Things Fall Apart Short Story

"I know how priviledged and lucky I am to marry the man I love. I am not naive to think this would be the norm. It is by far not. But I also fought for that privilege. If I wouldn´t have had threaten my father to shoot myself, I would be married by now with a fish faced navy officer."

"That... was pretty radical."

"But efficent."

That can´t be denied. "Well... I can be lucky that... well, Abe was mercifull enough to marry me after his brother died."

"Merciful? You are merciful that you took that poor boy as your groom when you have been promised a fine soldier. He can call himself lucky that you are his wife. Look me in the eyes, Mary, and tell me that he wouldn´t be lost without you. You gave birth to your son, you are raising him, you do

With his father being the local Judge he had a life in the upper class of Setauket, never had a day of hard work in his life and suddenly he got the idea to farming without any basical knowledge about it. The silly dream of boy who wanted to revolt against his father. She also does not deny how very dissappointed she was with the marriage. Her dreams, her idea of marriage was shattered.

"Not to mention his... liason with Miss Strong. People are talking, Mary," she ads with the look of Mary. "John would never do such a thing to me. None of it."

"How... can you be so sure? He is a man after all..."

"I know that he loves me," Lizzie smiles. "And would he otherwise write these to me?" She holds up the paper she read out loud with one of his poems.

This too, Mary admits, surprised her. That by all men Major Simcoe writes poetic verses when he is off duty. Verses of love and admiration, praising his loved one features, eyes and character and praising her in poems Madonna-like. How gentle he holds her hand, how gentle and delicate the kisses look he gives her knuckles and cheeks, when his eyes are resting on her he looks as if there is nothing else in this world existing except her, as if... she´d be his universe. She has no idea what love is anymore. She thought she knew it once, she dreamed of it... thought that love needs to grow in a marriage... that with every little thing she does, giving him a son, accepting... whatever is going on with

We need to forge our destiny on our own and we have to take what we want, not caring about what men might think, or society. Society is a construct made my men. They are the ones calling us whores but we are not the ones who pay for a nice embrace. They say we bring shame over a man's name but they are the ones cheating on us. Is his father treating you any better? Why does Thomas had to stay home, you can tell me the truth. It´s no secret that none of them is friends with my fiancé and are very obviously sceptical towards me because 'Oh my dear godness, how can I love that man they are only know as the soldiers but not the private man beneath the uniform like I do'."

Mary giggles. "You can do impressions very good."

"Thank you," she smiles.

"And I guess I am right to say you know the man beneath the uniform literally."

Elizabeth laughs lowly. "Are we this obvious?"

Mary shrugs her shoulders with a nod. "Well... yes. A little bit."

"You need to promise me to not tell any soul."

"I promise."

"Thank you, Mary, I really don´t want to miss it and I don´t want to imagine to wait until the wedding."

It can´t be... "Really?"

"How can anyone expect of me to see this fine man every day and to live in chastity? This would be cruel." She giggles with seeing the other ones red cheeks. "He is gently in every aspect and very generous and spoiling. I tell you, Mary... forget the farmer boy and get yourself a fine