And Peggy

My world turned upside down

It is a cold, dull day. Gunmetal grey clouds fill the sky, threatening to burst onto showers of rain and i for one, am loving it! I'm curled up on the couch, a blanket draped across my lap, book in hand. Hannah comes in to give me the occasional hot chocolate or baked good. It's so quiet and peaceful.

Just as I am starting to doze off, there is an eruption of noise outside. There is screaming and a massive BOOM! I jerk awake and rush upstairs to Angelica.
"They're here! The British are here!" I cry and hide behind her door. Angelica giggles and peers through the curtain.
"Get down! They'll see you!" I hiss.
"Come here," she beckons me over. So I cautiously crawl toward the window.

Outside, is complete chaos. People are marching and dancing in the street. Fireworks of red, blue and gold light up, contrasting against the dark sky.

I gape at Angelica who is grinning ear to ear and ask aloud,
"Do you think it's over?"
She shrugs and turns back to the scene in the street. We watch for a few more minutes until we hear the door bell ring

Ding dong!

We fly downstairs where daddy is standing. His hair is standing up on his head, his general hat is missing and he looks out of breath though he is giving us a toothy grin.

"It's over!" He says simply. And me and Angie and go insane. Father lifts us up and kisses us before rushing through the hallway to tell mother. They come back hand in hand and burst through the front door and onto the porch.
"Daddy, can we go out to celebrate in the street?" I ask.
Father surprises me by agreeing.
"Sure, just be home by 8:00pm!" He yells as he and mother are whisked away into the crowd.

I turn to Angelica who grabs my hand and pulls me into the crowd. Everyone packed in so tight means that I barely have enough room to breathe and everything smells like sweat.

Somewhere along the way, Angelica and I are separated. Her hand slips out of mine and I see her peach dress being carried further and further away.
Even though I am now alone in the big city, I'm not scared. We are all mingled in together. People young and old, rich and poor. All relived that the war is over.
As the road widens out into the town square, I have more room to twirl and run and jump. Somewhere, a band is playing a lively tune and I find myself  dancing with strangers. With every twirl, I move on to a new one.

At some point it starts to rain but we don't care. We continue dancing.

Eventually, I am too exhausted to continue. I am sweaty and my hair is sticking to my face from the rain. I sit down outside an open cafe and watch the proceedings. People are holding American flags and they all seem to travel in the one direction.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a man break away from the crowd. He has black hair that goes to his ears and curls there. He has pale skin with a tinge of red on his cheeks and he is wearing smart black waistcoat with frills spilling out of the neckline.
The man takes the second seat at my table and holds his hand out.
"Good day miss, while I was celebrating this fine day, I noticed you sitting here alone and thought I would introduce myself. I am Stephen Van Rensselaer. and you are?"

"Margarita Schuyler, pleased to make your acquaintance." I say offering my hand.

"Charmed!" He kisses my hand.

"Great news, isn't it? About the war? King George finally surrenders! I notice you're not a soldier, what do you do?" I ask. But quickly gasp by how I have insulted him.

"Sir, I'm so sor-" I start to splutter but when I look up, Stephen is laughing and shaking his head.
"No, I'm not a soldier, I'm a mere landowner but my father is a general and he's hoping to get me a position in the military soon. What about you? Do you usually take trips into the city?"
"Oh, no. Father is very strict on those things." Is my response. "This is a one off time."