City Girl
Page 7
still frowning in ill humor. Not until the cowboy went on
his way without another word did she think she could
have at least apologized again. She had not only soaked
him with dirty wash water but intruded into his business
as well.
I've got to get out more, she decided as she went back into
work. I'm wilting here in Texas, and it's only been a month. If Tommy ivouldjust send my...
"Reagan, what are you doing just standing there?"
Sally had not asked in outrage, but Reagan was not in a
pleasant mood. She caught herself before she snapped at
the woman.
"Just emptying the bucket. And yes," Reagan added
before Sally could ask her usual question, "everything is
either baking or cooling."
Sally smiled and teased her.
"What put a burr under your saddle?"
"I don't know," Reagan admitted as she put the bucket
110
down. "I don't like scrubbing pots--that much I know-- but other than that I'm not sure."
"If you don't like scrubbing pots, why did you agree to
doit?"
"The money."
"Well, is it worth it?"
Reagan looked at her, thinking for the first time that she had been a fair employer, not overly harsh, but at times
single-minded in purpose because she had a business to
run and reliable people were not always available to help
her. Reagan smiled for the first time all day.
"Actually, it is, but I just needed to complain for a time."
Sally shook her head in mock exasperation and went to
peek into the ovens. Reagan got fresh water and went back
to scrubbing pots.
B" r
Holly was hanging out the wash when Reagan arrived
home. They hadn't seen too much of each other outside of
Reagan's paying the rent and returning the borrowed
things as she'd purchased blankets, sheets, and towels of
111
her own.
"How are you, Reagan?" Holly asked. Reagan smiled at
the sight of Alisa asleep in a basket at the end of the clothesline.
"I'm doing fine. How are you?"
"Very well, thank you. Jonah found a handkerchief in
the bushes/' Holly said as she plucked a small white cloth
from her pocket. "Is it yours?"
"It is," Reagan said after she studied it "Thank you. It
must have blown away when I pegged out my own wash."
"Are you free to come to dinner tonight?" Holly offered
on the spur of the moment. "I've got a chicken stewing, and
you're welcome to join us."
"Why, thank you, I am free tonight."
Holly smiled at her.
"Is there something I can bring?"
'Just yourself."
They didn't talk much longer, but after learning the time
to arrive, Reagan went to her little house, her mood very
light
"Thaf s it," she concluded as she prepared to bathe. "I
112
don't have any friends here. Thaf s why I'm so down.
Tommy hasn't sent my bicycle, and I have no friends. Who
wouldn't be down?"
Having concluded this, Reagan stopped worrying about
her mood. She had a plan now, and that was all she ever
needed,
-Sr $
64 lori wick
"I don't like school as much as Elly does," Jonah
informed Reagan that evening. Holly would not accept her
help with dinner, so she sat in the living room with Alisa in
her lap and Jonah visiting at her side.
"Why is that?" Reagan asked the seven-year-old boy.
''Elly can read lots better than me."
"But you'll learn, won't you?"
"That's what mama says."
Reagan smiled down into his dejected little face and
113
thought she might be seeing herself. Most things came
easily to her. When they did not, she wasn't very patient.
"What do you like about school?"
His face lit up in an instant
"I like taking lunch in the tin with Elly, and I like to hear
the teacher read, and I like it when Timmy Bolthouse plays
with me."
"Who is Timmy Bolthouse?"
"He's my friend from school. He can spit water out his
teeth!"
"I can do that."
Jonah's eyes and little open mouth spoke of his awe.
"Can you teach me?"
Reagan saw her mistake.
"Well..." She tried to find words.
"Can you teach me?" he asked again, thinking she might
not have understood.
"Jonah," Holly suddenly called from the kitchen,
"please come help Elly with the table."
The little boy was clearly in agony. Reagan barely kept
114
her mouth shut as she watched Jonah look between her
and the door that would lead to the kitchen.
"Go on now, son." Russell suddenly appeared to give
his boy the urging he needed.
"I'm sorry," Reagan began as soon as the child was gone.
She had shifted Alisa in her lap, but that baby had yet to do
anything but sit complacently and play with her toes.
City Girl 65
"For what?" Russell asked when he took a seat across
from their guest
Reagan gave him a quick rundown and watched him
laugh in delight
"I'm glad you're laughing," she said when her host quieted.
"So what did you tell him?"
"I didn't"
"Well, I think you should," Russell surprised her by
saying. He grinned boyishly. "Then he could teach me."
Reagan laughed so suddenly that the baby jumped.
