by S. L. Finlay
"Why should I leave?" I asked, "The owner has told them they have to go."
Billy's eyes were on mine and they told me not to mess around.
In answer I told him, "But I don't understand. Why should I pack? They're the ones who have been told to leave!"
Billy turned on me then and put me in my place with his stern tone, "They have been told to leave, sure. But they won't go anywhere. Now they know it was you who dobbed them in, there will be trouble and I won't put you at risk."
"At risk?" I asked, "What risk?"
"I won't put you at risk for some holiday experience you want to have." He told me, "These are people's lives, and they won't be happy about what you did to them."
I felt wounded then by Billy's words, "What do you mean what I did to them? You told me to come forward! You made me do that!"
"That's right, I did." He agreed, "It was the right thing for you to do in your job, now it's time to do the right thing in your life. Pack!"
"But, where am I going to go?" I asked.
"You've been talking about New York, you can go there." Billy told me faster than I would have been able to think myself.
"But I-" I began, fishing for my excuses.
"I'm not hearing it." Billy told me, cutting me off, "Pack your stuff."
From outside the door the yelling was only getting louder, I heard my name in the mix and the thought of what these formerly gentleman cowboys could do to me made me cringe.
"Okay, I'll pack." I told Billy, knowing full well I had no real work to do here anymore anyway.
I had barely thrown everything into a bag when there was a loud knocking at the door. My eyes met Billy's and we shared an intense look as he motioned for me to go into the bathroom.
"What?" I asked in a loud whisper.
"Go!" He told me in the same loud whisper, "We have guns around here, go!" He said, non-ironically. His words were a little frightening, actually.
I shook my head at how stupid this felt. I knew guns were a problem on farms worldwide, but I couldn't see anyone actually shooting me.
Walking into the bathroom I closed the door and put down the toilet seat for somewhere to sit while Billy dealt with whoever had knocked at my door.
He must have gone out of my room to deal with them, as I couldn't hear anything. Even if they were speaking in voices barely louder than a whisper, I should hear them from my bathroom.
But nothing.
I sighed as my head reeled. How had things gotten so bad so quickly? I had to leave, these boys were losing their jobs, and what about Billy and I?
What about Billy and I?
Feeling the sadness swell inside me I almost wanted to cry. How could this be? I wanted to be with my Billy, but it didn't look like it was going to happen. He was going to go on living here and because I couldn't keep living here myself, I would have to leave him.
What was going to happen between us?
Before I had any more opportunity to wallow in my self-pity, I heard my bedroom door open, close, and lock.
Walking out, I found Billy standing in my room again. He must have dealt with whatever that was out in the hallway.
"You need to go say goodbye to everyone." He told me, "I can drive you to the airport, but we must go now."
"What?" I asked, "Now? How come?"
Billy was shaking his head, "Just do as I tell you, and you'll be fine."
We exchanged a look that told me to ask no further questions before he told me, "You have five minutes to say goodbye, but after that I am going to come and get you. Everyone is in the breakfast room. I will take your bag out to the car."
Then he was gone. I had a second to look around at my room before my legs were carrying me to the breakfast room. I found all the boys there except those who had been fired and the ranch owner.
Mama was standing in the middle of the room appearing lost. The look on her face made me feel uncomfortable. If she could look lost here, then there really was something wrong.
You could hear a pin drop in that room.
I made a bee line for Mama and as I approached she looked up. The shock on her face told me grave things. Whatever Billy was shielding me from, I was grateful.
Trusting in Billy's judgement, I started saying my goodbyes to everyone, as he had told me to do.
"I am going now." I told Mama and she nodded. Without protest she wrapped her arms around me, not saying a word at first.
When we separated from our hug she told me, "All the best." Before disappearing into the kitchen.
It was so strange that this woman who I had been living with and working alongside for months was so stiff with me. I didn't give myself time to think about it though as I turned back to everyone else.
"I am going guys," I said, feeling surreal as the words left my mouth in front of all of these men, "It's been good working with you all."
Then I was turning away, unsure what else to do. Everyone around me looked a bit shell shocked, and no-one really said anything.
I walked out to where the cars were kept in a shed out back and found Billy was already warming up the engine for a quick getaway.
I didn't feel like arguing, there was clearly something very bad about to happen here that Billy didn't want me here for. Something that I really didn't want to be here to witness it – or get blamed for it – so I simply got in the car beside Billy and we drove.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It was a long way into our trip until Billy would open up about what was happening. Apparently those boys were not happy, and they had left to find a gun in one of the sheds far away from the house. The ranch owner was in pursuit.
Billy couldn't see things ending well, and as soon as they had returned, he knew it was me they were really angry with, not the ranch owner who was their friend that they adored. Even if he had been the one who had fired them.
