Life in Reminiscence
Usual Disclaimer: Just taking our friends out to play, will put them back when Done!
Pt.1
Standing looking in the full length mirror, squirming and fidgeting more then my mother would have liked, while she continued to perfectly place matching ribbons and bows in my long red curls. To the ruffled and lace dress she insisted I wear, to the afternoon brunch with the family, when I would have much rather been out in the yard playing hide and seek with some of the neighborhood children. But as Mother and Auntie always saw fit to remind me, that was not befitting a young lady.
I was to learn this, and many other things, that they insisted I would understand much better as I got older. To learn some of these things, Mother's Auntie seems to think I should be enrolled in a proper girls school. And with Mother's health not being... Well, let's just say Mother agreed. It was just Mother and I.
Father had been gone for quite some time now. I never really remembered him being around. See Father, well Father was a gambling man, always chasing the next best deal. That next good game, hand of poker. The next one was always going to be the one. Mother's family was always against their marriage. It only became worse when I came along. Even my grandfather turned his back on her.
So, off to St. Anne's I went. St. Anne's was a Seminary School for Girls. It was to teach us to become proper young ladies, teach us all the social graces. I was there until until….
Early one morning Sister Mary Katherine woke me. "Kathleen, my dear. Wake up. I need to speak with you. This is very important. Come, child, someone is here to see you."
Wiping my eyes, "To see me? My mother? Oh, Mother is here?"
Shaking her head, "No, Child, not your mother. Your father."
Looking surprised, "My father?"
When I looked up there in the doorway, stood a tall man, "Hello, my Kitty."
"Well, Mr. Russell, I'll leave you two so you can talk." Sister Mary Katherine had said as she left the room.
"Father, why are you here? I thought Mother was coming."
"Kitty, darling, I need to talk to you. I have something to tell you." And from his expression I knew it wasn't good.
Backing up, "What? What's wrong? Where is my mother?"
"Now, Kitty, darling, listen to me. Annalise, your mother was feeling poorly and the doctor just couldn't seem to make her well."
"Where is she? I want to see her." I insisted.
"You can't, my dear. She's gone."
I stood frozen. Numb!
"Now, Kitty, I need you to pack up your things. You'll have to come with me."
"WHY? Why do I have to come with you?"
"I'm your father." He said. "And you can't stay here any longer. The family has cut you off."
Still numb from the news, I did what my father had told me to do. With no idea what was going to become of me. I knew nothing else but LaRogue Manor, St. Anne's and New Orleans.
After leaving 's, it wasn't but a very short time. Father took me to meet a friend of his, Pan. Panacea Sikes. She lived in this elaborate gambling house. She was something else. Before I knew it, father was gone and I was left there with Pan. She said she was going to take good care of me. She gave me a place to sleep, food to eat, made sure I always had clean petticoats and a starched kerchief. Pan always said that was important for a young lady. It was while living there that I learned a lot about 'The art of Poker' as well as my business. Pan was unique, to say the least. Father didn't return.
I was, oh, about seventeen years old when I met a gambler. Cole Yankton. He was good to me, took care of me, so I decided to go away with him. We traveled across the country, then I realized he was good to a lot of other girls too. He would get locked up and I would work in gambling houses and saloons to bale him out. Then he eventually ran off with another girl. Broke my heart. So I decided to make my way back to New Orleans, working in different towns along the way, when I had to, to make ends meet.
And then one day, one miserable cold, rainy day, I was so tired and hungry. The stage pulled into a dirty little cow town. I wanted out of that stage so bad, but when I looked at all those ugly buildings… I was down to my last forty dollars, it couldn't have taken me much further, but you couldn't have paid me to stay. (Smiling at the thought) If I had only known?
TBC