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Susana walked around the dark musty bar, a dishwater soaked apron wrapped around her waist as she maneuverd throught the tables and men reaching out to her, serving the tankereds of beer. Hour after hour she spent her time here, barely making enough to sustain herself and little child. Where else in Ireland can a young widow find a job. Only the taverns would welcome her, as long as she spent her evening serving the men their drinks, and worked late through the night scrubbing the beer splattered floor. Life was not how she dreamed it would be. Running her own home, managing the household, waiting impatiently for her dear husband to come to the dinner table. Her little girl as the jewl in her father's eye. Her life was going to be perfect, until the day he was carried in her doorway. There had been an accident in the field with the plow, his arm had got stuck in the harness, and the horse spooked. Her eyes filled with tears as the fellow workers described how her trapped husband was trapmpled underneath the large horse's hooves. The doctor came, telling her to keep viligance by his bedside, and soak his head with cool water to keep the fever down. If they were lucky, his wounds wouldn't become infected. But luck was not with her gentle husband, as his body trembled under the sheets, and his body swelled with pain.
The night he died she called the doctor to come, her husband's heart beat was too faint and his breathing shallower. The doctor came as quick as he could, but it wasn't quick enough. When he came in the door Susanna was leaning over her husbands still body letting her tears flow hoping they could erase death, while a small three year old slept not knowing the fears that haunted her dreams would become reality when she awoke.
"I said more beer!" The rough voice broke into Susanna's thoughts as her vision refocused on the scene in front of her. The man had stood up, his face red with anger and intoxication. She'd let herself go away again back to that miserable day, ignoring her work, and the men calling for service.
"I'm sorry sir. My mind ain't where it needs to be."
"Aw well since yoor such a sweet lass, I'll be forgiven' ye just this once, but I thinks you still needs to make it up to me. How 'bout it darlin'? Ya wantin' to come spend some time with me?" It wasn't really a question, as he grabbed her arm with a vice like grip pulling her close to him, his tainted breath causing her to gag.
"Please sir, I can't, I'll get'cha your drink, but then I gots to serve the other men." This same senario happend at least once a week, usually more. She tried to pull away, but the man was drunk, and he was angry at her. The only thing he wanted to do was hurt her in anyway he could, as well as getting some personal satisfaction, all because she hadn't heard him ask for a drink. Her arm was throbbing and he know had hand firmly around her waist, bringing his foul mouth towards her's. She struggled, but he was at least a foot taller than her, and ten times stronger. She had no hope because no one fights for a tavern gir. His mouth landed on her's fierce, tasting of bitterness and beer, angryly pushing against her as she tried to pull away. His hands started to lift her up to carry her to a place where he could do as he willed.
"That's enough now! Put her down!" The tavern owner had come out from the back with a pistol pointed at us.
"You shoot me, you shoot her" he shouted back, holding her now like a shield in front of him. All of a sudden there was a loud crack as Susanna fell to the the floor, the man on top of her. She wormed her way from beneath his limp weight, and looked up to see Victor holding a club. He was a heavily built man, and hired to keep peace in the tavern. While the owner had the man distracted with the gun, Victor had come from behind to knock him out.
"Pick up that filth and throw him in the alley," the tavern owner ordered. "Susanna?"
"Yes sir?"
"Are you bleeding?"
"No sir, I don't think I am." she answered quietly.
"Good. Now get back to work, these men are thirsty."
"Yes sir." Susanna slowly picked her self up off the floor. Using the arm that wasn't throbbing with pain, she wiped her mouth trying to erase the taste of beer, and the smell of that man. With a few deep breaths she calmed herself down a bit, and went back to get some more tankards to serve to those men who had sat idely by and watched everything that happened, not even stirring to help. For the rest of the night she served trying to mentally blot out her pain. A few men gave her a passing glance to apoligize, but didn't say anything. You see in there eyes she was a harlot, and did not deserve any respect or protection.
When her husband had died, she was informed that she had no land, no stock, and no house. Susanna didn't understand. Then it all became clear, as they showed her records. She was arranged to marry a nobleman of her home village, however when she met Alan, her father had agreed to let her marry him instead. Unfortunatly the nobleman did not agree, and paid the corrupt clergy to write up the marriage agreement. In the laws eyes Susanna was already married when she spoke her vows with Alan. This made her an adultrous, and annulled her marriage with Alan, which left her no claim to his possesions. The man who she was supposedly married to then gave a letter of divorcement under the pretext of adultry. She was excommunicated from the church because she refused to repent of a sin she did not commit. This made her only option for survival, to work in a shady tavern hoping she could survive. <span id="test5802811">. . .</span><br/><div id="post5802811" style="display:none; margin-right:75px;"></div>
 Cenendra · Fri Nov 03, 2006 @ 06:22pm · 1 Comments |
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