Creative Life – Page 8 – Rebekah Lyn Books

Go West~Chapter 42

Go West

by DiVoran Lites

Chapter Forty Two

Aldon

Aldon leaned back supporting himself with a hand on the warm rock. Because Ellie was already peeved with him, he didn’t interrupt her to point out the beaver swimming toward its lodge with a stick in its mouth. He had a hunch something was going to happen soon that would either make his life better or ruin it forever, and it all depended on Ellie.

“It’s warm in California in winter and I figure I could get a job.” Ellie wasn’t looking at him which showed that she knew he was hurting, but he certainly wasn’t going to show it in any way. He’d be as polite as a stranger and then they’d go back down to camp and he’d begin preparing to lose her forever.

“Can’t blame you for that. My brother, Bill, loves it out there.” He forced his words past the lock in his throat.

“Why don’t you go too?” Now she looked quickly at him and away again as if she’d said something unseemly.

“Somebody has to stay here and look after the ranch. Aunt Gertrude’s got a gentleman friend now. New man in town, lawyer, widower. She’s going to get married, and Nancy doesn’t want to be in their way, so she’s coming back to the ranch. But she and Molly can’t run the ranch by themselves. If we didn’t have the Solanos, we wouldn’t be able to pay off the loans we’ve been forced to get…” Aldon paused. When he resumed, his voice was low and gravelly. “Maybe you’ll run into Bill out there. He’s right there in Hollywoodland. Is that close to where you want to be?”

“I think so,” she answered. “I did some reading. Los Angeles has a good climate. There seems to be plenty of jobs.”

“What would you work at then, doin’ hair?” he asked.

“Probably, something like that.” Her blues eyes looked into his and he clenched his teeth to keep his feelings at bay.

“Maybe Bill could help you get a job in the movies. They need people to do hair, don’t they?” He forced himself to smile.

“Yes, and they might need more wranglers and stunt men. Is there any chance Bill would want to come home any time soon?” Now, Ellie’s eyes held pleading that threw him as if he’d been bucked off a mean stallion and was going to get stomped. He decided to speak reasonably, rationally, as if her questions didn’t affect him in the least. It was like trying not to scare a frightened filly away.

“I don’t know. I suppose he might. He could run the ranch, for sure. He’s got a girlfriend now. But I can’t ask him to do it. He’s been sending money right along.” Aldon heard the faint sounds of the cow bell and knew it was time for supper.

“I guess we might as well head back.” Ellie said.

“Yep,” Aldon wiped the back of his hand under his cheek bone and started back down the trail. Ellie followed, meek and quiet.

Go West~Chapter 41

Go West

by DiVoran Lites

Chapter Forty-one

Aldon

It was time for fall round-up, and Aldon was anxious to move the cattle down the mountain before they decided to move themselves. The three-year-old cows had such a strong homing instinct that if no one came for them by the end of summer they’d start down on their own. He knew if that happened the cattle could fall off cliffs, get caught in brush, or be attacked by predators. He had taken the foreman’s job so it was his responsibility to get the cattle safely back to the ranch.

Checking to see that everyone was equipped for the trip, he looked first at Ellie and his heart did cartwheels. She wore her new Stetson and a pair of jeans that would fit a young lad. She had on her dainty leather gloves and Aldon was glad to know that her violinist hands would be protected from the rough work of riding, roping, and carrying kindling once they arrived at the line cabin. All riders had multi-purpose bandanas around their necks. They could use them for carrying freshly caught fish or wild strawberries — not both at the same time, of course. A bandana would keep dust out of their noses or double as a washrag, also it could be handy as a bandage or tourniquet.

Aldon wore his Colt 45s in their holsters slung at hip level and his bullets snugged into the slots of his ammunition belt around his waist. His rifle fit snugly in its case under the stirrup fender.

“You look ready for anything,” Aldon said, as he watched Ellie gracefully mount Summer. He was proud of her. She had learned so much and so had he. She neither looked at him nor smiled. He’d heard of broken hearts, but he’d never had a taste of what one might feel like before.

