by Aria Ford
“Please leave!”
He immediately left the house. He got onto his horse and left the farm. Jeanie watched him go. She then began to cry as he rode back into town. It then dawned on her that it might be the last time she ever saw him.
He finally got back into town. He made his way into one of the more popular bars. He saw The Brute at the table. He approached the table and began throwing punches. When he thought The Brute had enough, he stopped. The Brute tasted blood and wiped it from his mouth. He laughed. The stranger then walked out of the bar and never looked back.
The Brute was appalled. “You’re gonna pay for that, cowboy. Believe me.”
Chapter 6
He tried to lay low. He knew they would come after him. He didn’t stick to the plan. He let the anger get the better of him.
Maybe I should have gone to church
He was in his room. He was plotting his next move now that he had messed up his own plan. He knew he would kill him. He then decided to head out to the bar. When he came outside, he saw The Brute and a group of well-armed men outside. He also saw someone he didn’t expect to see.
“Jeanie? Jeanie!” he tried to walk up to her but was stopped by two of the gentlemen.
“Let her go!”
The Brute shock his head.
“No, I don’t think I will. I think I might…actually have fun with this one.” The Brute walked up to her and began to touch her face. She flinched.
“You are not going to get away with this,” he said.
“Oh…but I am. Boys, take her into his room. I will be there shortly.” The boys dragged Jeanie into the room.
“Jeanie! Jeanie, I am going to get you out of this.”
They started to drag her body into the room when they were stopped by the cocking of a gun. The owner held a revolver in her hand. She meant business. The men stopped in the tracks. They tried to drag Jeanie’s body. She was still trying to break free.
“Not. One Move.” She aimed the gun at one of the men who held Jeanie. They kept moving. The gun then went off. One of the men let go of Jeanie. She then aimed at the other captor. Jeanie ran free and left the Tavern.
“Oh…A woman who is a good shoot. I am impressed.”
“You’re impressed that I can shoot, great! I’d be more impressed if you could shut up.”
The two men lay wounded. The bar still had five more.
“You come into my place of business and decide to bring this drama here. You’re lucky to still be alive. “She aimed the gun at him.
“Woah! Little lady! No need for the hostilities.”
She laughed. “Oh really? So I don’t look familiar?”
“Ma’am, besides you being the best owner of this establishment, I don’t reckon seeing your face anywhere.”
“Oh? Really? Well, let me help you remember. It was fifteen years ago. You had just came into town. You rode on your high horse and came straight here. My dad owned this place. It was the talk of the town. He brought me to work. He didn’t want to but he did. Back then it was a classy establishment. There weren’t drunks or strippers coming in. It was a place where family and friends came to have a good time. Then you came and that was it. The Tavern, its’ reputation was soiled. You started to bring your bad behaviour and your whores and thugs to this place and it was never the same. The Tavern never recovered and slowly my dad lost the business. Then, you begged him to sell the place to you and he refused. And then one night, we found him dead. We never found the murderer but we always knew. We ALWAYS knew who did it. And fifteen years later, you ask me the same questions that you kept asking my father. You killed him. So, I’d think my life was in danger since I now own here. So, I went out and got a gun. I learned how to shoot and got better and I did. Now, I’m not gonna kill ya if you and your men get out now but if you stay any longer, I might leave you and the rest of ya men with some mighty painful parting gifts.”
The men were all shocked. Never had a woman talked to them like that. They never saw a woman in power. They took the wounded and immediately headed out with the exception of the stranger.
“Well, well, well, I’m quite impressed by ya.”
Eileen smiled and laughed, “Yea, I learned to shoot at a young age. Even my brother was intimidated. He died. He tried to go up against The Brute and failed.”
“Look, if I get into a duel with him, I will win. No doubt about that. Ma’am, as much as I would love to stay and chat with you, I have to check on Jeanie. Lovely talking to you, don’t kill me now.”
“Haha, I won’t” She replied.
He tipped the hat and headed out of The Tavern. He hoped on the horse and headed to Jeanie’s farm. He saw Jeanie. She was weeping.
He dismounted and ran towards her, “Jeanie. Jeanie, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”
She brushed off his arm, “I am fine. It’s ok. Please leave, you are trespassing.”
“Jeanie, I…”
“Please leave.” She then headed inside the house and locked the door. The stranger got up on the house and rode back into town. Chaos was present. The Brute and his thugs were looking for him.
“Where is he?!” The Brute was furious. He the saw him and looked at him dead in the eyes.
“You….” He snarled.
“Yes, me.” He replied.
“I challenge you to a duel at noon. Two weeks from now. Show up and we can decide who is really running this town.” He then left in a fury. He knew this was going to happen. The stranger just expected that he would be the one initiating it, not The Brute. He headed back into The Tavern. Eileen was watching him with concern.
“I just overheard. You prepared for this showdown?”
“I think I will be just fine,” He took the guns out of his holster and began twirling them. He aimed the guns and imitated the sounds of the firing. He then put them back and pushed his hat slightly upwards.
