All My Tomorrows

by Al Lacy

  Ralph gasped. “Oh my!”

  Rex put a look on his face to make it appear that he cared.

  Because of the cold temperature of the water, Deena was already moving her head and coming around.

  Ralph said, “Gentlemen, I really appreciate your pulling Deena out of the stream. My name’s Ralph Dexter. I have a farm a few miles from here. This boy is my son, Rex.” He forced a dry chuckle. “Rex and his sister had an argument, and she ran away.”

  One of the men grinned. “I know how it is between brothers and sisters, Mr. Dexter. Especially at this age. I have a teenage son and daughter myself.”

  Deena moaned and rolled her head back and forth. When she opened her eyes, they were glassy, and she was having a hard time focusing them.

  “It’s your daddy, sweetheart,” said Ralph. “Rex and I came looking for you. These nice men pulled you out of the stream.”

  Deena tried to speak, but only a tiny moan came out.

  Ralph picked her up and said, “Rex, I noticed her cloth bag back there. Will you get it, please?”

  “Sure, Pa,” said Rex, and ran toward the bag.

  Cradling the girl in his arms, Ralph thanked the men again, then carried her to his horse. Rex was running toward them, bag in hand.

  The fishermen smiled at each other and headed back toward their fishing poles.

  Ralph hoisted Deena into his saddle, then steadying her, mounted up behind her. Rex hung the bag over his saddle horn. He drew up beside his father’s horse and looked at Deena. “She’s lookin’ more awake now, Pa.”

  Ralph leaned over her shoulder and peered into her eyes. “Hey, girl. You awake?”

  Deena turned and looked up at him. Her eyes were losing their glassy look. “I’m awake.”

  Ralph touched his heels to his horse’s side, and headed through the forest with Rex riding beside him. He bent his head close to Deena and said into her ear, “You’re gonna be sorry for pullin’ this foolish stunt, girl. You’ve got some punishment comin’.”

  Deena rode in silence, fearful of what the punishment was going to be.

  A few minutes later, they left the forest, pulled onto the road, and headed for home.

  Rex moved his horse a step ahead so he could look Deena in the eye. When she saw him, she turned her head the other way.

  Rex’s voice was cold as he said, “You know what you are, girl? You’re an ingrate. You oughtta be ashamed of yourself. My parents took you off that orphan train and gave you a home. They put a roof over your head and food in your stomach. And this is the thanks they get.”

  Deena kept her face turned away from him and did not comment.

  At the Dexter farm, Norma kept herself busy in the kitchen, cleaning the pantry and the cupboards.

  While occupying herself, she thought back to earlier that morning when she tapped on Deena’s door, telling her it was time she got dressed and was in the kitchen to help prepare breakfast. When there was no response, Norma opened the door, but Deena was not there.

  She stood on the front porch half an hour later and watched her angry husband ride away in search of Deena, with Rex at his side.

  Norma was secretly glad that Deena had worked up the nerve to escape. She hoped with all of her heart that Deena would elude them. It frightened her some to think of what could happen to a young girl out in the world alone, but she told herself that just maybe Deena would find someone who would take her into their home, and she would have a chance for a happy life.

  When Norma could find no more shelves to clean, she made her way to the parlor and sat down in her favorite overstuffed chair. She laid her head back and closed her eyes, her ears alert for the sound of hoofbeats coming into the yard.

  Only a few minutes had passed when she heard the clip-clop of hooves, telling her there were horses approaching the house. She hurried to the window, and hiding behind the starched curtains, observed as the two horses drew up to the front porch.

  Norma chewed her lower lip and placed her hand over her mouth. “Oh no. They found her. And Ralph really looks mad. That poor girl.”

  Her knees feeling watery, Norma left the parlor, went to the front door, and stepped out on the porch. Both men had dismounted, and Ralph was taking Deena out of the saddle. When her feet touched ground, Ralph took hold of her arm and looked up at his wife. The mean look in Ralph’s eyes made Norma’s skin crawl. Deena was trembling with fright, and Norma bit her lip again when she saw the purple knot on the girl’s temple.

