Unexpected Christmas
By Carfar
The brown haired, brown eyed young man was relaxing on one of the chairs the hotel provided for its guests to enjoy the porch. A book in one hand and a cigar in the other.
His blonde-haired, blue-eyed companion was also on a hotel provided chair; with a whittling knife and a block of wood.
“What you reading Heyes?”
“Book by Mr. Twain,”
“You really like that Mr. Twain, don’t you?”
“I like the way he writes and his message.”
“He has a message?”
“Kid, most writers have a message.”
“What’s his message?”
“Seems like it’s about people wanting to be free. What are you doing?”
“Just whittling.”
“I remember you sitting at the bottom of Grampa Curry’s chair watching him whittle.”
“He didn’t whittle, he carved.”
“And there’s a difference?”
“Yep, there’s a difference.”
“What’s the difference?”
“If ya whittle you use a knife, if you’re carving, you’re using a chisel and a knife.”
“Okay, what are you whittling?”
“Nothing, just cutting and thinking.”
“Kid, I thought we had an ag…..”
“Yeah, yeah, I know…I was just thinking if this is how it will be if we ever get amnesty.”
The boys were prosperous at the moment due to a McCreedy job actually working out without incident and McCreedy actually paying what he had promised. A delivery of legal paperwork. Deliver the paperwork and pick up the payment. They were also going to wait to deliver the answer, which Mac warned them it might take some time but they would be paid when they got back to Texas.
“If you mean sleeping in a bed every night, eating regular, not constantly looking over our backs. Yeah, I think this is what it will like. What’s going on? “
“ Just wish we could be the ones deciding what we want to do, when we want to do it – not counting on Mac setting up our lives for a month, or Lom telling how we need to behave to not get the Governor upset.”
“Know what you mean but until we get that amnesty, this is what we need to do.”
“Yeah, guess so…”
About 10 minutes later…
“You remember Sister Julia?”
“Sure, why?”
“I was thinking maybe we’d go see her?”
“Why, did you forget to tell her something?”
“Very funny. No, remember what she told us on the ride out to the convent? She was going to see if a school could be built for the kids living around there?”
“Yeah, so.?”
“We could see if she got that school started or if she needed any help with it. I know it’s pretty close to Christmas but we could give her some help if she needed it and leave before then. It would help pass all this idle time we’ve got with nothing much to do.”
Is this what this is all about-- Christmas? Not sure I want to spend a couple of weeks at a convent but he rarely asks for anything direct so…
“Okay, Kid if that’s what you want to do. Just remember we need to be back to finish up the job for Mac.”
“I know. We’ll get supplies in the morning, We’re about two miles from Pearlman. I think I can remember the way to the convent from there.”
The change in my cousin from quiet and subdued to happy and excited was worth the decision.
---
We rode into Pearlman; picked up supplies and sent a telegram to Mac’s business partner letting him know where he could contact us. Then we headed on for Kettle Drum. Still wasn’t sure why we were going but guessing it didn’t matter where we waited for word about the paperwork.
“So Kid, remind me, why are we going to visit the convent?”
“Told ya – I’m tired of sitting around doing nothing till somebody is ready to tell us to do something. “
“Have you ever thought that maybe that school is already built?”
“YES, Heyes, I have!!! I just need something normal to do, okay!!?”
“Okay, calm down…just trying to figure out why we’re doing this, that’s all.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine, Kid – and I bought extra bandages and mercurochrome to prepare us for this adventure.”
Finally a genuine Kid grin.
We rode up to the convent. I dismounted and went to the door, Kid stayed in the saddle.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Kinda having second thoughts, Heyes. You’re right Molly could have told Sister Julia about us, and we’d be walking into an invitation to 20 years in the Wyoming Territorial Prison.”
“If Molly had done that, the invitation would have come months ago. Come on, this was your idea – get off the horse.”
“Okay, okay.”
We walked up to the convent door and knocked. A young women answered. She wasn’t in full nun attire but was wearing a habit.
