MORNING GLORY
by HBK © 2002
Samantha sat comfortably on the bench outside of the Express station. She was extremely happy to see Kid and to sit next to him, but she wished she could spend the afternoon alone with him. She looked at Jimmy whose leg rested on the stool and knew it would be inappropriate to leave Jimmy alone while she and Kid had some fun of their own. She could tell that Kid was shy, but from the way he looked at her, she knew he was experienced. He certainly knew just the right things to say to open her heart.
"Samantha, can you ride?" Jimmy asked her.
"Are you talking about riding horses?"
Kid and Jimmy cracked up laughing. The sexual implication of Jimmy's question certainly did not cross her mind.
"What's so funny?" she asked, beginning to laugh. The laughter of the men was contagious.
The laughter stopped as they saw two riders coming. They recognized Jesse, but Kid was the only one to recognize the woman who rode the black mustang. Am I seeing things? Kid asked himself. This is too good to be true.
"Well, I see someone who could definitely ride," Jimmy said quietly.
Lou was excited to see the station. She noted the beautiful wild horses in the corral. The atmosphere certainly radiated with energy, youth, and excitement, something she had not felt in a while.
She saw how the laughter stopped once they arrived. She felt like an intruder as if she could never be anywhere that embodied adventure and happiness. "Are you sure it's okay?" she asked Jesse. "Maybe it's the wrong time or something."
"Don't be ridiculous," Jesse told her as he dismounted from his horse. "They're just not used to seeing someone who could ride better than they do."
Lou blushed at the compliment. Her eyes met those of Kid's, and she quickly looked away. How embarrassing can this get? she asked herself. Not only have I made a fool of myself in front of him today at the saloon, and now here I am with my letters. She noticed Samantha, the schoolteacher, sitting next to him with her hand on his lap. She was gently caressing his upper thigh in a manner that suggested familiarity and close acquaintance.
Lou slowly turned back, her eyes pierced to the ground. Jesse followed after her, asking, "What's the matter?"
"Jesse," she began, glancing at Kid, Jimmy, and Samantha uneasily, "can you just give my mail to them? I'd really appreciate it."
Jesse looked confused. "Why?"
"I feel sick," she lied when she actually felt more like dying of embarrassment.
"You want me to take you home?" he offered.
"Thanks, but I'll be all right." She mounted on her horse and rode as quickly as she arrived.
Jimmy and Kid stared at eachother. "What was that about?"
Jimmy said, "I don't know, but I'm dying to find out."
Jesse nodded his greeting to Samantha as he handed the envelopes to Kid.
"Who was that?" Jimmy asked.
"That's Louise, the daughter of the owner of the saloon."
"Well, I'll be damned!" Kid spoke his thoughts out loud.
"What are you talking about?'
"She was the woman I saw today," he told Jimmy.
"Are you sure? I've never imagined Boggs's daughter to be so pretty," Jimmy said. "What's more, she can ride."
"Tell me about it," Jesse said, watching Lou disappeared in the horizon.
"Jesse, how well do you know her?" Kid asked the boy.
"Very well. As a matter of fact, I think she likes me."
Jimmy and Kid stared at eachother with a look of disbelief reflecting in their eyes. If Jesse's competition, I sure have no problem to worry about, Kid thought confidently.
"You mean you want her to like you," Jimmy clarified.
"I don't care if she likes me or not. I'm just happy to be her friend."
"Jesse, isn't she a bit too old for you? Why don't you concentrate on your education before thinking about women?" Samantha suggested.
Jesse nodded. It was strange to see his schoolteacher there at the station. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Samantha held strong affection for Kid.
--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*--
Lou walked inside the saloon, still breathless from her ride. She felt the rush of blood in her face. During her short ride, she finally solved the mystery. Kid was the same rider she saw that afternoon from her bedroom window. He was the one that caught her attention until Samantha came to introduce herself. Those with him were the other Express riders. The woman with them must be the station mistress.
Isn't life strange? she asked herself, as she made her way to the room. Who would have thought he'd be the same person? A customer tried to grab her waist, and she harshly slapped his hand away. Another customer grabbed her arm, and she had no second thought about throwing the glass of whiskey in his face.
She was getting used to the wild and untamed atmosphere of the saloon. She knew how to get away from the rude, disrespectful customers. The prostitutes accused her of being cruel, mean, and having no understanding of the term 'customer service.' She could care less about what everybody said.
She lie down on the softness of her bed, thinking about the rider who occupied her mind. She wondered if she should just forget about him, or find other ways of knowing him. The latter seemed to be an impossibility. Jesse knew the man, but she didn't have the heart to use the boy for her own advantage. She was beginning to like Jesse as a younger sibling. In fact, he sort of reminded her of Jeremiah.
Whatever happens happens, she thought. If I made an impression on him, maybe he'll come back here. That's very unlikely. Why would he go here anyway just for me? He doesn't even know my name.
There was a familiar knock on the door. "Come in," she called.
"Louise, where have you been?" Charlotte asked with concern.
"I sent mail to Teresa and Jeremiah. Why do you ask?"
She shook her head. "Boggs was looking for you."
"You didn't tell him I rode out, did you?"
"No. I told him you just went for a walk. He didn't seem upset. He actually thought it might make you less irritating if you get out of this place more."
Lou smiled. "So, he doesn't care where I go as long as I get out of the saloon?"
"I wouldn't be so sure. I think he meant after you do your chores and help out with running the saloon."
"Charlotte, do you ever wish to get out of here?"
"Of course, it crossed my mind every now and then."
"Well, I wanna get a job."
"Louise, what are you talking about? You work here."
"It ain't the same. I wanna do something on my own like ride for the Pony Express," she confessed.
"Louise! No way! Your father won't let you. I don't want you to. The Pony Express don't hire women!"
"I can cut my hair, and-"
"And what? Pretend to be a boy?"
"Yeah. I can do it, Charlotte. I can look like a boy. My dad won't even recognize me!"
"You are crazy," Charlotte told her. "You better get this Pony Express out of your head now! I mean it, Louise. It ain't for you."
"But even you said I can ride real good."
"I know you can ride, Louise, you can ride real good. But that's not the point. You can do something else, work somewhere else, anywhere but the Express station. Is there something here you're not telling me?"
Lou smiled. "There's this guy who works there, and-"
"Louise! Just because you like someone who works there doesn't mean you should go and work there! There are other ways." Charlotte stared at the young woman, afraid that she might really do something crazy like joining the Pony Express. She knew how stubborn and hard-headed the woman could get, but she never thought it would come to her joining the Express.
"Fine, you win," Lou told the woman. "But imagine how wonderful life would be if I work for the Pony Express."
Charlotte did not even want to consider it. She remained seated uneasily on the bed.
"Charlotte, relax. I won't do it," Lou assured the woman.
As if not fully convinced and trusting of Lou's words, Charlotte said, "Promise me, Louise. Promise me you will never ride for the Pony Express."
"Okay, okay, I promise. I won't ride for the Pony Express."
Charlotte embraced the young woman happily. She breathed a little easier when
Lou promised to never do such a thing. Charlotte was pretty certain that Lou
wouldn't be able to disguise herself as a boy. The young woman was becoming
more beautiful everyday. Noone would mistake her face for a man.
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