Sunflower (24 page)

Analisa lifted the little gray confection carefully out of its box, brushed the peacock-blue feather with her gloved fingers, and carefully perched the hat on the coil of gleaming hair. The feather tilted and waved rakishly to one side, and she frowned back at the image in the mirror. The hat was just not right, she decided, and only served to make the regal figure in the mirror more frightening. She felt as if she were masquerading as someone else and was afraid of being found out. With trembling fingers she thrust a long, deadly-looking hat pin through the son gray felt and secured it to her hair. Caleb wanted her to wear it and so she would. Perhaps she would eventually forget it was up there.

With a last look in the mirror and a bemused shrug, Analisa accepted her fate and quickly surveyed the room. None of her possessions remained; they had been taken downstairs with Caleb’s things. Jon and Sophie had insisted that the Storms stay with them for a few days before their departure. Gratefully, Analisa had accepted. A strong storm front had boiled across the plains, dumping inches of rain and hail on the prairie and turning the ground into a sea of mud.

Analisa was thankful that she would no longer be forced to endure the spring rains in the soddie. Each year the rains came, soaking the yard, seeping through the sod-lined ceiling and into the dirt floor. Muddy water spattered and dripped unceasingly into the room. Pots and pans caught the biggest drips while oilcloths and rags, old canvas and newspaper protected the furniture. Life during the rainy season went on in a sea of mud, and Analisa was glad to be going far away from it.

Sophie and Jon’s two-story house was made of wood. Set away from the center of town, on Liberty Street, the house represented a far different way of life than the one Analisa had known. Shops were located nearby, as were the neighbors Analisa had lived without. It reminded her of life in the old country—housewives walking to market in the morning, horses and buggies passing by, busy people leading active lives and keeping in touch with one another. Would Fort Sully be like this? she wondered. No one would know her there. Perhaps she would be able to join in the stream of life around her instead of existing far removed from everything.

Analisa took one last look around the room, admiring the way the sunlight played upon the high polish of the floor and wondered if her new home at Fort Sully would be half as elegant. She doubted that she could adjust to living in such luxury, and then laughed at herself for worrying over something she could not foresee. With a shake of her head at the vision in the mirror, Analisa set the peacock feather bobbing. She groaned in exasperation, then turned and left the room without a backward glance.

The sun, flooding in through lace-draped windows, warmed the cheery front parlor of the Aliens’ wood frame house. Caleb felt that the room welcomed visitors as he looked around for the last time. A large stone fireplace stood in the center of the far wall. Sophie’s eye for elegant but unpretentious detail was evident in the appointments she had chosen for the room. The walls were papered with a soft floral pattern of spring colors accented by a white wooden chair rail. Blue and white Delft pieces adorned the plate rack and the thick mantelpiece. Touches of lace and crocheted doilies softened the spider-legged tables, and a yellow-striped settee and matching wing chair near the tall windows beckoned visitors to sit in the sunlight.

When Kase asked Jon to play him a song on the fiddle, Caleb noticed the sadness in the tall man’s eyes and realized how sorely the Aliens would miss Kase. As Jon quietly explained that there wasn’t time for him to play a tune, Caleb drew on the long chain of his watch, slipped the timepiece out of his vest pocket, and pressed the catch to release the lid. The gold watch had once belonged to his father and so held special memories for Caleb. One glance at the slender hands told him it was time to leave for the depot. Deftly he pressed the lid closed and returned the watch to his pocket, then went to the foot of the stairs to call to Analisa.

The sound of her footsteps ringing on the wooden floor above him stopped his words. He waited silently for her appearance, then watched as she paused, tentative and unsure, on the landing. She was lovely, a vision of quiet sophistication and elegance, the deep rose of the gown reflected in the color that suffused her cheeks. She descended the stairs slowly, the toes of her gray kid shoes peeping from beneath the swaying wool hem. Her hands were encased in the soft smoke-colored gloves, and the jaunty feathered hat rode atop her flaxen hair. As she noticed him, her wide blue eyes sought his approval, but Caleb remained speechless until she reached the bottom step and stood facing him, her eyes level with his own.

