Reunited
"Okay, so run this by me again." Rocky asked as we putzed along in the old farm truck.
"What aren't you understanding?" I asked, genuinely confused about what Rocky found hard to believe about the situation.
"I guess I didn't think you were the type to lay with a whor—" I covered Rocky's mouth.
"Don't, not around the kid." I said, pointing with my eyes before releasing Rocky.
"Right, I suppose that would be a sore spot for the kid."
"Look, Roselyn has been a friend of mine for years, and not the kind you're thinking of. She was actually in love with Derrick."
"Derrick? Your friend that died in the war?"
"Yes. All I ever did for Roselyn afterwards was check in and keep an eye on her. I guess I beat up a few guys over the years that hurt her or refused to pay… but none of that is relevant now. We had one passionate night and this is the consequence of that."
"Dad, Ethan, I think we're here." Joseph said, pointing at the house with a couple of cars in front of it. Rocky checked the address he had written down on a piece of paper before leaving St. Louis.
"Yep, that's it alright." He said, pulling up to the curb. "So what are you going to tell Bella?"
"The truth." I said. "But let me handle it. Cal, can you watch William for me?"
"Sure thing!" Joseph said before leaning over next to William. "Hey Will, are you excited to meet the rest of the family?"
"Um…"
"That's alright! Trust me, they are good people."
While Rocky and Joseph unloaded our stuff, I glanced in the window and saw my family there along with the McMurrays. After so long, I was finally home. Well… close enough anyway. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door three times than stepped back. The warm glow of the house beckoned me inside when the door opened, but instead of Bella standing there I was faced with Reuben.
"Ruby, good to see you. Mind if I come in?" I asked.
Reuben looked at me and then past me where he saw Rocky and Joseph working in the truck. He finally smiled, extending a hand for me to shake. "Welcome back, Ethan Kelly." He said before giving me room to walk in.
"Hey everyone, look who it is!" Reuben said as he stepped aside. Walking in, I took off my hat. Bella and Riley were on the couch talking with The McMurrays and Ivy's siblings. In the middle the young children were playing. Emily's face lit up when she saw me, and I dropped to my knees with joy. She wasn't mine, and yet she was in ways other cats simply would never understand. Emily flew into my arms as I hugged her tight.
"Daddy! Auntie Riley told me!"
"Oh, Emily… my little girl! I can't believe how much you've grown!" I said, kissing her on the cheek and rising to my feet. Emily enjoyed the feeling of me lifting her high up to everyone else's eye level and she was quickly enveloped on all sides by Bella and myself as we kissed each other.
"Still not used to that…" Riley said, looking away.
"I saved one for you too, Riley." I replied, quickly closing the distance and hugging her with one free arm. I kissed her on the forehead. "Look who grew up." I said with pride.
"I missed you, brother." She said, hugging me in response. I sat down in the middle of the couch with Riley on one side, Bella on the other, and Emily sitting on my lap. Mary looked up at me with big eyes, not really knowing what to think.
"Who are you?" She asked.
I smiled warmly as Freckle explained. "That's your Uncle Ethan, dear. He just came back from Montana."
"That's right, and when I last saw you had only just started walking around." I said.
"Mary and I are teaching Danny words." Emily beamed with pride.
"You are? You know how to read?"
"Yeah!"
"Well, when I tuck you in tonight, I would love a demonstration." I said, holding her close and stroking her wild black hair. She looked nothing like her adoptive parents and soon I'd need to start revealing the truth piece by piece, but for tonight I just wanted to be with my family and not have any surprises. Well… except for one."
Joseph led William as he brought in our bags. Rocky quickly followed while Reuben closed the door. "There, everyone is together now!" He said before heading to the kitchen. "The roasts should be done soon! Who wants a drink?"
Bella noticed the young boy standing next to Joseph immediately and I could see her face change from euphoria to concern. "Ethan, who's this boy you brought with you?"
