Page 5 of Hope’s Enduring Echo
Jennie
Jennie slurped up the last few drops of cherry soda from the bottom of the glass. She’d lingered so long over the drink that the striped paper straw was soggy, but she didn’t care. She enjoyed every sip of the sweet soda. She also enjoyed the store’s bustling activity. Chatter and laughter, plinks and dings of a cash register, the rustle of brown paper being wrapped around a purchase—noises so different from the sounds of nature to which she’d become accustomed since moving to the cabin.
When she arrived almost an hour ago, several tables and half the barstools were already taken. She’d settled on a stool at the far end of the long bar. Her back was to the little tables and well-stocked shelves filling the drugstore floor, but the large plate-glass mirror in the ornate shelving behind the bar reflected the entire room. So she sipped and observed people coming and going or sitting and chatting, all the while listening to the voices and whir of the various appliances used by the soda jerk, her chest fluttering at being even a small part of the social liveliness.
Her attention returned frequently to two young men at a table in the middle of the area set apart for diners. They’d arrived just a few minutes after her, sauntering in like a pair of rich businessmen even though they were pimply faced adolescents. And were they ever noisy. They talked loud and laughed loud, their voices carrying above everyone else’s. She suspected they were purposefully loud to draw her attention, because every time she sought out their reflections, their grinning gazes were on her. Her own reflection sported pink cheeks, partly embarrassment and partly from the enjoyment of being noticed.
How would it feel to walk over and sit with them? Wouldn’t it be grand to talk for a while the way she used to with friends when she was younger? Mama’s warnings about proper behavior for a young lady kept her on the stool, but temptation still niggled. Would it hurt to engage, just once, in idle flirtation?
“ Have fun, but behave yourself even though I ’ m not with you.”
Mama’s voice whispered in Jennie’s memory, and she sighed. She’d spent enough time dallying over her soda. She should go to the general store and do what she’d been sent to do—fill the supplies list.
She put two pennies beside the glass for a tip and turned on the stool. A startled gasp escaped her throat. The pair of young men stood so close she nearly bumped the taller one with her knees.
“Hi.” The tall boy ran his hand through his unruly red hair, sweeping the thick strands away from his forehead the way a swashbuckling storybook hero might. “I’m Bart. This is Donny.” He grabbed his buddy’s elbow and pulled him a few inches forward. The two of them formed a human barricade, leaving Jennie no room to slide down from the stool onto the floor.
The boy named Donny blushed crimson and bobbed his head in a greeting. “What’s your name?”
She’d contemplated going over and talking to them, but being hemmed in dissolved the desire. Unease now prickled her skin. She looked from one smirking face to the other. Most of the customers had departed, leaving only two older ladies quietly visiting and sharing a sandwich at a round table. The soda jerk busily arranged little jars on the shelf behind the counter, whistling. No one seemed aware of her discomfort. If she answered the boys, would they go on and leave her alone? She could try. “I’m Jennie.”
Bart jammed his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. “We’ve seen you in here before now and then, but we ain’t really met.”
Of course they never approached her when she was with Mama. They wouldn’t have had the nerve. Maybe being alone in town wasn’t so wonderful after all.
Jennie cleared her throat and eased off the seat. She stood in the little space between two stools, her spine pressed against the edge of the counter. She offered a weak smile and gestured to the screen door perhaps a half dozen yards from her spot. “Well, now we’ve met. If you’ll excuse me, I—”
Bart yanked his hands from his pockets. “Where are you goin’? We wanna talk to you.”
But she no longer wanted to talk to them. They were pushy and obnoxious. Their attention felt less innocent than it had from a distance. She peeked over her shoulder at the soda jerk, hoping he might intervene, but he went on clanking the little jars of colored liquid onto the shelf. She faced the boys again. “I’m sorry, but—”
“Oh, come on.” Donny’s tone turned pleading. “We saw you lookin’ at us. We know you wanted us to come over here.”
