Alba got up before seven in the morning, determined to ask for the captain's help, an attitude that was broken after hearing Ana's request. After the pleasant conversation they had, with notes from the dreamy lady, the maid helped her wash her face with warm water and her teeth with an ointment brought from Corneria, later she gave her another change of clothes, simple, as Alba preferred, only that the cleavage was quite revealing.
Ana took off her nightgown without haste, being amazed by the whitish skin of the villager, tempted to touch it and check if it was soft, she reached out her hand in the direction of her stomach, but was immediately stopped. She looked up and met Alba's bewildered gaze, with little sparks of fear. Repentant, she apologized incessantly. So immersed was she in obtaining the lady's forgiveness, that she forgot to regulate the nervousness that was beginning to eat away at her, to the point of cracking knuckle by knuckle. Alba's warm hands affectionately held Ana's and with a half smile Ana knew she could now breathe in peace.
Alba wore a dark brown skirt that reached her ankles, a white blouse with flowers and leaves adorning it, in front of it a zic zac of light brown threads ensured that the skin would not be exposed and the long sleeves, which did not cover her shoulders, showed off the white frills, both at the top and bottom, over the neckline and behind it as well, and, despite the sleeves, a pair of straps crossed the curves of the shoulders, ensuring that the garment would not fall. Ana's eyes sparkled, ecstatic.
Since she was a little girl Ana had been in charge of selling the meat from the pigs her family raised, which allowed her to get to know the different faces of the villagers and she had never seen one so tender and pure, no, the young woman in front of her was what many men described as innocent beauty. He praised her nonchalantly with much emotion, even offered to make her a braided chignon, to which Alba gladly accepted. The process took time, she braided three braids on each side and then tied them into a high bun; the only thing she left untied were two strands on the sides of her face. Ana insisted that she appreciate herself in the mirror, but Alba refused. She still couldn't bear to look at herself.
During breakfast, Alba asked the wench to stay and join her, through a note. They ate and Ana's unstoppable mouth brightened up the gloomy atmosphere. In the end, the conversation landed on Alba's lack of speech, to which she did not know how to respond. After a few minutes in silence, Alba wrote down the word "help me" on the yellowish paper she extended to the wench, rekindling the comfort between them and preventing further questioning. The brunette pounced against Alba, giving her a tight hug.
-Of course! -said Ana, pulling away from the shy young lady. How about we start simple?
Alba nodded. The beginning focused on saying yes and no, simple words, with a deep undertone that they both shared. They stayed in the dining room for a couple more hours practicing, because Ana's exaggerated gesticulation caused Alba to laugh and when it was her turn to do it, she fell prey to laughter again, disguising how simple it was for her to gesticulate any word. Her speech problem was not equivalent to not knowing how to speak, but to not wanting to speak, but it was easier to ask for help than to explain the reasons that made you not open your mouth anymore.
-Wonderful! -Ana celebrated. Now you have to learn to pronounce the names of the most important people in your life, do you think so? -Alba nodded again, "Take it easy when you get home.
The brunette got up and checked the wall clock, it was ten o'clock in the morning. With a smile she told Alba to gather her belongings and when she was ready she would let her know to accompany her home, while she cleaned and washed the utensils. Alba went up to the borrowed room, contemplated it for a few minutes, inwardly grateful for the non-judgmental treatment she received, wandered one last time through the shelves filled with fat books and finally stopped in front of the bureau, where her teacher's book and the envelope with medicinal herbs lay. The only thing she took was the letter inside the book. When she returned, Ana was standing in front of the main door with a basket full of supplies. Alba watched her in confusion - did the captain tell her to do it too? Jail's kind face appeared in her thoughts with an outstretched hand, so close that, if it were real, Alba would not hesitate to take it. The affectionate treatment he gave her was mesmerizing and pleasurable, a sensation akin to that of a child receiving his first gift, so or more profound.
Once at his side, Ana extended three leaves and a small branch.
