Chapter 13: The Devil Takes Handsomely
After finishing his chores and dodging his mother's questions about where he was going with a batch of cookies, Willie found himself sprinting down the pathway out of town. If his mother knew he was headed to the Brown's farm to see Rachel, she would be outright furious with him. Harriet was always talking about how her only son needed to marry a well-off daughter of a businessman with status and prestige. Rachel's father was on the lower rung of the farmer totem pole in Walnut Grove, but that certainly did not dissuade him from having feelings for the girl.
As he made it to the farm, Willie spotted her walking out of her family's barn as he came up to the property. "Hi, Rachel!"
Rachel looked over and smiled when she saw it was the Oleson boy walking towards her. "Hi, Willie!"
As the two met up, Willie had to stop himself from pulling Rachel into a hug, just in case her father happened to be walking by. "Are you busy?"
"Not particularly. Why?"
"My pa made these cookies yesterday." Willie lifted up the bag he was carrying for her to see. "I thought you might want to go down to the lake and try some with me."
"Your pa made them?" Rachel joked.
"Even though my ma and sister run the restaurant, pa is still the best cook in the house."
The couple started giggling together. "Alright. Let's go!"
Willie and Rachel walked side-by-side to the lake that was only a skip away from her home. They found a clear grassy area beside the water and sat down next to each other. Willie handed her one of his father's cookies and watched as she tasted it. "They are good."
Willie nodded his head, not at all able to wipe the smile on his face. "You should taste his roast. I'm rolling out of my chair every time he makes it for dinner."
"Maybe someday I will." Rachel paused for a moment. "Does your family know about us seeing each other?"
Willie sighed. Him and Rachel had been seeing one another for a few months now, but he had not mentioned her to any of his family members. The only people who even knew Willie had feelings for her were the boys from school. "I haven't told any of them yet. I know my ma might not like it since...since we're both still young and in school."
"I understand." Rachel said, although knowing full well the real reason why Willie was hesitant to make their relationship public.
"Ya' know, these cookies are sweet, but not as sweet as you." Willie smiled in Rachel's direction, only realizing after he had said it how stupid that sentence sounded coming out of his mouth.
Rachel immediately started laughing. "You've been waiting all day to say that, haven't you?"
Then, Willie leaned over to be closer to her. The first time the two had ever kissed, his heart almost ripped out of his chest. But now, all he felt was total happiness when he and Rachel kissed. No amount of morphine or alcohol could beat that feeling. Rachel followed up by wrapping her arms around Willie's neck, not wanting to ever part from him.
Back in town, Albert was walking out from the restaurant after visiting his ma when he heard his name called across the way. "Albert?"
He turned around to see a familiar face waling towards him. "Bret? I didn't know you were gonna be in town."
"I stopped by lookin' for you." Bret stood in front of the boy. "You still haven't given me what you owe me."
"What?"
"I thought you were smart. You still owe me from the last two hits of morphine I gave you. I trusted that you'd get the cash to me."
"I'm sorry, Bret." Albert swallowed hard, remembering the last time he had begged Bret for a hit and promised he would pay him back. "I don't have the money right now."
"What'd you mean you don't have the money?" Bret became visibly frustrated. "Go to the Silver Coin and win the cash off of some city slug, like you always do"
"It's not a good time right now." Albert's eyes began darting around while he tried to think of something to say. "Look, I'll get you the money. I just need a week or two to get it all."
Bret cocked his head and stepped towards Albert. "I don't like being messed with, Ingalls. You get me the damn cash you owe me with interest by the end of the month when I get back, or you're gonna be sorry you ever sat down to play with us."
"Interest?" The boy's voice cracked.
"For making me wait and for wasting my time coming back to this hick town again. I mean it, Albert. If I don't get my money, me and my brother will make sure your own family doesn't even recognize you when we're done with you. And that's a promise."
"You'll get your money." Albert watched as Bret stomped away in disgust. Now his mind was running a mile a minute, trying to think up of any ideas that could get him hard cash within the next couple of weeks. There was no way Albert could find a temporary job that would pay enough and begging would not do much good. The only thing he had left in his name that was worth anything was his scholarship.
His medical school scholarship money.
It was a long shot without any guarantees, but it was the only thing Albert could think of to get money fast. Of course the university would not just hand him over hundreds of dollars that was supposed to go to his tuition, so he would need a way to get around that.