  Rex stood in silence while his father told his mother where they found Deena: about her falling into the stream after cracking her head on a rock and of the two fishermen pulling her out.

  Norma focused on the purple knot. “Come in, Deena. I need to get some cool water on that swollen bruise. I’m sorry you fell and hit your head.”

  Rex stiffened. “She deserves it, Ma, for runnin’ away.”

  “She deserves more than that,” growled Ralph. “She’s gonna get a beating for it.”

  Norma’s brow furrowed and she started to speak.

  But Ralph beat her to it. Pointing a stiff finger at her, he snapped, “Don’t you say a word, woman! She’s got it coming!”

  Deena sucked in a sharp breath. “Please, Mr. Dexter! Please don’t beat me!”

  Teeth clenched, the angry man started dragging her toward the side of the house. Norma knew he was taking her to the back porch to administer the beating. It was there that Rex received most of his whippings as a boy.

  Rex grabbed the reins of both horses and hurried after his father and Deena. When the three of them and the animals disappeared around the corner of the house, Norma went inside and hurried to the kitchen. She didn’t want to watch Deena get her beating, but she would listen from the kitchen.

  The back window in the kitchen allowed only a limited view of the back porch, but she leaned against the cupboard where the window was located. She heard Ralph grumbling at Deena as he took off his belt, and she heard Rex say, “I told you this would happen if you ran away, Deena. You deserve it!”

  Deena let out a loud, high-pitched cry as the beating began. The sound of the belt striking her flesh and the loud shrieks with each blow were too much for Norma. She turned from the window, pressed palms to her ears, and grimaced in sympathy with Deena.

  But in spite of her attempt to block out the horrible sounds, she could still hear them. The beating went on and on. Her lips moved as she mouthed, “That’s enough, Ralph! Stop! That’s enough!”

  But the beating continued, and Deena’s shrieks were growing weaker. Finally, it was all Norma could stand. The blood was hot in her veins as she bolted out the back door onto the porch and threw her small body against Ralph.

  Ralph had not seen her coming, and the sudden impact of her one hundred and ten pounds against him made him stumble sideways. Deena lay facedown on the floor of the porch, her skirt torn and dappled with blood. Skin showed from her knees down, and bloody stripes were clearly visible.

  Norma’s wrath had been kindled beyond the normal fear she had of her husband. While he was still stumbling, she attacked him with both fists, pummeling his thick chest. “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! You’ve done enough to this poor girl! Stop it!”

  Ralph’s features turned deep red and a bright animal glitter penetrated his eyes as he looked at Norma and showed his teeth in utter contempt. With one swing of his muscular arm, he sent her crashing into the porch wall.

  Rex stood frozen in place as he watched his mother hit the wall. The back of her head cracked it loudly. She went limp instantly and slid down the wall, landing in a heap on the floor.

  Ralph moved back to Deena and raised his belt to strike her again. But he checked himself when he saw that she was almost unconscious. The rage that had gripped him in its relentless claws abated. He glanced at the still form of Norma on the floor by the wall, then looked at the white-faced Rex as he slipped his belt back through the loops of his trousers. “I’ve got to cool off. Let’s take a little ride. Th
ey’ll both be all right.”

  In utter silence, Rex mounted his horse and trotted alongside his father as they rounded the house and headed for the road.

  Deena heard the sounds of them riding away, and was sluggishly aware of the eerie stillness that seemed to fall over the porch. A strange black vortex was trying to claim her. She struggled to keep it from pulling her into its dark pit … but in her weakness, she succumbed.

  Deena had no idea how long she had been unconscious when her senses returned. She also had no idea where she was or what had happened. She was lying flat on a hard surface.

  “Donna! Donna! Where are you? I need you! Donna! Donna! I need you!” It was her own voice.

  Abruptly she became aware of pain in her backside and in her legs. The breath was sawing in and out of her lungs, and she worked at conquering her labored breathing. After a few minutes, she finally succeeded, and in the quiet, she heard what sounded like a wounded animal whining.

  A cat? No.

  A dog? Maybe.

  The whining continued.

  No, it was not an animal. It was a human sound.

