Slow John

by C. J. Petit

  It was on one of the visits Kate made to John’s new office that John felt that it was time to put another dark symbol to rest. He was comfortable that Kate was much stronger now that she was so focused on their future.

  Kate was sitting on John’s desk, wearing her now standard ensemble of a riding skirt, white blouse and Western boots. Her Stetson was on the other side of the desk.

  “Kate, I need to give you something.” John said as he opened his bottom drawer.

  “John, you’ve got to stop buying me things. You’re spoiling me something terrible.” she said with a smile. Then the smile receded as she saw what he had in his hand.

  “Is that the pistol you gave me?” she asked quietly.

  “Yes. It’s your pistol, Kate. I want you to have it for two reasons. One, as you’re riding around so much by yourself these days, I’d feel better if you were protected. Second, I know you’re strong enough to see it as nothing more than a piece of steel and leather, because that’s all it is.”

  Kate stared at the pistol, knowing what was her last intended use for the pistol. She glanced back up at John and saw the confidence in his eyes. He was telling her that he knew that all those bad things were gone and that he trusted her enough to give her back the gun, knowing she wouldn’t do anything so short-sighted again. It was the ultimate symbol of her complete return from being a ‘mixed up female’.

  She sighed and slid from the desk, stood in front of John and stretched out her arms to the side.

  “Alright, Sheriff, go ahead and arm your future wife.” she said with a slight smile on her lips.

  John smiled and unrolled the gunbelt and slipped it around Kate’s waist. He buckled it and pulled it down snug. When he finished, Kate brought her arms together, locked her fingers and dropped her arms around John’s neck.

  The sheriff took the hint and kissed Kate, pulling her in closely, letting the softness of Kate press against him. Kate responded, as she had since that day in the barn when she had mentioned that she wasn’t a fragile doll.

  After a few seconds of wandering hands. John pulled back slightly and said, “Kate, we’re never going to make it if you keep tempting me. You are wearing away my resolve.”

  “Just a few more days, Mister Slow John. Then, we’ll have that big house all to ourselves.”

  “I got a telegram this morning that the furnishings were shipping later today and will be arriving tomorrow at nine o’clock in the morning. We need to be there to tell them where we want everything to go. Of course, you need to be there more than I do. I assume you’ll have help?”

  “A lot of help. Our mothers are going to mind the children while Maggie, Martha and Eliza join me when the things arrive.”

  “I’ll try to stop by and help as much as I can. I assume you’ll be using your new sewing machine to make all the curtains?”

  “That’s a wise assumption, Sheriff. Now, I’m going to go back and see my sisters and let them know that everything is arriving tomorrow.”

  John gave Kate a quick kiss and a pat on the behind as she left the office with a smile. John watched her step up into the saddle, wave and ride off to the east. With the gun question answered, John had no doubt that Kate’s worries about her past were behind her. Kate was just Kate now.

  After Kate’s departure and he had recovered from her visit, he grabbed his Stetson and left the office for his rounds. He’d gotten to know all the townsfolk since he’d taken the job. There were a few troublemakers still around, but none would dare challenge him.

  _____

  After the arrival of the furniture, John saw less of Kate for a couple of days. Of course, that was relative to the amount of time they spent together normally. She, Martha, and her sisters were all having a grand time setting up the brand-new house, Maggie and Martha knowing they’d be doing the same to their new homes soon. John had moved his spare horses to the corral and had to admit to being a bit excited about the house himself, which was added to his anticipation of marrying Kate.

  Father Ryan’s arrival from Omaha was three days away, and everything was ready. John had purchased a suit, and Kate and Eliza had been busy working on her wedding dress. John had the wedding band set sitting on the desk in his new office in the house and made a habit of picking it up every morning before he left the house, so he wouldn’t forget it when he needed it.

  What triggered the need to create the routine was a nightmare he had just a few nights earlier, in which he had been standing at the altar, with Kate crying and everyone else staring angrily at him because had forgotten the rings. What made the dream even more startling was that neither Kate, the families or even the priest seemed to be paying the least bit of attention that he was standing there stark naked. Such is the logic of dreams.

  _____

  At the new house, Kate and Eliza were huddled over the sewing machine putting the finishing touches on her new wedding dress. As she ran the fabric through the machine, the pending wedding was weighing on her, and Eliza unwittingly added to the problem with her prodigious tummy.

  Kate’s problem wasn’t with John. She was completely and totally in love with John and knew he felt the same way about her. It was her one remaining problem that wasn’t related to the Murphys or Jack Flynn.

  Because she had always confided in Maggie and Eliza, she finally thought she’d talk to Eliza about her concerns while they were alone.

  She finished the seam and tied off the thread before sitting back and turning to her sister.

  “Eliza, I’m worried about something and I can’t seem to shake it. In fact, the closer I get to the wedding the worse it’s getting.”

  “I know what it is, Kate. You talked about it after Phil died. You think you’re barren and now you’re worried that Slow John would be disappointed.”

  Kate nodded, suspecting that her sisters knew.

  “Do you think it will really make a difference to Slow John?” Eliza asked.

