Wait, annual?Why is this the first time we’re hearing about it?
Pirate Queen Alex
:X
Pirate Queen Alex
Look, you both have reason to celebrate.The show did well.The shop had a good weekend.You’ve put lots of time into your craft.Now get DRUNK!
Lilian bit her lip.It did sound like fun.And Alex raised a good point.Plus, others from the faire would be there.It had been a long time since she’d been to a house party.Or any party really.Since finding out her mother’s diagnosis, it had been difficult to get out to have fun.The faire season was the first time.
Her mom was eyeing her, a knowing smile tilting her lips.“Is that him?”
“No, it’s the girls.”She’d almost forgotten they’d been talking about Hawk.But she still felt as if she’d been caught red-handed thinking about the man.“They’re getting together with some people from the faire.”
“Are you going to join them?”
“I don’t know.It’s late, and we should get home.”
“Lilian.”Her mother snapped the folder of accounting files shut with an audiblethump.It was an impressive sound for the thin piece of office supply.“I have watched you throw yourself into work the last couple weeks.And you’ve been by my side for even longer.I’ve never been prouder but, honey, you need to take a break.”
The sternness in her mother’s voice caught her off guard.She hadn’t heard The Teacher voice in years.“Mom, I appreciate that but…”
“No buts.Are you really going to make me say it?”
She blinked.“Say what?”
“The thing no mother should ever say to her child unless it’s an absolute emergency.”A dramatic pause sat between them, as if she expected Lilian to know.“Honey, go to the party.See your friends.Get drunk.”She thought about it for a second and then added, “Have sex.”
“Mom!”Laughter burst from her at the suggestion.“Please don’t say that ever again.”
“Well, it’s true.”Beatrice huffed.“Everyone needs to blow off steam sometimes, and you’ve been doing alot.You are working very hard, but you need to have fun, too.”
“I do have fun.At the faire.”
Her mother shook her head, gray curls bobbing.“No, the faire is work now.You might have fun there, but it's still work.You need to protect this.”She waved a hand at her daughter’s entire body.
Lilian didn’t know what to say.“My… heart?”
“Your spirit,” her mother clarified, as if it were obvious.“Right now, you love what you're doing.Don’t work so hard that you forget why you're doing it.”
Lilian stared at her mother, dumbfounded.“I… won’t.”
It was hard, yes.But she realized she loved the work.More than that, she thrived in it.Making the store more efficient, talking to other bookstore owners like Emily.Before, she’d just been a woman behind the counter, reading the day away.That wasn’t who she was anymore.Even if Ten Cents Books wasn’t hers, it was still a part of her.
From the look in her mother’s eyes, she could see that the other woman had come to that same realization.
“Good, now let’s close up.I’m tired.”
Lilian laughed as she nodded her assent.A smile cracked across her mother’s face, and for the first time in months, there was an air of normalcy between them.Lighter.They used to spend late nights at the store, talking about life, books, and relationships.That all stopped when her mother got sick and Lilian’s social life shrank down to almost nothing.
Things still weren’t perfect, but like with Bodice and Brawn, Lilian dared to hope this was a sign that things were finally going to get better.She typed out a quick reply before the motivation slipped away.
Fine, I’ll be there in an hour.
Pirate Queen Alex
Huzzah!
