move it off the fire. The door to the kitchen opened and Anna turned away from the stove to greet her mother and the young man who’d come to visit her.
“Anna,” her mother instructed, “you may use the good teacups.”
Anna thanked her and her mother left the door open as she disappeared into the front of the house. Anna smiled at Colin and he smiled shyly back at her, exhaling slowly because he’d known how audacious it had been to call on a middleclass Englishman’s daughter. But Anna had begged him to come, and he’d desperately wanted to see her again, so he’d risked the humiliation, even getting fired from his job, just to take this chance.
Anna set a teacup and saucer on the table for him and invited him to sit down, but he didn’t touch his tea. He continued to finger his hat with the same nervous and excited energy, even though her mother had obviously let him in. The worst part was over. Anna sat across from him.
“We serve the priest tea in these cups,” she whispered.
“She can’t think that highly of Mister Wrightson,” Colin whispered back.
Anna bit her lip, trying not to giggle, but it didn’t help. “Just be glad she didn’t ask you about your religion. She can overlook everything else.” Anna was still whispering, but she knew if they didn’t start speaking normally, her mother would come back to see why.
Colin smiled at her again, and even his eyes seemed to laugh with her. “Then I’ll convert.” And he didn’t bother whispering that part.
Anna stirred her tea, but only to give her something to do because she was embarrassed. She still didn’t know what this boy saw in her, why he was here when she had been so honest with him, probably too honest. She was forthcoming to a fault, or at least that’s what her mother told her.
She glanced at his untouched cup of tea and the fluttering in her stomach grew stronger. “Do you not like tea? Do you not drink tea in Ireland? I can make you something else.”
Colin was still smiling at her. “I like tea. I’m just really nervous and don’t want to spill it all over myself. I’m trying to make a good first impression. Or second. I guess this is really a second, isn’t it?”
Anna tried to remember the polite kinds of questions a hostess would ask her guest, but her mind was empty, and she found herself blurting out the most random details about herself or asking him the most personal questions about himself, and she’d blush and look down at her tea again, but Colin laughed and always answered her anyway. And he assured her he loved hearing everything she wanted to share about herself, and soon, the afternoon had passed and he had to leave. Anna’s mother walked him back to the parlor and she listened breathlessly as Colin asked if he could call on her again.
The dream faded, and the kitchen where she’d had tea with Colin dissolved into a desert, overbearingly hot and dry with gusty winds blowing grains of sand into her eyes and skin like sharp beads of shrapnel. Anna tried to shield her eyes from the glaring sun and the stinging wind with her forearm, but it did little good. She turned slowly in a circle, but she was surrounded by sand dunes and nothing else. The sun shone down on her in its merciless full force from the center of the bright blue sky. Another hot gust of air hit her and she stumbled backwards and fell into the scorching sand.
Anna yelped from the burning pain and tried to lift herself to her feet, but the sand kept shifting underneath her, and she slid down onto her hands and knees. She was sure she would go blind soon, either from the reflection of the sun shining in her eyes or the sand scratching her corneas. She could feel the blisters forming on the palms of her hands already from the sweltering heat of the sand. The intensity of the sun’s rays would soon burn her skin, and there was no shade anywhere around her.
Anna managed to get on her knees then kept her weight on one foot. When she’d
“Anna,” her mother instructed, “you may use the good teacups.”
Anna thanked her and her mother left the door open as she disappeared into the front of the house. Anna smiled at Colin and he smiled shyly back at her, exhaling slowly because he’d known how audacious it had been to call on a middleclass Englishman’s daughter. But Anna had begged him to come, and he’d desperately wanted to see her again, so he’d risked the humiliation, even getting fired from his job, just to take this chance.
Anna set a teacup and saucer on the table for him and invited him to sit down, but he didn’t touch his tea. He continued to finger his hat with the same nervous and excited energy, even though her mother had obviously let him in. The worst part was over. Anna sat across from him.
“We serve the priest tea in these cups,” she whispered.
“She can’t think that highly of Mister Wrightson,” Colin whispered back.
Anna bit her lip, trying not to giggle, but it didn’t help. “Just be glad she didn’t ask you about your religion. She can overlook everything else.” Anna was still whispering, but she knew if they didn’t start speaking normally, her mother would come back to see why.
Colin smiled at her again, and even his eyes seemed to laugh with her. “Then I’ll convert.” And he didn’t bother whispering that part.
Anna stirred her tea, but only to give her something to do because she was embarrassed. She still didn’t know what this boy saw in her, why he was here when she had been so honest with him, probably too honest. She was forthcoming to a fault, or at least that’s what her mother told her.
She glanced at his untouched cup of tea and the fluttering in her stomach grew stronger. “Do you not like tea? Do you not drink tea in Ireland? I can make you something else.”
Colin was still smiling at her. “I like tea. I’m just really nervous and don’t want to spill it all over myself. I’m trying to make a good first impression. Or second. I guess this is really a second, isn’t it?”
Anna tried to remember the polite kinds of questions a hostess would ask her guest, but her mind was empty, and she found herself blurting out the most random details about herself or asking him the most personal questions about himself, and she’d blush and look down at her tea again, but Colin laughed and always answered her anyway. And he assured her he loved hearing everything she wanted to share about herself, and soon, the afternoon had passed and he had to leave. Anna’s mother walked him back to the parlor and she listened breathlessly as Colin asked if he could call on her again.
The dream faded, and the kitchen where she’d had tea with Colin dissolved into a desert, overbearingly hot and dry with gusty winds blowing grains of sand into her eyes and skin like sharp beads of shrapnel. Anna tried to shield her eyes from the glaring sun and the stinging wind with her forearm, but it did little good. She turned slowly in a circle, but she was surrounded by sand dunes and nothing else. The sun shone down on her in its merciless full force from the center of the bright blue sky. Another hot gust of air hit her and she stumbled backwards and fell into the scorching sand.
Anna yelped from the burning pain and tried to lift herself to her feet, but the sand kept shifting underneath her, and she slid down onto her hands and knees. She was sure she would go blind soon, either from the reflection of the sun shining in her eyes or the sand scratching her corneas. She could feel the blisters forming on the palms of her hands already from the sweltering heat of the sand. The intensity of the sun’s rays would soon burn her skin, and there was no shade anywhere around her.
Anna managed to get on her knees then kept her weight on one foot. When she’d
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