look at was Rob, a pleading look for help.
Unt could appreciate how Tressa felt, the humiliation of public rejection. “She won’t look at me,” he whispered to Bull.
Bull shrugged. “Who cares? You get to look at her and that’s the point.
“I’d kind of like my wife to like me back,” said Unt.
Bull gave him a stony look, “Don’t worry, mate, she’ll come round. You might be miserable and pig-ugly to boot, but you’re a decent bloke and she’ll come round in the end.”
“Could we have silence, please?” Kelly spoke to the room but looked at Bull.
Bull kept his tongue for almost a minute before he launched back in with a furious whisper. “Look, she might be all into Rob right now but it’s just a teenage crush. Look at all the couples around town and all their happy families. Don’t think they never had eyes for someone else. They got what they got and learned to live with it. Just give her time.”
Kelly fixed Bull with another stare and he shut up but he’d already said his piece. The words had had an impact upon Unt and he felt hope inside him. Bull was right; this was the wrong time to worry about it. Crystal would need time to learn to like him but he had years to win her over. As the draw rolled on, he began to feel good about himself.
He felt even better when Bull’s name was drawn. He’d been so caught up in himself that he’d forgotten about his friend. From out of the blue, he was pulled by an Educator called Min. It didn’t seem the likeliest of matches and this girl had never featured in one of Bull’s boastful projections but right now he was looking like the cat with the cream.
Unt was happy, Bull was happy and now he remembered Mélie. He’d forgotten she’d got an Educator’s post and now he wanted her to do well. She had always been nice and she deserved a bit of happiness. Unt thought he would have been happy with Mélie if he hadn’t got Crystal.
He could see her sleek hair off to his left. Her head was unmoving as she waited for her number. The field had thinned and there was a mix of decent guys and bad ones. He was relieved when she got a clerk called Durum. He was a bit weedy and a bit boring but at least he wasn’t like Colun.
Colun got some other poor soul. It would have been better if it had been Olissa and they could have had a lifetime grating on each other but Olissa drew someone else. She got a cartwright named Mitt who was as plain in looks as he was in wit. Unt felt a shameful bit of pleasure at her less-than-happy look.
Unt had thought that that was the last bit of interest for him but he’d forgotten one person. Once more, Rob had yet to be drawn. Unt had forgotten to even look at him after Crystal picked himself. Now would Rob show the same emotion as his father? Would the same furious look be set upon Unt?
He glanced over in a rush, half afraid to do so, but Rob wasn’t looking at him. He only had eyes for Crystal and he stared at her, unblinking. His whole body was a statue, immune to proceedings around him. If his name had come up, he wouldn’t have noticed, he was so intense.
For Unt, it brought doubts about Crystal flooding back. If she felt the way for Rob that he clearly felt for her, Bull’s reassurances stood for nothing. For the first time in his life, Unt felt jealousy: proper jealousy, not your day-to-day, grass-is-greener outlook on the little things. It was absurd because it was Rob who should be jealous but that was definitely what he felt.
With an effort, Unt decided that he would be the better man. He would will a bit of fortune on Rob. In all honesty, Rob had done nothing to deserve his appalling luck today and another girl might be some crumb of comfort to him.
The remaining girls were probably eying him up too. They’d been given a chance that they’d never thought they’d have. That made a second person who would benefit from Rob getting a partner and there was the added bonus that a wife for Rob might help split the
Unt could appreciate how Tressa felt, the humiliation of public rejection. “She won’t look at me,” he whispered to Bull.
Bull shrugged. “Who cares? You get to look at her and that’s the point.
“I’d kind of like my wife to like me back,” said Unt.
Bull gave him a stony look, “Don’t worry, mate, she’ll come round. You might be miserable and pig-ugly to boot, but you’re a decent bloke and she’ll come round in the end.”
“Could we have silence, please?” Kelly spoke to the room but looked at Bull.
Bull kept his tongue for almost a minute before he launched back in with a furious whisper. “Look, she might be all into Rob right now but it’s just a teenage crush. Look at all the couples around town and all their happy families. Don’t think they never had eyes for someone else. They got what they got and learned to live with it. Just give her time.”
Kelly fixed Bull with another stare and he shut up but he’d already said his piece. The words had had an impact upon Unt and he felt hope inside him. Bull was right; this was the wrong time to worry about it. Crystal would need time to learn to like him but he had years to win her over. As the draw rolled on, he began to feel good about himself.
He felt even better when Bull’s name was drawn. He’d been so caught up in himself that he’d forgotten about his friend. From out of the blue, he was pulled by an Educator called Min. It didn’t seem the likeliest of matches and this girl had never featured in one of Bull’s boastful projections but right now he was looking like the cat with the cream.
Unt was happy, Bull was happy and now he remembered Mélie. He’d forgotten she’d got an Educator’s post and now he wanted her to do well. She had always been nice and she deserved a bit of happiness. Unt thought he would have been happy with Mélie if he hadn’t got Crystal.
He could see her sleek hair off to his left. Her head was unmoving as she waited for her number. The field had thinned and there was a mix of decent guys and bad ones. He was relieved when she got a clerk called Durum. He was a bit weedy and a bit boring but at least he wasn’t like Colun.
Colun got some other poor soul. It would have been better if it had been Olissa and they could have had a lifetime grating on each other but Olissa drew someone else. She got a cartwright named Mitt who was as plain in looks as he was in wit. Unt felt a shameful bit of pleasure at her less-than-happy look.
Unt had thought that that was the last bit of interest for him but he’d forgotten one person. Once more, Rob had yet to be drawn. Unt had forgotten to even look at him after Crystal picked himself. Now would Rob show the same emotion as his father? Would the same furious look be set upon Unt?
He glanced over in a rush, half afraid to do so, but Rob wasn’t looking at him. He only had eyes for Crystal and he stared at her, unblinking. His whole body was a statue, immune to proceedings around him. If his name had come up, he wouldn’t have noticed, he was so intense.
For Unt, it brought doubts about Crystal flooding back. If she felt the way for Rob that he clearly felt for her, Bull’s reassurances stood for nothing. For the first time in his life, Unt felt jealousy: proper jealousy, not your day-to-day, grass-is-greener outlook on the little things. It was absurd because it was Rob who should be jealous but that was definitely what he felt.
With an effort, Unt decided that he would be the better man. He would will a bit of fortune on Rob. In all honesty, Rob had done nothing to deserve his appalling luck today and another girl might be some crumb of comfort to him.
The remaining girls were probably eying him up too. They’d been given a chance that they’d never thought they’d have. That made a second person who would benefit from Rob getting a partner and there was the added bonus that a wife for Rob might help split the
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