by Joy Redmond
He had just settled down in the rocker, tipped his coffee cup to his lips when Wiggles bounded up the steps. “Settle down. Give me time to drink my coffee. Then maybe I’ll play with you.”
Wiggles ran down the steps. Will tipped the cup again. Wiggles ran back up the steps. “Wiggles, what’s wrong with you. Get! I’ll play, later.”
Wiggles ran around Will’s rocking chair, then stood and looked him in the eyes. He ran back down the steps, but a minute later he ran back up the steps. Again, he stared at Will, then ran down the steps. When he reached the bottom, he stood and looked up at Will.
“Wiggles, have you lost your mind? I’ve never seen you act up. You’re getting too big for your fur britches. What is your problem?” Will headed down the steps.
Wiggles ran behind the steps again.
Will heard a faint cry. “Holy Moly. Somebody dropped off a baby. Did some stupid woman think this place is an orphanage?”
He saw Wiggles nudging something under the holly bush. He knelt down and pushed the bottom branches aside. “Oh, sweet Jesus!”
Tears rolled down his face as he cradled Red in his arms. “How on earth did you find me? You must have followed my scent, again. I’m sure glad I walked to town and back out here.” He hugged Red to his body. Red whimpered. “I know you’re mad at me, but it wasn’t my fault. That stupid Mr. Brown took you off, and I didn’t know how to find you.”
Red licked Will’s hand, but it seemed to take all the strength in his bony body. “You’re half starved. I’ll get you some water and I’ll find you some chicken.” Will clung to Red, ran up the steps and through the house, yelling, “Rose! Rose! My dog found me.”
When he reached the kitchen, he realized that Wiggles was behind him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know Wiggles came in, but he found Red.” Will took a deep breath and fought back tears. “He’s half-starved. He must have walked for miles and miles. I—”
Rose stood up and walked to Will. “He’s your dog?”
“Yes. Well, he didn’t belong to me, but he stayed with me more than he did his owner. He slept with me every night when I was in the old shed behind the boarding house. Then that damn Mr. Brown took him off to Arkansas.” Will buried his face in Red’s fur and he couldn’t hold back his sobs.
“Don’t take on so, honey. He’s in bad shape, but we’ll nurse him back to health in no time. Prissy, get him some water. Sudie, get him some cold chicken. Belle, if there’s any bacon left give him that, too.”
Will held Red close to his heart, wondering if they could save him. He gently laid him on the floor when Prissy set down a pan full of water.
“Drink, boy. Please try to drink,” Will begged.
Wiggles eased himself beside Red and licked him. Red started drinking. “It’s like Wiggles told him to drink,” Prissy said. “But we can’t let him drink too much, too fast.”
Red drank half of the water. Sudie pulled off pieces of chicken and held it to his lips. Wiggles nudged Red and Red took the food. “Wiggles is coaching Red back to life!” Will cried.
Rose walked up to Will. She wiped his tears and pulled his head down to her shoulder. “There, there. Red is going to be fine. I think Wiggles will take good care of him.” She petted Wiggles’ head. “You’re a good boy. You found him and now you have a playmate. We’ve got us two fine pets. They’ll both get all the love and attention they so rightly deserve. Red’s beautiful.”
“Do you want me to take them outside?” Will asked.
“Don’t you think they’ll be happy outdoors with fresh air and plenty of room to roam? It seems only natural to me. But I won’t fuss if you want to keep Red inside for a while. I really do want Wiggles outside. He runs through the house and knocks down everything in sight!”
“I know, Rose. Wiggles is like a bull in a china shop. I’ll take them outside. I think Red wants to be with his new friend.”
Will carried Red outside and Wiggles followed. He put Red on the ground. Wiggles nudged him several times. Red stood. Wiggles licked him and took off running. Will gasped when Red tried to chase him, but he was still too weak. However, he did take several steps before he fell down.
“He’s going to be fine. He just needed some food, water and a friend. Beats all I ever saw,” Will said, and again he felt tears well.
