Kid Curry, dressed in his blue suit, poorly accented with scuffed brown boots, but otherwise finely dressed, stood at the bar in Denver's Brown Derby Hotel working on his second whiskey. He kept a close eye on the people passing through or mingling in the massive lobby adjacent to the bar. Kid had arrived early, but the person he was waiting for was now nearly an hour late and Kid was growing anxious which he tried to temper with whiskey.
Kid had just ordered his third drink when he spied Clementine Hale standing in the center of the lobby, looking a bit forlorn. Kid smiled when he saw her, then he caught the bartender's eye and motioned to cancel his order. As he did so, his eyes caught a glimpse of himself in the long mirror that ran the length of the bar. He looked old, well beyond his actual years, pale, thin, and very tired. But he straightened both his shoulders and his tie, and stepped away from the bar, making his way across the open lobby.
"Clem," he exclaimed as he approached his friend from behind.
Clem spun around, her eyes sparkling and her smile sweet and inviting. But the moment she saw Kid, her expression changed dramatically. The smile vanished, the eyes squinted, the mouth frowned. She hesitated only an instant before wrapping her arms about him, but the moment was enough for Kid to notice the hesitation.
It had been more than five years since they had last encountered each other, and were it not for those blue eyes, curly dirty blonde hair, and genuinely inviting smile, she might not have recognized him. He had visibly aged so dramatically.
Kid wrapped his arms around her and she could feel the changes in his arms, far less muscular and strong.
"What's wrong? Where's Heyes?" she asked as the embrace concluded..
Kid forced a reassuring smile and gently took her arm. "If we hurry, we might still be able to make our reservation time," he said and led her toward the formal dining room. "I know there is such a thing as being fashionably late, Clem, but you kind of pushed that to the limit, didn't you?"
She didn't answer but kept her eyes on Kid's face, trying to self ascertain the reason for the change in Kid's appearance. She didn't like the many possibilities that came to mind.
"Curry, party of two," Kid told the Maitre d who then quickly scanned the reservation list.
"This way," he said and led them to a secluded table just as Curry had requested when he made the reservation..
Kid pulled the chair out for Clem and she quickly slipped into it and placed her small beaded bag on the table as her eyes carefully followed Kid while he moved around the table and sat down opposite her.
"A bottle of your finest white wine," Kid ordered.
"Of course, Sir, and your waiter will be with you momentarily," he replied, handing them both a menu."
"Thank you," Kid replied.
Clem stared at Kid with an open mouth kind of smile. "Where did you pick up all this etiquette?" she asked.
"When I asked you to meet me here, I figured I ought to bone up on high-society manners and such. So I went to the library."
"You read a book about etiquette?"
"Of course not, I just asked the librarian and she was very helpful, and quite pretty I might add.. Wait till you see what happens when the wine comes," Kid said with a bit of a snooty smirk.
"Okay, now down to business, why did you ask to meet me here? And where's Heyes? Something's wrong, isn't it?" Clem asked the instant the Maitre d departed.
"Calm down, Clem. I promise I'll explain everything. Let's order, enjoy a glass of wine, then we'll talk."
Clem knew the only way to get answers was to be patient and patience was not something Clementine Hale was accustomed to displaying. But she chewed nervously on her bottom lip and picked up her menu..
The waiter arrived with the wine and poured the sampling glass that he then handed to Kid who twirled the wine in the glass, then discretely sniffed the aroma before taking a slight sip.
"Very nice," Kid said and the waiter poured glasses for each of them.
"What would you like, Miss Hale?" Kid asked and Clem ordered the trout dinner.
"I'll have the same," Kid replied.
When the waiter left, Kid raised his glass. "To old friends," he said and waited for Clem to touch glasses. Then they both took a sip of the wine.
"The librarian taught you that?"
Kid smiled. "Yeah, looks pretty classy, don't it?"
Clem quickly set her glass on the table. "Now, we've had our wine and we've ordered our dinner, so tell me why you're here, Kid and why you look so...different."
