by Sarah Pawley
She thought to herself, If Mama and those old biddies at church could see this, they’d fall plum on their faces with shock and shame. And on that thought, she smiled again, thinking how very funny it would be to see such a thing.
Someone bumped into her, bringing her back from her musing. The man apologized and went on his way, but the incident suddenly made her remember where she was. There was a loud humming from the many voices, the rattling of baggage carts rolling by, the hissing of the train…a hundred other sounds she couldn't distinguish. Another person pushed past her, and she realized that by standing in one place, she was only causing trouble. Following the flow of the crowd, though rather more slowly than they, she looked around for she knew not what. She saw a man in uniform…one who looked like another porter or maybe a conductor. Quietly she went to him, seeking directions. He pointed her down a hall, and giving him a small word of thanks, she went the way he had shown her.
Her feet froze, her head came up, and her mouth fell open wide at the sight before her eyes.
The Great Hall was enormous. Decorated in white marble, with great columns in the middle and a set of stairs rising up on one side, it could have been the hall of a king or queen. Voices echoed in the air, making her feel as though she stood in some great and magnificent church, so vast and open was the room and its ceiling. Without quite knowing what she was doing, she began to move about as if she were in a trance, her neck craned up in awe.
Suddenly she backed into someone. A suitcase dropped, popping open, its contents falling on the floor. Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and fear. A lovely young red-head…maybe she was in her mid-twenties in age…was the other party of the accident. Impeccably dressed in a red skirt and a dotted white silk blouse, she was a quite a beauty. But there was nothing beautiful about the words coming out of her mouth.
"Why don't you watch where the hell you're going?"
Grace stammered an apology. “Excuse me ma’am. I’m awful sorry. Let me help you with that.” She knelt down to assist, but the woman snatched her things away.
“Keep your grubby paws off of my stuff! I’ll get them myself!” She started to mutter as she stuffed things back into her suitcase. "Of all the stupid, clumsy little idiots…”
Then a man's voice interjected. It was a deep, soothing voice…and it was full of sarcasm.
“Problems, Victoria?”
Grace glanced over, seeing a shiny pair of gentleman’s shoes. She was so flustered with her mistake, so busy trying to help, that at first she didn’t look up to see who the speaker was. She listened and watched as Victoria screeched up at him.
"It's about time you showed up, Henry! I've been waiting here for a good half hour. I just had the worst trip of my life, and now this, on top of everything else." She gestured to her bag as she closed it. With a huff she rose to her feet.
Grace felt mortified as she stood. She turned to look at the gentleman…and jumped back slightly, startled at seeing his eyes. They were the palest blue eyes she'd ever seen in her life…like two blue chips of ice. And yet as cold as they were in color, they seemed to burn like fire as he looked her up and down, examining her. And while he looked at her, she did the same to him. His was an imposing man…tall, dark-haired, lean but muscular. Dressed in tan trousers and a crisp white shirt, with a close-fitting brown vest, he had a striking air of importance about him. Too important, she seemed to realize quickly. His lip curled slightly. When he spoke, his voice was deep, and rather thrilling. But it had no hint of warmth as he addressed her.
"Don’t I know you?”
She blinked, startled by his question. She shook her head. And still he stared at her, his gaze burning right through her.
"What’s your name?"
She opened her mouth to reply, but Victoria broke in.
"What difference does it make who she is, Henry? I want to get home, if you don't mind.”
She tried to gesture him toward the stairs. But he just turned to look at her with that chilly expression of his.
"Victoria, has anyone ever told you that patience is a virtue?"
There was contempt in his voice, and in his look. Grace bristled at his rudeness. What was wrong with him? And why wasn’t Victoria standing up for herself? She seemed like the kind of woman who wouldn’t take that kind of behavior from a man. But Victoria just rolled her eyes turning her head away with a huff. Grace looked back at Henry, and she saw a little flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. Apparently, he was happy with the results of his reprimand. Then he turned his attention back to her.
