A/N Thank you, Mandy and Musique et Amour ... y'all are simply the best!
Once they passed through Castle Garden, the immigration facility operated by the state of New York on the southwest tip of Manhattan, Nadir breathed a sigh of relief. Erik was unusually cooperative, and the two obviously wealthy men were shown a great deal of respect and lenience. Nadir could not help but feel some sympathy at the plight of the other immigrants. Those who spoke no English, or with large families, or with an ill relative would not fare as well as he and Erik had.
Although Nadir was eager to continue their journey to San Francisco, he was acutely aware of Erik's intense aversion to captivity. Thus, Nadir once again found himself making hotel arrangements for the two of them.
The dirty, noisy, crowded conditions in Liverpool did not prepare the men for the conditions in New York City. Erik thought, rather cynically, that if the Europeans who were so eager to immigrate to America could see what was waiting for them … well, Americans would no longer have such a huge influx of immigrants to deal with. Instead of the land immigrants thought to purchase, many of them did not have the funds to leave New York City, and so were forced to live in tenements with many of their former countrymen.
And what pigsties the tenements were! Noisy, crowded, stinking masses of people crowded together in tight spaces. No yards for the children to play in; they ran the streets from the time they got out of school until they were called in for dinner and bed.
The one hope for immigrant families was the free public education available to all children ages six through sixteen. Unfortunately, many families could not afford to lose their children's earnings, and no one paid a child to simply sit in a schoolroom. But for those who could afford it, sending their children to school did offer at least the possibility of an improved life down the road.
Yet other children were not so fortunate. Some estimated over a thousand 'street rats' – homeless children , either orphaned or castaways – were wandering the streets of the city, preying on anyone who looked like they had something to lose.
The people of New York City were not nearly as respectful of Erik and Nadir's appearances as their British counterparts, and Erik was disgusted by the number of beggars who approached the duo. Erik was quite pleased that he had the foresight to obtain weapons in Liverpool. Nadir glanced warily at him from time to time, but held his tongue. He could feel the tension rolling off the other man in tangible waves and did not wish to add to it.
That night in their hotel room Nadir asked Erik if he was ready to begin their long train ride to San Francisco, or if he wished to spend more time in the city. Although Erik found little to redeem New York City, he was not eager to resign himself so soon to being confined to a couple of cars on a train. He was accustomed to walking, and was determined to cover every inch of Manhattan.
Summoning a bellhop, Nadir inquired if there were any sights they should see during their stay. The young man, eager to impress the wealthy European visitors, grew animated as he described P. T. Barnum's circus at the Hippodrome – a great show of nature's curiosities and oddities. Erik, staring out over the city at the window, struggled to maintain control of his temper. Nadir, realizing Erik's distress, thanked the bellhop and dismissed him quickly. He walked over to his friend and raised his hand to touch the other man's shoulder; then hesitated and withdrew it as he remembered that it is not wise to touch Erik when his mood was black.
"How dare they?" Erik spat, contemptuously. "How dare they parade people around … oddities and curiosities! It is too bad they don't parade themselves as examples of stupidity, of how low a man can go …" his voice trailing off into a sob, he sank to the floor as memories of 'The Devil's Child' flooded his mind. Nadir stood by, helplessly, as Erik, shook, his body wracked with sobs. A few long minutes later, Erik rose still trembling but composed, and grabbing his cloak and fedora, strode to the door.
Nadir stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Where are you going, Erik?"
"I am going to free those people," Erik answered, shrugging him off. He was not able to name the feeling, but compassion was mixed with the anger and sorrow coursing through his body.
"Free them?" repeated Nadir. "For what? Where will they go? What will they do? How will they survive? It is different here, Erik. Side shows pay their..." he struggled, searching for a proper term.
"Freaks," Erik hissed and Nadir flinched, continuing:
"They often made a successful career out of it. Nothing like what you had experienced when you were young as a forced attraction."
