Hello Hearties!
Chapter 2: Twenty-First Day of September
It had been a few weeks ever since the fire at the saloon, the Coulters pregnancy announcement and Lucas and Elizabeth's engagement announcement. In fact upon the walk back into Hope Valley, Elizabeth, Lucas and Little Jack had come across Lee in his pajamas and still barefoot. He boosted with energy to his friends and next door neighbor. "WE'RE HAVING A BABY!" To say the least, it took a week for Elizabeth and Lucas to announce the engagement due to not wanting to ruin Lee and Rosemary's glowing news.
The pregnancy glow lasted for a short era of time. At least four times a day thus far, Rosemary had puked. Home in the bedroom, in the Valley Voice office, at a meal (usually dinner) whether it be at home or out in the public, then back in the bedroom. She had always dreamt that pregnancy was magical but now Rosemary was realizing it was almost entirely a lie. Something that she slightly blamed Elizabeth for.
"When you were pregnant with Little Jack, I never heard a peeping complaint out of you." Rosemary told Elizabeth as they took a walk together, arm to arm, with Little Jack leading the way back home from the school house. "I know you never complain Elizabeth but I thought if I just heard a little something than I would had been prepared for this baby."
"Every pregnancy is different Rosemary. Mine wasn't too too bad." Elizabeth comforted her. "Besides I was still mourning Jack on an emotional level that didn't compare to any physical pains that I had with Little Jack. How is Lee doing?"
"Oh he has been the most splendid man in the world!" She smiled. "It's so sweet how he is there every second of the day, offering to get cravings for me. Like that...Oh...What did Joseph make?" Another side of pregnancy for Rosemary that bothered her was her memory. A once skilled actress who memorized lines within a matter of days, couldn't remember the simplest things these days. "The cake flavor treat he made. It was delicious. Lee's been getting it for me. He also has dealt with me throwing the covers on and off the bed, changing pillows for comfort and a...Oh! I can't say it!"
Elizabeth made a smiley-smirk at her friend, "Rosemary,"
"Sweating! I sweat so much that I am quite literally swimming in an ocean in the morning. How I haven't drowned Lee yet is a blessing and mystery." Rosemary huffed. "Also, and I completely understand why he is surrounding me this frequently, I feel like Lee is just non-stop around me. Never, ever away from me. I can only get away in the bathroom but even when I'm in the tub soaking the sweat away, there is Lee on the other side of the door!"
"But just think and remember that come March, as Faith predicted as the due date month, you'll have the beautiful little baby you and Lee have wished, desired and prayed for years."
"That does keep me going."
In town, on a Sunday afternoon, there was a good amount of people walking around the town after Church. A couple of the younger children were playing around on the streets while some of the older children were hanging out or, in Robert's case, working. Allie stayed a little longer on the ice cream job while Mei worked the pharmacy again, but once school was back in session for good Allie was forced to quit in order to do school work. Now she was forced to find other things to do during her small free time when not occupied by school or homework.
"This is so boring!" Allie hunched and sat her elbows on her kneecap. Next to her was Angela Cooper. Both sat in front of the café watching everyone go by. "I'm so bored."
"Want me to teach you the piano again?"
"No. I think the birds will fly in and poke my fingers off if I lay another finger on the keys again." Allie laughed. "If my dad trusted me enough to ride alone for a long time, I'd go to the next city and walk around."
"That sounds boring."
"But not that boring either." Allie mumbled. "Or if I knew how to drive than I would drive over." Allie glanced over and saw a stagecoach pulling up and seeing that nobody was standing there waiting for a pick up, she figured someone was being dropped off. "Or drive a stagecoach."
"Lucky you can do either." Angela said but with a smile on her face.
Allie smiled. "Oh, I would have you ride the car as my shotgun."
"What's a shotgun?"
In Faith's doctor office she had been filing away some paperwork that Molly hadn't been able to finish the night before. As she filed away in her own little dream world, the door was knocked on. Faith called them in. In walked Ned Yost. "Hi Ned."
"Hi Faith."
"Anything I can do?"
"Well I just had a small question." Ned held up an envelope. "I know Bill is going to be gone for a while for medical reasons. Like, some unknown amount of time. Correct?"
"Yes."
"So I don't know if he had recently sent a letter to Clara and Jesse," Ned handed her the envelope. "I don't know if he's told them about his not being in Hope Vally. I can't open his mail. Is there a way this can be re-directed back to where he is?"
Faith took hold of the letter with a faint smile. "I was going to check in with a collogue of mine who is one of his doctors. I can get the specific address and get this letter sent over," Truthfully, she could only say and do so much without breaking any private medical laws. But surely if Bill replied himself to Clara and Jesse about his whereabout (he'd never tell the reason why), than they'd know where to send letters for the time. "I can also maybe send a message to him to let Clara know where he is for the time being." Hopefully Bill would let Clara know. Clara asking Bill to walk her down the aisle at her wedding (and her telling him why she wanted him to), that respect was defined.