"I'm sorry, Alisa," she said quietly, and for the first time
115
Alisa caught sight of the silver necklace that hung down
the front of Reagan's dress. The baby's hand was reaching
for it when her father called her name.
"Alisa, don't touch that," he said, and she looked at him
and looked back at the enticing locket
"Alisa," he called her name again.
She looked at him.
"No," he said quite firmly when they had made eye contact
For a moment she looked as though she would pout or
cry, but another look from her father put an end to that
Reagan didn't know if she was impressed or concerned
at how stern he had been. She had to admit to herself, however,
that it was nice not to have her necklace grabbed and
possibly broken.
A glance at the baby gave her further pause. She was
smiling across at her father as though he'd hung the moon.
In fact, just a moment later her pudgy arms went out to
him. When he took her, Alisa giggled and snuggled up
against his chest as though she'd been waiting to do so all
day.
116
"I think we're ready in here," Holly called from the
kitchen before Reagan could comment And just a few minutes
later, Reagan found herself at the kitchen table set for
five, with Alisa's high chair close by her mother's seat The
66 lori wick
rolls were directly in front of her, and she was about to take
one so she could pass the basket when Russell's voice
stopped her.
"I think if s my turn to pray tonight," he said.
Reagan was glad she'd not made a move. She bowed her
head along with everyone else and waited for one of the
memorized prayers she'd heard off and on over the years.
"Father in heaven," Russell began, "thank You for this
wonderful day and the way You blessed us each hour.
Thank You for all Holly's hard work and this great food we
can eat. Thank You that Reagan could join us. What a
blessing to have her live in the little house and be such a
good neighbor. Bless us as we eat and spend the evening
together, and may we ever be mindful of Your presence
117
and blessing in our lives. In Christ's name I pray. Amen,"
Reagan managed to raise her head, but the rolls and
other food were forgotten. No one had ever prayed for her
before. She hadn't even known that a person could talk to
God like that. If she hadn't known better, she'd have wondered
if Russell might not be a man of the cloth.
"Would you like some potatoes, Miss Sullivan?" Elly
was asking, and Reagan was jerked back to the present
"Thank you," she said, her head bent low to cover her
red face. What had she done in those seconds of distracted
concentration, and had this family noticed?
"I think I'll hold this chicken platter for you, Reagan,"
Russell was saying. "It's rather hot"
"Thank you," she said again, and for more than one
reason: It seemed they hadn't noticed anything odd in her
behavior.
"How is work at the hotel, Reagan?" Holly asked when
everyone had been served.
"Most days, it's fine."
"Is that what you did in New York?"
118
"No. I worked at a factory. It was monotonous, but at
least we had one day off a week."
City Girl 67
"That must have been nice," Russell put in. "I'm not sure
all factories do that."
"No, they don't. Many of the girls in the boardinghouse
worked seven days a week."
"Where is your family?"
"They're all gone. I've been on my own for some time."
"What do you do at the hotel?" Elly asked, and Reagan
began to fill her in.
"And then today," she concluded, her eyes rolling at the
memory, "I needed to change my wash water when I was
scrubbing pots, and I'threw a bucket of water on a man in
the alley."
"Oh, no!" Elly gasped, her eyes large.
Reagan shook her head in self-deprecation.
"Was he angry?" This came from Jonah.
"No," Russell answered, and all eyes turned to him.
119
"Did you see it happen?" Reagan asked.
"No, but the man was a friend of mine, and he was on
his way to see me."
"Who was it, Russ?" Holly wished to know.
The big man's eyes sparkled. "Cash."
Holly and the children all laughed over this, and Russell
turned to Reagan to explain.
"Cash is a good friend. We've known each other for
years."
"And he wasn't angry?" Reagan asked with a small
amount of anxiety.
"Not at all. He was laughing by the time he got to me."
Reagan sat back with a sigh. "I'm glad to hear it, but he
would have been more than justified."
"He doesn't anger easily."
"I've never seen him angry," added Holly.
These comments were of great interest to Reagan. She
didn't have much of an impression of the man from the
alley, having only seen him for a few moments, but these
people she rented from were somehow different; she figured
120
their friends must be too. Reagan couldn't put her
68 lori wick
finger on an exact incident, but something here was not
what she was used to. For an instant she remembered the
way Russell prayed.
"We have cake for dessert," Holly announced. "Anyone
interested?"
Even Alisa seemed to light up over these words, and
Holly gave out generous slices of cake just a few minutes
later. As coffee cups were refilled, the conversation started
up all over again.
