Forced into Marriage

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  The old woman waved him toward the piles of items on the floor. “You can put those over there. I’ll separate them out and make sure the clothes are ready tomorrow.” She glanced at Lokni as he placed the clothes and blankets in a vacant space along the floor. With a smile at Lokni and the baby, she added, “I hope you don’t mind if I don’t deliver the clothes until after three. The woman who was helping me got married, so she no longer works here. For a town this size, two people are needed for this job.”

  Lokni’s ears perked up. “Do you make a good living doing this?”

  “It’s enough to provide for everything I need,” Mrs. Samson replied. “The other woman was able to provide for her needs, too, but I’m glad she finally found a husband. I still miss my own husband. Mr. Samson went to be with the Lord nine years ago,” she hurried to add. “Every woman should know the love of a good man. I don’t mind at all that she left. I’m just hoping another worker comes by soon. If you two happen to talk to someone who wants a job, tell them I’d be happy to talk to them.”

  “We’ll do that,” Brandon said.

  Lokni bit her tongue so she wouldn’t say anything. It was tempting to ask Mrs. Samson more about the job. This was a golden opportunity. Something like this might never come up again. She could wash clothes and bedding. She had done that all of her life. While she and Brandon were on the way to this town, she’d done most of the wash. Brandon did some to help her out, especially right after the birth of her son. But for the most part, he had hunted and cooked while she washed. So she had the experience.

  Lokni released her breath. They would be here for two to three weeks. She had time to decide if working here and staying in this town would be the best thing for her and her son. She didn’t have to make a decision today.

  “I’ll pay you at the end of the week when I get my wages,” Brandon told Mrs. Samson.

  Lokni brought her attention back to them.

  “That will be fine,” Mrs. Samson replied. “You two take care of yourselves.”

  “We will.” Brandon opened the door and looked expectantly at Lokni.

  Lokni offered Mrs. Samson a smile to thank her for washing their things and then left the small building with Brandon at her side.

  ***

  Lokni held off on going to bed for as long as she could. Her child provided a good reason for delaying the inevitable, and Brandon hadn’t voiced a protest, which further helped. Brandon went to bed long before she did, making sure he left her enough room so she could get in next to him when she was ready to join him.

  Except she wasn’t ready. And she didn’t think she ever would be. This made the prospect of working with Mrs. Samson all the more appealing. She would never have to get in bed with another man for as long as she lived. It was just a matter of time before Brandon expected her to fulfill her wifely duties to him. Even if Brandon was the nicest man she’d ever come across, he was just as prone to sexual desire as the others had been. All men wanted sex. Some, like Brandon, could wait longer than others, but sooner or later, they would require it, especially from the woman they were married to.

  As she rocked her sleeping child, she thought over what Mrs. Samson had said about her husband. Mrs. Samson missed having him in her life. There was no denying the sincerity in her voice as she’d mentioned him.

  Lokni had never encountered a woman who thought marriage was a good thing. Growing up, it’d been seen as a way to have children with a man who had an admirable history of strength and valor. The idea was that those children would also be strong and courageous.

  The notion of love was such a foreign one that Lokni still didn’t know why Mrs. Samson missed her husband—or why she was excited that the woman she used to work with got married.

  Lokni’s eyelids grew heavy, and her head fell forward. Unaware she’d almost drifted off to sleep, she bolted up in the chair. In her arms, her boy wiggled against her but remained asleep.

  She glanced at the bed. At least Brandon was asleep. That would allow her some time of lying next to him without worrying about being groped or fondled in uncomfortable ways. If she thought she could sleep in the chair, she’d do it. But she never could sleep sitting up. With a sigh, she set the baby in the bassinet.

  She really needed to give him a name. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would figure out the right kind of name to give him.

  As for tonight…

  Well, she might as well get it over with. If he was anything like the others, one time in the evening would be enough. Then she could relax.

  She slipped into the bed, doing her best not to make any noise or move the thin mattress. Once she got settled into a position that allowed her to turn her back to him, she held her breath and waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  It took her a good ten minutes to realize he was still asleep. Deeply so, in fact, since his breaths were long and deep. She exhaled. Good. For now, at least, she was spared any unpleasantness.

  She closed her eyes, and without realizing it, she soon fell asleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lokni woke up to the sound of her son crying. She opened her eyes, and for a moment, she couldn’t figure out where she was. She expected to be outside, but she didn’t see the morning sun above her and she didn’t feel the bumpy ground beneath her.

  It was only as she took a good look around her that she remembered she was in a hotel room. She’d gone to bed with a feeling of apprehension and dread that Brandon would insist she satisfy his needs, but he hadn’t touched her. And at the moment, he wasn’t lying next to her. She sat up in the bed and looked around. In fact, he wasn’t even in the room.

  She looked at the small window. It was well past dawn. Did he go to work already?

