sleep in for a while.”

“We have a lot of work to do before you go see the Lord.”

“I am not seeing him though, I am just seeing if they have any jobs. I might end up on a farm outside of town milking cows. There is no need to go out of your way.”

“I know your father raised you to be stubborn, but did you ever think that you might meet a nice man today as well?”

“What does meeting a nice man have to do with anything. Most of them around here my age are just apprentices of general workers like I will be.”

“Silly girl. Lord Umberton doesn’t come this was too often. many of the more well to do families will be visiting as well seeking an audience. Many of them have sons.”

It dawned on her then. With all of the wealthy families coming to see the Lord maybe she could catch the eye of one of them. It wasn’t the best outcome for her but it might be a way to help her family more than just getting a menial job. It didn’t seem much better than an arranged marriage, but then again she could at least see what was out there and more than likely meet someone her own age. She hadn’t planned on even thinking about starting a family for a while yet. She was of the normal marrying age though, so she guessed that it wouldn’t hurt.

“Well hurry up and get out of that nightgown. I have to work on your hair, maybe even some makeup,” Mrs. Wellman added.

“You have makeup?” Angilik asked. It was a rare thing to have access too in these parts.

“Well I have to admit I used it for social events like today when i was a younger woman and even then it was years ago. I did manage to find some old items. I am not sure how good they are or if they will even look good on you. So you need to get a move on so we can find out.”

She got up and changed quickly before she was dragged downstairs and fed a fast breakfast. Then Mrs. Wellman put her in a chair and started to work on her hair. It seemed that it took forever. The older woman even started over a couple of times. Angilik’s hair was just above her shoulders when it was let all the way out. She usually kept it in a pony tail, so she knew she did not have a lot to work with. However long it did take though it seemed like forever. The sun had come up while she was doing it. After she was done Mrs. Wellman pulled out a small box that Angilik assumed held the make up. She then started to apply some of that.

Mr. Wellman made his way down to the dining room shortly after sunrise and stopped as soon as he walked in. “My Lord.”

“What is it?” Mrs. Wellman asked as she stopped and looked at her husband.

“I have only seen that kind of beauty once before.”

“And where would that have been?” his wife asked with a raised eyebrow.

“On my wedding day.”

Angilik could have sworn at that moment that the older woman turned a solid shade of red while she was blushing. “Now I remember why I fell in love with you.”

“Well I mean your sister was stunning that day…..”

Mrs. Wellman must have turned younger for a minute after that comment as she turned and threw the container she had in her hand at her husband almost as fast as anyone Angilik had ever seen. “You old coot you,” she yelled.

“I am kidding darling, of course I meant you,” he said as he dodged the assault attempt. They both stated laughing while the young woman looked at both of them embarrassed. “Well I am off. I have to oversee all of the final arrangements so that our Mayor can of course take credit for them.”

“As usual then. Our little darling her will be along shortly. If you get a chance make sure to look out for her.”

“I was hoping that you might escort her dear. Lord Umberton is having a special lunch for all of the town officials and their spouses later. i was hoping you could attend with me after Angilik sees what the world has to offer her.”

“I would be delighted.” With that Mr. Wellman departed.

Scene 2 The Market

Angilik was out in front of the house and then remembered that she forgot to ask where in town the Lord was holding his audience. Then again she figured she would just follow the crowd and could find it herself. This was of course one of the biggest events to happen here in a long time and thus the people would go to where the action was. She also figured with all of the people in town to include lesser noble and merchants she might have a better chance at finding a good job if the Lord wasn’t hiring.

The first place she went was the outer edge of the market. She could already tell that many more merchants were here than the day before. With more people, many of them rich, coming to town it made sense to set up shop and try to make a sale if one could. This was another reason that Mr. Wellman was late she thought to herself. All the extra vendors and people would definitely make his job a bit more demanding at times like this.

She saw a lot of things that she would like to buy as she made her way around the edge. Her goal was to make it to the center to check the jobs board and maybe catch her old friend since he would have knowledge about anything that might interest her. As she made her way through the crowd she started to notice the way people were looking at her. At first she thought nothing of it. Soon though it was just not how they were looking at her, but how they were acting as well. The crowd looked big to her and when she occasionally glanced over from the booths she could see people moving slowly as they were packed in together. It was on one of these glances that she noticed around here there was plenty of room.

