The New World

Chapter Five

1716

Father hacked into his handkerchief, gunk rattling in his lungs. He wheezed and choked on his breath, clinging on the chair for support. "Father!" I gasped. I rushed to his side and grasped his elbow before his weak arms gave up.

"Father, you need to rest!"

Father forced a smile on his face, "No, no darling. I'm fine. Just choked on my drink!" He exclaimed.

"Father, you weren't drinking anything," I stated, worried.

"Nonsense, nonsense," he brushed off my grip on his arm and limped to the door, "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Please, just close the shop for the day and rest! You are the walking dead!"

He shook his head. His face was pale with beads of sweat on his brow. He turned and went to the shop. Mother then walked into the room with a basket of folded clothes that belonged to Harold. "Mother, please talk to Father. His cough has worsened within two days. He's been sick for almost two weeks now!"

"Alice, if your father feels good enough to open the store, he can. He has priorities. He needs to make money to support us," she said, simply.

"How can you say that?" I hissed, "You are making money too! A day or two of not opening the store won't kill us. Keeping it open and making him work will kill him! He needs to sleep."

"Azaria, please don't start with me. I need to go to Sir Harold to give him his clothes. Do your chores while I'm gone." and Mother headed out the door.

~~~~~~

Mother couldn't seem to hold it in any longer. She ran from the room, sobbing. There Father laid sick with Malaria. Paled to a sickly white, Father fought a severe fever and nausea. A bucket sat by his bed so he could empty his stomach when it churned. I stood on the other side of the room and stared at his feeble, confined body.

"Alice," he croaked.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and walked to the side of his bed. I sat in Mother's unoccupied seat. He opened his eyes and looked at me. His eyes were loosing light. Father licked his cracked lips, "Alice," he had short breaths.

"Father, please rest. Do not talk."

He shook his head, "No... I need to make you.... Promise me something... I don't... Have much time..."

"Anything, Father," I said, looking at him in pain.

"Don't... Don't become... You're mother," he managed.

My eyebrows pulled together, "Father, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

He smiled, weakly and nodded, "Alice... I know."

I almost gasped, "Ho-- how?"

He continued to look at me with soft eyes, "Alice, my dear... She is my wife... She is the love of my life... I know everything about her."

"I am sorry," I whispered.

He brushed a tear that I hadn't notice slip from my eye, "Promise you will not be her," he breathed, "Be Alice. Be my daughter."

I nodded. Father's hand slowly slipped from my face, landing on the bed. His eyes slowly closed, lifeless. I placed his hand on his chest and let my tears go.

~~~~~

"I am quiet sorry to hear about your father, Alice," said Harold.

"I'm sure you are," I hissed under my breath.

"What did you say?"

"Harold, thank you for coming!" Mother interrupted him.

He turned to her, "Of course! I am here for you," he placed a kiss on her hand.

"We are about to start," she said to the both of us. I nodded in return.

The whole town and even some people from province of New York came for my father. I sat next to Mother in the front row who sat next to Harold. Only about two dozen had come and filled up the pews in the church. Father slept in the casket by the podium.

Harold bought Mother and I beautiful black laced dresses for the funeral. The priest arrived at the podium and rose his hand. The chatter died down and he began, "On May 6, 1716, Sir Richard Sparrow passed away due to Malaria. He and his family shipped here from England in 1715 and since then, Sir Richard has been wonderful enough to give this town beautiful shoes for us to wear...."

The priest continued on with his speech and my father's customers came up and said there peace, Mother to be the last. Unlike me, she shed many tears. Her eyes became swollen and she dabbed them with her handkerchief. She stood and walked up to the podium. She scanned the crowd and heaved a sigh. "I want to thank you all for coming to support us," she placed her hand over her heart.

Pathetic.

"Richard and I have been married for almost 18 years," she smiled proudly, "We had Alice after a year we married," she looked at me smiling.

I looked at her with no expression.

Heartless.

She turned back to her waiting audience. "It was a surprise... This whole thing. It was unexpected."

My jaw clenched.

Pitiful.

"One day he was smiling and then next he was on his death bed...."

My hand constricted my gloves.

Absurd.

"He will always be missed. I will always love him like I did when we married."

Lies.

Hey I know a lot of people hate how it takes so long to get the legit part but it is almost there. I promise! Comment and vote, share your thoughts with me :D