The day continued to idle away.
The sun finished its climb into the sky. Now it was resting briefly to catch its breath before beginning the slow descent back to the earth.
Myth patted my knee. “It’s your turn. Tell me about the family MacDonald.”
I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what lay ahead. When I had asked Myth about her family, I knew she would ask about mine in return. I did not mind telling Myth about my family. But… This was going to be a painful conversation for me.
“Well,” I said. “My daddy and I were really close—he was such a terrific man. You know how your dad calls you, ‘my girl?’ ”
Myth nodded and brushed that strand of hair off her forehead again.
“My daddy’s special name for me was Sweetheart,” I said. “Oh! I was so proud to be his sweetheart. Whenever I was grumpy, all he had to do was say, ‘Sweetheart,’ and voila! I’d become all smiles and giggles. But if anyone else called me Sweetheart…”
I paused and folded my arms across my tummy. “Oh! That’s a big no-no to me. If you want to upset me, just call me Sweetheart. But I warn you, you’ll regret it.”
“Huh,” uttered Myth. “Back in Narrows, I remember you became quite angry when Ronnie Bridge called you that. Honestly, I thought you were going to punch him.”
“Urgh!” I growled, clenching my hands as I thought about Mr. Ronnie Bridge. “It’s bad enough when someone I like calls me Sweetheart. Hearing that bulbous twit defile 'Sweetheart' was unbearable. I would have slapped him unconscious if you hadn’t been there. How rude of him, calling me Sweetheart. I was my daddy’s Sweetheart, and that is that.”
“Um, Izzy,” said Myth timidly as she fiddled with that strand of hair. “You, um, keep using the past tense when you talk about your dad. Why?”
“Oh,” I muttered. My head drooped. I shut my eyes, trying to prevent tears from welling in them.
Myth rubbed my arm. “Forget I mentioned it, Izzy.”
“No,” I replied. “It’s okay, but talking about this is… hard.”
I took a deep breath. “Daddy died of pneumonia when I was ten.”
Myth put her arm around my shoulders. Softly, she said, “I’m sorry, Iz.”
I rested my head against her shoulder and thought about my daddy for a while. “I think he would have liked you,” I said at last.
Myth patted my shoulder. “I’ve always wondered why you still call your dad ‘Daddy.’ It always seemed odd. But now it makes sense.”
“I know it’s silly for a woman our age to still say Daddy,” I said, “but…”
I left my sentence unfinished. How could I explain something so personal? Despite being a chatterbox, I could not think of the proper words to use.
But Myth understood.
“No,” she said, “I get it. You lost your father before he had a chance to become Dad. For you, he’ll always be Daddy—the mender of scraped knees and your protector from bad dreams. He’s part man and part legend. Had I lost my dad when I was ten, I think he’d still be Daddy to me, too.”
I raised my head off of Myth’s shoulder and beamed at her. “Yes! That’s it exactly.”
Taking another deep breath, I went on, “He’ll always be my daddy. And I’ll always miss him. Oh! It hurt so much when he died. I remember his funeral—sitting in a pew in a gloomy temple, crying softly.”
Shaking my head, I paused and wiped my eyes. “Fortunately, Auntie Julie was there for me. She is such a remarkable woman. You’d like her—I know it. She’s a Knowledge Dealer back in Dusk.”
Myth whistled. “That explains why you always have plenty of coins.”
She had a point: Knowledge Dealers tended to be wealthy.
…I should pause here to explain how important Knowledge Dealers were in the Holdings. I am sorry, Buster. But this will take a while.
Back then, two sayings defined the political situation in the Holdings: “A pint of the proper stuff” and “A matter of who knows what.”
“A pint of the proper stuff” mostly concerned commoners like me. It meant that we did not trouble ourselves over politics so long as taverns served decent beer. If the beer was good, we were content. If the beer was bad, some nobles were likely to lose their heads. Thus, Brew Masters were quite powerful in the Holdings. And nobles tripped over themselves to keep them happy.