Erik froze, then turned around to face his friend. "Then perhaps I should kill them all … put them out of their misery. They serve no purpose after all," he stated coldly with a disdainful shrug.
Grabbing Erik's arm in a firm grip, Nadir pulled him to the mirror. "Look in the mirror, Erik. Look at that man. Are you going to sentence him to being a wanted man once again?"
Erik seemingly did not hear him, or pretended not to, so Nadir pressed on. "Even if you were successful, Erik, even if you did … free … those people, others will take their place! There may be a way to help them, but … jeopardizing your future here is not the answer. Look in the mirror, Erik! "
Erik collapsed onto the bed, looking hopelessly at Nadir. "You are right, of course. I will do nothing tonight."
The next morning, Erik announced he was visiting the circus. Once he had extracted Erik's promise to not do anything rash, stupid, or illegal, Nadir reluctantly agreed to accompany him. Although he would not ever agree that Barnum had any moral right to parade these people around for society's entertainment, Erik did concede that they seemed to be treated as employees … they were fed, clothed, and given a place to live … and were not beaten.
Finally, he had seen enough, and the two men took their leave.
By Thursday, Nadir was disheartened, but tried to hide his growing despair from Erik. What was Madame Giry thinking? These Americans! They have taken the worst of Europe but none of the good. Did she have any idea how … provincial … this country is? And if New York City is their idea of sophisticated … With a heavy heart, Nadir settled their hotel bill and arranged for their bags to be taken to the ferry.
The trip to San Francisco began with taking a ferry from Manhattan to Jersey City. The stay in New York City had left its mark on the men, and their fellow travelers treated them with a new wariness. There were hundreds of immigrants and their meager belongings were stowed in the shed leading to the dock. The porter remarked that Thursday was a good day to travel; the crowd was relatively light. News that the two of them took impassively. Neither one betrayed their disbelief that anything about this trip was good. Nadir did not complain when the crowd at the dock parted to allow the two of them to board the ferry first.
Ferry was a glamorous term for the river boat; a walled platform with no seats and only a flimsy awning for protection from the elements. Being first onboard meant being the last to depart; which afforded Erik and Nadir some amount of elbow room, as their fellow passengers ventured only as far onto the ferry as the crowd behind them pushed. Standing, Nadir was concerned with the seaworthiness of the craft, and would not have been surprised had it capsized, seeing that most of the passengers were crowded around the gangplank. Nothing prepared Erik and Nadir for their arrival in Jersey City, however.
Once the ferry was docked and the gangplank lowered, the passengers moved off the ferry like cattle. Impassively observing the stampede, neither Erik nor Nadir objected about being the last to leave the boat. As it was obvious the seamen were not going to assist them, they picked up their bags and made their way off, only to stop dead in their tracks, a look of amazed horror crossing their faces. They could not believe what their eyes beheld.
Leaving the ferry, one had a long walk down a dirt path from the pier to the train station. There were no porters, so the passengers had to carry their bags themselves. The final insult was the train station itself. There was no building for the waiting passengers and the only available food were oranges and nuts being sold by boys along the path from pier to tracks. The passengers were forced to stand on the platform until the train was ready to be boarded.
Erik and Nadir stayed at the fringe of the mob careful to avoid touching or being touched by the unwashed mass. To add insult to injury, the train was already at the station, but the cars remained locked for over an hour. The only thing that alleviated the situation was the lack of rain. Nadir did not even want to think how badly the conditions at this train station could deteriorate under a sudden downpour. As if he could read the other's mind, Erik cast a glance at the overcast sky. Although ominous looking, the day remained dry.
On the advice of the helpful ticket agent, Nadir had chartered a Pullman car to San Francisco so that they did not have to change cars at the whim of the railroad personnel onboard the train. As most of the immigrants could not afford the Pullman car, Erik and Nadir found some peace once onboard. Their valet, eager to be helpful, remarked that they might wish to consider staying over in Chicago for a day or two. Much of the city had burned in the Great Fire in October 1871 and the ruins were well worth seeing. Realizing that neither man was particularly interested in his news, the valet left them alone at last.
