Chapter Six

The Heart Remembers

Chapter Six ©2009

I made my way to the stables, shaken, unable to make any sense of my meeting with Kathleen. I was still too young to understand the intricacies of flirtation, seduction, or whatever one might call what had happened beneath those maple trees. All I knew was that Kathleen Preston had introduced me to a mysterious world where power over my senses came at the touch of a finger. Was she teasing me? Her demeanor in the brief interlude had seemed serious, haunting and mysterious, not the demeanor of someone who was playing a game with a naïve young boy who wasn’t quite a teenager yet. And there was Elise. I had been obsessed over finding a way to introduce myself to her over the summer, but now after this brief introduction to Kathleen, it didn’t seem quite so important. I would have been perfectly happy to remain sitting in the shade of those maples with Kathleen, our legs touching, listening to her soft voice explaining the mysteries of love. I approached the stables where an older gentleman was brushing a glorious looking horse tethered to a post. “You must be Daniel,” he said, shaking my hand. “I’m Seth Jones. I run the stables for Mr. Preston.” “Nice to meet you, Sir,” I said. Seth pointed to the horse. “Do you know anything about horses?” he asked. “No sir.” “Well, that’s probably just as good. Then I’ll know for sure that you’ve been taught the right way, because I’ll be doing the teaching.” He gave me a warm smile and winked. “What do you think of this mare, son? Beautiful, isn’t she? Do you think you’ll be comfortable around such a large animal?” “Yes Sir,” I answered, staring at the glorious chestnut mare he was brushing. She had a perfect white triangle on her forehead. “You can call me Seth, son. Leave the Sirs and Ma’ams for the Preston’s. Here, take this brush and give it a try. Just like that,” he instructed, guiding my hand. “Be careful around her left haunch. She stumbled and took a fall yesterday and she’s still a little tender back there.

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I try to ride her as much as I can to keep her used to it, but I’m getting to old for the saddle. That will be part of your job.” Seth pulled out a plug of chewing tobacco, pulled up a stool and continued to watch me. “You’ve got a good touch with animals. She likes you. Her name is Sloan. She used to be Miss Kathleen’s horse. Nobody rides her but me since she threw Miss Kathleen off a few years back.” I continued to brush the mare without commenting. “I see you’re not saying anything, so either you’re not curious or you’ve already heard about the accident. Since I know for a fact that most boys are way too curious for their own good, I’m going to assume that you’ve listened and believed to some of the rumors floating around town about the accident at some point. Most of what you’ve heard are lies. It’s a touchy subject around here, so you may as well hear it from me before you start asking questions and get yourself into trouble.” Seth adjusted his stool so that he could lean against the stable wall before continuing. “Let me start by saying that the last boy who worked here told me he heard rumors that Miss Kathleen was crazy. Now I’m no doctor, but except for being a bit high-spirited and a little bit odd, I’d say Miss Kathleen is no more insane than Sloan there,” he said, pointing to the horse. “Miss Kathleen loved to ride as a child, and she was good at it. When Mr. Preston bought Sloan, Kathleen fell in love with her. But she was too much horse for the girl to handle and Kathleen’s riding style, as she grew older was reckless. She took chances, showed off. One day, she was trying to jump a rail over a water obstruction and Sloan faltered. Next thing you know, she panics and the horse throws her. Miss Kathleen hit her head on the standard, and broke something in her neck. Cut herself wide open too,” added Seth, pointing to a spot on the back of his head. “They patched her up but she was unconscious for three days. When she woke up, it took a long time before she was even able to get out of bed. Sure, she wasn’t quite the same, but I think it’s because they took away the one thing she loved the most in this world and that was riding Sloan.” Seth stood up and grabbed a bucket that he was using as a spittoon. Removing his chew, he replaced it with another chunk after depositing the old wad into the bucket. He continued with the story.