“May I help you gentlemen?”
“Can we see Sister Julia? We’re old friends.”
“May I ask your names?”
“I’m Joshua Smith and my shy friend here is Thaddeus Jones.”
“Thank you, come in and sit down, I’ll notify Sister Julia that you’re here.”
We were led to a sitting room to wait.
“Joshua! Thaddeus! What a wonderful surprise! What brings you here?”
I waited for the guy with the idea for this to explain, but he didn’t utter a sound.
“We were in the area for business and have a couple of weeks before it’s finished, so we thought we’d check. Wondering if you were able to get that school built and if there was a way we could help.”
“How thoughtful, yes, the school is built and doing well. But we have a new project we’re trying to get done, so you may be the answer to our prayers.”
“What do you need, Sister?”
“Well, there is a building behind the convent. It was here when we came – might have been a bunk house. The convent was actually a farm house before it was donated and renovated. We started the school and the townspeople and ranchers were happy to be able to send their children. A few of the ranchers were so far out of town that it would be difficult to get their children to town and back five days a week without someone needing to transport them. So, we thought how about a boarding home to accommodate those students who would stay during the week and go home weekends. The students’ boarding will include both boys and girls. We’re hoping we can convert that building into something that will meet those needs, something with separate sleeping areas but a central room shared by all the children to study and socialize. We’ll need a simple but private living space for one of the sisters as well.
“I think we could look at that. “
Sister took us to the back building explaining that the children were not there because of the holiday break. A boy, no more than maybe seven, was sitting in one of the rooms. It was a typical bunk house set up and could easily be made into something comfortable for kids. Just making the bunk beds a little more separate, adding a couple of dividing walls, a place for the kid’s personal things, and a study area for all the children to do their homework.
“Oh my, Thaddues is with Peter.”
“A problem Sister?”
“Well, Peter stays with us. The sheriff found him alongside the road five months ago. We don’t know where he came from or where his parents are– he has not spoken a word since he has been here. I’m not even sure what his name is. We just named him Peter. I’m surprised that he hasn’t run from Thaddeus – he really doesn’t interact with anyone.”
“Well Thaddeus has a way about him…”
“Yes, a gentle innocence, I remember.” Sister said with smile.
---
About the time Heyes started talking construction plans with Sister Julia, I noticed a small boy in the shadows. He looked curious but timid and kind of reminded me of myself at that age. So, when Heyes and Sister Julia went inside the bunkhouse, I sat down on the porch, took out my knife and started to whittle.
“Hi, want to see what I’m doing?”
He inched a little closer.
“Do you like whittling? I do, especially if I want to think.”
A small, quiet voice…” My Pa whittled.”
“Mine did too. My name’s Jed. What’s your name?”
“Michael.”
“Howdy, Michael – whatcha doing here?”
“My Ma and Pa went away so the sisters take care of me, Sister Julia is really nice. “
“Where did they go?”
“Heaven.”
“Mine too when I weren’t much older than you. Come on over, I’ll show you how to start whittling but you’ll need some leather gloves before you try.”
“Sister calls me Peter.”
“She does? How come?”
“Cuz I never told her my name.”
I pulled my gloves from my belt and handed them to Michael. “These will be a might big for you, but you can slip em on if you have a mind to finish whittling this stick for me.”
Michael took the gloves and slipped his hand into them, and I handed him my knife and stick.
---
“Pick up another stray, Kid?”
“Huh”? Oh, you mean Michael? “
“Michael? That’s his name – he’s talking?”
“Yea, he’s talking, why wouldn’t he talk?
“Sister told me that the sheriff found him on the side of the road and brought him here. Said he hadn’t talked to anyone the whole time.”
“Sherrif? “
“Don’t worry Kid, never heard of him and Sister Julia has painted us as the answer to her prayers.”
“Hope you’re right. He told me his parents were in heaven. I don’t think we’ll get much more from him on that. Glad someone found him.”
