When I woke up, she was fully dressed and brushing her hair. Her violin was set neatly on the table and her chicken was pecking the floor. So I dressed myself in silence.
"I'm ready to go home now." She said when I finished. This caught me by surprise.
"Uh, really?" I asked her. "What changed your mind?"
"I don't know. I guess I'm just ready." She stood and faced me. "Unless you want me to stay here with you."
"No, it's okay. You need to go back to your family."
"Well, it's settled then." She scooped the chicken up in one hand and grabbed her violin with the other. "We'll take the stagecoach outside town. I'll pay for it."
And so we did. I sat across from her and had a cigarette while she looked uncomfortable in the heat of the desert. We didn't say much, which was strange. I got the impression she wasn't feeling well, and when I asked her about it she said she was fine. I didn't think that was the entire truth but I didn't press her about it. I assumed she was nervous about going back to her parents after being away for so long.
So I had another cigarette, and she closed her eyes but didn't sleep, and after an hour or two we arrived in Blackwater. She collected her things, which I offered to hold for her but she declined, and we made our way to her house. She was obviously nervous by this point, and stuck as close to me as possible.
"I need to go speak to them myself, Jack." She said as her home came into view. "But I'd like for you to wait on the porch for me, if you don't mind. But if you don't want to, you can leave."
"Why would I leave?"
She looked away. "I don't know." She set the chicken down and it continued to follow her on foot. "Just you can if you want to."
"I'll stay."
"Fine."
And then we were at her house. She took a shaky breath and entered without knocking, leaving the chicken to explore outside. I sat on the steps and had yet another cigarette. That's when the shouting began. I couldn't make out anything that was said, but I knew it was Pearl and her mothers. Every now and then I heard a man's voice, Pearl's father, but he didn't shout.
This continued on for a while, and I waited outside like I said I would. Finally, the shouting died down and Pearl came outside to see me again. She was visibly upset, and I stood to greet her.
"Thank you for waiting, Jack." She said. "Um, my father says that if we continue our friendship, he would like to speak to you one of these days. Not now, he's busy now, but perhaps next time you visit."
"That's fine."
"But for now, I think it would be best if you left."
"Really?"
"I'm sure this isn't the last my mothers have to say, and I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire of it."
"Well, alright." I scratched my head. "If you think that's for the best."
And then we stood and faced each other for a moment. I didn't know whether to hug her goodbye or what, so we simply stood there like idiots for a few moments before she reached her hand out to shake mine. At that, she turned and went inside, and I went back to my hotel room above the Blackwater Saloon.