*Author's Note*
Thank you for all the follows, faves, and reviews.
Election Day, 1860 Pt.2
Sully POV:
There was a few good hours of light left for the Election Day festival, but the crowd was starting to thin out. I'd been spending most of my time with Uncle Jim, just walking around and talking about my son. He didn't give me much advice, other than saying, 'Reckon you oughtta talk t'him, serious like, bout things. That boy of yours got lotta burdens he's carryin'.'
Deciding to take my old crochety drunk uncle's advice, I left him to his own devices and went off to find my son to talk with. I ended up finding him manning Johnse's whiskey wagon, which didn't have any customers at it. Good, I'd be able to table to him without any interruptions. "Johnse's still not back yet?" I asked Shaw, who was leaning against the whiskey wagon with his daughter balanced on his hip, asa way to break the ice while walking up to him
"Nope." Shaw popped out nonchalantly.
"He took off with a girl, didn't he?" I asked, just wanting to make sure that Johnse and Roseanna did take off together. I know that's what's supposed to happen (what needs to happen), but something could've happened to derail that action.
"Yea, dad, and we both know who she is too." My son chuckled, propping his daughter up higher on his hip to balance her weight. Oh, thank god, Johnse and Roseanna are off strolling in the woods; falling in love. Looks like I'll be working on Devil Anse's hard heart tonight when it comes to those two kids.
"So, since you're the only one here with Robert E. I take it Cap left already."
"Yea, he took off with Allie a while back." Shaw confirmed with a nod.
"Okay, so where's Olga?" I asked since I felt that she should taking care of Lydia; not pawning her off on Shaw. Hell, every time I turn around my son's with the baby. It's a mother's job to nurture a child, not the father's. Yes, a father needs to take care of his child, but not every waking moment (which seems to be what's happening with Shaw when it comes to his 7-month-old daughter, Lydia).
"Off doing something with Todd and Mary I think." Flatly floated out of Shaw's mouth, his shoulders shrugging slightly.
Leaning against the whiskey barrel, I curiously asked my son, "Did you spend any time with her today?"
Shaw POV:
Hell no, I got better things to do then be stuck up Olga's ass. Yea, I can't tell Sully that tho. Instead I gave him the sugarcoated answer of, "Not really. She came over with Allie once, but then took off."
"So, she handed Lydia off to you and then went to go do something with your siblings?" Sully asked me, assuming that Olga was tending to Lydia today. Well, she wasn't. Not that I'd let that lazy bitch near my kid if I didn't have too. I swear, one day I came home from work to find Lydia cryin' in her highchair while Olga was curled up by the panty door hyperventilating with tears streamin' down her face. She couldn't handle motherhood; had too much noise in her head preventing her from being able to care for a baby and a house the way she was supposed to.
"No, I've had Lydia all day." I told my dad, causing his blue eyes to pop out of his head, while giving him a pathetic (but fake) look that I was sure would make him feel sorry for me
"Jesus…" Sully sighed, holding his forehead as if he felt a headache coming on. His hand fell from his head as he asked me in a heavy sigh, "Shaw are tellin' me that she's still offish with the baby; battling depression?"
Making sure I dropped my honey eyes and hung my head low (to make me look all pathetic to gain some sympathy), I sighed, "Yea, dad, that's what I'm telling ya."
"Hell…" Sully sighed out, solemnly shaking his head. "Shaw, I know I've told you time and time again that you need to make things work with Olga, but if she's shutting down and doesn't want to care for Lydia the way she should then maybe you two should part ways."
Good, my dad bought my sob story and woe is me act. I've just been laying it on thick for months. I mean I don't want to look like a dick when I finally send Olga away. Sending away a woman that rejected her family's better than sending a woman away cause you want to hook up with your ex. Hell, Senior year drama class sure is paying off. Hey, as long as I get what I want in the long run (Jessa and Silas back with me) I'll do, say, and act anyway I have to.
I let out a long sigh before telling Sully, "Dad, we haven't been together since right after Lydia was born. Olga's rejected the baby and seems to hate me cause I'm always coddling the baby."
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm sorry I even brought her here for you." Sully choked out, sounding a bit remorseful. The sorrow was so thick in his blue eyes as he went on to say, "I clearly misjudged her from her letter. I thought she'd be good for you, but it turns out she's adding to your burdens instead of lessening them."
