The lover of Mercutio

Chapter 2 - Boredom

Mercutio sat in his chamber, trying to read a book. Secretly he loved books, but he only read them while he was tucked away from the rest of the world, so that no-one else could see.

It was stifling hot outside, and he was wearing nothing but a pair of hose and an undershirt. The sun cast prying rays through the cracks in the curtains, almost like the sun was trying to prise Mercutio out of hiding.

He was reading poetry, in a attempt to find some short sonnet that he could seduce Vita with. Unforetunatly, he was failing. Miserablly.

"Ah, she is not like any other maid in the city! She would scorn a man who spouts poetry, and would spit in his face. I do not need poetry, I need a clever tongue, of which I possess. Only the man that can rival her wit can truly have her," he mused.

Mercutio had implored after Vita after she had left the store, and he questioned her father of her habits and her humours.

He had brought up that her mother had died when she was young, and that afterwards she became more like a youth than a woman. However, after she started to look like a woman, she could no longer hide in boys hoses. So she became a woman, but she still cut her hair short, making a statement that she was not like the other women in Verona, who valued their looks over their brains. Her father, Lorenzo, said that she was very well educated, and she enjoyed books on philosophy and theology. Mercutio was astounded, for a woman who loved reading books and learning the ways of the mind and of religion was almost unheard of.

After Mercutio and his friends left the store, in which they had bought some fabrics and trims for their seamstresses to make into their clothes, they had wandered around town, looking for something to do. Romeo was as fickleminded as a young girl, and he and Benvolio went to the nearest tavern to give themselves some entertainment. Mercutio, however, didn't join them, much to their surprise. He went off back to the shop, to see if he could catch a glimpse of the fair Vita.

Alas, he did not, but he did see her home. It was a small cottage that was next to the fabric shop. He looked around the outside of the residence, stopping as he peered through a window. It was obviously Vita's chamber, as it had books and dresses draped around the floor. He was surprised that they lived in such a small home, while many other people in the city had many floors in their houses.

Mercutio had shook his head, trying to talk himself out of pursuing Vita. She was out of his league. He was pretty much royalty, and she was a merchant's daughter. They could never work.

Mercutio's mind snapped back to reality as he heard a knock on his door.

"Who disturbs me?"

"My lord Mercutio, there is a lady here to deliver the fabric you ordered."

A lady? Mercutio leaped off his bed, and he ran past the servant down to the door. He saw Vita, today dressed in a white shirt that tied up at the bust, and a corset around her waist. This made her figure look even more pleasing, and Mercutio was having trouble to not think of her with out the trappings of her clothing. Her skirt fell from her generous hips, and stopped at her ankles, showing her feet encased in red slippers.

"Lord Mercutio!" she exclaimed, nearly dropping her bundle of fabric.

"Why, fair Vita, if I didn;t know any better, I would say that you were surprised to see me!" Mercutio grinned, causing Vita's surprised expression to fall.

"Lord Mercutio, if anything, I would be surprised to see you with your lack of clothing, especially when you probably have enough clothing to rival the most extravagant woman in town."

Mercutio raised his eyebrows, smirking at her humour. "Well now, would you like to come see my wardrobe? I am sure that you would see in fact that I own much less than you think me to own."

"That would mean I would have to follow you."

"And is that in your interests?"

"Nay, I shall say it is not. Now, here is the fabric that you wanted, so take it and be done with me so that I may part your horrid company."

"You think my company horrid?"

"Only that you try and match me wit for wit when you cannot even make wits end of your feelings for anyone."

Mercutio stood back, confused at what Vita was implying. "Are you saying that I am heartless?"

"Not only that, but you push anyone away who may love you, or care for you, using your humour and your wit to make fun of people. It is not healthy, Mercutio, for you may find that one day no-one will be there for you to mock, so you will be mocking death itself until it to takes its leave of you."

Mercutio leant against the wall, supporting himself. This woman was far more than witty, but a truth-teller. "How do you know of such things, Vita, when you have only met me once?"

"Many of the women and men in Verona have something to say of the great Mercutio. Maybe you should listen," she spat, throwing the fabric at him and rushing out, all the while a faint blush on her cheeks.

Mercutio was still against the wall, as it was the only thing keeping him upright. Vita, this devil of a woman, had just stolen his tongue as well as his heart. He could see that she had some sort of feelings for him, else she wouldn't have run away with that beautiful blush on her cheeks.

"Well," he said, talking to himself, "I must find these opinions of me and change them, if I can."