Aaron Lure, a bachelor, age twenty one and a half, was a nosy boy, with thick light brown hair kept at his ear. He dressed in clean church clothes but I could tell he did have quite a bit of money. He was kind to every man, woman, and animal, but I could see the hate in his eyes.
“Beth Adalia,” said father, “This Is Mr. Aaron Lure.”
I scanned his appearance, first looking at the dark circles under his eyes. He had a growing thin beard wrapping around his upper lip and he was medium build with good muscles. His hair was kept short, and a bit sweaty. He looked a little like the stage coach robber but I wasn’t sure.
“What do you do for a living?” I asked
“Well, uh” Aaron chuckled, “I actually travel a lot, doing bank and money exchanges and I work with a partner and we are always on the road even if we are situated in a town for a year of so we may hit the road for maybe a day, or a week, or maybe even a month and then we come back here invest some of the money exchanges into the bank here and make a profit.”
“Well, uh” Aaron chuckled, “I actually have to travel a lot, I do bank and money exchanges with bonds and I take care of unsettled wills. I work with a partner and we’re always on the road even if we are situated in a town. Sometimes we could be living in a town for up to a year, more or less, and then we might be on the road for up to day, to a week, or maybe even months
“So basically a uh, robber. Any stage coach robberies, bank robberies? You and your partner doing who knows what who knows when. The money exchanges would explain the banks and to and from the banks you might rob coaches, and you just might invest in the banks to make your job look good, maybe real?”
“Beth Adalia Bath!” scolded father
“Hey, all I’m saying is that I don’t want to be married to someone that isn’t home. It’s just like I don’t have a life ya know.”
“Well, I do get a great time off from work, then a great time at work. So if you all even it out-” said Aaron
“If I all even it out I would take care of my children, my farm, and my school all by myself.” I said
“Let’s cut the chitchat and make this a ladies only tea, shall we Aaron. Well if you follow Gretchen we can see you to your own room. And I don’t think you need a rooms servant do you!” chuckled father
My mouth hung open gasping for some reality. Aaron followed Gretchen upstairs with a small laugh, it was more like I giggle, and father narrowed his eyes at the footsteps pounding on the stairs. He stepped inside the parlor leaned against the couch and gave me a harsh, but stern gaze.
I can’t believe it. He moved in with us. What about his business partner? I thought. I sighed and debated on going up to his room to apologize or not. As I sat up in my room, on a late brisk night, I watched the moon pass slowly and the stars glitter. Maybe he was sleeping, but maybe he was up, thinking just like me, I sat on my bed perplexed and finally breathed in the courage to do it.
Not wanting to wake my sisters, I crept down the hall way to the farthest end of the gloomy hallway, the door was ajar. I peeked in and eyed Aaron sitting up on his bed at an angle, still dressed in his day clothes. But his day clothes were of what a cowboy wore, not what a gentleman wore. I heard a voice, it wasn’t Aaron’s voice. There was another man across in the room. He scuffed his boots along the chipping floor.
“I swear Alex,” exclaimed the other voice “I shouldn’t be here, that girl has already caught on to our robberies!”
“Shut up Ethan!” scolded Aaron, “That girl is such a brainless rat, once I marry her she’ll be shipped off to Africa. Then she ain’t haven no farm schooled children. Red Plunder ain’t gonna be found as us. All we need to do is frame James Laval. I turn in James as Red Plunderer; George Bath is goin to build up a bigger trust for me once James is in prison. I geta become mayor, then Bath is gointa die, then all o’those goody two shoes sisters gointa be shipped off to Africa as cargo. Its all gointa turn out. Now get outa here before Miss. Lil Bethy gets us in trouble. And use the winda this time.”
“She ain’t dumb if she knows we doin it.”
Aaron just nodded his head, “But Alex,” said Ethan, “Do ya think she that girl that snuck off of our stage coach robbery. Her clothes match the kinda style that was found in the suit case. That watch in there has B on it. She gotta be it!”
“We’ll discuss that tomorrow. You need some sleep or ya gotta a crazy magination. G’night!”
“I’ll show you!” bellowed Ethan as he climbed out the window and onto the birch outside.
I sat on the porch with Cora and Dana waiting for our breakfast. Nobody talked, but I assumed that Dana developed a hate for me, and Cora wasn’t the friendliest person.
I started, “Well, what are we going to do today?”
“Don’t talk to us!” said Dana
I looked a little query at the both of them, Dana finished, “You and our rotten father ruined our lives. I was going to go to finishing school, and I was the one who brought Aaron here. I brought Aaron here to get married but I guess your father had a better plan. He then decided to have Aaron marry you instead, and now you don’t even want to marry him. You are a selfish and your father is scheming, but you two aren’t going to ruin it for me. Once your father is dead, our mother will be charge of you and then you’ll end up with the servants underground.”
Dana and Cora arose from their seats and turned the corner of the stretched porch. I let her have it this time, but next time it would give her drama for her life. Probably the cruelest and most stressful drama she might have in her life. I might get the courage too, but I don’t know.
I looked out at the field, from where I was sitting on the back porch. Anissa was playing on it with her dolls playing tea party. I missed when I could do that, just sitting on that same field,having my best dolls all prim and proper, playing with my school friends who had yarn and cloth dolls.