Inside the Queen of Hearts saloon Lucas had gone over some business paperwork that had been piled up for over the past week and a half. Thankfully his office was left undamaged and part of the saloon, though he had been advised to not have a ton of business opened for sometime as well as having guest stay over in the rooms. Most of the Queen of Hearts staff were still shaken from the large fire and Lucas allowed them time off to recuperate and relax before returning to their workplace. Along them was Gustave. Gustave had slyly mentioned about wanting to go back and visit his parents who now lived in Québec City. He said he'd be back in late October or early November. To Lucas, Gustave deserved it after everything that has happened and how wonderfully Gustave stepped up to take over things when Lucas was having the oil company troubles.
One of the bar tenders from the front came back and asked Lucas to come up front to talk to someone. Lucas emerged from the office and came up front to the saloon and spotted a woman sitting at one of the tables but her head down. "Hello," She jumped thirty feet in her chair. "Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't meant to scare you."
"Oh. It's okay. I'm easily startled." She spoke clearly and sweetly. She coughed into her elbow a few times then stood up. Assuming her shoes gave her some little height the woman couldn't be more more than five feet, four inches. She looked to be in her mid twenties, oval shaped face and dark brown almost black color hair that made her light green eyes stand out. Covering her from the sunshine outside was a beige light cloche hat with white lace band and (seemingly fake) pink carnation flower on hat on the left side. "Are you the owner?"
"Yes. Yes I am," He held his hand out. "Lucas Bouchard." The woman remained silent for a moment. Almost as if she didn't hear him. "Lucas Bouchard."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you said...Blanchecharde." She took her hat off. "I met a guy once at the World's Fair in 1904 ago with that name. Thought you might be a brother or cousin."
"The World's Fair in 1904?" Lucas' eyes went large. "I went there! My parents and I went there for a summer holiday and met up with my fathers' sisters family." The woman smiled. "So, how may I help you Miss..."
"Ramona."
"How may I help you Miss Ramona?"
"No, not Miss Ramona...Well, yes a 'Miss' but my first name is Ramona. My last is Baudelaire." She grinned. "I was on my way to Costal Town. Its just north of Victoria, British Columbia. Along the...Well water-y coast."
"I've been there. Very beautiful coastal town."
"I was on my way there but I got on the wrong cab and got here instead." Ramona explained. "I was able to call someone in Costal Town and let them know where I was and they told me that I could arrange a pickup from Hope Valley to the direction of Costal Town. But the wait would be until November."
"Isn't there a boat that takes you out too?"
"Yes. That goes all year around." Ramona coughed a couple of times. "Sorry. Dust. But if I didn't have luggage with me than I'd swim over." She laughed. Lucas chuckled at her odd joke. "Sorry. Anyways I was hoping there would be a room opened here." Ramona's light green eyes shifted to the fire-damaged corner. "Unless its impossible."
"Right. Uh, thing is I can't allow guests right now in any of the rooms. I can't even run business hours as I would like to. Under advisory. But I believe there is a room opened over at the cafe that you might be able to stay at." He explained to her. "The Canfields run the cafe and room renting. They're a very good family and from I hard from someone who already has a room over there, the rooms are just as good."
"Would they allow cats?"
"Cats?"
"Yes." Ramona coughed again. "Like your sign in the window over there," Ramona pointed to the sign. "In big red letters it reads 'ALL CATS ALLOWED!'" Lucas knew who had done that. Jerry. One of the new bar tenders. His unique way to get business going while the hours were different. Cats meaning women. Ramona looked down at her basket to reveal the curled up white feline wearing a yellow collar. The cat had woken up sensing it was called and looked up in a backwards position, sky blue eyes staring up at the two humans. "This is Caspur."
"As in a purring cat? I like that."
"He's an indoor cat. Rarely goes out for anything. Just give him a bed and or a sunshine spot and he'll be content."
"At the top of my idea I don't see how that would be a problem."
"I'll head right over there." Ramona said. "Thank you."
Ramona spoke with Joseph and Minnie and explained her situation. Luckily they did have a second room, out of the total of six, that was ready to be opened for someone and the bed thing was that room in specific had the most sunshine, a perfect spot for little feline companion. The twenty-eight year old brought her few belongings with her to the bedroom. She stuck her items into a corner of the room, let the cat come out of the cage and then she herself laid back on the bed.
"One more chapter in my life to writer, Caspur." She rubbed the felines head as he purred with grace. Ramona glanced at her silver ring on her one finger. Memories flowed of the young man she had once courted and now having met his best friend, Lucas, the twenty-nine year old felt her heart break all over again.