-We can't carry ink or pen on the float," Anne explained. If you press the tip of the branch hard against the paper it will form faint but legible marks.
Alba took things in and held up the piece of stem. So much wood in the house and this brilliant idea never occurred to me, she thought. The creak of the door brought Alba out of her reverie. With a hand signal, Ana prompted her to cross the threshold of the door, as gentlemen were accustomed to do, after her, the chestnut followed. Outside, the landscape was beautiful, the house was surrounded by leafy fruit trees and on each side were built prominent planters full of bushes pruned in the shape of buds and quite showy flowers, among them, some rose bushes of white roses; the mansion had iron railings that surrounded the front part, in each corner there were pillars that supported the weight of the second floor, giving it a more rustic touch; and, in front of the door descended a long zigzagging stairway that reached the small iron door, which ended the grounds of the enormous house.
On the other side awaited the carriage of the mansion. The design was peculiar, the only thing it shared with the common models of the town was the material with which it was built; the body of the carriage was painted in different tones, the upper one was black and the rest red, on the sides were inlaid a couple of small trumpets to warn of its arrival, and the sullen galley was replaced by a more presentable one. The beast that would pull the chariot was a huge white horse. He's better cared for than I am, Alba thought. Ana helped her up without spoiling the neat skirt she wore and once on top, she held out her hand for the wench to lean on. When they were both seated, Alba noticed the absence of the coachman, and her bewilderment increased when she saw that Ana took the reins of the animal and pulled it forward. Just at that moment she extended one of the sheets of paper she was given and wrote: "Did you prepare the carriage? To which the brunette happily answered yes.
The mansion was located between the dock and the entrance to Della, but it was not the only road that could be taken, so Ana asked Alba where her house was, to which she answered that it was beyond the town, towards Albania. With that in mind, she took the left path when she reached the crossroads. The route was not the most stable, at least not at the beginning, and neither was it the shortest, on several occasions the rattling was so intense that the two young women thought the carriage would overturn, fortunately it did not go beyond a few scares. They left at eleven o'clock in the morning, a time when the sun was shining brightly, although the cold winds from the north did not allow the daily heat of Castello and Corneria, it did burn with impetus.
Throughout the trip the countless anecdotes of Ana and her family appeased the boredom. The most interesting one was about the lost piglet, she says that one afternoon, while she was watering the pigs' waste, she counted the piglets, a strange habit that Ana developed, there must have been eight piglets and she only counted seven, she ran to tell her father who ordered the others to go out in search of the animal. Ana and another of her sisters, named Margot, went down the slope, near the cliff, where they could see the crystal clear water of the river. Ana knew the small caves that, with time, formed between the mountains. Margot helped her down and soon found the first crypt. Inside it was dark, she advanced cautiously, besides cementing very well each step she took, as the loose stones were capable of snatching her life in a matter of seconds. The more he advanced, the better he heard the dripping, the curiosity to find the source made him advance more than the account without care; the foot went long. Fortunately he held on to the stone segment that functioned as a pillar. His heart leapt into his mouth and, in tears and snot, he returned to Margot. The calf was never found.
Alba observed each of the expressions that Ana made while chattering and, in all of them, she could not avoid comparing Magdalena's lack of expressiveness in comparison to this girl. She knew several chatterboxes and none of them pleased her, but with Ana it was different, she found it tender.
-We'll soon get to the forest," said Ana. "Leave me there," wrote Alba, "The captain ordered me to leave you in front of the door of your house. Not before, not after. Besides, look. -She pointed to the orange sun. It will be dark soon.
-No!" Alba replied. "Drop me at the entrance to the forest, the carriage could be damaged further and you'd be back in the early morning," the paper said.
-Your safety is more important.
"I know the forest. I can move faster and hide if something or someone strange shows up, instead you might hurt yourself more than you think I will."
-If anything happens to you, my head will roll," Ana muttered.
"I will be fine. I promise." Alba stroked Ana's back, as a comforting symbol. The last thing Alba wanted was for the safety of one to mean risk for the other.
