[CW] References to alcoholism and tobacco usage

Needing a break from the rigors of farming and grading papers, Uriel decided to take a stroll along the beach. He had his pipe between his teeth as he walked to a boulder and sat down. With a sigh, he relaxed and lit the pipe, taking in the tobacco smoke whilst contemplating life as of late. He quietly watched as the gulls circled overhead, cawing and squawking noisily whilst the sounds of the fishermen bringing in their hauls whilst the mist rolled along the morning sea. It was a quiet morning, peaceful...  he didn't feel the need to down a bottle of wine.

He thought about taking his shoes off and wading in the cold water, letting the brine wash over his feet. "Hmmm," he hummed out as a plume of smoke came out of his nostrils.

Ben had seen Mr. Meijer walk towards the beach as the coble pulled into the harbour. Luckily theirs was one of the first boats to return and they didn't have to wait long to land their catch. As soon as it had been weighed and sold, it was time for a break, and Ben left Matt to smoke his pipe and chat with some other fisherman, and Will to play with some of the other lads. Ben had been meaning to speak to the teacher, and he hoped to be able to catch him still.

When he reached the beach - breathing heavily, for the hurried walk proved almost too much after pulling in the heavy lines and rowing the coble back into the harbour - he stopped for a moment and looked around. Then he spotted the teacher smoking a pipe and staring out across the water. "Mr. Meijer!" he shouted, walking over and taking his own pipe and tobacco from his pocket.

"Mister Ward," he said with a nod. He pulled the pipe out of his mouth with another plume of smoke, sighing lightly in a relaxed way. He had been meaning to talk to him about his son, Bram. "How are you faring these days, friend?" he asked when the older man was close enough to do so. He stood and straightened up, offering his right hand for a shake. "Haven't seen your boy in a few days, is everything alright?"

Ben shook the teacher's hand. Then he sat down on one of the large rocks on the beach, setting his hand down first to support him, and sighing loudly as he went down. He was tired and he wasn't the young man he had once been. "Not to be rude to ye. I been out since two this mornin', ye see," he apologized. He couldn't stand up any longer. "Aye, Bram's home. Sorry about that. Our Anne's been sick, and with her sisters gone, we need 'im at home. I'll send 'im back to school when she's better." He looked down at his pipe as he began to fill it with tobacco.

"Oh, no, no, it's fine," he waved his hand as the old man sat down. He returned to his seat and took a puff. "Ahh, I see. Understandable," he murmured. "I wondered how you were all faring after the wedding."

"Oh, we've been alright, other than Anne feelin' weak." Truth was, little had changed. Rose had been in service, and had only visited them on her free days before getting married, other than the last week, when she had been at home. "How's your..." awkward "missus? How's the bairn?" He pressed the tobacco in his pipe and then struck a match and lit it.

"They are well," he said, "The missus is a spitfire as usual." He grinned, refusing to let it be awkward on his end. He was looking forward to seeing her again when he got home. "I hired a kid to help with the farm." He gave a shrug then, Things have been busy."

Ben inhaled the smoke and slowly breathed out. "A spitfire's better than a delicate lady, in my opinion," he reflected. "Ye'll be able to rely on 'er." The fisherwomen certainly weren't delicate, and for all the bragging and macho talk the fishermen did among each other, it was perfectly clear who was in charge at home, and Ben thought it was a good thing too. "I'm glad you were able to hire a hand. I can tell ye from experience having a bairn to look after will take ye more time and energy than ye expect."

"I feel like I am stretched thin," he admitted. He could quit teaching, but who would make sure the kids were fed? Maybe Andrew would still deliver his day-old breads... "She certainly is reliable, but with the baby... Ahh, life has gotten so busy." He took a puff of his own pipe and sighed it out through his nostrils. He definitely looked pensive, and as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Of course... there was his family trying to interlope too. Goodness.

"Aye, I understand," Ben said. He understood quite well. He had been stretched too thin for years. "But ye'll have someone to help ye at the farm, and once the bairn is born, ye'll see yer wife will get up and do most of the work in that regard, and ye can focus on the teachin' again. ... I reckon' standin' in front of fifty or so half-ferals is still a challenge..."