New in Town, Part 4
Laura made her way around the schoolhouse, looking up into the branches of the tall tree growing through the center of the floor. She laid a hand on the rough bark covering the trunk, getting the smell of oak on her fingers.
"I've never seen anything quite like this. It's very…alive, a very strong symbol for the children."
Martha Bullock broadened her polite smile at the redheaded stranger who sought a teaching position.
"That's a lovely way to look at it, Mrs. Adama. The children do enjoy it, and it's my personal belief that the imagination and curiosity it encourages in their minds is a help to their learning."
The temptation to discuss learning models and probe into this era's teaching practices was strong, but Laura kept biting her tongue. From the oddly shaped four-cornered books to the pile of small chalkboards, the room was full of artifacts that she should be familiar with if she was Mrs. Bullock's contemporary.
The tall blonde woman was dressed as conservatively as Laura, in richer fabrics with more decoration. Her posture and appearance reminded her of Caprica 6 in some ways…the ready smile, the sense of inner strength, the serious eyes.
And a wisp of an air of sadness that came and went as they talked.
"Why don't you come and visit tomorrow and observe for a time, meet the students? If that goes well, we can consider how to divide the children according to their abilities and their needs."
"That sounds wonderful." Laura was surprised how much she looked forward to being in a classroom again. "So that I have an understanding of the material I'd be teaching, could I borrow a couple of schoolbooks this evening?"
Martha glanced at the row of books on a knee-high bookshelf.
"Of course." She ran her finger down the spines of the books. "I'm sure this looks quite sparse compared to the schools back east, but a few of us townswomen are trying to establish a small town library. Books are so important to a community…." She thumbed through a book on geography, then pulled out a battered history book, running her hand over the faded cover.
"These should give you an idea of where we are, academically."
Laura accepted the books with the same reverence displayed by the teacher, gently opening the history book, reading the inscription aloud.
"'William Bullock'." She smiled. "William is my husband's name." She fought the urge to giggle at the "husband" reference.
Her smile faded as Mrs. Bullock paled, trying to keep a polite smile on her lips, and failing.
"I…William was my son." She braced herself for the usual polite but painful inquiry that usually followed mention of her son to people who hadn't been in camp that summer. The hows, the whens, the whys still scraped new flesh off her healing heart, even two years later.
She opened her mouth to provide the brief dry monologue that usually forestalled further questions, closing it again when Laura Adama simply rested her hand on Martha's forearm with a soft "I'm sorry".
Something in her demeanor made Martha certain that this woman had known similar loss herself, knew the comfort in sometimes allowing words to remain unspoken. Both women reflected to themselves that the other had kind, compassionate eyes before they turned again to the books.
As they walked to the door, Martha paused by the tree.
"Will your husband be working soon, do you think?"
"That's what he and Mr. Swearengen are discussing right now, I believe."
"I see."
Laura sensed an increased reserve coming over Mrs. Bullock.
"I assumed he orchestrated your coming here, with Mr. Adams accompanying you. I didn't realize your husband was seeking employment with him."
"Is that…should I be concerned?" She shifted the borrowed books to one hip, and wondered why the other woman seemed uneasy. Mentally smacking her forehead, she realized that a schoolteacher would likely disapprove of a man who employed prostitutes and ran a bar.
"I take it the Gem is a pretty rough place…?"
"Sit down, Mrs. Adama." Martha patted the circular bench that had been built around the imposing tree.
"Mr. Swearengen is…still a powerful man in Deadwood, although his influence is somewhat reduced these days, I suspect somewhat by his own volition." She paused, seeking that middle ground between frightening the new teacher and giving her enough truth to not underestimate the man.
Laura waited patiently, hands folded over the books in her lap.
"I have welcomed Mr. Swearengen into my home, and seated him at my table. I have trusted him to work with my husband for the common good of the town, when my husband was Sheriff."
"But, to give you a complete picture, I should tell you this: the first time I laid eyes on Mr. Swearengen, he was seconds away from cutting my husband's throat with a concealed knife pulled from his boot, both of them bloody from trying to beat each other senseless in the street."
As horrific as it had been, she almost smiled at the absurdity of that pivotal day, back when she could be still be shocked by a bloody thug yelling "Welcome to fucking Deadwood!"
"That, Mrs. Adama, was my introduction to Deadwood and Albert Swearengen. Not to malign a man who has never been untoward or unkind to me personally, but he does seem to view murder as a reasonable tool of business. You may wish to consider sharing that with your husband."
Martha wasn't sure what reaction she had been expecting, but it wasn't the composed, almost serene smile and amused turn of the eyes as the redhead rose from the bench.
"Thank you for sharing that, Ms. Bullock. I will share this with Mr. Adama, but I doubt he'll see this as a deterrent to working with him. He's…no stranger to such men, nor am I. And as you can see, we're both still standing."
Martha nodded to herself. The Adamas seemed like they might be a good fit for Deadwood, if this woman's man was anything like her. Leaving the new teacher to the protection of Silas Adams, she found herself humming as she did a final straightening up of the room.
A/N: A quick youtube search for Welcome to Deadwood should pull up the scene from Season 1,Ep. 1 Martha Bullock references here, for those readers who haven't watched much of Deadwood, if you'd like a visual.
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