Chapter 2
"Good morning!" Louise said jovially as she sat down for breakfast. Her brother-in-law was already at the table, eating by himself, and after his polite greeting, Louise asked, "Where's your better half, Al?"
"At the doctor's," Albert replied, and surprised by his answer, Lou stopped pouring her coffee mid-way to look at him with a worried face. "No cause for concern," the young man added. "It's the same old story again, but with a twist. Your dear sister thinks we aren't parents yet because there's something wrong with her, so she woke up bright and early this morning and went to check out her suspicions with Dr. Hill."
Lou rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with her! She's healthy, but a bit too eager. What she needs to do is relax."
"That's what I keep telling her," Albert agreed. "But I hope the doctor can ease her worries."
"You're both young, and children will start coming soon enough," Lou replied while she helped herself to some eggs from the skillet.
"I know," Albert replied.
Silence fell over the pair, and the clanking of the forks against the china plates could be heard in the room as they quietly ate their breakfast. Albert finished first, and after wiping his mouth, he directed his green eyes to Louise and said, "Theresa's told me that you've finally decided to go to Rock Creek."
"Yes, I'm taking the stage tomorrow," Lou replied. Reaching a decision had been her personal cross for weeks, and her feelings about this visit had fluctuated as much as sea tides. Some days she had woken up with the firm intention and reassurance that this trip was just what she needed to do, but on others she just found more than enough reasons to stay in Seneca. However, after swinging like a pendulum from one point to the other, she had finally made up her mind, and now there was no way back. She was going tomorrow… to the place that had been her home for years.
Albert repositioned his spectacles on his curved nose in perfect angle with his winged eyebrows, which he always did when his mind was mulling over something. His black hair harmoniously shaped his profile and features. He was a handsome man, always smart in any sense and with a ready smile to spare which hardly ever faded. "Uh… I'm not sure I like the idea of you traveling all alone," he finally said.
"Please Albert don't start."
"A single woman is easy prey for the countless despicable men this world is full of," Albert insisted.
Louise stopped for a second to look at him with a strange expression. Echoes from other times resounded in her head as just one of his words reverberated in her heart like an omen, and her heart felt for all her losses over the years. Her body shivered for a single second, but she composed herself almost straightaway before she spoke up again. "Albert, you know I can take care of myself. I already gave in, and I ain't riding for your sake."
"Thank God for that."
Lou narrowed her eyes in an unhappy expression as she glanced at her brother-in-law with a troubled expression. Albert was a good man, but sometimes he could try her nerves too much. It seemed as if the fact that he was married to Theresa granted him the moral right to tell Lou what was best for her. Of course it did not help that she was living under his roof, but circumstances had not allowed otherwise. Louise knew that being the only man in the family, Albert thought he was responsible for her wellbeing, and in a way Lou appreciated that, but not all the time. Years had given her some good temperance, and she now tended to keep her opinion to herself when Albert was in his paternalistic mood. So when he just turned around and left, she forgot about his warnings and did whatever she liked.
From the dining room they heard the front door open and close. The heavy steps that followed clearly told them about the mood the newcomer was in. Their guess was confirmed when Teresa walked into the room with resolute stripes and dropped onto a chair heavily, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Something wrong, love?" Albert asked.
"Yes, Dr. Hill is an idiot!" Theresa exclaimed angrily.
"What happened, Tessie?" Lou questioned, resting her folded arms on the table.
"Nothing, and that's the main problem!" Theresa continued in the same tone. "That silly doctor says there's nothing wrong with me!"
"I already told you that," her husband said half-heartedly while his eyes were directed inside his briefcase as he checked his documents for the day. This was an old conversation, and he was so used to it that he could answer automatically without even listening to his wife's comments.
"Honey, I don't know why you're so upset," Lou remarked as she dragged her chair closer to her sister, and rested her hand on Theresa's shoulder affectionately.
"I asked him why I haven't conceived yet, and he started stammering like a fool, and just gave me a few vague explanations."
"If the doctor says everything's right, then why should you question him?" her husband said. "You won't expect to know more than him."
Theresa did not reply, but exchanged a knowing look with her sister. Albert then had a glimpse at the wall clock, and realized it was time for him to go. "Ladies, however much I enjoy the pleasure of your company, I have to leave now." He rose to his feet, carefully slid into his smart jacket, and picked up his briefcase. "See you later," he said and bent down to place a chaste kiss on his wife's cheek. "Have a good day."
The young man walked out of the room, and a few seconds later the two women heard the front door shut. It was only then that Theresa spoke up again. "Louise…"
Lou turned her gaze to her sister, and noticed a strange glimmer in her eyes. Knowing Theresa as well as she did, Louise could tell that her sister had a card up her sleeve, and she wondered what it was this time. "Yes?"
"Buck's gonna be in Rock Creek, isn't he?" Theresa started.
"I imagine so. Why?"