It was later that same day, Charles announced to the family at dinner that he would be gone for the weekend on a work trip to Minneapolis. Albert's ears perked up right away and was quick to ask if he could tag along, which Charles was more than happy to agree to. Surely he could come up with a plan by the time of the trip.
He had too.
When time finally came around for the father and son to journey to Minneapolis, Albert used the long ride to finalize the plan in his head. Charles was excited when Albert asked if they could stop by the university he would be attending. So excited he missed when his son would lean over and pretend to cough, actually getting a good amount of morphine in his system to get him through the trip.
When the two finally made it to Minneapolis, the wagon went straight for the city's university.
"Here we are!" Charles brought the wagon to a stop. "The University of Minnesota. How about I drop you off here and we'll meet up back here after I finish the rest of this delivery? Let's say 'round noon?"
"Okay." Albert started climbing down from the wagon. "I'll walk around and see if I can find the medical school."
"Sounds good. See ya', Albert."
The boy watched as Charles drove off into the city streets. Instead of looking for the medical school like he said, Albert tried finding another building, the university's financial office. After locating the building, Albert rehearsed his speech to himself, straightened up and walked inside.
"Can I help you?" An older lady sitting at a desk greeted him.
"Yes, ma'am. My name is Albert Ingalls. I'm going to be attending the university next year. I was wondering if there was any way I could get the books that I need for the classes that I'll be taking."
"Well, I can certainly give you the list of books for the classes and you can purchase them at the school's bookstore."
"Oh. Well...you see ma'am, my family doesn't really have the money for any extra purchases right now. The only reason I am able to attend the university is because I got a scholarship. I'm going to study medicine so I can become doctor, then go back to my hometown and practice there. I was told that the scholarship money would cover my books and supplies as well."
"Yes, it does." The lady said, becoming curious at the boy's odd request. "However it is rather unconventional for us to supply materials before the student is even enrolled in classes."
"I understand ma'am." Albert nodded his head. "I just was looking to get a head start, so that I'm better prepared when classes actually do begin. It means so much to my folks that I do well in school and I don't want to let them down. Being a doctor is something I've dreamed of for years. I'm already apprenticing under my town's doctor for experience."
The lady paused, looked up at Albert, then back down at her desk and back at Albert again. "Wait here one moment, please."
Albert watched as the lady walked into a backroom, only to reappear a few moments later with a smile on her face.
"Albert, I spoke with the head of the financial department. After explaining your situation, he is willing to give you the textbooks covered under your scholarship early."
"Really." Albert smiled. His plan was actually working out. "Thank you very much, ma'am. You don't know how much this means to me."
The lady began to write out on a peice of paper. "Take this slip to the bookstore to pick up your supplies. But do remember that if these books were to be lost or damaged, you will have to repurchase them on your own. Take good care of them."
"I understand. Thank you again, ma'am." Albert took the paper and was quick to exit the room. He walked around the university campus until he located the bookstore. The shopkeeper inside gave no resistance when Albert held out the slip of paper to obtain the textbooks. He was able to walk out of the store with three large medical textbooks.
Walking off of the campus, Albert skimmed the pages of the books, with long paragraphs of bodily functions, recipes for medicines and even well drawn diagrams of the human body. These books had much more detail and material than the ones Doc Baker had given him. It made Albert pause and think about what he was planning to do.
This was a gamble, even if it was not at a poker table. But this was a hand he could not hesitate with. He needed the money more than he needed the textbooks right now. He would just have to think of another plan later to get new books when he starts at the university. After walking the city streets, Albert finally found a pawn shop he might be able to do business in.
"Hi. I'd like to sell these medical textbooks." Albert said as he walked up to the counter and placed the books down.
"Textbooks, eh?" The man standing above looked over the books. "They're brand new."
"Yes, but I don't need them anymore."
"You could see if the university will take them." The man advised him.
Albert gritted his teeth. "I already tried returning them at the university bookstore, but they won't take them back."
"Well, I won't be able to give you the amount you paid for 'em." The man reached under the counter and pulled out a wad of cash. "Here. Fifty dollars is the best I can do."
"It's better than nothing. Thank you, sir." Albert pocketed the money and left his hand in the pocket to deter any pickers. He got what he needed, hopefully it would be enough.
