Barefoot Dreams
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The day of the wedding arrived and everyone from town came to witness the union between Mr. J. W. L. Brown, who was a rich farmer, and Miss Mary Lou Jones, who was an orphan girl. The ceremony was performed in front of her family’s house by one of her uncles while his brother stood as the best man.
A horse-drawn wagon followed them back to the church where they would be married later that night after their reception.
Mary Lou wore an old-fashioned white dress with a blue sash around her waist. She looked like any other young lady on her wedding day, but she was actually a wanted woman who had eloped out of Kansas. No matter how hard she tried to keep her true identity a secret, it was impossible to do so now because of all the attention surrounding this marriage.
“I can’t believe you’re marrying a man without knowing anything about him,” Mary Lou whispered to herself as the buggy pulled into the parking lot at First Baptist Church. “How could I have done something so foolish?”
She turned toward her uncle standing behind her on the seat of the buggy. He patted her hand reassuringly, but he didn’t answer her question either. Mary Lou felt bad for lying to people, but it seemed like the only way to keep anyone from finding out about her real life.
After all, she needed time to prepare for what lay ahead and she knew no one would give her such luxury if they found out she hadn’t yet been born.
Her uncle stepped down from the buggy to open its door for her. Mary Lou waited patiently until he lifted her down then walked with her hands clasped tightly together under her chin through a group of curious onlookers toward the church.
People greeted her kindly but still gave her strange looks. Some of them asked why she was getting married when she wasn’t even twenty years old. Others wondered why the wedding wasn’t taking place at the bride’s home instead of here. It was obvious the people in town weren’t used to seeing someone like her walk around unchaperoned or get married before being given the right to do so.
Mary Lou glanced up at the sky, which was overcast and looked gloomy despite the bright red sunset beyond the clouds. She hoped Mother Nature would be kind enough not to let rain spoil her big day since it was too late to call off the event and reschedule it for another time.
If God didn’t want the ceremony to take place today, she wouldn’t stop it anyway; she’d just have to accept things as they were.
As they entered the church, Mary Lou stopped to greet some of the women who were sitting near the entrance. They all smiled warmly as they offered their congratulations to Mary Lou. One of them said she wished she had a husband as sweet as Mr. Brown, but she quickly added, “And I’m sure he’ll be just as sweet once you’ve lived with him awhile.”
After saying her goodbyes to the ladies, Mary Lou followed her aunt and uncle to the back of the church where several guests mingled with the rest of the crowd.
When she noticed two men wearing black suits talking with Reverend Tabor in his office, Mary Lou realized that the men must be the groomsmen and the groomsman who had brought Mary Lou to this place might be Reverend Tabor. Then again, he might have been the minister officiating the ceremony tonight. She couldn’t remember which was correct.
Reverend Tabor emerged from the office, his dark hair shining against his dark skin in the low lighting. Mary Lou stared at him curiously as he made his way across the lobby. He reminded her of a lion walking through a jungle in Africa, but somehow she doubted there would be lions prowling around in Kansas.
Her thoughts drifted away from Reverend Tabor momentarily as she watched her cousins and their husbands enter the church.
“I see my brother is already here,” her uncle said as soon as they reached the front pew where he sat next to the preacher. “He always shows up before anyone else.”
Mary Lou nodded and leaned closer to whisper, “Why is everyone staring at me? Don’t they know I’m getting married tonight?”
Her uncle laughed as though her question was funny. “You should know by now that nothing surprises us anymore. It seems every time we turn around something happens or someone does something completely different than what we expected. That’s probably why people are giving you so many strange looks.”
Then he pointed toward the front of the church where a group of women was gathered. Mary Lou saw several of her cousins’ husbands among the group, along with her father’s brothers. “That’s why you’re also getting married tomorrow—to get out from under our watchful eyes and have your own life to live.”