Yes, he finally apologized for getting me a mail ordered bride. This is priceless. I never thought I'd ever see the day that Sully apologized for meddling. Damn, my sugarcoated sob story must be working. Hell, by Christmas the entire Tug River Valley should be feeling sorry for me too. This is perfect, I'll be able to send Olga to California and nobody'll think twice about it. Now, I just need to start laying it on thicker for Jessa when she comes by my office with Silas (since she still hasn't relented yet and is still stopping any advances I try to make) so her heart'll bleed for me and she'll (I hope) give me some nookie by Christmas.
Olga POV:
I was walkin' 'round the festival wit' Mary whenever I noticed that Jessa McCoy, the woman Shaw's got an obsession for, walked right by me wit' a baby slung on her hip. Some brunette girls were walkin' with her, one looked her age an' the other looked much younger. They must've been her sister-in-laws since the girls favored each other. What struck my attention tho was how much Jessa's son favored both my Lydia an' Shaw. Dear lord, is that why Shaw's so obsessed wit' her? Is her son really their son? I knew that I had'a ask my man 'bout the McCoy woman's son; I had'a know whether it was his or not.
"Can I go play with my friend, Amy?" Mary asked, her voice barely resgisterin' in my mind as I stared at Miss McCoy an' her babe that looked like my man.
Not even lookin' at the lil blonde girl, I nodded an' told her, "Yea, ya can go play wit' yer friend." Mary didn't say a word, just pulled her hand outta mine. I heard her lil feet smackin' 'gainst the ground as she ran off t'her friend as I continued t'watch the object o'my man's obsession. I didn't think she was nothin' special, just a dark-haird girl with indigo eyes an' a round face. Why Shaw was struck wit' her I dunno, but I reckon the baby on her hip that looks like 'im might be a reason why.
Jessa POV:
I was walking with Alifair and Fanny towards the McCoy family wagon, since it was getting late and Randall wanted to go, whenever I felt as if somebody was staring at me. I continued to walk to the wagon that Sally and her children were in, but I still couldn't shake the feeling of somebody watching me. I slightly hitched Silas up on my hip (since he was sleeping, he felt like dead weight against my side) and looked over my shoulder to see that Olga was boring a hole into me with her brown doe eyes. When her eyes drifted to my son and turned into dark narrow slits, I gave her a hard-icy stare. How dare this woman give me and my son dirty looks when she's not even caring for her own baby, but always pawning her off on Shaw. She's got some nerve. I swear if I didn't have to leave, I'd march up to Olga and give her a piece of my mind.
"Look, poppy's over at the candy apple stand. I think he's gettin' me one." Franny blurted out in an excited squeal, causing me to direct my attention off of Olga and onto the nearby apple cart, while pointing to where Randall was at.
"Of course, he's buyin' ya one, Fanny. He buys ya one every year." Alifair told her sister, pushin' her along with her hand to make the little girl reach the family's nearby wagon.
"Didn't he buy you one during 4th of July too?" I asked my little sister-in-law as we got closer to the wagon, which was about 50 yards away from where Tolbert's shine wagon was at.
"Yea, he did." Fanny nodded as we reached the wagon.
"Your poppy's gettin' ya one of them apples you like, Fanny." Sally smiled at her daughter while she climbed into the wagon. Giving me a fake smile, my mother-in-law asked, "Oh, you're comin' home with us instead of stayin' with Tolbert?", as I handed Silas over to Fanny to hold for a second.
"Yes, Silas is too tired to stay here til Tolbert's done selling his shine." I told Sally, climbing up into the wagon and taking a seat next to Fanny.
Before Sally could reply, Randall walked up to the wagon with a candy apple in his hand. As I took Silas from Fanny and placed him on my lap, Alifair climbed up into the open spot next to me while Randall went to the back of the wagon. "Where's your sister at?" Randall asked while handing Fanny her candy apple.
Oh, Roseanna's just off somewhere getting romanced by Johnse Hatfield…. Yea, that'd go over like a led balloon. I didn't say a word, but chose the look at Silas and smooth out an invisible wrinkle from his shirt.
"I don't know where she went." Alifair shrugged while Fanny's mouth watered and her eyes sparkled as she looked at the apple she was holding.
"Well, go and find her. We're leaving." Randall ordered, whether to Alifair or Fanny I wasn't sure, before climbing up into the front seat of the wagon. Alifair didn't move an inch while Fanny just took a big bite out of her apple. All the other kids in the wagon just sat quietly, no doubt waiting to see if Randall would drive us away or wait until his favorite child was found before leaving.
