All Chapters of The choices we make: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

“Thank you, ma’am. It will certainly do just fine, and I promise to work just as well tomorrow,” Mary said and curtsied. Soon after, she swept through the corridors tightly on Jossi’s heels.“It’s forbidden to have men in the room,” Jossi said, looking over her shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about that for a couple of years, I guess. The room should be tidy and clean; sometimes both Mrs. Karrots and Mrs. Meata do inspections of the rooms. If you ask me, Mrs. Meata is a real bitch, so you better make sure to stay n her good graces,” Jossi continued. Mary nodded and followed the woman as she desperately tried to remember the way they were walking. Jossi stopped in front of a door. “This is your room. Toilet and bath are two doors farther in that direction,” she said, pointing. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning, so you don’t get lost. Okay?” Mary nodded and Jossi left her outside the door. Mary opened the door and walked inside. The room was minimal. At one side stood a bed, next to

When they returned, however, there was no time for any lessons on how to read and write. They were busy and soon it was time for dinner. Just as Jossi had done for Mary’s first day in the kitchen, Mary made sure Zerden could sit next to her. They didn’t talk much; they concentrated on eating. When the afternoon’s work was completed, Zerden returned home and Mary walked towards her room.“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, waving at him. He waved back before disappearing out the door. Mary thought it was nice to have someone her own age in the kitchen. He wasn’t as nice as Erik, but right now she wasn’t picky. When she fell asleep that evening, she dreamed of branches getting sawed off as she sat on them, long streets lined with people, and of a room with an empty bed.The days went by quickly. Mary discovered most things were easier now she shared most of her chores with Zerden. He had stopped being grumpy and angry and for the most part she liked him. Sometimes they had a few minutes

Time seemed to pass quickly when Mary finally began to accept her new life. She enjoyed her new chores and she quickly learned how to chop carrots and dice parsnips. She had started to make some of the porridge they ate in the mornings, and she discovered after watching how one of the other assistants did it, she could cook porridge that neither floated into the milk nor got stuck in the pot. Filled with new confidence, she learned how to clean meat and fillet fish. The days weren’t any shorter, but the chores suited her better. Her hands would still hurt when she went to bed at night, but now it was due to cuts from knives or she had burned herself on a hot saucepan. She also had Wednesday afternoons to look forward to. She and Zerden met in the courtyard outside the kitchen and practiced. As spring passed into summer, he began to master the letters better and better. He, in turn, used the time to tell her about all the exciting things that happened outside the kitchen. He often knew

“What do you mean it is your fault, my child?” asked Zerden’s mother. Mary looked at her and suddenly, the words poured out of her mouth. She told them about how first her father got sick and then her mother; she told them no one wanted to help them and how she took care of them. She told them about the day she opened the store and how she had gone to the market.“It was my fault,” she said in a low voice. “I should have stayed with them and taken care of them. Instead, I went to the market and when I got home, I milked the goats and looked for eggs. I should have taken care of them, but I was stupid and selfish and that’s why they died,” she told them. She continued to tell them about how she ran and looked for the Lady, how she had found her, but that it had been too late. “That’s why she brought me here,” Mary said. She was sitting with her head lowered now. There were no tears, and she was calm, uncomfortably calm. She didn’t dare look at any of the others sitting around the table

Zerden and the hunting team did not return until the Tuesday after they had gone hunting. They had a good hunt. This meant that in addition to butchering the crudely butchered animals, the kitchen would be cooking and preserving them. Alongside cooking the regular meals. Mary was so busy she had not been able to meet Zerden to ask how he had been doing or about the hunt. But she took comfort in the fact the next day was Wednesday, and then she would be able to meet him. She wondered if Erik would come up to the castle. Maybe all three of them could take a trip in the city. The weather seemed to be holding up, and Mary was really looking forward to Wednesday.Wednesday morning dragged itself forward. Mary stood and cut thin strips of venison which would be dried over the fire. Her hands had a couple of wounds from the knife. She wasn’t used to cutting such thin slices and sometimes the knife slipped. But she continued stubbornly, trying to concentrate on her task. She knew it was soon