To My Dearest Robert | Glory

Breakfast Table Chatter

Robert laid in his bed with his eyes wide open staring at the ceiling thinking about the party. He usually hated the parties and when he found out his sister, Susanna wanted to throw him a party before leaving for the war he immediately protested insisting the party should be for all the men, not just him. Although he did believe the party should be for all the men, Robert's main reasoning for protesting the party was that he did not like them that much. He was not much of a sociable person, of course, he did it because he had to, but if Robert had a choice, he would not have one at all, but he knew it would disappoint his sister.

The sun just started peaking through Robert's window and he thought about how the last time he saw the sun was with Abigail in the garden. Abigail was still on his mind and she hadn't left it all night. Robert got up from his bed and went over to his desk to see the paper with the writing from last night, 'Four houses down' he said to himself.

As the sun continued to climb in the sky Robert got dressed for the day and folded the piece of paper and tucked it into his pocket. He knew it was too early in the morning for any of his sisters to be awake, but he had to tell Josephine, who was known by the family as Effie, about his night. Although it was Anna and Susanna who was closer to him in age, Robert found it was easier to talk to Effie who was only seventeen, but that was why Robert enjoyed talking to her, she still was only a child in his eyes but yet sometimes it seemed like she had all the answers.

There was no noise coming from Effie's room, but Robert entered anyway and saw her sleeping, she looked very peaceful, much different from what she is like awake. Robert was not sure how he should wake his sister. He walked towards her bed and picked up a pillow off the ground, but shook his head and put it back down. Robert stood at the end of her bed and cleared his throat loudly, and to his success Effies eyes opened and looked at him before taking her pillow and throwing it at him, causing him to lose his balance and take a few steps to regain it. Robert thought about how he should have thrown the pillow to wake her up but shook the thought from his mind because he came to talk to Effie about Abigail. 

Effie buried her head in her pillows as Robert began to walk over to her side, 'Throwing pillows is very rude, what would mother say' Robert jokingly questions his little sister, 'That is a foreseeable consequence for waking me' Effie snaps back and putting her head back in her pillows. Robert sits on her bed and looks out of her window, which looks directly into the garden, 'I met a girl at the party' Robert says and Effie quickly sits up and bushes her hair from her face and smiles at her older brother. Robert had never seen Effie move so quickly and he could see the excitement on her face, 'Well go on' Effie said shaking her older brother's shoulders. Effie eagerly looked at her brother as he told her about how Abigail and he danced and escaped the party to talk in the garden and most importantly how he could not stop thinking about her.

Effie did not interrupt Robert once while he was telling her about Abigail, which surprised Robert because Effie was the type to insert her opinion wherever she could. When Robert finished he looked at his younger sister who had the biggest smile on her face, 'Oh Robert, you love her' Effie said more as a statement than a question. The words did not sit well with Robert, he immediately stood up from where he was sitting on the bed and shook his head, 'No, no I do not love her, I only just met her' he told Effie while going over to the window so she could not see his pale cheeks turning a shade of red. Effie stood and went over to her brother and looked at him in the eyes, 'Robert, when you are with this Abigail, do you feel like you can truly be yourself' Effie asks, 'Well yes but' Robert starts to say but is interrupted by Effie who is continuing her question, 'Did you have a feeling in your stomach, like there were butterflies flying around' Effie continued on but this time Robert did not try to interrupt her, 'And when you touch her did you feel something, like a spark or warmth.' Effie stopped and was no longer looking at Robert but out the window at the garden.