A Blue Mountain Memory

XII

Cora sat at the kitchen table, squinting her eyes in the dim candlelight so as not to lose sight of the thin needle that she wove in and out of the torn cotton. She listened to her father's snoring in the other room, feeling soothed by its soft and rhythmic rumble. Lee climbed down from the loft with a book in hand, as usual. He plopped it onto the table and pulled up a chair beside Cora.

"What book is it this week?" she asked in a snarky tone.

"Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte," he responded, opening the book to where he left off.

"I thought her name was Charlotte?" Cora asked, looking up from her sewing.

"That's her sister, Cora. There were three of them. Her sister wrote Jane Eyre," Lee rolled his eyes.

"Right, like I care about the difference between the two," Cora huffed.

Lee refused to answer, turning his body away from Cora, seemingly uninterested in indulging her childish habit of picking fights.

"I thought you were studying to be a doctor, not a novelist," Cora added under her breath.

"I'm allowed to read novels, aren't I? Besides, Banks recommended this one, said it made him weep, which is a bit silly if you ask me... a grown man weeping..."

"What's it about?" Cora asked, staring at the cloth bound book.

"Some woman and her adopted brother fall in love, but it doesn't work out too well. The woman is a spoiled brat if you ask me. She practically ruins everything with her frivolity and rotten attitude, no wonder everyone is so miserable!"

"Sounds like an awful book," Cora said, wide-eyed.

"I think it's supposed to be awful. Not all love stories are beautiful."

"I thought you hated love stories?" Cora asked.

"Well... I did. But I'm nearly a man now, and I've got to broaden my literary horizons," Lee responded, sticking his chest out with an air of pride.

"No, no, no," Cora laughed, "I think you're so in love with Scarlet Janis that you can't help but gush over the whole idea of love itself, that's why you're reading that crap!" Cora said, smacking the book out of Lee's hand.

"Cora!" He exclaimed, scrambling after the book, "that's not very lady-like of you," he said in a disapproving tone. "And so what if I'm in love with Scarlet? She's a great gal. She's smart, beautiful, kind, funny, clever-"

"Smart and clever are the same thing, Lee," Cora interrupted.

"Don't be a smartass, Cora, it's not becoming of you," Lee said, shaking his head.

The pair sat quietly for several minutes, continuing their individual activities.

"Speaking of smartasses," Lee blurted out, "how's Elwood? I haven't seen him around in the last few weeks."

Cora stilled, heat spreading across her face at the mention of Elwood.

After finding Elwood behind the church with Birdie, Cora had done everything in her power to avoid him. She no longer went to the lake– even to bathe. At church she bowed her head and stared at her feet for the entire service. She no longer ventured into town to run errands, but instead stayed at the cabin, always finishing her chores. She avoided the meadow and the forest. Within the last few weeks, Cora had only seen Elwood once from a distance. Two Sundays ago, she saw him walking home after the service but thankfully had not met his gaze. Although she felt relieved to have avoided him for so long, her blood boiled with an indignant rage at the fact that he had not come looking for her. While she longed for his approach, Cora cringed at the idea of having to face him after seeing him pressed up against her enemy.