Saturday, August 29, 2015

August 17, 1900

Tombstone. 

I walked into town this afternoon and saw Thomas by the clock tower. I went over and snuck up behind him, hugging him from behind. “Guess who,” I whispered into his ear. 

“Hey!” Thomas jumped and laughed, turning to give me a hug and a kiss. “How are you dear pretty lady?”

“Better now that you’re here, dear. I’ve missed you! How are you doing?” I kissed him back firmly, sliding my hands around his waist. “Better now that you’re here, dear. I’ve missed you! How are you doing?”

“I am doing good. I just got back from a train trip back east for a bit. I went to Texas to handle some business to do with that tonic sales company.” 

“Oh good... All squared away and no more tonic?” I looked at him hopefully. “I was really hoping there would be court this weekend but there hasn’t been any call for jury through the telegrams. Perhaps there will still be something tonight.” 

Thomas looked at me and took off his hat. “Well from what I hear, courts around here aren’t too caught up with the times. I sure hope they are doing right here.”

“Would you like to go get a drink somewhere, dear? I really have missed you.” 

“Yes I sure would. I haven’t had a drink since leaving Tombstone. I don’t trust what those Texans call whiskey.” I giggled and took his arm, leading him to the Oriental saloon, knowing it would be more quiet there. We took a seat at the table near the window and he asked, “So is everything going ok for you lately?”

I rested my hand on the table and leaned forward. “Things have been deathly quiet... The idiots who robbed the bank yesterday haven’t been back around so I can’t get their prints... Not that they’d give me them anyway... and the other case I’m workin’ is just a mystery of some woman’s family and I’m not sure there’s much I can do to help her.” 

“What’s this I heard from Jimmy a little earlier, about some indian village being wiped out? He said some young indian boy showed up, and told him and Natalie his whole village was murdered.” 

“Yes... from some tribe I’ve never heard of. Natalie told me about it as well. Seems she’s also been readin’ my journals that I’ve been working on from my time before Tombstone. No matter really, she reads Sherlock and my stuff’s much tamer. Besides, she knows I make it out okay ‘cause I’m still here,” I reached for my flask and took a sip before handing it to Thomas. “Want some?” 

He took the flask and had a swallow of it before handing it back. “Thanks. Mmmm, that is good. Not every day you see a pretty detective with a whiskey flask. I hear indians all over have been in uproar ever since the US Calvary killed all those Indians back in 1890.” 

“You know your Native history well then. And I never leave home without flasky... Don’t think I could get through a day without it.” I took the flask from him and sipped it again. “Have you decided what profession you might take up, dear?”

“Mind if I smoke a cigar? I have a little Cherokee in my family from way back I think. I never understood why the indians have to be treated the way they do. No, I am not sure yet. I haven’t seen the owner of the Epitaph to see about working there. Maybe I could be a bartender to start out. What do you think?” he smiled and reached into his vest, pulling out a cigar. 

“That’s how I started when I moved to Colorado first... Though that job came with a dancing requirement too,” I winked at him. “You would have loved the outfit I wore. Perhaps I can show it to you sometime.” I ran my foot up his leg and said, “I think you would be a good bartender. People will love you. Just hopefully the women not too much.” 

“Well I only got eyes for this one woman. She is sweet, head strong, and looks great in a pair of tight fitting jeans. If I could talk her into wearing a dress more often, I would feel like I died and gone to heaven. Poor thing though, she often works too hard, and is better with a gun than I am.,” he blushed a bit and winked, rubbing his leg against mine. 

“Well darling, you could always give me a reason to wear a dress more often and we could go dancin’ tonight, if that’s what you’d prefer. In fact, there might be a dress around this saloon I’ve left that I could change into and we could dance right here and now. Let it never be said that Trin Paige won’t wear a dress for a man,” I winked back. 

“Well...I.....ummmmmm....” he fidgeted a bit and blushed beat red. 

I laughed and took his hand, raising it to kiss his fingers. “Darling, I’ve been thinking about you constantly... Waiting for the next time I got to see you again... I think we deserve a romantic night of dancing, don’t you?” 

“I think you are right my dear. Nothing better in this world than dancing with a beautiful young woman in the evening like yourself,” he leaned across to kiss me and led me to the dance floor. 

I stood and followed him and said, “Now I could dance with you in these pants, or I could go into the back room and find something pretty to put on... Which would you rather, darling?”

He smiled and pulled me close. “I don’t mind seeing you in pants, dresses, or just in a towel Miss Trin, as long as I get to dance with you.”

I smiled and leaned into him, dancing to the music on the turn table in the corner of the room. “It is so nice to be in your arms, dear. I’ve been waiting so long to dance with you again!”

“Yes I missed dancing with you since our first dance at Kate’s saloon. I remember you being quite the two stepper. How is little Miss Natalie doing? She staying out of trouble?” 

“Mmhmm so far. Though I’m worried about her in school... She came home pretty upset last night and I’m not quite sure what to do about it,” I sighed. “She wants to sit with the boys because of how the girls treated her back in Mississippi, and how they’re starting to treat her here. And she wants to sit beside her best friend Jimmy... But the teachers won’t let her and the one last night even tried to pull her hair to move her to the other side, but she ran out of school. She told me that she and Jimmy and Paisley talked about it by the water.”

He danced slowly with me, holding me close. “Pulled her hair? Poor thing. I remember my teachers whacking me with a ruler or sticking me in the corner. Yeah Jimmy mentioned he and Natalie left school last night. He didn’t even want to go, but some man named Amos told him he had to go. I don’t see the issue with letting them sit together. I mean this is about to be the 20th Century, not the dark ages.”

I nodded, leaning my head on his shoulder. “Yeah but Natalie doesn’t even want to go back. She’s afraid the teachers are gonna be just as mean as the girls and she said she already knows how to read and write. I don’t know what to do, Thomas... What do you think?” I looked in his eyes, honestly lost. “I’ve never cared for a child like this before...”

“I don’t know what to say. Maybe I could talk to her. Or maybe I should go talk to the teachers at the school. Who is in charge of the school anyways? I am not sure I like a school where they feel it right to pull a kids hair and tell them who they can sit beside.” 

I sighed, feeling better with his arms around me, knowing he could make anything better. “I’m not sure who’s actually in charge... That’s a really good question. We’ll have to figure that one out and talk to them. Maybe you could be a teacher, Thomas...?”

“Yes Trin?” he looked at me. 

“I meant, maybe you could be a teacher...” I started to dance closely to him as we swayed and I moaned against him, “This is quite the dance, dear where’d you learn this one?”

“To be honest, it was something a friend showed me back in Philadelphia. Said it was all the new rage. I guess its one of those new fandangled dances you learn in college,” he laughed and kissed my lips, licking them playfully. 

“Perhaps you’d like to join me at home? Where we could maybe be alone?” I whispered, wanting to be closer to him. 

“I would be more than happy to walk you home Miss Trin if you wish,” he held me close. 

“There’s rooms upstairs. We won’t have to walk too far then,” I whispered. 

“Lead the way Miss Trin,” he smiled and I led the way upstairs. 

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