  Her son cried out again, bringing her attention back to him. She hurried to get out of the bed. She changed his diaper then breastfed him. Afterwards, she took the key from the top of the dresser and left the room.

  She reached the front desk, and the owner looked up from his ledger. “Is everything alright?”

  “Everything is fine,” she replied and glanced around the entrance of the hotel. “What time is it?”

  “It’s fifteen minutes after eight.”

  She wasn’t used to hearing the time mentioned in that particular way, so it took her a moment to realize it was 8:15. That late? It meant that Brandon was already at work. How did she not hear him leave? She usually heard him when he was moving around in the morning. She might not have gotten up right away, but she was aware of him every time he’d woken up. Maybe he’d been quieter than usual this morning. Maybe she’d been in such a deep sleep that it had taken her son crying to wake her up.

  “Would you like something to eat?” the owner asked her.

  She glanced back at him. “I forget what time breakfast is here.”

  He smiled. “My wife will be happy to make something for you any time before nine. Just go on to the dining room and tell her what you’re in the mood for.”

  Thanking him, she went to the dining room, and sure enough, his wife seemed to be more than happy to make her breakfast. There were only two other people in the room eating their meal. They looked over at her, and when their gazes went to the baby in her arms, a smile crossed their faces.

  “What’s his name?” the woman asked.

  “I haven’t thought of one yet,” Lokni said. “I know I should have come up with one already, but I want to get the right name for him.”

  “He’s a handsome child,” the woman told her. “I bet he takes after his father.”

  Lokni sure hoped not. She wouldn’t want her son to share anything with the man who had been responsible for his conception. Orson and his three friends were all disgusting. Just thinking of them made her sick to her stomach. She didn’t know how she’d survived her time with them.

  You survived it because you didn’t have a choice. There was no escape until they wanted to get rid of you.

  Looking back, she was glad they go
t rid of her because they didn’t want to deal with the child. It was to her good fortune she never had trouble conceiving like one of her sisters had. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She’d never see her two sisters again because they died in the fire that was set in the teepee they’d been hiding in.

  She hadn’t been able to make it to the teepee before her tribe was attacked. She’d been at the lake when she’d heard the gunfire and screams from her tribe. She’d cautiously made her way back to see what was happening. By the time she got there, most of her tribe had been slaughtered, and the men were rounding up the few survivors that were left. One happened to see her before she was able to run for safety.

  Not that there would have been anywhere she could have gone that would have been safe. Outside the tribe, she didn’t have anyone to go to. She might not have cared much for her husband, but he wasn’t cruel like the army men or Orson and his friends had been.

  Someone touched her arm. “Are you feeling alright?”

  She looked up into the kind eyes of the owner’s wife. Blinking the past away, she forced a smile. “I’m fine.” Her gaze went to the couple who had stopped eating and were studying her, just as concerned about her as the wife’s owner was. “It’s been a long journey here,” she added. “My husband and I just got into town yesterday, and I’m still tired from all the miles we walked.”

  “With a baby, it’s bound to be more difficult,” the woman said.

  “Well, you take your time eating,” the owner’s wife told her and set the plate of pancakes in front of her. “If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. I want you to get as much rest as you can while you’re here.” She patted her arm. “I’ll get you a cool glass of water.”

  Unsure of what to say since she wasn’t used to people being so concerned about her, she thanked the woman and then offered the couple a tentative smile. They seemed content with her response, so she turned her attention to the pancakes in front of her.

  She expected the couple to leave her alone, but they began to talk to her. Since she didn’t want to delve into her past, she decided to ask them questions before the conversation could turn to how she ended up in this town. She would much rather hear the lengthy details of the different places they had lived than share her sad and sordid story.

  She was tired of all the pain and sorrows she’d gone through. What she wanted was to put the past behind her. She wanted a new life—a better life—for her and her son. That was never going to happen if she never let go of all the horrible things she’d been through.

  When the couple did slip in a question about her past, she either gave a vague answer or said something unrelated to what they asked so they would talk about something else.

  When she was done with breakfast, she left the hotel. Her son, who seemed to be staying alert for longer periods of time these days, seemed as interested as she was in checking out the town.

  “What do you think?” she asked him. “Do you think this might be a good place to stay?”

  She glanced down at him and realized that since he was a baby, he couldn’t answer her. It was silly she asked him. This was going to have to be her decision. She took a deep breath and released it.

  There were good reasons to stay. The town had a lot more women than the last town she’d been in. The place was far more peaceful, too. Last evening, she hadn’t heard any gunshots. There was no brawl in the street. It’d been quiet. Around here, women and children were walking around at a leisurely pace. They felt safe here.

  Plus, this place was friendly toward Indians. She could be comfortable here. She didn’t have to be an outcast. She could be one of the members of the community. It was hard to find a place like this ever since the white people came further out west to live. Her father had told her early on that the white men had only wanted to trade. But lately, they wanted land, and the more land they got, the more they wanted.

