Against the Current

Break Away

Katie:

Throughout the evening, my "family" came in to check on me, though I was only vaguely aware. Pa came into the room once and profusely apologize for his actions. When I didn't respond, he left, giving a heavy sigh. By then, I had slipped out again, back into my own world. I couldn't have left it even if I wanted to.

For the first time in my life, I couldn't face reality. Maybe it was in shock, I don't know. 

Ma didn't fetch the doctor this time. She knew that what ailed me, he couldn't fix. She brought me a mug of chicken broth and a biscuit. An odd choice, but I didn't complain. Sometime between dusk and nightfall, I'd slurped down the now cold broth and fell back asleep. I felt like one of those scared rabbits popping out of their warren for basic needs before scurrying back inside, out of a predator's reach. My mind had become my warren, and the predators were my parents. 

No, these people were not my parents. They were my kidnappers.

When I fully came to, sometime in the night, I took off my work clothes and slipped on a breezy nightgown. With my feet bare, it was a lot easier to creep about the house. I hadn't bothered to check the time, but the smell of tobacco told me Pa was still awake. Tonya wasn't in bed beside me, so I'd assumed it wasn't bedtime, but it was probably close to it. Tiptoeing down the hall, I moved for the stairs and stopped at the first step. I'd crept around the house in the past, and became pretty good at it. Sometimes I got caught, but most of the time, no one was wiser that I had slithered about the house.

Pressing myself against the wall, I grabbed the railing and made my way down. Ma's muffled voice came from the parlor, causing me freeze. Sliding down into a shadowed area, I hoped that would be enough to hide me. I inched farther down. Reaching the bottom, I rounded the other side of the stairs, and crawled into a shadowy cubby hole under the stairs. There used to be a door there, but for whatever reason, it was removed. I hugged my knees as tight as I could against my body, and steady my breathing. From where I was hiding, I had a good view of the parlor, but they couldn't see me.

Pa sat at his burgundy armchair, his body jackknifed, and face buried in his hands. Ma sat beside him in her less comfy chair and patted his back. I shook my head in disgust. Why did women stand by their husbands so staunchly? Did they have minds of their own?

"I know you didn't mean to," she said. "You're a good father."

I internally scoffed.

"Lord almighty, Mary, I could've hurt her. I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but pure hurt and fear in them." He raised his head and said, "What if I had hurt her?"

"But you didn't."

"But I could have."

You did!

"Nonsense. Katie is built like an ox. She's taken wallops from boys twice her size and didn't bat an eye. It only made her meaner."

I smiled at that. Pa gave a weak chuckle. For a moment, I almost pitted him, but as quickly as the feeling came, I pushed it away, and replaced it with anger. They'd get no sympathy from me.

"What will we do about her?" Ma asked.

Pa shook his head. "I don't know, but I don't think we can let her leave for a very long time. Not with that boy snooping about."

"That woman, Katie's grandmother, is she still alive?"

"I don't know," Pa replied. "After I sent that letter, I heard nothing more and left it at that. I suspect she never did. Why else would she send that boy to this ranch."

"Would it hurt to let her find her family. She's almost a woman now."

A spark of hope flickered inside me. Maybe they were seeing the error of their ways.

Pa shook his head. "I spoke with the Robertsons a few days ago. They said their boy is interested in marrying her. I told them as long as Katie agrees to the union, then they had my blessing. Maybe this is what she needs."

"Oh, no, you can't be speaking of an arranged marriage!" Ma's voice rose.

Pa shushed her. "Don't wake the kids. It's only if she agrees. Mary, you've always worried no one would want her and now someone is showing interest. If you can convince her then our worries are over. Besides, the Robertsons are one of the most well known ranchers in the county, she'd be insane to turn them down. She can have security and keep working on a ranch."

At this all hope was extinguished. My jaw clenched hard enough to cause a migraine. I counted to ten and took deep breaths to calm my nerves, but my body wouldn't quit shaking. The last thing I wanted was to marry some boy I barely knew just to satisfy the two people in the world who'd betrayed my trust.

Goddamn them, I thought. I left my hiding place and silently went back upstairs. I checked in their bedroom and found Tonya sleeping on the cot again in the corner. Seeing her there, I felt a jab of guilt, but that was all I'd allow myself to feel. What was going to do would hurt my adoptive siblings, but I couldn't stay and suffocate here a moment longer.

Slipping back out, I entered my room and scanned it for my satchel. Once I located it, I opened the second drawer to my nightstand and found the two dollars I'd hidden from Travis. In my sock drawer, I found five. Between the mattresses, I retrieved three dollars. By the time I finished searching my room, I'd collected fifteen and some changed. It wasn't a lot, but it was better than nothing. Stuffing the money in my satchel, I went into the closest and dug around for something to put my clothes in. I couldn't take a suitcase; Too heavy and bulky for horseback. Then I remembered the leather and canvas mailbag I'd gotten from Pa's brother. I found it in the corner of the closet. Its off white color had dulled even further, it smelled of mothballs, and the blue lettering that read US postal service had mostly faded. I couldn't fit all my clothes, but with some careful packing, I could at least fit an extra pair of pants and three shirts inside.

When I'd packed everything I needed plus a few knick knacks, I crawled into bed while clutching my bag and satchel like a spider to her egg sack. Ma and Pa retired to their room shortly after I laid down. Despite my best efforts, I eventually drifted back off.

~oOo~

I awoke with a start hours later. Worried I had overslept, I looked out the window and gave a sigh of relief to see that it was still dark out. Still, the sky was no longer black, but a deep blue that was growing brighter with each passing minute. There were still snores coming from my folks' room, but judging by my pocket watch, Ma would be up in fifteen minutes to warm the stove and start on breakfast. Which meant she'd come in here to ask me to milk the cow. Well, sorry Annabell, but that wasn't my job anymore.

I shuffled to the door, bags slung over my shoulder, and boots in my hand. I was still dressed in my gown, but I would change clothes in the bushes once I got at a safe distance. I moved down the stairs two steps at a time, cringing with each creak. After collecting treats for Wilbur, I slipped on my boots at the door, before leaving the house forever. I wasted no time in saddling my gelding. He was none too happy with me, but that's what the treats were for. Once saddled, I wasted no time and spurred him. With a whinny, he reared up, before launching down the hill and away from the place I'd once called home.

It was only when I made it to the edge of town did I realized, I didn't know where Coweta was.