Regia's eyes fluttered open to meet the tender gaze of her mother. She was slightly uncoordinated. Her mother's voice brought her consciousness back to reality.
"Regia,it is almost dawn, you're carriage would soon be here",she said, tapping her gently.
Regia turned and stretched on the bed before sitting up right. She looked at her mother and saw that she was trying to hide her reeling emotions. Regia pressed her lips together tightly,in an attempt to suppress her own emotions.
" So this is the last time I would see you,if I had known your leave would be earlier,I would have made more memories to remember you by",her mother said in a tone resembling a whisper.
Regia held in her breath,she really didn't want to cry and go through any emotional cyclones before leaving or else she would cry all the way.
Her mother as well held her emotions in check and stood from the bed.
"Go and have your bath quickly, they would be here very soon and you are yet to have your bath,Miss Rosa said you should dress light,you would be attended to when you get to Albania, so come on,hurry up", she beckoned and Regia lazily slide off her bed.
She went into her little observatory with much on her mind,this will be the last time she was ever going to use it.
She began to wonder if she would be allowed to come visit her mother. It was unheard of but she was still determined on trying.
She bathed as quickly as she could and left the observatory, looking back. She wanted to make a mental diary if all she left behind.
She wore her clothes and left for the living room. She saw her mother placing a meal for her on their little dining table,lit by a lantern,it was always the two of them.
She went over and sat down, observing her mother. The woman did a very good job at controlling get emotions,only her eyes betrayed her.
" Come on now,eat,you haven't much time remember,I only wanted you to eat one last meal from home before leaving, its your favourite ",she said, trying to sound jovial and she walked towards her room.
Regia looked at the food before her,it was her favourite but she had no appetite, she only summoned one for the sake of her mother. She knew that she might never again have the privilege of enjoying her meal,truly happy.
When she ate a few spoons,her appetite returned and before she could realise what was happening, she had finished the entire meal.
Her mother returned from her room and chuckled when she saw she had devoured her food.
" Oh my,you must have really been famished",she said and laughed again.
Regia looked at her,sniffing gently. She too was surprised by her sudden appetite.
Her mother walked over to the table and sat herself opposite her,holding something in her hands. She placed it on the table and Regia cocked her head to the side, observing it.
It was an old looking box. Her mother carefully opened it up and revealed its content,it was a ring.
"This is an heirloom in my family,my mother said it had been passed down for generations in my family to the first born girl child", she said and paused,causing Regia to lift her head and face her mother.
" You are my firstborn girl child Regia, and I want to pass this down to you,to remember me by",she said and stretched her hand toward her,signalling her to bring hers.
Regia slowly stretched her hand forward and placed it in her mother's.
Her mother wore the ring for her on her last finger.
Regia retracted her hand and closely observed the ring. It was a silver ring encrusted with diamonds. She wondered how her mother's lineage got to have something so very expensive looking.
Regia was touched by her mother's actions. She had always wondered why her mother refused to get married again after her husband had died.
She was beautiful to behold and was still young enough to find a husband but she refused and chose to remain dedicated to her late husband.
She knew Mr Alsop took a deeper liking to her mother and had teased her about her attitude towards the man anytime he tried to make an advance but the woman was adamant, so she had given up on her a long time ago,until now.
The man had been finding a partner after his wife passed on from a brief illness eight years before. She had watched as he went through the mourning period miserably.
She and her mother were among the few caring neighbours who stood firmly in those times by him. Her mother took it upon herself with diligence to help him through the dark times as she too had also once lost a lover.
Mr Alsop and his wife lived childless for years,they were the only family they knew and when she died, he felt like he had no one else. It was during that period that she suspected that he had began to develop feelings towards her mother.
She was about to leave her all alone in the house. She then tried to talk to her mother again concerning the matter,indirectly.
"I am grateful mother for everything", she said and paused to look at her mother who was pressing her lips into a thin line.
" The only thing I am not grateful for is leaving you all alone in the house without someone to love or love you",she said with a voice that actually didn't conceal the fact that she was up to mischief and her mother's brows knitted in understanding.
She placed her elbow on the table to support her head as she covered her eyes. She couldn't believe that she could be talking about something like this,on a day such as this.
