Lia - Part 1

  With a faint sigh, Lia awoke from her nightmare, her body covered with cold sweat. At her side, Esti was calmly breathing. As Lia studied the short, slim

  girl's body, she felt love fill her heart as her palm involuntarily caressed the other's exposed shoulder.

  The memories of her time with Esti made her blush, and she withdrew her hand. She began to cry, and her cheeks soon became drenched with large,

  heavy tears. As she normally would, she was wiping the tears from her eyes across her face; however, this brought back a painful memory of her last kiss

  with Tim.

  The sensation was excruciatingly terrible, and she broke down into tears as she sobbed uncontrollably, unable to escape the images that continued to

  spin in her mind. The sobbing stopped as Lia got back into bed. As she dove into the blissful slumber that some refer to as sleep, she held onto the one

  she hadn't let go of just yet. In her slumber, Esti beamed, reached out, and touched her hand; they lay side by side until daylight, never separating.

  "Hi!" she heard Esti's thin, sweet voice. Lia opened her eyes and looked up. The early lights illuminated the room, and as Esti leaned closer to Lia, her

  beautiful ebony skin almost glowed in the morning rays, her red lips glinting.

  "Wake up, it's morning already," Esti whispered, her fingers gently touching Lia's shoulder.

  "Just a little longer," Lia mumbled sleepily, closed her eyes, and reached for the blanket, but Esti's slender hand had already pulled it off her as she sat

  on the edge of the bed. Her dark, velvety skin created a beautiful contrast with the white sheet.

  "Mrs. Margaret is already in the kitchen; can you hear? We should assist her with something," Esti stated, prompting Lia to open her eyes once more,

  and for a brief moment, she was filled with admiration for her friend. Esti wore a simple canvas nightgown that reached her knees and featured a gaping

  hole at one shoulder. She sat barefoot on the edge of the bed, playfully swinging her legs like a little girl, her thin arms wrapped around herself against

  the cold as she waited for Lia to get up from bed.

  Lia could smell the sweat from her nightmare on her body. She sat up and quickly removed her nightgown. Esti's breath caught for a moment as she

  looked at Lia, then she blushed, shyly averting her gaze.

  Lia paid no attention to it, jumping out of bed. She was wearing only underwear.

  "Let's go, Esti!" she said firmly. From the chair beside the bed, she put on a clean linen shirt, meticulously buttoning it over her breasts, and then pulled

  a boy's trousers onto her slender waist.

  "Alright!" Esti nodded, shaking off her reverie. She ran to the other chair, undressed, and grabbed her own clothes, including a boy's shirt, along with a

  thick canvas skirt that reached her knees.

  "Only a girl's dress, this skirt, and your little shirt remained for Mrs. Margaret. It's fortunate that she preserved her son's childhood clothes... "

  "Don't talk about that scoundrel!" Lia snapped angrily.

  Esti flinched as she remembered everything that had happened last week. Mrs. Margaret's son had just come home on leave from the city, and as soon

  as he saw her, he immediately started sweet-talking her. He kept saying they'd never had such a beautiful Black woman in the family, and even

  Mrs. Margaret approved of the idea. But the next evening, before dinner, the man cornered Esti in the pantry and started embracing her, pressing her

  against the door. Esti could still recall his desire-filled voice whispering in her ear, 'Either you'll be my wife, or I'll tell everyone you are thieves.' Esti

  shuddered; she could almost feel the man's wet hands on her arms, brushing against her skirt. Fortunately, Mrs. Margaret saw them, gave her son a

  powerful slap, and immediately sent him back to the city.

  "Come on, Esti!" Lia's voice broke her out of the unpleasant memory. "Let's make breakfast for ourselves and Mrs. Margaret, then help her in the garden!"

  Lia stepped out of the room's door, instinctively looking around before moving forward, then headed toward the kitchen. Mrs. Margaret must have put the

  bread in the oven at dawn because she could smell the aroma of fresh bread. Lia retrieved cutlery from the drawer, while Esti took out plates, and together

  they set the table.

  Mrs. Margaret entered and stopped in the kitchen doorway. She wore her graying hair in a bun, her wide hips straining against the apron of her long, dark

  blue skirt. Her round face, flushed from the stove's heat by now, smiled as she watched the busy girls: Esti was just slicing tomatoes, while Lia was

  dividing a small piece of dried meat into three equal parts. Despite her shame over her son, the woman's heart warmed, grateful that she had taken in

  these two little refugees. These girls were strong, hardworking, and, most importantly, honest.

  "Good morning!" she finally said with a smile, causing both girls to look up. "I see breakfast is already being prepared.But first bring some more peppers

  from the garden, that'll go well with thebread and meat."

  "I'll go!" Esti jumped up and ran to the garden. Lia stepped to the door, following her friend with her eyes, always watching over her. That's when Lia

  noticed the three workers who were walking down the street toward the cornfields, curiously peering into the house.

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  That's when Lia noticed the three workers who were walking down the street toward the cornfields, curiously peering into the house.

  "Well, look at what beautiful flowers are blooming here!" one of them whistled when he saw Lia.

  "And look, there's another one in the garden!" He gestured towards Esti, who was bending down towards the pepper bush, while the men were leering

  at her swaying little skirt.