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“I thought they might put Sloan down, but I guess Miss Kathleen threw a fit, so Mr. Preston told me to take care of the horse, but to never let any family members ride her.” That’s the most important thing you need to know if you’re going to work here. Miss Kathleen is not allowed to ride Sloan, or any other horse for that matter. She’s not even supposed to be near the stables because she’s snuck out riding a few times on Sloan since the accident. Miss Kathleen’s got a mind of her own, so you’re going to have to deal with her sooner or later when I’m not around. She’ll plead with you and try to sway you with promises, and she’ll even use her looks if she thinks that will work. But you just remember one thing. If I find out that you’ve been letting Miss Kathleen ride, we’ll have to let you go. Are we clear on that?” “Yes Sir.” “Here comes Mr. Preston now. Looks like he has Elise with him. Hand me that brush, son, and introduce yourself proper.” I looked up to see Mr. Preston and Elise coming down the hill on the stone pathway that led to the stables. My thoughts of Kathleen vanished as Elise drew nearer and I saw her up close for the first time. There was little resemblance between the two sisters actually. Kathleen was darker, exotic looking, tall and angular. Elise was a little shorter, maybe my height, and perfectly proportioned, already blossoming into a young woman, Her hair was blond but of such a light hue that it was nearly white in the bright sunshine. It fell in perfect straight waves over her shoulders. Her face was perfection, every detail exquisite, from her startling blue eyes to the perfect tilt of her nose. She had a friendly demeanor about her and she gave me a dazzling smile as she approached with her father. I was awestruck that such beauty could be found not once, but twice in the same family. “Quit gawking, Daniel, “whispered Seth, who was brushing Sloan once again.” I forced myself to make eye contact with the Mr. Preston. “Hello, you must be Daniel, he said, shaking my hand. I’m Horace Preston. This is my youngest daughter, Elise.” “Nice to meet you sir.” I made what I hoped was a polite little bow to Elise. “Pleased to meet you Ma’am…er…Miss,” I said nervously. Elise giggled but it didn’t seem mean spirited. She gave me a little curtsey.

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I could tell it was because of my stupid attempt at a bow and I could also see that she was trying not to laugh at my awkwardness. “You can call me Elise,” she said in a friendly voice, making me feel a little better. I nodded, unable to make eye contact with her, and focused my gaze upon Mr. Preston. “Your father’s a good man, declared Mr. Preston. “He’s worked for me for what…maybe four years now? I forget how long exactly. It doesn’t matter I guess. The important thing is that he tells me you’re a responsible young man and that I can trust you”. “Yes sir,” I answered. “I’ll work very hard sir.” “Good. That’s what I like to hear. Has Seth shown you around the stable, explained the rules?” “A little bit Sir. He was letting me brush Sloan. She seemed to like me.” “Well I suppose that’s a good thing. I would have sold her long ago, if it weren’t for my eldest daughter. Did Seth explain my instructions concerning the stables and my daughter Kathleen?” “Yes sir. I’m not to let her ride the horses.” “Very good. We had an unfortunate riding accident when Kathleen was a child. Kathleen sustained a head injury and a broken neck. Any fall could potentially paralyze her or even kill her now, so it’s very important that she refrain from riding. It’s a sad scenario, but necessary. Kathleen can be quite headstrong, so if you see her near the stables, you’re to inform Seth immediately. She respects Seth and he’ll know how to deal with her. Other than that, just do as Seth asks and you should have no problem. Elise is allowed to ride any horse but Sloan, but she rarely rides because it upsets Kathleen. You’ll work three days a week plus Saturday and I’ll pay you a salary of five dollars a week. Once school starts, you’ll come after school and dinner will be provided. Your salary will remain the same even though you’ll be working less. Does that seem fair?” “Yes sir. Very fair, Sir,” I said, trying to remain serious, as I smiled broadly, unable to keep my happiness from showing. “Good. I have work to do so I’ll leave you to Seth.” Mr. Preston said a few words to Elise as Seth motioned to me to follow him inside.

