Page 7 of A Wanderer's Redemption
“No, no, that’s understandable, let’s go see who this is, as I am as confused as you are.”
I step off the side, looking around, only to find a small female with dark hair standing next to Colby. He is gently holding her arm and is bent down, talking to her. Instantly, I see the relief on his face when he notices me approaching.
“Mr. Kerns, I told her you would come. I have no idea how this mix-up happened, but the others and I are willing to sleep in one of the freight cars so that Jessie can have our room if that’s acceptable.”
The moment her green eyes met mine, I am momentarily at a loss for words. Forcing my gaze away, I turn toward Colby, andeven though I am secretly happy she is here, I am still confused as to why.
“I was not made aware that any of Grant’s maids were accompanying us.”
“Sir, I sent her name along with the others. You said all were welcome to come.”
“Yes, I did, and I am a man of my word. I’m simply trying to figure out what happened.” I hand the card to him, “Which one of these is hers?”
Colby’s eyes glance over the card before he looks down at her. “Oh, Jess, what have I done? Please Mr. Kerns, this is truly my fault. I have called her Jessie since we were youngins. Her proper name is Jessica.”
The conductor clears his throat. “Sir, the ticket is made out to Jessie Welch. If the lady can provide proper identification, the ticket is valid, but we will have to find her a more suitable seat for the trip. Otherwise, she will have to meet you at a later date after this is corrected. The train is scheduled to depart in ten minutes, and I must get you all on board.”
“I don’t have any paperwork proving who I am one way or another.” She looks up at me, then Colby and I can see the panic in her eyes. Knowing I only have a few minutes to figure this out, I need to get rid of this conductor.
“Give me three minutes, and I will be on board, kind Sir. You are welcome to go and see to your other duties.”
Gently, I pull her to the side. “Forgive me for this mix-up Jessica, but before we get into that, I had no idea any of the girls hadchosen to come … Why did you? I provided you with a generous severance pay and good references.”
“Yes you did, Sir, and I appreciate all you did for us before letting us go. Since then, I’ve been searching all over town for work, but there weren’t any suitable jobs available. The current employment situation and my inability to add to what you have provided means that the pocket money you’ve given me would be gone in months. I would then face eviction from my rented room and homelessness. I don’t need to tell you what happens to young women when they have no family or lack any other place to turn. While looking for a job, I happened to run into Colby again, and he reminded me that you said all of us were welcome. Well, here I am.”
“Do you even understand how tough it’s going to be out here? The area we’re headed to won’t resemble the nice, elegant homes you’ve been caring for. All of us will be lucky to find a bed that’s not on the ground after we leave the train.”
“Couldn’t be any harder than here, Sir. Just because your home was nice does not mean ours was. I did not live in Mr. Hayes’ home; only Mrs. Beacon resided there. As I mentioned before, I had a room down on Black Alley above the seamstress’s shop. Thankfully, I was one of the few who had a lock on my door, and luckily, Deven lived nearby and was able to walk me to and from work most days. I do not have to tell you what an unsavory area that is. Nevertheless, I was lucky to have never been accosted, and I am not entirely helpless, as I was not raised in town, Mr. Kerns. My family owned a farm several hours south of here, and I understand hardship the same as anyone else.”
“Please don’t take this wrong, but what can you do besides dust?”
“Not only am I a hard worker, but I can also cook over an open fire, ride a horse, shoot a gun, and take care of a home. Anything else I can learn, but I didn’t hear you asking the men that same question before hiring them.”
“Well, for something so small, you’re certainly sure of yourself.” I stand there for a minute, unsure how to proceed. She can’t stay with the men, and even if I buy her another ticket, the conductor already said all the sleeping cars are full. For some reason, the thought of leaving her behind almost guts me. Glancing down at her, I see the slight tremble she’s trying to hide as she looks up at me with her head held high. Lord knows she is a tiny thing as she barely comes to the middle of my chest, but she really is striking, and it makes me wonder why some young fellow hasn’t swooped in to make her his yet.That’s it!!!
“Okay, as I am not comfortable with you traveling alone, we’re going to have to lie to get you on this train, so just play along.”
Thankfully, the conductor who had brought all of this to my attention was called away, and another man is motioning for us.
“Colby, you and the others go ahead and board. I will take Jessica with me and see if I can find a sleeping car for her. I will check in with you at the next stop. In Wyoming, we will buy supplies, then we should be in Utah a few days later. You men enjoy your down time because there won’t be much of that once we leave this train.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kerns. I knew you would straighten all this out, and we appreciate you for putting us up so nicely for the ride out West. It will be a pleasure to be able to sit back and relax some for a change.”
I look down only to find one small bag at Jessica’s feet. “Is this all you have with you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
I didn’t mean to embarrass her but simply by the tone of her voice, I can tell I did.
“Okay, if we are going to make this work no more, ‘yes Sir’ … my name is Reggie.” I hold up my hand when I can tell she is about to protest. “Just play along as we only need to do this for a couple of days. Once we are off this train, we will discuss the arrangements further.”
Picking up her bag I grab her hand, tucking it into my arm. I hear her gasp when I pull her closer, walking up to this new conductor. “Mr. Kerns, I was told you already checked in. Does the Missus have a ticket?”
“She does, but there has been a huge problem that I should have mentioned sooner. The hotel we stayed in last night lost her luggage. One of her maids gave her this dress to wear so we wouldn’t miss the train while they stayed behind trying to locate it. In the meantime, I came to pick up our tickets, and, in my own stupidity, I didn’t notice that the ticket master had also botched her name. This entire trip has been trying, and we haven’t even left the station!
I told her to pick up a few necessities and meet me here, but apparently, because of the way she is dressed and the fact that I had her ticket with me, no one would assist her. It’s a miracle one of my workers saw her standing here looking for me before we left the station. Here’s the ticket. This is my wife, Jessica. I am just glad I was able to locate her before the train left. I can’t imagine the horror she would have gone through trying to catchup to me in Utah. As you can see here, they have her name spelled wrong. It should say Jessica and not Jessie, it’s just a clerical error.”
“Sir, I apologize for the railway’s incompetence and the distress your good wife has been put through. I am ashamed of how some people react to a simple dress, as it’s easy to tell by her bearing that she is not a commoner.”
