OBSTACLES [9]

Today was especially special, as they both get to escape from the Kellard, Mr Richard and of course, Bernadette.
Alethea skipped her way to the farm. Damon was also excited but in his mind was still trying to find any flaws in their plans.
Alethea whispered a 'goodbye' to each of the animals that she tended to.

"OK Alethea, when we go back to the house." said Damon to Alethea, "We go straight to the living room."
"Why living room? Aren't we suppose to find Mrs Kellard?"
"Mrs Kellard is always in the living room. We ask her whether we can go out to buy our clothes that she promised us once every three months."
Alethea nodded.
Damon and Alethea walked back to the house, hoping not to see Bernadette.

"Ready? This is it!" said Damon suddenly feeling very nervous.
They both entered the living room and saw Mrs Kellard sleeping in the middle of her soap opera, snoring like a pig.
Alethea decided that she should let Damon do the talking and so she just stood at the living room's doorway.
Damon walked carefully around the empty beer cans and potato chips sprawled all over the floor. Finally reaching the sofa where Mrs Kellard lay snoring, Damon hesitated for a while he looked at Alethea. Alethea gave him an encouraging smile. Damon took a deep breathe in and then he cleared his throat as loudly as he can.
The sound startled Mrs Kellard awake. She wanted to kill the person that woke her up from dancing with the most handsomest man she had ever seen but sadly it was only a dream.
"I'm gonna kill you! What do you want?" shouted Mrs Kellard feeling very annoyed.
Damon looked at Alethea one last time and said, "Well you promised us that we could buy a new set of clothes every three months. Well i think maybe today could be the day where we can ... get the clothes?"
"What? When the hell did i say that?" Mrs Kellard looked cluelessly at Damon.
"You did ma'am" said Alethea.
Mrs Kellard turned her head and saw Alethea.
"So, you two are ganging up on me is it?" Mrs Kellard said in a threatening voice.
"No, definitely not. We just think that it was time to get a set of new clothes." Damon said.
"Fine, if i give you the money would you leave me alone?" sighed Mrs Kellard.
Both Alethea and Damon nodded their heads.
With one last sigh, Mrs Kellard got up slowly and walked to the kitchen table where her purse was. She shuffled through her notes that she had in her purse.
Finally Mrs kellard took out two notes.
"Here you go. two dollars each." and Mrs Kellard chuckled while she handed them both each a two dollar note.
Alethea was about to say something, but before anything could come out from her mouth Damon gave her a stern look.
"Thank you." Damon said softly and walked away with Alethea.

They snuck into the basement to get their bags and they both walked silently out the door not wanting to let Bernadette in particular to see them walk out the door.
Luckily for them Bernadette was in sight.
once they walked out the front gate, Alethea started to grumble to Damon.
"Two bucks? She's cruel!"
"I know Alethea. But at least we gotten permission to leave the farm."
"I guess your right. What do we do now?'
"Now we need to go to the market. I need to see someone."
"Who?"
"Never mind who. Come on let's go."
Alethea did not give a second thought about who they were going to meet as she was used to Damon keeping secrets from her.

When they reached the market, Alethea was mesmerised by the millions of people she saw.
The people were all in different shapes. Fat, thin, tall, short. people with funny hair.
Alethea could not stop smiling.
Damon looked side ways and saw Alethea smile made him smile too.
"Well Alethea, welcome to the ever so crowded market."
Not wanting to be separated in the crowd, Damon had a reason to take hold of her hand.
Alethea did not mind.
After a minutes of pushing through the bustling crowd they finally reached their destination.
It was a big green tent which was, like where those fortune tellers live.
Damon told Alethea to stay outside and that he would be a while.
Damon gave Alethea the two bucks, "you can go buy something cheap, near this tent. Don't go too far."
Alethea nodded her head like a good girl.
As Damon entered the tent having one last look at Alethea, Alethea walked straight towards the nearest stand.
It sold loads of beautiful jewelery.
At the corner or Alethea's eye, she saw the most beautiful necklace. It had a small silver teddy bear and it was holding a red heart.
"is this to your liking?"
Alethea looked up and saw sweet kind old lady looking at her.
"Yes i am, how much isit?"
"6 dollars." said the lady with a smile.
Alethea looked at the two dollar bill she had in her hand.

Nearby, Wilfred, Mr Richard's servant boy was watching Alethea.
Wilfred fancied her.
Knowing that Alethea did not have enough money he checked his pocket and had seven dollars.
With a smile, Wilfred approached Alethea with much confidence.

"Could sell it at a cheaper price please?" begged Alethea.
The owner of the shop, sympathetically looked at Alethea and shook her head.
Alethea tried to negotiate again. Something inside her needed to get that necklace.
Just as all hope was lost, Alethea felt a light tap on her right shoulder.
Alethea turned around. She saw a guy around her age smiling at her.

