The exciting thing is that right before I went into have my teeth pulled I sat down and edited some of my stories! (That's how I relived anxiety.) Between the nightmares that I recorded after having my deep wells of wisdom removed and the edited stories this one ranked as the lesser of the creepies and not too much of the gushy romantic stuff that I can get into. I started writing this little story in January and have finally reached the point that I felt like it could be seen by human eyes, other than myself of course. Well my cheeks need ice and my creativity is begging that I start a new story, poem, haiku. Perhaps I'll even start writing a play....Options, options.
Amber Waves of Change
Bells whorled, crowds rushed by with ruddy faces, teary eyed good-byes were being said, but one scene was different. Anna looked over her brother and his family. Relief was visible in their appearance. They were getting rid of their biggest burden. Her. She bent down to hug the children, and gave them each a stick of peppermint. Her eyes lingered on her nieces and nephews unwilling to look up. Relenting to the constant staring of Alice she stood up straitened the bodice of her dress and faced her brother and his wife. It was easy for her to give Charlie a hug, kiss and causally slip a letter in his hand. As for Alice her sister-in-law the hug was brief. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as she waved to them then boarded the train. The pounding force of the crowds had fatigued her. With weary hands she assessed the damage of her hair and hat. The analysis wasn’t good. Her golden hair was falling out of its Edwardian bun. Her hat that she had bought expressly for this occasion had almost been completely trashed due to the consistent waves of beating. But this was an adventure the very thing that she had been thought she wanted. She looked around at the passengers that were sitting next to her. A young lady that wore the a very fashionable dress looked with stars in her eyes at her traveling partner that was reading the newspaper. A young man in his mid-twenties sat directly across from her. He had soft brown eyes and the expression of a gentlemen. His bag of golf clubs sat next to him. Anna realized that she had been staring when he looked up with a questioning expression. Trying desperately to soften the awkward moment she held out her hand and said in a voice hardly above a whisper “Good afternoon sir, my name is Anna…Anna Hemmington.” He looked at her hand for a second then took it, gave it a stiff shake and said in a strong voice “Nice to meet you my name is Jeffrey Black.” Their met eyes for a few seconds. With a blush she looked down at the hem of her dress and muttered “Nice to meet you too.” The stress of the past few days was enough to make her exhausted and long for a nap but it wasn’t proper for lady to sleep in public, so the laws of society kept her from a much deserved rest. To help her stay awake she looked out the window and watched the scenery change with rapid pace. Seeing the lush emerald trees for the last was harder to say goodbye to than she realized. The landscape of Vermont was her favorite thing that home had to offer. Tears came to her eyes as night came. With blurred vision her green eyes frantically searched for the first star so she could have the wish of her heart, but it was a cloudy night. After everyone was asleep she finally she fell into an anxious rest, with a paper clipping in her left ungloved hand. Jeffrey awoke when he heard a moan. Scanning the room he noticed that it was Anna who was moaning. Quickly he looked around the room to see if there was anything in it that would agitate her. Just when he was certain that she was having a nightmare and nothing more he saw the paper clipping slip through her fingers. Softly it began to float to the ground. Jeffrey gracefully leaned forwarded and caught the paper just before it hit the ground. Picking it up with great interest he began to search it for answers to the many questions that flooded his mind. It was tattered and the corners showed signs of a being rubbed. The printing was fading from being folded and re-folded. With the little light that was in the train car hallway he was able to make out what it said. “Needed: A women who isn’t afraid of work. Can teach kids, and open to marriage with a forty-five year old man living in Nebraska with three kids all under the age of eleven, and all very stubborn” He tucked the add back in her hand and studied her face. It looked young yet clouded with worry. She was beautiful to be certain; golden hair, green eyes, red soft lips. It seemed so strange that a lady with so much promise was throwing herself away, but as he began to ponder on their awkward introduction earlier in the day it wasn’t to hard to see why. A girl that so obviously needed grace wouldn’t be wanted. With one last glance of pity towards her he fell asleep. Then next morning she was the first to awake. She sleepily looked around and rubbed the kink in her