LIZZY
Page 6
Martin swallowed hard. He cleared his throat and wiped his nose with his sleeve. He turned and reached out to grab Lizzy’s hands.
“It’s a . . . It’s about Agatha and Rufus, Lizzy.” He forced out the words and stared to the ground.
Lizzy cocked her head at Martin for more, her eyes wide with fear.
“I had told Abraham a few days ago about our visit with the Porters,” Martin began. “We actually got into a little spat about what Rufus was claiming as hypocritical.”
“And?” Lizzy asked impatiently.
“Oh, it’s nothing; just Abraham has a vile sense of what is right and what is wrong, so he felt it his ‘duty’ to come by and tell me about the article in yesterday’s newspaper.”
“His duty?” Lizzy asked.
“The man’s a racist bigot and he’s proud of it, so he was just biting at the bit to come by and tell me the news.”
“What news, Martin? Lizzy leaned forward.
Martin stared blindly but didn’t respond.
“Martin, you’re scaring me; what news?”
“They never made it to Tuskegee, Lizzy.” His voice grew hollow.
Lizzy felt the wind knocked out of her. She fell back into her seat. Her hands covered her mouth as she gasped. After a few minutes to let Martin’s words resonate, Lizzy turned sharply towards Martin.
“Th . . . the children? Oh, dear God, Martin, what about the children?” Lizzy’s voice cracked.
Martin could only pause to take a deep breath.
“Martin? Oh, dear God, Martin, no!”
He raised his head and looked to the horizon, knowing if he looked at Lizzy, he too would fall apart. He finally forced himself to answer her.
“He just said that all five were found hanging from a tree.”
CHAPTER SIX
Time for Change
1888
“Dammit all to hell, are these leaves ever going to stop falling!?” Martin yelled up towards the kitchen windows just inside the back porch. “And who’s supposed to sweep the porch before dinner?” He looked down at the leaves now scattered around him once again. “No sir, not me! No sir, indeed, this ol’ boy’s finished for the night!”
Martin glared up at his family just inside the kitchen window. None of them heard a single word he’d just yelled. “Hello!!!” He shook his head in frustration and reached for the rake.
“Family indeed . . . ,” he grumbled to himself, wiping his brow with his handkerchief. He looked again into the kitchen and shook his head one more time. Where the hell is William? He’d be out here helping me if he hadn’t bolted for Oklahoma. Better yet, where’s James? He’s right here at home, for Christ’s sake.
Martin glared at his rake and laughed. He looked behind him and spotted a large boulder. Take a break or keep raking? No quarrel, dear boy, I’m sitting.
He sat and wiped his brow again. He felt a refreshing breeze which had been deathly absent just moments ago. Martin turned his head and looked down into the valley below his home. Their property descended down a gradual slope with neighboring homesteads on both sides. Theirs was the smaller of the three but had the best view to the west. From his boulder, Martin could see as far as the eyes would allow. The land curved and dipped around shadows and over boulders. The small boulder where he now sat was a dwarf compared to the ones in his view, the view he cherished. This ol’ boulder’s not as good as the porch in Wheeling, but it’s still a mighty good view, Martin, a mighty good view.
When he and Lizzy had packed the kids up and moved from Wheeling to Charleston in ’85, he didn’t know if she would ever recover. He now looked back at that time and cherished every minute. Since that move, Lizzy had been able to raise and nurture the children and he’d been able to provide for his family with the salary a young congressman could bring home. He looked out at his property lined with sycamores and granite. The sky was a deep blue and the breeze was mild though it did bring the feel of an early winter. He thought of his current holiday break, one which he’d normally be looking forward to. Used to look forward to it. . . . Now I’m living it. Permanently
Martin was still feeling the sting of the lost campaign just a few months ago in the fall of ’87. He’d spent endless hours trying in vain to win the state legislature’s allegiance, but in the end, he realized that having a permanent address in West Virginia didn’t fare well with the State Assembly of New York. He tried to set up his own personal residence in New York, but as he thought back on it, they saw right through it.
