Rhonda loved everything about Yorkshire market. The smell, the colours and the people. The market had everything in one place. Yorkshire faced seas of unruly crowds every morning from sunrise to noon. But still no matter how busy, she loved Yorkshire market. No place for a lady, Mother would always snap and nag at her when she found out about her outings. Rhonda thought back about her mother. No palce for a lady? What was a place for a lady? Dressing rooms? Parlours? Drawing rooms? Were those the only places a lady is supposed to be? Rhonda often wondered what it would be like if ladies wore trousers, went horse-riding without having to fuss which leg was where and get scrapes and cuts on their body.... Oh, how Mother would shriek and cry, fuss and worry over the slightest things that Rhonda did what a lady wasn't "supposed to do". It seems as if she couldn't get away from the vice grips of Mother and the rich symphony of screeches and moans of her over-bearing voice. Everytime Mother disapproved of something she wanted, Rhonda would sit and smile stifly for the rest of the day while she screaming silently on the inside.
But now that she was away from Mother, she could do anything she pleased. She could walk on the dirt road with her bare feet, sing at the top of her lungs and wear ragged clothes, which, ironically turned out to be what she was doing all at one at that very moment. Rhonda looked at the frail sun which rose ever so slowly with a feeling of warmth and happiness wash over her. She smiled and kept on walking.
She stopped before the entrance sign of Yorkshire market and smiled. She went in and started wandering off in the little adventure but she didn't really know what to do. Peddlers, storekeepers and grocers were beseeching the crowd to but their goods. Rhonda walked and breathed in the different aromas when all of a sudden, she felt terribly uncomfortable all of a sudden. Perhaps it was the awful stench of decaying meat of fish, game and other poultry or the cries of all the peddlers, storekeepers and grocers that echoed in her ear or the haunting sounds of clogged feet on wet puddles or the distasteful combination of all of them that made her feel so. She felt as if she were lost in the violent crowd. Rhonda became desperate and searched for an exit. She started to feel dizzy and weak. The wayward crowd was uncontrollable. Rhonda stared at the crowd and tried to regain her posture but she felt suffocated then, tried to tear away from the crowd but she couldn't. Panting heavily, she tried to breathe but air was too thin. With her eyes closed, she knocked onto someone then, all turned black.
'Everybody make way. Step aside!' Rhonda heard someone say. Rhonda regained consciousness but she closed her eyes still. There was a thick quality of that voice that made her distrust it immediately. "A rouge, this man must be" she thought to herself. "Make way. She needs some fresh air!" that Voice boomed. Rhonda heard the clatter of shoes that stepped backwards. Then, she opened her eyes slowly and looked at the speaker of the Voice. The man bent down onto the ground and looked her in the eyes with a smile of relief. "This young lady is alright, good people. Go about with your business!" the Rouge called out at the dispersing crowd.
Rhonda was lying on the brick road. She sat up and blinked slowly then rubbed her eyes. She felt as if she was in a dream. The Rogue was a totally different person than she imagined. She pictured a balding man in his 30's and definitely more appalling but she was wrong. Right in front of her knelt a statuesque man. His eyes were glittered and were as blue as the ocean. He had hair the colour of honey and sand which was the length of his shoulder. He had fine crimson lips and pearly white teeth that sparkled in the bright morning sun. She fell in love instantly. But she couldn't avoid his eyes. They were so alluring. "Hello there! My name is James." the man started with a cheery voice.
Rhonda was nervous and stiff. She wanted to say what her name was but she couldn't find the courage to do so. Finally, she managed to find her voice and started mumbling. "Thank you, kind sir. I have nothing to thank you with. I do apologize and I must be on my way before my mistress throws a fit" she managed to stutter. She got up from sitting on the brick road that was terribly hot and uncomfortable. Rhonda bobbed a quick curtsey and scurried away homeward, abruptly. James, who was now standing up, watched as the most beautiful maiden he ever met just got up and left without even telling him her name.
*****
Rhonda was blushing furiously on her way out of the market. Her gaze was averted to the ground as she scurried out onto the dirt road. When she a good distance away from Yorkshire market, she stopped at her tracks and looked back, Yorkshire market was a giant blot in the distance. She glanced at it and heaved a sigh of happiness and smiled before heading back home.
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