  It seemed that the best place to be was in a town where there were enough Indians to help balance things out so that Indians got a fair deal. She certainly had been treated fairly by the white people in this town. And that definitely was nice. Who knew if there was another place like this in California where Brandon wanted to go?

  She shook her head. She couldn’t make this decision based on emotion. She had to do what was best for her and her child.

  With that in mind, she went to the building where the woman had been working on laundry. As she passed different businesses, she took a good look at them. There were an assortment of staple items and fruits and vegetables in one building. That would be the general store. Looking in the window at another building, she saw a man shaving another man’s face. That would be the barber. There was another building where a man behind the counter handed the customer a few dollar bills. That would be the bank.

  She hadn’t realized just how much she’d learned about the white man’s world until this moment. She could easily fit in here. She knew their vocabulary, their customs, and how they dressed. Her son would grow up knowing these things, too.

  Her son let out a happy cooing sound, and she patted his back. There was no going back to her tribe. It had been destroyed. It was up to her to tell him about her tribe. Otherwise, he would never know about the ways of her people. He had a right to know where he came from. Well, everything except for how he was conceived. She would rather not tell him that. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to tell him, but having to explain that to him would be like living through that horrible year all over again.

  She reached the laundry building. The door was propped open with a large rock, and from inside, Mrs. Samson was bent over the washtub, washing Brandon’s clothes.

  Mrs. Samson looked up at her. “Morning. Did you come to see if I’d be washing your things like I promised?”

  By the good-natured tone in her voice and the smile on her face, Lokni could tell Mrs. Samson was teasing her. Lokni chuckled. “No. I wanted to check out the town. It seems like a nice place.”

  “It is. A lot of good people live here. You can thank the sheriff for that. He came in and set order and peace to the place. Before him, it was different. We’re much better off now.”

  “That’s good.” There wasn’t enough peace and security in the world. Too many people sought whatever they wanted regardless of who they hurt in the process.

  “Is there a business you’re looking for?” Mrs. Samson asked. “I know this town like the back of my mind. I know everyone and everything.”

  “Oh, well…” Lokni shifted her son to her other arm and glanced at the sign in the window. It was the one that let people know she was looking for someone to help her with the laundry, and judging by how much she had in the place, the sooner she had the help, the better. “I have nothing to do during the day while I’m here, and you look like you could use some help.”

  Her voice drifted off. She didn’t know why, but she was having trouble coming out and asking for a permanent position here. She could only bring herself to ask to work while Brandon stayed in town.

  “If you’re offering, I’m not going to turn you away,” Mrs. Samson said as she stood up. “It would be nice to have another hand around here. I’ll pay you for your time.” She arched her back and then looked at Lokni’s son. “We should find something for him to lie down in while you’re here.”

  Lokni watched as Mrs. Samson went to the room in the back. Mrs. Samson returned with a large blanket.

  “I use this from time to time to rest on,” Mrs. Samson said. “It’s the best blanket you’ll find anywhere. You can put him on this. Now, since your first priority is him, you can go back to your hotel room to take care of his diaper or to feed him any time you need to.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Samson.”

  She smiled. “You can call me Wilma.”

  Lokni returned her smile. “Alright. Wilma.” She set her son on the blanket and then went to help Wilma with the wash.

  ***

  Brandon had arrived to work fifteen minute
s early. When he left the hotel that morning, Lokni and the baby were still asleep. She had gone to bed later than usual. He wasn’t sure what time she went to sleep. All he knew was that he had drifted off before the sun set, and when he woke up, it was dawn. She must have been exhausted because she was still sleeping by the time he left for work.

  He couldn’t blame her. The journey up to now had been long and tiring. He had felt all the weeks catching up to him the moment his head hit the pillow. The mattress was more comfortable than it looked, and he’d had a better night’s sleep than he had in a long time. The only time he’d been able to sleep so well was when he got drunk. But last night, he hadn’t had a single drop of liquor, and he’d slept straight through the night.

  It was a nice change. He hadn’t felt this good since before he found his first wife in bed with his friend. Maybe this was a sign that things were finally turning around. It’d been a long time since he’d felt this way. First the birth of Lokni’s child and now this morning…

  Maybe it was time to start thinking positively again.

  When he arrived at work, he was in a good mood, and the morning passed by fast. He was paired up with a man who, despite his many years, had a surprising amount of energy. The two worked well together as a team, and the man told him a few amusing stories from his past.

  When it came time for lunch, Brandon returned to the hotel to see how Lokni and the baby were doing. But when he got there, no one answered the door. He tested the lock. He had locked the door before he left, and it was still that way. He frowned. Lokni wouldn’t be sleeping so late.

  For a moment, his mind flashed back to the time when the door of his house had been locked. He had hidden a key under the flowerpot on the porch. His wife had forgotten all about it. If she had remembered it, she would have taken it so that he couldn’t open the front door. But since she had forgotten, he was able to go into the house, and it was then he found her and his friend in the bed.