  “No, not in the way he feels about me. He understands me better than even you and Maggie do. Like the other day when I was in his office. He waited until it was the right time to give me my gun back. Not because he thought I needed it, but to show me that he had confidence in me. He’s so thoughtful, but I feel like I’m denying him the joy of being a father. It’s a terrible thing to take from a man as wonderful as he is.”

  Eliza sighed. “And here I am seven months along with the son of a murderer and rapist. But do you know what? I’m going to love this baby even more to make up for it.”

  Kate smiled. “That’s the best way to look at it, Eliza. It’s not the baby’s fault. I guess I’m putting the cart before the horse. Maybe it’s because I never liked being with Phil and was disgusted the other times. I know it will be so different with John. He makes me tingle and shiver when he touches me. I want him so badly it hurts.”

  She laughed and continued.

  “I know it hurts him worse, though. He can barely walk when I leave his office.”

  Eliza giggled and replied, “I can only imagine what you two do in there.”

  Kate hugged Eliza, her worries pushed aside for the time being.

  _____

  John, Kate and both families were on the platform awaiting the arrival of Father Sean Ryan, not knowing what to expect. In his black suit and Roman collar, he will be easy to spot, but the real question was what would he be like? If the diocese was sending him all this way, either they didn’t care if he was gone for a while, or they wanted to send their best representative. John was leaning toward a religious rebel that they would rather have out of their hair.

  The westbound train was pulling into the station and there were a lot of craned necks as the passenger cars came to a halt and began disgorging their passengers; all four of them.

  First off was a young man about John’s age that looked familiar to John, but not definitively so. He stepped out onto the platform and offered his hand to a young lady that John most assuredly did recognize. It was Melissa.

&nbs
p; She took the young man’s hand with her left hand and waved excitedly at John with her right, a giant smile on her face.

  As John waved back equally happy to see Melissa, he turned to his fiancée and said, “Kate, let’s go and say hello to Melissa.”

  Kate was shocked to see Melissa, not so much because she was waving at John, but wondering how she knew about the wedding and if John had invited her without letting her know.

  But John pulled Kate forward even as a thin, young man dressed in black and sporting a crop of bright red hair stepped onto the platform behind Melissa. Father Ryan had arrived, and he wasn’t what any of them expected. He looked like he should be a seventh year in school, with his mischievous, dancing blue eyes scanning the crowd.

  The two sets of Irish parents rushed to Father Ryan to welcome him to North Platte, saving John and Kate the decision of whom to greet.

  John walked up to Melissa, his arms till firmly linked in Kate’s and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Melissa, this is a surprise. How did you know about the wedding?” John asked, answering Kate’s unasked question.

  “They printed it in the Omaha Bee like it was happening in the city. I thought we’d come out and surprise you. Besides, I really wanted to meet Kate.”

  “Well, Melissa, this is my Kate. Kate, I’d like you to meet Melissa Blake.”

  Melissa smiled at Kate warmly and said, “It was worth the trip to meet you, Kate. After listening to Slow John talk about you for an hour without stopping, I had to come. I was so happy to read the announcement because the last time I saw Slow John, you weren’t well.”

  Kate couldn’t help but smile back and reply, “I know, but I’m fine now. Slow John has told me all about you, Melissa. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  Melissa took the arm of the young man that had helped her down from the car and turned to him with a smile.

  “John and Kate, I’d like you to meet my intended, James Bigelow.”

  Now, John saw the physical connection to the young Jeff Bigelow and wondered how he was related to Jeff and how Melissa had met him.

  James said, “It’s nice to meet you, John. Melissa’s been talking about you and Kate since we left.”

  John shook his hand and said, “It’s good to meet you, James, but I believe protocol requires that Kate and I meet Father Ryan. We’ll be right back.”

  “Go.”, said Melissa as John and Kate hurried to the other side of the platform.

  The short greeting with Father Ryan was more than pleasant, and housing arrangements had to be modified, with Father Ryan staying in the new house with John and James Bigelow while Melissa would be moving into the Walsh house. John thought that would make for some interesting conversations between Melissa and Kate.

  The crowd finally dispersed just as the refueled and watered train began to huff away from the station.

  The Flynns and Walshes had taken both wagons into town, so they all piled onto their wagons, Melissa getting a spot on the seat as they trundled east. The three men walked to the new house and were inside before the wagons were even halfway to the Flynn farmhouse.

  John gave Father Ryan the bedroom next to the main bedroom that would be his and Kate’s room, and James Bigelow took the next one down.

  It was already late, so rather than cook, the three men walked to town to get something to eat at Rosie’s Café.

  “So, James, how did you and Melissa meet?”

  James smiled and replied, “It was your doing in a way. I read the story in the Omaha Bee about what had happened with your brother and saw Melissa’s name and it mentioned that she was a widow. I remember Jeff always talking about her when we were kids, he was my cousin, by the way, so, I rode down to Bellevue and one thing led to another.”

  “Well, I’m glad something good came out of that mess. Has Melissa told you how she became a widow?”

  James nodded, “She did, and you’ll have to give me details later. How do you scare a man to death?”

