"Festus: The Babysitter" (Conclusion)
Festus looked at the book a moment longer before inspiration struck. He put the book back on the table. Festus decided he would tell his own story to Ruby. He would tell her the story of his cousin Ocatvius and his fight with a bear. Ruby observed Festus putting the book back on the table and questioned his actions.
"Uncle Festus, why did you put the book back?" she asked. "I want you to read it to me."
"I have a better idea," Festus responded. Ruby looked at Festus and waited to hear this better idea. "I'm a gonna tell ya the story of my cousin Octavius and the bear. Wouldja like ta hear that story?"
"Yeah," said Ruby. "Cousin Tavius and the bear sounds like a good story."
"It is," Festus told Ruby. "I've told this story to yer folks and ol' Doc. Alright, lay back down and let me begin. Octavius got his name because he was the eighth child of my uncle Toby and aunt Philomena. We called her Aunt Phil. One day Octavius decided ta go fishin'. He wanted ta bring some fish home fer supper. He grabbed his pole and headed down to the river. Cousin Octavius was mighty lucky during his fishin' trip. He couldn't stop catching fish. He pulled his twentieth fish out of the river, when he saw a bear. It was the most biggest, most meanest bear ya ever laid yer eyeballs on. The bear was hungry, 'n he wanted the fish that Octavius caught. So the bear started taking the fish. Well, Octavius got so mad. Ain't no bear gonna take the fish he caught. He runned up to that bear, got his fish back, 'n runned. Unfortunately for poor Octavius that made the bear madder than a wet hen. The bear went after Octavius. 'N when the bear caught him, the bear grabbed Octavius, 'n shook him something fierce, until Octavius let go of the fish. Jest to teach Octavius a lesson, the bear bit off one of Octavius' fingers. Now Octavius only has nine fingers left. The end. How was that story? I bet it was better than yer book. Alright, Miss Ruby, sweet dreams." Festus kissed Ruby on the top of the head and left the room.
Ruby lay in her bed as scared as could be. Uncle Festus' story was not better than her Goldilocks story. Her Goldilocks story did not scare her. In fact, she was too scared to stay in bed. Ruby flipped the covers off of herself, hopped out of bed, and ran to the door. She opened it as quickly as she could and ran out to the parlor. Festus was sitting on the couch. He was taken by surprise when he saw Ruby.
"Now what are ya doin' out here?" asked Festus. "Yer supposed ta be in yer bed, fast asleep."
"I not staying in there," said Ruby. "That story scared me."
"Ya said ya like that Goldilocks and the bears story," said Festus. "That story must not scare ya none."
"Those bears don't shake Goldilocks and bite her finger off," Ruby pointed out.
"Yer daddy and momma told me what time ta put ya ta bed, 'n yer gonna be in bed when they get home," Festus told Ruby.
"I not going back in my room," Ruby stated with her little hands on her hips. "I staying out here 'til momma and daddy come home."
Festus looked at Ruby and knew he wasn't going to win this battle. The little girl in front of him was as stubborn as her momma. "Okay, I reckon I can let you stay on the couch with me 'til yer folks get home." Festus figured Ruby would soon fall asleep, and he would carry her to bed before Matt and Kitty came home.
At Delmonico's Matt and Kitty finished their meals, completely unaware of what was going on at home. Matt took some money out of his coat pocket and tossed it on the table to pay for the meals. He wasn't quite ready to go home yet, and he hoped Kitty felt the same way.
"Kitty, let's go over to the Long Branch and have a nightcap," Matt suggested.
Kitty, like Matt, was not ready to go home either. She gladly accepted his offer. "Matt, I think that's a wonderful idea."
Matt and Kitty left Delmonico's and walked over to the Long Branch. They could hear the player piano as they got closer. When they reached the bat wing doors, Matt and Kitty could see the Long Branch was as busy as could be. The tables were full of patrons and they were lined up at the bar.
Luckily there was one empty table. It wasn't the usual table that Matt and Kitty would sit at, but right now that didn't matter. They were fortunate to even find a table. Matt led Kitty to the table. He pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down. Matt didn't sit down. He was going to go up to the bar and get some drinks for the two of them.
"Kitty, I'm gonna go to the bar and get us some drinks," Matt said. "What's your pleasure?"
"I think I'll have a rye whiskey," Kitty replied.
Matt left the table and went up to the bar. He ordered two rye whiskies and paid for them. He returned to the table, set the two shot glasses down, and took a seat. After sitting down, Matt took his shot glass and raised it to Kitty.