A sudden gust of wind swept past her, making her shiver. She glanced out at the street and noticed the few remaining cars driving slowly down the road. A few people still lingered near the steps leading to the church, waiting for the bride and groom.
The men were in their usual suits and ties, while the women wore dresses and hats that matched each other. But it wasn’t their clothes that made Mary Lou stare at them in disbelief. These were no strangers.
“Uncle George! Brother John!” She recognized one of the men immediately because he looked exactly like her father. And she knew who the second man was because she’d seen his photograph hanging on the wall of her bedroom at her grandparents’ house.
It was Uncle Henry! What were these two doing in Kansas? She hadn’t thought that either of them would ever come here to visit after leaving their families to join the Union Army. It was hard enough for Mary Lou to imagine what it was like to leave everything behind and fight for a cause, but how could a person abandon his family to serve in the army if his loved ones were left behind?
Mary Lou turned to look at the reverend, hoping he would tell her what was going on.
“It seems we have some unexpected company,” Reverend Tabor said, looking relieved that he didn’t have to explain anything. He stood and went to the podium as his assistant hurried over with a bottle of champagne. Reverend Tabor then stepped aside so the men could say a few words before they took their seats.
“Brother John and I got married last week,” Uncle Henry said, smiling as he shook hands with all the guests in the front rows.
The other three men nodded as Mary Lou listened intently. Her gaze returned to her father’s brother when she heard a deep voice ask, “Are you related to her?”
Turning back toward Uncle Henry, Mary Lou asked, “What are you talking about?”
She had expected him to mention something to Aunt Emma, not bring her into the conversation. But it didn’t seem to bother Uncle Henry. In fact, he looked amused.
“Don’t worry, child. You’re not getting any younger, so why don’t you take my advice and marry a nice man like my brother John and settle down with him?”
“No! No thank you very much.” Mary Lou glared at her uncle. “And neither will I!”
As the reverend stepped forward, telling all the guests to remain seated until everyone who was supposed to attend the wedding arrived, Mary Lou stared at Uncle Henry and wondered why he would even think about marrying again.
Did she remember correctly that he was the only one of the four brothers who never married? Had the others married and had children? Was he afraid to have another woman in his life after losing so many wives over the years? Or did he simply prefer bachelorhood? It didn’t matter anyway; she was done with men for now.
With her mind full of her father’s family, Mary Lou barely noticed her husband’s arrival at the door. After he took his place beside her, Reverend Tabor spoke briefly, then raised his voice to make sure everyone heard his announcement: “I now pronounce you man and wife. May God bless you both and keep you safe as you travel down your new path in life.”
“Thank you, Reverend,” Jim whispered. Then he kissed her gently on her right cheek.
For an instant, she remembered how her heart used to pound whenever he touched her, but this wasn’t the same kind of love-at-first-sight passion. It felt as though she were kissing a stranger who was dressed just like her husband. When Jim turned away to greet his friends and their spouses, Mary Lou found herself wanting to leave the church as quickly as possible.
She waited until the guests began filing out of the building and then followed them through a side entrance onto the sidewalk. “You’re leaving already?” Jim asked, sounding surprised.
“I’m sorry but I can’t stay long.” They were surrounded by people hurrying to get home before dark, so Mary Lou held her purse close to her chest to hide her nervousness.
Jim looked up at the sky. “It looks like rain. Do you want me to walk you back to the train station?”
“Please. Let’s go now.”
He offered his arm, and together they walked toward the railroad depot where a few more couples were getting off the train. Mary Lou watched him walk next to her, and suddenly the world seemed to spin around her. What was happening?
This was no longer her father’s brother walking alongside her, but instead her new husband, Jim. She couldn’t believe it. Why hadn’t anyone told her that he was actually her husband?
After they passed under a sign that read, “Welcome, Newcomers,” a large dog came trotting along the sidewalk. Its tail wagged as it sniffed her shoe and licked the sole of the leather sandal. The dog stopped and sat down, looking expectantly back at Jim.