"I remember when Buck and Julia first got married, you know, when they still lived in Rock Creek. Back then they also had problems with, you know, like me, so they both started drinking some kind of tea that worked the miracle. Julia is pregnant with her sixth child, isn't she?"
"What? How on earth do you know that?" Lou exclaimed. She had never heard a word about Buck or Julia being worried about their chances to become parents. It was true that their first child had been born two years after their wedding, but that had not meant anything at the time.
"I was nothing but a child back then, and sometimes people tend to think that children are deaf or stupid. I'm sure I could tell you a few things from the apparently private conversations people had around me when I was just a tiny tot, including you." Lou chuckled, admitting her sister's words, and Theresa paused for a second and then added, "Louise, why don't you do me a favor and when you see Buck you ask him for some of that tea for me?"
"Wh… what? I … I can't do that!" Lou exclaimed, sounding as if her sister was asking her to commit an atrocious crime.
"Why not?"
"Because… because that information you heard was private, and if they didn't tell anybody, they must have had their reasons," Lou explained.
"Louise please. I'm desperate here," Theresa almost begged, squeezing her sister's hand between hers.
"Tessie, Dr. Hill says you're fine and healthy. There's nothing wrong with you. Please heed him for goodness's sake."
"But maybe there's something wrong with my husband, and you know, I won't be able to talk him into checking it out with the doctor," Theresa replied.
"And he won't drink any strange concoction either, Tessie."
"He doesn't need to know. A splash in his normal tea won't make a difference."
"Honey, I don't think that's correct," Louise said, and as her sister did not seem very convinced, the older woman added, "If you want that tea or whatever it is, ask them yourself. Mail works fine even though the Pony Express closed off long ago."
The comment did not sit well with Theresa. Letting go of Lou's hand as if it were a piece of junk, she crossed her arms and rose to her feet in a dignified pose. "Thanks for nothing," she said stiffly, her proud chin tilted upwards. "I just hope you will never need a favor from me because in that case you'll have to knock somewhere else."
Without another word Theresa walked out of the room with a gait that was close to mimicking the queen of England in the very least. Louise stayed in her seat, shaking her head. Her sister was a charming girl most of the time, but she could also be quite impossible when she did not have her way. Thankfully, her so-called tantrums did not last long, or at least Louise hoped this one did not. She did not want to leave tomorrow being at odds with her sister. It would make her trip worse than she already anticipated.
Louise was right in her predictions. The day had not crossed its equator when Theresa had already forgotten her anger, and was back to her usual self. The following day she and her husband accompanied Lou to the stagecoach deport. The women walked arm in arm along the main street while Albert followed them closely, carrying Lou's carpet bag.
The coach was already waiting for the passengers, and as the sight appeared before her eyes, an involuntary shiver ran Lou's body. "Are you nervous?" Theresa asked, noticing the expression on her sister's face.
"Very… and scared too. It's been so long."
"You'll be fine," Theresa assured.
"Yes, and I'm actually looking forward to seeing everybody," Lou admitted.
"Then let yourself enjoy the fun. Put the flood of negativity out of your head. Remember the good moments, and shush the bad memories."
"I'll try," Lou promised.
When they reached the carriage, Lou handed the driver her travel passage. The man asked for her luggage, and Albert handed over the bag, instructing him to place it carefully and in a safe place on the coach rack, which incidentally was almost empty.
While Albert and the driver were busy exchanging diatribes, Louise turned to her sister. "You know, I'll be back in a week."
"Make it longer if you're up to it," Theresa replied with a smile.
"I don't know. I feel bad already for leaving you alone with running the store."
"I'll be fine, Louise. Stop fretting!"
Louise blushed. Theresa was right; she was more nervous than she was even aware of. "Thanks, sweetie. You're a dear. I owe you one," Lou added sincerely.
Theresa discreetly had a look behind her back, and seeing her husband still bickering with the driver, she turned her attention back to her sister, and said in a low voice, "Then ask Buck you know what and we'll be even."
"Tessie, that again?"
"Please Louise. I won't ask you anything more… ever again."
Lou sighed tiredly. "I'll think about it, all right?"
"Thanks!" Theresa beamed happily, and even hugged her sister quickly.
"I haven't said I'm gonna do it."
"I know," Theresa replied, but her expression clearly implied she expected her sister to do what she had asked.
Minutes later Louise was inside the narrow, stuffy carriage. From the small window she waved Theresa and Albert goodbye just as the stagecoach set into motion. Her body sprawled limply back into the seat and her fingers frantically scratched up and down the leather upholstery. Apart from her, there were no other passengers, which was a real relief. Her eyes focused on the empty seat backrest opposite her, and once the sound of the horse hooves and the wheels rolling told her Rock Creek was closer and closer, she shut her eyes to calm her nerves. She would do what Theresa had said. Yes, she would. Forget her haunting memories, and focus on the present. That was it. Who said she couldn't do it?