“I will be ok,”
She smiled at him, “Ok, then see ya, cowboy and you better win, cus if you don’t, then I’m gonna hurt ya.”
Chapter 7
It was a week before the showdown. Normally, he was a man who didn’t panic. But, there was a lot to lose if he didn’t win; his life being the primary concern…and Jeanie. He planned to make it up to her if he won. He’d be a good man. He would go to church with her and be the man that she deserved. He would do right by her. He paced up and down the bar. Eileen watched him.
“Something bothering you?”
He looked up, “Not really.” She leaned her head to one side. She knew he was lying.
“Ok, I am worried about the showdown.”
“So why don’t you practice?”
He stopped. She was right. He should practice. She led him to the back of The Tavern. A shooting range had been set up. Bottles were all arranged in one pile. The guns were loaded. The stranger practiced his aim and managed to knock down four of the five bottles. Eileen came back and replaced the broken bottles. He then kept practicing.
When it was almost sundown, he headed back inside. He was hungry and ordered some food. The Tavern was awfully quiet. Business had been slow since The Brute last entered the building. Persons feared for their lives. They didn’t want to enter an establishment that could threaten their safety. Eileen kept wiping the glasses and clearing the counter. The stranger could tell that she was worried.
“Hey, everything will be ok.” He told her.
“You’re the last person to be telling me that. By the way, you need to maintain eye contact before you shoot.”
“Thank you,” he said.
Eileen kept cleaning. The stranger had a lot on his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of death, the possibility of never making amends and the possibility of never seeing Jeanie again. He continued to eat his food and took a sip of Brandy. He just wished had more time. He finished his meal. Eileen looked at him.
“Have you ever taken another man’s life or will this be your first time?”
>
“I…don’t want to talk about it.” He then left and headed inside. She shrugged and continued cleaning up the bar.
He lay in bed and tried to calm down. He tried to sleep. But the events of the past kept playing in his head. He tossed and turned. All of his actions, all the crimes were done to protect himself. He did it to save his town and now, he would have to do the same here. He was considered both a hero and a criminal where he was from. He just didn’t want to be that guy. He wanted to be average. He didn’t want to be the outlaw with morals. He wished he could talk to Jeanie. He could have some mental clarity and be able to sleep at night. He lay wide awake and mulled over everything. He wasn’t sure if he could take another man’s life. Not this time. Not in this town.
Chapter 8
It was the day before the showdown. He was ready. He didn’t have a choice but to be prepared. He kept shooting out in the back and prepared his guns. He also spent some time helping around The Tavern and riding on his horse. He headed to Jeanie’s church and saw her walking out. He looked at her from a distance. She saw him and continued walking out. He sighed and turned around. This was perhaps the last day he had alive and the one person, whom he thought he was worth being alive for, ignored him. He just wished there was a way to talk to her. He made his way back to The Tavern. Thirty minutes later, Jeanie entered The Tavern. The stranger looked at her walking. She seemed angry.
“Stop following me!” She looked directly at him. “I see you all the time and I wish you would just stop!”
He held her hand. “Tomorrow is the day.”
She removed her hand. “I know what tomorrow is.”
He smiled at her weakly, “I am sorry. I miss you Jeanie. If things were different, I’d stop all this and be with you. But I have to fix this problem.”
“You are not God! Please stop! You are going to take another’s man life!”
“But who will fix this, Jeanie?! Who!”
“GOD CAN DO ALL THINGS!”
“WHERE WAS GOD IN THE LAST TOWN THAT I HAD TO FIX!”
She looked at him “Look we all have a past, ok? But it’s time to ask for forgiveness and move on.”
He sat there in silence. He sighed. “Look, I miss you too but it can’t be like this. I’m sorry I even came here.” She got up and left The Tavern.
“Good luck tomorrow.”
Chapter 9
Then the day came. The sky was clear. The town was quiet. Tension was in the atmosphere. The stranger sighed. There wasn’t much that a man could hope for when it was his last day on earth, except another day on the planet. He walked out of The Tavern. There the Brute stood outside. He was ready. The Stranger stepped outside into the sun. He was ready to accept his fate.
They were face to face and ready to draw. They drew their pistols. Suddenly, they both felt raindrops. Then the rains came pouring down heavily. They refused to stop. It kept raining and raining. Suddenly, the winds began to howl. It began to pull on the roofs of some of the houses. Both parties looked at each other briefly and ran for cover. A storm was coming. The stranger headed back into The Tavern and Eileen directed him to the basement. Several others were there trying to stay safe from the storm. They huddled up in the shed and waited for the storm to pass. Outside, he could hear screams for help. The cowboy was scared to go out and look, but the screams got worse. He went outside following the source of the screams. The winds slowed him down and he was becoming drenched in the rain but he kept moving. Objects were flying around and he almost got hit twice, but he kept moving. He then stopped at the sight. He saw the Brute pinned under a roof and was struggling to get free. He became indecisive. Here, he had a chance to finally get rid of him. The town could be done with him once and for all and he wouldn’t have to take a man’s life. But something told him not to. He just lay under there and was absolutely helpless. He kept wiggling and trying to get himself free.
