As Chloe took the glass of water from the kind young man, she thought he easily could have been her grandson's age. Her careworn face had seen many a year. Her hand trembled slightly as she put the glass to her lips, and drank the cool water down in big gulps. It was the first she'd had to drink since she left the farm, and it tasted wonderful. She had a canteen at home, but of course hadn't remembered to put it in the wagon. It had always been her husband's job to remember those details. And, she knew, were he still alive, that he would have given her an admonishment for being so careless.
"Well, young man...my name is Chloe, and though you haven't seen me here, I have been around these parts for some time." She looked around the room to try and include everyone. Chloe always tried to be polite. But, all these people made her uncomfortable. She just wasn't used to seeing so many at once. So instead, she focused on the smiling bartender, and proceeded with her tale.
"My husband and I moved here some years ago. We bought the farm on the outskirts of town. You may have seen my husband, when he came to trade our goods at the general store. He was a tall thin fella named Jim. He didn't talk much, but was a kind man." At this point, Chloe's knees started shaking so badly, it became visible beneath her tattered skirt. She reached for a chair, and sat down. It took a moment for her to gather herself. She reached for her kerchief, and wiped the dust from her face. This gave her time to decide how much to say.
" Jim didn't like people much, but I sure did love him" Her eyes glazed over for a moment, and then she grinned a bit. One could see she was remembering a fond moment or too. "He loved me too, and was afraid something would happen to me, if he brought me to town. I always thought how nice it would be to meet some folks, and socialize." Chloe knew that if she had pressed the point, that Jim would have reconsidered, but...there were always so many chores to do...and the months turned to years.
Chloe took a deep breath. Here was the hardest thing she ever had to say. "Jim died last spring, right after the planting." She paused for a moment, as the tears welled up. "He caught that fever that went around, and passed away. I dug the grave myself, and gave him a proper burial." Her chin jutted out, and she quickly surveyed the room occupants, to see if anyone was going to deny that fact. But, the room was quiet. Everyone seemed interested and sympathetic.
"I kept saying to myself that I was going to come to town, but there was always one more thing to do. Not sure why....but today was the day".
Hope to find some roleplays to join, though it would be nice if some of the older ones that I was in were reborn/restarted. Glad to see you all!))