September Sky (American Journey Book 1) (31 page)

Charlotte took a breath and leaned into his side.

"There is one thing, I suppose, that you could do."

"What's that?"

"Tell me about 2016. Tell me what your world is like," Charlotte said.

Chuck smiled sadly and gazed at his wife.

"How much time do you have?"

"I have a lot, as you can plainly see."

Chuck took a moment to think about his reply. He looked to his left, where the Trudeaus' horse-drawn Rockaway carriage sat in the driveway, and then to his right, where a dew-covered pump and two metal buckets glistened in the early morning light.

"Well, it's different, for one thing, much different."

"How so?" Charlotte asked.

"It's different in many ways. Take transportation, for example. There are a lot more cars, or horseless carriages, than there are now. They are bigger, faster, and loaded with enough features to make your head spin. People can fly too. They can get on these inventions called airplanes and fly from San Francisco to New York in six hours."

"Six hours?"

Chuck nodded.

"That's not all either. The people of the future have traveled to the moon, built space stations, and developed electronic networks that allow for instant communications. Do you remember that device I showed you at the beach?"

"Of course."

"It isn't simply a box that displays fancy pictures. It's a telephone," Chuck said. "With that device, I can speak to anyone in the world instantly, directly, and as clearly as if I were standing a few feet away."

"How amazing. Are there other differences?"

"There are many more – countless more. People live longer and are generally better educated because of advances in health, medicine, and public education. They also reside in bigger houses that are loaded with modern conveniences like electric washers and dryers and devices called televisions and computers that provide information and entertainment."

"Your world sounds wonderful," Charlotte said.

"It is in a lot of ways."

"It's not in others?"

Chuck shook his head.

"There are a few areas where man has not taken a great leap forward. Nations still wage wars and do so with weapons that are far more efficient at killing and maiming. There is also a lot of pollution, overpopulation, and political unrest. My world, in many ways, is less safe and inviting than the one you see around you. Scenes like this are becoming more difficult to find."

"I see," Charlotte said.

Chuck leaned forward to get a better look at her face and saw a frown.

"I sense some concern."

Charlotte forced another smile.

"Call it fear of the unknown. I'm sure I'll get over it."

"You'll do fine, Charlotte. You're smart, resourceful, and kind. You'll do better than most of the people who were born into the modern age. You just have to give yourself time and place your trust in me. I won't let you down. I promise."

Charlotte tightened her hold on her new husband and gave him the warmer smile he had waited for. She kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Mr. Townsend."

"Please do, Mrs. Townsend," Chuck said. "Please do."

CHAPTER 51: JUSTIN

Galveston, Texas – Sunday, July 22, 1900

Justin glanced over his shoulders and pulled again on the oars. After thirty minutes of rowing in circles, he knew that passenger unrest posed a far greater threat to his afternoon bliss than the treacherous waters of Woollam's Lake, a shallow peanut of a pond that took up much of a grassy park at Forty-First Street and Avenue Q.

"What do you think of the boat ride, ladies?" Justin asked.

Emily smiled.

"It's glorious."

Justin looked over his shoulder.

"How about you, Anna?"

"I like it!"

Justin laughed. He wondered if it were even possible to fail this child.

"I'm glad to hear it," Justin said. He pulled one hand from an oar, moistened a fingertip, and stuck it in the air. "The wind is just right. I think we're good for one more lap around the lake."

Emily shook her head.

"You're shameless."

Justin grinned.

"I prefer the term 'eager to please.'"

"I'll bet you do."

Justin glanced over his shoulder again to check his course, winked at Anna, and then returned his attention to the girl in the stern. Like her younger sister, Emily Beck wore a frilly pink dress and a matching straw hat and held a white parasol in her hands.

"You look lovely today, Miss Beck."

"Thank you," Emily said. "You look pretty nice yourself."

"I borrowed the suit from my dad. He didn't want to take it along on his honeymoon."

