The Songbird with Sapphire Eyes

by Anna Brentwood

  “Meg?” Her voice echoed with disbelief.

  “Of course. Who the hell do you think it is?” She was beaming as she leapt at Hanna, exuberantly hugging her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

  “I couldn’t…I left in a hurry,” said Hanna hugging her back just as enthusiastically as she apologized profusely for showing up on Meg’s doorstep unannounced.

  “Don’t you dare apologize,” said Meg taking in Hanna’s battered suitcase, weary face and travel-wrinkled clothes with a knowing glance. “You look absolutely exhausted, you poor thing. Why don’t you come in?” Closing the door, pride apparent in her face, Meg showed her around her impressive home. “I have room for you to stay, so don’t even think of going anywhere else.” Meg’s enthusiastic welcome made her emotional. Sniffing, Hanna wiped her dripping eyes, extremely self-conscious. “I’m cryin’ like a water pot, but…I had ta…I left home without thinking about anythin’ except gettin’ away.”

  “I’m glad you came,” said Meg, handing her a hankie. “What happened? Did someone die? Did you run away?”

  Hanna burst into tears.

  “Oh there, there, don’t fret, you’re fine now,” cried Meg patting her as she sobbed, smoothing her hair and uttering sounds of sympathy.” You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to, Hon, but I’m all ears if you do.”

  Stuttering, Hanna couldn’t seem to stop the tears from flowing as she caught Meg up on the past years events and things she hadn’t told anyone. Meg, her brown gaze as penetrating as it was warm made Hanna keep explaining without even pausing to take a breath. “I thought…well, you know, Ray…well, Mama gave him half the land after two years and he loved that land as much as she did. It freed Mama up to go to church and he and I were real close…he picked up for me with Mama and we could talk about things together…we…Ray…he was one of the first around to get a tractor and he talked Mama into getting horses for breedin’. He also talked her into letting me take the trip with him to pick the horses. My fourteenth birthday was comin’ so Mama agreed. I was so excited. We went to saloons, singsong joints and camped. In Abilene, he bought me things, took me places, we had so much fun together, Meg. The night of my birthday, we got all dressed up and went out special. I even got to sing that night and Ray was so proud. I didn’t tell anyone, but that night we kissed. I admit, I begged him and wanted my first real kiss from him, and he didn’t want to and then he did it anyways but things started changing right when we got back. Mama was all riled up about the war and the newspapers said they were requirin’ all able-bodied men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for the draft. Mama was worried about Ray gettin’ drafted and having to run the farm by herself.”

  Meg interrupted. “How old is Ray?”

  “Not old. I mean, he’s not as old as Mama and about thirteen years older than me, twenty-seven, I think.”

  “Go on,” encouraged Meg, nodding, her smile sympathetic.

  “So as I said, Mama kept frettin’ about the draft though Ray didn’t think they’d bother with him, but two weeks later, I came home from a party at the Anderson’s to learn the shockin’ news that he and Mama got hitched.”

  “Oh, Han, I am so, so sorry. I can tell you must have been as surprised as you were upset.” Meg hugged her. Tears fell down Hanna’s face, but she sniffed and continued her tale. “Hurt—I was betrayed, devastated, I thought…he was…we…I ran out of the house cursin’ them both. He followed me down to the pond. He admitted he cared, that he wanted me but that it was wrong. He said he was a simple fella and only wanted to farm the land while I wanted to conquer the world. He kept sayin’ he and Mama only got hitched to save him from gettin’ drafted, that they were partners and nothin’ more. He swore nothing would change, but it did. It kept getting worse between us. He found fault with everything I did. He didn’t want me, but he didn’t want anyone else to have me either. Then, he caught me with Robert Anderson at his welcome home party—”

  “Robert?”

  Sheepishly, Hanna explained how she ended up with Robert instead of Michael as Meg might have expected. “I was flirtin’, maybe to make up for losin’ Ray, maybe just because I wanted to hurt him back.”

