"What are we doing here, Belle?" Felix asked with contained excitement.
Buying their supplies had been a quick affair. Corey already had their stuff ready as it was almost on schedule that someone from the family showed up at her stall to buy the bag of flour, salt and sugar, adding the oil to their expenses.
Because they were stacking more and more expenses, she felt the urgency to get paper and writing utensils to keep record of them! Plus seeing the teen's reaction to the place, then her whimsical decision to buy him his own writing set was cemented in her mind.
"Hm. Well, I need paper to write down all our income and expenses to better manage our money." Isabelle mildly replied, not unveiling her other thoughts. She did notice his somewhat disappointed expression that he quickly wiped away as soon as someone approached them.
"May I help you?" The attendant, a young lady, did what every other attendant did at every shop or store they had gone to: she gave them a once over.
Frankly speaking, their appearance was not bad; both used very clean and nice clothes. However, townspeople were very observant and could quickly identify when a person came from a village. The attendant immediately zeroed in Felix's posture and put on a distant and somewhat disdainful look.
Both Isabelle and Felix noticed her change in demeanor. Felix curled his shoulders inwards and nervously shuffled on his feet, suddenly very self-conscious of himself.Isabelle had no care for other people's opinion on herself, yet she had a lot to say about others making the teen react like that. Straightening her back, she stepped forward and opened her mouth.
The words she was about to spit: 'Girl, you are not much better if you are working in such an out of the way town, thrown way back in the border', sadly got stuck in her throat as Felix's hold on her hand halted her. Isabelle looked back and noticed his resigned and pleading gaze. Isabelle huffed and tucked away her belligerent nature, ignoring the attendant's unprofessional attitude per Felix's request.
"Pencil and paper, please." Isabelle coldly told the attendant.
The attendant rose an eyebrow at the woman's attitude but decided to indulge them. "We have these new stacks of paper called notebooks that contain one hundred paper sheets. They are 10 coins each stack." She immediately introduced a product that many would likely not buy, unless they were rich scholars or established merchants.
Isabelle was definitely not impressed at the attendant's way to look down on them by offering the priciest item and her stomach tightened in rage. "Two of those then. Now, the pencils." She harshly retorted.
Felix pulled on his lover's hand, trying to stop her stubborn streak, but it was for naught.
He had come to realize that once Isabelle was provoked, there was nothing that could stop her. Logically, he saw no need to jump at every slight directed at him. Still, his heart thumped loudly in his chest seeing Isabelle defend him.
Her actions also let him realize that yes, he and his brothers were of humble origin, yet they did nothing to warrant a bad attitude from townspeople. So, there was no real excuse for the woman's way of acting. It was simply provoking and utterly demeaning.
All in all, he was divided between letting Isabelle do whatever she wanted or stop her so she would not end up portraying herself as an unreasonable person.
The attendant froze at Isabelle's aggressive tone, but quickly reacted and grabbed two notebooks. She glanced at the couple once again, and gestured at them to follow her towards the writing supplies.
"We have pen quills, too, if you so like." She offered.
Oh, so now she wants to treat us well. How convenient! Isabelle acidly thought.
"Pencils, please." Ignoring the attendant's attempt at scoring more money, she repeated her order. It was definitely the first and last time she spent a coin in that shop. There was another stationary shop anyway. And, although, there was still the chance of them being looked down upon in that other shop, her vengeful heart would have to swallow that offense out of pride.
Realizing she was not before poor clients, the young attendant offered the most expensive pencils, each costing 2 coins. Isabelle eyed them and saw nothing special bar the colorful exterior. Her gaze moved to the counter that held other pencils and chose different ones that were cheaper but still with good quality.
After her moment of blind pettiness, Isabelle was doused with cold water when she heard the total of her purchase. She had decided to be more careful in their expenses, yet there she was, crazily spending her hard-earned money! That she had the money to buy whatever she wanted did not mean that she could spend it nilly-willy.
Her supposed victory against the snobby attendant was bitter, the elation at being able to acquire an important object to better manage the household vanished like smoke and her steps heavily took her out of town. The midday sun beat down on them, worsening her mood.
Tired, sweaty and just downright done with it all, Isabelle heavily sat on a rock by the side of the road to rest. It was then that the strangely silent Felix spoke up.
"Don't do that again, Belle." He breathed out.