Unfortunately, he lost the senate race to a seasoned veteran of the Civil War. For God’s sake, the man had never picked up a weapon. Never raised a hand to help a soul . . . black or white. Now look at him.
Martin angrily stared out to the valley below. He remembered the river back in Wheeling, the same one that would always fill him with a peaceful sense of bliss. He shook his head in an attempt to snap him from his thoughts. Quit feeling sorry for yourself, Martin.
He turned to look back up to the kitchen window. He jokingly laughed, waved and bowed to Lizzy’s persistent waving for him to finish his raking.
If my sweat would cure all, I’d be right there, love.
Martin stared to the ground and reflected. Yes, and if we could only get the public to vote for senators and not rely on the legislature. He wiped his forehead once more. I just know I could have won with the public voting, but not that damn legislature.
Martin’s thoughts wandered. He looked back at Lizzy. He grinned at the image in front of him. Lizzy barking orders. His daughters reluctantly obeying. The smile on his face felt good, though he’d never admit it. He turned and watched a flock of birds fly overhead. He chuckled at the sight of them, all flying in formation and to the south. A little late, kids, winter is fast approaching. He looked to the ground in front of him and thought of their oldest, William, and the one Martin seemed to miss the most.
William had been lured to Oklahoma on a land deal that both Martin and Lizzy furiously opposed. “It’s such a deal that no one in their right minds could ever deny!” Martin mocked William’s words as he remembered their conversation. Lizzy had stormed out of the room and went to bed while he and William continued their discussion late into the night. Martin had to admit that the opportunity did sound solid, but who was he to give counsel? He’d just lost his bid for a senate seat. I couldn’t win an election, how in the hell was I going to convince his mother that the boy’s right?
“I see that you’ve done a mighty job in your conquest of the leaves of West Virginia, dear husband.”
Lizzy laughed at how her voice startled her husband. “My oh my, if I’d only known that I could have that impact on you, I’d do it more often!”
Lizzy frowned at Martin’s silence. She nearly pushed him to the ground when she squeezed in next to him on the small boulder. She looked out at the valley to see what it was that captured his undivided attention.
“Thinking of the campaign?” Lizzy finally broke the silence.
“Nah, actually just thinking of what we have here.”
“What we have?”
“We do have something good going on; you know that, don’t you?” Martin said without looking at Lizzy. “We have a beautiful home, an outstanding view and three children that adore their very beautiful and very inviting mother.”
“Martin!” Lizzy turned and knocked him clean off the boulder.
“I just had to throw that one in there to see if you were really listening to me.” Martin laughed as he pulled himself up off the ground.
Lizzy grabbed for Martin’s hand and held it tight while he stood next to her. She leaned over and rested her head on his hip and looked down at the valley below. “A bench would be much more comfortable.”
“Ah, but not nearly as romantic,” Martin replied.
“Care for a walk?” Lizzy whispered.
* * * *
The darkness of the night surrounded them with a blanket of contentment. They’d walked for over two hours. The only
repercussion was the worried stammering coming from their two daughters upon their return. Dinner had been ruined, but neither one really cared. James, their only son still at home, chuckled at the sight of his parent’s guilt-ridden faces for something he didn’t want to know about. He turned and said his good nights before heading upstairs to bed.
“They’ll be fine” were the only words that Martin could say to reply to the way Mary and Nellie stampeded up the stairs and into their rooms, doors slamming behind them.
“It was a good walk, wasn’t it?” Martin asked Lizzy.
“And a much-needed talk,” Lizzy replied.
Martin poured himself a brandy snifter and motioned to Lizzy, who hesitantly declined.
