Anne of Survivor

Chapitre Quatre: Parry

From the time Laveda returned home on that wonderful Monday afternoon until that very Wednesday morning, she had been cleaning. Her sister, Sophie, and the bar's owner, among others, could not imagine what had gotten into her. Nor did she waste time to give explanations. She wanted to have everything in her room cleaned before she bathed herself. She felt there was no sense in cleaning up if she were just going to lie back down upon a filthy bed. Therefore, Monday after splitting her money into two separate purses, hiding one beneath the floorboards, and the other under a piece of furniture, she ripped all the sheets and blankets from her bed. She then, took her meager bug infested mattress to her balcony and beat it over the ledge. Doing so in such a manner, released many roaches, spiders and other creepy-crawlies which had been living inside. Leaving the mattress on the balcony, she began to collect and get rid of the trash in the room.

Sophie, her poor sister, was lying in the corner of the room on the filthy blankets where Laveda had placed her. She wasn't quite sure who or what had lit a fire beneath her sister's petticoats but was afraid what it might mean. Laveda hadn't taken to cleaning in at least two years, and Sophie began to wonder if her elder sister was doing so now in order invite clients to their room.

The first day, Sophie didn't say a word. She merely lay on the blankets and watched as her sister swept, dusted, and threw things away. The next day appeared to be laundry day, and Laveda finally woke Sophie, so she could retrieve the blankets. She told Sophie she was sorry, but the blankets, like everything else, needed a good washing. When Sophie awakened, she looked about the room in amazement. Laveda, had cleaned every cobweb, removed all the trash and washed the few dishes they owned, two small cups, a chipped bowl and an old plate. Laveda had placed their mattress back on the wooden slats where it belonged and then lifted Sophie to the bed to get to the blankets. When Sophie finally asked her what she was doing, Laveda merely responded that she was cleaning. Then, she grabbed the blankets and left the room for at least an hour. When she returned, she was carrying three, dripping wet, tattered blankets. They smelled of something very sweet, but not too unpleasant. Laveda walked passed the bed to the balcony and heaved the blankets over the banister. Afterward, she went into a brown bag, took out a roll and handed it to Sophie; apologizing for not having fed her sooner. She then grabbed what little clothes they owned, a different brown bag, and headed back out.

After all was done late Tuesday afternoon, Laveda finally took a rest. She and her sister were still dingy, but at least all the blankets and clothes were clean and nearly dry. Then just as Laveda was about to crash on the bed next to her sister, there was a knock at the door. Laveda jumped up to see who it was while Sophie sat listening. Apparently, Laveda had received a letter and Swinfen, the barkeep/owner, didn't seem too happy about it; telling her she needed to get to work instead of waiting 'round for love letters. After a few 'yes sirs' and a promise to have the rent at the end of the week, Laveda shut the door. Sophie watched intently as her sister franticly opened the letter and smiled as she read it. Sophie couldn't take the suspense any longer. Whatever was happening to her sister affected her as well, and she demanded to know what was going on.

"Laveda, I understand I often look like a piece of furniture, but I am not. Please, tell me what has happened. Why are you suddenly behaving this way?"

Remembering her promise to Andrew, Laveda dodged her sister's question. "Aren't you tired of the filth? I know I am." But when Sophie, crossed her arms and raised her brow, Laveda knew she had to let her little sister in on her secret. She and Sophie only had one another, and if she couldn't trust her sister, she really had no one. Sighing heavily, she picked Sophie up and moved her to the center of the room. The walls of Swinfen's were thin, and she couldn't risk being overheard. Finally, in the voice of a field mouse, she told her sweet sister all about the handsome young man she'd met at the docks and how he promised to take care of her as long as she did a few simple tasks.