Kid took a leisurely drink of his wine before setting the glass down on the table, his fingers nervously stroking the stem of the glass.
"There's a lot to tell you, Clem," Kid said slowly. Everything he had rehearsed in his mind had now vanished. "A lot has happened."
"Is Heyes alright? He isn't...?"
"No... No, Clem. Nothing like that," Kid assured her.
"You two have been in prison then, haven't you? That's why I haven't heard from you in so long, isn't it?"
Clem..."
"I can see it in your face, Kid. Don't lie to me...And tell me where Heyes is."
"I have no intention of lying to you, Clem."
"And what about Heyes?"
Kid sighed. "He'll be out soon."
Clem's gloved hand rose to her face and she covered her mouth with her hand.
"You were in prison? Both of you?"
Kid's tongue traced the inside of his bottom lip and he picked up the wine glass and studied the contents.
"Long story short, we got tired of waiting for the amnesty. We'd been waiting for it for five years, and not a thread of hope for it coming through anytime soon. Then Lom died and...well we figured our chance at amnesty died right along with him...Moonlight was getting booted out of office so we'd have another new Governor to contend with..."
"Keep going."
"Amnesty just seemed kind of pointless by that time. We talked about what we should do, but it boiled down to just a couple of choices, either go to Mexico or turn ourselves in and get it over with. When we decided we didn't want to live out our lives in Mexico, Heyes came up with the idea of trying to plea bargain. So we contacted a friend of ours, Soapy Sullivan, and he recommended a good lawyer, he even paid our legal fees for us..."
"I'm still listening," Clem said, urging Kid to continue.
"So we... we was able to make a bargain with the Governor. We agreed to five years in prison. The Governor demanded separate trials but the sentences were prearranged. Luck of the draw, my trial was three months before Heyes. So now, I'm out and he's got another eleven weeks to serve yet."
"So now you've got your amnesty?"
"No. Being out, I have a prison record and I'm on probation for another five years. Same will be true for Heyes when he gets out."
"At least you got to stay together."
Kid didn't respond.
"Didn't you?"
Kid shook his head. "We ain't seen each other in all that time. That was the hardest part of the deal...I haven't seen Heyes in five years, Clem."
"If he looks anything like you do, you're gonna be shocked when you see him you know," Clem blurted and silently scolded herself for being so blunt.
Kid smiled. "Shocked like you are? Clem, this is just what prison does to a man. It breaks you down. It weakens your muscles, and it hardens your soul."
Clem reached across the table and rested her hand on Kid's wrist. Kid raised his eyes and smiled at her sadly.
"I don't mean to burden you, Clem...I just didn't have anyone else to turn to," Kid explained.
Clem nodded. "I'm glad you came to me, Kid. I'm glad you think of me like that... What happens next, I mean after Heyes gets out?"
"We're on probation. We have to stay in Wyoming for five more years."
"But, you're in Colorado?"
Kid smiled. "That's our little secret, Clem."
"Kid, if you just got out of prison, where did you get the money for this dinner? This is expensive, you know."
Again Kid smiled. "That's my little secret, Clem."
"Same person who paid your legal fees?"
Kid nodded. "He's a good friend, too."
"Why didn't you tell me what happened?"
"What was there to tell? Dear Clem, we're in prison. See you in five years?"
Clem nodded emphatically. It made logical sense to her.
"You were better off not knowing," Kid replied.
"So what are you doing, till Heyes gets out?"
Kid sighed. "I have to go back to Wyoming...to wait for Heyes."
"Are you well, Kid?"
"What?"
"I can't tell if the change is from being in prison or...something else."
Kid chuckled. "I'm well enough, Clem. I ain't so sick as to worry about me."
"Does Heyes know?"
Kid raised his eyes to look at Clem. "No," He admitted. "It ain't nothing that's gonna take me right away. It's more, things inside just ain't working as well as they should. The doctor says it just stems from the life I've led. One too many brawls, one too many whiskeys, living on the run, I suppose. Being in prison don't help none either. Prison doctors don't generally graduate at the head of their class."