I glanced around the room before making eye contact with William, who was backing away from all the attention. He could feel that everyone was suddenly interested in him and it frightened the boy. I immediately caught on and set Emily down before quickly walking over to the boy and sitting down on the ground. I gestured for him to sit next to me and he complied instantly.
"Everyone, I've got some news. And Bella, I've got some explaining to do. This boy here is William. He was born in November of 1927 to a woman named Roselyn."
"That's Rose's child?" Riley said, shocked. "I didn't know she had a baby?"
"I didn't either until a few days ago, Riley. William here… well, he's my son." I finally said. The room around me fell silent for a moment as the news sank in. At least until Rocky broke the tension in the room.
"Isn't this great?! Another addition to the family! Come on, people, we have so much to celebrate! Right Joseph?"
"Uh, dad…" Joseph gestured to the parlor. "I don't think we should be involved."
"Yes… this isn't really something that we should be sticking our noses into." Ivy said in an unusually cautious tone. "Why don't we all go into the dinning room and let Ethan catch up with his family?"
"Good idea, honey. Come on, kids!" Freckle said, standing up and scooping Danny into his army. "Let's see how you like roasted beef, son."
Ivy kneeled down and briefly hugged me. "I'm glad you're back, Ethan. Really. I want to know more later."
"Thanks, Ivy." I said.
"But, but…" Rocky tried to protest. However, Ivy and Joseph each grabbed an arm. "Come on, we gotta set the table anyway."
And just like that, it was me and my family. Emily didn't seem to understand much and Riley certainly didn't seem upset. Bella though was not happy.
"Okay, honey. Before you say anything, I just want you to know that this whole thing happened without my knowledge and it was months before I met you."
"I can do the math, Ethan. Riley, could you take the kids with you and get them ready to eat?"
"Yes, ma'am." Riley said, taking both young children by their arms and ushering them into the dining room.
Finally alone, I stood up and sat on the couch across from Bella. "Honey…"
"Why isn't that boy with his mother?" She asked. "Don't tell me you…"
"No, this is completely different from Emily."
"Well that's a relief… sort of. But then why isn't he with this Roselyn?"
"Because, Bella, she's dying. The kid has nowhere to go."
Bella sighed and rubbed her tired face. "And let me guess, you made a promise to her, didn't you?"
"Yes…" I said, "But…"
"Ethan, do you know how close we are to not having enough money to feed the people we have? The whole area is dry as a bone and I can barely keep the vegetables going in the garden. Ivy and Calvin are having just as much of a problem. We can't afford to—"
"I know that, and we're just going to have to deal with it."
"You could have dealt with it by finding a friend or someone else to take him in." She said, crossing her arms. "Montana is all he knows, and I can tell in his eyes that he doesn't want to be here. He doesn't want to be adopted by complete strangers."
I had expected some sort of hesitation to the idea of adopting William, but maybe two years had made Bella less accepting? "I couldn't leave him there, Bella. Honestly, I thought you might be upset that I had slept with another woman."
She glared at me, shaking her head. "I'm not petty, Ethan. You certainly had a life before coming to St. Louis and it would be silly of me expect that you had never slept with a woman before. Although, I guess I am a little upset that you of all people would get a woman pregnant and then leave her. How did that even happen?"
"I didn't know. She's… let's just say it was a mutual accident on her part and mine. My big regret is not writing Roselyn after I moved; she might have told me if I had given her the chance."
"What I'm really upset about is that you didn't think to call me or consult me in any way before bringing that poor boy halfway across the country. You did the same with Emily too."
"That turned out fine though, right? She's just as much your daughter as she is mine."
"Yes, but how can I say 'no' when you've already brought the child home?"
"So you would have turned her away? If I recall correctly, you were the one telling me to let Rocky keep Joseph."
"That was his decision… but I knew we both could help him. That was also when there was still money to go around. We can't just collect every stray kitten you boys find with the job market as it is. I mean, have you even figured out how you're going to make any money now that you're back?"
