Chapter Six
Anna played with her fingertips. A sewing kit sat next to her on the bed. She needed to fix another pair of pants for her father. The man had become so obsessed with working in the fields that it seemed he refused to come home unless he was injured or had torn a piece of his clothing. Anna could only contribute this to his anger over the fate of his daughters. She hoped that when her family realized she was gone, they’d have hope. And then when Anna would send a letter from Kansas, explaining what she had done, they would smile again. They would become normal again.
When Abigail entered the room, Anna stood from the bed and pointed.
“Sit,” she said. “It’s your turn.”
“My turn? For what?”
“To sew.”
“I’m not very good...”
“Practice,” Anna said.
Abigail stopped and stared at Anna. “Why? Why can’t you just do it? Are you leaving?”
Anna turned and let out a small laugh. It had been next to impossible to contain her feelings and excitement. She had managed to keep herself busy for weeks, waiting for Thomas to send a reply with the money needed for a train ticket. She worked extra hard in the house, hoping to get it into a condition that would last for a while after she left. She took the time to look at her family and think of good memories rather than bad times and the hurtful atmosphere she had been forced to live in for a long time now.
But now she had it all.
Thomas had replied, and fast.
As said, he included money with the letter. More than enough to take the train. He encouraged her to buy herself a new dress to wear to be extra comfortable and to enjoy food on her travels. He made it that Anna’s only focus should be on the situation waiting for her.
All Anna had to do was be at the train depot the next morning to catch the second train of the day, the one that would ultimately take her to Kansas.
“Abigail, are you happy?” Anna asked.
“Happy? Well, there’s all kinds of happiness.”
“Like how?”
“Well, I’m happy I’m alive. I’m happy I’m fed. I’m happy we have a roof that doesn’t leak when it rains. I’m happy we have a warm place for the winter. I’m happy the crops have grown again this year.”
“What about at night?” Anna asked. “When you’re alone... does everything hurt then?”
“Why are you asking me this?”
“I want to make things right,” Anna said. “I’ve let everyone down, Abigail, including you.”
“I’m sorry for what I said before,” Abigail said. “I spoke rash and it came out wrong. What I meant was that if you were able to fall in love with a man like William, without your entire heart, then maybe I could find the same. I want a family, Anna. I want a husband. I just don’t know how...”
Anna looked at her sister. She thought for a second about telling her about Mary and Henry and what they did. Abigail deserved that, right? But Anna worried that if both she and her sister ran off, it would maybe be too much for their parents to handle. And the look in Abigail’s eyes told Anna she wasn’t ready yet. In time, she would be, just not yet.
“That’s how I feel too,” Anna said. With that off her chest, she knew it would be the closest to telling her sister what was about to happen in her life. “Can you try to sew that?”
Abigail touched the pants and then looked at Anna. She didn’t say a word but instead began to thread a needle. It took Abigail much longer then it would have taken Anna, but Anna’s patience were made of steel. There were times when her fingers twitched, wanting to take the needle and thread from Abigail, but she knew she couldn’t do that. She needed to hold off. By tomorrow evening, Anna wouldn’t be there. There would be no extra help.
Once the needle was threaded, Abigail began to sew. Anna sat next to her sister and spent the next hour giving her tips on how to make the stitching tight. How to tie off the end and tuck it. What kind of material she liked to use. Anna tried to keep it casual as though nothing was really happening, but she knew Abigail could read right through the feeble attempt.
Abigail stood from the bed and held the pants up.
“They look good now,” she said. “He’ll be happy.”
“He doesn’t notice,” Anna said. “Neither of them do. Whether you cook, clean, fix things...”
Abigail folded the pants and placed them on the bed. “I’m sorry it hurts.”
“Me too.”
“I hope you find your happiness, Anna.”
“I’m sure I will,” Anna smiled.
Abigail reached for Anna’s hand.
“I hope you know I love you,” Abigail said. “I’ll be sure to make sure your love remains and that my smiles do too.”
“Abigail...”
“I always thought by now I’d have children of my own,” Abigail said. “I would be traveling home to visit here, to visit you, Anna, or perhaps exchanging letters. That works too, right? Writing letters? You’d do that for me, wouldn’t you?”
Anna saw the look in her sister’s eyes. It was no longer a big secret.
“Of course I’ll write,” Anna said. “Or... I would write.”
Abigail giggled. “Sleep tight.”
Anna turned and watched her sister walk towards the door. She stopped at the door and turned.
“Just so you know, Anna, you might want to hide your suitcase better...”
Abigail pointed and Anna saw her suitcase right there, standing against the wall, out in the open.
Abigail left the room for good and Anna hurried to hide the suitcase.
She felt almost foolish but couldn’t contain the smile on her face. That smile stayed with Anna through a quick night of sleep and into the morning. From there, each step she took and each activity she did, she told herself it was the last time she’d be doing it. From making breakfast to kissing her father’s cheek as he went off the work in the fields to standing on the porch and smelling the air of Lowemills, Massachusetts. Right on time, Anna went to Abigail and asked if she wanted to go to town for a few items. Abigail agreed. The entire ride was silent until they were close to the center of town.
“Where am I stopping?” Abigail asked.
“You can stop right here actually,” Anna said.
“Are you sure? You’re going to walk...”
“I’m fine,” Anna said.
Abigail looked at Anna and the two hugged.
“I think I’m going to check the horse,” Abigail said. “He seemed to be trotting funny.”
“Sure,” Anna said.
It was the last time Anna would see her sister’s perfect face. That angelic face - perfect skin, bright blue eyes, warm smile.
Abigail climbed from the carriage as did Anna. Anna uncovered her suitcase and took it from the carriage, moving so Abigail didn’t see. Of course Abigail knew what was happening, but there was something sad about her sister seeing it and actually knowing. Anna snuck away from the carriage and hurried with her suitcase in front of her. She knew she must have looked like she was waddling, but she didn’t stop until she heard the sound of the horse trotting and the wood of the carriage creaking as it moved. The sound pained Anna for a few moments because it meant her sister was leaving. It also reminded her of her parents financial situation. If Anna had been with William, and had given him a child, they wouldn’t have such an old carriage.
But none of that could matter anymore.
Anna rushed down to the train depot. She passed the small newspaper office and thought about running in to say goodbye to Mary and Henry one more time, but decided against it. She didn’t have the time to spare and she knew Mary expected their next correspondence to be in a handwritten letter and signed by Mrs. Thomas Calhor.
Anna Calhor.
It made Anna gush. It sounded so much better than Anna Strewbren.
At the train depot, everything went as planned. She boarded the train with a smile on her face and a new dream in her eye. When the tra
in was full, the whistle blew, and less than a minute later, the train began to move. Anna clutched her new dress (the one neither of her parents noticed...) and she closed her eyes for a few seconds and replayed everything that had brought her to that very moment. From the night William took her hand and demanded her hand in marriage. To the feeling in her stomach each month, letting her family down. To William’s forced divorce. To Henry’s gentle touch and Mary’s even gentler care. And now to this... the train going full speed ahead.
On to Kansas.
Taking Anna to become wife to Thomas and mother to Thomas Jr.
West For Love (A Mail Order Romance Novel) (1) (Anna & Thomas) Page 6