Where Clementines Don't Grow [h.s.]

2. The Adirondacks, 1861

Their papa built their cottage a long while back. They settled in upstate New York because they all enjoyed the country and the woods but wanted to stay relatively near the east coast. It began as Marianne and Henry, but when Marianne's mother died her father Francis came to live with them. Then all the children were born, it began with Clementine and soon the other six boys followed. They had a cottage and a barn. They had a small garden where they grew some vegetables, they had horses, chickens, and a cellar where they had preserves and canned vegetables for winter. Their cottage was cozy. Downstairs there was the dining table, and a china cabinet filled with fragile glass women and gorgeous plates and tea pots. There was a fireplace with a rug in front of it, and four rocking chairs so often the oldest sat in chairs while the children sat on the rug around the fire. Grandpa had his own room downstairs in the back, while upstairs Clementine had her own room, there was a room for Henry and Marianne, and two others that the six boys were evenly split between. Clementine absolutely loved her room for she had a window next to her bed on the left wall, where should could look out and have a view of the stream and the road that passed their house. Their house was quite far from the road so it was interesting that she could see it so well from her room. She loved where they lived. She got to stare at the trees and listen to birds and crickets every night to sing her to sleep. She was also lucky enough to have a small little desk and mirror which she rarely used only because she knew what she looked like, she did her hair the same every day, and had four dresses, but didn't mind watching herself brush out her hair every once in a while. After all she was still a girl, even though she was a country girl.
So this was Sunday, and every Sunday the whole family would go to church together, they were devoted Catholics and often prayed together at home as well. Sometimes around the fire grandpa would read the Bible to everyone or mama would pray the rosary with Clementine. So everyone woke up with the sun anyway which was around seven, but Sunday was the Lord's day, and a day of rest, so they did not get up to tend to the animals or the garden, but on this day in early May, they dressed their finest to go to church. They had one carriage with two rows  of seats which sat ma and pa in the front and grandpa and whichever kid got there first in the back. Then behind that there was a large rectangular sort of box-like thingy that sat the rest of the kids, they all just piled in and as Clementine began to feel sick as they drove over the bumpy road and she was surrounded by her sweaty brothers she leaned over the side of the carriage and just hung herself over it just barely touching the ground. Something about it was hypnotizing, then she would notice Josiah as realize how weird she looked dangling over the side. Josiah was a boy who was eighteen and went to their church as well, and recently she would always go for a walk with him after the mass and they'd walk home together, and he'd eat dinner with all of them. You could sort of call him a boyfriend. Between you and me, he was not the one. He didn't treat Clementine with any respect, and he most certainly did not love her. The only issue was that Clementine thought she was in love with Josiah, to tell you the truth she didn't know what love was, he was a relatively attractive boy, tall and muscular, so she thought he was the only option, she had to love him. They shared some good moments but there were times where Josiah took advantage of Clementine. He just wanted to kiss her really, but Clementine was done. Well, it was never done, she constantly told herself that the next time he touched her she would smack him, but then she remembered their families were good friends, and her mother and father didn't know what he was really like. Clementine never let Josiah touch her but there were so many times where he leaned in for a kiss and she pushed him back, telling him to stop, then he'd follow her home, she was defenseless. She was gonna put an end to it though, she would smack him right in the face, push him into the stream, kick him where the sun don't shine, as she was thinking of this she didn't realize she had chuckled out loud. Oliver plopped next to her,
"What are yooouuu thinking about Miiiinty?"
"I'm thinking about how I'll run away from home and travel across the country on our horse Buck, I'll probably steal some small children, kill them if they cause too much trouble, you know the usual."
"Well I don't care as long as I can come."
"Good then."
So Oliver laid across her back and used her as a pillow where he rested until pa stopped the carriage. She saw Josiah, and didn't even glance at him, she went inside the church and greeted everyone. She shook hands with Father James, said hello to Mr and Mrs.Baker, and everyone else they knew. Then she plopped herself down and the mass proceeded. She sang, received, and then it was over, they would head back by 12:30 for the mass began at 10:30, but then she knew she had to encounter Josiah. She carried a small bag with her where she carried her books and bible, for she liked to read on the carriage ride there.  She walked out the church, down the steps, and there he stood. She simply sighed and waved.
She knew she had to go to him and walk with him, but she would ignore him.
"Clementine." He said her name with a toothy smile, but instead she continued to walk, eyes straight ahead, she walked beside the stream, the back way and not the road. Josiah simply followed and he said her name a bit more desperately this time as if knowing he was wrong,
"Clementiine."