It wasn’t unusual to see dogs around town because many of the local citizens kept pets. But there was something different about this dog—a strange odor coming from its nose.
Looking down at the animal, Jim bent down and scratched the dog behind the ears. Mary Lou tried to ignore the smell of rotting meat. It reminded her of the smell of dead animals she smelled while cleaning out the slaughterhouses in Chicago. A shiver ran down her spine.
When Jim pulled his hand away, the dog barked loudly, then ran off without looking back at Jim. As Mary Lou watched him turn around to follow the dog, she realized that something was wrong. Her new husband was acting strangely; nothing like she remembered.
Unable to shake the feeling that something horrible was about to happen, she looked around. There were a lot of strangers walking past them toward the train depot. Most of them wore hats and carried umbrellas to protect themselves from the drizzling rain.
“Where are you going?” Jim asked, sounding impatient when he noticed that she was staring at the passing strangers.
Mary Lou shook her head. “Just trying to figure out what you’re doing here.”
“I came to get you to spend the day with me.”
“Why didn’t someone tell me that we got married last night?”
Jim hesitated, and when he finally answered, Mary Lou, saw that he was smiling. “Because we got married in church.”
A shiver went through her body as she recalled how they stood side by side in front of all these witnesses. “But… I thought you said that we’d be married later today?”
“Yes, after your uncle and the reverend finished making arrangements.”
“So I’m not really married yet?”
“No, dear.” He paused for a second. “Are you okay? You seem a little pale.”
“I just need to catch my breath,” she lied. “Let’s hurry and find shelter from the rain.”
They reached the steps leading down to the station and went inside. Mary Lou looked at him carefully, searching his eyes, but there was no hint of deceit or suspicion. “What are you hiding from me?” she demanded. “Did you plan this all along? Are we really married?”
Jim laughed. “Don’t worry about it. We’re married. Now, let’s go to the ticket office and buy you a first-class ticket back to Chicago.”
Mary Lou stared at him in disbelief. “How could you do this to me? What happened to our marriage?”
“I don’t know why, but you weren’t very happy during the ceremony.” His voice softened when he glanced over at her. “That’s probably why you left early. Don’t look so upset.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” she snapped. “First I want you to take me home.”
His face became serious. “There isn’t anything to discuss. That’s the way things will always be between us. Our marriage is a business arrangement, and nothing more.”
“You said we’re married.”
“We’re married now. But I’m afraid there will never be any affection between us—no love.” He put his hat on and turned toward the counter where the ticket clerk was sitting. “I’d like two tickets, please. One for me and one for my wife.”
She followed him outside as he handed the woman money and received their tickets. “I think we should get out of town before the sun goes down. There’s not much we can do until tomorrow when we can start making arrangements.”
Mary Lou didn’t reply. They walked quickly past a blacksmith’s shop, an auto garage, a general store, a saloon, a barber shop, a newspaper stand, a drugstore, a telegraph office, a post office, and another boarding house that had a sign that read, “The Last Stop.” The last name of the street read “Murdock.”
On their way across the street, Mary Lou looked up at a building that had been converted into apartments and rented out to families. She noticed that the windows were dark. It looked abandoned; no lights were on the inside. In fact, everything appeared deserted in that block.
As soon as they stepped onto the train, Jim sat down in the same seat he had occupied the last time he rode the train. He pulled out some newspapers from under the seat and started reading the headlines. “This train only runs three times a week,” Jim told her, as he folded up the paper and put it into his pocket. “It leaves on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Your uncle and the reverend will make all the arrangements.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Well…” He glanced over at her. “They’ll do whatever I tell them to do.”
“Do you mean to say that I’m nothing more than a hired servant?”
Jim frowned in annoyance. “What exactly did you expect? This whole thing is complicated. Your father and uncle are trying to solve problems, and I’m simply doing what needs to be done.”