  Hanna paused, openly sobbing again as she told Meg how he’d made her quit school. “Ray knew how much singin’ and school meant to me. He didn’t care. He got Mama to agree. She thought schoolin’ had corrupted me and blamed me because Ray started drinkin’ a lot and got real surly. I was miserable. I had to stay home and work all the time. Michael would come by our road stand where I was selling eggs, jam and vegetables and we’d visit. Last night we met at the pond and he offered to elope with me. I couldn’t accept. Truth is, I only think of Michael as a friend.”

  She began crying hysterically, the truth finally bursting out. In soft, muffled tones she confessed that Ray had raped her. “Last night, he came to the pond after Michael had just left. He was drunk like I have never seen him before. He suspected I was meetin’ someone—a boy, and he got crazy mad.” Meg hugged her tight until her tears subsided. “He should be shot.”

  “It was my fault.” Disconsolate, Hanna confessed how prior to that she had stoked the flames of Ray’s anger and desire. “I’d walk around half dressed, say things to provoke him and do things to make him jealous. I knew he wanted me bad and was always fighting himself.”

  “Hanna, that’s bunk and no excuse for what he did. You trusted him. He was married to your ma by then and made his choice.” Meg gently wiped her face.

  “I wanted…I wanted him to love me best, better than anyone else─her.”

  “When he…did he hurt you?”

  Hanna’s eyes filled up. Meg patted her consolingly. “Poor thing. No matter what you did, that man was wrong to force you about the very thing that should be every woman’s pleasure to give.”

  Hanna’s eyes stared where only she could see. “He was so drunk, so angry, I was so scared. It was like he turned into someone else--a monster.”

  “I am so sorry,” said Meg angrily. “Sounds like he went plum mad, but drunk is no excuse. Maybe in his own way he does care for you, but he shouldn’t have ever let himself get out of control like that.”

  Hanna sobbed softly, her shoulders shaking. “I know he will regret it terribly when he comes to himself again. He isn’t a bad person, not really and I loved him, Meg. I thought he loved me. But, I don’t know now…and I don’t know if I’ll ever want to care for a man again. To let him…to…”

  Meg patted her. “You will. Use this experience to make yourself stronger. It isn’t like that when there’s mutual consent and desire. Heck, the act itself can be most pleasurable, even fun!”

  Hanna flushed uncomfortably.

  “Hell’s bells, girl the past is done, now you get to focus on the future.” Meg changed the subject expertly. “Didn’t you always say you wanted to leave home? Well, so now you have and you’ve got me to teach you what city living is all about. I’ll help you avoid some of the mistakes I made and we’ll find you someone to make you forget all about that bad boy.”

  Hanna guilelessly stared out the window at Meg’s broad view of the city. She was relieved that Meg was so welcoming. She was also amazed that this pretty, worldly woman was Meg, although looking at her now; she recognized the warm intelligence of her friend’s dark-eyed gaze. Embraced by the comfort of her voice, it was easy to remember why she’d always been so fond of Meg and had always looked up to her.

  Picking up an elegant box off the coffee table Meg reached for a cigarette. “Want one?”

  “Sure,” said Hanna sitting opposite Meg who put her cigarette in a small gold holder like the ones Hanna had seen in Abilene. She lit it with a small brass lighter shaped like an Aladdin lantern. She looked at Hanna curiously, handing her the lighter. “However did you find me?”

  Hanna told her and with awe added, “And, you livin’ here with a doorman. You must have a wonderful job?”

  Meg blew out smoke in a steady stream. �
�It isn’t because of my job that I live here.”

  “Oh, you must have saved a lot. I didn’t come empty-handed. I knew I’d need money ta get by on until I found a job.” Patting her bodice, she smiled. “I brought a small fortune. Truth to tell, I was nervous about carryin’ it.”

  “How much did you bring,” asked Meg.

  “Oh, fifty dollars, ten of it pure silver.” She expected Meg to be impressed, but she laughed instead.

  “What?”

  “Money doesn’t stretch far here.” She sighed, eyeing her sympathetically. “I’ll bet your savings will be gone in three months even if you stay with me, but don’t worry, I won’t take a cent for board neither.”

  “Really? How can that be when most folks at home earn less than a dollar a week?”

  “It just is,” said Meg matter-of-factly. “In the city, decent jobs for females are scarce as hen’s teeth. Oh, there are factory jobs stitching garments, making hats, dipping chocolates, or gluing paper bags, but the pay is terrible and I doubt you’d want to do that.”

