Stranger In Their
While I love writing fan fiction and Little House on the Prairie, I do wish to waste my time either. If the fact that this is a story that will have adult content (NOT explixit, just high suggestive) is going to make it so no one but personal friends will read it, I will not be finishing it. I'll just yank it and apply the storyline to another show. Please, if there is even one reader (besides my sister and close aquaintance) that wants me to finish this...please speak up.
Midst Chapter Three
Catalina stood in the old Whipple home, still slowly counting underneath her breath. She'd never met anyone with so much hot air as Mrs. Harriet Olsen! She began putting away all the items she'd bought at the store, items that were a necessity since the satchel she'd started her journey with had been lost. The stagecoach hit a pothole in the road and her only bag had, somehow, worked itself off the top of the coach and fallen down a rather steep embankment. While the driver had offered to make his way down the hill to retrieve it, she'd assured him she had nothing in the bag that was worth risking his neck over. Though, she hadn't turned down his offer of a few extra dollars to help replace some of the extra clothing. The conversation that had transpired in the store, and Nels' timely interruption, played across the stage of her mind once more.
"You're new to Walnut Grove, aren't you?" Harriet's smile made Catalina's skin crawl, the way it did when the teacher started writing on the chalkboard and the chalked squeaked, or when someone ran their fingernails down the chalkboard. Her brothers' friends had done that more than once so making the comparison was easy enough to do.
Catalina wanted to say something along the lines of "Nice to know your eyes are working", but she didn't. She had met a few busy bodies in her day, but this woman took the cake. Instead she smiled politely and answered, "Yes, I am. I was told a Mr. Nels Olsen might be able to help me."
It was then that Harriet Olsen had glanced down at Catalina's left hand and, upon seeing the gold band upon her hand, had rolled her shoulders back and acted as if she was straightening up an already clean counter. "My husband is busy right now, but if your husband could come in…." That was when Mr. Olsen had stepped out of the storage room which was just as well; Catalina had come close to telling the woman off.
After putting the items she'd bought up, Catalina stepped out onto the porch still very much out of sorts. Truth was, while Mr. Olsen had unintentionally stopped the interrogation by his wife, Catalina knew that other people would see the gold band and say similar things as Mrs. Olsen had or at least ask questions. When that happened, Catalina knew she would be hard hit to come up with acceptable answers. "Twelve years…" she rubbed the gold band and wondered where time had gone. Slowly she walked out onto the porch, her mind turning to Hyrum Baker. It had taken all she had in her to act normal when he'd looked upon her, as if she was a total stranger to him when she'd approached him in the café. When she'd asked if he was taking any new patients, she'd already been to a second doctor and found out the first diagnosis was wrong. She'd simply reacted out of shock to his reaction to her and used an old joke of theirs to see how he would respond.
Catalina held onto the porch railing, lowered her head slightly and sighed. She was so confused. When Catalina heard wheels rolling over the road, she lifted up her head to see Hyrum pulling to a stop in his buggy. "Are you all right?" He had been making his rounds and figured he might as well check up on his newest patient. Seeing her with her head down, Hyrum wondered if he should have made this the first stop of the day instead of the last.
"I'm fine." Catalina straightened up and looked at Hyrum. "What can I do for you?"
"Just checking up on all my patients," Hyrum answered, "Are you sure you're all right?" He climbed down from his buggy and stood a few away from her.
Catalina thought a moment and then, knowing he'd most likely think she was talking about herself, she asked, "Is there any reason that would exist that someone would know everything there is about themselves and their lives, except for a tiny portion of it?" She wasn't surprised when Hyrum's eyebrows rose and he looked at her with concern. He had assumed exactly what she thought he would.
"Head injuries and severe illness can do it. Why? Is that your problem? Are you missing a portion of your life?" Hyrum looked at her with even more concern.
"Not mine," Catalina leaned against the railing once more, "someone I know. Some circumstances separated from me from him years ago when I had to go to Mexico to help my grandfather. Then the separation continued thanks to my father," her voice grew bitter as she spoke, "he threw one obstacle in front of another to keep me in Mexico, only I did not know it was my father doing it. Is there anything I can do to, how you say, shake his memory up a bit?" she knew she was saying things poorly, but she didn't know how to put her thoughts into words. It didn't matter…Hyrum got the picture.
"Strike up your friendship again and pray for the best I suppose." Hyrum answered as he shrugged his shoulders, "The thing you have to remember is your friend might have adjusted to the fact that he is missing that portion of his life and sees no reason to try to get it back." He thought back to the time when he, himself, had woke up in his room with Lars and Reverend Alden by his side. He, Hyrum, had been shocked to learn from Lars that he had been involved in a stagecoach accident, but that he had been returning from a trip to Southern California…a trip entailing one convention, visiting some relatives and being gone for three months. Only problem was, Hyrum didn't remember ever leaving Walnut Grove! That being the case, he added "From personal experience, I know how that is." He went on to explain about his accident and what his friends had told him. "I saw no reason to pursue the matter. I knew who I was, where I was and what I do here. A few months missing months seemed like such a small loss compared to what the loss could have been. Your friend might feel the same way."
Catalina again stiffened ever so slightly. So this was the reason he looked upon her as a stranger. Well, she would stay. She would strike up this friendship he spoke of, a friendship with him and all of Walnut Grove. After all, he had been a stranger amongst her and her people once; now she would be the stranger among his and his people. Yes, she could handle being a stranger in their midst.