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He showed me how to clean the horse stalls and instructed me to clean each empty stall while he ran to town to get some supplies. Elise had wandered into the stable where she was hand feeding a white horse while I secretly stole glances. Presently she walked over and watched me work. “Do you live in town?” she asked. “Yes,” I answered as I swept up some straw. “Aren’t you friends with Natalie Jarvis and Harvey Smith?” “Yeah, we’re friends,” I replied. Wondering how she knew this since this would be the first year she had actually attended public school. “I’ve seen you with them in town before and I asked the other girls who you were in case you were curious.” “Oh,” I replied, unable to think of any other response, but secretly pleased that she had noticed me. I finished sweeping out the stall and made my way to the next one. “Do you like riding horses?” asked Elise. “I’ve never ridden one.” “Really! I’ll have to teach you sometime. Maybe when Kathleen is away. I usually won’t ride when she’s home because it makes her sad.” I was trying to hold a large coal shovel with one hand and sweep the straw into it with a push broom and it wasn’t working very well. Elise noticed and entered the stall. “Let me help you,” she said. “You hold the shovel and I’ll sweep the straw in.” “I’d better not,” I said. Seth might get mad if he comes back and sees you helping me.” “Oh, quit worrying about Seth. He’s the nicest old man you’ll ever meet and my father could care less if I help you. He says idleness is what got this country into trouble and that if more people with money actually did a little work in this country, we might not be in the mess we’re in. Let me sweep. No one will care.” We made our way through each stall, Elise helping me and chatting away amiably. I was in heaven. She was absolutely the most beautiful girl I had ever met. Even though I had thought the same thing about Kathleen just hours ago, I could see Kathleen’s point about Elise being the more beautiful sister.

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As we finished cleaning the final stall, an older woman dressed in a neat white cotton smock came in bearing some plates of food and a quart of milk. “It’s lunchtime Miss Elise. Your mother’s going to be looking for you,” she said, looking at Elise’s dirty hands and giving me a reproachful look. “Boy, here’s your lunch. Where’s Seth,” she asked. “He had to go to town,” I replied. “Well, when he gets back, tell him I took his plate back to the house. He can eat in the kitchen today. Miss Elise, you get those hands washed before your mother sees you and get on up to the house.” “I’m not hungry, Ella. I ate a big breakfast. Tell mother that I’m going to visit Stephanie today, and that I’ll be home for dinner.” Ella gave me another disapproving look. “It’s okay, Ella. This is Daniel. He’s a friend. We’ll be going to the same school this year. Go on. I’ll see you at dinner.” Ella gave me one last withering look before leaving. Elise showed me to a small room in the stables where Seth sometimes ate his lunch. There was a small table with 4 chairs and not much else. To my delight, Elise sat across from me. Ella had given me two sandwiches, each with a thick slice of ham. I offered Elise one of the sandwiches but she said she wasn’t hungry. “So, you met my sister today.” I still had trouble looking Elise in the face. She was just so beautiful that it made me nervous and I felt as if I was stumbling over my words. With Kathleen, it had been different. It was almost as if Kathleen wanted you to notice her. She would lock her eyes on you and you couldn’t look away. With Elise I felt shy. I didn’t know how to respond to Elise’s statement. I wondered if Kathleen and I had been seen or what Kathleen may have told her. I concentrated on my sandwich, avoiding eye contact, and simply nodded. “Kathleen says you’ll break my heart one day.” Elise giggled, her face amiable, despite the comment, as she studied my reaction. “You must have made quite an impression on her. My sister can be…well…difficult at times. What did you two talk about?”, she added curiously. I weighed my words carefully and decided to speak the truth. “I told her that she was beautiful and she told me that you were the beautiful sister and that she was only pretty compared to you.”

