Tina watched
as the woman still had not pulled the cloak but had busied herself with taking
off matching blue gloves.

“Tina! Day
dreaming again? Come on, getwe have new customers, go onhelp your father!”
Tina’s mother gave her a playful swat with her towel as she hurried back into the
kitchen.

Tina couldn’t
move. She watched her father bow her way away from the patrons and walk toward
the kitchen. She grabbed another stein from the table and walked slowly to the
table. When she arrived, she placed the two steins on the table and curtsied, almost tripping on her skirt.

“Would you
like some beer M’am, Sir?” She nodded to them. The man looked at her quickly
and nodded thanks. Tina couldn’t shake the feeling that he was still watching
everyone in the entire room including her as if he was on guard.

Tina
glanced over at the woman and realized that she was slowly pulling her cloak
away from her face. Tina felt rooted to the spot and wasn’t able to move away.
In fact, she didn’t think that she could breathe.

The woman
pulled the velvet slowly away from her face to reveal long, curly, beautiful
brown hair that looked darker and lighter depending on which way she shook it.
The curls were perfect and her hair looked to be the most beautiful, soft, and
shiny hair that Tina had ever seen. Then the woman tilted her head back and
clasped her hands together and Tina found herself staring right into the most
amazing round eyes that she had ever seen. Her whole face seemed to be her
eyes. She stared right into Tina’s eyes and Tina felt her heart constrict and
her whole body felt wooden. The woman smiled slightly and said in a low voice, “Thank
you.” Tina stared at her and a small smile tugged again at the women’s lips as
she narrowed her eyes and looked at Tina more intently.

Tina
quickly looked down and made another quick curtsy, her cheeks read and she
quickly moved behind her and rushed back to the kitchen. She swung open the
half gate to the kitchen and leaned against it, staring at the roast in the
fire and the wooden bowls on the table. ‘Oh, Goddess, that’s the most beautiful
woman, I’ve ever seen.’ Thought Tina as she clutched her towel to her chest and
pulled slightly on the strings of her shirt. She tugged on a piece of hair and
curled it around her fingers unsure of what to do. She didn’t think she could
return to the main room and face her again. She thought she’d melt away. She couldn’t
breathe.