They had walked down a well-traveled trail that traversed back and forth until it leveled out at the bottom of the valley. The dry creek bed lined with old sycamores reminded Lizzy of what it would be like if the river below her great-grandfather’s house would have ever dried up. They were thankful that the late fall hadn’t been too harsh. The scent of a late harvest of garlic and dried brush had filled their senses but it was the conversation that they had both cherished.
They spoke of William and could only speculate to his whereabouts. The last they’d heard he’d landed somewhere in Oklahoma and was working on a land lease deal. The horror of that vision was the first and most heart-wrenching part of their talk. It quickly turned to the memory of what had happened to Agatha and her family.
“She was only standing up for what was right and good for her family, Martin!”
Martin had to stop along the trail to let Lizzy fall into his arms and cry. The impact of Agatha’s death and the death of her family still broke Lizzy’s heart and it was time for her to release what anguish she still harbored.
“All she ever wanted was to reunite with Micah, share the news of her new family and live a dream to be educated along with her children. What is so wrong with that dream, Martin? What is so wrong with it?”
After listening to Lizzy’s grief from the loss of Agatha and her young family, they spoke of Martin’s disappointment over losing his campaign, but the actual truth finally came out.
“So, you’d really rather get yourself into the, what did you call it? The Street?” Lizzy half-heartedly joked. “The Street, right?”
It was a hard sell but the walk enabled Martin to disclose what he’d been feeling for some time. He’d lost interest in politics a long time ago. To him, it was far too slow. He craved a faster pace. Politics moved like a snail compared to the fast pace and excitement of the financial district of Wall Street and the ever-changing challenge of the New York Stock Exchange.
“What do you know about Wall Street?” Lizzy asked, half teasing.
“You’d be surprised what I learned while I was over there campaigning, my dear,” Martin replied defensively.
Lizzy looked at him, her head tilted and one eyebrow raised. “But, New York?”
“Weird huh?” Martin laughed. “You’d think I’d never want to set foot in that state again, huh?”
“Uh-huh,” was all Lizzy could say, her head bent down towards the path in front of her.
“So, let me get this straight,” Lizzy began again. “You’re over the loss of the election and are now completely on board to move back to New York and to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange?”
Martin remained silent.
“The same man who had helped hundreds in need during the war, fought for the rights of many during Reconstruction and who now lives hundreds of miles from New York, wants to now go to a big city to find his fortune?”
“Uh-huh,” was Martin’s only reply.
Both remained silent as they walked. They listened to the twigs crunching under their feet. Martin had reached for Lizzy’s hand, but she pushed him away.
“What is going on here, Martin McKeever?” Lizzy had stopped in her tracks and turned towards him, suddenly realizing that he was serious.
“Take a moment and think of all that is happening around us.”
Lizzy took a step back and placed her hands on her hips and jutted up her chin in defiance. “We’ve lost a woman who we barely knew, but thought of her as someone dearly connected to my departed brother.” She stopped and reflected on that day at her house in Wheeling in ’85. “I know it sounds silly, Martin, and granted it was three years ago, but despite that, it’s still so fresh that to me it really just happened yesterday.”
Martin, realizing that he needed to let Lizzy vent, looked for a place to sit. There was nothing to be found so he turned and looked at her, knowing she had a boatload on her mind.
“Second, I’ve lost my oldest son to a golden treasure chest over some godforsaken rainbow in Oklahoma! I have my two girls wondering if we are losing our minds and my only remaining son, who worships you, is looking as if he’s waiting to follow you no matter where you plan on going.”
They stopped and looked up at the sun now cresting below the horizon. The silence of the moment made them both think of what was on their minds. Once the sun was gone, the chill of the night caused Lizzy to shudder. Martin took off his light coat and draped it over her shoulders.
“Always the gentleman.”
“No, it’s just called love, Lizzy, just love.”
Lizzy smiled and caressed Martin’s hands as he covered her from the chill in the air.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Lizzy added. “If we get back much later, our children are going to call the local constable and report us dead, if you know what I mean.”