I sighed and silently thanked Billy for being there.
Removing me was keeping everyone safe, but more than that, it was keeping me safe and that was all Billy was concerned about.
When we got to the airport, Billy gave me an envelope, "Mama said this was your pay for the month." He told me before heading to a counter and booking my flight.
Billy paid for my flight with his own bank card and wouldn't take my protestations. "No," He told me, "It's a long way to travel, and it's not going to be easy once you get there."
Swallowing hard Billy then wrote something down on some paper the airline woman gave him, "Once you get there, I want you to catch a cab to this address and tell them I sent you."
I looked down at the paper then up at Billy.
"Please do it." Billy told me, "This is all I can do to look after you right now. Please just go there, for me."
Billy's eyes were sad, like the ranch owners had been. I nodded and agreed to go there. "That's okay, I'll do it." I told Billy.
Billy's face was relieved then as he wrapped his arms around me and we both cried the tears of lovers torn apart.
"Will I see you again?" I asked through sobs.
Billy shook his head, "I don't know."
"But I want to!" I told him like a sad little girl not getting her way.
"I know, I want to see you too." He told me, his voice honest and full of sincerity.
I went to cuddle him again but Billy took a step back, shaking his head.
"Your flight leaves soon and you need to be on it." He told me, urging me to be practical.
I sighed, knowing he was right. There was next to no flights left from this airport and it might be tomorrow that I was able to get the next one. I didn't want that now I was committed to going, neither did Billy when he had had to rush off to ensure I didn't get shot.
What a place to live I thought as I said my last goodbye and steeling myself against further tears walked towards my terminal.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Arriving in New York City was something else. If I hadn't been such a mess due to my separation from Billy, I would h
ave been able to enjoy it more. But as it was, there was so much for me to see I hardly could take it all in.
And the people! There were people everywhere! And they were all so diverse!
After living on a ranch that had only white male workers (excluding Mama and I), this was pretty insane. New York is the heart beat of the world, where all these different cultures collide and bubble and here I was amongst it.
It turns out the address Billy had given me was a house in Brooklyn. When I gave it to the cab driver at the airport, he had rubbed his hands with glee, because it was such a great trip for him. I worried about money the whole way there, then when he dropped me off, I opened the envelope Billy had given me and found more than a months salary inside.
I was standing there beside the cab with my bags and the driver was looking down at me before he said impatiently, "You gonna pay me lady?"
I nodded, then handed him a crisp bill which he tried to give me change for.
My newfound riches spoke as I told him, "Keep the change." And he gave me a little smile.
I walked up to the door of the brownstone feeling a little silly. I was sure I was being dropped off at a hotel, and was pretty surprised not only because suddenly I had money but also because I wasn't anywhere near where I thought I would be.
Where was I exactly?
When I rang the bell I scanned my mind, where was he sending me? Then I scanned the place. Surely this was an expensive property? It looked nice, and besides, we were in New York, one of the most expensive cities in the world. Whoever lived here was obviously pretty well-off.
After a short wait, a short middle aged woman with wide features and a friendly face answered the door.
"Yes?" She asked in a way that seemed familiar even as it was spoken by a stranger.
"I'm um, sorry to bother you." I began, feeling a little silly, "But I was given this address by someone very dear to me who said I could stay here. His name is Billy?" The last part was said almost like a question, almost like I wasn't sure who Billy was. I knew it was my uncertainty of this situation combined with my natural accent (Australians always sound like every sentence is a question I had been told multiple times by Billy), but it still felt weird coming out of my mouth.
The woman looked taken aback too, then after what felt like a long pause she invited me inside.
I walked into the home and was escorted to a lounge room and told to sit down before the woman ran from the room shouting for a man, "William!" She cried.
That name – William – piqued my interest. It meant something. It occurred to me then who she was, and where I was.
I wanted to laugh out loud at my behaviour at the airport then, of course Billy had sent me here! Of course he would send me here! Of course we would be seeing one another again! My heart, which had felt heavy inside my chest was light now. I wasn't home, but I didn't feel far from it when I realised these were my loving boyfriends family.
When the woman re-appeared, she was standing beside a man who looked just like my Billy.
I shook my boyfriend's fathers hand and smiled to his mother. The smile was real and sincere. I was happy to be here, to be meeting these people.
And my heart was flooding with love, too.
Billy had found a way to look after me even from afar.
His mother looked a little surprised too as she asked me, "Are you the girl we have heard so much about? The Australian?"
I laughed then, "Yes, I am the girl you have heard so much about, and you are the family I have heard so much about!" My voice was higher than I meant it to be.
They both shared a look filled with meaning before Billy's father told me, "It's lucky you're here now. We were going to go away in just a few days'. Will you be staying long?"
"I am not sure." I told them, "Billy just put me on a plane and sent me here, I'm not sure what is going to happen."
