Page 36 of Time After Time
I loved that time in the morning. It was always peaceful. The time before the world woke up. Once we finished, we headedback home, took quick showers to refresh, and then it was time to return to the farm.
This time, I was with Mrs. Marley in her room, holding a selection of dresses that Sylvie had helped me pick out. There was a beautiful red dress with delicate white flowers scattered across it, a bright yellow one with a bee stitched onto the skirt, and a soft light blue one with white lines criss-crossing to form squares. Something special for Mrs. Marley to wear and feel beautiful in.
Meanwhile, Sebastian was busy in the other room, helping Mr. Marley pick out one of the elegant shirts we had brought for him. He had also prepared food in his cottage earlier that morning and brought it with him to the farm. Now, he was making sure everything was set up perfectly for the lunch we planned for them.
A date behind the farm, where the view was absolutely breathtaking.
Long, towering trees stretched toward the sky, their leaves rustling in the summer breeze. Flowers of every colour bloomed across the landscape, while the soft chirp of birds echoed in the air. It was the perfect setting, which is why we had set a table there.
I turned to Mrs. Marley, holding up the dresses.
“Which one do you like more?”
“What for?” she asked, a curious glint in her eyes.
“It’s a surprise!” I grinned. When she raised her eyebrows, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Just choose one you love for a summer day… something perfect to wear out in the sun, to enjoy the warmth and the beauty of nature, and just relax.”
Mrs. Marley pursed her lips, her eyes drifting over the dresses. Her right hand moved over each fabric, feeling the texture as she thought it over, until finally, she stopped at the yellow one. She glanced up at me, a smile spreading across herface. I could already tell she was going to choose that one—it just seemed to suit her, almost as if it felt likeherin some strange way.
“Perfect, get dressed then!” I said, handing her the dress.
Mrs. Marley chuckled as she took it from me, heading toward the bathroom. She didn’t close the door fully, just enough to give her a bit of privacy, but still leaving a sliver open.
“What is going on between Sebastian and you?”
Her question caught me off guard, and I looked up from the bed, a little surprised. I waited for her to continue, my hands grabbing the rest of the dresses, knowing that she would still keep them as gifts from Sylvie and me.
“You guys are acting a little bit weird,” she added, her tone both curious and teasing.
“How so?” I asked, trying to sound casual as I opened the wardrobe.
I began hanging the dresses, making sure they were arranged neatly. I could already picture the look on her face once she opened the wardrobe door and saw them. She’d probably call me immediately, insisting I return them and that one dress was more than enough. But I wouldn’t listen, of course. I’d just tell her to keep them, explaining they were a gift from Sylvie and me, and that she deserved something special.
“You two are acting awkward… kind of avoiding each other’s eyes a little bit,” she said, her voice coming from behind the bathroom door. I could hear her pause before continuing, “That’s something you usually don’t do. You tend to do the opposite.”
I stood still for a moment, taking in what she said. She wasn’t wrong. There had been distance between Sebastian and me since last night. I sighed softly, closing the wardrobe with a click, my fingers lingering on the rough wood.
“Yesterday was an odd day for us,” I replied, my voice quieter now. I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the tension. “Sebastian got accepted to the internship… did you hear?”
“I did. Boy called me early this morning to let me know.” I heard what sounded like a soft chuckle from inside the bathroom. “He worked so hard, and finally, he’s able to bakeandeat his cake.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that, even though there was a strange feeling in my chest. My heart was beating normally, but with an aching sort of rhythm, and a prickling sensation ran through my body.
“It must be hard. Thinking or knowing that, at the end of the summer, he will have to leave.”
I nodded, my fingers still resting on the wardrobe.
“It is,” I replied, the words feeling heavy as I spoke them. It was hard to imagine Sebastian not being here, especially with everything changing.
“Is that what’s making you two act so weird towards each other?” Mrs. Marley stepped out of the bathroom, running her fingers through her hair, trying to tame it after the dress had made it stick in all directions. “You shouldn’t dwell on that.”
Grabbing the back of a wooden chair from Mrs. Marley’s vanity, I waited for her to sit down. As soon as she did, I moved to open her small wine-red purse, where she kept all her makeup. I found her sunscreen first and placed it aside, then carefully set out her favourite red lipstick, blush, and a bit of concealer on the table. Mrs. Marley was stunning, her skin flawless in a way that made it clear she’d always taken exceptional care of herself, even if there were a few sun-kissed stains from the years spent outdoors.
I poured a bit of sunscreen into my fingers and began dotting it across her face—her forehead, cheeks, the tip of her nose. “I can’t help but dwell on it,” I said with a quiet sigh, smoothing the cream into her skin, careful around her hairline and ears.“Thinking of him leaving just makes me sad… It’s going to be a while, and we’ve never really been apart like that before,” I continued, my voice trailing off a little. “And I don’t know… I guess I just worry.”
“Worry?” Mrs. Marley reached for her fan, flicking it. She closed her eyes, fanning herself to help the sunscreen dry faster. “He’ll always be there for you. Nowadays, phones exist, and emails, and all those modern things, Gen.”
She kept her eyes closed as I reached for the concealer, dabbing it lightly under her eyes. She stayed quiet until I began patting it in with her makeup sponge, her voice a mere whisper when she spoke again.
“Back in the day, before we managed to get this farm, Mr. Marley was exempted from going to war—he was a teacher, and they needed teachers then. That was when he lived in Spain, and I stayed here.” Her closed eyes twitched at the corners, her mouth pulling into the faintest frown. “Do you know how scary that was? Sending a letter and hearing nothing back for weeks? Sometimes even longer?”