"What Josiah?"
"What are you doing carrying these books around? Why do you need to read don't you have your brothers do all your work for you? How about Grandpa?"
"I'd prefer you not talk about my family thanks."
"Well I deserve to know what's in that bag."
He grabbed at her bag and Clementine pulled it away, and tripped a little, she was pretty shocked.
"Josiah. Stop." She continued walking and looked at him with slight disgust. Then he grabbed the bag again and snatched it right from Clementine's hands, she was angry now.
"Josiah! Give me the bag what do you care this is quite ridiculous!"
"Oh you and your little books I get it."
Clementine was reading The Old Curiosity Shop , by Charles Dickens. She loved it dearly, and now it was in Josiah's hands and she was sort of fighting with him for it as if she was some little girl being teased by her older brother.
"I just want to see it I wanna see the book!"
"No you don't I know you'd never pick up a book If your life depended on it."
Now Josiah was holding it out over the stream,
"Josiah! You better not I swear if you drop that book.."
"What? What'll you do?"
Then Josiah dropped the book into the stream and Clementine leaped at him, the book was going, she was hitting him, saying things to him I can't recall,
"Josiah you get that book!"
He just laughed and watched her, he thought it was amusing to watch her get angry and that was something she just couldn't stand. So Clementine just jumped into the stream and got it herself, as she was running along the stream she took off her dress leaving only her undergarments and Josiah was quite shocked. She jumped in furious, but the book was moving quite fast. She was half walking and half swimming and suddenly remembered her father saying she shouldn't stand up straight in rough parts of the stream for debris would harm her legs or cause her to get stuck some place. She got the book as Josiah was laughing farther back, and over here there were all slimy rocks at the side of the stream, and the water was moving faster. Clementine only had one hand available because of the book and she slipped on the rocks and hit her head, she was bleeding somewhere and bleeding heavily, she didn't feel so great. Josiah came running over with a serious look on his face, he most certainly was not laughing now,
"Clementine!! Clementine please forgive me I'm so sorry. I like you Clementine, please I'm sorry."
"It's alright Josiah", said Clementine as she held her head.
"Please let me help you."
So Josiah held her arm and walked her home, he ripped off some linen from the sleeve of his shirt, and tied it around her head, she insisted he did not come for dinner, and she was extremely late to the table. Her mother was the first to say something,
"Minty what happened? Are you okay?"
Grandpa insisted he went to help her, so he took a clothe and brought Clementine down to the water pump outside so he could clean off her head. Clementine sat on a bench beside the water pump against the house while her Francis got water. She watched him and realized how amazing he was. Her grandpa had round glasses and always wore a hat, even inside though her mom yelled at him for it. He had a hearty laugh and was just so quiet and calm most of the time, he was such a pleasant person to be around in a rough situation.
"It was that Josiah, wasn't it? Never liked him to be honest with you."
Clementine sort of widened her eyes and sat up straight, she was surprised at her grandpa.
"Well yeah but he was actually sweet this time, he helped me, I think he actually might be nice."
"Well whatever you say."
So he cleaned up her wound and tied a fresh bandage around her, how Clementine loved Grandpa so much. Then they went back inside where she ate cornmeal mush, ham, bread, beans, and some greens. Her mother was an amazing cook, the dinner table was sort of silent for there was an awkwardness after a few people heard about Josiah somehow being involved with her wound. Every once in a while Oliver, Simon, or Theodore said something stupid, but it was usually ignored. So mama began to knit a blanket in her rocking chair with Theodore in her lap, Grandpa was reading the Bible to everyone else with Orville in his lap, and everyone sat on the rug around the fire, with cups of tea in fancy china because it was Sunday. When pa felt like it he would give them maple sugar candies out of this special box that he had, but Clementine wanted no part of it, she laid her book by the window to dry and went outside. She sat straddling the swing that hung from the tallest tree on their land, just rocking back and forth, grazing the stream every few pushes for it was right at its edge. All of a sudden Finn came walking out in his button down shirt and brimmed hat, he sat down on the grass leaning against a tree.
"What's with Josiah, Minty?"
"I really don't know. He threw my book in the stream, I jumped in to get it and I slipped and hit my head climbing out. Then he told me he liked me and gave me all the sorry business and was all sweet. He was actually sweet for a moment."
"Well", Finn began to get up, "tell me if you need something."
Clementine smiled,
"Yeah if I need someone to tie a rope around my legs I'll let you know."
Finn gave Clementine a push and she fell off the swing clumsily and laughed, he helped her up and they walked inside the cottage together.