Quoted By:
“It … my husband. Even back when we were just courting, he was always talking about pulling together enough money to get out of the Mount and buy a small farm somewhere. He was born back in the Old World, you see, on a farm, and does not have … the highest opinion of city living. But about … a year ago now, he had a close call at work one night. He walked away with some scrapes and bruises, but … well, suffice to say, things could have gone differently.”
You allow yourself a moment to compose your thoughts. All the while, the Cobbler is looking at you intently, and it is all you can do to not advert your eyes.
“After that night, getting out of the Mount wasn’t just a dream any more to him, it was … it was his mission in life. And I – of course, I supported him, but … I just didn’t think he was being <span class="mu-i">reasonable</span> with how quickly he wanted out, that’s all. He didn’t <span class="mu-i">just</span> want a parcel of land, he wanted an <span class="mu-i">entire</span> established farm. And he didn’t want to live on the Frontier either, he wanted somewhere in one of the Interior Provinces. Of course, there would have to be money set aside too, to cover us while we established ourselves, and on top of that, he was still paying back the fare and transit fees from when he came to the Principalities.”
“He became a miser. He would stay in darkness rather than burn any oil, we would skip meals, and when we would eat, he would rather go beneath the Boardwalk to harvest mussels, clams and periwinkles rather than buy anything. When my sandals finally wore out, instead of spending money on a new pair, he … I don’t even know how he found these boots, but this is what he gave me.”
The Cobbler looks like he is going to speak up at that, but you aren’t done.
“And … rather than … starting a family, he had me go out take employment. A married maid! Now I – I am supportive. I am! I bring home every talent I can because the thought that one day, my husband will own land, a farm – it fills me with pride. So many of the other men in the Tenement are willing to just live hand to mouth, but not my Ossavian. It is just … I am not some, some nag, some unsatisfiable shrew. I am no whobody to tight purse strings. And I never said a word against this. Against any of this! But … I … I wasn’t happy. Those words were never spoken, but … he saw, he knew. And eventually, he began to relent on small things. Then bigger things. To be sure, he was still saving money, but not like had been in the first few months. He would still have his farm, just … not as quickly.”
“When he first started to seriously save, he figured that he could have paid back the fare and transit fees, and hired a Solicitor by now, to start the search. And just maybe, if somewhere cheap and safe enough on the Frontier turned up, he might have relented, and we might have been living there right now. Instead, at this point, all he has managed to do is cover his fare.”