"Oh, Rand'l, let her stay." Sally patted her husband on the arm, giving him a sweet smile. "The boys can bring her home."
No, I doubt that they can… Roseanna snuck off with Johnse and then goes to live with him so…
Randall nodded at his wife before turning his head towards Tolbert's wagon and shouting, "Tolbert!", to get the redhead's attention. Tolbert snapped his head up, looking at his father to let him know that he was ready to hear whatever it was he had to tell him. "Ya bring Roseanna home wit'out fail. Ya hear me?!"
"Yea." Tolbert nodded, waving his dad off, before snatching a bottle out of Squirrel's hand and barking, "Hey, that ain't free!"
Hmm, so now he's deciding to cut off his cousin? Now, after both Squirrel and Parris have already taken a free bottle each earlier in the day. Yea, sometimes my husband doesn't make any sense. Hmm and he blames me for us being broke. If he had a better head for business, we wouldn't be broke. That deal he got swindled in earlier today's proof of that too.
Randall turned his head to look forward, grabbed his reigns, and snapped them with a quick flick of his wrist. As the horses pulled the wagon into a steady roll down the dirt path I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that Sully and Shaw, who was holding Lydia, were standing at Johnse's shine wagon watching me leave with the McCoys.
Allie POV:
After walking around, playing a game, and getting a snack, me and Cap went back to Johnse's shine cart. Of course, Shaw was still there with Lydia on his hip. What took me by surprise was seeing Olga standing by the back wheel of the cart with her arms crossed. She had a hurt look in her brown eyes even tho her face was blank of all emotions. Robert E. jumped down from the barrel he was perched on (damn, did he sit on that thing all day or what?) and ran over to Cap.
"Hey, Robert E., you done helpin' Shaw sell Johnse's shine?" Cap asked his little brother while I made my way over to where Olga was at.
"I wanna rough house." Robert E. announced, playfully smacking my husband on the arm.
"Of course, you do." Cap chuckled, ruffling his brother's light bronze hair before starting a playfight with him.
"What's wrong, Olga?" I whispered to my friend since I didn't want Shaw to hear me (hey he was a few feet away) once I reached her side.
"I asked Shaw somethin' an' he got mad at me." Olga whispered back, her lips slightly quivering, as Cotton ran past us in a flash, not stopping until he reached a bobbing for apples barrel.
I took a quick look at Shaw, who I noticed had a scowl on his face, before asking my friend, "What did you ask?"
"If Jessa McCoy's boy's his son." Olga answered, causing me to just give her a wide-eyed look that screamed 'you really asked that?'. Sweet Jesus, I thought she already knew about Silas (especially with how he's Shaw's little clone).
"What did he say?" I asked, hoping it wasn't something dicky even tho it most likely was, as I gave her a sympathetic look.
She looked down at her feet, hurt swimming in her brown eyes, while telling me in a miffed whisper, "He told me that the boy's his an' it's my fault he can't be wit' 'em. Says me crawlin' into his bed like a two-bit whore an' gettin' knocked up cost him havin' Jessa an' their boy livin' wit' him as a real family."
"That bastard." I spat, disgusted with the smarmy jackass I was unfortunate enough to call my cousin-in-law. I grabbed Olga's hand, giving it a friendly squeeze, while firmly telling her, "He's got nobody to blame for not being with her, but himself. Don't you dare let what he said bother you cause he ain't worth it."
Olga just nodded with saddens in her doe eyes before pressing her lips in a thinly lined, but grateful smile.
Suddenly laughter echoed in the air causing me to looked at the source of it. Of course, a few yards away Tolbert, Pharmer, Bud, Squirrel, and Paris McCoy were standing around sharing a cone of popcorn and making fun of Cotton, who was trying and failing to bob for apples. "Ya drown 'im like this." Parris laughed as he made a hand gesture of holding Cotton's neck under water.
Tolbert let out a hearty laugh before plopping a piece of popcorn into his mouth. I noticed that Shaw was shooting daggers at the redhead while Cap stopped playing with Robert E. and gestured for him to go back over to the shine wagon. My husband swiftly went over to Cotton and pulled his head out of the apple barrel. While Cotton rubbed the water out of his eyes Cap grabbed his hat off of a barrel next to him and placed it onto his held. While keeping a protective grasp on Cotton's shoulder, Cap looked at the mean McCoys and told them, "Easy to laugh in a bunch, huh." Guiding Cotton away from the barrel, Cap told him, "Come on, let's go see Captain W."