-I'm sorry..." Ana gave her a sidelong glance. I just said I care more about keeping my head in place, but I don't. I care more about your well-being, Alba. I care more about your well-being, Alba. -She stopped the carriage at the end of the sidewalk and continued. Do you know why? Because you are the first person in twelve years who has listened to me without judging me or invalidating my experiences with his own. Even at home I can't experience the fullness that I can with you. So please let me come with you.
Alba did not know how to respond. The women in front of her were strange to her, most of them were demure, not to say a tombstone in the cemetery, methodical, astute and others overbearing, but no one was transparent, she didn't even think that Carlota and Magdalena were. How can you express yourself without any concealment, Alba thought. I guess you've had a comfortable life, among flowers. How envious. It was difficult for Alba to find the "best" solution, because of the responsibility that would fall on her shoulders. If an unexpected event occurred, whether tragic or unimportant, and the carriage was damaged or Anne's life was in danger, it would all be her fault. On the other hand there was Ana's longing and the fullness with which she divulged what she was suffering in the nuclear family, it was touching and silly at the same time. In the end, Alba took the piece of branch and began to write. Anne's gray eyes did not leave her moving hand, eager to read the contents.
"I appreciate the enormous trust you have placed in me, likewise, the good times we enjoyed together on this day. I would like to accept the devoted intention to protect me, however, I will not. I appreciate your life as much, if not more, than mine and, taking into account the amusing anecdotes, your family adores you, therefore, the most sensible thing I can do is to send you back. I do not expect your gratuity after reading this note, in fact, you can disown me, it is your right to do so, but I would love to visit the market stall one day and show you the progress in my speech. Never change."
As Anne read, the sensation of a ball, growing with each passing second, moving down her throat to linger in the pit of her stomach hurt. Too much. She was ashamed of being rejected and a faint pang of humiliation buzzed in her heart like flies over a juicy meat feast. The tips of her ears were tinged red, as were her cheekbones, hiding the pretty freckles that adorned her girlish face. Instinctively Alba's conscience riddled her with cruel and contemptuous words, filling her with guilt, and, feeling cornered, she said:
-C-Come on.
Ana's consciousness plunged into the note and adjusted itself staggeringly. Inwardly she thought she had misheard, so she asked to repeat it again, to which Alba replied, on the back of the sheet, that it was okay to keep her company. Confusion was etched all over the chestnut's face. From a few minutes to another the young lady at her side changed her mind; the strangeness that Alba experienced at first, Anne did now. Although the negative sensations that gestated inside her vanished like candle smoke and, instead, she was filled with rejoicing. They both smiled, out of contrary feelings, Ana out of happiness for having gotten what she wanted, and Alba to hide the worry that was tormenting her. Ana took the reins again and shook them with enormous ease, as if she had been born to be a coachman, the animal moved immediately, continuing with the journey, but without a really visible path.
After the sun had set, they arrived at the entrance to the silent forest. A strong breeze rocked the thick hair and dresses of the young women. The wind would get colder as they went deeper into the grove. The white horse stopped dead in its tracks, shaking the cockpit roughly. Anne moved the reins again, but the animal refused to follow, as if a wall in front of it prevented it from doing so.
-It looks like we'll have to leave the carriage," said Ana with regret.
Alba only sighed. One of her many worries was materializing and the worst thing was that she didn't know how to stop it. She tightened her skirt. She was scared and, deep down, she regretted being so weak. With no choice, she climbed down from the cabin, as did Ana, who removed the cap from the beam to free the horse, while Alba continued to watch the luxurious carriage. In her mind she imagined real ones cascading over her, crushing her, until she became a blood-soaked mashed meat. Alba closed her eyes tightly, trying to push away such a terrifying vision. She didn't want to die like that. Well, no one, really. As she finished adjusting the animal's rein, Ana turned to call her companion and help her up; however, the pallor on his face worried her.
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