The thought of marriage never occurred to A'bel. He looks at his parents, questioning their response. Marriage? That's the last thing on A'bel's mind. At an age like A'bel's, he wants to figure himself out.
For a moment, Armanius closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. As he opens his eyes, he looks at his son, then diverts his gaze to his wife, Meira. They shifted their gaze to their son as he processed the information—more so, the word "marriage" couldn't leave A'bel's mind.
"We are not saying right away, but we want you to think about it," Armanius said. "You're a grown man now. And you can choose a wife of your choosing. Have you had any in mind?"
"No," A'bel spoke honestly. He didn't want to lead his father on with a lie. A'bel hasn't thought of any woman in mind despite how Pietro nudges him about their good looks.
"Just let him don't pick the pretty ones," Nanni warns him, walking inside. "Whatever you do, A'bel, don't fall for them!"
Her finger pointed at him so he would know she was serious. A'bel's eyes widened, and he nodded in agreement. Armanius shuts down Nanni's response and thinks A'bel should marry a pretty woman of his choice. A'bel puts his palm on his face, listening to their back-and-forth conversation. He didn't want to hear it. As he steps out of his house, he spreads his arm and closes his eyes. A'bel feels the warm sensation the sun is giving him.
"A'bel!" Meira called.
He turns to see his mother arranging her scarf around her hair. When she finished, she stepped forward to her son and wrapped her arms around him. A'bel digs his chin into her neck to feel her embrace. Meira grinned, stretching her lips as her cheeks raised. "Mother," A'bel said softly to Meira's ears. When they pulled away, he kissed the temple of Meira's forehead. A'bel waved at his mother while Meira did the same. Before A'bel walks away, Armanius calls his name. A'bel sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. He turns to see his father walking toward him.
"I forgot to mention, Casey wants you in today," he informed.
A'bel nods his head, understanding his father's words. He dared to say nothing and not make a fuss.
Armanius and Meira followed their eyes to A'bel walking away.
A day off is what A'bel wanted, he thought to himself, strolling through the agora. People were scattered, going from one market stand to another. A'bel squints as he scrunches his forehead to darken his eyes from the bright sun. The breezy wind blows in A'bel's face, relieving him from the sun's hotness.
His shoulder is hit by a man walking past him. Their shoulders joined seconds after the man stormed off. A'bel touches his shoulder to caress the faint pain that collided with the stranger.
"Asshole," A'bel said to himself.
He spotted a rectangle-size building where the white mud-brick adorned the workshop. A'bel looked through the small open-squared window, searching for Casey. He noticed planks of wood on the two tables with the adze beside it left untouched.
He pushes the black wooden door, entering inside. A'bel touches the adze's blade, then traces his fingers to the handle. He holds the adze in his grasp while grabbing a plank of wood.
A'bel uses his foot to kick the door open when holding the adze and wood. All of them collapsed from his hands, and A'bel sorted them out. One by one, A'bel places them on the table. He lands his eyes on a note written by Casey, which reads:
"Proí (morning) A'bel! Out for a moment. Start working on the klismos! (chair)"
A'bel sighs, placing the note down. He picks up the adze to scrap the wood placed on the table. The blade pushes up pieces of wood out. A'bel continues to do his task, his eyes fixated. Pools of sweat form from A'bel's palms, continuing to carve the wood into its curved klismos.
YOU ARE READING
Greek Gods: Lying & Mischief (Book 1)
Adventure-SLOW UPDATES- WAR, STRIFE, BLOOD, AND LUST. Those four things reign in the hearts of the gods and mortals. Yet, violence is the answer in every situation for survival. No hope but guts splatting in the hands of both species. In the face of hell on...
