The Grand Mistress

"Wait, please tell me your name," Hawk's voice was like he was pleading for it. He can't lose her again tonight without knowing anything about her, even just her name.

"You need not to know," She replied and ran as hurriedly as she could. Hawk, desperate to know more of her, chased her as she escaped but just as fast as she came, so was she when she left. As he lost sight of her, he thought of all the possible ways she could have taken and ran to the first direction he could think of. He was not done with her and he can't just allow her to slipped away tonight. He needed something, something that could give him assurance or hope that he'll meet her again.

Few minutes of chasing blindly and he finally caught a glimpse of the woman he was looking for. He saw her passing through a traffic bridge, walking steadily barefoot. Both of her heels hung on her right hand.

Was she that desperate to run away that she didn't even have time to fix her heels?

Hawk thought but then, the girl didn't give out any expression nor concern about the fact that she was walking barefoot. She wasn't even in a hurry, confident enough that she had escaped Hawk Monsanto's successfully. It was like she intended to walk barefoot as it was something she preferred to do. Looking at her from afar, Hawk raised a brow not with the peculiarity but the familiarity of the circumstance. All his life he only knew one woman who loved walking barefoot and the woman she was following with was the second one.

With this, instead of chasing the girl to let her give out some information about herself, Hawk decided to follow her secretly, hoping he'll learn more of her just by following her around.

The woman was walking alone solemnly and it was obvious from how blank she was staring at the street she walked in, that her mind was full of deep thoughts. Hawk wondered then whether it was he that was troubling her mind or something else. If only he can read her mind, he was damned interested in her thoughts.

As he was trailing behind her back, he noticed that someone approached the girl as she was about to cross the pedestrian. It was a child, a beggar, who probably was asking her for some spare coins. The woman, as Hawk saw, stopped her tracks and faced the little child. Hawk was expecting her to shoo the child provided the fact that the little child who approached her was too dirty, almost covered with dirt in all places. She must have even spoiled the woman's gown with her dirty hands. However, nothing like that happened. Instead of pushing the girl away, she bent down and smiled at her sweetly and even spared extra time to talk to her as if she was someone she knew and cared for. If only Hawk could hear their conversation but he was at a far off distance it was impossible for him to hear anything. However, he was very sure the child was asking for some spare coins and the woman he was following sure had no money at hand. She held nothing but just her heels and Hawk didn't remember her bringing any purse at all. Hawk then just continued look, waiting for how the woman's conversation with a beggar would turn out.

To Hawk's surprise, even though the girl had no coins to spare, she was able to give the child something far more valuable than coins. The girl pulled the pair of earrings that was hanging on her ears and willingly gave them to the child.

"Stupid move...tsk...tsk..tsk.." Hawk talked to himself. "You're just as stupid as her," He added when he remembered another person who did the same thing few years ago. Beggars in town were somehow kind of connected with each other. If you plan to give any of them, then be prepared to give all of them. However, although Hawk thought this act as a stupid move, he smiled at it, as such kindness, although stupid warms his heart every time he witnessed it.

When the woman was done with her business with the child, she sent her off with a wave and she crossed the street smoothly only to be welcomed by another group of child beggars at the other side, all palms open ready to receive something.

"Oh here we go," Hawk uttered again to himself as he saw the situation she was in. Hawk expected her to panic as the children surrounding her seemed like they were not willing to let her go without her giving anything. He prepared then to rescue her in case she'll ask for help but again, for the second time, Hawk's expectation failed him as nothing like that happened. Instead of panicking, the girl smiled at all of them and said something he couldn't hear. A minute more and she saw the girl willingly gave up her heels for the kids. It was the only thing left of her apart from the dress she wore but without even giving it much of a thought, she let them have it. Hawk, who had witnessed the girl's generosity, was thunderstruck for a moment. He had seen this kind of scene before and everything just gave him some sense of familiarity and satisfying feeling as if he had found something he long ago had lost, but didn't know what.

It made him feel some old feelings, something he was very familiar with twenty years ago in Somerset village. But then, he was confused thoroughly because those things was something he didn't expect to see again with that woman, basically a stranger to him, whose name he didn't even know. What is with her? Because right then, Hawk felt like they were connected by an invisible thread that got tangled up in their past. Also, why was that even he was very sure of his devotion to Feather, every time this mysterious woman comes out, it makes him become doubtful of anything even with his own self.

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