"WIlfred?" said Alethea
"Hi."
"Oh, Wilfred!" said the owner of the shop running towards Wilfred. While pinching his cheeks and ruffling his hair, "How have you been? Would you like to come by my house for dinner tonight?"
"Oh Mrs Cherene, i can't," said Wilfred as he cupped both her wrinkly old hands.
Wilfred saw Mrs Cherene's pout, "But, what i can do is," as Wilfred picked up the necklace that Alethea wanted to buy. "buy this necklace."
Alethea was standing by their side overwhelmed by the owner's reaction as she saw Wilfred.
After Wilfred bought the necklace, he turned to Alethea.
"Here you go."
"Huh? what?" said Alethea surprised as he handed Alethea the teddy bear necklace.
"You wanted this, but you did not have enough money, so here. Accept it."
"Oh, ok." said Alethea ginning from ear to ear.
"Come here, let me put it on for you,"
Alethea stood in front of Wilfred as he put the necklace.
After putting the necklace on Alethea, Wilfred turned her around to face him.
Alethea looked down and saw the necklace dangling around her neck, "it's beautiful, thanks."
"Just like you." said Wilfred confidently.

"Oh." Alethea had nothing much to say.

Wilfred leaned forward to Alethea, and gave her a peck on the cheek.
Alethea was overwhelmed by it.
"Wilfred..." Alethea couldn't find the right words. "You know this will never work out."
"Why not?" said Wilfred confidently.
"You work for Mr. Richard. I work for the Kellards. It will never..."
Just then, Damon grabbed Alethea by the arm and pulled her away.
"Ouch!" wailed Alethea.
"We have the go now." said Damon in a very deep and constricted voice.

Coming Between Them. [8]

Early morning, Damon took his arm off the sleeping Alethea's waist and crawled to his canvas bag. He looked back to check whether Alethea was still asleep. He searched around in his bag finding for that tin box.
"Ah."
Damon had found what he was looking for. It was a green tin box it had a lot of scratches, it was given to him by his father. Damon opened the box to check whether the money was still inside.
"Don't worry Alethea we are well loaded." whispered Damon.
Taking out the watch he kept in his bag he saw that it was almost time to wake up, so Damon put back the tin box and the watch in the bag and got ready for the morning duty.

Alethea woke up and as always did not find Damon next to her. She quickly got dressed and saw that Damon was waiting for her outside the house.
When Damon saw Alethea he grinned from ear to ear, they have been there for one month and he still hadn't got tired of seeing Alethea.
Alethea smiled back, glad to know that Damon was in a happy mood.
"Well then let's start work!" chirped Alethea.
Alethea knows that she can't be with Damon because of her promise between she and Jason.

This was the best day, thought Alethea. Damon was talking to Alethea with ease. But Alethea realised that all they talked was about her life, and not his.
"Damon?"
"yeah?"
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
Damon did not say anything and continued stacking the hay.
Finally Damon answered, "i had a younger brother."
"Had? What happened to him?"
"Fire, died." Damon did not look up he stopped doing what he was doing.
"I"m so sorry Damon," Alethea wished she did not say anything in the first place.
Damon looked up and put on a smile, "Nah, it's alright. It was a long time ago."
Alethea did not know what else to add.
"Anyways, let's go back to work." Damon smiled at Alethea, and she smiled back.
When Damon bent his head back down he stopped smiling.


Bernadette was jealous of Alethea for having Damon. She was not gonna just give him up to her. Bernadette likes to think that it was Damon that did her wrong, but actually it was Bernadette that cheated on him and sent him back to the institution when he found out.
Bernadette was looking out the window watching Damon and Alethea having their happy little chat.
she won't have it, she needed to do something.
"watch out Alethea, I'm coming."

Damon and Alethea exchanged some jokes, they laughing until their heads rolled off.
"Hey wanna hear another one?" Alethea said still laughing.
Before Damon could answer, "Damon! Yoohoo!" shouted Bernadette, "Oh...eww..." Bernadette accidentally stepped on something soft and squishy.
"Oh my God! Are you serious?" sighed Alethea.
Damon stopped smiling.
"What do you want Bernadette?"
"Why? Is there a problem? i want to help you guys out with... whatever you're doing." smiled Bernadette.
"What?" Blurted Alethea in disbelief, Bernadette, doing work?
"Do you have a problem with that?" As Bernadette walked up to Alethea with a straight face.
"ye..." Damon nudged her to think otherwise. "Err... No."
"Good, now come Damon darling let me help you with your work." chirped Bernadette as she locked arms with Damon.
Damon UN-locked his arm from hers, Bernadette ignored it and just walked a head in front of him. Alethea walked behind smiling, even though Bernadette likes Damon, Damon does not like her back, thought Alethea.

