wondrous • gilbert blythe

a not-so-far move

"Mom, I'm home!" Adelaide yelled and shut the screen door. She threw her books onto the table and walked into the kitchen, and was shocked to see her mother kissing a random man.

"Adelaide, this is Mr. Monroe." Alice says to her daughter, who makes a face that would resemble disgust.

"Before you say anything, we have been seeing one another for quite some time." Her mother spoke again.

"I don't understand." Adelaide said, confused.

"George has asked me to marry him, Adelaide."

She felt as if her mother had slapped her across the face. If they married, that meant they would either have to move in with Mr. Monroe, or he would move in with them. Adelaide couldn't pick which was worse.

She couldn't form any words, so she stayed silent.

"We will be moving in with him in a few days, and giving most of our stuff away, so start packing tonight."

"What about my animals, mother?" Adelaide said frantically. Her mother shook her head, as if to tell her that she couldn't keep them. Adelaide decided that moving in with him was worse.

"They were too much of a hassle anyway, and interfered with your schoolwork." Alice replied. Her daughter just shook her head and ran outside to the barn.

She cried the rest of the night while she packaged her things up. She only had a few boxes of what she would take, which consisted of her clothes, the sheets off of her bed, and some things to remember her dad by.

Adelaide hadn't spoken a single word to her mother that night, and she didn't plan to for a while.

•••

"Adelaide! Get up, it is time for school. After you get home this afternoon, we will start moving our stuff into George's place. It is beautiful, and there are neighbors, which we've never had. The Gillis' I believe." Her mother woke her up with too many words to comprehend. Adelaide shot straight up when she heard Gillis, though.

Of course, she had to be neighbors with Ruby.

Adelaide did her normal routine, and kissed her horse goodbye before running into the woods, taking a glance at the house she would soon leave behind.

•••

School had been as uneventful as always, but news had spread that she would be moving, and that her mother would be re-marrying. She ignored the questions, not wanting to talk about it.

"Well I am extremely delighted to hear you will be moving closer. Now we can walk together!" Diana exclaimed as she turned around to talk to Adelaide.

"I suppose that is the only good news, that I don't have to walk but ten minutes." Adelaide says to the girl, laying her face on her hand that was propped up by her elbow. Diana nodded excitedly and turned back around, being careful not to get caught by Mr. Phillips.

Adelaide started to dose off from the boring lesson when something hit her arm and landed on the table. She looked at the small white piece of paper and then looked to whomever had thrown it. Gilbert Blythe stared at her, beckoning her to open the paper.

What's wrong? I miss not talking to you.

It read. She looked at him and rolled her eyes, but smiled. She turned the slip over and scribbled on the other side, and threw the paper back to him.

Meet me after school? We can talk then. I can not have Ruby getting mad at me now, since I am her neighbor.

He nodded and focused back to what the teacher was saying, but stole glances at Adelaide as much as he could.

Both of them dismissed the butterflies they felt in their stomach at that moment.

As the day finally ended, Adelaide was feeling giddy. Talking to Gilbert excited her. Maybe it was because she knew she was not supposed to be talking to him, or maybe it was because no boy had ever shown interest.

She barely listened through the rest of the lesson, but they were just going over the chapter, so it didn't matter.

Adelaide took a little bit longer, making sure everyone had left before she took her books and chalkboard off the table and went out the door. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and noticed Gilbert leaning against a tree at the forest line.

"Hello, Gilbert." Adelaide says to catch his attention. He throws down the leaf he was looking at and smiles.

"I'm sorry, that we haven't been able to speak. My mother will be the death of me." Adelaide said to him, rolling her eyes at the thought of the wedding she would have to participate in soon.

"It's no problem, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" He asked her, and her heart warmed at his kindness.

"That is awfully nice of you but-" she started, and brushed her fingers through her hair that fell into her face. A thought came to her mind, though, making her stop talking.

"Do you happen to have a good pair of scissors at your house?" She grinned.