Across the Years

Chapter 13: Not in Our Stars

Lisa's POV

As Jennie and her father ate breakfast, we prepared a simple porridge for the 3 guests at the inn that had requested breakfast. I delivered that then helped clear the table as Jennie and her father had finished eating breakfast. Once that was done Ryeowook the cook, made a simple but hardy meal for us. It consisted of eggs, bacon, toast and milk that had been squeezed from a cow only a few hours earlier. The milk was a bit different, but I was hungry and didn't care. The food was actually pretty good.

Once our breakfast was prepared we ate, in the kitchen. Being new, they asked me a few more questions about America, California and the old west. I stuck with my cover story and answered the questions as best I could.

After eating, Luna was assigned to cleaning dishes and the kitchen and Mrs. Suzy took me to help with some of the household duties. I could only imagine what she'd have me do first.

From a closet, she pulled out a greenish ceramic pot with a lid and handed it to me.

"Your first duties will be to empty the slop or if you're not familiar with it. Take this pot and empty the chamber pots in Mr. Kim and Miss Jennie's bedrooms. Once the slop is emptied into the privy outside, you will take the soap from the downstairs closet and thoroughly clean both the slop bucket and chamber pots. Once cleaned and dried, they should be put back under the beds. Once you're done with that, you can assist me in changing the linens"

Chamber pot? Seriously you said chamber pot? Oh goodie, I travel back more than a hundred years and I get to do what for the girl of my dreams? Clean her up her piss, that's what! It took every bit acting skill I had, not to visibly cringe at the thought of it.

I just bowed slightly, grabbed the slop bucket and set off to work. Heading upstairs, I first went to Mr. Kim room and looked under the bed where I spotted the white ceramic chamber pot. Pulling it out I did cringe as I could see it had been used.

"So Lisa, how did you spend your summer vacation?" I muttered as I emptied the vessel.

Next was Jennie's, but I felt much different as I crept into her room. Though I had perfect reason to be there, I felt like an intruder as I crept into the empty room. Mrs. Suzy told me, Jennie had gone riding this morning and wouldn't be back until lunch.

The first thing I noticed was the faint smell of wildflowers. I could see a bunch in a vase by her bed. The room had a large 4 poster bed, an antique dresser and a vanity table with chair. There was also a large trunk at the foot of the bed and a small bookcase in the corner.

I was in her room, though on one level I felt like an intruder, I also felt an odd thrill as I walked to her dresser to see her things laid neatly out on the dresser. I picked up a comb; it was the very same come that in 2014 I would find a single strand of hair on it. It looked much newer and had a lot more hairs caught in it. It felt so strange to be holding it again.

But I quickly snapped out of my reverie as I realized, that messing around in Jennie's room, would not be a good idea. So I retrieved the chamber pot and did my duty, despite how disgusting it was.

When I was done with the rather horrible job of emptying and cleaning the chamber pots, I helped Mrs. Suzy change the linens then I scrubbed the pantry floor, after that I polished the sliver. In this household, there was always something to do and always something the needed cleaning.

Before I knew it lunch had come around and I was once again tasked to help with making and serving of lunch. Actually by the time I had arrived, Luna and Ryeowook had almost already finished making it. I would be serving lunch and helping with cleanup. Lunch today consisted of a vegetable soup, assorted cut meat and cheeses and a pudding for dessert.