Chapter 291: Much Needed Rest
There was no other way to describe it than being stabbed from the inside out. Irene’s lower stomach, lower back, and hips ached. No matter which way she tried to lie, there was no relief.
However, she couldn’t decide if she would rather be experiencing it all alone or amongst a bunch of men who could never understand what she went through each month and went to great lengths to hide.
There were times after Leif died when she felt low and wondered if he could tell she was a girl, far before he let on, because it was obvious when she was feeling grumpy or lacking energy. He was the one closest to her and probably understood her mood cycles better than anyone else.
At least during those times, she had someone there, while now she only had a horse who didn’t care whether or not she was in pain, only that she kept feeding him and whether or not they were going somewhere.
For an entire day, Irene’s only responsibilities became feeding herself and Sammy, as well as tending to the fire so she remained warm. Her mother always told her the most important thing she could do was to stay warm during these times.
When she dragged herself to the front door and opened it up, she was surprised to see heavy snow falling. The thick, wet snowflakes were making the top layer of snow heavy. She was sure that it would be icy when it cleared up again.
After that, she felt less guilty for deciding to stay inside for a couple of days as she recharged.
However, it also meant she was going to need to hunt and restock supplies as soon as she was able to get back out in the township and find a store, because she was eating away emergency supplies. The reality was that she might be hunting from that point forward for all of her meals, but there was a tiny hope that there would be preserved or dried fruits or vegetables. Grain and flour could be helpful as well.
On top of that, fodder was absolutely necessary because Sammy had to eat no matter what.