I restrained myself from raising my voice, instead taking a deep breath before looking Bella straight in the eyes. "William is not a stray kitten and I am not adopting him! He's my son and he is my responsibility. Now, I'm sorry that I didn't call you ahead of time, but frankly it wouldn't have mattered."
"Oh, so my opinion doesn't matter?"
"Yes! Wait, no! I mean… Look, Bella, your opinion will always matter to me, but there was no way in Hell I was going to leave my son to his fate in Butte."
"Fate? You mean to tell me that there wasn't a single person in that town who could keep him in his hometown? You've brought him all the way over here to a family that—"
"Yes, fate. If I left him there, odds are he would be dead or forced to live in some god forsaken camp on the other side of the mountains, surrounded by people who hate what he is."
"Ethan… that's a bit dramatic, don't you think?"
"It really isn't, Bella. I don't expect you to understand, but I need your support on this."
"It's hard to support my husband when he makes big decisions without me." Bella said. "That child isn't the problem; it's you making a unilateral decision that affects us both. We're supposed to be a team, Ethan! What, are you going to go off and start rum running again?"
"Hell no! I need honest work, as do Rocky and Freckle. And we are a team, but that means sometimes we need to trust each other to make the right judgement. The fact is this, Bella. That kid belongs with me."
Bella inhaled deeply, calming herself. "Alright, fine. You want my support; you shall have it. But first you need to tell me this kid's big secret. Why are you so certain that William wouldn't be better off at home? Where's his mother's family been this whole time?
"Her family is like mine… six feet under. And the rest of them are in some of the worst territory you could imagine."
"What do you mean?"
"Bella, do you know what a Metis is?"
"It sounds Spanish but I've never heard of it."
"It isn't Spanish. Metis are people who are a mix of European and Indian. William's mother is Roselyn White Horse, a Blackfeet."
"…so?"
"So, Metis are hated by everyone!" I said, trying to explain. "The people of Butte would treat him as bad as they treated his mother, and his mother's distant relatives would never claim him. They too have mouths to feed and they've got a lot fewer options than us, I can tell you that much."
"Oh…" Bella said, thinking about what I just revealed.
"Please, Bella. That kid has nowhere else to go and no one else who would even care if he died. I was wrong about Rocky and Joseph, very wrong and I'll regret ever doubting Rocky's ability to care for that kid. Well, I'm not going to make the same mistake with my own son. He stays, and I won't hear otherwise. You can hate me if you like, but I don't abandon my family.
"No… you certainly don't. Like I said, you'll have my support. But you've got to find a way to start bringing cash in, otherwise we're going to be hurting soon."
"I'll figure that out as soon as we're back home. Now, can we join everyone else for dinner or what?"
New Racer
Dinner was surprisingly quiet considering it was meant to be a celebration of us all coming back together as one family. Unfortunately, I knew all too well what the problem was. William was a novelty for them all. He looked like me and yet there were features that were different. The necklace around the boy's neck stuck out like a sore thumb and all I could do is hope that the people I had come to see as my family would be open to a wayward child who needed a home. After all, this was hardly the first time! And yet it was the first time in a way. How much did they all know about Blackfeet? I didn't know much and it was safe to assume everyone else knew even less.
Rocky, not able to sit and listen to everyone eat without conversation, finally broke the ice. "So, Mr. Pepper, I understand you have a new car for our racing operation?"
Reuben looked relieved that someone finally broached a topic he could involve himself in. "Why yes, Rocky, I do! This thing is sweet and she's in the garage at my house."
"It's not in pieces, is it?" Freckle asked, thinking of how much work it would take to put together.
"There are a few parts that need replacing, but nothing critical. That's why Rocky had to bring the truck, you'll want a support vehicle."
"But it runs?" Rocky asked.
"She runs like a top! After we clean up here, how about you boys come take a look at it? Ethan, you can come too if you like."
