Christmas Plans

CHAPTER 7

POV : Clarice

Clara was nervous the whole day. She couldn't focus on the floral arrangements or any special requests. But, when the time came for her date, she was ready. She wore a pair of trousers, which she borrowed from her father, and a pretty blouse. It was white and had a frilly collar around her neck and chest. She had a cloak as well for when it got cold, just as Mel said. 
"Young lady, what are you so nervous for? You haven't been focused at all today! Even on that mistake." She said, gesturing toward Tamara. Clara's cheeks burned with shame. 
"Mother, I have a date tonight. And this 'mistake' is my daughter. Your granddaughter." She turned on her heel and stormed out. She went to her garden to wait. She put Tamara in a soft garden bed and started to pace. She did this until she realized that she had someone watching her. She looked up and froze. 
"How long have you been standing there?" Mel chuckled and stood up straight, as she had been leaning against a shelf. 
"Not too long. But long enough that we should get going. We can drop Tamara off and then be on our way." Clara smiled and picked Tamara up from the flower bed, where she had been putting mint leaves in her mouth. Mel led her to two beautiful horses. One snow white with a long black mane. The other speckled black and gray with a brown mane. 
"These are Eggs and Kingsley." Clara laughed at the names and smiled brightly. 
"Two noble gentlemen to escort two pretty ladies." She joked, making Mel burst out laughing. Clara beamed, she hadn't realized what she said was all that clever or funny. She swooped her legs over who she assumed was Eggs and they rode off to Jamie's. When they arrived he greeted them warmly and took Tamara before shooing them away. It made Clara very suspicious about where Mel was taking her, but she ignored for the moment. Mel rode them off on a small horse trail that looped its way through the nice, lighter parts of the forest. 
"Alright, I have a question for you." Mel whispered. Just barely audible enough for Clara to hear.
"Go for it." She replied. 
"How is a beautiful woman like you still single? I bet there are a ton of guys just lining up at your door." Clara blushed. 
"I-- well... Ever since I had Tamara, they all think I'm married. And when I tell them that I'm not, they all think I am a filthy pig. A pig who had a child before marriage. Whose boyfriend left her after she was pregnant. Someone who is probably terrible in bed." Her voice sounded resentful, even to her own ear. She had tears pricking at the edge of her eyes and quickly swiped at them. 
"What about you? You are just as pretty as me. If not prettier!" Mel smiled. 
"I'm lesbian. That's why. I don't wear dresses or corsets, if I can help it. If I don't want to, you wont see me doing it. Besides, even if I did like men, I wouldn't want any from this town. All of them here are either gay or after a girl's body." Clara smiled sadly. 
"Yeah." They rode in silence for a long while before Clara realized where they were going. Her heart plummeted for more than one reason. She was so excited that Mel thought her special enough to take her to Lover's Lake, but she was also engulfed by memories of that night. "You're taking me to Lover's lake." She stated. Mel nodded. 
"Is that a problem? If it is I can take you somewhere else." 
"No! No, it's fine, Just painful memories. Both good and bad." Clara's heart squeezed in her chest. "Anyway, I understand why I brought a cloak then. I assume we'll be here for a long while." Mel nodded again. 
"I hoped we'd be able to stargaze for a little while. The lake is very reflective." Clara smiled. Her heart raced with excitement. Stargazing, she thought. What a wonderful idea. They arrived at the lake and Clara paused at the sight. A picnic blanket and food, a telescope, and  sandals. Clara hopped off of Eggs and tied him by the water. She went over to the blanket and took in the sight of all of the food before her. Little honey biscuits with butter, marmalade and toast, strawberries, huckleberries, razzberries, slices of chicken, and chocolate dip. 
"Oh Mel, where did you get all of this?" Clara cried out. 
"Oh, you know, here and there. Being a palace librarian pays surprisingly well." Clara chuckled and Mel held out a hand for her to sit down. They sat, talked and ate until the sun went down. They they lay down in the sand, not bothering to worry about bugs or anything, and stared up and out at the stars in the sky and being reflected on the lake. 
"Sorry if this is too forward on a first date, but you said that this place held both good and bad memories. May I ask what those are?" Clara sighed. 
"Yeah. Umm... I assume everyone knew I was dating Henry at the time, we used to go here all the time for out dates. He used to say that if two people went here they were destined to be together. We even did it  here. This was our favorite place to go. But, then I got pregnant. He said he had a surprise for me here. I made him wait until I told him the 'good' news. I mean, it was good news for me, but I guess not for him. I told him and he said he had to take care of something back home. So we rode back and he broke up with me the next day. I hoped it wouldn't be that bad, I was wrong. I had to move in with my parents after I couldn't work to keep our house. I have been shamed for Tamara ever since." She had been staring at the ground and looked up to meet Mel's eyes. Which she was surprised to find nearly crying. Well, almost.
"I am so, so, so sorry Clara, No one deserves to go through that." 
"Thanks Mel." Mel, cautiously, put an arm around Clara's shoulders. They were laying down so Clara snuggled in close. Before they knew it, they were both asleep. Under the stars. In each other's arms.

Thank you for reading this chapter of Christmas Plans. I am sorry I rushed through their date. I probably should have waited until I was less tired to write this, but I didn't want anyone to be here expecting something that never comes. Sooooo. Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic day/night/midday!