“You’re right, we’d best walk back to erase any suspicion of wrongdoing or marital mischief.” Martin tried to hold back a laugh at his own joke. “But in all seriousness, hon. . . .”
Lizzy turned to Martin when he didn’t finish.
“I think I still need to say more to convince you that it’s the best thing for me. The best thing for all of us. Plus, just think of the new friends you’ll meet in a big city.”
Lizzy laughed at the absurdity of her husband’s comment, but she could tell in the tone in his voice that he was dead serious about the move and it was making her crazy.
* * * *
Lizzy woke up in a cold sweat. She didn’t realize that she’d screamed until she looked up at Martin’s worried look just inches from her face. She felt his hand caressing her cheek. She slowly shook her head, blinked hard and began to rise from her pillow. Martin moved over and sat by her side in the moonlit room.
“You sure know how to scare a man with that scream of yours, I tell you,” Martin said softly. He brushed Lizzy’s wet hair away from her forehead. He knew she hated to expose her forehead, but tonight he didn’t care. He placed his hand on her chin to turn her towards him.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked with a gentle smile.
“Don’t really know where to start, there was so much going on.”
“Nightmare, huh?”
“God, Martin, it was the nightmare of all nightmares.”
Lizzy took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. She readjusted herself on the edge of the bed, turned slightly and looked up at Martin.
“Dear God, Lizzy.” Martin reached for Lizzy’s other hand. “You’re shaking!”
“It was my great-grandmother, Martin!” Lizzy choked out. “She wasn’t yelling, but pleading for me to do something.”
Lizzy breathed in hard and continued. “She was desperate for me to do something. I saw her gray eyes fill up with tears as she leaned so very close to me. I just knew it was Hannah, Martin. I could feel it, but I couldn’t get away as much as I tried.”
“How did you finally get away?”
“I didn’t,” Lizzy said vacantly. “She just let go of me and put her hands on my cheeks and gave me an odd smile, then. . . .”
“I, uh, I’m sorry, honey, but I just don’t get it,” Martin interrupted. “What made you so frightened to bolt up in bed like you did?”
“Then she yelled at me!”
“She yelled, ‘Don’t give up!’ Then she was gone and I was in front of a street sign and all alone.”
“A street sign?”
“Wall Street.”
Lizzy and Martin jumped at the pounding of fists on their bedroom door.
“Everything good in there?” James’ voice was strong and direct.
“Momma?” Mary Elizabeth’s voice sounded worried.
“Heard you scream, Momma! Is Papa in there with you?” James demanded.
Lizzy and Martin looked at each other and then out to the window. They could see the sun was now rising above the eastern hills.
“We’re just fine, kids,” Lizzy yelled out. “Go on back to bed.”
They looked down at their hands and realized they’d been clutching each other so tight that their hands were raw. Martin and Lizzy turned to look at each other and, after a few moments, they began to laugh. Though the dream was just a dream, the revelation that it brought them was true. Martin needed to go to New York City to chase his dream of finance and Lizzy needed to follow him and pursue her great-grandmother’s request, the same request that she’d read over and over in a diary left at the bottom of an old cedar chest.
Lizzy looked up at her husband, put her hand on his cheek, smiled and whispered, “You know that I love you but I’ve got to tell you that I can hear the children still just outside our door, listening.”
“I know you’re out there so you might as well come join us.”
The door burst open as Mary Elizabeth, Nellie and James raced into the room. It was James who plopped onto the bed, cutting off his sisters with a loud guffaw.
Lizzy smiled at James and rumpled his hair. She nodded her encouragement towards Martin as her husband began to speak.
“Has anyone ever heard of New York City?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Hope to Carry On
1890
The church was overflowing with well-wishers, grieving family and members of the national press. The back doors were open to allow what breeze there was to enter the crowded room. To the locals, the Old Trinity Church had its vast history, but to his wife, it was just a church offered up to her to say her last goodbyes before moving him to his final resting spot further up into the Hudson Valley.