"What’s your name?" he asked again.
Briefly she wondered if she should give him an answer, as rude as he seemed to be. But she found herself answering anyway.
"Grace Langdon."
For a moment he seemed to ponder the name. "Langdon," he said at last. "That’s where I’ve seen you. Do you have a brother named John?”
Her eyes widened in anticipation of his reply. “You know Jack?” For a moment she forgot about his rude way of being…until he answered her with a shrug.
"Maybe I do…maybe I don’t.”
Her eyes widened in surprise as she wondered...
What kind of an answer is that?
There was a moment of silence following his reply, as she watched him reach into his pocket to take out a piece of candy. Why did it seem he was deliberately being slow in unwrapping it, and why was he delaying in saying more about Jack? She could tell by his expression that he was just being mean…purposely withholding information just to annoy her. And it was working.
Speak! She thought. Speak, you big bully! And at last he did.
“He’s my neighbor. I believe I’ve seen your face in a picture or two. The resemblance is remarkable, I have to say.”
Victoria rudely interrupted. "Oh, swell!” she snarked. “It’s such a small world, isn’t it? We all know each other! Why don’t we just take the little bunny home, Henry? Let’s adopt her!”
She moved her hands about, and then brought them together in a mocking sort of clap. For a moment, Grace found something pretty in the way she moved, almost like watching a little dance. But just as quickly as she had smiled, Victoria drew her mouth into a serious, angry frown, and her brown eyes blazed.
"Henry, I am tired and hungry. And if you don't take me home right now, I'll just wave down a cab and get there myself." As she had before, she challenged him with her stance and her eyes, her hands on her hips.
Grace shifted her glance to Henry to see what he would do. And she wasn’t so surprised when he rolled his eyes slightly in annoyance.
"Ishkabibble," he replied.
Ishkabibble? she thought. What’s that? She had no idea what it meant. But she guessed it was his way of dismissing someone, as he started to turn away from them both. But he paused for a moment to look at her again, lifting his hat to her. Then he turned and walked towards the stairs, leaving the two of them alone.
Grace wasn’t sure what to do…especially when she turned to look at Victoria, whose face was red with rage. The woman looked like she might explode. Would she have a screaming fit, or go on the attack? For a moment, Grace wondered if she would be on the receiving end of a slap. But Victoria just stomped her foot, cursing the man who had left her standing there.
“Son of a bitch,” she muttered, snatching up her suitcase…and she hurried after Henry.
Grace stood there for a moment, bewildered by the both of them. She saw how Henry turned just at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Victoria to catch up with him. When she did, he reached out to take the suitcase from her hand. Suddenly they became the most civil of couples, as Victoria hooked her arm in his, letting him lead her up the stairs towards the door. What a strange pair they were! But she could only spend a moment wondering about their odd behavior. Suddenly she remembered where she was…who she was trying to find.
I can’t let them get away, she thought. They know where Jack is.
She rushed for the stairs to follow
them.
Out on the street, she looked left…looked right. And there they were, just down the sidewalk. They were about to board what looked like a trackless train car, and she hurried towards it. She caught up with them just as Victoria stepped onboard. She called out to Henry, and right away she saw how his blue gaze fell on her, as if to ask...
What can that creeping creature want now?
She even heard him mumble a complaint when he saw her coming.
“Oh, for the love of Christ.”
His curse shocked her. His look almost kept her from speaking. But she gathered her courage, saying what she needed to say, despite his off-putting manner.
"Can you please help me get to my brother?"
She saw how he turned his head away slightly, as if she were annoying him. But she would not let him deter her.
"I'd be so obliged,” she added, hoping he wouldn’t turn her away.
He looked at her again, seeming to think about it. He was silent for a moment…until the people standing behind them in line began to grumble. He muttered something under his breath. For a moment, she thought he would indeed tell her to go. Instead he stepped back a pace…and gestured for her to board the car.
