Chapter 2                                                    

                                                                                                                                           Six years later

July 9th 1874

Texiss feared she would go crazy before the end of the day. The children at the Lonely Hearts orphanage were more hyperactive this morning than she had originally prepared herself for.

“Miss Texiss, Brandon refuses to stop crying. I think he may be sick.” Paige Williams, who also worked at the orphanage, came just short of running up to her and held out the crying 16-month-old boy.

“Does he have a temperature?” Texiss put her hand to the child’s forehead.

“I can’t tell in this July heat. I wish he’d stop crying though.” Paige gave Brandon to Texiss and walked off to tend the rest of the children. Texiss looked down into the deep blue eyes of the child, her heart filling with love for him all over again.

Brandon had come to her father’s orphanage a little over three months ago by a distraught 14-year-old sister. From the girl’s looks, Texiss knew that things must have been bad for the family. She often wondered what had become of them and if they would return for the baby. Yet in her heart she knew that once someone dumped their children on her, they seldom returned.

The sound of the cook ringing the dinner bell caused somewhat of a stampede toward the long table in the dining room. Texiss smiled at the children. All fourteen of them deserved much more than they were getting.

“Miss Texiss, will you say grace for us?” The cook, Grace Harper, asked.

Texiss shook her head. God wouldn’t hear her, He never did. “You go ahead, Grace.”

Grace sighed and folded her withering hands, taking a moment before she began to pray. “Lord, it’s me again. I know I come to You an awful lot, but these children need You. Please bless the food in front of us, the hearts in us, and the needs around us. Amen.”

The children’s chatter immediately picked back up. Texiss gave Brandon to Paige, and went around the table, removing the boy’s hats and checking hands to make sure they had been washed. She came upon Billy Landon, the newest of the bunch, and saw his dirty hands.

“Billy, did you wash your hands?” She asked.

“Well, Miss Calloway, the water was so dirty by the time I got around to it that I figured my hands wouldn’t be any different after I washed them.” Billy said innocently.

Texiss resisted the urge to laugh. “Come on, Billy.” She poured some fresh water in the wash basin and handed him the soap.

“Thanks, Miss Calloway.” Billy smiled up at her, his shaggy blonde hair nearly covering his brown eyes.

Texiss wondered at the boy. No one ever thanked her for making them wash their hands. Especially not an 11-year-old boy. Billy seemed different than the other boys. He was more sweet than mischievous, and helped clean up rather than cause the mess. Why would any parent want to give up a child like that?

**********

Cameron Peirce refrained from wringing his hands as he awaited his boss’ return. Being called to Harold Winkler’s office was never a good thing, even for a skilled journalist like Cameron. Every man that entered Mr. Winkler’s office either came out unemployed, or promoted. Mostly the former.

The door squeaked open and the burly Mr. Winkler entered, puffing on an expensive cigar.

“Hello. Peirce, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir,” Cameron tried to appear confident, but his heart was pounding loudly in his ears.

“Well, young man, I have a bit of news for you,” Winkler sat in his over-stuffed chair behind his desk, the chair squeaking in protest under the man’s weight. “A good friend of mine owns this newspaper down in south Louisiana; he told me it’s been struggling. Apparently, no one can stand to work there. He’s asked me to send someone down there for him. So, I’ve given it some thought, and I’m sending you.”

Cameron could have fainted in relief. “M-me?”

“Yes, you were my first choice,” Winkler smiled.

Cameron had a hard time believing that one.

“Well, that was a lie.” Winkler added. “I was originally sending Charlie Smith, but he ran his mouth off to me so I fired him.”

Lovely. Cameron thought.

 “Where is this, sir?”

“A little town called Casden, I think.”

Cameron’s heart stopped beating for a moment as his mind flashed back to years ago.

“Promise me you won’t stay gone forever, Cameron.” Texiss said in her demanding way.

“Why would I stay gone forever, Tex? There’s nothing I want that can’t be found here.” Cameron answered. The announcement of his aunt paying his way to college to become a journalist hadn’t went over as well as he had hoped.

“You might change your mind.” Texiss’ eyes reflected the pain of the abandonment she had gone through all those years ago. “That father I had changed his mind, and left me with all of his responsibilities.” Texiss looked to the side, a habit she had developed to try to hide her tears from him.

“Texiss, I want you to look at me.” Cameron said calmly.

Texiss refused to look at him. Cameron put is hand on the side of her face and turned her to face him, drying a tear with is thumb.

“I will always come back to you, Texiss. Always.” he said.

“Do ya promise?” Texiss asked in the way that she always had.

“I promise”

Cameron shut his eyes hard against the memory. She wouldn’t want to see him now. She had moved on.

“I…um…I can’t, sir.” Cameron said.

“What was that?”

“I can’t go.”

“Why not?”

Cameron rubbed his forehead. “That was where I grew up. I…I can’t go back. There’s someone there I can’t face.”

Winkler nodded. “It’s a woman, isn’t it?”

“What? No… Well, yeah. She was just a kid when I left. We both were, I guess.” Cameron said.

“Well, sonny, there’s only one thing to do. Face her.” Winkler said.

“What? No.”

“That’s the only way you’re ever going to forget her.”

I don’t want to forget her.

Cameron thought.

“But--” He started to protest.

“Let me put this another way.” Winkler interrupted. “Either you go to Louisiana, or you’re fired.” Cameron’s jaw dropped. “You would fire me over this?”

Winkler stared at him. Cameron knew he wasn’t kidding.

“Ok, Mr. Winkler. I’ll go to Louisiana.” Cameron couldn’t believe the words came out.

“Good. Now, out of my office.”

Cameron stood and exited the office, realizing how stuffy the small room was that he just came from. More than likely due to the cigars the man was constantly smoking.

Cameron looked at the receptionist. “Mrs. Sally, you might as well shoot me now.”

Sally smiled. She had heard the entire conversation.

********

Texiss prepared herself for the chore of putting the children to bed that night, her eyes so heavy she could hardly hold them open. Paige came up to her with Brandon.

“Are you going to take him to the doctor?” she asked.

“After I put the kids in bed, yes.” Texiss sighed.

Paige went to try to round up all the girls as Texiss went up to the eldest boy, Price.

“Price, can you help me get all the boys ready for bed?” she asked.

“Not my job.” Price said defiantly.

“I know, that’s why I’m asking and not telling you.” Texiss said. She was in no mood to deal with the thirteen-year-old’s attitude.

“That’s why I said no.”

Texiss’ hand twitched. For a nickel she would jack his jaw up a few inches. After all she had tried to do for him, he still walked around like someone swiped the silver lining off his cloud. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked away before she said something she would regret. One day she was going to teach that boy a thing or two.