It was as if the crowd was giving her room to move, trying to stay out of her way. When she would try to look at someone directly, they adverted their gaze to the ground. “What is going on?” she thought to herself. She looked back towards the vendors and stopped at one. He was selling mirrors and other such household items. She stared in amazement at her reflection then it all made sense. She had left the Wellman’s without taking a moment to look at what Mrs. Wellman had done. She was satisfied when the elderly woman said she was ready to go. What she saw in the mirror was almost nothing like she had seen before. Maybe once or twice when her mother was alive and got all done up for events like this.

It wasn’t ego or narcissism that she caught up in. Just the shock of how beautiful she had been done up. The dress added all the additional flavor as well. It was tailored almost perfectly and the makeup accentuated her facial features like nothing she had seen before. Her hair was so nice as well. Everyone must have thought she was a noble woman. Angilik had butterflies in her stomach. Now the thoughts of nabbing a noble husband were becoming a serious thought. She looked around for a moment and could see no one else even close to be done up like her.

“If the Lady likes the mirror we can have delivered to where she is staying,” a voice said.

She looked up and the vendor of the booth was talking to her. She hesitated a moment, “No that is fine, I am just looking.”

“Very well ma’am, if there is anything that you like just say so. I will be more than happy to help you.”

She made her way towards the next row. Then a familiar voice called out to her. She looked and saw Mrs. Wellman. She was actually relieved. Everyone else was acting like she was abnormal, it was making her very uncomfortable. She approached the woman, “What did you do to me?”

“I admit it is not my best work, I did what i could with you in the time allotted,” she said with a smile.

“Everyone thinks I am nobility or something. You have seen how they are reacting to me.”

“Well yes. I thought we were trying to make your chances of getting work better.”

“Looking like this makes me feel like getting a husband would be a better choice.”

“What is so bad about that. Harold and I were married because our parents wanted us too. Though to be fair we did know each other for years.”

“Exactly. I don’t even know if I want to get married.”

“Tell you what, let’s go see Harold and see what is going on. Then we can go from there.”

“That sounds good. Getting somewhere I don’t stand out as much would be a good thing.”

“My dear, I think you will stand out wherever you go here.” With that the pair headed towards the center of the market.

Scene 3 Job Market

Mr. Wellman was surrounded by a group of younger men. As they approached they could see him talking to one, then that man would run off. Sometimes with papers, sometimes not. He would then turn to the next man and talk to him resulting in the same action. Angilik assumed he was issuing orders to make sure that things were running smoothly. They came up to his booth and Mrs. Wellman spoke, “I would think at your age this would tire you out, but I see you love all the activity.”

Mr. Wellman turned and looked as his wife. He walked to her and the two kissed. Angilik noticed that the group of men around him were now all staring at her. The people at the center of the market we better dressed and she could tell they were nobles and merchants here. A large tent, almost the size of a house was also on the outer edge of the area. She assumed this is where Lord Umberton was holding audience and why all the higher class people were here.

After carefully looking though she realized that there were few women here and that she still stood out. Mr. Wellman touched her shoulder, “Lost in thought dear?”

She looked at him, paused. Then did a curtsey like she was taught to do. She knew that out in public she should treat him according to his position as the town administrator. To give him the respect a man of his status deserved, then she spoke. “I didn’t realize I was overdressed for the occasion.”

“Well that you might be, but I would think it is doing very well for you. Though I would like to point out I don’t think any of these young men here are worth your time. You would have better luck over there,” he said while pointing to what looked like the start of the line to see the Lord.

There were a lot of men her age and a little older standing in all their finery. Some even had fancy swords hanging from their hips. One looked her way at Mr. Wellman who was pointing. It didn’t take long before his gaze turned to her though. Soon many of the men in the line were looking at her. She looked back at Mr. Wellman, “So do you know if the Lord is hiring anyone for a job?”

“Unfortunately he is just here to see to the needs of the people. He makes these round every couple of years to here from his subjects. There are however some fine opportunities from some of the more well to do merchant families. I can direct you to them if you like, or even have them come here. I have to warn you though, because of what befell your father I don’t know if they would offer you anything commensurate of your true skills.”

Before she answered she looked back at the line of nobles. Many were talking amongst them selves. A couple looked like they were leaving the line or at least thinking about it. She assumed it was to come over and talk to her. She also knew that if they were here representing their families and they lost their place in line that it would upset their families. So they were struggling with that fact as well, duty or passion. It was making her very uncomfortable. “I think I need to find somewhere I can think Mr. Wellman.” With that comment she lifted her dress on both sides and took off at a brisk pace. She was able to move quickly through the crowd as they gave her a wide berth when she approached. She disappeared into the town.