  John cringed when James asked as the third member of their trio wore the collar.

  Father Ryan commented, “I read that story as well. I can guess by the sound of it, you’ll have a lot of confessing to do.”

  John was a bit embarrassed, and just replied, “Yes, Father, that’s true. You can reserve a good forty minutes of your time for mine. It’s a doozy.”

  Father Ryan surprised him when he laughed heartily, and said, “I like a good tale. Yours sounds like an adventure story.”

  “Several adventure stories in one outrageous week, Father.”

  The priest continued to laugh, and John thought maybe the usual pre-marital lectures wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  After dinner, they all returned to the house. John said he’d have to make another set of rounds before he turned in, so he waved as he left the house and headed for town for his rounds.

  When he returned, John made some coffee and they all sat around the table and John began what amounted a preliminary confession as he told the stories, beginning, of course, with the explanation of the Slow John moniker, then proceeding with scaring Billy Bannister to death, the two attackers outside of Fort Kearny, the discovery of Kate, the four Murphys and finally the Lewis gang attack and the chase back to get Jack.

  John was surprised to find Father Ryan just as intrigued as James Bigelow, and, like James, only asked informational questions and never passed judgement.

  After Slow John finished, James told of his family and his job as a clerk at the First National Bank, and apologized for having such a boring life.

  Father Ryan, like many Irishmen, came from a large family. He had four brothers and three sisters. Naturally, as he was the second son, he was destined for the priesthood.

  Like James, after John’s stories, Father Ryan knew his couldn’t match up. After he counted off his brothers and sisters on his fingers, but only talked about his older brother.

  “My parents both died in a Lakota raid in ’57, and so my older brother, Ian, inherited the farm. He was married three years ago to a wonderful girl named Mary Margaret Martin. She and her baby died in childbirth two years ago and he still grieves for his Mary. He has turned over the running of the farm to my younger brother, Michael. I keep telling him that he needs to marry again, but he thinks I’m preaching at him.”

  “Father Ryan, if you don’t mind my asking, how old are you?”

  Father Ryan laughed. “It’s probably as common a question to me as ‘how did you get to be called Slow John?’ is to you. I’m twenty-four as of February 8th of this year.”

  They talked for another hour before it was time to turn in.

  _____

  The next day, the eve of the wedding, Kate and John had to meet with Father Ryan for the obligatory warnings of the evils of lust, which everyone knew had no place in a decent marriage, and adultery, which was surely the result of the aforementioned lust. It was pretty standard, Church-inspired lecturing to frighten any newlyweds into a more sedate, serious marriage. On the practical side, they’d have to do their paperwork and be given an overview of how the ceremony would be performed.

  James was with Melissa at the Flynn farm meeting everyone, so Kate and John could meet with Father Ryan in their new house.

  They had just settled down into the well-furnished main room and Kate had brought both tea and coffee as they took their seats.

  John had spent more time with Father Ryan than Kate had, and he didn’t think that the young priest would follow tradition, but he hadn’t told Kate as he wanted it to be a surprise.

  Father Ryan took a cup of black coffee and leaned back into his comfortable chair.

  “I’m sure you’re both expecting a great amount of finger wagging and befuddled nonsense about modesty and proper behavior, but I think it’s all just a bunch of blarney. You both seem like healthy, strong young people, and if the Church wants everyone to act like making babies is an embarrassment, then they won’t be having too many Catholics in a few years. Marri
age, to me, is more than a sacred sacrament, it is nothing less than blessing the love that you already have for each other. I suppose I’ll have to give myself some great penance for telling you to enjoy each other as God intended, but I’ll make it a light one. Now, let’s do this infernal paperwork and then I’ll tell you how things will be tomorrow.”

  John grinned at a surprised Kate, and then at Father Sean Patrick Ryan, who grinned just as widely back at them. So much for the lecturing.

  They completed the paperwork and then discussed the wedding itself. Father Ryan thought it was wonderful to be having it under the trees in the fields. It would be an early wedding, because he, Melissa and James would be leaving on the one o’clock train. Later today, he would be performing two baptisms at the Flynn farm and hearing confessions before the wedding Mass at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.

  The longest part of the meeting was when he had to hear their confessions. Because they were being wed tomorrow, Father Ryan said it would be appropriate for them to be together when they confessed their sins because there should be no secrets in a marriage, and they both readily agreed.

  Kate went first because she knew hers was shorter. But the sins she had to confess, including wishing murder and almost committing suicide were already known to him, and Kate was again surprised that he didn’t seem shocked. When he questioned her as to her motive for these sins, he told her that he understood the reasons and with an immense amount of compassion, gave her absolution and assigned no penance. He told her that she had already had done her penance many times over.

  Then John began, starting with his killing of the two men outside of Fort Kearny, the Murphys, the four outlaws, the six men attacking his family’s farm, and then his chase of Jack resulting in his death. Father Ryan had heard the confession the night before, so his one question was if John had remorse for killing any of these men. John admitted that he had no remorse because he knew that by stopping them he was saving innocents, but he was troubled by having to shoot one who was unarmed and running away, even though the man had committed murder, rape and would probably do it again.