  Deena raised her head slowly, careful not to put a strain on her throbbing body, and looked in the direction of the sound. She focused her eyes on a crumpled form lying a few feet away from her. It was a woman, and her body shook as she made the piteous, mournful sounds. There was blood matted in her hair on the back of her head.

  Deena struggled to rise to her knees, and after several tries, finally made it. Her bruised and battered body vehemently objected to every move. The pain was worse on the backs of her legs. She put a hand to the stinging areas on her legs and felt something sticky. When she looked at her hand, she saw that it was blood; then her eyes focused on the crimson spots on her skirt near the hem.

  The woman’s whines once again drew her attention. She crawled painfully toward her, and as she reached her, she recognized Norma Dexter.

  Suddenly it all came back.

  Deena remembered the beating Ralph was giving her, and Norma’s futile attempt to stop him.

  Still on her knees, she looked into Norma’s clouded eyes. “Mrs. Dexter … Mrs. Dexter, can you hear me?”

  Norma blinked and tried to focus on the face above her.

  “D-Deena?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Gradually Norma gained control of her frantic state. “Deena, are—are you all right?”

  “I’m in a lot of pain and I’m bleeding some. You must have hit your head hard when Mr. Dexter knocked you down. There’s a lot of blood in your hair on the back of your head. We need to get to the kitchen where there’s water. Do you think you can stand up?”

  Norma looked around the porch. Whispering for fear of being overheard, she asked, “Do—do you know where Ralph and Rex are?”

  Deena recalled hearing the sounds of father and son riding away before she passed out. “They rode away, ma’am.”

  Norma nodded.

  Deena took a deep breath. “Let’s try to stand up. We’ve got to tend to our cuts.”

  Norma began a struggle to get herself on her feet.

  Being younger and more resilient, Deena crawled to the wall, used it to brace herself, and was soon on her feet. After leaning against the wall for a moment, she took a couple of steps, stood over Norma, and offered her hand. “Here, let me help you.”

  Norma clasped the hand, and little by little, was soon standing on shaky legs. Deena helped her to the wall, and they both used it for support while letting their breathing return to normal.

  Deena took hold of Norma. “All right, let’s go. We’ll use the wall for support.”

  It was a long, slow process, but step by careful step, they entered the kitchen. Deena helped Norma to the table and pulled out a chair. When Norma was seated, Deena pulled the next chair from under the table and dropped into it. Pain shot through her backside.

  Deena leaned forward and laid her head on her folded arms atop the table. After a few minutes, the cobwebs of pain began to dissipate, and she raised her head. Focusing on Norma, she saw that there was still a dazed look in her eyes.

  Deena gingerly rose to her feet. “Ma’am, I’ll get some water now and tend to the cut on the back of your head.”

  Norma followed Deena’s movements as the girl held on to the table for support, then moved shakily to the end of the cupboard where the water pitcher and washbasin sat. She poured water into the basin, took two towels from the rack nearby, and set them in front of Norma.

  Dipping a towel into the cool water, Deena wrung it out some, and began to wash the blood from the wound and the hair around it. “The bleeding has stopped, ma’am. I’m glad for that. I’ll have it cleaned up in a couple of minutes.”

  While Deena worked to clean the blood from Norma’s hair, nothing was said between them. Each was lost in her own thoughts.

  When Deena was done, she said, “That’s the best I can do for now.”

  “That’s fine, honey. Thank you. Now what about you?”

  Deena looked toward the small room just off the kitchen, which was used for bathing. “I’ll go in there and wash the blood off my legs. If they’re still bleeding, I’ll use some of the cloths in there to wrap around them till the bleeding stops, if that’s all right.”

  “Of course, dear.”

  Some thirty minutes later, when Deena returned to the kitchen, she found Norma at the table where she had left her, staring into space. “Are you all right, ma’am?”

  Norma blinked, then focused on the girl. “Oh. Yes. And how about you?”

  “I had to wrap up a couple of the stripes, but the rest of them have stopped bleeding. The two I wrapped aren’t bleeding much.”

  “That’s good.” Her face pinched. “Deena, I’m so sorry … so very sorry for what my husband did to you.”