Is that what her casual glances communicated? How had she gotten herself into this fix? Mama and Daddy expected her to follow the biblical instruction to treat others the way she wanted to be treated. She didn’t like being brushed off as unimportant, so she shouldn’t be rude to these two, who probably thought they were flattering her with their attention. At the same time, she only wanted to escape them. During her years living beside the waterway, had she lost all ability to interact with others?
She swung her little velvet pouch. “I’m sorry, but I’ve finished my soda and I have shopping to do. So if you two will—”
“Come watch us play tennis.” Bart spoke forcefully—a demand, not an invitation.
Jennie drew back, connecting painfully with the counter’s sharp edge. She grimaced. “I already told you, I have shopping to do.”
Donny snorted. “Stores’re open until six. You got plenty of time.” He braced his hand on the counter, blocking her in place. “A whole bunch of fellows meet Saturday afternoons at the tennis court behind the high school. They’ll all want to meet you, you bein’ such a pretty girl.”
So that’s what this was about—they wanted to show off for their friends by bringing someone new. Although it had been several years since she’d attended school, she recalled some of the petty games young people played. These boys weren’t interested in her as a person as much as a tool to impress others. The thought irritated her and made her all the more anxious to leave. But neither boy seemed willing to budge. Could she push past them? It wasn’t a ladylike thing to do, but she wouldn’t call them gentlemen, so maybe it didn’t matter. What would Mama advise?
Mama, help…
“Well, hello there, Miss Ward.”
The friendly voice directly following her inward plea nearly buckled Jennie’s knees. She looked toward the sound and spotted Leo Day crossing the floor. His gaze and easy smile latched on to her face. Relief flooded her, and her lips automatically lifted in response. The pair of young boys inched backward at Leo’s approach, sending narrow-eyed frowns at each other.
Jennie stepped off the little rise at the base of the counter and met Leo on the floor. “Hello again, Mr. Day. How nice to see you.” Her words wheezed out on a note of gratitude. Nice was an understatement. She’d never been happier to see another human being.
He shifted his attention to the boys, skimming each with an unsmiling examination. “Are you going to introduce me to your friends?” Next to the teenage boys, Leo appeared mature and masculine—even more so than yesterday. And he seemed to bristle with protectiveness. No wonder the boys acted cowed by his presence.
“We ain’t exactly her friends.” Donny took another step in reverse, bopping Bart on the arm with the back of his hand. “We just saw her sitting there all by herself and asked if she wanted to watch us play tennis.”
“That’s right.” Bart side-stepped around Leo and joined his pal. “But she said she had shopping to do, so I guess we’ll go on without her.”
“Very well.” Leo tipped his hat at the pair. “Have fun at the courts, boys.” The two departed in a hurry, letting the screen door slap into its frame. Leo watched after them until they disappeared beyond the drugstore window. Then he put his hands on his hips and settled a concerned look on Jennie. “Are you all right? I happened to glance in as I was passing by, and something told me you weren’t comfortable in their presence. Did they harm you in any way?”
They’d intimidated her with their brashness, but she couldn’t honestly say she’d been harmed. “No, they were just persistent.”
He chuckled softly. “Mm-hmm. Sometimes boys their age can be a nuisance, especially when they want to impress a pretty girl.”
He thought she was pretty? The younger boys had said so, but she appreciated the compliment more from Leo. He stood as close as the boys had, but she didn’t view him as a nuisance. Or intimidating or obnoxious. No, she welcomed his presence. The realization made her pulse hiccup. She wrung the little pouch between her hands, seeking something to say that would keep him there. “I didn’t want to hurt their feelings, but I didn’t want to leave with them either. Thank you for getting rid of them for me.”
A warm smile lit his eyes. “No need to thank me. I would’ve done the same thing had some young hooligans been badgering one of my little sisters.”
Her fluttering heartbeat fizzled into a normal rhythm. He viewed her as a younger sister? The admission was kind. Even gentlemanly. So why did disappointment sting? “Th-that’s very kind.”
He glanced around. “Aren’t your parents with you?”
She shook her head, trying to discern if he disapproved of her being in town alone or was merely curious.
