Chapter Six - Rescue (c)

“Oh, hello there, boy,” Grandpa Ben smiled. “Were you here all this time? Come over here,” he continued me as he gestured for me to come closer to them.

With haste, I walked towards them. “Grandpa Ben, please don’t give Laura a hard time. It was all my fault. I was the reason why Laura took so long in the marketplace,” I explained without giving Grandpa Ben any moment to speak.

“Is that so?” Grandpa Ben asked with his arms still crossed. “And why is that?”

“You see, Grandpa Ben, I was taking a little stroll in Bullingar when I heard her arguing with the vendor of apples,” I answered. “I paid for the barrel and on our way back, we have a bit of a misunderstanding about who’s going to ride on my horse. That’s what kept us long.”

“Why were you arguing with the vendor?” Grandpa Ben turned to Laura.

“The barrel was worth twenty gold pieces. The money Ronald gave me was ten pieces short,” she replied.

“Twenty gold pieces?!” Grandpa Ben’s mouth hung as he exclaimed. “For a barrel of apples, that’s their new price for it?!”

“Yes, Grandpa Ben. Immediately, I knew it was absolutely over-priced,” she answered.

“And why were you arguing about who will ride Robert’s horse?” he asked another, his hands now on his waist.

“I offered her to take the horse along with the barrel. I decided to walk and pull Lady on foot to get us moving,” I said. “She wouldn’t let me walk and pull Lady while she was on the horse.”

Grandpa Ben turned his attention back to Laura, a brow arched.

“What?” she asked as her brows knitted in the middle of her forehead.

“So basically, what took your time is because of you, arguing with a vendor and with Robert over who’s riding on the horse on the way back home?” Grandpa Ben asked, unfazed.

“Grandpa Ben, I don’t want to have another discussion about this, please,” Laura complained.

“Laura, how many times do I have to tell you?” he scratched his forehead out of frustration. “Put your walls down. Let go of your pride. Accepting help from other people doesn’t make you weak.”

“Grandpa Ben, I don’t want to fight about this right now,” she groaned.

Grandpa Ben sighed. “You, young lady, really do have social problems.” He then looked at me, “Are you going anywhere after this, son?”

Should I tell the truth? That I came all this way just to see Laura? I might sound too forward, too desperate. Perhaps it’s best not to tell them the real reason. “I’m not sure yet. Maybe I’ll return home. I just wanted to make sure that Laura came back in one piece,” I explained. And besides, I don’t want to stay if my present isn’t necessary.

“Why don’t you take Laura here for a quick trot somewhere?” he suggested.

“Grandpa Ben, I don’t want to!” she protested. “I still have work to do here in the bakery. You saw how awful Ronald is in making the pies.”

“And you need to learn how to take a break from working. Have a life outside the bakery,” he said as he blocked her whining.

Grandpa Ben said “trot”. Does that mean Laura has a horse of her own?

“If you don’t mind me asking, shall we take my horse or do you have your own?” I asked Laura.

“Oh, didn’t she mention it to you? She has her own champion,” Grandpa Ben answered with a smirk.

“Grandpa Ben, please,” Laura continued to insist that she doesn’t want to come.

“Oh, shush, Laura. You need to have something different to do other than baking apple pies for the bakery.”

“I don’t need to go on a trot. I have work to do,” she replied.

“I’ll have Sheila do your work for you. I’ll place Ronald somewhere else.”

“But Grandpa Ben--”

“Please, Grandpa Ben,” I entered the conversation. “If she doesn’t want to, I completely understand.”

“Robert, you are taking her for a stroll,” Grandpa Ben insisted as he gave me a stern look. “And Laura, I’m warning you: don’t push it,” he continued as he turned to her.

I’m really confused right now. I don’t know who to listen to: Grandpa Ben or Laura? If my presence is bothering Laura then I would prefer to leave her alone. However, I wouldn’t want for Grandpa Ben to think that I’m being disrespectful towards him.

Probably the safest way out of this conversation… is to follow the old man.

“So…” I spoke as Laura turned to me. “Do you have a stable for your horse?”

She looked at Grandpa Ben once again. It’s as if she’s trying to break through his warning glare. But as her attempt failed, she let out a sigh and said, “My champion is at the back of the bakery.”

“Show him, then,” Grandpa Ben gave Laura a slight push forward towards me. I could see that he was pulling back a teasing smile.

Laura shrugged with a sigh and went on ahead. I grabbed Lady and followed Laura, giving Grandpa Ben a smile as we headed to the back.

When we arrived at the back of the bakery, we were greeted by a narrow alley. Loaded sacks piled up beside crates that contain glass bottles. At the very end of it, I saw a little stable where a horse was being kept in and it was eating apples.

“Hello, Leo,” Laura smiled as she walked up to her champion.

“Leo?” I asked as I carefully followed behind her.

“Yes,” she turned to me with a smile as she scratched the horse’s neck. “I have this certain fascination for lions so I named my champion Leo,” she explained as she ran her hand through Leo’s long mane.

“Well, his name fits him very well,” I agreed as I reached them.

“How could you tell?” she asked as she started to prepare Leo for the trot.

“Lions are known to be kings of the jungle, am I right? That means they’re of royalty and I can see that your champion has a majestic flare into his aura,” I explained.

“That’s very well-thought of you, Robert, and very kind to say,” she smiled. “Thank you.”

I let out a quick nod, an acknowledgement to her response.

“Did you hear that, Leo?” she turned back to Leo as she finished Leo’s preparations for the ride. “Robert said you were majestic. You must be proud of yourself.” As soon as she locked the saddle and everything else in place, she quickly hopped onto Leo.

“Shall we?” she asked as she turned to me.

I nodded and got on Lady as well.

“Last one to the hills is a rotten egg!” she teased and went on ahead of me.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” I shouted as I began to run after her.