---
It took us just over a week to make the necessary changes to the bunkhouse. Rather than putting Michael in the boys’ section by himself, we set up a sort of makeshift room next to the sisters’ room to accommodate him until some more boys arrived. We were three days from Christmas and the question was do we stay or do we go back to town. That would be up to Kid. He’s funny about Christmas; sometimes just ignoring that it’s happening; easy to do when we’re out on the trail. If we’re in town and there are celebrations, he’ll join in but there is always a melancholy sense to him even in the middle of a party.
“Sister, I’m going take a quick ride into town to see how our job is progressing and do a few errands.”
“You’re not leaving before Christmas, are you?”
“Well, we didn’t want to impose.”
“It’s not an imposition, I assumed you would be here…”
“Let me check with Thaddeus Sister”
---
Went looking for my partner, found him over by the porch with his new partner Michael. The boy is stuck to Kid, only one he’ll talk to and he follows him around like a puppy.
“I’m heading to town to check on our job. Wanna come?”
“Promised Michael, I’d show him some more whittling tricks.”
“Does he know our plans?”
“He knows we’ll be leaving.”
“Umm…Sister wants us to stay for Christmas…How do you feel about that?”
Kid glanced over at Michael. “I was hoping she’d say that being as it’s Michaels’ first Christmas… on his own. We had each other. He ain’t got no one.”
“He’s got you.”
In town I learned the paperwork would be ready by January third. Next stop was the mercantile.
“What can I help you with?”
“I’ve got a list of supplies for the convent and maybe you could help me find something for the sisters at the convent?”
“Of course, I know Sister Julia has a sweet tooth.”
“Then some sweets for all the sisters and do you have any carving tools?”
---
“Merry Christmas Kid.”
“Heyes, thought we decided no presents?’
“We always decide no presents and then get presents anyway when we can.”
“A chisel!”
“Yep, now you can carve, just like Grandpa.”
“Thanks, Heyes! Couldn’t find a Twain book but this one looked good.”
“Treasure Island? Looks good. Thanks, Kid.”
After dinner, we gave the sisters the candy, and Kid gave Michael a horse he had whittled for him. Everything seemed fine but then…
“Boys, have you seen Michael?”
“Told me he was taking the horse back to his room,” Kid said.
By dusk we had still not found him until Kid had a hunch about looking behind the bunkhouse and there he was, sitting on the ground, arms around his knees, shoulders shaking.
I started to go towards him, Kid stopped me.
“I’ll go.”
I watched as Kid approached Michael, picked him up and held him. I was fighting the image so long ago…our first Christmas after the raid, Kid inconsolable, a hard memory.
The shaking stopped and I saw Michael looking up at Kid and shaking his head. Kid wrapped his arms tight around the boy and carried him back to the convent.
---
“You okay, Jed?”.
“Guess so…”
“You really helped that boy.”
“Just remembered what you did for me. You know, I’m not sure I ever said thanks.”
“Only in a million ways, Kid. “
---
We said good bye to the sisters. Kid talked with Michael, promised to send Sister a whittling knife and leather gloves, so he could start practicing. Michael wrapped his arms around Kid’s neck and hugged him tight. Kid let Michael decide when to let go.
“Well Sister, a pleasure seeing you.”
“Yes, Hannibal, I’m so glad you and Kid were here.”
Blue eyes and brown eyes locked in astonishment and then turned to find amused green eyes looking back.
“You look surprised. Don’t be. I’ve known since the day we were in Pearlman.”
“Who, how?”
“I saw wanted posters on the jailhouse wall. Two of them were suspiciously familiar. Sister Isabelle described you as reformed thieves and was certain that Smith and Jones weren’t your real names. I realized you were trying to turn your lives around and I wasn’t about to interfere with that grace.”
“Thank you, Sister.”
“God speed, boys.”
---
“Quite a Christmas, Heyes.”
“Yep Kid, quite a Christmas.”