"I know!" She whipped out, glaring at the teen. Felix flinched at her tone, which made her soften; he was not at fault for her impulsiveness. "I know." She repeated, softly. "I will not betray the trust you have placed upon me again; I will be more careful in our next purchases."
A warm hand landed on her shoulder. "I mean buyin' expensive stuff just cuz others look down on me. If you want them, buy them, but not because of us." He said with a sad smile. It was normal, he thought, as he was from a village.
There was a gap between villagers and townspeople, a gap he naively believed he could bridge after learning how to write and read. It was helpful, and he was proud of his newly-acquired skills, yet to some, the tag of being a 'villager' weighted more than anything.
It's so unfair! It truly made him want to cry at the injustice.
Isabelle's mind went blank at his expression. It was not right… No one should look so resigned and accepting of such treatment! However, what could she say to appease him? That it would change with time? Maybe, but there were always people who thought themselves superior to others. That was how the world worked sadly.
The only thing she could say was, "I cannot just sit back and see others belittle you just from the way you speak or how you dress."
"Still..." Felix sighed.
"You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." She interrupted him. It was once again something she knew yet ignored where she got that knowledge from.
"What's that mean?" Felix asked, puzzled.
Isabelle smiled at him. "People in town think they are better just because their clothes are nice, the way they speak is nice, or just because they bear the title of 'townspeople'. However, they cannot hide their bad hearts. Of course, there are exceptions to this."
"Like that market lady, and the man in the restaurant and his wife, and that lady in the fabric's shop." He listed out, nodding in understanding as to what Isabelle was trying to teach him.
The teen was not ready to make a fuss about every offense he perceived, however, he also should not take it with his head down. It was not his fault he was born a villager; though that did not equate him being an uneducated person like many townspeople thought.
"That is right. So, do not let others scorn you." Isabelle stood up, walked up to him and caressed his cheek, making him blush. "Just remember to not act impulsively like me." She wryly chuckled.
"Alright." He grinned.
Suddenly feeling brave, he covered her hand with his, grabbing it and pulling her onto his chest. Cupping her face with his free hand, he tilted it up and he lowered his to press a kiss on her lips. She hummed into it and sought to deepen it. He readily allowed it for a moment until he heard the loud sounds of some birds nearby.
Becoming aware of their location once again, Felix stepped back. "We're outside…" He mumbled, flushing at his own daring.
Isabelle just sighed and let him escape. She respected his rectitude just as she respected Ethan's authority, Lucas' silence and Joseph's decisiveness. All four were different, and she knew she could not act the same whenever she interacted with each alone.
After their short stop, they hit the road again and soon made it back to the village. People still stared and whispered, not hiding the fact they were talking about the couple. The Chief had weaved their tale and seamlessly spread it around. Half the village was accepting of their circumstances, half still gave them the stink eye.
With the teen going out more often, he found himself under the scrutiny of the villagers and it was a bit oppressive, to have eyes following his moves, to have mouths say his name in a myriad of different emotions, to have fingers pointing at him. Sometimes it was too much… sometimes…
A hand squeezed his to reassure him. Sometimes, he breezed through it as he was not alone. He squeezed the hand back as a reply that he was fine.
Felix still felt like a child beside his brothers and Isabelle; growing up, maturing were terms he had not reconciled with, had no need to chase after. Now, with sudden and new responsibilities pressing on his shoulders, with new experiences painting him, he was shedding off that child skin and coming into what he thought was a more solid version of himself.
He did not want to be like Ethan, who looked as if the world was upon his shoulders. Or like Lucas, who seemed to hide himself behind his silences. Or even worse, like Joseph, whose wit and resourcefulness came from very dubious decisions.
He wanted to be proactive, wanted to be reliable, wanted to be fun, wanted to be supportive and wanted to be another pillar in the family.
The soft and warm hand in his was slowly and surely leading him to that place.
"Oh, Isabelle, it's good I see you!" The cheerful Chief called out as he saw the pair of Isabelle and Felix pass by his house. He had been planning to go to their house that afternoon, but their appearance saved him that trip. "I could have waited for Ethan to pass by at night, but it suddenly occurred to me that you're a better option." He said as soon as the couple entered the house's courtyard.
"My, you sure are in a pleasing mood today, Chief." Isabelle immediately teased the old man.
"More like logical," the Chief retorted. Then, his gaze turned serious. "I received a notice that land is going to be measured by people from Silver City. Whenever they do this, free land shots up in price."
