Using some of the Words for Wednesday ... June Second Book, Chapter One. June, anden bog, første kapitel

I'm back at using the Words for Wednesday from November 28th.

Death 
Forward 
Important 
Intend 
Left
    and/or:
Pleasure 
Step 
Touch 
Things 
Understand

I used them in the order they were given. Maybe the Words from October 21st and November 4th will follow soon ...Continuing my story of June, the solitary hero. 

After the smuggler had been caught and everything had died down, June was left in a sort of vacuum. She had her nice house, she had her peace and quiet, but somehow it was not working out well. On the surface everything was fine, she put the house in order, she made the garden ready for the coming winter, but inside her was death and turmoil.

She thought of her deceased children and husband while cutting down the raspberries. She wondered at her parent's silence while washing down the greasy kitchen doors. She was reminded of her late mother and father in-law while cleaning the garden path.

Tuesday she had to go shopping. She took her bike, all the way she pondered why her parents were like they were. They never once attended a birthday, or came over for Christmas or Easter. They had been absent even at their grandchildren's baptisms, and at her and Dennis's 12½ years wedding anniversary. They had never accepted Dennis, never even once tried to think the matter over. The fact that she and Dennis had stayed together, despite the predictions an general animosity had won over his parents quite fast. Why had her own parents been that hostile? They could be dead now too for all she knew. She was an only child as Dennis had been, one more reason they had deicide to have many children. They had been slow coming, and now ... She had looked forward to a big family, to grandchildren of her own. Nothing was to come of this.

The visit to town was dismal as well. She had never understood why it was important to dress up windows and streets for Christmas long before autumn was over. The golden leaves of the trees clashed with the gaudy red, green and silver garlands and opposite their intend they made her feel even more dejected. In the shops proper Christmas goods jumped at her right and left, she fastened her eyes on the floor and hurried to get the things on her list.
    This took the meagre pleasure out of shopping, making it even more of a chore. For every step she felt dreariness descend over her. Normally she liked to go shopping, to look at or ever touch the things before buying them. But not today. She did not understand why she felt so bad.  She paid and answered the cashier's "Have a nice day!" with an automatic "Thanks, and the same to you."

The cold wind outside met her like a blow. As she biked home, the fog rolled in from the sea, giving the surroundings an unrealistic look. She closed the door after she had placed the bike in the shed. She turned off al the lights but a small one in the kitchen and sat herself down with a cup of tea and the letters from last Wednesday.

* * * * * * * * *

På dansk


Efter at smuglerne var blevet fanget, og alt postyret havde lagt sig, befandt June sig i en slags tomrum. Hun havde sit dejlige hus, hun havde sin fred og ro, men på en eller anden måde fungerede det ikke rigtig. På overfladen var alt i orden; hun fik bragt huset i orden og gjort haven klar til den kommende vinter, men indeni var der tomhed og uro.

Hun tænkte på sine afdøde børn og mand, mens hun skar hindbærbuskene ned. Hun undrede sig over sine forældres tavshed, mens hun vaskede de fedtede køkkendøre. Hun blev mindet om sin afdøde svigerforældre og svigerfar, mens hun ryddede op på havestierne.

Tirsdag skulle hun ud at handle. Hun tog sin cykel, og hele vejen derhen grublede hun over, hvorfor hendes forældre var, som de var. De havde aldrig været med til en fødselsdag eller kommet forbi til jul eller påske. De havde været fraværende selv ved deres børnebørns dåb og ved hendes og Dennis’ kobberbryllup, der blev fejret med en herlig fest. De havde aldrig accepteret Dennis, aldrig en eneste gang forsøgt at tænke sagen igennem. Det faktum, at hun og Dennis var blevet sammen på trods af forudsigelserne, havde ret hurtigt overvundet hans forældres generelle modvilje. Hvorfor havde hendes egne forældre været så fjendtlige? De kunne lige så godt have været døde. Hun var enebarn, ligesom Dennis havde været, endnu en grund til, at de havde besluttet sig for at få mange børn. Børnene havde ladet vente på sig, og nu … Hun havde set frem til en stor familie, til sine egne børnebørn. Det ville der ikke blive noget ud af.

Besøget i byen var også trist. Hun havde aldrig forstået, hvorfor det var vigtigt at pynte vinduer og gader op til jul længe før efteråret var forbi. Træernes gyldne blade stod i skarp kontrast til de skærende røde, grønne og sølvfarvede guirlander, og stik mod hensigten fik det hende til at føle sig endnu mere nedtrykt. I butikkerne sprang de mange julevarer hende i øjnene til højre og venstre; hun fæstnede blikket på gulvet og skyndte sig at få fat i de ting, der stod på hendes liste.
    Det tog den sidste, sparsomme glæde ved at handle og gjorde det til endnu mere af en pligt. For hvert skridt følte hun tristheden sænke sig over hende. Normalt kunne hun godt lide at gå på indkøb, at se på eller røre ved tingene, før hun købte dem. Men ikke i dag. Hun forstod ikke, hvorfor hun var så trist lige i dag. Hun betalte og svarede på kassedamens: "Hav en god dag!" med et mekanisk "Tak, i lige måde."

Den kolde vind udenfor ramte hende som et fysisk slag. Mens hun cyklede hjem, rullede tågen ind fra havet og gav omgivelserne et uvirkeligt skær. Hun låste for en gangs skyld døren efter sig efter at hun havde stillet cyklen ind i skuret. Hun slukkede alle lysene undtagen et lille et i køkkenet og satte sig ned med en kop te og brevene fra sidste onsdag.