"He's gonna know right off that something's wrong," she told him honestly.
"I look that bad?"
Clem shook her head. "I can see it in your eyes, Kid."
The waiter arrived with their meals and the conversation lagged.
"Clem," Kid said with a sudden urge to reassure her. "I mean it, I ain't dying or nothing. I just ain't led a stellar life and it's catching up with me, that's all."
"Why did you risk coming to Colorado?" Clem asked after the waiter departed.
Kid played with his food. He hadn't had a good appetite in months.
"I just felt like...I just felt like I needed a friend...a good friend"
Clem again reached across the table and wrapped her hand around Kid's wrist. Their eyes met and she smiled at him with a warmth that assured him he had been right in coming. Kid patted her hand, then guided her hand back across the table and picked up his fork again.
"Do you have enough money to get by? I could give you some, a gift, not a loan, Kid."
"I got enough money, Clem. Heyes and me have some pretty affluent friends who have been very kind and generous. I just..."
Clem understood the unspoken, that Kid needed comfort, needed to not feel alone for the first time in five years.
"You're coming back to my place after dinner, you know. I don't want you feeling like you're all alone in this world. You're not, you know?"
Kid sighed and smiled. Those were the words he had been hoping to hear. He wasn't seeking any sexual gratitude, just the comfort of a trusted friend, a chance to feel...not alone for the first time in a very long time.
"When does Heyes get out?"
"August thirteenth. I want to be there when he walks out."
"Of course you do. But we've got to get you filled out a bit before he sees you."
Kid laughed. "I look that bad, do I?"
Clem's tongue rested on the edge of her upper lip as her eyes met Kid's and she slowly nodded.
"Well, I can't stay in Colorado, you know. I'm breaking probation coming here now. If they find out, they'll send me back to..." his voice trailed off as his eyes dropped down to his nearly untouched plate.
Clem sighed with a sense of determination. "Then I'm going to Wyoming with you. And don't try to argue with me, Kid. I'm going. When do we leave?"
Kid eyed her carefully and could see the matter was settled. "In the morning," he replied.
That night Clem took Kid's hand and guided him to her bed. They both undressed and slipped between the sheets. Kid lay on his back and Clem reached across his chest and took his hand in her own. With Clem still holding his hand, Kid reached out and gently touched her cheek. Clem lay next to him and slowly, gently, their bodies intertwined and Kid found the comfort he had so desperately sought.
And then, for the first time in five years, he peacefully slept.
0-0-0-0-0-
The sun gleamed brightly through the window and Kid lay on his back in the bed, his hands clasped behind his head that rested on two pillows. He felt blissful. He hadn't seen a sunrise in five years and now he lingered every morning and let the sun bathe him in warmth. He had the large bed to himself and he stretched leisurely and took a deep breath of fresh mountain air.
But the reality of his life slowly crept it's way to the surface of his thoughts and he slowly pulled himself out of bed. Kid walked across the room to retrieve his pants and shirt, both draped over a chair near the vanity. He reached for his pants and again spied himself in the mirror and he stopped to take pause in the reflection.
He was thin, almost painfully thin, the fine line of every rib visible, the clavicle bones near his neck protruding from his gaunt frame. The once boyishly handsome man looked old, worn, and weathered. Kid sighed heavily and quickly slipped his shirt on to hide his bleak appearance as he cursed the object that framed and reflected the outline of his body.
Dressed but still barefoot, Kid left the bedroom and scanned the living area for Clem, but she was not to be found. Kid spied a note on the table and picked it up to read.
Stage leaves at two. I'm packed but needed to go to the bank for money. There's a carpet bag by the door. Bring that with you when you come to town. Sell your horse and saddle and I'll meet you at the stage at one-thirty. Lock the door when you leave the house. Love, Clem.
Kid smiled and dropped the note back on the table, then made his way to the stove for some coffee. He had no packing to do. Everything he owned was in his saddlebags and bedroll, so he headed out to the porch to sit and enjoy the view while he drank what was left of his coffee.