Magic in May

He was a mountain of a man. That is what Mama used to say about Papa. He was originally from the mountains; so it was not an unique idea of course. But Mama was referring to his size, he was a head taller than the men in our town, and his eyes were darker than most of the men; he always looked to have an otherworldly look about him. As he laid in front of me, on the sick bed; it was hard to imagine him as anything other than the man that was in front of me. The illness had left him weak and frail, his age had already left him different than what I knew him to be. It put an ache in my heart to see this once strong man brought down so low. Even his calloused hands felt weak in my own hand. His breath was getting weaker now. "Papa. Papa. I love you." I whispered. He hadn't woken up for a few hours now. I didn't want to wake him up of course, I wanted him to get better, and he couldn't get better without his rest. His eyes fluttered a bit, it took a moment and then he was able to focus on me at his bedside. He licked his lips, "my flower..." "I'm here Papa." He took a shaky breath and put a hand to my cheek affectionately. Staining his hand with my tears. "You look...so much like her..." I smiled through the tears, "Mama always said I looked more like you Papa." "Ah, my Marigold...The prettiest woman in all of Greenwood...and she chose me...a sheepherder from the Mountains..." "She loved you Papa." "I miss her smile...but when you smile...I see her..." Through the tears that were burning my cheeks I turned around and made sure that Mr. Corbin Cornell was out of ear shot of the room. This may be my last chance. A good daughter might have chosen a far better moment, to talk about this. But I felt my world beginning to tilt out of control. Would I lose my Papa and my freedom in one day? I had to try and convince Pape one last time. "Papa..." He narrowed his eyes. He knew what I was trying to do. "It has all been arranged... You will be cared for.." He said firmly. "I beg you to reconsider..." I pleaded softly. I was worried that Corbin Cornell would be eavesdropping. "My flower. You're the most...precious thing in my life...You will not be left alone...You will not be thrown into the streets after my death... You will be fine..." "I can take care of myself...I have the farm...Mr. Cornell-" "Mr. Cornell is better than most. He will care for you... We have a contract... and he won't break the contract between him and I even after my passing..." "But Papa-" "My flower, promise me that you will try... I know this path isn't one that you saw yourself traveling down. But I am honoring your Mama's wishes as well...She charged me to love you and care for you....I will not be here much longer my child....I will die with an good conscious knowing that you are provided for. That you will be married...you will have land... and you will have children of your own... Promise me that you will try to reciprocate his affections...The two of you used to be.... sweethearts..." "When we were eight Papa..." "Then lets pray that the feelings have grown into admiration and affection with time..." I was going to argue with him to tell him that Corbin Cornell had changed with time. No longer was he the sweet little boy who would bring her a fist full of wild flowers; nor was he the same boy who would help me catch crawdads in the lake's shallows. He had changed into a greedy man who felt that the world owed him something. He was not someone I would have chosen for myself, and I desperately wanted to tell Papa, what type of man his business partner was. But Papa fell into a fit of violent coughing. I quickly grabbed the cup of water that was on the night stand. I tried to press the cup to his lips but his coughing did not allow him a moment. I heard Corbin come into the room - his thick heavy boots on the groaning floor boards made my skin crawl because I was overly aware of his presence. "I can take over here Honoria. You need your rest." His hand was suddenly on my shoulder. I looked up at him in surprise. He had very fair features, with ashy blonde hair and warmer brown eyes. He was tall, and he was neither fat nor thin. His hands were not calloused, instead his hands were normally stained with ink from being a clerk. He was a land owner, yet he never dealt with his tenants and he seemed more pleased to deal with the paper work side of the business arrangement. It was his best friend and other business associate Fabian Geoffroy was the one who dealt with the tenants and any other interaction with people. Fabian had a reputation of being slimy and dishonest, and that is the type of company that Corbin kept. His hand was still on my shoulder as I rose from my seat. I held my fathers hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He gave me a small smile. My vision blurred from the tears a little as I leaned down to kiss my fathers forehead. "Goodnight Papa. I will see you in the morning." "Goodnight my flower." I moved so that Corbin could sit own. I was about to leave the room when Corbin called after me, "Goodnight Honoria." "Goodnight Mr. Cornell." I offered in a small curtsey. I tried not to allow any venom in my voice, but it was hard to be in the same room as him. My Papa had a small farmhouse. With just two bedrooms and a kitchen, it was the land and the animals that was sprawling. We had many fine horses, sheep, cows and many fine green acers of land. Papa was a well off man; but we were by no means a rich family. Papa had often told me that the land, the house, and the animals would all be part of my inheritance. But when my Papa passes, everything will go to my new guardian and future husband...Corbin Cornell.