It's not without a good reason that it had been a long time since Coraline had allowed herself to be seen in public. It wasn't because she cared much for public opinion, instead it was more of a personal choice, a way for her to cope in the way she saw fit after her beloved William passed away. Needless to say, events and social gatherings of this magnitude were an absolute no, no on her list. Admittedly, even prior Will's departure, Coraline had never once been fond of grand social events always preferring smaller crowds and low-key gatherings which only gave her an even bigger reason to stir clear of them.
Truth be told, if there was something the young woman could not tolerate and hated with the intensity of a thousand radiant suns was the disgusting emotion known as pity. You see, if she had to spend as much as a single second hearing how much people were sorry for her loss, or even had to look into their eyes that fully displayed that emotion which disgusted the young lady, she would have much preferred to be by herself. Perhaps that was one of the many reasons why for she had allowed herself to mourn for the duration of two years and six months after William's death. For all intents and purposes, the young woman had genuinely dropped out of the face of the earth during her mourning period which, according to the her family and loved ones as well as the public eye, had been constantly prolongated much longer than needed be.
It was a peculiar thing, really, never in a million years would she have imagined she'd be embarking onto unknown adventures on the majestic vessel. For the most part, she could not help but to wonder if it was her youthful spirit that still longed for adventure and was ready to start anew, or if she was simply trying to appeal to her closest and dearest friend, the very same that had somehow managed to convince her to join in the voyage to move on once and for all. Be as it may, a part of her wanted to move on to greener pastures; to let William rest in peace, knowing she'll allow herself to be happy. At the same time, she felt an indescribable guilt for ever thinking of finding happiness without him in the first place. These were the kind of thoughts that often predominated her head as of late. At the moment, however, her mind and body were solely interested on a single matter, what she'd be having for breakfast.
For the first time in a long time, Coraline decided to wear something white. A beautiful dress handmade by her favorite young seamstress, sixteen year old Melanie, an extremely skilled young lady Coraline deeply cared for. Melanie's mother had worked for William's family for generations and had grown attached to the young lively wife. Mother and daughter were just as excited to learn the young widow had finally taken a step in the right direction even if it was something as trivial as reverting back to her usual clothing style.
Coraline enters the café wearing her usual air of elegance and a hint of self-confidence. She quickly scans the room in hopes to find familiar likable faces but alas opts simply to take a seat in the nearest table after placing a familiar book in hand on the table. The book was there none other than to act as a powerful companion, one that was sure to come in handy in case in case she ever felt she no longer wanted to engage in conversation.
Truth be told, if there was something the young woman could not tolerate and hated with the intensity of a thousand radiant suns was the disgusting emotion known as pity. You see, if she had to spend as much as a single second hearing how much people were sorry for her loss, or even had to look into their eyes that fully displayed that emotion which disgusted the young lady, she would have much preferred to be by herself. Perhaps that was one of the many reasons why for she had allowed herself to mourn for the duration of two years and six months after William's death. For all intents and purposes, the young woman had genuinely dropped out of the face of the earth during her mourning period which, according to the her family and loved ones as well as the public eye, had been constantly prolongated much longer than needed be.
It was a peculiar thing, really, never in a million years would she have imagined she'd be embarking onto unknown adventures on the majestic vessel. For the most part, she could not help but to wonder if it was her youthful spirit that still longed for adventure and was ready to start anew, or if she was simply trying to appeal to her closest and dearest friend, the very same that had somehow managed to convince her to join in the voyage to move on once and for all. Be as it may, a part of her wanted to move on to greener pastures; to let William rest in peace, knowing she'll allow herself to be happy. At the same time, she felt an indescribable guilt for ever thinking of finding happiness without him in the first place. These were the kind of thoughts that often predominated her head as of late. At the moment, however, her mind and body were solely interested on a single matter, what she'd be having for breakfast.
For the first time in a long time, Coraline decided to wear something white. A beautiful dress handmade by her favorite young seamstress, sixteen year old Melanie, an extremely skilled young lady Coraline deeply cared for. Melanie's mother had worked for William's family for generations and had grown attached to the young lively wife. Mother and daughter were just as excited to learn the young widow had finally taken a step in the right direction even if it was something as trivial as reverting back to her usual clothing style.
...
Coraline enters the café wearing her usual air of elegance and a hint of self-confidence. She quickly scans the room in hopes to find familiar likable faces but alas opts simply to take a seat in the nearest table after placing a familiar book in hand on the table. The book was there none other than to act as a powerful companion, one that was sure to come in handy in case in case she ever felt she no longer wanted to engage in conversation.