ROMANOV AUTUMN
Chapter Thirty-Five
As the summer continued, the
weather worsened. The heat was unbearable, but that didn't stop the Dawsons
from working hard. Jack was able to secure a job with the local paper as a
cartoonist, and Alyiah, once the furniture had been uncovered and dusted
off--this had been an interesting process, and more often than not sent Jack
into fit after fit of sneezing--spent a lot of time in the garden.
Once that was in order, she
concentrated on her baking and sewing. In fact, Alyiah was getting quite good,
and treated her husband to quite a few pies for dessert.
"You know what?" Jack
began over dinner one night. "I saw something today on my way to work that
might interest you."
Alyiah looked up from her plate,
raising her eyebrows with surprise. "Oh?" She took a sip of water,
listening intently.
"Well," he continued,
"I know you wanted to continue keeping the house, but that has to get dull
after a while."
Alyiah shrugged, and he reached
over to squeeze her hand. "I read an ad where they want a ballet teacher
for the local school. Apparently it's for the months of September through
November, and a small recital is held around Christmas."
She stared at him, open-mouthed.
"Really?" she gasped, and he smiled. "Do you think I should
try?"
Jack chuckled at the enthusiasm
in her voice. "I think you would do well," he replied. "It pays,
too...not much, but every little bit helps."
Alyiah was beaming from ear to
ear at this point, and he felt a rush of pride. She was so beautiful, but so
very fragile at the same time...like a china doll.
"Perhaps I will go into town
with you and see?" she asked, and Jack started laughing when she threw
herself into his arms, practically knocking him off of his chair.
"Absolutely," he
insisted, and she kissed him passionately on the lips. When they parted, Alyiah
stroked his nose with the tip of her finger.
"I adore how I still make
you blush after all of this time," she whispered, and he winked, offering
to help clear the table of the dirty dishes. "Yes, merci," she
replied, and the two of them bustled about the kitchen. When they finished,
Jack went to work on his drawings for the Chippewa Herald, and Alyiah
busied herself with needlepoint, amused at how involved with his art he became.
She brought him a fresh cup of coffee an hour after supper and sat down with
him on the couch.
"Your hands move so
fast," she pointed out, and he smiled, stretching his fingers a little.
"It's second nature to me
now," he replied. "Kind of like breathing, you know?"
Alyiah nodded...ballet was the
same for her. She kissed his forehead, watching him a little while longer. He
finally finished around nine o'clock, and his hands were sore from the constant
motion. Alyiah had fallen asleep against him, he realized, and the thought of
waking her was painful. However, he knew she would regret it in the morning
when she awoke with a stiff neck, so he gave her shoulder a gentle shake.
"Sweetheart," he spoke
into her ear. "Time for bed."
Alyiah moaned softly, her dark
eyes blinking open.
"What?" she asked
hoarsely, and Jack helped her stand. "Oh..." She gave a yawn.
"I'm sorry, dear."
Jack chuckled, rubbing her
shoulders. "It's all right...I didn't want you to wake up with a crick in
your neck."
Alyiah nodded gratefully as they
headed up the stairs. She felt a little dizzy, and assumed it was from standing
up so suddenly. She was asleep within seconds after undressing and climbing
under the covers. Jack joined her a short time later, and he lay staring up at
the ceiling. It still felt strange being in the bed that once belonged to his
mother and father; he felt as though he were almost intruding, because he
hadn't been home since the night of the fire.
When he heard Alyiah make a small
noise from beside him, he wrapped his arms protectively around her small body,
drifting off himself.
*****
The next morning, Jack brought
Alyiah into town with him and let her seek the position for the ballet school.
"You were part of the
imperial ballet troupe--I don't think you'll have a problem," he teased, and
she kissed him before disappearing through the front door. When he was certain
she was all right, he went to the Chippewa Herald office. It was much smaller
than what he expected--there was enough room for the staff and printing press.
Apparently, the actual papers were packaged elsewhere. George C. Ginty was the
founder of the business, and Jack liked him for his sense of artistic freedom.
"Good work, Dawson,"
Mr. Ginty announced after looking through the drawings, and Jack felt his body
relax considerably. "I knew I hired the right man for the position. I'll
be expecting your next submission the same time on Thursday."
Jack nodded in response,
collecting the money, and went to wait for Alyiah. Chippewa Falls hadn't
changed much at all since he left, and in fact, it appeared to be a bit smaller
than he remembered. Of course, after traveling the world, home does seem
that way, he thought, and beamed when she came outside, her lips spreading
into a large smile.
"Am I going to have to say I
told you so?" he asked when she planted a kiss on his lips and allowed him
to wrap his arms around her waist.
"Jack Dawson, what am I
going to do with you?" she teased, and he laughed. "She accepted me,
as you predicted, and I am to start teaching the students beginning next month.
Oh...this is so exciting...I have missed dancing terribly since coming to
America!"
Jack lifted Alyiah into the air
and spun her around, which caused her to shriek with surprise. "This calls
for celebration," he announced. "How about I take you for a late
breakfast, my dear?" he suggested, and she gave him a look. "You've
been working too hard in the kitchen these days. I think you deserve a
rest." He smoothed her cheek with the palm of his hand, and she finally
decided it couldn't hurt to agree.
"Oh, Jack, you know that is
not necessary," she breathed, and he tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
"Come on," he
encouraged, leading her to the restaurant. Once inside, he brought up another
topic of interest. "What I'm making at the Herald is enough to keep both
of us comfortable," he began once the coffee arrived, "but we need to
look to the future. I might try to pick up some extra work at one of the
factories."
Alyiah frowned. "Jack,"
she began to protest, and he shook his head.
"If we're going to have a
baby, I want the best we can get for her...or him..." He cleared his
throat. "It can't hurt, in either case."
Alyiah smiled, squeezing his
hand. "I do not want you to overwork yourself," she pointed out, and
he smiled.
"If I seem to be doing that,
tell me," he replied, and she laughed.
After breakfast, Jack drove home,
reaching the house right before it started to rain. The weather in the height
of the summer was so unpredictable, and he ordered her to get inside at once
when she offered to help with the carriage.
Alyiah immediately did as she was
told, and ran to fetch dry towels so she would be ready when he came in soaked
to the skin. When he finally entered the house, she demanded he go upstairs and
change at once.
"Thank you," he
breathed, accepting the towels, and went to strip out of his sodden clothing.
He was grateful to dry off and put on a clean outfit, and headed down to a
steaming mug of tea and a newly stoked fire.
"Your hair is still
dripping," Alyiah whispered once she sat on his lap, and he stuck out his
tongue after she kissed his neck.
"So, are you all right with
my looking for a second job?" he asked, enveloping her hands in his, and
she gave a small shrug.
"If you feel it is
necessary," she replied. "I will be busy with teaching ballet."
She provided him with another kiss. "You will make a wonderful father,
Jack," she added, and Jack smirked, hoping it was true. The only children
besides his schoolmates he had contact with were the brother and sister he
sketched in California. He wondered what had happened to them, wishing he had
gotten an address. When he told Alyiah about this, she laughed.
"Children are curious
creatures!" she exclaimed, "but lovely indeed." She allowed him
to kiss her between words, feeling almost complete.