"Here's lookin' at you," he said to her. Both Kitty and Matt took a drink of their whiskies.
"Being that I'm sixty percent owner of this place, I'm glad to see it so busy," Kitty said as she observed her surroundings. "I just hope things stay peaceful. I want to spend time with you as my husband, not as Marshal of Dodge City."
"Kitty, it won't be like it was in the past," said Matt. "I'm all yours tonight." Matt then got a look on his face, which Kitty noticed.
"What are you thinking about, Cowboy?" she asked.
"Do you have the keys to the office?" Matt asked, looking at the reticule that Kitty had with her.
"I have the keys to the outside doors, the office, and the rooms," Kitty replied. "Why?"
"Is the ledger that says which rooms are occupied by the girls in there?" Matt asked.
"Yeah," Kitty said. She was starting to see where Matt was going with this.
"Good," Matt replied. "Go and see what rooms, if any, are available.
Kitty was now certain where Matt's line of questioning was going. Smiling at Matt, she said, "I'll be right back."
Kitty left the table and went to the office. On her desk were different ledgers. One ledger kept track of what rooms were occupied by the girls that worked there. Records were kept daily. Kitty looked at today's date and was pleased to see that a couple of the rooms were available. A smile spread across her face when she saw that the room with the back steps was available. Kitty put the ledger back on the desk and left the office.
Matt saw Kitty's smile and came to the conclusion that she had good news. "Looking at your smile, there must be a room available."
"There is and it's the one with the back stairs," said Kitty.
"I'm surprised that one's available," Matt stated. "Besides the one you had before you got married, I thought that one was the best one. I liked those back steps, easy access to you."
"That room was great for that reason, but it's also the smallest room," said Kitty. "That's why it was available when I first started working here. Now tell me something Cowboy. Why do you want to know what rooms are available?"
"I need you to go up to the room with the back steps," Matt instructed. He put on his hat and stood up. "Kitty, I need ta do my rounds. I'll see ya later." He left the table and walked out of the Long Branch.
Kitty watched Matt leave and then walked upstairs to her old room. The bar floor was so busy that no one noticed her going upstairs. She reached in her reticule, pulled out a room key, and unlocked the door. Kitty looked around at her surroundings. Pleasant memories from that room filled her mind.
Still caught up in her memories, Kitty heard a knock on the door that led to the back steps. She went to answer the door and saw Matt on the other side. Matt no longer had his key to that door. When he and Kitty got married, there was no need for him to have to sneak up those back stairs.
"Hello, Matt," Kitty greeted. "How were your rounds?"
"Hello, Kitty," Matt responded. "Everything is peaceful, just the way I like it." He removed his hat and started to remove his boots and gunbelt. "Miss Russell, I noticed you're just standing there fully clothed. It's going to be very hard ta make love to you if you still have your clothes on."
All Kitty could do was smile as she quickly removed her dress, petticoat, and corset. It wasn't long until Kitty had all her clothing removed. She looked at Matt. "Now whose clothing is going to get in the way of our love making, Marshal Dillon?"
Matt quickly finished removing his clothes and solved that problem. He and Kitty walked over to the bed. They didn't even bother to turn down the covers. As they did in the past, they started with foreplay. They would kiss and examine each other's bodies with their hands. Before long, Matt and Kitty were making passionate love.
When their lovemaking was over, Matt was laying on his back. Kitty was snuggled up next to him, with her head resting on his chest. Both wished they could stay like this until dawn, but knew that wasn't possible. They had a daughter at home.
"It's too bad we couldn't stay here longer," said Kitty.
"I know what you mean, but we need to get home," sighed Matt. "Festus is gonna wonder where we are."
"We'll get dressed, and I'll straighten out the bed," said Kitty.
Matt and Kitty got dressed. Kitty asked Matt to help her with the back buttons on her dress. Once they were dressed and the covers were neat, Matt and Kitty left the room. They went out the backdoor and down the back steps. Kitty made sure the doors were locked before they left. They walked to their buggy and headed home.
Festus' plan of Ruby falling asleep on the couch and putting her to bed backfired. It was Festus who had fallen asleep, while Ruby was still wide awake. With Festus' snoring, the chances of Ruby falling asleep were slim. Ruby was eager for her parents to come home.
Matt and Kitty arrived home and departed the buggy. Kitty decided to wait for Matt to take care of the horse and buggy. She wanted to walk into the house with him. Matt finished with the horse and buggy. He took Kitty's hand and the two of them walked to the house.
