Simple Destinations
Kat Sully
I was only fifteen when Pa died. He was always so strong, but then he came down with cholera. I remember how weak he looked, how he needed me to help him. Ma sending me to get all the medicines from Lewis while she looked after him. They put quarantine around the clinic. Meaning me, Ma and Danielle were locked in with Pa while he became weaker and weaker. I was there when he died. I didn't touch him. I couldn't. I was too scared. He looked up at me and said my name. His last words were at me, and I wouldn't go near enough to hear what he'd said. I could read his lips though, for that one words. 'Kates.' It was his nickname for me. Watching him die was worse than watching Mr Bray die.
It was the same week as Pa's funeral that Ben rode into town. Cowboy Ben, Lauren had called them. Lauren's my youngest sister. She'd be twelve now. Danielle will be fifteen. Anyway, Ben turned up that week. The day after, when I was sitting by the creek, mine and Pa's favourite place. Ben came along and he sat down with me, talking to me about the pretty girls back in southern Oregon. Told me I could match up to them anyway. It made me smile. The first smile I'd given since Pa.
He asked me what was wrong after that. Said he noticed the tears in my eyes. And there was something in his that made me trust him. Made me want to tell him and I did. He didn't say much afterwards. We sat in silence for a long while before he asked if I could play poker. I'd watched Mathew teaching Brian, and I learned from that. So I told him yes. He took me back to his camp and let me meet his gang, Ty, David and Lizzie. They were poker players and they let me play with them. I didn't have any money though, so I gambled the pin Grandma had given to me. I lost it. But I won it back in the next game. Ty called me a natural.
I started spending most of the day with them. I hated going home and looking at Ma's face. Danielle and me started fighting a lot. She said I didn't care about Pa dying, but she had no idea.
So come the next week, I left. Ben and the gang were moving on and I wasn't about to let them go without me. I packed my saddle bag and put all the clothes I could on me and I rode outta town. And I've never been back since. I sent a birthday card to Lauren that year, so they knew I was okay. And that was that.
But now. I'm back.
Kat Sully
I was only fifteen when Pa died. He was always so strong, but then he came down with cholera. I remember how weak he looked, how he needed me to help him. Ma sending me to get all the medicines from Lewis while she looked after him. They put quarantine around the clinic. Meaning me, Ma and Danielle were locked in with Pa while he became weaker and weaker. I was there when he died. I didn't touch him. I couldn't. I was too scared. He looked up at me and said my name. His last words were at me, and I wouldn't go near enough to hear what he'd said. I could read his lips though, for that one words. 'Kates.' It was his nickname for me. Watching him die was worse than watching Mr Bray die.
It was the same week as Pa's funeral that Ben rode into town. Cowboy Ben, Lauren had called them. Lauren's my youngest sister. She'd be twelve now. Danielle will be fifteen. Anyway, Ben turned up that week. The day after, when I was sitting by the creek, mine and Pa's favourite place. Ben came along and he sat down with me, talking to me about the pretty girls back in southern Oregon. Told me I could match up to them anyway. It made me smile. The first smile I'd given since Pa.
He asked me what was wrong after that. Said he noticed the tears in my eyes. And there was something in his that made me trust him. Made me want to tell him and I did. He didn't say much afterwards. We sat in silence for a long while before he asked if I could play poker. I'd watched Mathew teaching Brian, and I learned from that. So I told him yes. He took me back to his camp and let me meet his gang, Ty, David and Lizzie. They were poker players and they let me play with them. I didn't have any money though, so I gambled the pin Grandma had given to me. I lost it. But I won it back in the next game. Ty called me a natural.
I started spending most of the day with them. I hated going home and looking at Ma's face. Danielle and me started fighting a lot. She said I didn't care about Pa dying, but she had no idea.
So come the next week, I left. Ben and the gang were moving on and I wasn't about to let them go without me. I packed my saddle bag and put all the clothes I could on me and I rode outta town. And I've never been back since. I sent a birthday card to Lauren that year, so they knew I was okay. And that was that.
But now. I'm back.