Lackadaisy

Chapter One.

  I sighed as I hung the sky-blue dress onto the hanging line. That was the last one. I stretched upward, yawning. I was getting a bit tired. The sky was darkening as well. I trudged across the grass, finally making it to the door. I knocked, waiting for an answer. When a middle-aged woman with a pointed nose answered, I smiled politely, before speaking.

   "Mrs. Montmorency, all the clothes have been hung up," I say. "Ah, yes, thank you for letting me know," she sniffs, reaching into her purse. "Best be on your way now." she says, curtly. I look into the palm of my hand, only to find a couple coppers. "Mrs. Montmorency, I thought you said eleven coppers?" I asked, trying to be reasonable. "Well, once I saw what a shabby job you did, I changed my mind!" she huffed. 

   I breathed in and out, trying to keep my calm. "You promised me eleven coppers, and you only gave me eight." I repeated. "I won't give you one bit more!" she screeched. I sighed, turned around, and started to leave. Some people just won't listen. "Haughty old puff," I whispered under my breath, just loud enough for her to hear. "Well, I never!" she exclaimed.

   I shuffled along the muddy path, not caring that my already ruined dress was getting caked in mud. As I neared the house, I stopped at the bread stall. "Hello Louis, two loaves of bread please," I sighed. The crabby old man glared at me, before setting down two crusty pieces of bread. "Five coppers each," he grunted. "What?!" I exclaimed, "They were four last time!" "Prices change!" he yelled. "And ye know I don't give out charity," he spat. 

   Ugh. "Okay, how about this," I reasoned. "I'll give you eight coppers, and you give me one and a half pieces of bread! You'll be getting a half copper more than your price!" He glared at me, once again. "Fine." he relented, unhappily. I handed him the money, and practically skipped home. I chewed the stale bread, it being the first meal I had today, excluding father's leftovers from this morning. 

   Louis's bread was far from tasty, but it was what had kept me fed. Father rarely gives me enough to eat, though he does make sure I stay alive. I'd guess that's the most I could expect from him. His prices were low enough so that I could afford to buy it every day, which was what I needed right now.

  I had three coppers left over, so I'd put them in my savings. Currently, I had six coppers in there. On days when I couldn't find any work, I'd have to use my savings to buy bread, so that's why there was so little.

   Carefully, I approached the house, and peeked inside the window. I didn't see any sign of Father. Relieved, I opened the door and walked in the small house. I walked into my room, which was even smaller. Carefully, I tipped open my savings jar, which I kept hidden safely under my ragged bed. 

   Tired, I flopped down onto the bed, ready to think over the events of the day. "What are you up to?" A dreaded voice says. Surprised, I jolt upright, cautious. "Father," I say carefully, "I was just sitting here." He laughs, and it's an unpleasant sound. Suddenly, though, his expression turns serious. "Being lazy as always, I see." he says, disdainfully.

   For a second though, he looks me up and down. "You've grown up," he mutters, and then laughs, again. "I'm going down to the pub. Catch a few drinks, and maybe some gambling too," he chuckles. After he exits the room, I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

   After Mother died, when I was seven or so, Father became unbearable. Whenever I cried, he got angry, and yelled at me. Once, when I was in my teens, I was 'rude' to him, and he slapped me, square across the face. I was so in shock that I remembered it for a long time to come. Luckily though, he's not home much. 

   He frequents the pub a little while away, and comes home with empty pockets. Often, he comes home in the middle of the night, in an irritable mood because he lost some money gambling. I never wanted to be the at the attention of his anger, so I always stayed far from him on those days.

   I groan as I lie down on the bed, my back aching from hanging Montmorency's clothes. Just because she's got a bit of money, she likes to wave it all in our faces. There were no other options today though. It was wash for her, or no job today. I usually worked if I could, it was essential to my survival here. 

   Pondering the events of the day, I lie in my bed, my feet sticking out a little. After a while, I fall into a deep sleep.