TIME MACHINE CHAPTER FIVE
Thanks to all my lovely reviewers. The actual effect on the timeline will be mentioned nearer to the end of the story but for now it'll remain a mystery because I'm mean like that! The Native American Indian idea was inspired by a weird but wonderful film called 'Dead Man'.
Perhaps foolishly they decided to go to the Golden Nugget saloon that night, just to relax.
At the start it looked as if it wasn't the best night they could have chosen.
The bartender, Jeff Collier, was morose as he passed over the drinks. (Beer for the two men, Sasaparilla for the three ladies.)
"Might be trouble tonight, friends. Our favourite lady singer, Miss Ruth Winters, she ran away to get married and left us high and dry. Now we've no singer and the crowd gets bored mighty fast round here. And when they get bored…"
The gesture he made wasn't comforting.
Jimmy Powell, sitting at the piano, nodded in agreement.
"We'll be out of here after this drink, okay?" Connie hissed under her breath.
"Hey Collier! Who've ya got to replace Ruthie?" bawled Jordan.
"Ah, um… nobody's applied yet. I'll just get Jimmy to play the piano a bit to liven it…"
Jordan's glass smashed behind Jimmy's head. Jimmy, uneasy but used to such a fracas, kept playing.
Jordan banged on the table.
"I wanna song!"
To everybody's surprise, and Dylan's horror, Ben stood up.
"I can sing a little!"
"Sit down Ben, and be quiet" Connie whispered.
"Ben, you'll get yourself killed. Keep your trap shut!" bawled Dylan.
"If this works, I might get a job" Ben persisted.
"Yes, and you might get a bullet. Now sit-"
Ben walked to the front of the stage, close to the piano.
"Can I try?"
"Okay, kid, but I can't be responsible for their actions."
Ben turned round to Jimmy.
"You may not know this, but I think you could pick it up. It's one my Mum used to sing."
"What's it called, 'Ba ba Black Sheep'?" Jordan heckled.
"This is 'Invisible Tears'."
Ben began to sing, a little shaky at first, then his voice growing in momentum.
Jess, Rita, Connie and Dylan were dumbfounded.
Ben had a really good, emotive voice and his eyes conveyed the sad lyrics without his making corny gestures:
"Invisible tears in my eyes, incredible pain in my heart,
Indestructible memories are passing in revue,
Impossible though things may get, improbable I will forget
Indelible memories of sweet, loveable you."
The whole saloon, apart from Jordan, were on their feet clapping.
"More, more!"
"Throw him out, he's crap!" yelled Jordan.
He was quiet as a cowboy's fist slammed into his face.
"Sing us another one, boy!"
"Yeah!"
Dylan wondered if it was mere co-incidence that Ben had been looking at him all the while during the song.
Ben's voice jolted him from his thoughts:
"This is called 'Black Velvet Band'."
Soon everybody in the saloon, apart from Jordan, who had slunk out, was on their feet singing the chorus:
"Her eyes they shone like diamonds, I thought her the queen of the land,
And her hair it hung over her shoulder, tied up with a black velvet band."
Ben was hired to sing in the saloon every night. Dylan decided he'd better go along as well to make sure the silly boy wasn't brained by a flying glass. But the Golden Nugget regulars were already looking forward to hearing more from Ben.
What Collier offered him for singing was twice as much as what Connie would earn teaching at the school.
Dylan felt an irrational urge to hug the younger man when he said:
"If we split that between us, we'd each get…"
"We'll keep a kitty to pay for essentials" Connie said, organising as usual, "And it's very generous of you to put in your whole salary, Ben."
"But we're all in this together, Mrs… um, Connie."
Connie smiled at Ben's eagerness to help out.
She hoped her first day at the school would go as well as Ben's first night in the saloon.
Reverend Fletcher accompanied her to the first class.
"Now children, this is Mrs Beauchamp, you new teacher. Say 'good morning Mrs Beauchamp'."
"Good morning Mrs Beauchamp" they chorused, except Algernon Jordan, who sat glaring at her.
Connie asked the children to say a little about themselves. Algernon had two things to say:
"I'm Algernon Jordan and I don't like women teachers."
"I don't like rude boys but there we go, I suppose we're stuck with each other, aren't we?"
She addressed a nervous little girl near the back.
"Who are you, darling?"
"She's a half-breed" bawled Algernon. The little girl's face fell.
"Algernon, we don't use that word in my class. What's your name, dear, don't be nervous."
"Elena. My mama's Mexican."
"Well, that's good! If I have a show and tell class you can tell us a little about Mexico, can't you?"
Elena smiled. Algernon gave her the look of death.
"Now we're going to have a story, but to make it more fun I want you all to read out your parts. This is the story of Cinderella."
Priscilla Summerskill, a crony of Algernon's, preened. She was sure to be chosen for Cinderella, because of her looks.
"… So that's Richard to read out the Prince's part, and now we're ready for the title role!"
Priscilla was still glaring at Connie, having been chosen for one of the 'beautiful but spiteful' sisters.
"Elena, I'd like you to read Cinderella's part please."
Elena's eyes widened.
"Me, Mrs Beauchamp?"
"That's right, dear. It doesn't matter if you read slowly."
"You can't have a half-breed reading Cinderella! It shoulda been Priscilla!"
Connie's voice became steely.
"Algernon! You don't have a part in this reading, you go and sit at the back and write out 100 times 'I must not be a racist'."
She saw that Algernon was about to prod Elena, and added:
"I need you near the front, Elena. Please come and sit opposite me."
Most of the kids ran home to their parents, eager to tell how nice the new teacher was:
"And she's a Mrs so that means she's a widder-woman, mama! Ain't that the most respectable?"
Algernon, however, went home and said:
"New teacher's a pile of rubbish! She let that half-breed girl read for Cinderella."
"I'll complain to the Reverend. She won't be working much longer" his father said smugly.
(