“A matter of who knows what” dealt with the nobles. Now, Buster, I am not trying to be rude, but nobles were annoying. They were always butting into other people’s business and wiggling their pinkies at hardworking folk. And the way they pranced about in their frilly frocks—bah! More than a few nobles lost their heads for prancing about and wiggling their pinkies.
Knowledge Dealers took care of “the noble problem.” I suppose you could call them spies, but Knowledge Dealers rarely sold important political information. You see, nobles loved to stick their noses into other nobles’ affairs; it was their favorite pastime. So Knowledge Dealers employed informants who learned all the juicy intrigues between Lord So-And-So and Lady What’s-Her-Name. Knowledge Dealers sold this gossip to their patrons who then used the tittle-tattle to embarrass their peers.
Thus, the nobles left the commoners alone, so long as they could annoy one another. And the commoners left the nobles alone, so long as they could drink a pint of good beer…
Do not laugh, Buster. You would be amazed how well that system worked. And Auntie Julie, the most successful Knowledge Dealer in Dusk, was a major reason why it worked.
Sorry that took so long. Let’s return to my story…
It embarrassed me when Myth mentioned my finances. Back home in Dusk, I had never really thought about how fortunate I was. But out here with Myth—someone who had to work hard just to survive—well, I felt like a spoiled brat.
“Um,” I uttered, unsure what to say. “Yes. I suppose I’m lucky that Auntie has always been able to take care of me.”
I shuffled about, feeling quite uncomfortable.
Myth smacked her forehead. “Oh gods! I’m sorry, Izzy. I didn’t mean to imply that you’re a snotty, rich girl slumming with an elf during your gap year. I just meant… How can I say this?”
Myth thought for a spell. Then she clasped my hand. “You’re very generous with your coins—spending and sharing them seemingly without a thought. I’ve always had to worry about how to get the most out of each coin. So I never understood why you were so flippant with your money. But now I see that money has never been a big deal to you. You enjoy sharing it with others, just as your aunt shares her success with you. Being that generous—that willing and able to help others—is a… It’s a trait I admire in you.”
Myth’s praise made me feel, well, proud to be me. I felt so happy that I had to release some of that happiness by giggling. Otherwise, I might have exploded with joy.
“Auntie Julie is an excellent role model,” I said. “Lots of elves act as her informants, which makes sense because every noble family in Dusk has elven servants. But unlike other Knowledge Dealers, Auntie pays her elven helpers the same amount as her human helpers. ‘Always treat people with respect, Izzy,’ she taught me. ‘The occasional scoundrel will try to cheat you. But most people deserve respect. Don’t let a few rotten apples discourage you from being a decent person.’ ”
“Smart woman,” said Myth. “Maybe I’ll meet her one day.”
“Oh! I hope so. You’ll like her. I just know it.”
Myth closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards, letting her face bask in the sunlight.
“Um, Izzy,” she said softly. “You mention your dad and aunt all the time. But I don’t think you’ve ever talked about your mom.”
“Oh,” I mumbled as my head drooped once again—this was another painful subject.
“Well,” I said slowly, “that’s because I don’t really know anything about her. She left when I was three. That’s when Daddy and I moved in with Auntie Julie, Daddy’s sister. I-I don’t know where my mom is now.”
Myth rubbed my arm gently. “Gee, Izzy, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Myth,” I said. “I’m sure I’ll see my mom again someday. I mean… She wouldn’t just abandon me.”
Myth chuckled. “I can’t imagine anyone would want to walk out on you, Iz.”
I smiled at her and exclaimed, “Exactly! Everyone wants to be around me because I’m one of a kind.”
“That you are, Iz,” said Myth. “That you are.
Words became unnecessary, so we gazed at the countryside. Below us, the rippling water frolicked upon the lake’s surface. And just to my left, a lizard slinked out from beneath a rock, climbed on top of it, and bathed in the sun.