When We Fall

Chapter 16

                                                                            N O V E M B E R

Leigh's arms ached as she swung her axe into a sturdy log that propped up against a old tree stump. The log split in half as the axe cracked through, the noise echoing into the snow-dressed trees. There was an eerie stillness throughout the woods outside of the Marlow home. No animals chittering, no wind blowing, just steady silence. All but for the sound of wood being spliced through loudly. 

Leigh was bundled up in the freezing weather, a thick wool scarf wrapped around her neck, covering her chin and mouth. She could feel the fabric of her cotton hand mitts wearing thin the more she chopped the firewood, which she had been doing about three times a day. Henry hadn't been visiting in the last three days since the fiasco with Kitty had ensued, so all the housework was up to Ida and Leigh, while Kitty had developed a cough and wasn't supposed to be overexerting herself. 

Leigh didn't mind the work. In fact, she preferred it over being inside cooking or doing her cross-stitching. She quite liked the beauty of the still, white woods, and the quietness it held. In the last few days while she stood outside chopping wood, she pondered the recent events. Though she was still confident in her resentment toward Henry, she was confused about the whole engagement. Kitty did seem happy with Henry, and it did seem to bring her joy to do housework, unlike herself. Of course, Leigh believed the wedding was extremely premature and Kitty deserved more time to decide what she wanted to do with her life, but the only thing holding her happiness together was Henry. 

No matter how hard she tried, Leigh couldn't think about anything but the engagement. After all these months, it was still festering up her nerves. She tried to shake the thought from her brain as she picked up the firewood and set it across her arms. While turning around to go back inside, she saw a figure immerging from behind the trees and unsettled snow in the air. Dressed in all black, standing out in the milky white forest, was Henry. Leigh stayed still as he approached. The usual anger she felt toward him wasn't there. Instead, it was a heavy numbness that rotted her brain away the longer she stood there. In that moment she felt complete and utter indifference. 

With his head hanging toward the ground as he walked, Henry didn't notice Leigh standing there until he was only a yard away. When he saw her, he stopped in his tracks. There was no words spoken as he stared at her, and then he continued to walk. 

"Hey, Leigh," He said quietly. 

"Hey," She said. Just then she remembered the heavy weight of the firewood in her arms, and got the urge to set them down. She began walking to the front door. "You came to see Kitty?" She knew he did, but the silence was getting awkward. 

"Yeah." He said bluntly. After climbing on the porch and freeing her hand to open the door, Leigh turned back and saw Henry just standing there, before the stairs. He was like a statue staring at the steps, as if he was afraid they were icy and he might slip. 

"You coming in?" Leigh asked. Henry regained his focus and looked up at her, his eyes as lifeless as she had ever seen them. 

"I'm, uh-" He glanced back down at the ground. "I'm still thinking out what I'm going to say to her." At that instant Leigh's chest felt like it had caved in. Was he calling off the engagement? Was that why he was here? She assumed it was to talk about the other day, but she could be wrong. Unlike how she predicted, Leigh did not feel excited. Honestly, she was terrified. Terrified to see how Kitty would react, how far down this would push her. She felt the urge to lock the door behind her and stop him from doing anything. But she couldn't. Besides, wasn't this what she wanted? "I thought the walk here was long enough but I'm... I just need some time to think." Leigh swallowed away the dryness in her throat and nodded.