"To see a car? I—"
Riley placed her hand on mine. "Go catch up with Rocky and Freckle, I'll help get the kids ready for bed then you can come see them."
"You sure, Riley?"
"I'm not a little kid anymore, Ethan. Let me help."
"Thank you, sister. And what about you, Bella?"
"Emily needs a bath… and I assume your son does as well. Plus we still need to unpack. Go be with your brothers for a while." She said. I sensed that what she really wanted was some space to process this new development in our lives and marriage. I really did feel guilty about not telling her that I had a son when I had the chance to do so on the phone, but at the same time I meant what I said. I was that boy's father and one way or another I was going to do my duty.
Once dinner was finished, Riley stood up and went over to William. He was getting out of his chair and was about to follow the boys out the door when a steady, gentle hand stopped him. He looked up at a young woman. Her face was somewhat similar to his. She smiled back at the boy and crouched low.
"William, I'm sorry I didn't properly introduce myself before. I'm Ethan's sister, Riley. I guess that makes me your aunt."
"Oh yeah. I'm William!"
"I know… but it's good to meet you anyway. Did you have a long trip from Montana?"
William nodded his head and rubbed one of his eyes. A full belly was making him sleepy. Riley stood up and took his hand in hers.
"When did you last have a bath?"
"Um…"
"Ha, I guess that means you probably need one."
"I don't like baths though."
"Nobody does, but the water is good and hot in this house. I'll let you do your own cleaning then we can find some fresh clothes for you."
True to her word, Riley drew hot water for the bath. William wasn't really that concerned about being undressed in front of his new aunt, it was a regular thing for him back home. Ruth had been taking care of him once his mother got too sick. Soaking in the tub, he finally relaxed while Riley was content to pull out a book and sit down on the floor near the tub in case her nephew needed anything.
"So, um… aunt Riley?" He asked.
Riley stopped reading and looked over at him. "Did you need something, William?"
"No, I had a question."
Riley closed her book and placed it in her lap then handed him a bar of soap. "Ask away, kid."
"Do you know my mom?"
"I do know her! But I wasn't much older than you when I last saw her. She was always kind to me and I guess she was a little more than kind to my brother."
"So why weren't you at home?"
"You mean why wasn't I in Montana?"
William nodded his head while scrubbing down every inch of fur on his body with soap and a washcloth.
"That's a long story. Ethan wanted he and I to have a fresh start in a different city, so we came to St. Louis before you were born. Now I kind of wish we hadn't moved so soon."
"Oh…" William said, looking down at the soapy water surrounding him. Riley knew that face because she had made the same one many times before.
"You miss your mom and your home, don't you?"
William nodded his head again which caused Riley to scoot over to the tub and hold the boy's face in her hands.
"I know Ethan wouldn't have taken you out here if your mother didn't want you to come. I can tell she loves you very much, and now so do I. Ethan does too, even if it'll take him a while to show it as a father should."
"Ethan said we can write a letter to her when we got home."
Riley kissed the boy on the forehead before helping him with washing his long hair and his ears. "I think that's a great idea, and we'll write a letter tomorrow so that she knows your safe. I'll even take a picture of us so she'll know you are with family. Now close your eyes and don't let the soapy water get into them while I rinse you off."
"There, ain't she a beauty?!" Reuben said as he flung open the garage doors. Rocky and Freckle immediately began inspecting the car. I walked up to it alongside Joseph and Oliver who got around to the back and helped push her onto the driveway. As she emerged from the garage, the moonlight overhead reflected off her polished paint and trim. Even in the dark I could tell the car was painted a dark green color.
"She'll need a bit of work to get her into top condition for racing, but I think this car is going to serve your needs well."
"It's a full-size speed demon!" Rocky said, dancing around it to look at every detail. Meanwhile, Freckle and the boys opened up the engine compartment while Reuben pointed out some of its key features.
Freckle could hardly believe what he was seeing. "It's a Ford model 40."
"A 1933, 3-window coupe." Oliver added, opening the door so Freckle could look inside the cab.