He sighed. “Oh. When I saw you, I hoped they might be.” He rested his elbow on the counter and beamed at her. “I talked on the telephone with Mr. J. D. Figgins this morning. He’s the director of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I told him about the bone your daddy’s dog brought home, and he was very interested in it. I have some more questions for your daddy. Are you meeting up with your parents soon? If so, may I tag along with you?”
She didn’t like comparing him to those boys who’d only wanted to use her to show off for their friends, but it seemed she was an end to a means for Leo, too. She forced a light laugh to chase away the uncomfortable thought. “Mama and Daddy didn’t come into town with me.” Actually, Daddy hadn’t been to town since his appointment to have his cast removed, but nobody was supposed to know that. “I’ll meet up with them tomorrow afternoon, after I attend church with Aunt Delia and Uncle Prime. If you want to talk to Daddy, you’ll have to go to our cabin.”
Leo tapped his chin with his finger, his brow puckering. “Mr. Figgins was so eager, I hate to leave him waiting too long for answers to his questions. Do you have a telephone at your place? Might I be able to call your daddy?”
A telephone? The idea was so ludicrous that this time her laugh trickled out involuntarily. “I’m afraid not. We didn’t even have running water until a year ago, and we live right next to the river. Can you imagine trying to string telephone wire all the way out to our place?”
A sheepish grin climbed Leo’s clean-shaven cheeks. “I didn’t think about that. You’re right. But you folks are so isolated out there. How do you summon help if there’s an emergency?”
“We send a message with the train engineer, or one of us rides into town to fetch help.” They’d discovered the challenge of being completely on their own when Daddy took his fall and she and Mama had to find a way to carry him home. Had they caused more harm by dragging him on a blanket up the craggy hill? If they’d been able to get him doctoring sooner, would Daddy’s leg have healed better? She shrugged, trying to dislodge the guilt that still weighed on her. “It’s not an ideal method, and it takes a while for help to come, but Mama says it’s better than nothing.” Mama also said God was always only a prayer away. All their prayers hadn’t fixed Daddy’s leg, though.
Admiration glowed in Leo’s eyes. “I’m beginning to feel rather spoiled by my city life. My family isn’t wealthy—few ministers’ families are—but our parsonage in Denver has running water, electricity, and even a telephone in Father’s study. Sometimes I forget not everyone is so blessed.” A shadow seemed to fall across his expression. He gave his head a little shake, and the odd sadness departed. “Since it seems I’m only able to speak with your daddy face-to-face, would you be opposed to me taking the train with you tomorrow?”
An impish thought entered her head. “Not at all. You can help me tote the month’s worth of supplies I’m in town to purchase. I wasn’t looking forward to doing that all by myself.”
To her surprise, he burst out laughing. “I’m quite accustomed to carrying young ladies’ packages, and it would delight me to provide assistance. In fact…” He tipped his head, his dark-blue eyes narrowing slightly. “I promised my parents I would find a church to call my own while I’m in Canon City. Would you consider me forward if I asked to attend with you and your aunt and uncle?”
Jennie didn’t even think about her answer. “Of course not. And afterward you can join us for lunch.” Guilt nibbled at her. Leo hadn’t been forward in asking to come to church with her family, but Mama would say asking a young man to dine with her aunt and uncle without first securing their permission was forward. Even brazen. She assured herself that Aunt Delia, who was as hospitable as Mama, wouldn’t mind. “Then we’ll be ready to board the train at the same time.”
Delight burst across his square, honest face. “Perfect!” He stuck out his elbow. “And now let me accompany you on your shopping expedition. We can’t have those youngsters accosting you again.”
Oh, how Jennie wanted to slip her hand into the bend of his arm and experience being escorted through town by a handsome college boy. But he’d said he was acting as a big brother. He was only interested in gaining information from her daddy. Once he’d found what he was seeking, he would board the train and go home and she’d never see him again. She would accept his help loading and unloading the crates of goods tomorrow, but she should guard herself against anything more personal.
“The general store is just next door. I shouldn’t run into trouble between here and there. I’ll see you at the First Presbyterian Church tomorrow morning. Enjoy your day.” She scurried out alone. The same way she’d gone in.