A Hard Road Taken
Chapter: 10
Ken was twisting and turning moaning in her sleep, as a bad memory haunted her dreams once more. She couldn't get away.
The moon was out as the rain started to fall to the thirsty ground. Ken tried to get away from the men who were trying to hurt her because she wouldn't do what they wanted. Once again she felt the whip come across her back. She managed to get to her feet and make it to her horse. Every step she took she could feel her energy leave her body. How she made it on her horse she will never know; however she beat it out of there like the devil was after her. In a sense of the word he was; in the shape of those men.
Little Joe had been running late on getting stuff done and he raced inside the house to get a tool when he heard moaning coming from the room Ken was staying in. Kalista had said she had had a rough night. Little Joe slowed down and was quietly getting what he needed, so he wouldn't disturb her sleep, but that task went out the window when he heard her scream.
Joe ran to the door and opened it, then hesitated when he saw a sight he never thought he would see again. Ken thrashing about, panting and begging someone to help her. He rushed to her side and held her down while he spoke softly to her praying she would calm down. After what felt like an eternity to Little Joe, Ken stopped twisting and turning. He leaned back against the foot of the bed, trying to make sense of the uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu.
Ken slowly opened her eyes and saw Little Joe with his eyes closed.
"Joe?"
Little Joe opened his eyes and smiled, "Hey, glad you are awake." Then realizing where he was he quickly stood up and went to leave the room. He was not suppose to be here alone with her; it wasn't good for her reputation.
"Why were you here?" Ken asked confused, stopping him in his tracks.
"You were screaming as you were twisting and turning; thrashing about. I was just trying to stop you from hurting yourself. You were getting close to the edge of the bed."
The dream came rushing back and Ken cringed at the memory. Little Joe became anxious and as much as he wanted to comforted her he couldn't; at least not without her sister here or another of his family member.
"I was dreaming about the whipping I got. I wasn't being easy for a group of nasty men who had wanted me to…" Ken's voice broke and that broke Little Joe's determination to stay in the door way. He went to her side and held her.
"You don't have to finish." Little Joe spoke, making sure the blanket covered her and kept her warm. . He held her as her body shivered with fear and racked sobs . Part of him wanted to go find those men who did this to her and beat the living day lights out of them. What right did they have to do this to her?!
Ken couldn't answer Little Joe as the tears fell. The pain she had tucked away in the corner of her mind would no longer stay hidden. They needed to be let out no matter what she thought. She could feel her Abejundio leave and she could have sworn she heard him say 'You don't need me anymore. You have found love again; don't forget I will always love you.' After a few minutes she gathered herself together and while she didn't want to leave his arms she knew she needed to sit up.
"You need to leave my room."
"Ya, I do." Little Joe smiled, then stood up and left the room.
Ken stared at the door for a few minutes then got up and got dressed. When she walked out of her room she saw Kalista coming downstairs with laundry.
"Need any help?" Ken asked.
While Kalista felt a bit of shock at that offer, due to the fact growing up Ken hated doing laundry, but she wasn't about to turn her sis away. Nodding her head in agreement Kalista and Ken left the house to complete the morning chores together.
~/~
Later that evening Ken was sitting on the rocking chair looking at the sun setting. Her strength was back and she knew she needed to get back to her ranch. However, a part of her didn't want to leave.
Little Joe walked out of the barn and saw Ken sitting in the rocking chair he sometime saw his own father sit down once the day's work had ended. He heard his father's words ringing in his ears and knew before his courage failed he needed to talk to Ken.
Ken was brought out of her own thoughts when she heard her name. Little Joe was standing near her. "What is it, Joe?"
Little Joe pulled up a chair and sat down. "Why are you so..." Pausing to find the right word, "guarded?"
Ken sighed; she knew that question would come out eventually. "So many people in the town closest to our ranch have judged me since I can remember. Nothing I seemed to do was right. Guess, I walked to a different beat of a drum than most people. I put up a wall to protect myself at a very young age and didn't let anyone get close. Well, my parents got through the wall. Kalista at the time couldn't see what I needed nor could she give it. We needed to kind of go down our own paths to really come back together to a place of understanding and acceptance. Only two other men had ever gotten through that wall; both when I didn't plan on them doing so."
"Who?"
"Abejundio and... you."
Little Joe stared at her. He wasn't sure he heard right. "Me? How did I get through the wall?" The confusion he felt was clear in his face and voice, though his heart skipped a beat.
"By simply being there. You didn't push anything on me. Your whole family got through the wall however you were the first to push that wall down."
"When will you go back to your ranch?"
"I have to leave soon. I can't ignore it much longer."
"You know how I feel, don't you. I..." Little Joe held his breath. He had never been this scared before.
Ken smiled and nodded, as she put a finger to his nervous lips. "I know. It's in your eyes. The question isn't wither we love each other; that much is clear, but can you handle leaving your home to come to my ranch. I can't just leave my mother alone on a working ranch."
Little Joe didn't answer right away. He knew she was right, but, could he leave here to join her? She did have a ranch to take care off. There was no doubt about it. He was going to be leaving here with her.
"One question though, Ken?"
"What?"
"Do you mind a small wedding here before we take off?" Little Joe said with a smile.
Ken laughed out loud and nodded her head yes, "I have no problem with that."
They sat in silence as the sun finished setting and Ben smiling from inside the house. He would leave them be a little while before calling them inside for the night. With them holding hands he knew his youngest was soon going to be leaving his family home, and building a new one.
Epilogue
Little Joe and Ken married six days before they left to go back to her; now their ranch. My sister and Little Joe ended up selling the ranch shortly after our mother passed away; the prejudice of the town against the Indians and half cast having never really lessened. Nor could the town folks seem to accept her for who she was; maybe they would never be able to accept someone who was different. The ones that could accept her ended up moving away due to money issues or the drought that had came through there when she was fighting for her life, back at the Ponderosa. Little Joe didn't want his wife to deal with that; so they too moved away.
They brought a small ranch not too far from the Ponderosa. My sister never did go back to her birth name. If you asked her why; she would always say she never felt like an Amaris and she was right that name was never quite right for her. They would end up having six children; four girls and two boys. A boy was the first born; Joesph Kenneth, followed by four girls, then the youngest; Benjamin Edward, another little boy ;completing the family.
From time to time, over the years they were visited by Mascouten and Huron and though they were raised in the village of their father with the customs of their people, Ken and Joe were proud to call them family. They grew into strong, good men, that would fight for the rights of their people and love of the land.
Adam and I would be only blessed with four children. I gave birth to a little girl we named Amy Amaris Cartwright then one more girl before our two boys though we ended up adopting a family of four children after the heavy floods of '72..
Ken may have had taken a hard road to get to where she ended up, however neither one of us would change it for all the money in the world. My sister and I grew closer than we ever were.
~Kalista Meyer Cartwright