"With the eight-cylinder engine!" Ruby boasted. "Factory top speed is 80 mph."
"Where did you get this?" I asked, looking at the driver's seat and the dashboard.
"This girl was bought for running moonshine into the city. The farmer got caught and it changed hands a couple of times. Legally, mind you! But the other week one of my bosses gifted it to me and, well, I don't really need another car." Ruby pointed to the two vehicles already parked in the driveway.
"Running moonshine, huh?" Freckle said. "That carburetor doesn't look stock."
"Good eye! It's a custom design for better airflow. The cylinder heads are aluminum instead of cast iron, the suspension has been stiffened, a lot of extra weight has been removed, and the tires it runs are wider than factory dimensions."
"Is she fast?" Rocky asked, quickly falling in love with the car.
"Is she fast? You really need to ask, Rocky?" Reuben said. "I never tried taking her to the limit, but when driving around on the backroads it was almost more than I could handle. Fast, sure, but also nimble! Now just imagine how fast this car will be if you put a racing body on it!"
"So, how much is this going to cost us?" Freckle asked.
"Nothing! Monetarily anyway. I do have a favor to ask though."
"Here it comes…" Freckle muttered as he waited for the catch.
"I need you boys to chart me a new route across the state that avoids cops."
"Why?" I asked. "There's nothing wrong with having alcohol in Missouri."
"True, but don't you know how dry Kansas is? I have suppliers between here and St. Louis who need a safe route to ship booze across the border."
Freckle and I looked at each other. "Why are you asking us? We're retired."
"From rum running and keeping that speakeasy going, sure, but not from racing or driving around. Look, you boys wouldn't be my first choice but I need someone I can trust to carve out a route for my bosses."
Freckle and I remained skeptical.
"What? You're already going to need to drive the car back home anyway."
"We'll do it!" Rocky said, jumping into the driver's seat and checking over all the controls.
"Rocky!" Freckle tried to reason with his cousin but it was no use.
Reuben put an arm around both Freckle and me. "Hey, I'm not asking for anything illegal or dangerous. Surely you guys can handle this little favor."
"Oh, I guess." I said. "It does look like a nice car."
Freckle still wasn't pleased. "You know, after all the lecturing you gave me and Ivy about this sort of lifestyle, it's very hypocritical for you of all people to be asking this sort of stuff from us."
"Hey, as I said, there isn't anything illegal about what you're doing. The car is clean too, in case your wondering. It took me two days of negotiating with my superiors to get all the paperwork scrubbed of their names. Besides, times are tough and this is one of the few ways I've seen Rocky make any money. Maybe this car will be good luck?"
"It is green!" Rocky said before motioning for Joseph to get in. "Come on, Cal! Let's get her to the guest house!"
Rekindle
Walking up to the bedroom, I peaked inside the door and saw Riley curled up with William. If anyone had asked me seven years ago if Riley would be a good babysitter I would have laughed. And yet it seemed as though my two-year absence had forced her to take on more responsibilities. She stopped reading her book to the boy and looked over at me, a smile forming across her face.
"You just going to stand there or are you going to tell your son goodnight?"
"I'll tell you both goodnight, how's that?" I said, walking in and sitting down in the middle of the bed. "Say, what are you reading tonight?"
Riley held the book up for me to see the cover. "Little House on the Prairie" she said. "It's the third in her series."
"Sounds like something you could relate to. And you might relate to it as well, William. What did you think of our family?"
"They're okay…" He said but snuggled in closer to Riley. "Aunt Riley is my favorite."
"I'm very glad to hear that, son." I said, leaning down and kissing the boy on the forehead. "I know this is a big change for you, but you can trust Riley and myself."
"How did Bella take the news?" Riley asked, slipping out of the bed and standing up while I pulled the covers over my boy.
"It could have been a lot worse." I said before turning my attention back to William. "Riley will be sleeping in the bed over there, so don't worry about being alone. Good night." I said before standing up.