When Matt opened the door, they saw Festus asleep on the couch and Ruby wide awake sitting next to him. Ruby saw her daddy and her momma and ran over to them. She stepped up onto her daddy's boot and tightly hugged his leg.
"I so glad you're home," she said, not loosening her grip.
Matt reached down and lifted her up. "What's wrong sweetie?"
"I didn't like Uncle Festus' story about Tavius and the bear. It scared me," Ruby answered.
Matt and Kitty looked at each other. They couldn't believe Festus told that story to a four year old little girl. They knew his intentions weren't to scare Ruby, but they still couldn't believe he told her that story. Festus was still snoring away on the couch, oblivious that Matt and Kitty were home. Matt decided to have some fun. He handed Ruby over to Kitty.
"Hold it!" Matt exclaimed.
That woke Festus out of his deep sleep. "Huh? What?" he stammered. He then realized where he was. "Matthew, why on Earth didja go 'n do that for? Give a man a heart attack doin' that."
Matt was standing in front of Kitty and Ruby, blocking them from Festus' view. "Is Ruby in bed?" He already knew the answer.
Festus looked around and saw that Ruby was no longer on the couch. He started to panic. He didn't remember putting Ruby back to bed, but maybe he did.
"Daddy, you're silly," said Ruby. "I'm right here."
Relief flooded through Festus. He was afraid he lost the little girl. Festus now knew he had some explaining to do. "Yer probably wondering why Miss Ruby isn't in bed."
"She told us," said Kitty. "Next time no more stories like Octavius and the bear."
"Sorry 'bout that, Miss Kitty," Festus apologized. "I should get goin'"
"Thanks for watching her, Festus," said Matt. "We really appreciate it."
"Ain't no problem, Matthew," said Festus. "Goodnight." He left the house.
"Momma, my tummy hurts," Ruby complained.
Kitty hoped Ruby wasn't coming down with something. "Let's go into the kitchen and get some tummy powders from Grandpa Doc. They'll make ya feel better."
Matt went to make sure the door and windows were locked. Kitty took Ruby into the kitchen and sat her down on one of the chairs. She went to get a glass of water for the powders and noticed the plate of cookies. When she and Matt left, there were a dozen cookies on the plate. Now there were six cookies left. Kitty turned to Ruby. She had an inkling of what was causing Ruby's upset stomach.
"What happened to all the cookies?" she asked her daughter. "I'm pretty sure there were more than this when I left."
Ruby knew she couldn't lie to her momma. "I told Uncle Festus I get four cookies 'cause I four years old."
"I see," said Kitty. "You know better than that. Four cookies is probably what's giving you an upset stomach. You can drink this. It'll make you feel better. Then I'll put you to bed."
Matt walked into the kitchen. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked.
"She'll be fine," Kitty replied. "Four cookies is the culprit of her stomachache." She explained to Matt why Ruby ate four cookies.
"Momma, I don't want to sleep in my bed tonight," said Ruby. "Can I sleep with you and daddy?"
Kitty was too tired to argue with her daughter. Besides, it wasn't Ruby's fault that Festus scared her with that story. Kitty looked at Matt, who nodded his head, telling Kitty he didn't mind.
"Alright, honey," said Kitty. "You can sleep in our bed just for tonight."
Kitty picked Ruby up from the chair and carried her to the bedroom. Matt was following his girls. Ruby was facing Kitty, with her head on her momma's shoulder. Ruby lifted her head and saw the back of her momma's dress.
"Momma, your buttons aren't all buttoned," Ruby said.
Kitty looked at Matt. He was trying his hardest not to laugh. Kitty was doing the same thing. "I guess momma didn't do a good job with them when she got dressed."
"Silly, momma," Ruby giggled. "You need to do a better job next time."
"I'll make sure that I do," said Kitty. She looked at Matt. He was supposed to have buttoned those buttons for her.
Kitty made sure Ruby used the water closet. When Ruby was done, Kitty put Ruby on their bed. While Ruby was lying on the bed, Matt and Kitty got ready for bed. Once they were ready, they both climbed onto the bed and under the covers. After they settled themselves, Ruby scooted over to her daddy and snuggled up close to him. This wasn't the girl Matt had planned on holding that night, but he wasn't going to complain. He made eye contact with Kitty.
"The joys of parenthood," Kitty mouthed to him.
Matt smiled and nodded. 'Yup, the joys of parenthood,' he thought. What a joy it was.
The End
*Author's Note: This was a longer chapter, but I didn't want to do another part. I hope you enjoyed the story.