Finally he spoke, words whispered in Sioux, his first tongue, the language of his soul. The words faded away upon the air, and silence fell between them. He translated for her. “You are beautiful. You do me great honor.”

He felt her eyes on his lips, his face. Leaning forward, Caleb warmly pressed his mouth against hers. It was a slow, unhurried kiss, a sharing of warmth, passion held on a tight rein because of their surroundings. The time had come to leave, to embark upon a new life, and both were aware of the need to pull apart. They did so, slowly, simultaneously, and with regret.

Conscious once again of her appearance, Analisa reached up to see if the hat was secure.

Caleb watched. A wide smile appeared on his face. “Sophie was right,” he agreed. “The hat’s perfect.”

“With luck I will forget I am wearing it.” She rolled her eyes and blew at the feather.

He extended his arm to her, elbow crooked, and she allowed him to lead her into the parlor where her friends waited to say farewell.

Sophie called out, her voice high with nervous excitement, “You look wonderful, Anja! You’ll be the most glamorous woman at Fort Sully.”

“I can already assure you of that,” Caleb broke in, “for I’ve met all the others, and not one of them compares with my Anja.” He bent to whisper against her ear, “At Fort Sully or anywhere else, for that matter.”

Embarrassed by so much praise and attention, Analisa sought to convince them she remained unchanged by the fashionable trappings. “When they see the hands beneath these gloves, people will know for certain I am no lady of quality. I have calluses that will last a lifetime.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Jon said. “You’ve worked hard because you’ve had to.”

Unsure how to respond, Analisa looked away and noticed Kase sitting alone and uncertain on the raised hearth. She realized she must look like a stranger to him. Gently withdrawing her hand from Caleb’s arm, she went to her son. His blue eyes stared up at her from beneath the straight fringe of blue-black hair, his face unsmiling and thoughtful. She reached for his hand, and when Kase stood, she drew him into a warm embrace.

“You look very special in your new suit. You are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”

“More than ... more handsome than Papa?”

She nodded. A tender feeling warmed her whenever she heard the child call Caleb Papa. Analisa whispered her reply. “Yes, but don’t tell him that I said so.” She smiled a secret smile, and Kase bobbed his head, agreeing to keep the secret.

“What are you two up to now?”

Analisa turned to face Caleb, her son’s hand tightly enclosed by her gloved fingers.

“Oh, just sharing a little secret is all. Is it time to go?”

“I’m afraid so.” Caleb turned to Jon. “Why don’t we see to the carriage while Analisa and Sophie say good-bye?”

“Go with Papa, Kase.” Analisa urged him forward.

Analisa fought the tears threatening to spill from her eyes as Sophie held out two gifts. “These are for you.”

Analisa took the gifts, one a small soft object wrapped in brown paper, the other a heavy muslin bag filled with shifting, heavy lumps. Analisa knew at a touch what that bag contained. “Bulbs?”

“Yes.” Sophie nodded, her long curls bobbing about her shoulders. “Tulips for your new home. I know how much you love flowers, and I’m sure you’ll find something to plant there, but knowing how you Dutch love to take your tulips with you, I got these for you. Some of each color.”

Analisa smiled and wiped her eyes with the tip of her finger. “My mother brought tulip bulbs all the way from Holland. I didn’t dig any of them up to take with me. It seemed fitting that they stay here, with the spirits of my family. Your gift is very special to me, Sophie.”

“Open the other.”

Carefully, Analisa removed the wrapping to reveal a black satin reticule, delicately beaded with jet and adorned with fringe. Satin drawstrings held the pouch closed.

“It’s lovely!” Analisa exclaimed and slipped the strings over her wrist, allowing the purse to dangle at her side. “I will think of you each time I carry it.”