"Regia, I...", she started to say but paused when they heard a knock at the door. They both turned to face the door,wondering if it could be the knock they were expecting.
Regia walked over to door to open it up and was pleasantly surprised with those she saw next. It was Mr Alsop and Histopher but they weren't alone,there was a man with them.
She welcomed them in,opening the door wide for them to come in. They all did,bowing slowly as they walked in, but the man stayed outside.
She noticed that Histopher's gaze was fasted in her but she looked away and chose to ignore it
Mr Alsop then spoke up.
" He's the one taking you to Albania, Reggie, he just gave us a little time to say goodbye ",he said and led her inside,Histopher following closely behind.
Her mother's eyes widened when she saw her visitors. She was aware that Mr Alsop was the one who was going to direct the coach to her house but she was pleasantly surprised to see Histopher. She hadn't seen the young man in a very long time.
" Marietta, the coach is here to take her to her new home,I came over to say goodbye ",he said and shifted his gaze from her mother to face her.
" Never a goodbye aye,Reggie",he said, giving her a smile, a smile she had come to know and love.
She was still determined on not letting her emotions take over. She just silently moved to hug the man who had played a fatherly role to her all her life.
The man who had been expecting it moved his arms to hug her back. She shut her eyes shut to push back the teats that threatened to betray her. Her mother and Histopher watched as she hugged him silently.
"Thank you Mr Alsop for everything", she said,her eyes still closed,wishing she had something better to say or do. She withdrew from the hug when she felt like she had controlled her tears.
She also moved to give her mother a hug and planted a kiss on her forehead before muttering a low thank you that was privy to both their ears alone.
She then turned and faced Histopher who lowered his gaze when she looked in his direction. He stood there,his hand tucked in his pockets,hiding fisted hands.
He was the only male friend she had agreed to keep because he was different from the rest. The others were perverts and disrespectful, using their bad behaviours to hide the fact that they disliked the way their system was structured to disfavour them in every way.
She couldn't make any other friend since the only girls within her age bracket were all gone. She was often being teased by those younger than her because she was the oldest unbetrothed girl in the village.
She had just always found herself free with him and open with herself around him,even though she never developed any feeling towards him whatsoever. He was the only friend she had ever since all her friends got betrothed and she was left.
She felt a silent strain leech on their relationship when she realised that he had began nursing deeper feelings for her. That was when he moved away and she thought she would ever see him. She was happy when she saw he had come back and that he had come to wish her goodbye.
She moved to hug him as well and felt his body stiffen by action. He stiffly moved his hands to hug her back,trying not to hug her too tight and could feel his body tremble as he did.
He inhaled the beautiful scent of her hair for one last time,before he never sees her again. She withdrew from the hug slowly and planted a quick kiss on his lips,at least her first kiss was taken by someone very close to her heart.
He let her go and watched as she looked back at the faces of all she was going to leave behind.
A knock from the door tore a rip into their emotional moment. She looked around the house one last time,before giving them all a nod.
Histopher led the way and opened the door for her,she thanked him before passing through to the coach.
The sun was beginning to announce its arrival by spraying the sky with lush shades.The coach man opened the door to the carriage for her to get in. He helped her in and she thanked him before closing the door and going to take his seat in front of the carriage.
Regia looked back at her house and waved to the people that she was about to leave. They all waved back at her,with emotions dancing in their eyes,none of both parties knowing if they would ever meet again on this side of heaven.
Regia saw her mother's shoulder tremble as the carriage began to move. She saw Mr Alsop wrap a comforting arm around her and saw her lean in on his shoulders crying.
She then looked towards Histopher, he looked at her carriage pull away,further from them. He was a little skeptical on coming when Mr Alsop invited him but now he was glad he did,because even though she was leaving,he was glad he saw her one last time.
She had even given him a gift before leaving and he smiled at the thought.
Regia looked forward and could feel the emotions that she had earlier suppressed begin to wage a war within her.
She ignored observing the lush interior of the carriage and burst into silent tears. The tears flowed like little meanders down her cheeks as she allowed them fall.
She felt like jumping off the carriage and running towards them but she couldn't. She was now going to a foreign land to live a life foreign to her and no looking back.