Mary Lou took his hand and placed it on her lap. She held him there, caressing his fingers, looking into his eyes. “Is this what you do with every pretty young woman who gets caught trespassing?”
He stared at her for a moment longer before shaking his head. “You’re different from other girls.”
“I’m still just a hired girl,” she reminded him, trying not to feel too excited at his touch.
Jim smiled and leaned closer so that their faces were almost touching. “I’m glad we understand each other.”
***
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Mary Lou asked. Her voice sounded strange as if she spoke with someone else’s tongue. “Because I’m beginning to wonder if my uncle actually sent me here.”
“Yes, this is it,” Jim replied in a calm voice. “Just follow me.”
He led the way through an alley filled with trash cans and empty barrels, then stepped onto an old wooden porch. A small door opened and a man peered around the corner of the building.
“Where are you going?” the man called out.
Jim stopped and faced him. “I’ve got something important to discuss with Reverend Murdock.”
“I’ll let him know,” the man replied before walking away.
Mary Lou stood next to Jim as he knocked on the door. When no one answered he tried again, and a minute later, the door suddenly opened.
Reverend Murdock peeked around the doorway, surprised to see the young bride standing there. “Hello,” he greeted her. “Come in. We need to talk.”
***
Mary Lou stepped inside the room and saw a young man sitting on a chair, staring at them both with suspicious eyes. “I don’t remember seeing him in town,” she murmured, glancing back at Jim.
Reverend Murdock gave the young man a cold glare. “This is Mr. Smith, our newly hired hand.”
Mary Lou turned back to look at Jim. “Who’s Mr. Smith?”
“My assistant,” Murdock explained, as he went ahead of them to light a lamp that hung from the ceiling.
“I have questions,” Jim told the reverend without preamble. “I need you to listen very carefully because I’m going to ask them again later today.”
“Questions?” Murdock repeated. “I already told you what I know.”
Jim nodded and continued. “First, I want to know how my wife ended up in your barn.”
“There was no time for anything else to be done.”
Jim glared at him and then took Mary Lou by the elbow and started leading her out. The man followed behind them with a curious expression on his face.
Outside in the alley, Jim pulled off his gloves and handed them to Mary Lou. “Give these to my uncle when you get home.”
She held them in her hands, feeling numb as if she had been drugged. Was it possible?
“Wait!” Reverend Murdock called out after them. “Tell me more about my daughter! Did you marry her?”
“No,” Jim said.
“Did anyone find her?”
“Not yet.”
The reverend looked stunned for a moment, and then he closed the door. They walked down the street toward the depot, but Mary Lou didn’t say anything until they passed the saloon. “You knew all along!” she accused him. “That’s why you brought me here — to get me alone.”
“If I hadn’t thought of it first, your father would never have.”
“How dare you!” Mary Lou shouted at him.
He shrugged off her anger, not caring enough to bother with an explanation. Instead, he led her past the men standing outside and entered the station. “I’ll take her home now,” he announced.
“Oh no, I’m going with you!” Mary Lou snapped back at him. “It’s not safe for you to be traveling around the territory by yourself.”
“You can trust me,” Jim assured her, knowing he could probably outrun anyone who dared try to stop them.
“You should have let me go instead of bringing me here.” She reached for the door handle, but he blocked her hand with his own. “Let me out of here now!”
“I’m taking you home where it’s safe.” He put a hand against the door and tried to open it. But she refused to move until the ticket collector came to help him. After the man unlocked it, Jim pushed it shut again and took off his hat.
For the first time since she’d met him, he seemed vulnerable; it was as if he wore a mask that hid the real him. Then he reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “For the record,” he whispered, “we were married before I got here.”
“So why did you lie to us?”
His answer sounded like a simple question. “We were afraid we might lose each other forever.”
Mary Lou stared at him with a stunned look on her face. “And what about you and Lettie?” she asked.
He laughed bitterly. “Lettie is dead.”
The End