Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Fifty-Four

That night over supper Suellen told Careen, "Clyde Johnson has ended up in Galveston."

"Really? I like him. He is smart."

"He is working as a stable boy right now. He will have to get a better job before I will let him court you."

"Alright, Pa. How did he get here?"

Suellen told Careen and Ellen the story of how Clyde had gotten to Galveston. After the story was over, Ellen said, "Small world. What had he come into the store to buy?"

"A comb. Something he could have gotten anywhere."

Sam White did take Suellen for a walk in the park. It was a delightful time for both people. Sam White had grown up on the island and therefore knew a lot of people and he also knew the local history. He had delightful stories about Galveston's past. He talked about Texas including their fight for independence from Mexico, the time they had been a country all on their own, and changes that happened when they joined the United States. He did not talk about the war or his time in the army. He told Suellen, "I want to forget those two years ever happened. After I was injured, I came home to recover then my father died so I had to get a job and support my mother and myself. My mother has since died so I only have to support myself and hopefully a family soon."

Suellen had blushed but she had been pleased by Sam's statement.

When Kenny was two weeks old, Scarlett decided that he looked more like Rhett than her, but he wasn't an exact copy of his father. There were several of Scarlett's features in his face. It didn't matter to Scarlett and Rhett for they both already thought the boy was amazing.

On November the first Clem Simmons did something that he would later greatly regret. He fired Gertrude Stein as his shipping clerk. He further insulted her by telling her that he was hiring a man because a man had a family to support. Gertrude had been stunned. She had said, "How am I going to support myself?"

"Find a man to marry."

As Gertrude was walking home, she was filled with despair. So engrossed was she in her troubles that she had taken a wrong turn. When she realized she didn't know where she was, she reversed her steps. Nonetheless, she was hopelessly lost. Fortunately, Galveston was laid out on a square. All the avenues ran east to west and all the numbered streets ran north to south. She lived in a boarding house on Avenue B. She was at the corner of Third Street and Avenue Q. She started walking towards her home. As she crossed Avenue O something caught her eye. It was that Greek revival house. Someone had changed the exterior. She had always thought the house so pretty. She had always dreamed of owning the house. It wouldn't happen now. She stopped and looked at the house. She thought, 'It is pretty. I like the turret. Someone with money lives there now. I will never live in the house now. I can't afford it. I'm not pretty enough to attract a man now that there are so few men. Those men will have their choice of wives. Therefore, they will choose the prettiest girls.'

Gertrude looked at the street letters that were painted in turquoise also. She thought, 'Black would be better. Easier to see. Why is that address familiar?'

As Gertrude pondered the question she started walking towards her boarding house. Then she remembered. That woman that had offered her a job lived at that address.

Gertrude turned around and started walking toward the house. As she walked toward the house, she started talking herself out of approaching the house. She told herself, 'She has probably already found a woman to be her assistant. Why would she hire me? She could find someone better than me.'

Finally, Gertrude said to herself, "Go ask her. What is the worst that could happen? She says she has already hired someone else. What was the woman's name? I can't remember. Just go ask for the lady of the house."

Gertrude did knock on the door. She did ask the butler, "Can I see the lady of the house?"

"What is it in regard to?"

"A job."

"What is your name?"

"Gertrude Stein."

"Follow me."

The butler led Gertrude to the front parlor. As she walked through the house, she thought it was flashier than she was used to, but it was probably the latest style.

Gertrude sat on the settee. Normally the butler would not have allowed a stranger to see Mrs. Butler but the woman had looked so benign and beatdown that he showed her into the parlor. He told the first-floor maid to tell Mrs. Butler she had a visitor, a Gertrude Stein.

Scarlett had been in the nursery visiting Kenny. Elizabeth had been touched that Rhett and Scarlett had given their son her maiden name as his first name. Rhett had laughed and said, "It is my name also."

The maid said, "Mrs. Butler, you have a visitor, a Gertrude Stein."

"I don't know a Gertrude Stein. Let me go see what this is all about."

When Scarlett walked into the parlor she said, "I'm Scarlett Butler. How can I help you?"

"I came looking for a job, but you are not the woman I talked to. I can't remember her name. I met her at a lecture on The Theory of Evolution."

"You want to talk to my sister-in-law, Rosemary Bradberry."

"Yes, that is her name."

"She isn't home right now. She is at her office."

"Oh."

"Do you know where her office is?"

"No."

"It is at 8002 Channelview Dr by the wharf."

"Thank you."

Gertrude would have to just walk back down there. With an inner kindness Scarlett had developed because of her relationship with Melly, she said, "Do you need a ride?"

Gertrude was about to say no when the events from the day weighed down on her. She turned and said, "Yes ma'am. I do."

"I will get my other sister-in-law to drive you down there in our buggy. Rhett keeps saying he is going to get us a carriage, but he doesn't seem to be getting around to it. Never mind, let me find Daphne. Just go ahead and have a seat."

Before too long, Daphne was driving Gertrude down to Rosemary's office. Daphne was gushing about how happy Rosemary was going to be that Gertrude was going to accept her offer. Those words made Gertrude feel a lot more confident in getting the job with Butler Maritime Shipping.

When Rosemary saw Gertrude and Daphne walk through the door, she had stood up and said, "Please, tell me that you have changed your mind about coming to work for me."