Aldon never got tired of heading out after the cattle when the air was as crisp and pure as cold apple cider, and the leaves on the aspens twinkled silver and gold. As they climbed, he saw more wildflowers than he’d ever seen before. A small patch of snow in perpetual shade had glacier lilies growing near it, while a stump at the top of a rise grew Columbines at its base. He must remember to tell Ellie they were the state flower – that is if they ever really talked to each again. They passed Mirror Lake where mountains reflected in the lake were perfect duplicates of the ones that towered above. The day passed quickly and by the time they got to the line cabin it was almost dark.

Aldon built up the campfire and stood watching while Ellie hooked a pot of beans onto the trivet that straddled it

“Will you walk up to the beaver dam with me?” he asked her. “It’ll take a while for supper to get warmed up. Kenny can stir the beans and keep them from burning.

Ellie sighed, but still wouldn’t look at him.

“Come on, please.” He tugged on her jacket sleeve. “I need to talk to you.”

“Oh all right,” she shrugged. “Let’s go.” She followed silently as he led up the trail.

When they got to the pond she looked around and he could tell she was remembering the last time they were here. They sat down on the clean, flat rock that was still warm from the sun.

“I don’t think the rattler would have struck at you, so my action might have been too impulsive.” Aldon said. “I’ve always had a hair-trigger when it comes to looking after people. It’s a bad habit and I want you to know that I’m asking God help me to change.”

“I agree, but don’t over-do it. Sometimes people need protection, especially around poisonous snakes.” She still didn’t look at him, but at least she was talking.

“The thing is,” he said, feeling he hadn’t made his point. “I’m praying hard about developing some self-control.”

“You don’t have to do it on my account,” Ellie said. “I’m not going to be around here that long.

“What?” he jerked his head toward her and stared. His felt as if his heart had stopped circulating. “You’re leaving?”

“I don’t want you to feel like you did something wrong. You were trying to keep the peace in the dance and that was part of your job as a community leader. I’m not exactly pleased with the idea people have of me now, but Enrico has treated me respectfully since then. You didn’t think I did anything to encourage him, did you? I didn’t mean to.” She pressed her lips together.

“No! He didn’t need any encouragement. He thought he should have everything his way — we all think that sometimes, I suppose. But I want to know…am I driving you away?”

“No. I’m going partly because of the weather. I don’t want to be here in the wintertime. It’s cold enough in Chicago to freeze your toes off, and I hear it’s as bad in this place. The ranch won’t need me. I’d just get in the way.”

“But where are you going? Winter’s pretty common most everywhere.”

“I’m thinking about heading for California.” She ran her fingers through her hair and then smoothed it down.

DiVoran’s Promise Posters, Paintings from Go West as well as other art can be purchased as note cards and framable art

Creative Arts

Go West~Chapter 40

Go West

by DiVoran Lites

Chapter Forty

Ellie shares a secret

“Now tell me about your life in the mountains,” said Vera.

Ellie thought a minute, then decided that since she and her mother were starting a new, freer relationship she could tell her something she had not spoken of to anyone.

“I’ve been teaching the children’s Sunday School class at the Community Church in town, even though I don’t feel qualified.” Vera made an hmm, noise which encouraged Ellie to go on.

“We have Bible stories and learn about Jesus and his time on earth. That’s the way I think of it — a short time on earth to show us that He was human like us, and at the same time He was God and the Holy Spirit. My theology is scanty, but I’ve had an experience that I want to tell you about.”

“Tell me,” said Vera turning toward her daughter.

“Well,” Ellie took a deep breath and let it out. “Sunday before last, we came across a scripture that said, ‘To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.’ Those words – accepted in the beloved stuck; I decided to ask God what they meant. Suddenly everything I’d been reading and feeling began to make sense. I knew then that in spite of my selfishness, God loved and accepted me, and it had something to do with Jesus’ dying on the cross, though I don’t understand that part yet.”

“I’m not much of a scholar, you know, dear.” Vera’s brow furrowed as she concentrated on what Ellie was saying.

