Something In The Water - Part 7

©2004 by Helen Gibson

As Kid arrived at the church; he noticed the buggy with “Just Married” painted on the back, so he crept into the church and took a seat in the back just as the minister announced “I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride.”

At hearing those words, he looked up at the Bride and Groom and his heart dropped to his boots. It was Jimmy and Lou. ‘How could they all lie to my face like that last night?’ he thought angrily. ‘All the boys lied to me.’ He stood along with everyone else out of habit, but did not clap or cheer. As Lou and Jimmy walked past him, they didn’t even look at him…they were too busy looking at each other.

As the rest of the express family filed out of the church, the little girl holding Teaspoon’s hand caught his eye. She was the spitting image of Lou. When she proudly walked up the isle, smiling a big bright smile, she looked directly at him and her face changed to a frown.

When she looked at Kid, he saw that her big eyes were blue…just like his. ‘Oh my god! That’s my daughter!!!’ Kid’s thoughts bellowed in his head. ‘Why didn’t she tell me?’ He looked at the little girl’s back as she left the church.

‘Gosh, there’s a lot of kids here.’ Kid thought off-hand as he finally left the church, intent on confronting Lou. As he exited the church, he saw Jimmy and Lou leaving in the carriage./ He decided to get his horse and follow them. He ran to the livery, saddled his horse and took off riding after the newlyweds and express family.

As he approached the old waystation, he noticed the massive amount of change that had occurred. The place was now fenced, with a sign about the entryway reading P.E.W.

‘Hmmm. Wonder what that means?’ he pondered as he headed towards the group of people outside the bunkhouse. He made it within ten yards before someone noticed him.

“Mummy, man here” Joey yelled over the noise.

Looking up from happily talking to her friends and family, the smile fell from Lou’s face. She felt Jimmy come stand beside her and wrap a comforting arm around her waist. She knew he was trying to give her some of his strength. Now, one of the things she had feared for a long time was about to occur…Kid coming to claim his daughter.

Together Jimmy and Lou walked to stand together with Joey as Kid came to a stop astride his horse. Joey turned Jimmy and held her hands to be picked up as she now became very shy around strangers. Jimmy picked her up and gave her and Lou an encouraging cuddle.

“Kid” Jimmy acknowledged, nodding his head slightly.

“Hey Jimmy. Good to see ya again. So, what’s going on here? Having a party without me, huh?” Kid replied, anger evident in his voice.

“What do you want Kid?” Lou demanded. She put an arm around Jimmy, trying to absorb some of his strength. Inside, she was trembling…something in Kid’s eyes scared her.

“What do I want? Hmm, lets see…” his tone was sarcastic and laced with venom. “…Well I’d like MY wife by my side and to get to know MY child. Why didn’t you tell me I had a daughter, Lou?”

“Well, let’s get this straight. I stopped being your wife when I divorced you after seeing your other wife and children. As to why I didn’t tell you about MY daughter: it was because you left us before she was even born. I was six months pregnant when you left, Kid. I married Jimmy today and he has also adopted Joey. We aren’t YOURS anymore, Kid.

You gave up your right to us when you left. I almost lost Joey thanks to you. I got so sick worrying about you…that something had happened to you, that Jeremiah and Teresa took me to Emma’s, all the while praying that we didn’t lose her, or me, or that I gave birth on the way. On our way we passed through a small town and saw you and your ‘Other Family’. Tell me Kid…how old are your other children? They seemed to be old enough to have been born when we were all riding for the express…before we were married…” Lou spat. Her anger was greater than it had been since Wicks killed her friend Charlotte a few years ago.

The anger on Kids face had ebbed away and he now looked like a wounded animal. He knew he’d been busted and that his double life as he knew it was over. Guilt crept into his heart…how he longed to take it all back and remain faithful to the best woman he’d ever known. He cursed himself inwardly, damning himself to hell.

Jimmy pulled Lou into a loving embrace… he knew how to calm her whenever she was stressed, angry, or upset. Just wrapping her up in his eyes seemed to calm her almost immediately. As he held her tight, he felt her tense shoulders begin to loosen.

Lou looked up into Jimmy’s eyes and he ducked down to kiss her…to kiss his wife.

Kid turned away from Lou and Jimmy. It crushed his heart to see them so happy together. He had known deep down that Lou would eventually get on with her wife without him, but he never truly believed she would ever remarry…and to marry Jimmy felt like the ultimate betrayal.

As Kid turned, he saw his daughter playing with many other children…the same children that had filed out of the church. ‘Who do all these children belong to’ Kid pondered.

Teaspoon came over to his ’son’. “Kid…” he bellowed, slapping him on the back. “I know this is hard on ya, but yer did make it hard on her…VERY hard! That gir…I mean…woman, has a strength greater than most men I know. She is finally happy again, Kid…let her be happy…doesn’t she deserve it after everything she’s been put through in her life already?”

“Yeah. I know you’re right, Teaspoon. It’s just hard. I really do love her still and I really miss her. You probably think I’m lying, but I’m not. Look at what I’ve missed by leaving her – the birth of my daughter, being part of a great family and…” Kid faulted. Teaspoon simply nodded his understanding.

“I know son, but there’s nothing you can do to change the past. You can only make the future better!” Teaspoon stated knowledgeably.

Kid nodded. “Um…Teaspoon…can I ask you something?” Kid asked.

“Sure Kid, what else is on yer mind?” Teaspoon replied.

“Who do all these children belong to? There are so many…Has this place become an orphanage?” Kid laughed.

“No, not at all. This is our family, Kid. It sure has grown since you lot joined up for the express, huh?” Teaspoon went on to explain the family tree as he guided him to the drink table. He knew deep down noone would turn Kid away…no matter what he’d done in the past…he was still family.