Rain Drops

Chapter 20

After breakfast the next morning, Father came back to our house. Although he seemed cheerful, it looked like he was upset.

"Father!" said Mother, seeing him. "You're back late."

He smiled sadly.

"Yes," he replied. "The rain didn't let us finish in time."

Mother sighed and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I hope everything's all right with you."

Father sat down next to his wife and put his arm around her.

"Everything's fine, Mother, don't worry," said Father. "But I must tell you something."

Mother raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"What is it?" asked Mother.

Father hesitated for a moment before saying, "There's some trouble in Narnia."

"Oh," said Mother, looking confused. "How come?"

"Well… I was in the palace yesterday," continued Father. "One of the palace servants came here. She told me that your grandfather has returned from his journey and has ordered the servants at the palace to bring him inside for lunch. They'll be here any minute now."

"That's really unfortunate," replied Mother disappointedly. "If Grandpa returns, I guess we'll all go to the palace dining room."

"Don't worry about it, dear," said Dad. "Grandpa loves you too much to punish you for the slightest mistake."

"But it's true that he's coming back. That's good news," said Mom. "Let's just wait patiently, okay? Let's hope that he won't be angry."

Just then we heard footsteps approaching from the corridor. Seconds later, the door opened and three palace servants entered carrying a table. The table they carried was piled high with dishes, some of which I hadn't seen in years. As soon as he recognized me, the elderly man gave a hearty laugh.

"Ahh, my dears! What a pleasant surprise!" exclaimed Grandpa. "We've missed you, haven't we?"

"We certainly have, Grandpa," said Mother, smiling as she kissed her husband on his cheek.

Mom looked a little bit worried, however.

"Is that your grandmother and auntie?" asked Grandpa.

"No, Father's wife," replied Mother.

When I heard this, I looked up to see what Grandpa was looking at. From the kitchen, I could see three girls dressed in white dresses and aprons standing behind Grandpa, looking extremely nervous. Their expressions were completely different from those they showed on other occasions. One of them was staring at the floor with her hands covering her mouth in fear. Her hair was tied up tightly into a bun with two ribbons holding it together. Another girl, wearing red lipstick and thick eyeliner, was glaring at Grandpa angrily while fiddling with the ends of her skirt nervously. The third girl was standing a few paces away from the group and didn't seem as bothered as the others. Her face was calm and unruffled, and she was gazing quietly into a distance that nobody else could see. This girl was definitely pretty.

"Are they the daughters?" asked Grandpa.

"Yes," answered Mom. "They're both married, of course."

A small smile appeared on Grandpa's lips, revealing his teeth, which made me realize that he wasn't as old as I'd imagined.

"Are they all grown up?" asked Grandpa.

Mom nodded.

"And the eldest one is already engaged to a man named Richard Dormer," said Mom. "She's twenty years old, and she works as a cook in his castle."

The servants brought in the main dishes: soup, rice cakes, fresh fruits, vegetables, roast lamb, boiled eggs and potatoes, and several different dishes containing different types of fruits. There were also several glasses of juice. The young men began eating enthusiastically while the ladies were served with small plates of bread and fruit.

"Where did you find these lovely young ladies, Father?" asked Grandpa curiously after tasting the food.

"They're daughters of my colleague's son," replied Dad, chuckling. "His wife is pregnant and he's expecting a baby soon. So he decided to send the girls to me, so I could prepare them for their wedding. I hired them as assistants at the same time to serve me and my family during the year-end celebration."

"Why aren't you serving them as well as you serve us?" asked Grandpa surprised.

"Because I wouldn't want them to see me at my worst," replied Dad. "Besides, they' d better learn something about serving a nobleman than serving me."

"So are they beautiful?" asked Grandpa.

"As far as beauty goes," said Father, laughing. "It might be hard to tell."

Grandpa laughed as well, although slightly annoyed. After we finished eating, he took a few moments before speaking again.

"Father, are you going to leave the village now?" he asked.

Dad paused for a brief second before answering: "Yes, I think I should. It would be best if I left right away."

Grandpa frowned and scratched the back of his neck. His face turned grim.

"Do you know why your father has left town without telling anybody except for you and your mother?" he asked softly.

I looked at Mother, who was sitting next to me. I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes and I knew immediately that my parents weren't planning to take me with them when they left the village. But I couldn't understand why my father hadn't told anyone yet, unless he felt embarrassed about leaving his family and needed some more time to think about something to say to them.

"Tell me, please, Grandpa, what's happening?" I asked gently.

Grandpa hesitated and looked troubled. He seemed hesitant about what to say next. Finally, he spoke:

"Your father hasn't been well for quite some time," he said softly.

"Since we moved from Gondor?" asked Mom.

"No, since a long time ago," replied Grandpa. "He used to be healthy and strong. Now he looks as though he hasn't eaten anything for days or weeks. And when he speaks, he doesn't sound like his normal self. You may have heard that he started working in the mines a couple of months ago, but that's not unusual anymore. The mines in Narnia are growing in size and demand. He says that there are many ways of making money, but he still wants to become rich enough to help you and your mother."