Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm deaf. It seems that no matter where I go, I am followed by the remarks of my family's wealth. I can't walk down the street without someone of lower class glancing over, pointing, and whispering to their friends, â??That's his daughter.â? Where the other would reply, â??Who?â? And then an answer of, â??Francis A. Collins. The owner of Textile Co.. The man has more money than God.â? And then a gasp. If I had a shilling for every time I heard that, I would be God himself. I'm barely a person. Minus the fact that I'm a woman. I am simply known as, 'his daughter'. I am no one more, no one less. I know many girls who would kill themselves over and over again to have that status, but I would kill to rid it.
â??Mary-Elizabeth!â? My father's voice echoes throughout the mansion. His voice is getting louder; he was coming closer. â??Mary-Elizabe-â? He barged into the one of many extra rooms we have. This one, though, was on the fourth floor. It was a room used for storage. It has furniture covered in sheets and the room was a dust-palace; filthy and uncleaned. It was where he'd find me, sitting quietly on the window sill with knees to my chest as I glanced out the window, down at the city bellow. â??Oh,â? He said, lowering his voice. â??There you are. For heaven's sake, Elizabeth, what are you doing in this dirt-hole? You'll get your dress dirty. I've been calling your name for the past 10 minutes, why haven't you responded?â? I hadn't even turned my head to look at him. I kept my glance on the streets. I stayed silent. â??Answer me, young lady.â?
There was a pause, and finally an answer. â??I have no answer to give you. I'm here because it's quiet, and it has the best view of the city; the people. I don't care if I get my dress dirty, I'm not going anywhere.â? Still, I refused to look at him.
He approached me, he was in the process of attempting to put on a tie. â??What about the girls? Why don't you go out with them? They've invited you over for tea several times. Why don't you join them in horseback? A nice ride through the forest would do you well.â?
â??I don't want to!â? I raised my voice, causing my father's eyes to widen a tad. My head finally turned, and I looked at him over my shoulder. â??I've gone through that forest enough times, I could do it with my eyes closed. The only thing those girls ever talk about are boys, and the only thing those boys do is gloat about their new horses or anything else they can brag about. And Johnathan only talks to me because he hopes for my hand in marriage.â?
â??And? He's a fine man, he'd make a good husband.â?
That set me over my limit. I threw myself onto my feet, and exploded. â??Please!â? I cried out, â??He can barely look me in the eyes. His eyes are too busy wandering down to my chest! I don't want to marry because I'm at the age of marriage. I want to marry someone-â? I couldn't finish my sentence before my father interrupted.
â??Johnathan's family is very well off. He could support you and your children in the future. I don't see any other match. It's hard to find someone to marry of wealth like his.â? I fell silent, just giving my father the most monotone look. Emotion fell from my expression.
â??Right...â?
â??I'll tell you what,â? He smiled, still trying to get his tie correct. I walked up to him, undoing it and restarting myself. He spoke as I helped him. â??Why don't you come to the factory with me today? You've never been there are you've always seemed interested in machinery. I think it'd be good to see what your father does and how things work. Plus, you used to talk about when you were a little girl how you wanted to go so badly.â? I looked up at him, smiling softly. I nodded in agreement. I had never been, only because he never let me. I had nothing to do and I wanted something different, here was my chance. I pulled the tie up to his neck, positioning it correctly. â??Well then, off we go.â?
{ *** }
I was helped out of the buggy by two men in fine suits. My father tipped his hat at them before checking to see if I was following. I nodded as a thanks to the man who had helped me exit the tall buggy. I stayed close to my father. As we entered the huge building my eyes lit up and I smiled. I couldn't help but notice all the men in the factory stopping for a brief moment to glance at me. I tried to ignore them, but they seemed so intrigued I was there. My father stopped at a machine to explain its purpose and how it worked. I listened closely with a smile. I was glad he took the time to show me things, but all of that fell as a man came up to my father, and he pulled away from my glance and began to talk to him about business. I sighed. It was typical, work before me. Without even telling him, I turned away and began to wander. I wasn't about to follow him everywhere like a sheep. I was my own self. I wandered down the halls, some men staring at me funny, others smiling, some frowning, and some even greeting me. Something I didn't expect.
I was roaming around in my misty dark lavender and white gown. On my gown were a series of materials and bows. I carried a large semi-floppy white hat that complimented my outfit. My hands hugged by white-lace elegant gloves. Something about the way everything worked fascinated me. I was more intrigued with the machinery than I was with the people. Though, all my thoughts came to a halt when I turned my head to find a young man half a second from crashing into me. I was thrown off my feet. I let out a yelp as I was tossed to the floor. I landed on my behind. My dress scattered across the dirty floor as I lay there helplessly. My hat, with the collision, had fallen off and slid a few feet away. I looked up, my curly auburn hair out of its scrunchy and in my face, only to find the unexpected.