Realizing the time had come to depart, Sophie smiled at Analisa and shook off her sadness. “I wish you every happiness, Anja.”

“And I you.”

Their attention was drawn to the front porch where Caleb called out for them to hurry. With one last quick hug, the two women went outside.

Caleb handed Sophie and Analisa into the carriage where Jon waited, reins in hand, to drive them to the depot. Lifting Kase onto Scorpio’s back, Caleb then swung himself up behind the boy and followed the carriage as it made its way down muddy Liberty Street toward Main. After three days of constant driving rain the thoroughfares were churned to mud beneath the wheels of the carriages and horses’ hooves.

Her senses alive as she looked over the town for the last time, Analisa was aware of the steam rising from the snaked rooftops along Main Street as the sun baked the rain-soaked wood. The smell of fresh-baked bread rode upon the clean, crisp March air as they passed the bakery. Above the muddy streets townfolk strolled along the high planked walkways that were washed down every morning by the shop owners. She saw many of them take notice of the Aliens’ carriage, some stopping to stare openly when they recognized her. Analisa thought they must make quite a procession—she and Sophie dressed in their finery; Jon, handsome and strong, driving them through town; Caleb following close behind, with Kase before him on the saddle. Still, she could not force down the feeling of humiliation and tension that swept over her when she met the curious stares of the onlookers. Analisa sat rigid beside Sophie, her friend holding tight to her hand, offering encouragement as well as reassurance.

As if sensing Analisa’s nervousness, Sophie whispered to her as the carriage pulled up before the wooden platform of the depot. “It’s good you are leaving, Anja. You have a chance to begin again.”

“It’s not that I am afraid of their stares.” Her eyes mirrored her feelings as Analisa tried to explain. “It’s just that when they look at me that way, as if I am unclean, I am forced to remember it all again. No one here will let me forget.”

At that moment Analisa indeed felt grateful for the chance to make a new life for herself and Kase.
I have Caleb to thank for this second chance,
she thought, as she watched him approach the carriage.

Caleb dismounted and reached up to help her down from the carriage. Rather than set her on the muddy ground, he carried her the few short steps to where Kase waited on the platform. As Analisa turned to straighten the boy’s high shirt collar, she noticed a familiar carriage passing by. She immediately recognized the stout figure of Clara Heusinkveld holding the reins. The older woman, failing to hold her amazement in check, openly gaped at Analisa. The buggy slowed. With a slight smile, Analisa bobbed her head in Mevrou Heusinkveld’s direction, acknowledging the woman’s obvious amazement. Caught gawking, the gray-haired matron slapped the reins against the chestnut horse’s rump, and the carriage rolled past with a sudden lurch.

The Union Pacific train pulled into the station in a whirlwind of steam, clanging bells, and screaming wheels, demanding the attention of the small group waiting on the rough wooden platform. Scorpio whinnied in protest as a station employee led him to the stock car. The noise and last-minute activity infused everyone with an overwhelming sense of urgency. Sophie gave Analisa one more hug before she turned to tell Caleb good-bye. The two men shook hands over Kase’s head, and then it was the boy’s turn to be the center of attention as Jon and Sophie knelt to bid him farewell with promises of a visit very soon.

Analisa felt Caleb’s hand at her waist urging her toward the steps. The final moment was here, she realized: She was leaving Pella. Analisa turned, one foot on the lowest step that hung above the platform, one hand clutching the bag of tulip bulbs. With a final, hurried wave over her shoulder, she moved upward into the dark interior of the car.

Dakota, April 1871

“I see you are the best dressed again today, Private Jensen.”

Analisa could not help smiling as she spoke to the young man who stood at rigid attention on her wooden porch. Behind him on the parade ground, the rhythmic pounding of horses’ hooves blended with the creak of leather and the rattle of sabers as shouted commands rose above the steady, monotonous cadence of moving men and animals. Shoulder to shoulder, the men of the Twenty-second Regiment moved past the row of small wood-frame houses with a precision born of long hours of drill.