CW

“Don’t give me that darlin’; your mother’s not bloody stupid. He’s good lookin’ boy if I don’t say so myself.”
“You did say so yourself.” I teased; she playfully hit me on the arm.
“Oh hush now!”
“Braid my hair mum.”
She rolled her eyes and nodded and began to French braid my hair. I gazed at my green wellingtons on my feet and played with the gold Celtic cross on my neck. I took the cloth that was in my hand and wiped the messy eye makeup off my face. I looked around my room and impatiently waited for mother to finish. I wanted to get out into the fresh air. I tapped my foot upon the floor and whistled to myself; sensing my impatience she slowed her pace just to get upon my nerves.
“Will you braid faster?” I snapped; she laughed at me and I turned to look her in the eye. She stared back with her all knowing blue eyes.
“I know you want to get out and see Gerry but you have to wait another few minutes.”
“I know that you are slowing down on purpose.”
“It just proves my point.”
“What ‘point’ are you talking about?”
“The point that you fancy young Kennedy.”
I scoffed and folded my arms in frustration. My mother’s mind could never be changed. Her opinions were as if they were cemented into her brain. She told me that I inherited her stubbornness and temper.
“Are you finished yet?”
“Yes, go on now love and tell young Kennedy I said ello.”
“Will do;” I walked out of my room and left my mother alone. I felt sorry for her; she was lonely. Ever since father died she had shut herself indoors. I used to spend a great deal of time with her, but ever since we hired Gerard, I have been working with him.
I walked out the back door of our estate and made my way to the stables. The walk was long and difficult because of the muddy terrain. It was still pouring outside so I walked faster. I saw a man walking out of the stables with a bag of sweet oats hauled over his shoulder. It was Billy, Gerard’s best mate.
“Oui Billy!” I yelled, he turned around and smiled. He was another Irishman that mum hired for work. She enjoyed hiring Irish blokes for jobs around our estate. It made her feel more at home to have people who came from the same place as her working for her.
“Hello Miss. Mordret; what are ya doin here in the pourin’ rain lass?”
“I came here to help; where’s Gerard?”
“He’s inside feedin’ the horses, and will ya stop callin’ him Gerard. He likes to be called Gerry.”
“Alright, I’ll talk to you later; bye Billy!”
“Bye lass!” He said as he walked away to feed the horses.
I slowly walked into the barn. There was one light bulb that illuminated the entire barn. I squinted my eyes to try and peer into the poorly lit area. Even though Gerry was supposed to be in the barn, I felt entirely alone. A horse snorted and shook its head to relive itself from the flies. I jumped back from the sudden noise. I pet the horse’s nose to calm it down yet I had yet to calm down myself. I was not at ease and the solitude that I felt made me even more uncomfortable. The blood pumped through my heart quickly making it race. I heard a creeping noise in the dark corner of the barn. It was the sound of heavy breathing. I walked carefully and quietly to the forbidden corner. As I came closer, a silhouette of a human appeared slumped in the corner sleeping contently. As I approached the figure looked more familiar. It was Gerry slumbering on the pile of hay.
I took a moment to study him. His apparel was nothing out of the ordinary for a worker. He wore a white shirt, blue jeans and a pair of black wellingtons. His brown hair was short and disheveled. He was in good shape from his job of hauling barley and oats, and shoveling the stalls. He had a strong jaw and a nose that would only look attractive on his face. He was unique; a unique attractiveness that any lady would fawn over.
“What are you looking at darlin’?” Gerry said humorously.
I gasped in shock and stepped back; for a moment I was speechless. I was too embarrassed to speak.