Finding a seat just in front of Victoria, she watched Henry as he came to sit beside his unhappy companion. Of her, Grace took little notice. But watching Henry, she realized she was obligated to him, and not just for letting her follow him onboard. She had seen him pay her way. And whether she thought him good or bad, she knew it would only be right to acknowledge his help. After all, he was the one who was helping her get to Jack, and for that, she really was grateful. Awkwardly, she turned to him, clearing her throat nervously before she spoke.
"Thank you, sir, for your help.” She wanted to say more. She had the words on the tip of her tongue. But suddenly he cut her off with a sharp remark.
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. Leaning his head back against his seat, using his hat to cover his face, he let out a loud sigh…making it clear he wasn’t interested in speaking to anyone, especially her. Victoria didn't seem bothered by his behavior. She took an emery board from her clutch bag and started filing her nails.
Grace turned around to face forward, unnerved by him. Victoria's rudeness she could tolerate, because she’d never really valued the opinions of other women, be they familiar or unfamiliar to her. But there was something about the rudeness of men that got under her skin. Self-importance ran through their veins, it seemed to her, and this Henry fellow wasn't doing much to change her mind about that.
What a snob that man is, she thought to herself. Mister, when you get me to my brother, I’ll be done with you, and you’ll be done with me. Then we can act like we never met.
Rather than wasting further time in thinking of him, she looked out the window, seeing the cityscape as it went by. It was all so new, so exciting. It only grew more fascinating as they moved with the flow of pedestrians and drivers. The streets were crowded with cars and trucks. Horns honked, engines puttered. Smoke belched from tailpipes. There was even the occasional clip-clop of horses hooves, brought on by horse-drawn wagons, which were a welcome sight to her eyes. But all traffic, be it live or motorized, had to dodge the hulking streetcar as it went, plodding through the middle of the street like a ship on the sea, sending pedestrians and vehicles scattering in its wake.
As they went along, the city heights soon gave way to small brick residences with neatly trimmed little lawns and hedges, lined up along white paved sidewalks and cobblestone streets. It was all so pretty to look at…like something in a picture book. Her stomach began to knot with anticipation as she imagined reuniting with Jack and Alice. Looking down at her hands, she realized they were shaking a little. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to be calm. And before she quite knew it, the short journey had come to an end.
Henry and Victoria stepped down from the streetcar. Grace quickly followed a few steps behind them, though neither one looked back. She wondered how far they would go along, but she didn't have much time to think about it. They turned up a walkway towards one of the little houses. Victoria quickly went inside, while Henry stopped at the mailbox. Grace stood a few feet away, looking at the house across the street.
Jack's house, she realized.
She reached into her bag for her envelope, reading the address again…wanting to be sure that she had really gotten this far on her own…that it really was her brother's house she was about to cross over to. It was beautiful to look at, with its flower-filled window boxes and manicured lawn. But it didn’t seem possible that she was really here. She stood rooted to her spot on the sidewalk...until she suddenly heard Henry's voice, sly and sarcastic.
"You won’t get anywhere just standing still."
She turned to look at him, but he had his mail in hand, already heading for his front door. She curled her lip in distaste, muttering…and almost wishing he would hear.
"Well thank you so much for your help.” Then she added, in a slightly lower voice. "Grouchy bastard."
For a moment, she compared him to Fitzwilliam Darcy, the seemingly cold and snobbish hero from Pride and Prejudice. But then she took it back. Darcy was one of her favorite characters, a man who really wasn’t the cold-hearted beast he appeared to be. She wouldn't give Henry such a distinction, and she was glad to see him disappear into his house.
On one point, however, she agreed with him. She wasn't getting anywhere just standing on the curb. She took a deep breath, looked both ways, and crossed the street.
* * * * *
She stood at the door, her heart beating wildly. After a moment of hesitation, she knocked the little brass ring. She stood for several moments, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Then the door slowly opened…and before her stood Alice.
