Chapter 4 #2
“Well, we’re not going to fix that if you sit around whining all the time,” Mark said, wheeling a barrow of broken-up rocks to be melted down.
He was a new addition to the smelter gang.
After upsetting his shift boss in the mine, a grumpy refugee man named Douglas, Mark had been reassigned again.
He’d also managed to upset the town sheriff, among others. It was his fourth job so far.
“You’re not even supposed to be working here,” Trevor spat. He stuck out his pointed chin, and Thomas stepped between the men.
“All right, enough,” he said, fed up. “No one needs that kind of attitude here. We’re all working toward the same goal; it doesn’t matter if we’re in the mines or up here. So, let’s not fall further behind, and let’s get to work.”
Mark smiled easily and carried on with his task. Trevor, on the other hand, scowled and grumbled, stomping off to man the kiln.
“What was that about?” Ethan asked as he came up to Thomas.
“Nothing much,” Thomas said. “Just two fellows having a heated debate about territory.”
“Great, because we don’t have enough to do,” Ethan moaned. “Can you keep an eye on them for me?”
“Of course,” Thomas said. Although a part of his mind was firmly on Clary.
Every time he thought about her, he felt his lips pull up into a smile.
It still hadn’t sunk into his brain that she was really there in Unity, and he could see her every day.
It was so exciting that he had to force himself to focus and not burn himself or anyone else with the hot slag that came out of the kiln.
Keeping an eye on Trevor and Mark was a good way to distract himself from daydreaming about Clary, which might prove dangerous. So, he spent the rest of the day ready to jump into action should it be necessary. However, no one picked a fight, and the work went well.
“A couple more days like this and we won’t be behind anymore,” Ethan said happily.
“Let’s hope we get a few more,” Thomas said.
Ethan nodded. He knew what Thomas meant—how it was impossible to plan in Unity with the bandit attacks and other disasters that tended to happen. It certainly was the kind of place that kept a person on their toes.
When the day was done, Thomas went home to wash and change. He was looking forward to dinner immensely.
He donned a clean white shirt and gray trousers. The matching jacket was far too hot to wear, but he brought it with him, just in case. He slung it over his shoulder as he walked to the boarding house.
There, he found Clary waiting for him on the porch. She looked lovely in a pale yellow dress with green flowers.
Thomas’s heart thudded in his chest. “You look so beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you,” Clary said brightly. “You look very handsome. I think my mother, who was a teacher, would have used the word suave.”
A nervous laugh burst out of Thomas. “Really? You think so?”
Clary nodded. “Definitely.”
“Shall we go, my lady?” he asked, bowing theatrically, resorting to humor because he was suddenly very nervous.
Clary chuckled, smiling brightly at him. “We have to wait for Evelyn. She met Felix today.” Her expression became strained. Thomas understood why. Felix was something of a town problem even though the old man was nice enough. He was a walking, talking vice magnet.
“Oh dear,” Thomas said. “Did he con her out of money? Because we can get it back. Emily is very strict with him about that.”
“Who is Emily?”
“She’s his niece and the local schoolteacher. She tries her best to keep him in line, but Felix is a challenge,” Thomas said. That was putting it mildly.
Clary looked back at the boarding house door. “What is keeping her?”
She went back inside, and Thomas waited on the porch. After a minute or so, he became aware of raised voices.
“… so what?” a petulant voice yelled. “I don’t want to go with you!”
“Evelyn!”
“Clarinda!”
Silence.
Was it wrong to listen to a fight that you couldn’t help but overhear? Thomas wasn’t sure about the rules here.
“I can’t leave you alone. You’ve proven that far too many times.”
“I’m not your problem, Clary! I can take care of myself!”
“Really? All right then. You’re on your own. Don’t expect me to bail you out when you get yourself into more than you can handle!”
“I won’t!”
A door slammed, and a moment later, Clary appeared. She was red in the face and clearly livid.
She slammed the door behind her and stomped down the steps to the street. When she got there, she turned and fixed Thomas with an angry glare. “Are you coming or what?”
“Sorry,” he said, realizing that he hadn’t moved. “Are you okay?” He strode up to her, and they started off down the street.
“Sure! I’m peachy,” Clary snapped.
“Are you sure? Do you want to leave it like that?” Thomas asked. “We can skip dinner if you like. Really, if you want to tal?—”
“Look, Thomas. This is something that happens with sisters. Sometimes we want to kill each other, and it’s best if one of us walks away,” Clary interrupted him sharply. “Didn’t the same thing ever happen with you and Luke?”
“Luke and I would just hit each other and then give up when we both had bloody noses,” Thomas said simply. “We never yelled like that. Maybe it’s because we were boys, and it was easier to punch than talk.”
Clary sighed. “You heard what we said?”
“I think all of Unity heard,” he said.
“Ugh! Great! Now I’m one of the unstable, hysterical sisters. Wonderful!” she groaned. “I’m really not an angry person. I think it’s just Evelyn. She makes me so mad I could spit.”
Thomas walked beside her in silence for a few steps and then offered her his arm. She hesitated a moment before taking it.
“No one here is perfect,” he said. “We fight from time to time. We disagree and bicker, but deep down we know it’s not real. We don’t really want to kill each other, even if in the moment it seems like it. No one will judge you for being angry at Evelyn and having a spat. You’ll see.”
“Thanks. But it’s not fair that I take out my anger at my ridiculous sibling on you,” she said, “Especially when you’ve been so kind. I’m really sorry.”
He shrugged and patted her hand. “Think nothing of it. Luke could be so condescending that sometimes I wanted to strangle him in his sleep. So, one night, while he was asleep, I shaved his right eyebrow off.”
“So, it’s not just me?”
“Not at all. Family is hard.”
“What happened when Luke woke up minus an eyebrow?” Clary asked.
Thomas chuckled. “He didn’t say a thing. He didn’t complain to our father or anything. Instead, he waited until that night and shaved my left eyebrow off. We were the laughingstock of our town for ages for that prank. It taught us a thing or two.”
“I’ll bet,” Clary said, smiling. “Family always seems like a mountain that just keeps getting higher. The more you climb it, the more there is to still climb just to get along.”
Thomas had never thought of it like that. Especially not since he’d moved to Unity in the early days when they were looking for miners. He hadn’t looked back, and a bit of space between him and Luke had done wonders. Now they were friends, writing to each other regularly.
“Maybe you just need to give Evelyn some space to make her mistakes in,” he said. “If she doesn’t have you constantly looking out for her, she’ll have to learn to look after herself. Then I think things between you will be better. You know, two trees can’t grow in each other’s shadows.”
She stopped walking and turned to him, letting go of his arm. “Where did that come from?”
“I think I read it somewhere,” he admitted, missing her touch already. “It’s true, no matter where it came from.”
Clary nodded and then, rising on her toes, she lightly kissed his cheek above the beard. Then she giggled. “Your beard tickled my chin.”
“Sorry, I can shave it off,” Thomas said.
She shook her head. “Nah, I like it. And thank you for your wise words. I’m lucky to have you to help me.”
Thomas offered her his arm again, and she took it. “I’m the lucky one.”