"I had a big one come in today," Russell began. "One of
the biggest horses in town."
"Was he nice or mean?" Jonah, who loved his father's
work, wished to know.
"What was his name?" Elly stuck in.
"His name was Sam, and as for temperament, he was
somewhere in the middle. I've had some big ones you
could swing by the tail and they wouldn't blink, but this
121
one liked me in his sight and was happy as long as I kept
talking."
"Have you ever been seriously injured?" Reagan found
herself asking/ fascinated.
"Yes. I have a cavity on the outside of my leg from a
severe kick more than ten years ago."
"And you still wanted to be a blacksmith after that?"
"Yes, ma'am," the big man replied contentedly. "I can
count on one hand the number of days I've wanted to
quit"
There was something in the way he said this that made
Reagan smile. She couldn't think of anything more wonderful
than having a job she loved. The question was,
would she ever feel that way? ;
Hours later Reagan climbed into bed, tired but not
exhausted, that question and the whole evening still on her
mind. It had done her heart a world of good to have some
fun. Typically her friends from New York were single men
or women, but getting to know a family here was a wonderful
new experience.
122
City Girl 69
The thought of family suddenly made her lie very still.
Maybe I haven't gotten too close to a family in the past because
I didn't want to know what I've missed.
Almost afraid to let her thoughts go on but not able to
stop them, Reagan thought about how she'd grown up,
and how cruel life could be. If she had learned anything, it
was this: To love someone was to give them the power to
hurt you. Not by plan or design did Reagan live this out,
but by instinct
Her thoughts unsettled, Reagan rolled into a ball to get
comfortable, reminding herself that morning came
whether she was ready or not, and she would be a bear if
she didn't get her sleep.
"3^ %r
"What was that? " old Hank Demby exclaimed. He stood
123
at the checkout counter at the general store, his eyes on the
large glass window that overlooked the street.
"That was Reagan on her bicycle," Lavinia Unger, the
proprietress said. "Have you not see her before?"
The older gentleman didn't answer. He'd gone to the
door to try to catch sight of it again. Lavinia joined him
and, sure enough, they were swiftly rewarded with a view
of Reagan as she left the bank, hopped on her bike in the
most amazing way, and began to ride toward them.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Unger," she called when she was
abreast of them.
"Hello, Reagan."
Pedaling along as if she hadn't a care in the world,
Reagan gave a wave and kept going.
"How long has that been here?" Hank asked, his mouth
still slightly agape.
"I think only about a week. It came in on the train.
Reagan had told the boys at the station to watch for it, and
70 lori wick
124
when they sent word that it had arrived, she was down
there in a flash--didn't even remove her apron."
"Disgraceful!" a woman sniffed as she came up the
boardwalk toward the door. "Completely improper! These
easterners coming west with their strange and unprincipled
ways."
"Now, now," Lavinia tried to soothe her. "Reagan's a
good girl. She works hard."
"Where's she work?" Hank found himself curious about
the rider as well.
While this exchange took place, Reagan, who was
uncaring of any attention she might draw, finished her
errands. She was down to her last stop, and that was the
livery. She found Russell shoeing a horse, lifting the
animal's leg as though it weighed like a coin.
"Hello," Reagan greeted him when he heard her and
glanced up.
"Well, now," he said as he finished with the last nail,
dropped the hoof, and straightened to look at her. "Been
riding that bike?"
125
Reagan smiled.
"How can you tell?'f
Russell didn't answer, but he always knew. Her eyes
would be especially bright, and if the day was brisk, her
cheeks would redden, but the real giveaway was what it
did to her hair. Always a bit unruly, Reagan's coiffure had
been blown around until black curls and wisps finally fell
on her forehead and down her neck.
"I've just come to tell you that Holly wasn't home when
I got there, so I left the rent on the table."
"She goes to Bible study on Wednesdays, and then
sometimes the women visit," Russell said almost absently.
"You did the right thing. She'll find it."
"All right."
It had been on Reagan's mind to ask why Holly was
studying the Bible, but she decided against it.
City Girl 71
"So, are you out on business or just getting some exercise?"
126
Russell asked.
"I'm doing errands until I meet the children at school."
"Oh, thaf s right. Elly said you were coming to walk
them home."
"She's getting quite good on my bicycle."
Russell grinned. "Only one scraped knee."
"It helps that she's tall."
"Has Jonah ridden yet?"
"Not on hisxjwn. The pedals are too far away."
"Well, be sure and tell me if they don't thank you for all
this fun."
Reagan only laughed at what had been a serious comment