“Help! Somebody help me!” He screamed, “Please someone help me!”
He ran up to him and looked at him. The Brute looked up at him.
“Please help me, I promise I will stop. Just help me.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, please just get me out of this.” He was still wiggling under the torn roof.
He ran over and began to lift the roof from his body. It wasn’t easy. With the howling winds and random objects present in the air, it proved to be quite dangerous. But he stayed and continued. Eventually, he became free. He looked up at him.
“Thank you…” he said. The stranger then helped him up.
“Oh, the name’s Eli, Eli Jones.”
“Thank you, Eli.”
“Good, now that we are acquainted, let’s get out of the storm.”
Chapter 10
They then headed back to The Tavern. Eileen was shocked to see the both of them together. She let them into the basement and closed the door.
Eileen pulled Eli at a distant corner and began questioning him.
“So instead of letting nature take its course and take him off of his, you bring him back to my establishment? I just don’t get you.”
“I think he won’t be troubling us anymore, ma’am,”
“I hope you are right,” They then re-joined the group.
The storm continued for hours. It wreaked havoc on everything in its path. Eli thought he had seen the worst part of it while rescuing The Brute but he was wrong. They could hear the destruction taking place outside. Eli was grateful that the basement was big enough to even fit his horse. Thankfully, Eileen had given the horse some tranquilizers so that it could sleep peacefully during the storm. When the storm was finally over, they left the basement and headed outside. The Tavern was a mess but they were lucky to be alive. Chairs and tables were thrown all over and there was a lot of water. The roof was still on but there was some damage. The Tavern was one of the more fortunate buildings to have been spared by the storm. After they cleared up the debris at the Tavern, they headed outside. They fully understood the full wrath of God. Buildings were all torn down and remains of anything living were scattered around the town. The group walked all over the town and saw nothing but chaos. There were dead animals and objects askew. Dead bodies were also present and represented the unfortunate few that weren’t able to find shelter in time. Eli was horrified by what he was seeing. He had never seen such destruction. Not even his own town looked this bad and there was murder and corruption taking place daily before he made a decision to clean up the filth. His mind ran on Jeanie. He hoped she was ok. He hoped that she was safe. As soon as they made some progress with cleaning up the town, he got his horse out of the basement and rode to Jeanie’s farm. As soon as he got there, he knocked on her door.
“Jeanie! Jeanie!” There was no answer.
“JEANIE! Are you there?”
Five minutes later, Jeanie answered the door. She invited him in and to take a seat.
“Wow, you’re still alive. How quickly did it take you to kill him? Was it easy?”
“It didn’t happen. I didn’t kill him.”
She almost didn’t believe him. But then she could see the innocence in his eyes.
“You didn’t. You didn’t kill him….Because of the storm right?”
“Yes, because of the storm…Wait…did you pray for God to intervene?”
She remained quiet.
“You did, didn’t you?”
“Well, you didn’t want to go to church with me. I had to do something. I had to pray. I didn’t want you to kill him. It wasn’t your place and I really care about you. I don’t want the man I love to go to jail, so I prayed.”
“Wait,” he paused for a moment, “What did you say?”
“I prayed because you didn’t want to go to church with me and that I had to do something….I”
“No about the part where you said that you loved me,” he smiled at her.
“No, I love you. God said you are supposed to love your brother and your neighbour and…”
“He also s
aid that you aren’t supposed to lie,” he said smugly.
She remained silent, “Fine, I love you. There! I said it, what does that have to do with this situation?”
He looked up at her and smiled. He then held her hand and touched her face.
“It means everything to me,” he then pulled her face and kissed her. It was everything he was hoping for. There was a rush and an energetic surge flowing through both of their bodies. Eventually, Jeanie pulled away and looked up at him. She was still in his arms. She hadn’t been so close to anyone since her parents.
“Jeanie, thank you so much. You saved my life.”
“No…God did. I just asked for him to help. I asked him to intervene.”
“But you still had some part to play in this. Jeanie, I ain’t never met a woman like you before. Before the showdown, during the storm and even after, you were all I could think about. I’ve been in some parts of this here planet and I can tell you, there ain’t no one like yourself. I didn’t think I would ever be able to change. I didn’t think He would ever care for me so much. Even though He brought a storm, there was peace. Can you imagine peace in the middle of such a storm? I’m lucky to even be alive. Jeanie, your prayers kept me alive. I survived. I was kept alive…and so was The Brute. I saved his life during the storm and he promised to change. I didn’t see it before now. I’m really sorry that I never listened. I never experienced such a miracle before today. I just didn’t even know if I would make it to the end of the day. But if I was to have died, I would have liked your face to have been the last that I would have ever seen. I was close to not being alive again and now I want you in my life again. Jeanie, I could go on and on about how much you mean to me, but I’d rather take the rest of our lives and show you what I mean.”
He never met a woman who could make him so flustered. He was now lost in his thoughts.
“What I wanna say is that, ‘I love you too’ and I can’t take another day without you,” She smiled at him.
“Then come to church with me this Sunday,” she said.
