"Wagon's leavin in ten minutes whether you're all on it or not" yelled aunt Sally from the kitchen in an effort to get her household leaving on time.
It was Sunday morning, Election Day, and the entire McCoy family could not be more excited about the upcoming day of festivities, except my uncle Randall who was out on the front porch smoking his pipe to escape the chaos inside.
"Oh Rebecca, I'm so envious of that dress," exclaimed Alifair as she finished doing the buttons up the back of my dark green dress in our room. I suppressed a smile. "I'm stuck wearin the same one I had for Election Day last year. Oh but still we're gonna have such fun today I just know it" she gushed.
We had gotten up before the sun rose to bathe, dress, and help my younger cousins don their best as well. I yawned. It had already been a long morning. "I could have used another hour of sleep. I'll be dozing off while you two are dancing the day away," I teased as I completed my outfit with a locket necklace that had been my mothers. I only wore it on the specialist of occasions.
"You will be doing no such thing" Roseanna smiled at me. She looked lovely today in a white top with lace, dark blue skirt and her hair blonde hair tied half-back with a ribbon. It was a wonder she was not married yet, pretty as she was at 20 years old.
"And I think you'll find it well worth the trouble when all the young men from miles around can't keep their eyes off of you, and want to know your name and want to have your babies."
"Alifair hush" I chided but blushed and grinned at her teasing all the same.
"Geez, we ain't even there yet and you girls are already talking about havin babies" interrupted Calvin bursting through the door. His grey eyes widened as they settled on me in my fresh green gown.
"Calvin get out we're just about ready," said Roseanna at her brother.
He jerked his gaze away and said "wagon's packed, we're leavin now, get a move on unless you wanna be left behind." He turned quickly after one final look in my direction and slammed the door behind him.
Alifair turned to me with a triumphant grin and said in a sing-song voice "what was I just tellin you… something bout boy's won't be able to keep their eyes off you."
We all giggled, giddy with excitement for the day. Just as we were headed out the door Alifair gasped and ran back to her dresser and grabbed a full cup that had been hidden in the back. "Just a little whiskey from Tolbert's keg, he'll never know the difference." She raised the glass, exclaimed "to the best day of the year," took a drink and passed it over to me.
"Alifair you are a naughty influence" I said as I shrugged and took a sip. I nearly couldn't swallow but forced myself to do so, which caused a burning sensation all the way down my throat. Roseanna followed suit with a similar grimace as she swallowed. "Come on then" I said, and with that we all headed down to the wagons outside with sparkles in our eyes.
We could hear the music and laughter far before we pulled onto the Election Day grounds. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. There was music playing, dancing and laughing, people selling their goods, red white and blue flags strung up everywhere. It felt more exciting even than Alifair and Roseanna had built it up to be in my head. I had certainly never seen so many people gathered or so big a party in my whole life in Pennsylvania. And it was a beautiful, crisp, perfect spring day.
Calvin gave me a hand down from the wagon and Alifair whisked me away, linking arms with mine. Roseanna had wandered off her with younger cousin Nancy. Tolbert, Bud, Calvin and the other McCoy boys set up their keg of whiskey out of the back of their wagon.
Alifair was talking a mile a minute saying, "Ooh look, no don't look, there's the Hunter brothers, Joseph and Willis, lookin this way. They are lookin fine today. This sure is the best weather for an Election Day I can remember." I let her ramble on content to just soak in the sight of everything around me.
Alifair stopped, sighed, and muttered under her breath, "…easy to look at."
"What Alifair?" I perked up.
"Just past old Mrs. Chafin's peach cobbler stand, just there" she nodded in the direction she was talking about. "That's Devil Anse and his family gettin out of their wagon."
I looked up and recognized Johnse Hatfield, bright and blonde as ever in an off white shirt and yellow vest, among his family.
Alifair sighed again. "My pa and brothers have endless terrible things to say about each one of them Hatfield's, but I'm a goose if those boys ain't fine to look at."
"I'm sure they say things just as nasty about our family," I retorted. "I can't see any reason for it. How'd this whole feud start up anyways?"
She shrugged, less interested in the feud than Election Day. I completely agreed. "My pa'd shoot me if I married a Hatfield though." As we turned our backs I had a slight feeling of being watched, though I dismissed the notion as I looked around and saw no one.
We made our way over to a tent with musicians and couples already dancing. There were wooden planks across the floor that made the stomping of feet loud and musical in itself. Alifair found us some seats in a corner near Roseanna and Nancy.
I found myself receiving lots of attention as a new, pretty face in the area. I talked to Joseph and Willis Hunter, 2 nice brother from further south in West Virginia. I danced a set with Willis, who was several years older and quite handsome, which earned me a few winks from Alifair as she danced away with his brother. Almost as soon as I sat down, Calvin asked for a dance then Henry Glenn, a smiley man from Kentucky who's hands roamed a little more freely than I would have liked.
I wasn't used to such attention, though it certainly wasn't unwelcome. I confessed as much to Alifair when we left the tent to take another turn about the celebration grounds.
"Well get used to it my dear cousin."
"Alifair look," I pointed up ahead where I saw Johnse Hatfield following and talking to Roseanna. He continued to gaze at her as they talked and she seemed both resistant and flattered by his attention.
"My pap would kill him if he saw them all friendly in public like that," she whispered. I looked over my shoulder and saw my uncle Randall and aunt Sally looking at some modern kitchen contraptions. At least they were occupied for the time being, I didn't think we needed to start a scene.
"Should we talk to her?"
"She knows better than to get mixed up with a Hatfield. And as they go, Johnse's got quite the reputation," she concluded. "Just last year there were rumors flying all over the county about him and Eloise Jenkins. Rosie knows all about that and she's a smart girl."
We turned and walked along the edge of the fair grounds next to the woods. All at once I got the idea that I could use a break from the festivities before I went back to dance with Willis and Henry and other boys whose names I'd already forgotten. My long brown hair felt heavy on my back and for the first time all day, my green dress felt hot and constricting.
"Alifair, I need to walk in the shade for a little while. I'm feeling so hot. I promise I'll be back as soon as I cool off and will dance as much as you like."
"Alright, Rebecca, just don't get lost in the woods this time," she teased. As she turned and walked away, she said over her shoulder, "and I believe there's a few special gentleman awaitin another dance with you, don't keep them waitin too long my dear."
I rolled my eyes, smiling, and turned towards the woods. Careful to remember where I'd come from I felt happy to be back among nature. Since I'd moved to West Virginia, I would go for walks by myself every morning and always felt that there was something so unique and calming about being alone in nature with just your own thoughts.
I thought about what it might be like to be Mrs. Willis Hunter. He was handsome to be sure and the Hunter brothers were well off, or so Roseanna had mentioned. I decided I could manage to entertain the thought. Beaming to myself I pulled the pins out of my hair and let it completely free. I set off running.
I ran as fast as I could, glad no one was around to see a young lady let loose like this. Just as I was starting to feel out of breath, I turned around a large tree and tripped over a tall root on the forest floor. Somersaulting, I landed hard on my bottom, leaves and branches in my hair, feeling sore all over. I looked back at the root, which to my surprise was looking back at me.
To my complete shock, I had tripped over a handsome, familiar-looking, blonde young man who was now holding his side that I'd tripped over and staring back at me with one brown eye and one white one.