Isabelle and Felix shared a glance, somehow guessing where the conversation was going. She still hedged. "And you are telling us this because..."
The Chief's eyes sharply glinted. "You should quickly buy the land beside your house." He immediately went to the point. "Ethan has been constantly telling me to not sell it to another person, that he will soon have the money to buy it. As if any person in this village want to buy land far from their actual homes." He rolled his eyes.
Felix and his brothers had extensively talked about that land being Isabelle's wedding gift and what they would do in it. "How big's the land?" That was something no one spoke about as no one was sure and his brothers had either not cared or had always forgot to ask.
"It's only one acre. However, the upside in that land is the trees in it. You could make good furniture with them." The Chief said. Ethan had said the same in one of their conversations; with him having experience with making furniture, he knew what to use the wood for.
"When are the people coming?" Isabelle inquired.
"Not sure when exactly, but soon." The Chief reminded them.
The couple nodded, getting the hint that it was best to buy the land as soon as possible. "We will have an answer by tomorrow!" She hurriedly replied, pulling Felix out of the house.
They needed to discuss with the others back home!
Or that was the idea...
"And then you say I am the stubborn one!" Isabelle fumed, seeing the reticent faces of Lucas, Joseph and Felix after she told them what the Chief had shared with her and the teen, and her subsequent plan to buy the land the next day with her own money.
"But that was..."
"A gift, I know!" She cut off whatever Joseph was about to say. That was their only excuse to not buy the land as soon as possible. "You can later give me the 30 coins." Isabelle tried to persuade them once again; yet they still looked as if she had offended their whole existence. "If the price increases, how long will it take you to be able to buy it?" She retorted.
They flinched at her words. Noticing their reaction, Isabelle immediately regretted throwing their economic situation in their faces. She was not in a better position as she was basically homeless without them; as such, she should be the last person to recriminate how poor they were.
"I am sorry." The apology easily rolled out from her mouth. Rubbing her forehead to stave off the headache that was starting to flourish, she tried to find better words to convince them of buying the land sooner rather than later. "Sometimes, plans do not go the way we hope." She tried. "I am happy that you want to give me such a marvelous gift, yet I think there are better things you could give me."
"Like what?" Felix timidly asked. He did not want to enrage her again. Her agitated state let him know they were being too stubborn about the matter.
The three men were subjected to a gaze that made their heart thump loudly in their chests. Her words successfully punched out the air from their lungs. "A family. Maybe a few kids."
Their reaction was immediate. Their pupils dilated, their nostrils flared, and their throats bobbed from swallowing saliva. They knew what it meant to have 'a few kids', the process for that. More than that, the fact she wanted to form a family with them clearly showed her commitment with them.
And there they were, hemming and hawing about a piece of land.
"What about Ethan?" Lucas asked uncertainly.
"What about him?" Isabelle asked back.
"We generally let 'im have the final say in such important matters." Joseph explained, his voice also betraying his doubt. Did they truly have to latch onto their plans with teeth and nails?
Isabelle's soft countenance disappeared and her hard one replaced it. "There are times decisions are made by the majority. Even if Ethan says no, as long as we four decide to do it, there is nothing he can do. Especially because it is my money." The three shared looks, irritating Isabelle for their lack of decisiveness. "Fine then. If you do not want to buy it, then I will. It will be my land. And I will start living there!"
The three brothers watched despondently how she stood up and strode out of the house.
"Do we really hafta wait?" Felix questioned his brothers.
Joseph sighed and dropped his head on the table. "The best'd be to buy that land now, but…" Silence reigned after his words, a heavy silence rendered by bitterness and doubt.
Finally, after some time, someone spoke up.
"Go get the identification." Lucas suddenly ordered. Each house had an identification that served to know who lived in the house, who the owner was, all the land the person had under their name, and to buy new land. For him to order that…
Felix gaped at Lucas. Joseph's eyes widened, but he readily reacted to his brother's words and jumped to his feet, dashing into the house to rummage through the cabinets. Soon, he found that piece of paper and rushed outside. He extended the paper towards his brother who shook his head and gestured towards the gate.
"Give it to Isabelle."
Joseph did not think twice before running towards the Chief's house. Sure, the land was a gift, yet chances like this would not come twice. If they kept twiddling their fingers, thinking what to do, then they would never move forward.