Will jumped when Rose touched his arm. “God led him back to you. It’s the only way to explain it. And don’t give me that look. Yes, I believe in God. I believe he created this crazy world and all the creatures, and people are worse creatures than animals. What I do for a living has nothing to do with my believing in God. I just have a different view on what He expects from his children”
Will wrapped his arms around Rose’s tiny body and lifted her off the ground. He swung her through the air and she squealed like a child. He stood her on the ground and though his voice cracked, he said, “I’m the happiest boy in the world. Red was the last one alive who loved me—until Wiggles. I think that’s why I took to him like I did, and I guess I forgot he was a deer. He just felt like my child. I miss being loved.”
“You’re loved by everybody in this household, you silly goose. And you’re no boy. You stand a good six foot, maybe more, and you’re all muscle. A perfect specimen of a man, if you ask me.”
I’m a perfect man in her eyes? Shit fire! How much better can life get? I’ve got Red, Wiggles, the girls, who are like sisters to me—and my beautiful Rose!
He stood for a few minutes. There’s no way I’ll ever be able to leave them. Put California out of your mind, Will Hennie.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rose hugged Will around his waist. “You enjoy your time with Red and Wiggles. The girls will have lunch ready soon. I’m going to work on my books. After lunch, I’ll spend some time with you in the gazebo. It’s been a while since we’ve had a Sunday afternoon talk. I love this time of year when all the leaves are changing color. They’re falling fast this year. I’ve got to get Charlie over here to start raking before they get waist deep.”
“I’d enjoy having a conversation with you, Rose. I still can’t believe that Red found me. Red and my burlap sack of keepsakes is all I have left from my ten years at the boarding house. Well, them and my memories.”
“I know what you mean. Trust me,” Rose said in a sad voice with a faraway look in her eyes. “Sudie will yell when everything is on the table.” Rose patted Will’s face.
He bent down and kissed Rose’s cheek. Oh, crap. I shouldn’t have done that.
Rose smiled. “You’re sweet.” She kissed his cheek and walked back toward the house.
Will walked out to the edge of the woods, his insides tingling. Red and Wiggles were running and playing in the leaves. He ventured further until he found the stump he was sitting on the day he found Wiggles. He sat down, trying to figure out his emotions. Why did he get so upset when Sudie was working? Why did he take leave of his senses when Rose was close to him?
As he sat, pondering, Rose yelled. “Will! Will! Where are you?”
Will ran through the woods, Red and Wiggles on his heels. “Right here, your majesty! What do you need from your servant?” Will is always at your beck and call.
Rose stood at the backdoor and waited until Will was within hearing range. “I need to have a talk with you in my office. Lunch won’t be ready for a while.”
Reluctantly, Will followed Rose inside. He stopped in the kitchen. “Something sure smells good.” He lifted the tops off a few pans. “A meal fit for a king.”
“We’re cooking extra for Red. He’ll have a whole chicken for himself. Wiggles won’t touch meat, but there’s plenty of vegetables,” Sudie said.
Will nodded in her direction and walked down the hallway. He entered Rose’s office, where she was posed behind her desk.
“Sit down, Will,” she said, motioning to the straight back chair across from her. “I’ve been thinking. You don’t need to take a trip to California. It’s a waste of money. You need to get yourself enrolled at the St. Louis
University School of Law. I’ve got all the information for you. You’ve got a brilliant mind. You don’t need to waste it by working in a brothel. It’s too late to start the fall classes, but I’ll get things arranged for you to start the winter classes come January. I’ve—”
Will jumped out of the chair and slammed his fist on the desk, causing Rose to jump. “When I’m on the job, you’re my boss and you have the right to tell me what to do. When I’m not working, you don’t have the right to boss me around. And you’ll never have the right to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do with my personal life.” Spittle flew with his outburst.
Rose’s jaw dropped. She threw up her palms. “Your testosterone is getting the best of you. I was only thinking of your best interests.”
“You leave my best interests up to me. Thank you!”