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Elise gave me a sad smile. “I think Kathleen is the most beautiful girl in the world. I don’t know why she says such things.” Elise seemed to be lost in thought for a moment as I continued eating silently. “So, are you always so full of compliments to girls that you’ve just met?” said Elise, teasingly, her reverie broken, her face amiable once again. “No. Actually except for Nat, I don’t really talk to girls much. Your sister just had a way of getting me to say what was on my mind at the time.” “Oh! Now this is getting interesting. So it wasn’t just a compliment!” “No…no,” I stammered. “It’s just…I’ve never seen girls as pretty as the both of you. It makes me…I don’t know…nervous, I guess. I keep tripping over my words.” I flushed deeply. I had envisioned dozens of conversations with Elise, given the chance. I had imagined myself regaling her with stories of my bravery in fights and encounters with mysterious people like Alma the witch, but here when the opportunity had finally presented itself, I felt like a lumbering fool, my tongue twisted, my thoughts racing so fast that I couldn’t think straight. Elise gave me such a genuine smile that my heart seemed to melt. “It’s okay Daniel. I’m just teasing you because Kathleen told me you were cute and a little bit shy. I won’t bite. I’m like every other girl you’ll ever meet. Kathleen is a little different, but once you get to know her, you’ll like her. She already likes you and she doesn’t make friends very often. My father is very strict with her because she deliberately disobeys him. Why am I telling you our family secrets?” she added, laughing. “I’ll change the subject. So, Natalie and Harvey are your best friends?” she asked. “Yes,” I replied. But don’t ever call Natalie anything but Nat. She gets mighty sore if you call her Natalie.” “Can I ask you something about Natalie, I mean Nat, without you getting mad?” “Sure,” I replied. “I don’t mean to sound snobby or anything, but doesn’t Nat’s family have any money? When I saw all of you in town, I noticed that her clothes were looking pretty worn and it even looked as if her glasses were broken. It made me feel bad because she’s really pretty.”

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“You sound like my mom,” I replied. “She says the same thing. Nat doesn’t have a dad…well she does, but I’m not really sure where he is and Nat never talks about it. Her mom’s kind of sick so they don’t have much money. My mom wanted to get her some clothes for school once, but Nat’s really proud and it will just make her mad. Nat’s got a fierce temper,” I added. “I wish there was something I could do. My father might hire her fahter if he were around. The factory is full, but he would do it if I asked him. That would certainly help, wouldn’t it.” I was amazed at how nice Elise seemed to be. I would find out later that she had a heart of gold, but her friendliness, despite us being virtually strangers, warmed my heart, and the secret crush I had held all summer for her was magnified tenfold. “Can you keep a secret, Elise?” I asked, relishing the way her name rolled off my tongue. “Of course.” “I think Nat’s father is in prison for something. I don’t know why, but that’s kind of what I heard.” “Did Nat tell you that?” “Not really,” I replied. “Like I said, she doesn’t really like to talk about her family.” “Well then it’s probably just a rumor, Daniel. People in this town have nothing better to do than gossip about things they know nothing about. I can’t begin to tell you about some of the horrible stories that I’ve heard about Kathleen.” “It might be true though, because my folks don’t have anything good to say about her Dad, even though they don’t come right out and ever say what he did.” Elise shrugged her shoulders, clearly unconvinced. “Well I think it’s nice that you’re friends with Nat. Most kids only want to be seen with the other popular kids. I guess that’s why I noticed you in town. You were never with the other boys, the ones that always come up to me showing off and telling me ridiculous stories. You were always with Nat and Harvey.” “They’re my friends. They’re really nice…even Nat is, once you get to know her, that is.”

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“Kind of like Kathleen?” “Kind of,” I laughed, but a lot different too.” “You really are a sweet boy, Daniel. I’m glad you’re coming to work for my father. I hope we can be friends too.” “I’d like that that, Elise. And I’m really happy to be working for your dad. I can buy Nat some clothes and stuff because I figured out a way that she’ll take it from me.” “How?” asked Elise? “I’m going to say that if she teaches me to pitch, I’ll buy her stuff. She’ll like that idea cause she likes to rub my nose in the fact that she’s a better baseball player than me.” “Is she?” I flushed red. “She’s better than anyone I know.” “I wish I could meet her. Do you think she would like me?” asked Elise. “I’ll tell her you’re A-okay and she’ll like you fine then. She might be a little weird at first but that’s just how she is. I like you and I’ve only known you for an hour or two.” I felt myself blushing deep red again as I had blurted out my feelings without thinking again. Elise simply tilted her head and gave me a dazzling smile, and I felt like shouting for joy. We talked until Seth came back, then Elise left to go visit one of her girlfriends. Seth showed me how to feed the horses, then went up to the main house to eat his lunch. I kept busy for the rest of the afternoon with my chores, but my mind was elsewhere. I thought about Elise, and to some degree, her mysterious sister, Kathleen.

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