The three walked towards the cows, with metal buckets in their hands.
As the three walked, Bernadette in front, Damon behind and Alethea last. Bernadette suddenly thought of something. Bernadette slowed down her pace just enough so that Damon was right behind her. When he was close enough, Bernadette pretended to trip on something and she felled backwards landing in Damon's arms.
"Ohhhhh." wailed Bernadette, pretending to be in pain.
Damon rolled his eyes.
"Come on, get up Bernadette."
"i can't, i think i hurt my ankle." moaned Bernadette, looking up at Damon with her puppy dog eyes.
"Here we go again!" sighed Alethea.
"Get up Bernadette, me and Alethea need to milk the cow." Damon said trying not to sound too angry.
"Why don't you take care of my ankle and let Alethea do the milking of the cow." Bernadette said still lying down on the ground with Damon looking down at her.
"What are you serious!" cried Alethea.
Damon knew only Bernadette could win this game, "Alethea, I'm so sorry but could you milk the cow i need to take care of Bernadette here." Damon waited for Alethea move but she did not. "Please Alethea."
"Fine" Alethea said reluctantly.
Alethea grabbed a stool and place next to the cow that was to milked.
"Ohhh Damon I sprained my ankle," Alethea mimicked Bernadette in a squeaky voice.
Alethea started milking the cow, she looked back and saw Bernadette's hand on Damon arm. Alethea looked at Damon and he looked frustrated and uncomfortable.
What am i feeling? Jealousy? But I'm with Jason, not Damon.
Alethea did not like this feeling, she continued to milk the cow and hope she will just have feelings for Jason only.
"Ah, done. Now I'm gonna disturb Bernadette's 'quality time' with Damon.
Alethea walked briskly towards them.
"Hey, all done!"
Damon looked up at Alethea with relief in his eyes.
"Oh great!" Damon stood up "OK, let's finish the other things up!"
Damon and Alethea walked side by side leaving Bernadette sitting on the floor in the position Damon had left her.
"Hey! You two, wait up! I'm injured remember!" Bernadette hollered after them.
Alethea and Damon heard Bernadette calling for them, but both of them just pretended they could not hear anything and kept on walking.
Bernadette had no choice but to run to catch up with them. She lifted her dress and ran after Damon and Alethea.
"Wait up!"
When Bernadette was right behind them, she pushed Alethea and grabbed Damon's arm.
"i thought you sprained your ankle, how did you catch up with us so fast?" smirked Damon.
Alethea and Damon looked at Bernadette, she looked back up at the both of them.
"Ow www, my ankle!" wailed Bernadette.

In order to keep up her pretence of a fake sprained ankle, Bernadette just had to say something.
"urgh!" shouted Alethea in frustration throwing her hands in the sky.
Damon did not know what to do as he saw Alethea walk away.
"Bernadette stop it now." said Damon not looking at Bernadette.
"Stop what?" said Bernadette pretending to act stupid.
"You know what. We know you did not really sprain your leg." sighed Damon,
"Fine, you caught me." Bernadette said and stood up properly, "you know i had to do it so that Alethea can get her hands off you."

From a far, after walking away from Damon and Bernadette, Alethea looked back and saw and heard everything that Bernadette had said.
"Get her hands off you? What the heck is her problem!" muttered Alethea.

"Stop it Bernadette! You know you will never get me back after what you did!" shouted Damon. Bernadette just stood looking down at the ground. "you cheated on me, and when you found out i knew you sent me back to that institution!"
After Damon and said enough, Bernadette was lost for words. No one had ever talked to her in that manner before and she was taken aback by what Damon had just said.

"Wow, what a history they have." said Alethea barely audible.

Damon just walked away from Bernadette without a word and headed towards the house.
Damon saw Alethea standing outside the house waiting for him, "Come on, let's go."
Damon took the lead as he walked into the house. On the way in, Alethea looked back and saw the horrible scowl on Bernadette's face.
Damon and Alethea did the rest of the chores. They both did not see Bernadette since.

"So how are we going to escape?" asked Alethea casually.
"SHHH! We cannot let anyone know about this!" snapped Damon.
"Sorry." As Damon and Alethea walked to the basement after a long days work.
Once they both were inside the room with the door closed, Alethea repeated her question.
"You know that Mrs Kellard said that we could one new pair of clothes once every three months right?"
"Oh yes! i totally forgotten about it."
"Yes, well i haven't. Tomorrow we will ask Mrs Kellard whether we can go out to the market. And while we're there..."
"We can escape!" Alethea said finishing Damon's sentence.
"Exactly!"

With their hearts filled with hope from escaping this torture they fell asleep.