At the Bottom of Bermuda

The Bargain

The next morning, Emmeline awoke to the soft sound of birds chirping. She rolled over in bed to face the window, where she could see round little finches perched on the edge of the outside sill. She sat up slowly, placing her head in her hands and squeezing her temples to ease the pounding. Likely from the brew.

As she sluggishly worked through the motions of getting out of bed and dressing herself, she tried planning out her day. Unfortunately, the headache was clouding her abilities for optimal decision-making. In truth, she wanted to lay back down, but she had a favor to fulfill. Water, and maybe a slice of toast, would have to do.

The stairs felt steeper to her than they had the day prior. Carefully, as she leaned against the wall for support, she descended the steps one by one. Thankful to have finally reached the ground floor, she let out a sigh of relief. She then shuffled over to the kitchen area as quickly as she could manage.

"Top of the morning, my dear! How are you this fine morning?" The inn-keeper was bright and cheery, more so than Emmeline could handle.

"Mmm...I've been better," she croaked.

"Good heavens child, have you swallowed a toad? I suppose you could do with some tea. I've got just the thing."

Emmeline pulled out a chair and took a seat, setting her head down on the table. The inn-keeper brought out a mug of tea and a small saucer of biscuits.

"I hadn't realized you had so much to drink last night," she chuckled. "This here tea should do you well. It's got ginger, a sprig of mint, a few drops of lemon, and a teaspoon of honey."

Emmeline took a sip and enjoyed the sensation of the soothing tea traveling down her throat and warming her belly. "This tea is delicious, it was just what I needed." She took another sip. "I don't think I ever caught your name ma'am."

"You can call me Mrs. Thomas," she paused, debating whether to continue. "That's my maiden name, I gave up my husband's name when we came here. I suppose it made more sense that way. He was Fijian, Kona's father. That's where his name comes from, Kona's I mean. We met when he came with his crew to New Zealand to exchange domestic goods. We miss him so," she sighed sadly. "We know exactly how you feel, dearie. All of us. So never let yourself feel alone here." She attempted a small smile and squeezed Emmeline's arm gently.

"Thank you, Mrs. Thomas." Emmeline smiled back. "By the way, where is Kona?"

"Oh yes, he went into town. Said something about running a few errands before coming back to help you with a favor"

"Ah, yes, well...I must be off. My time is limited and I can't afford to wait," she sipped the last of the tea and shoved the biscuits in her pockets. "You wouldn't happen to have a net, would you?"

"I can't say I do. But I would ask the butcher just a few shops down. He'd probably have an extra to lend."

"Thank you, Mrs. Thomas!"

The entry bell of Matheus' Meats jingled as Emmeline stepped inside. Lining the walls were various mounted animal heads, with heavily salted pig legs hanging from the ceiling. Ahead was the counter of meats covered with a rounded glass pane, displaying all the different cuts the shop had to offer. A tall, dark, handsome man stood behind the counter, assisting a customer with their order. Emmeline walked up to the counter and watched the exchange.

"Alright George, two kilos of pork belly and a whole hen. That'll be a bag of rice and a fruit basket."

"Pleasure doing business, 'Theus," George placed the rice and fruits on the end of the counter, collected his order from the butcher, and was off on his merry way.