"Yes ma'am, I have."

"Wonderful. When can you start?"

"Tomorrow."

"Even better."

"What time do you want me to show up for work?

"Nine o'clock."

"I will match what Mr. Simmons was paying you and when we travel, I will pay all the expenses like food, lodging, and transportation. If you want to buy some candy or stationery or a new hat you will have to pay for that."

"Very well, Mrs. Bradberry."

"Of course, Miss Stein. See you tomorrow."

Daphne said, "Let me drop you off at your home."

"Yes, thank you."

As Daphne and Gertrude turned to leave, Rosemary said, "Wait, what made you change your mind? I thought you couldn't be disloyal to Mr. Simmons by leaving him."

With a rare smile, Gertrude said, "It seems Mr. Simmons didn't share that loyalty he fired me to give my job to a man."

"You poor dear."

"All is good now because you gave me a job."

"That is as long as I can keep the company afloat."

"We will make sure of that."

Rosemary smiled and said, "Yes, we will."

Gertrude was happy. Rosemary was happy.

Within a week, Rosemary knew that she had a jewel in Gertrude. They started planning their first trip North to secure some shipping contracts.

Three weeks later, as the women left Galveston, they were both extremely happy with the turn of events.

As Rosemary and Gertrude were sailing out of Galveston harbor, Rhett and Scarlett were resuming their marital relations. Rhett had procured the sponge and the sulphate of iron. Scarlett had made the silk string. On their first night together, Rhett had said, "Let me insert it into you. My fingers are longer."

Scarlett had smiled and said, "Yes, that would be better."

The inserting of the sponge became part of their love making sessions. Rhett didn't insert it immediately. He waited until almost the last moment, when the inserting of the sponge could be a sexual caress. Neither person noticed the string or the sponge.

Clyde Johnson had gotten a job as a telegraph operator and Gerald had let him start calling on Careen. Most of their courting just involved Clyde coming to visit and the couple walking in the park on Sunday afternoon.

Sam still came into the store every day and talked with Suellen for a short amount of time. Their Sunday walks in the park became a regular thing.

One Sunday over their dinner, Ashley said, "Nobody cares."

"Nobody cares about what?"

"Nobody cares that I didn't return to my troops in the middle of the war. Nobody ever even asks me about my service."

"No, they don't. Everyone in Texas, just wants to move on."

"This was a good plan, Rhett."

"This wasn't my plan. This was a plan that just evolved."

Two weeks later as Rosemary and Gertrude were sailing out of Boston, Rosemary was even happier. Once she had gone on a few sales calls with Gertrude, Rosemary quickly learned that Gertrude was a natural salesperson. What's more she knew all the answers to the questions the customers were asking. Furthermore, she was a pleasant person to be around. Traveling with her was going to be delightful. What warmed Rosemary's heart was that Gertrude was grateful for everything Rosemary did for her. In a moment of self-reflection, Rosemary wondered if she would ever have been that grateful to anyone before the war started. She decided she would not. She had been spoiled and pampered by her parents all her life. Until the war started the only bad thing that had happen to her was her mother-in-law was a shrew.

While returning to Galveston, Gertrude said, "You need to hire someone to manage the office while we are out of town."

Rosemary stared at the other woman and finally said, "Let me talk to Rhett about it."

"Rhett?"

"My brother, the actual owner of Butler Maritime Shipping."

"Oh, he must have a lot of faith in you to turn the running of the business over to you."

"Yes, he does."

After Rosemary was back in Galveston, she asked Rhett, "Can I hire someone to watch the office while I am out of town?"

"Certainly. You will have to train him."

"No, Gertrude can do that. She knows a lot about the shipping business. Also, she is a natural salesman. Almost every person we had an appointment with set up a shipment with us."

"Amazing. How did you manage to steal her away from Mr. Simmons? I thought she wouldn't come to work for you out of loyalty to Mr. Simmons."

"That is the best part, Rhett. I didn't steal her away. Mr. Simmons foolishly fired her so he could give her job to a man."

"Now, she is extremely grateful and loyal to you."

"Yes, she is."

One Sunday in the middle of December over dinner, Suellen said, "May I invite a guest to Christmas dinner?"

Scarlett looked at her father and he seemed happy, so she turned back to Suellen and said, "What is his name?"

"Sam White. He has been calling on me for the last couple of months. Ever since Kenny was born."

Gerald laughed and said, "Before that actually."

"Yes, Pa, but it wasn't official until he asked me to walk in the park with him."

"Of course, I guess we can squeeze another chair in at the table."

Careen said, "Maybe two more. I would like to invite Clyde Johnson."

"Clyde is here in Galveston. Why am I just learning about this?"

"I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to jinx it."

"Yes, yes. We will find room at the table for Clyde and Mr. White. Rosemary, why don't you invite Miss Stein to join us as well."

"That is very thoughtful of you, Scarlett. Yes, I will ask her tomorrow."

"In deference to all the Butlers but Rhett and me, we will not be serving yams for Christmas dinner. We will not be having a goose because they are just too hard to find. We will be having a turkey instead. We will be having stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and turnips. Melly is bringing a couple of pies and Careen is making rolls."

"It sounds delightful, Sweetheart."