Nash and Trixie spent over an hour at the table going over the book. She gave her instructor her full attention, following his guidance and sounding out the simple words. By the time they finally decided to leave, they laughed together each time she read the repeating refrain, run, bunny, run at the end of every page.
Occasionally, some of the other patrons would glance their way and smile. Happiness is often contagious.
Due to her first reading lesson, they started their trip to Greatbridge a bit later than Trixie had planned, but plans can be changed when circumstances warrant, and today they did. This morning felt like a new, fresh beginning, full of hope and opportunity for her. It could be the start of great new adventures. The fact they did not pass the last of the outlying buildings still considered part of the Gotroxian capital city until mid-morning, mattered to her not at all.
“If you’d like, we could go a bit faster,” Nash said after they had been plodding the dirt roads beyond the city for over an hour.
The messenger set a modest pace as a courtesy to her elderly traveling companion. She cast a skeptical eye in his direction. “Are you sure?” She did not want to comment on his age or physique, but she could not deny he looked like he would have difficulty outrunning a gond with advanced arthritis.
“Sure. I can tell you’ve been holding back. If you want to pick up the pace a bit, I’m sure I can keep up.”
“Well, all right, maybe a little,” she said, although she retained a considerable amount of doubt. She switched to a brisker pace and wider stride, which the overweight, white bearded old man matched seemingly without effort.
After a few minutes she asked, “Is this all right?”
“It’s fine with me, but I think I could manage jogging for a while, if you’d like.”
Trixie would never have tried if not for his suggestion, but she switched to an easy jogging pace, and Nash followed suit immediately. He seemed to have no trouble at all despite his weight and apparent age. In fact, Trixie noted, his breathing seemed as smooth and even as her own. Obviously, he maintained himself in much better shape than first impressions might suggest.
They spent their first night on the road at a small inn Trixie stayed at before. Grandpa Nash gave her another reading lesson over dinner. Once he explained the secret that letters stood for sounds, she felt confident she could learn to read.
She still could not actually read Run Bunny Run, but she soon memorized the story, and this helped her match the written words to what she knew they meant. When she finally retired to her room, she took the primer with her and read by candlelight for a while before going to sleep.
The next day of their trip began much as the first, with a morning reading lesson and quick breakfast. Trixie noticed Grandpa Nash only drank water while she ate another bowl of porridge with jam and drank a cup of sweet black tea with cream. She also observed that he ate very little at supper the previous night, and she could not help feeling curious about his round and well-padded shape. The way he ate, he should have been lean as a pole. When she asked about his breakfast choice, he explained that he simply did not feel very hungry. Maybe he wanted to drop a few pounds and felt too embarrassed to say.
When they hit the road again, Trixie set the same easy jogging pace they ended with the day before and maintained it for the rest of the day. Very little traffic shared the road with them, although they both commented on a stoutfolk messenger who passed them around noon going the same direction they traveled. Trixie idly wondered if the messenger carried a response from the King of Gotrox to the message she delivered from King Leonard.