"Yea, I wanna see Captain W. I like him, he's a good baby." Cotton smiled, letting Cap led him over to where I was at with Captain W perched sleepily on my hip.
"Oh, look, there's three bastards ov'r at that wagon sellin' high-priced piss." Tolbert sneered in an odious chuckle. Pharmer, Bud, Parris, and Squirrel all let out loud cackles and chuckles of laughter at the grumpy ginger's remark. Parris even threw a piece of popcorn towards our wagon, even tho it landed on the ground a few feet too short.
Shaw didn't find the remark funny at all. Quickly, he shoved Lydia at Cap, who just stopped next to him, and took off. Shaw was fuming as he marched over to Tolbert, his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white. "Don't call me and my family bastards, Tolbert." Shaw ordered in a loud spat, stopping mere inches away from the redhead's face.
A smug look appeared on Tolbert's face as he turned his nose up at Shaw and gruffly told him, "But that's what ya'll are, a bunch of bastards. Ya, yer mush-head cousin, an' yer girl are all bastards last I checked ya dumbass."
With a smirk, Shaw countered Tolbert's zinger with the remark of, "Oh, don't forget about my other bastard. You know, my son with Jessa."
"Ya shut yer, filthy Vance Bastard."
"Oh, what's wrong? Can't handle the truth?" Shaw rhetorically asked before pointing towards the men gathered around Tolbert and saying, "Oh, wait a minute, you don't want them to know the truth."
Tolbert's face got as hard as stone as he barked, "Shut up 'fore I make ya."
"Fuckin' make me, Tolbert, cause I'm tired of keepin' my mouth shut." Shaw told his rival, daring him to start a fight. Shaking his head, the man in the oversized black Stetson sniggered, "Goddamnit, a blindman can see that Silas is my son; that he's my spitting image."
"Now that he mentioned it, yer boy does favor him." Squirrel piped up, causing Tolbert to shoot him a hateful glare.
"Shut up, Squirrel." Tolbert ordered in an eerily smooth, but gruff tone. Turning his attention back to Shaw, the redhead spat, "Ya say 'nother word 'bout Jessa or Silas an' I'll pop ya."
"You know, I'll be seeing them real soon. Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure to buy them something real nice for Christmas since you can't afford anything." Shaw smugly told Tolbert, baiting him as he smirked devilishly and cocked his head up haughtily.
The redhead's stormy eyes darkened with hate and I knew that he was taking the bait. Tolbert let out a growl and swung at Shaw, who dodged the swing and chuckled. Oh shit, now these two assholes are going to fight over Jessa. Poor Olga, she shouldn't have to watch this. My friend looked ready to cry as she watched Shaw and Tolbert exchange punches with each other. They were going at it like two Pitbulls in a fighting ring. They hated each other and were out for blood.
"Stop! Stop fightin'!" Ordered Ellison's voice as the gentle giant appeared out of thin air, running over to break up the fight between Shaw and Tolbert. "That's enough, no more fightin'!" My rusty-haired uncle-in-law firmly told Shaw and Tolbert, shoving them away from each other.
"Ya stay 'way from 'em, ya hear me." Tolbert ordered in a low velvety snap, pointing a finger at Shaw.
"I hear ya, but don't mean I'm gonna listen." Shaw said in a smartass tone before turning his back on Tolbert, walking by Ellison, and quickly making a beeline to the whiskey wagon.
Subtly looking at Olga, I told her, "If that fight's anything to go by, well, you better think about leaving soon."
"I know, Allie. I know." She barely whispered, watching Shaw stop next to Cap; taking Lydia from him.
Tolbert POV:
The sun had gone down, it was dark, an' the election day festival was closin' up. I was walkin' all ov'r the place lookin' for my sister. Hell, Roseanna wasn't anywhere t'be seen. Bud was sittin' in my wagon, holdin' the reigns an' ready to go while Pharmer was runnin' 'round the grounds tryin' t'help me look for our sister. "Roseanna, we are leavin'!" I shouted, hopin' that'd get her attention. Sam's Hill, where was she? "Roseanna!" I shouted as Pharmer ran up next t'me.
"She ain't here. Must've got a ride home wit' Perry Cline or the McClintocks." Pharmer told me, his head going back and forth as his eyes scanned the empty plot o'land we were standin' on.
"Hell, she should've told us." I grumbled, pissed that Roseanna just took off wit'out a word. She knew better than that, 'specially since we were in Hatfield territory.
