After an hour or two they finally arrived in El Elizario. The whole town seemed to be in a frenzy. People ran around in and out of houses screaming for shelter. There were no weather problems Beth did not know what to think. John asked a lady what was wrong she said nothing but gave him a strange look.
The bar closed witch was very unusual. See the bar was pretty much the entertainment of the town. Suddenly the town got quiet. Jack said there is nothing to worry about I bet some old lady said there was a curse of something and now the whole town is scared.
“Do you want me to drive the buggy to your house?” asked Jeremy.
“No Beth did not bring much we will be fine walking,” replied Jack.
“Ok then I will see ya’ll soon.”
“Where is your amazing house my love?” said Beth.
“About half a mile away. It is a short walk.”
They walked through the Texan town with its beautiful Mexican features. Red and yellow chilly peppers hanging from porches. Adobe buildings some painted with natural paints. The stillness and quiet was interrupted by cats and dogs running up and down the dirt streets of El Elizario. Little did the couple know why the town was in a frenzy and why it’s now calm on the outside but with people scared behind closed doors.
They walked about half the way to his house when they turn a corner and came face to face with a man in a dark red shirt and a pistol in hand. He pointed the gun in Beth’s chest. It all went silent. The man smiled with a sharp look. Jack moved.
The man said, “Don’t you move to get no gun I came to get settled and we are going to do it my way unless you want this prize woman to have a hole in her beautiful chest.”
“I don’t have a gun Joe. You better know if I had a gun I would fight you but I do not.”
Jacks enemy’s face became livid. Joe moved the gun to Jack’s chest. He said, “Don’t tell me you don’t got a gun that would be a lie. Every man in Texas knows you always carry a gun, always.”
“If you are going to shoot me do it now you are not going to get a chance like this ever again.”
“Why you ain’t got a gun, been to Sunday-school?”
“I came from Boston with my wife. I am married.”
“Married!”
“Yes Joe I am married.”
“Married?” Joe stood there repeating that for a while as though it was an impossible matter to comprehend. “Is this your lady?”
“Yes Joe this is my lady.”
“I suppose there is not going to be a fight.”
“Only if that is the way you want it Joe.”
“Well it is all off Jack. Married?”
Joe slowly walked away kicking the dirt and saying married. Soon Joe was out of sight and Beth and Jack started walking to the house. Now Jack and Beth new why the town was in a frenzy.
“Who was that man,” Sputtered Beth Potter as the fear from the moment passed suddenly arose.
“Joe Bigger, he is a drunk been make’n trouble for years. He use to be part of a big gang but he is the only one left,” Said Jack Potter
“Why did he want to kill you?”
“One time he was threatening the whole town. I crept up behind him and shot him he did not die but he was out for a while. But you need not be worried he is only wild when he gets a little too much of that poison. With out that beer he would be the kindest man in town.”
“Oh well bolt the oak door tonight anyways for me would ya?”
“Ok then maybe you could make some hot coco it’s a little cold out,” he said as they walked in the house.
“Before I make hot coco guess who gets to start the fire.”
“I don’t know if I could bear to help you but for old times sake I guess I will babe.”
“Well you better or you won’t have any breakfast in the morning.”
“I will go get some wood. Be back in a jip.”
The house was still and quiet. With sand floors, windows with old wood shutters, no curtains, the fire place was made of red clay it looked like a Mexican bread cooker. In the next room a bed with an old quilt, a wooden side table with a picture of a woman on a horse she wondered who the woman was. In a small brown trunk was a woman’s dress of fine pink silk, white pearls lined the collar. Beth wondered who the dress belonged to. She turned around to see a small gold ring on the bed she went over to pick it up but Jack came in the door and she dropped it.
“So what do you think of the house?” asked Jack.
“It is lovely. Where did the dress come from?”
“That was my finance’s from years ago. Don’t get any bad ideas from it. I thought I could never see you again and was desperate. And no she did not live with me her parents just gave me this stuff.”
“What happened to her?”
“She drowned in the creek two years back.”
“Oh I am so sorry. Why did you not tell me about her?”
“I was hoping to forget it and not have to bring you in to all my past life problems. But I knew it would not work.”
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness to care for me my love but we are married I am ok dealing with your problems that is what I am here for.” Beth said as she went up to hug her 20 year old husband. He picked her up and carried her all the way to bed and said the dress is all yours. As they laid there Jack reached over and put one hand on each of her cheeks leaned forward and kissed her. In that moment Beth new that this is where she wanted to be. Jack took her hand and walked over to the trunk pulled out a secret compartment and showed her a school picture from when they were young on the back was a note to Beth.
He read it, “Dear Beth I have loved you ever since the first day of school when you walked in and said now where do I sit in your preppy tone. I remember I gave you my seat and sat in the corner until they got a new desk. And the day when you strolled in the door of the school with you low cut dress from the east the way it made you like a queen from the books you would always read. Then the day of the fair when I asked you to dance and you said you might be bad at it. The thing you did not know was I had no idea how to dance I really wanted to walk with you over to the stable and give you a ride over to my new job as sheriff. But then you move away to Boston so you could act. I love you and want you to come home. Love Jack.”
He looked over to see a tear rolling down her cheek. She looked up and smiled with her whole heart as another tear began to form see wiped her eyes. In Beth’s heart was an empty place which was now filled almost to the over flowing point.
“I was going to sent it but I knew I had to go up and get you myself,” Said Jack in his soft tone.
“You really have loved me since I was twelve?”
“Yeah I really have even though I was two years older than you.”
“And that dress from New York you thought I looked beautiful.”
“Yeah, why did you stop wearing it?”
“I thought you did not like it you never said anything”
“You wore that dress it impress me?”
“Yeah I would have done anything for you but then Marie came and she got your attention. Was she your finance?”
“I loved her not as much as you but I gave upon us, when you moved away and broke my heart.”
“I move to run away from seeing you and Marie. I could not bear to see the man I loved with another girl. I knew I could not compete with her beauty.” Beth said then it got quiet Beth stood up and walked over to the bed and laid down. Jack soon followed; he took her hands and showed her where to find clothes to sleep in.
As she looked around it was a small room filled with clothes, some lace, satin, and silk. She picked out a thin dress with lace on the top and bottom. Pearls flowed down each side of the dress. It was a light purple witch made her skin look so smooth and delicate. She took her curly blonde hair down from her braid and let it flow down on the right side of her chest.
She walked out of the small room through the bedroom and in to the living room. Jack was stoking the fire. Beth found the bucket of water, pored some into a kettle put it by the fire to boil. Jack went out to get more firewood for the night. Beth scooted his frail futon in front of the fire and sat on it reading Romeo and Juliet. Jack walked put the wood by the fire and stood tall.
“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I'll no longer be a Capulet,” Said Jack.
“You read this book?”
“Yeah it is your favorite.”
“Aawww that is so sweet. Do you want to sit?”
“Yeah if you really want me to.”
“Oh trust me I do. Really”
“Let us read it I read some then you then me ok.”
“Fine with me.”
So Beth and Jack read all night while sitting by the fire drinking hot coco. Shakespeare would be proud to know his book made another relationship stronger.
“True, I talk of dreams, which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy. Which is as thin of substance as the air; and more inconstant than the wind, who wooes even now the frozen bosom of the north, and, being anger’d, puffs away from thence, turning his face to the dew-dropping south.”