neck as she looked around the room. Nothing had changed, with hope she looked out of the window to see fields of wheat passing by. Her arm slowly dropped to her lap as she stared at strange yet phenomenal surroundings. A clear voice quietly began “Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain.” She jumped when she heard a sound that was becoming familiar to her. The same self-assured voice spoke in low tones. She flashed a glance at Jeffry and nodded. But as he considered what he saw the night before he felt obligated to explain what he had seen. “Forgive me,” he started out, “but I saw the add in you hand last night…it slipped out of your grasp…” as he fumbled for the right words she looked directly at him for the first time. She searched his being with her green eyes then she cut his stumbling short. “Yes, I know that I should be patient. But it is easy for one to know when they are no longer wanted around. I felt like this was my only option.” Jeffry didn’t know what to do with himself during such an unguarded speech. Toward the end he found himself staring at the floor, embarrassed at her bold and unguarded words, a lady would have known not to speak so freely. He was more than a little surprised to feel ease during conversation that contained so little of the societies accepted rules. Anna soon found that she could easily talk to him. He likewise discovered that there was something about her drew his attention. Sunflowers blurred past the window as they talked. Lunch was cued by striking clock. Twelve chimes rang and lunch was brought. Everything was normal with their sandwiches except for Anna’s. She bit into it only to find a twig, on further examination she discovered that it was a sprig of rosemary. She gave what was becoming her trademark laugh, short and nervous. Quickly she waved it off as an accident, opened the window on her left and threw it out. The air was so refreshing inviting that she stuck her head out the winds noise swirled around her head. “Why has strength, poise and determination left me? Where are you?” she whispered to herself. As the day drew on a notable weight added to her countenance. Promptly at three her destination was called. She gave Jeffrey a brief glance, grabbed her hat box and carpet bag and said goodbye. Upon standing she said, “Have fun in California Jeffry, my best wishes are with you.” Without another word she turned her back on the room and walked out. A sense of poised duty followed her like a perfume. No one saw the little girl inside her mind that showed exactly how she felt. She decided then that it was now time to be strong. On the platform she waited for him, Henry Hill. The sun was falling lower in the west when a broad shouldered man appeared in a buckboard. He walked up the steps to the platform, taking two at a time, taking off his straw hat and said “Anna?” “Yes. Mr. Hill I presume.” An emphatic “NO” was her answer. “Oh” escaped her lips as her cheeks reddening “Mr. Hill is down with a broken leg I’m his hired hand James Callahan.” He took her luggage and helped her into the buckboard. James Callahan was not a conversationalist. Occasionally he’d hum a line from a song but that was it. This left her to console herself. The bumpy dirt road made her reconsider what she was doing. It felt like hours! The same scenery kept passing which convinced her that they were lost and never again see a house or children! Dying in the wilderness due to lack of provisions didn’t sound all that bad on closer consideration, until her stomach reminded her that starvation is more painful than the imagination could understand. Dusk strangely helped add to her situation,. The soft gray closing around the dusty surroundings was comforting. When she saw the white house lit up with roses in the yard she wished they had died in the wilderness. “Go ahead and go in without knocking. Mr. Hill is waiting for you.” Her stomach twisted and cramped. She grasped the pillar on the porch for assistance in order to make it up the three small steps. To her astonishment a little girl, which she had not seen from the buckboard, was waiting for her at the door and helped her to the guest room. Lily told Anna that her pa was waiting dinner for her, but to go ahead and freshen up from her long journey. This she did with great pleasure, with methodical movements she rejoiced in the familiar task. Finishing her hair she heard some thumping and a shadow appeared in the doorway. Her hands turned to stone and her face colored as her determination to stay strong was tested. A man with a leg in cast on his right leg came wobbling in. He had dark features. Big brown eyes and thick chestnut wavy hair. Smiling as he held out his arm he said, “May I escort this lady to the dance?” Her eyes lit up with joy. “Why of coarse you may!” She said. His coffee colored eyes twinkled. There was something about him that seemed familiar. She rested her small hand in the crook of his arm. She looked at him. He smiled in return. She smiled back. A new smile.