"So he's not coming?" His mother asked, her face confused.
"I don't know." I told her honestly, "I didn't even know I was coming until just before I got on the plane."
Both his parents were giving me odd looks then before his mother said to his father, "William, will you show her to the spare room and make sure she is comfortable? I'll call Billy and see when he will be here."
William and I followed her instructions and chatted as we walked to the guest room. William seemed interested in me, and already knew quite a lot. I wondered how often they talked if they knew so much about me. If they didn't talk often, it seemed a little funny that they knew so much about a girl Billy had been dating, but then if they did it was quite sweet that my name was coming up so often.
We sat together in the lounge room and among the normal conversation about my flight and the weather, William asked me a few things about myself, things that were so random they had to be questions he had asked Billy but had never gotten a response to.
How long was I here? Would I be staying? What was my industry like here? Would I be able to get a job? He had so many questions for me that he sprinkled into the conversation that I had to smile as I answered them.
Obviously William wanted to know about his son's future prospects with me but didn't want to be too blunt asking those questions.
After a few minutes, we were joined by Billy's mother who told us both how Billy told her I would be here a few days and if he could get away from work (he was sure he could) he would join me too.
I was still confused about everything after the whirlwind of this morning that ended in my being bought here, so mostly I just gaped as I heard the news.
"Oh, and he said he will call back later." She said, "When he has a moment, Poor thing works so hard!"
I agreed with her, there wasn't anything else I could do. Besides, what she said was very true. Billy did work very hard and likely didn't have much time to chat on the phone after what had happened this morning.
It was late afternoon now though and Billy's parents had somewhere they had to be (something I learned was the way of life here in New York, people were always going places).
Billy's parents told me I could have free reign in their house to eat whatever I wanted from the fridge, to watch whatever I wanted on the television, to do just whatever I liked.
I nodded and thanked them. Mostly I just wanted some time alone and when they left I went up to the guest room where I would be staying, I lay down on the lush bed. Letting out a huge sigh, I felt my heavy body sinking into the mattress.
What had happened today? I thought to myself as I let my thoughts wander over all of today's events, now I finally had a moment alone to think everything through.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Billy's parents were kind and accommodating, but still had a bit of New York about them – always being in a hurry to get somewhere, very direct and often impatient – they weren't from here originally though.
When I got talking to his parents about their own personal histories, I found that Billy didn't get his wandering habit from nowhere. Both his parents had criss-crossed the United States before they were here. They also owned property in a few states, something they both liked to play down saying they bought when property was cheap. I had a difficult time believing that but still nodded and smiled as they told me anyway.
It wasn't clear at first where they got their incomes from, but then one night on the phone Billy chuckled and told me they were 'retired' and living off their investments. Apparently they owned a few places in the Burroughs and one place in Manhattan that bought in steady income from rent.
This meant they both had plenty of time to get to know me, and they were both very interested in the exotic flower that had landed on their doorstep, eyes wide whenever she got to talking about their son.
I hadn't told them about all the drama of my leaving, only that Billy had said it was a good idea I left and that I was mostly finished my work anyway.
Billy's mother had been more interested in my last job and my future career prospects than his father had. Even thou
gh he had been the first one to ask about it when we met. When I told her over dinner one night that I wasn't sure I really had any prospects, that I was a little lost right now unsure what to do with my life she tried to take that in her stride but I could tell was having difficulty.
I wondered if it was because of this pressure that Billy chose such a radically different life. I know my own parents had been concerned about what I was doing with mine and had wanted me to get an education first and foremost, but Billy's parents were something else entirely. His mother seemed to want him to have come out of the womb with every idea of what he wanted from life.
When I spoke to Billy on the phone, he had seemed so concerned about me and how I was doing, then had asked me how I was getting on with his mother.
He knew she was difficult, at least he had the decency to make sure I was doing okay with her.
"When are you coming?" I asked one night at the end of our nightly phone call, the same way I always asked this question at the end of a phone call.
"Soon." He assured me, "We're down a few men at the ranch now, so there are less of us to do the work. I have to make sure there's someone in there to do some work while I'm away. I can't just leave."
I understood that, but didn't want to have to wait.
Apparently they had been interviewing boys for the job but since those guys were so well known and liked in town and they'd wasted no time telling everyone they shouldn't work on the ranch, it was tough finding someone local. When Billy and the ranch owner went looking for new staff they had to interview men further afield which took time.
I wondered if the boys were going to get into any trouble for stealing, but Billy never mentioned anyone going to the police, so I was quiet about it too.
As my days wore on, Billy's parents would show me around New York, mostly focusing on museums because Billy didn't like those.
They seemed very aware that Billy was coming soon and they wanted him to be able to show me around all of his favourite spots.