Page 74 of Repentance and Absolution

“Fine.” I supposed I could use a bit of a trim. “I only need a little taken off.”

“So, not as short as Oscar’s? He did ask for that, you know.”

“Oh, I see. No, you can go that short if you want. I’m used to having it like that. I just wasn’t prepared to see Oscar with his hair so short.”

“He’s a very handsome young man.”

“Yes, he is. More ’n I deserve, really.”

Irene came around in front of me, frowning. “Well, now, Jimmy Downing, you’re not exactly hard on the eyes, either.”

I laughed and said, “Sure,” although I didn’t truly believe her. I still thought t’was a miracle that Oscar found me fetching.

Irene grabbed the looking glass from the counter and held it in front of me. I started in shock, seeing my face in it so close.

“You think that isn’t a handsome face?Psht. You two are gonna have all the girls in Port Essington in a tizzy.”

I didn’t want to look at myself because I saw my brother Robert in that reflection, too—which only made me think about all of the mistakes of my past again.

“Well, I hope not,” I said, as Irene put the looking glass down and went back to her trimming. “Won’t it seem strange that we’re not on the prowl for wives?”

“I suppose. You’ll have to come up with some reason why you’re not interested in that,” she said. “Could be as simple as liking the bachelor life and not wanting to be tied down. Say you want to keep your options open for future travel, and you have no interest in having children.”

“Yeah, which is true enough unless Oscar was able.” I grinned. “I swear, if I could get him with child, I would.”

“Not for lack of trying, I’ll bet. But I know what you mean. Sometimes I think t’would be nice if I could bear Clarence’s child. But, then again, we like our life here, and we have time to be with each other with no distractions.”

“True enough.”

“I reckon there are enough children in the world. Maybe too many. Cities are getting awfully crowded now, and the world’s changing so much. Why, I heard that some people in Vancouver have automobiles! Imagine that. And I thought the railroad was strange.”

“Land sakes. I heard about them things. Seems awful dangerous.”

“Yes, they do. I’ll stick to horses. They’re nicer, anyhow.”

When Irene had finished my hair cut, she took the towel off and wiped my neck, then shooed me out to the living room so she could sweep up the floor.

Oscar glanced up from his seat beside Clarence. He had his slate and slate pencil in hand. We’d brought it to show Clarence and Irene how much he’d learned.

“Oh, Jimmy, you look so good! Not that you looked bad before, but you look so professional now.”

“Professional? What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Why, like a fine gentleman, that’s all,” he said. “Anyhow, look what I wrote!”

He passed me the slate. On the blacking, in capital letters, was written JIMMY.

I blinked down at the neat letters. “That’s very good, Oscar.”

“Clarence helped me to know what letters to put down,” he said.

“Here… Give me the pencil,” I said, holding out my hand.

“Why? It’s spelled right, ain’t it?”

He passed me the slate pencil. In my careful hand I wrote OSCAR underneath JIMMY and gave it back to him.

“That’smyname, ain’t it?” he said in hushed tones.