  Hanna tried to mimic Meg’s fancy speech. “I don’t. I want ta—to find a job singin’ more than anything. But, I hear the bigger, fancier retail stores are always hiring.”

  Meg snorted, stabbed her cigarette out in the ashtray. “You don’t want that. The hours are constant, seven days a week. Shop girls working the most prestigious stores earn less than six dollars a month. It costs eight or nine dollars just to let a room in a modest boarding house and I mean modest.”

  Hanna gulped, overwhelmed. “But, you managed.”

  Meg lit another cigarette. “I lucked out. I got work at City Hall right off the bat. I thought I’d be mingling with important folks, maybe meet myself a handsome fella, someone with some polish, some bucks and a knack for showing a girl a good time. But I was stuck in a basement typing pool with a bunch of flat tires with lousy pay and even lousier hours. I thought I’d never get out of there.”

  “But you did.”

  “Eventually, but only after I saw how things worked around here. Gals putting in half the effort I was and getting promoted or noticed by some bigwig businessman or fancy talking politician.”

  “So, how’d you finally get noticed?”

  “Well, it took me some time to decide what I wanted and how willing I was to do what it took to have it and…” She paused, distracted as if deciding what she should say next. “I got social.”

  “Social?”

  Meg sighed, shrugging dramatically. “I don’t want to sound discouraging, Han. Or scare you off. I’m really glad you’re here and I’ll pave the way all I can, but you have to know right off, hon. It’s dog eat dog here. And you end up doing things you never thought about doing. Lord knows, I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”

  “Well, I don’t care,” interjected Hanna emphatic as she lit another cigarette. “I admire you tremendously. If I hafta scrub floors until I get the kind of job I want, I will. Do you think I’ll be able to get a job singing eventually? Do you think I even have a chance? Tell me what I should do.”

  “Truth?”

  “Truth,” said Hanna her eyes glued to Meg’s. She felt frumpish next to this new Meg, hating her homemade cotton dress and cheap, scuffed shoes.

  “Okay. I always thought you were beautiful and you still are. No one has eyes as brilliant a blue like yours or hair as light without bleaching it. You’ve filled out and grown some, but you look exactly like what you are; a farm girl come to the city to find fame and fortune. And unfortunately there are lots of bad men that will take one look at you, alone with no family or money to speak of and gobble you right up.”

  Hanna felt disgusted. “I know my clothes are hopeless, but folks always think I’m older than I am. I’ll work hard. I can lie about my age. Say I’m eighteen, like you.”

  Meg smiled, jumping up. “Look, age isn’t your biggest obstacle. Practically everyone lies about that anyway. How about I make us some java? My Alec says my coffee is enough to stiffen a corpse.”

  Hanna smiled. “Alec? Who’s Alec?”

  Meg giggled, heading towards the kitchen. “That’s a whole other story. You look like you need some java first. In the meantime, let’s discuss what we need to do to get you settled. Personally, I need a good project and I’d like to see you take Kansas City by storm.”

  Meg’s enthusiastic support lifted her spirits, but there was so much to think about. “Oh, Meggie, do you really think I can make it here on my own?”

  Meg brought over a tray and put it on the table between them. Handing Hanna a cup of coffee and some sugar cubes, she wagged her neatly manicured fingers. She was wearing a ring and several jeweled bracelets. They looked like the real McCoy. “Hey, you’ll have to change how you look, act, talk and think some, but that’s what growing up is all about, don’t you think? Just wait until you meet my friend Rosie. She’s an expert on fixing people up. She works on all the theater folks and knows about clothes, hairstyles and just everything. Between the two of us, we’ll teach you everything it takes.”

  “How will I afford all that?”

  Meg winked. “Maybe you’ll find a good old sugar daddy.”

  Hanna looked horrified, choking on her coffee. “Sugar daddy, you mean, a boyfriend?”