  Deena took hold of her hand. “It’s not your fault, ma’am. I’ll heal. You even got yourself hurt for trying to stop him from beating on me. Thank you for what you did.”

  “I couldn’t just stand there. I had to do what I could to stop him.”

  Deena smiled. “You’re a brave woman.” She looked toward the clock that hung on the kitchen wall. “It’s almost noon, ma’am. Mr. Dexter and your son will probably come back expecting lunch to be ready. We’d best get it prepared.”

  Norma nodded and stood up. “You’re right.”

  While Norma and Deena worked at preparing lunch, Deena said, “Mrs. Dexter, I might as well be honest with you. I am going to run away again. Only next time, I’ll plan it better. I’m not going to let Mr. Dexter find me.” A new resolve filled her young voice. “He’s not going to get the chance to beat me again.”

  Norma set melancholy eyes on her. “I don’t want that to ever happen again.”

  “I will miss you. Thank you for trying to give me a good home. Someday I’m going to find my twin, for I won’t be a whole person until I do. I won’t let you know anything about my plan to run away. That way, your husband can’t blame you or beat it out of you. But one day, I’ll be gone.”

  “I can’t blame you, child,” said Norma, patting her hand. “And I hope you have a very happy life.”

  “I will, ma’am. I … I wish you could get away from here too.”

  Norma patted the hand again. “That isn’t possible for me, dear. When I married Ralph, in my mind it was a lifetime commitment. I’ll stay by his side and do the best I can. Rex is only sixteen. He still needs me. But you go as soon as the opportunity presents itself for you to make a clean getaway.”

  “I’ll be much more careful next time, ma’am. I’ll make it.”

  The two of them smiled conspiratorially at each other, then returned to preparing lunch.

  That night at the K-Bar-M Ranch outside of Wild Horse, Molly Talbert woke up in the wee hours. At first, she was puzzled at what had awakened her. Ken was sound asleep at her side.

  Then she heard it again. Down the hall in her bedroom, Donna was sobbing.

  Molly eased carefu
lly out of the bed so as not to disturb Ken, took her robe from a nearby chair, and slipped it on. By the pale moonlight that was filtering through the curtains into the room, she picked up a candleholder and a match from the dresser. In the hall, she closed the door behind her, struck the match, lit the candle, then hurried to Donna’s room.

  The door was open a few inches. Molly pushed it wider and moved up to the bed.

  Donna looked up at her with tear-filled eyes and opened her arms. Molly set the candleholder on the nightstand, sat down on the edge of the bed, and leaned close as Donna folded her in a tight embrace.

  “Honey, what are you crying about?”

  Donna sniffed. “Oh, Mama, I was having a dream. I couldn’t see Deena, but I heard her calling to me, saying she needed me. She sounded terribly upset. Then I woke up.”

  Molly hugged her tight. “It was just a dream, honey. Just a bad dream. You need to get back to sleep now.”

  “But it was so real! It was Deena’s voice. It was like she was right here in the room with me.”

  “Dreams can be like that, Donna,” said Molly, easing back to look her in the eye. “But that’s all it was. Only a dream.”

  Donna blinked at her tears. “Oh, Mama, I want to see Deena so badly.”

  “I know. And Papa and I will take you to Salina as soon as possible. But it will be a while yet. Let’s pray for Deena right now, then you need to get back to sleep.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  High in the Colorado Rockies, the sun was setting as outlaws Shad Gatlin and Bart Caddo halted their horses a few yards from the mouth of a cave. Gatlin and Caddo had traded off keeping their hostage in the saddle while they rode.

  At the moment, Gatlin had Johnny Smith on his horse with him. Caddo dismounted. “I’ll check the cave out, Shad.” He pulled out his revolver and drew back the hammer. “Be right back.”

  Gatlin nodded. “We’ll wait right here.”

  When his partner disappeared into the dark cave, Gatlin gazed around as the boy sat quietly in front of him. The shadows of the deep crags stretched from the west and between them streamed a red-gold light. The sunset was a clear picture of sunshine losing its fire. Fleecy orange clouds rested over the lofty mountain peaks. A sailing eagle dotted the blue sky directly above them, its shrill cry echoing over the high country.