"Have you heard from him?"

Justin nodded.

"He sent a telegram from Potosi, Missouri, on Friday. He and Charlotte will be back in town tonight. Their train arrives at six thirty."

"Are you going to meet them at the station?" Emily asked.

"I'm planning on it. I bought some flowers for Charlotte. I thought it might be kind of nice to welcome my new mother with daisies."

"You're something, Justin Townsend. Do you know that?"

Justin nodded.

Emily laughed.

"Do you want to come with me?" Justin asked. "I'm sure they would appreciate it."

Emily looked at him thoughtfully.

"I'm sure they would. I'd love to go."

"Then it's set. We'll leave for the station after we drop off Anna."

The girl in the bow protested.

"I want to go too."

Justin looked over his shoulder.

"OK. You can go too."

Anna beamed.

Justin tightened his grip on the oars and returned his attention to Emily.

"Do you mind if she comes?"

"No," Emily said. "Anna was part of the wedding party. She should be there."

"I agree."

Emily turned away for a moment and gazed at an amorous couple on the shore. When she looked again at Justin, she did so with mischievous eyes.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question about something that's none of my business?"

"How could I mind when you phrase it like that?" Justin asked. "Of course I don't mind."

Emily smiled prim-and-proper-like and spun her parasol.

"It's nothing really. I was just wondering in a roundabout way where your father is going to live now that he's married."

Justin laughed to himself. He could see where this was going from Cuba.

"He's moving in with Charlotte and Rose."

Emily pulled back a grin.

"I thought that might be the case. So you'll be all alone in that little old shack?"

Justin nodded.

"Won't you be lonely?" Emily asked.

"No. I'll be all right. I'll manage."

Emily blushed.

"I'm sure you will. I'm only expressing my concern, Justin. Be sure to let me know if you need anything."

"I will."

Justin took a deep breath. He didn't need a cold shower. He needed Niagara Falls. He couldn't remember the last time a girl had laid it on that thick, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind at all. He loved the interest almost as much as he loved the girl.

What he
didn't
love was the challenge he faced in the coming weeks. He still had not figured out what to do with someone he couldn't live without but probably couldn't take with him.

"Now I have a question for you," Justin said.

"OK."

"Have you ever considered leaving Galveston?"

"No," Emily said. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. Suppose you wanted to go back to college or take a job. Suppose you wanted to pursue something important. Would you consider it then?"

"I might," Emily said. "It would depend on what I was pursuing."

She raised a brow.

Justin smiled and sighed. He could see that Emily was more interested in teasing him than in providing him with helpful information. Determined to sound her out, he tried again.

"I guess what I'm trying to ask is … would you consider living permanently in a place that was a long way from Texas – a place like, say, California?"

Emily grinned.

"Is that
all
you want to ask me, Mr. Townsend?"

"Yeah. That's it."

Justin regretted the clinical answer the second he saw the smile vanish from her face and the light go out of her eyes. He began to wonder whether he could say anything right.

"I see," Emily said.

"Would you consider it?" Justin asked.

Emily gave Justin a you-blew-it-buddy frown and turned away. She glanced again at the amorous couple and apparently gave the question some thought. When she returned her attention to the man with the oars, she did so with eyes that revealed sadness, regret, and longing.

"No. I probably wouldn't," Emily said.

"You wouldn't even think about it?"

"No. I might consider living somewhere else for a short period of time, but not permanently. I can't imagine living in a place where I couldn't see my family on a regular basis. That was the thing I liked least about attending college in New York. I was able to see Anna only twice during the school year. I didn't like that at all."

"So you wouldn't do it for
any
reason?" Justin asked.

Emily shook her head.

"No. I wouldn't. I like it here. This is home."

Justin felt his stomach turn.

"I see."

"Did I answer your question?" Emily asked.

"Yes. You did," Justin said. "You sure did."