Will left the room, his guts in knots. He went through the kitchen and yelled over his shoulder as he reached the backdoor, “Don’t worry about calling me for lunch. Just feed Red and Wiggles. And everybody better leave me the hell alone for the rest of the day!” He slammed the backdoor behind him.
He walked out to the gazebo and kicked a chair. He paced back and forth until sweat was running down his face. Finally, he picked up the chair, sat down and hung his head. What the hell is wrong with me? I think I’m losing my mind. One minute I want to kiss Rose, the next, I’m ready to slug her.
An hour passed and Will was glad to be left alone with his emotions. He was hungry and thirsty, but he wasn’t about to go back into the house. He stood and decided he’d take a walk in the woods. I should take an ax and chop down a few trees.
Just as he stepped out of the gazebo, he heard footsteps on the fallen leaves. He turned. Rose was holding a plate of food and Sudie was holding a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses. They didn’t say a word. Rose placed the plate on the table along with silverware. Sudie set the pitcher and two glasses in the center of the table and hurried on her way. Rose pulled a chair out and sat down.
“I apologize for overstepping my boundaries. I didn’t mean to be bossing. I meant to be suggesting. I guess I need to work on my tactics. If you’ve calmed down, I’d like to have tea with you. And I didn’t bring the food with intentions of telling you to eat. I merely brought it in case you change your mind.”
Will looked at the plate. “I don’t think I can resist, and I’m parched.” He filled the two tea glasses.
Rose picked up a glass and took a sip. “I’ll take this gesture as you’re not going to run me off.”
“Nah,” Will said as he forked food into his mouth. Then he slightly waved the fork in the air. “You’ve always been interested—make that, intrigued about me and I’ve shared my story. How about you? What’s your story?”
“What would you like to know?”
“For starters,” Will said as he continued to eat, “tell me about that beautiful dress and shoes you were wearing the first night I went to work. I’m not keen on women’s fashions, but it looked like something that women wore about the turn of the century. Since that night, you’ve gussied up like—”
“Like a working girl?” Rose said, arching her brows.
“Yeah. Like a working girl!” Will answered, and picked up a chicken leg.
“You’re right about the time frame of the outfit. It belonged to Miss Sophie. She was the lady who found me crying my eyes out as I sat on a park bench in St. Louis. I was like you. I had no parents. No home. I was near broke and I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I was only sixteen-years-old.”
“You were an orphan?”
“No. I ran away from home. I had, and maybe still do have parents. But I don’t care to talk about them. My dad was a preacher. The kind that could heal the sick and raise the dead, so he had many fools believing. I was responsible for counting the money after the collection plate was passed. I started stealing money a few cents at a time when I was twelve. When I was sixteen, I made my big haul the night of the tent revival. People from three states showed up that night. Some were sick and wanted healed. Others wanted to watch the healing.”
Will finished off the mashed potatoes as he said, “I’ve heard of healers, but I never believed in them. I’m with you. Only fools fall for it. But people are desperate and I guess they have to cling to hope any way they can.”
“I suppose so. Anyway, there were six plates full that night. So I dumped every cent into my bag, ran home, collected the money I’d already squirreled, and threw a few things into a cardboard suitcase, then headed for the train station. A good twenty mile walk.”
“You walked twenty miles to catch a train?”
“Yes I did. I handed two-dollars to the ticket man and told him I wanted to go as far as the money would take me and I wanted to head west. That ticket got me all the way to St. Louis.”
“Where did you come from? I mean, where did you live?”
“I lived in Sandy Slough. The bottom lands of Sandy Grove, Kentucky. A hell hole.”
“You were a long way from home. That must have been scary.”
“It was indeed. I was bawling my eyes out when this beautiful lady sat down beside me. She put her arm around my shoulder and said, ‘Tell Miss Sophie all about it. I’ve got big shoulders.’”
“I looked up into the most beautiful face I’d ever seen. She was a wisp of a woman but you could tell just by looking at her that she wouldn’t take any shit from anybody, despite her small size.”
Will smiled. “A lot like you, huh?”