Pharmer just shrugged 'fore runnin' off to my wagon. I shook by head 'fore shoutin', "Roseanna, last chance, we're leavin'!" When I was met wit' silence I just went ov'r to my wagon and climbed up in it.
"Poppy's gonna knock our heads off." Pharmer muttered under his breath while I grabbed the reigns from Bud. If Roseanna got a ride home then poppy'd be fine. Hell, not like we abandoned her or somethin'. I just shook my head and snapped the reigns, makin' my horses pull the wagon 'way from the venue in a reasonable pace.
*A Few Minutes Later…*
Johnse POV:
When we ran out of the clearing everyone was gone. Oh shit… "My ma and pa's gone. All your kin's gone too." I pointed out to her as some guy walked by us, carryin' a large lockbox full of votes to a wagon.
Roseanna's beautiful blue eyes were wide with worry as she let out a panicked shriek of, "What am I gonna do? My poppy's gonna kill me."
Oh no, seeing this sweet girl gettin' so worried made my heart tighten up. I didn't want her to worry or be scared 'bout the prospect of walkin' home alone in the woods since she wasn't alone, she was with me. So, without a second thought, I told her, "Now, you listen here, I'm just gonna take you home with me."
She shook her head so fast that her fair blonde hair was whippin' 'round wildly. "But my name's McCoy, your father's never let one of us under his roof." Hell, with how scared she sounds her pa must've painted my dad out to be the boogie man or somethin'. Unlike Ole Randall, my daddy never painted his enemy out to be anything scary. He just says that Randall's a religious drunk hypocrite that can't let go of old grudges from the war; that he hates all of us over something that happened when I was a toddler.
"Now, you forget everything you've ever heard 'bout Devil Anse Hatfield. Get it all out of your head cause he's nothin' like that." I ordered her, as firmly as I could be while still keepin' my soft tone since I didn't want this sweet girl to feel like I was beratin' her or somethin'.
"Okay." Roseanna nodded, biting her lip nervously.
"Come on, it's this way." I softly smiled at her, taking her hand in mine and leading her towards the way the road home was.
"Are you sure your poppy won't mind?" My sweet darlin' asked, bitin' on her bottom lip nervously.
"No, daddy won't mind. Hell, he'd be upset with me if I left ya alone in the cold dark woods with nowhere to go." Not to mention my mama'd smack me upside the head for not treatin' a nice girl with kindess and respect either.
"Oh." Roseanna simply let out in a quiet whoosh, causing me to just smile at her. God, I just couldn't stop smiling at this girl.
Silence filled the air as we walked down the road together. I didn't mind the silence; meant I could sneak glances at her. The moon made her glow and look prettier than she already was. Oh yea, I was in love with this girl.
Suddenly, her sweet voice broke the silence with, "Thank you for takin' me with ya. I don't think I'd be able to walk home all by myself."
"Roseanna, my beautiful sweet darlin', there's no need to thank me. I'm takin' you with me cause it's the right thing to do, plus I fancy you."
"Really, you fancy me?"
"Yea." I nodded my head, causing her to blush.
"Oh good lord…" She muttered under her breath, her blush deepening on her cheeks.
"Do you like me back?" I asked her with a lopsided grin on my face.
"I suppose." Roseanna told me with a faint smile, teasin' me.
"Oh, you're teasin' me 'gain." I smirked, causing her to just nod and blush. "Don't worry, my family'll love ya cause you're the girl I'm bringin' home." I confidently told her, playfully swinging our arms since we were holdin' hands, as we walked the winding dirt road that'd take us right to my house in a couple of hours.
"My family won't love you tho." Roseanna sadly sighed. She sounded hurt that her pa wouldn't be acceptin' to her bringin' me home for dinner or something. Good thing I'm bringing her to meet my family cause as long as they approve of us then Randall's opinion don't matter.
"I'm sure once they see I ain't as bad as gossip makes me out as; that I don't got horns with a spiny tail, that they'll warm up to me." I assured her, even tho I wasn't too sure I believed what I was sayin', cause I didn't want her to be sad. I wanted her to be carefree, to flash that shy beautiful smile I've come to love in the short time I've known her.
AN:
Hope you guys liked this. Sully (a master schemer) is getting played by his psycho son (who has taken over the mantle of being a master manipulator), oh boy. Poor Olga, Shaw's making her look bad. I just had to do a little fight between Tolbert and Shaw, but down the road their hate's going to explode into a big fight and somebody's going to get hurt as a result of it. Anyways, I got one more part to write to wrap up all of the Election Day stuff.