  "Hey, ladies, when will you have time for a dance?" the third one grinned.

  A dangerous light flashed in Lia's eyes. With determined steps, she went to the street gate and yanked it open.

  "Here I am. Want something?" she asked icily. Mrs. Margaret was eager to speak, having followed the girl out, but she was no longer able to prevent Lia

  from continuing.

  The man in the middle stepped closer, looking the girl up and down.

  "Oho, I do like such fiery, brown-haired little girls! You'd make a lovely wife..." he said, grinning lustfully, even licking his swollen lips.

  Lia laughed quietly as she sized up the much older figure, then turned her head as if she had become embarrassed. Then she quickly spun around and

  punched her harasser in the nose with all her might. He grabbed his nose, blood immediately starting to flow, and he howled.

  "You fierce hellcat!" He shouted, but his companions were already backing away. "You'll regret this!"

  "Get out of here!" Lia shouted after them, even taking a threatening step toward them. All three hurried off to their business, grumbling.

  Lia watched them go with clenched fists and was startled when Mrs. Margaret touched her back.

  "Come in, dear, let's eat!" The woman embraced her, and Lia smiled and sighed, releasing the tension in her body.

  "Alright," she said. She followed the woman into the house, but before leaving, she glanced after the men. Esti watched Lia with shock but adoration,

  still standing in the garden, though her hands were empty.

  "Come on, Esti! Are you bringing those peppers?" Mrs. Margaret called to the girl, who quickly picked a few crispy-looking peppers and hurried back

  to the kitchen.

  They sat down at the table, and Mrs. Margaret looked up at the ceiling.

  "Let us give thanks to the King and the Court for the food! May the blessing of the Heavens be upon them!" She said, then quietly added:

  "In the Savior's name, so be it."

  Lia grimaced; Esti smiled as she stared at the deeply devout woman.

  "One day I'd like to see him!" Esti whispered in her thin voice.

  "Who, my tiny one?" Mrs. Margaret asked with interest.

  "The Savior!" Esti replied innocently, her eyes shining.

  "Enough of this!" Lia cut in sharply. "You'll meet him when you die, and we don't want that. Less talking, more eating!"

  Mrs. Margaret touched her forehead with two fingers and shook her head disapprovingly at Lia's harsh words, but she remained silent. Esti lowered

  her eyes and quietly started her breakfast. The kitchen fell into a tense silence, with only the soft clinking of cutlery on the plates audible.

  Following their delicious breakfast, the girls began their household chores. Lia immediately grabbed the spade and began working in the kitchen garden,

  while Esti washed the breakfast dishes at the courtyard well. Lia's sun-tanned, strong arms had grown accustomed to the 'man's work', as Mrs. Margaret

  called it - she chopped wood, pumped water with the wheel well, and hoed the garden as if she had done it all her life. Esti sometimes secretly watched

  her friend while working, but now she focused on the dishwashing instead, quietly humming to herself.

  "In the afternoon, we'll scrub the floor together," Lia called over to Esti while wiping her forehead in the morning sun.

  "Of course!" Esti giggled, the little tune still not leaving her head. She thought for a moment, then her face lit up.

  "Dandelions and butterflies! Remember, Lia?" She asked her friend and began singing the school melody loudly:

  "Dandelions drift in spring light,

  Butterflies take gentle flight,

  The wind brings melodies so sweet;

  As the flowers bloom, complete!"

  Lia smiled - she loved listening to Esti's sweet voice, but her eyes remained sad. The mention of school reminded her of Tim. Esti continued humming

  the song while Lia began hoeing another flower bed.

  After lunch, Lia took Mrs. Margaret's arm and led her to the garden where Esti couldn't hear them.

  "Mrs. Margaret, thank you for taking us in during the winter, but we must leave tomorrow," she said quietly and firmly. The woman looked at her worriedly,

  and Lia continued:

  "Many problems have occurred in the past few months. There was an incident involving your son and Esti, followed by the current situation with these

  workers. We need to locate Tim, as I previously mentioned to you."

  "Yes, yes," the older woman nodded.

  "I need to find him. He... he saved my life at school when a soldier... came and..." Lia's voice broke, but she collected herself. "I love him."

  Mrs. Margaret nodded silently, then took and squeezed Lia's slightly rough hand from work. In the evening, when Lia informed Esti about her decision in

  the kitchen, Mrs. Margaret silently observed their interaction. Esti's face darkened, but she didn't object.

  The next morning, they packed their few belongings. At the farewell, Mrs. Margaret embraced them both, but Esti couldn't let her go. Small tears ran

  down her face as she clung to the woman's neck.

  "Thank you... thank you..." she whispered again and again.

  Mrs. Margaret planted a small kiss on the Black girl's forehead.

  "The Angels will watch over you, my little one!" she said. Esti looked up.

  "Yes, I know. I learned about the Warrior Angels who protected the Savior. Lia is like them - she's my protector," she said quietly, so her friend wouldn't hear.

  Lia finally gently pulled Esti from the woman's arms, and they set off on the road. Mrs. Margaret stood at the gate for a long time until the two girls' figures

  disappeared in the distance.