Alice. Her beloved sister-in-law. Once her cherished friend and teacher. She was just the same. Statuesque, with jade-green eyes and a soft, pale complexion. Her hair was shorter now, styled in a wavy bob. But it was just as flaming red as it had ever been. Alice stared at her for a long moment, as if she were looking at someone she thought she knew, but wasn’t altogether sure.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
For a moment Grace was troubled. Then, she seemed to remember how she looked. The trousers she was wearing…the hat on her head. Quickly she took it off. Her long braid fell down against her shoulder. She took off the glasses and asked, "Don't you know me?"
A stunned look came to Alice’s face…and then it was replaced by a great, loving smile. Grace felt arms going around her, warm and tight, as Alice squealed with glee.
"Gracie! Is it really you?" She grinned, merriment twinkling in her eye. "Well of course it's you. There for a minute I wasn’t sure. But now that you’ve got those silly glasses and that hat off, I’d know that face anywhere. Come on in the house, will you?"
She didn't wait for her to follow. She took her by the hand, pulling her in. The moment the door was closed, questions tumbled forth.
"What are you doing here? Did Jack know you were coming?"
Grace shook her head. "No, he didn't know. Nobody knows I'm here." She paused a moment, shifting her eyes. "I ran away from home."
Alice's mouth fell open in shock. But she smiled. "Did you really? My word, Gracie. You came all this way by yourself?"
Grace nodded, and Alice shook her head, smiling with an expression full of wonder.
"I don't know what to say," she replied. "I feel like I'm in the middle of some crazy dream or something."
There was a moment of awkward silence, as if neither of them knew what to say to the other. Then they both giggled.
"I feel so silly," Grace said. "I've known you since I was a little girl, but I feel like I'm standing here with someone I just met."
Alice let out another giggle, taking her by the hand.
“We can fix that situation right now.”
Grace smiled as she was led through the handsome woodworked foyer, past a finely furnished
living room and a set of carpeted stairs, and into the kitchen.
"I was just about to start supper, but now you can keep me company while I do it. And while I slave away over a stove, you and I can do
some catching up."
Grace smiled, nodding. "That's fine by me, as long as you let me help. I won't just sit by like a clove on a baked ham, thank you very much.”
She looked around at the bright, airy kitchen…admiring the white painted walls and smooth, polished wood floor. She put her bag down in a chair, searching the room with enchanted eyes. Her voice was soft.
“Oh Alice, what a pretty place.” Slowly, she ran her fingers over the granite countertop, marveling at its smoothness. She felt silly for doing it, but she couldn’t help opening the doors to the hanging cabinets, swinging them back and forth. “It must be just grand to have all this space for things, right here at your fingertips. Not like the one old cupboard at home.”
Still in awe, she moved to a bay window that looked out on the back yard. It was a small property. But it had a neatly trimmed lawn, a little row of yellow flowers along the back fence, and a little vegetable garden. She smiled at its quaintness.
"Your yard is as cute as a bug's ear. Jack must be glad there’s not much to tend to."
Alice nodded. She stood at the stove over a simmering pot, chopping vegetables and dropping them in.
"After working at the Dearborn Station all day, managing his crew, he doesn't have the time or the energy to go out and work like an old mule. He works Monday through Friday, eight to five. It's a marvelous thing. Not like back home, when everyone is up at the first crack of dawn. Jack doesn’t spend the whole day buried in the coal mine, or working in the fields like an animal."
As the memory of such things still stung fresh in her mind, Grace’s smile faded. She hung her head a little. It wasn’t her intention to bring a mood of gloom. But Alice seemed to sense the change of feeling in the room.
"I'm sorry if that came out sounding wrong.” Her voice was gentle…apologetic. "I don't want to sound like I'm putting down everybody back home. I love my people, and I'm proud of where I'm from. But it's so sad to me that being born there is like being born a caged bird. You’re confined to this little space. You can't spread your wings and take off, when you know there is this great big world out there, just waiting to be explored. All you can do is flutter your wings in frustration."