“Just like me. I was already feisty, but she was one tiny, tough woman. I learned from the best.”
“So, how did you end up here?”
“This is where Miss Sophie brought me. She was a madam. I went to work for her.”
“At sixteen?” Will exclaimed.
“Oh, no! Miss Sophie insisted that I finish school. She drove me to town every morning and picked me up every afternoon for two years. I didn’t have any friends. No parent was going to let their child befriend a girl who lived in a brothel.”
Rose paused and got a faraway look in her eyes, the same look that Will had seen before. She seemed to have drifted back in time for a minute, then she continued.
“I finished high school and Miss Sophie was so proud of me. She offered to send me to college, but I wasn’t interested at the time. I wanted to work and earn a few dollars of my own. Well, I put in applications at every place that was hiring. But nobody was going to hire me, a girl who was raised by a madam. When I turned eighteen, I went to work for her. The End.”
“But why did you have on her dress that night?”
“It was your first night on the job and I knew you were nervous, not knowing what to expect. It brought back memories of my first night and how terrified I was. Anyway, I was feeling melancholy. I took her dress out of the plastic wrap and it still smelled like her perfume. I still have a small bottle of her perfume, so after I was dressed, I sprayed it on me. She said she had the dress tailor made and the shoes to match. She probably paid a fortune for them.”
“I don’t know what she paid for the whole ensemble but you looked like a million dollars.”
“I have a parasol that goes with it. It’s made from the same material, and there’s little tassels hanging from the fringe with tiny pearls attached to the ends.” Rose closed her eyes. “I can still see her in that outfit as clearly as if it were only yesterday. She’s been gone for seven years now, but she’ll be in my heart forever. Nobody can take any of our memories, Will. Not even to the grave.”
Will had no idea what to say. He’d never seen Rose’s vulnerable side. Until now, he didn’t think she had one.
Rose picked up her glass of tea. “I hope this is just between us.”
“My lips are sealed. But if I’m not being too pushy I’d like to ask one more question.”
Rose took a deep breath. “One more and that’s it.”
“Do you have mixed blood in you?”
“Careful. That’s a sensitive spot with
me.”
“Forget I asked it. It doesn’t matter to me what kind of blood you have. I was just curious.”
“Indian,” Rose blurted. “I’m half Indian.”
“That’s what I thought. That’s what makes you so beautiful. Do you mind if I ask what tribe?”
Rose sat for a few minutes and Will figured she was done with her story. He pushed back in his chair. Rose started into space as if her mind was a thousand miles away.
Will was about to call for Red and Wiggles when Rose said, “I don’t know any more about my daddy than you do. I don’t even know his last name. All I know is he raped my mother. She referred to him as Hawk. I never knew if it was a nickname, his first name, or his last name. I had to threaten her worthless life to get that much out of her. Let me change that from my ‘mother’ to the woman who gave birth to me.”
“I’m so sorry, Rose. Don’t talk about if it’s going to upset you. Just remember Miss Sophie and all the love she showed you. I don’t care to remember the women who birthed me either. I just remember Gram, and Miss Marylee. They were as close to a mother as I ever knew.”
“We have a lot in common, Will. I sensed it the day I brought you home for lunch. And your story confirmed it. You shared with me and if I’m not boring you, I’ll tell you a little about the years before I came to live with Miss Sophie in this beautiful home.”
“You never bore me. But only tell what you’re comfortable with. That’s what you told me.”
“Cora, the woman who gave birth to me was raped the night before she was to marry the great Bernard ‘Buck’ Taylor, the man who many thought was Jesus’s twin. So she didn’t know if I belonged to her sanctimonious husband or to the animal who raped her. Grandma Maggie delivered me. When Cora saw me, there was no doubt. She wouldn’t touch me. She even told Grandma to throw me into the trough and feed me to the hogs.”
“What?” Will yelled. “What kind of a mother—“ He tucked his head. “Sorry. Go on.”
“Grandma took me home with her. She filled out my birth certificate and gave me her middle name and her last name. My full name is Jeka Rose McGraw.”