Malinda pt 2

Malinda's father can no longer see the truth infront of his face

Malinda looked at the woman with contempt in her eyes. She loathed this woman, if she could bring herself to even call her a woman. Her father had chosen so poorly when it came to his second wife, Malinda thought. Everyone in town thought so too.
 This woman was a tramp, that much was obvious. She slept around with any living man that looked at her twice, even within the ten or so years she and her father had been married. With her stringy mahogany hair, her crooked teeth and her ill shaded eyes, it was a wonder what her father even saw in this woman.
 "She's wonderful, Mal. Just get to know her," he'd always tell her, a sad look in his eyes everytime Malinda said something negative about her. Sighing, Malinda wiped up the rest of the ale that had been spilled during this mornings brawl and rubbed her aching neck. Today had been a long day, longer than the usual long day at the tavern. Her step mother had come in late, as usual; toting her newest son behind her. Lugging the brat off onto Malinda, she sat at the bar for the entire afternoon, downing ale after ale, flirting with the knights that sauntered in hot and red from the high afternoon sun, exposing her misshapen body for anyone with a gold piece.
 Escorting the child to the back, Malinda fought the urge to tie it to a chair and stow him into a closet. Thinking better she slipped him a small pint of strong ale and let him guzzle that, watching with a small smile tugging on her lips as he fell asleep on the straw mat kept for the drunkards who pass out.
 Wiping her hands on her skirt apron, Malinda walked calmly to the main room where she found the woman her father loved bent over a knights dusty lap; his cod piece in her mouth. Letting her fury rise, Malinda strode over to the scene.
 With shaking hands she grabbed a handful of greasy, stringy hair and yanked the w***e upright.
 "You dare insult my father by tasting another man, in public at that?!" Malinda's voice rose higher. Turning to the knight she glared at him. "You are to stay, just as you are, understood? If I see you with your pants up, I will remove your man hood from you and feed it to your children." 
 She turned back to her step mother. Through clenched teeth she swore. Grabbing her roughly by the arm she dragged the woman upstairs to her father.
 "I've had enough of you doing this to him, you tramp. You deserve nothing but the swine that you associate yourself with."
 The woman laughed, her laugh high pitched, gritting on Malindas nerves. "Your father would never suspect something of this from me. Its why I keep him around, you fool. I get to do whatever I please, and he's ignorant enough to think each child I bear is his. Please, at his age he isn't potent enough to fertilize a plant. I am Priscilla, you wench. I get what I want, when I want. I wouldn't pass up a chance to better my name." She laughed again, causing Malinda to have to bite her tongue as she knocked once on the half closed door to her fathers office.
 Before Malinda could open her mouth, Priscilla started sobbing.
 "Oh, husband, it was terrible! Your daughter thought it would be a right joke to offer my mouth to a lowly knight in the bar! I'm disgusted by the man who shoved my head into his region for me to taste! Oh, please, please forgive me!" She collapsed dramatically to the floor, Malinda staring down at her in awe. The woman could put on a show, that much was true, she thought.
 Her father stood with such a force from his desk that the chair went flying into the wall behind him.
 "Malinda!" He roared, causing Malinda to jump, "How dare you disrespect my wife in this manner!" Malinda's mouth opened in protest, only to be cut off by her fathers voice again. "Don't start it. I don't want to hear it. I know that you loved your mother dearly, as did I, but she is dead. I needed a wife. Priscilla and I fell in love. You should have learned to deal with it by now, but instead you've taken to childish acts! Malinda, I have no choice. You must leave." Her father walked over to his second wife and helped her up gingerly, wiping away crocodile tears from her pocked face. He looked back at Malinda, his eyes hard and angry. "Pack your room. You will be paid for the remainder of the week, but you are not to be seen around my home anymore. I have had enough." He set his mouth into a line and started whispering into Priscilla ear. She turned back to Malinda and waved with two gloved fingers in mock sorrow.
 Malinda walked down the stairs, her hands shaking and her mind reeling.
 How could her father ask her to leave? She was his little girl... She took after him in so many ways that it was like she was his shadow. Had that b***h really twisted his mind so grotesquely that he couldn't even see the truth before his face?
 Setting herself on her bed, reality struck her. Where was she to go? She had no other family, and she had no friends that she could entrust to stay with. The only other options were the men who lusted after her, and that thought made her skin crawl with disapproval, and then... Then there was the thought of Roddick... Which quickly made her shake her head. No, she thought, there is no way I'm going to ask someone I barley know if I could burden them with staying with them.. No, she thought, I'll just stay in a hostel until I can find better work, better money and purchase my own home.
 Packing her items into the large trunk that she had inherited from her mother, Malinda sighed as tears pricked behind her icy blue eyes.
 A knock on her bedroom door caused her to drop the edge of the trunk on her foot. Cursing loudly she limped to the door and opened it with a force.
 "Wha-" She was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight of Roddick standing at her door.
 "My dear Malinda, my goddess told me that you have need of comfort and of company, and here I am. I hope you don't find it too forward of me to have came upstairs," He lowered his head to walk into her room. Malinda stood stock still at the door, her heart hammering against her rib cage, much like the first time that she had seen him.
 "I don't..." She cleared her throat as her voice threatened to crack, "I don't know what you're talking about, Roddick. But I assure, I-I am j-just fine!" Turning on her heel she went to make a quick exit before he could see her tears spilling from her eyes.
 "Hush, love," he had reached her before she could even make it half way out the door and had his strong arms around her waist, holding her in place.  Malinda fought only for a moment until she could not keep herself together any longer. Collapsing into Roddick, she allowed him to lead her back to her bed where he sat her down and sat beside her, his hand on her back, gently stroking her hair.
 "What happened, love?" He kissed her temple as Malinda felt something inside of her melt.
 "Father kicked me out because of his harpie of a second wife. I caught her with another mans cod piece in her mouth after she loaded her b*****d child off on me. When I took her upstairs to inform him, which I know I shouldn't have, but I can't stand to see this happen to him, Roddick! I can't!
 She burst into false tears and spun a tale of how I forced her into doing so. Oh, Goddess above, I don't know what to do. I've no one to turn to, aside you, and I cannot expect you to help me, we've barley known each other! For ten years this woman has ruined my fathers life, his business and his name. She's spending more money than the tavern makes a year, and yet father is so blind, he cannot see.
 I just..." She looked to him, her vision clouded by bitter tears, "I just can't keep it up anymore. After mother died, I became woman of the house. I did all the chores, I did the cooking, the laundry, I kept the bar running.
 But none of that matters now, does it?" She leaned against his strong shoulder as he pulled her into his lap easily. She struggled, "Oh, stop. I'm far too large to sit in anyone's lap!" But he held her in place and eventually she relaxed, her head resting easily on his shoulder again.
 "My sweet, if I had only known of this sooner, I promise you I would have been here far earlier than last week. I pray you know that what I say is true and that no matter what, I am going to take care of you. Starting right now, you're to come live with me. I have a spare bedroom so there is no pressure put on you, and no temptation on me," he smiled sadly and brushed her hair to one side.
 "And listen to me, you are not 'too large' for anything. You are perfect, beautiful, and stronger than any woman I've ever met," he looked her in the eyes and smiled.
 "I'm not sure if I should believe you, but what the Gods, why not," she smiled a small smile at him and lowered her eyes.
 "Roddick I-" Roddick took that moment to do something he had wanted to do since the moment he met her.
 He kissed her.