CHAPTER 52: CHUCK

Saturday, July 28, 1900

"It is with great reluctance then that I accept these resignations. I wish Mrs. Townsend and Miss O'Malley the very best in the years to come. Please stay for music and refreshments."

Chuck joined a hundred others in a round of applause. He had to hand it to the old fart. The chairman of the board of the Texas Maritime Library knew how to send two valued employees into the world, even if he didn't know how to compensate them properly for their work.

Chuck watched Charlotte and Rose accept gifts from the chairman and then welcomed them with hugs when they returned to a circle of friends in a corner of the library's meeting room. The women had notified the board that they would resign from the library on August 31.

"These people are going to miss you," Chuck said a moment later.

"I certainly hope so," Charlotte said. "I've put a lot into this place. So has Rose."

"Who's going to take over when you leave?"

"Goldie will if a new director hasn't been found by then. She'll have the help of more than a dozen volunteers. I'm not sure if Emily will stay. I haven't had the chance to talk to her much since we returned from Missouri, but I think she's struggling with the decision."

Chuck knew for a fact that she was. He had learned from Justin that Emily was thinking about resigning immediately and returning to Vassar College, which had awarded her a full one-year scholarship on Thursday. He didn't know why she had not yet accepted the offer, but he had a pretty good idea.

Chuck glanced at Justin, who stood next to Emily a few feet away, and noticed that his mood had not improved. He looked as dejected and lost as he had for most of the past week.

"Has Justin mentioned anything about a fight with Emily?"

"No. Is something wrong?" Charlotte asked.

"I don't know," Chuck said. "I just know that he hasn't been the same since we got back. He's done little but mope the last few days. I think he's eager to get back to Los Angeles."

"I don't blame him. I know what it's like to be away from home at his age. I know what it's like to be away from home at
my
age."

"You say that like you're old."

Charlotte gave her husband a playful glance.

"I
am
old."

"You're thirty-two, Mrs. Townsend," Charles said. He pulled her close. "In the world I come from, you're still a college girl."

"Thank you for the flattery, dear. I may need more of it in the coming year."

Chuck smiled. He returned his attention to the crowd, which had not thinned since the board chairman had made his remarks, and saw several people he knew, including Levi MacArthur, Goldie Gates, the Becks, Deputy Chief of Police Patrick O'Malley, and three library volunteers.

He also saw Thomas Mack, his mysterious, irritating, and seemingly omnipresent shadow. Mack leaned against the opposite wall and quietly observed the guests at the reception.

Chuck gave serious thought to walking over to Mack and telling him that he was on to him when he detected motion on his left. He turned just in time to see Silas Fitzpatrick approach. The co-owner of the Gulf Star Line wore what appeared to be a genuine smile.

"I see the happy couple has escaped the spotlight," Silas said.

"We like standing in the wings," Chuck said. He grinned. "It makes it easier to observe those who prefer to occupy the center stage."

Silas laughed.

"I see."

"How are you doing, Silas?"

"I'm doing well, thank you. I'm very sorry to hear that Charlotte will be leaving not only the library but also the state," Silas said. He turned to face Charlotte. "May I say, Mrs. Townsend, that you will be sorely missed?"

"You may," Charlotte said.

All three people laughed.

"I do mean it," Silas said. "You have done wonders for this fine facility. I can only hope that your permanent replacement is as knowledgeable and helpful."

"Thank you, Silas. That means a lot to me."

Silas acknowledged the comment with a nod and returned to Chuck.

"My brother tells me that you'll be leaving for Los Angeles in September. Is that true?"

"It is," Chuck said. "We plan to leave on the fourth or the fifth."

"I see," Silas said. He looked at both of the Townsends. "Then plan on dinner at the mansion before you go. I'd like to send you to California on a proper note."

"Thank you," Charlotte said. "That's very kind of you."

"It's my pleasure."

Charlotte smiled at Silas and then shifted her eyes to a spot about twenty feet away, where Rose talked with a board member who looked like he was about to depart.