Raising an eyebrow, Erik remarked grimly to Nadir, "Although I found the British boorish, Americans are simply mad."
"I have to agree with you, Erik. I can't help but wonder if your Madame Giry had any idea how wretched this place called America is," he answered, shaking his head in disbelief.
Finally, the train began to move. If all went well, it would take seven days to get to San Francisco. Nadir was no longer looking forward to that arrival; his goal had been reduced to getting himself and Erik through each day in the best he could. Between the images of the circus and the thoughts of the fire at the Opera, Erik had retreated deep within himself, and hours went by with neither one speaking to the other. Their valet was attentive, and the food at the various stops was edible. Nadir did not need to worry about Erik's reaction to the forced inactivity; he was so introspective that Nadir doubted he noticed.
The ride to Chicago seemed interminable, with many stops along the way. The stop in Philadelphia brought on a different class of passenger. 'Easterners,' as these people called themselves, used the train to commute short distances between cities. Although they did not need the sleeping car, many of them purchased Pullman tickets so that they would not have to share a car with the immigrants.
Speaking amongst themselves, the Easterners bemoaned the influx of immigrants to their wonderful country. Nadir could not help but overhear much of the conversations and was torn between amusement at their misplaced snobbery and disgust at their attitude towards people not so unlike themselves. Nadir almost envied Erik his uncanny ability to totally ignore his surroundings, yet never be mistaken for easy prey, as those who seem to be unaware often are.
The excitement on the train was almost palpable as it drew nearer to Chicago. Nadir was dumbfounded at the eagerness with which Easterners looked forward to seeing the burnt ruins of one of 'their' cities. That was his error, of course. Easterners refused to consider any city west of Philadelphia or south of Washington DC 'civilized.' In fact, one or two friendlier passengers attempted to warn Nadir and Erik that traveling to San Francisco was a mistake; New York City was simply the place to be. The expression on Erik's face never changed, and the passengers retreated to silence in embarrassment. They were not sure if the man was deaf or, god forbid, a foreigner!
Leaving Philadelphia, the train traveled through Pennsylvania, crossing the Allegheny Mountains, stopping at small stations along the way. It arrived in Pittsburgh, but neither Erik nor Nadir got off the train. Without an appetite, the need for toiletry or the general desire, there was no use. The train continued through Ohio and, finally, entered Indiana, where all civilization seemed to have stopped. There were smaller stations, and the train stopped at all of them. Occasionally, Erik and Nadir would leave their car for a short meal or a cup of tea, but Nadir was becoming almost as depressed as Erik seemed to be.
With each passing mile of track, Nadir wondered about Madame Giry's motivation in sending Erik to America. Perhaps she still thought of America as Europe's 'penal colony' he mused, and sending Erik into exile here was a fitting punishment. But that did not explain the care she had taken to make the arrangements for Erik's trip. Nor did it explain the two satchels she had packed with items made expressly for him. Looking at Erik's new mask, Nadir admitted to himself that he simply did not understand why Madame Giry thought that sending Erik to San Francisco would give him the chance to start a new life in a new country, free of the past. Nadir finally realized that he had no idea of the relationship between Erik and Madame Giry, and he ended his silent speculation
Observing his friend, Nadir secretly feared that if given the option, Erik would gladly return to Paris, consequences be damned. He cringed at the thought of Erik being tried and found guilty of murder; his sentence would surely be death. If, in fact, he was even brought before the authorities; the lynch mob was eager for his blood.
Shaking himself soundly, Nadir put all such thoughts out of his mind. Erik was not going to return to Paris, the two of them were on their way to a new city with new identities. For Erik's sake, if not his own, Nadir could not allow himself to join Erik in wallowing in the depths of despair. No, he decided. Madame Giry knew what she was doing when she made these plans. It will all work out for the best, he told himself.
He silently prayed to Allah that he was right.