"Ethan, we should talk." Riley said as we closed the door behind us.
"There's a lot to catch up on, I know."
"It's not just that. His mother… I remember you saying that Miss Roselyn lived in a brothel. I don't remember you…"
"I know, Riley. But I did go there on occasion."
"Well that's an image I didn't need…" She said, shaking her head.
"No, I wasn't going to the brothel for that. I went there to check on Rose specifically. The night that… William happened; we were at the house."
"Huh… I don't remember that."
"Good, because you should have been fast asleep."
"Did Bella tell you how short on money we really are? We're being paid in eggs and bacon, even Ivy and Freckle."
"Please don't start that up with me, I've already had my fill of lecturing about our finances for the evening. And no, I'm not sending my son back to Montana."
Riley looked shocked. "I'd never ask you to do that, why would you think such a thing?"
"That's what Bella wanted. Or more specifically, she wanted to know why I didn't find him a more suitable guardian in Butte."
"Ethan… I know what Roselyn is, and I know what that makes William. You did the right thing by taking him here."
"I feel for the poor kid. He doesn't yet know how little most people care about Indians." I slumped to the floor of the hallway, leaning back against the wall. "What am I going to do, Riley?"
Riley sat down next to me, rubbing my back while putting her head on my shoulder. "What you're going to do is be the father I know you can be. The father you've been to me."
"I'm your brother, Riley. It's not the same."
"Not to me its not. Casy is right, I dodged a bullet by our father dying when I was so young. I got you instead."
"I'm glad to know my sister is on my side and… wait, you've been talking to Casy?" I asked with a suspicious eyebrow raised. Riley looked at me for a second then started laughing, trying to stifle the volume.
"See, and you're getting overprotective just like a father!" She snickered. I had to check my own instincts for a moment and tone down the accusatory thoughts going through my mind.
"Well, I do hope you've had enough sense to not make the same mistake I made with Roselyn." I said. Riley got serious in a flash, pointing a finger at my chest.
"I don't want you to ever call that boy a mistake, Ethan Kelly! He might have been an accident, but nothing about William is a mistake. You were meant to have a son."
"You're right, I need to watch my tongue." I agreed. "Anyway, I should go say goodnight to Emily. And you look like you could use a nice long night of sleep. Which room is she in?"
"Oh yeah. Space was a little tight so after you brought William with you Bella decided that Emily can sleep with you and her."
"Then I know where I need to be. Hopefully Bella and I can keep from arguing."
"I think she's too tired. Goodnight, Ethan. You let me handle William, okay?"
"Okay, thank you."
"…and then we rode a train! Then we got here, and you came back like Aunt Riley said! And…" Emily yammered on about all that I had missed in two years. Unfortunately, she started in the middle and jumped around for five minutes to the point where I couldn't keep track of where things were until the last couple of sentences. Bella sat on the bed with our girl next to her, trying not to laugh as I changed into evening clothes. I crawled into bed next to my wife with our daughter between us.
"I want to hear every detail of what I missed, Emily, but not tonight. Mom and dad are very tired and I know you are too after such a long day."
"But Dad, I didn't even get to the bestest part!"
"Oops, too late, light is going off now." I said, turning out the lamp and laying down. Before she could protest, I grabbed Emily and made her lay down next to me. "But I'm very glad to be back with my little girl. I'm going to sleep good tonight knowing my favorite women are close by." I said, reaching over and kissing Bella on the cheek as she settled in. "I'm also glad to be sleeping with my wonderful wife instead of on the sofa downstairs."
"Well… I did miss you, Ethan." Bella said. "I'm still not happy about the whole thing, and we're going to have a long talk about making decisions without each other, but it can wait."
"You mean you're too tired to argue and I'm too tired to hear it all in Spanish." I teased. Bella gave me a warning glare.
"Right… it can wait."
"So… I have a new brother?" Emily whispered to me.
"Yes, Emily, you do. Now go to sleep."