  “Hon, not a boy, a man. And, not a friend. Yes, a sugar daddy.” Meg smiled coyly, dimples showing as she happily launched into the story of how she’d met Alec. It soon became apparent that Meg adored her rich beau and he paid her bills, which was why she was living so luxuriously. Without an ounce of shame, Meg admitted she’d slept with her share of rich and influential men since moving here. She wrinkled her nose, giggling. “Alec’s not perfect. Smokes cigars and chews the ends. He’s old enough to be my daddy and…he’s married, but I love him.”

  “Married!” Hanna gasped.

  “Does it shock you? My admitting I’ve slept around or that I am being kept by a rich, prominent, married man,” asked Meg, studying her face intently.

  “Truth?” Hanna fidgeted. The thought of willingly sleeping with a man and enjoying it seemed hard for her to believe after what had just happened, but she didn’t want to admit that. “That he’s married. I don’t think I’d like sharin’.”

  Meg laughed, admitting she didn’t like sharing either. “But, he and his wife live separate lives. Money marries money and they do what they want on the side anyways. Which is where a fun gal like me comes in.”

  Hanna thought of Ray. Evidently, married or not, rich or poor, men still did what they wanted anyway. She vowed right then and there she’d never get married.

  Meg looked thoughtful. “Of course, it can be lonely being a kept woman. He insisted I give up working and I do get bored, but I’m happier with Alec than I’ve ever been. I don’t care about legalities and don’t want babies. And, I’ve learned fairly quickly that a fella always treats his mistress better than his wife in all the ways that really count.” Indicating her apartment and waving her dazzling ruby ring for affect, she winked. “And my life sure has its perks, let me tell ya that, hon.”

  2 CHAPTER TWO

  The next morning Hanna felt renewed and excited. She was awed by Meg’s transformation and her circumstances. She was especially impressed by the hot running water, indoor plumbing and the telephone.

  “Three short and one long ring and voila, instant conversation,” explained Meg as she showed her how it worked. “I want to take you around today. I spoke to my friend Rosie. You’ll meet her tonight.”

  They spent the morning and early afternoon alternately walking and taking taxis.

  “KC is a political town so my working at City Hall was a good move as far as meeting important people,” explained Meg waving to someone in a passing automobile. “Alec has personal business ties to almost everyone who matters. His most influential connection is Tom Pendergast. Tom is Kansas City. He’s a ward boss and saloonkeeper with simple roots like us, but he’s big time politics. There isn’t anything that goes on here of any importan
ce that he doesn’t have his finger in. And, most importantly he owns The Jefferson Hotel. And, maybe, just maybe,” whispered Meg conspiratorially. “Alec can put in a good word for you with him, once we get you ready, of course.”

  Being driven around the oldest part of town, Meg pointed excitedly to a dignified six-story brick building. “That’s The Jefferson Hotel. And it just happens to have one of the first cabarets around. Tom Pendergast is like P.T. Barnum when it comes to thinking up ideas that make money.” She told her about the saloon rivalry that started it all.

  “It’s against the law to serve alcohol to females in public, but Joe Donagan, another saloon owner decided to serve beer and sandwiches to his showgirls late at night because they were hungry and needed a place to unwind when the show was over. Somehow, the idea caught on and seeing the girls there, the men started coming. Of course, Tom went one better and added a late night show along with food and drinks.”

  “So a cabaret is a late night saloon where anyone can go and have food, drinks and listen ta a singer?”

  “Yes and lesson number one, it’s listen to, not ta, hon. You’ve got to work on that.”

  Hanna nodded, and said she’d try. She made a mental note to pay attention to what she said from now on. “Do you and Alec know Mr. Pendergast personally?”

  “Yes and Alec knows Joe Donagan too. They golf together sometimes.” Spotting the Piggly Wiggly, Meg told the driver to stop. “When Alec gets back, I’ll see what he can do for you, but in the meantime, you want to practice, learn more songs, see for yourself what the competition is like.”

  “I want to go to where they play blues music first, because that’s what I want to sing,” said Hanna. She told Meg she’d fallen in love with blues music in Abilene.

  “That would be the Highland District. The coloreds can’t be beat when it comes to good blues and jazz music.” Once they were out of the cab Meg pointed out more sights. “Ninth Street is the wettest block in town with a saloon on every corner; Broadway has all the gambling palaces, restaurant and bordellos and here we are at Adlers; a department store famous for its Paris salon and luscious clothes.