”I can only tell you what happened to me. The more I thought about Him the more I felt He wanted to have me as a friend. Does that sound strange?” Vera shook her head no.

I asked one of the boys what I should do and he helped me say a proper prayer. When I looked up from praying the world seemed to be shining. The things that had bothered me didn’t bother me anymore. I felt tenderness toward folks I hadn’t even liked. And the funny thing was, I knew it wasn’t my love I was feeling, but God’s.”

When Ellie stopped talking long enough to look over at her mother, she saw that Vera slept. For an instant she understood how God must have felt all those years when she ignored him. But, she consoled herself. At least I tried to tell her. Someday I’ll tell her again, and she will understand.

DiVoran’s Promise Posters, Paintings from Go West as well as other art can be purchased as note cards and framable art

Creative Arts

Go West~Chapter 39

Go West

by DiVoran Lites

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ellie and Vera

Vera kept talking long after Ellie’s heart had slid into her stomach. Now she wanted the tale to go back to being a secret, but it was too late. Elegant Mr. Louis Norton had used her mother and discarded her. The result was that Ellie was illegitimate. She knew bad names existed for children whose parents weren’t married, but she never dreamed that they would apply to her. And to have had her mother hurt like that – to have such a wholly self-centered man for a father — well, she wanted to crawl under the bed and stay, never to be seen again.

“Mr. Norton had his chauffer drive me to the convent, and that’s how you came to be born there,” said Vera. “Now, maybe you understand why I never told you.”

When her mother reached for her arm, Ellie steeled herself against moving away. How could anyone be so foolish and naïve, she wondered? Then she recalled that her mother had been only sixteen-years-old when she was duped and manipulated by that evil man. She was pregnant and friendless in the big city.

“The nuns were good to me considering I got myself into all this trouble, but I still felt lonely, and I wanted to keep you. You were the only one born there that week. They planned to send you away to some rich people who wanted a baby. The guard nun, however, fell asleep, so I wrapped you in a blanket and escaped through the courtyard. We needed a place to sleep that night so, right away I looked for a job. I’ll always thank God for sending us to the Williams family who ran a pub on skid row. I reminded them of their daughter, who had recently died in childbirth so they gave me a waitressing job and room and board. They insisted I wait a week to begin work, then because you were a newborn, they let you sleep in a big box behind the bar. You were such a good baby. You were happy and you made everyone who saw you smile.

I wrote my folks and waited for an answer, but instead they came to Chicago to find me. We decided not to meet with Mr. Norton now that we know what a bad man he really was. Dad got a job in the stockyards and mother worked in a general store. By then we had a small apartment and I was able to stay at home and look after you during the day. At night your grandmother and grandad took care of you while I continued to work for the Williamses. The three of us eventually saved enough money to start a small neighborhood store of our own. Here again, the pub owners were a big help. When we began to get ahead and got into the department store business your granddad paid them back many times over for what they had done for us. I’m so ashamed and sorry.” Vera’s voice held tears.

“Dear Mother, I had no idea, A young girl who had never been away from home just wouldn’t know. Shouldn’t your parents have been more wary?” Ellie now patted the hand resting next to her on the bed.

“I’ve thought about it over the years, of course,” said Vera. “But I never have had much confidence in myself since that happened and I keep trying to think what I might have done different. But if I’m honest, I got to say, I’ve always been so glad to have a beautiful and good child like you that I could never regret having you and keeping you.”

“Now I understand why you always warned me about men, especially older men. You wanted me to avoid that kind of a situation. Sometimes I felt confused because it seemed as if Grandmother was trying to marry me off to a rich politician, and you seemed reluctant for me to go anywhere with a boy at all. I am sorry you never married, never had a life of your own. Thanks for loving me and looking after me all my life. You were always there quietly in the background.

Vera took hold of Ellie’s hand and Ellie’s heart was flooded with love and compassion. She gently squeezed the hard-working hand of her mother.

“I love you, Mom,” she whispered.

DiVoran’s Promise Posters, Paintings from Go West as well as other art can be purchased as note cards and framable art

Creative Arts