by Taylor Lee
Frank’s face was splotched with angry purple spots. “Yeah, damnit, we all should be talking to the people in New Mexico, if you wanna see how Grant runs a government. He runs it from here, you know. You’ll never meet a more corrupt bunch of cocksuckers in your life. Sorry ladies, but it’s better you know the truth now.
“One more thing and then I’ll shut my trap. Look, we all know Wyatt’s got some Injun blood in him, but he’s also got white blood. When you’re doin’ your vote and you put that mark down, put it down for the white part if you have to, OR for god’s sake, don’t vote. Whatever you do, don’t vote for Grant just because you can’t vote for Wyatt. Better not to vote at all. Your vote is too important to throw away.”
~~
Tim Angler stood with the other newsmen who had spent the evening with Wyatt and now watched him work with the crowd for over three hours before catching the train to Afton for an afternoon “debate.” They were all shaking their heads, remarking on the spectacle they had seen.
“I don’t know about you men, but I’m sending a telegram to my editor in San Francisco to get the hell out here. This guy is the biggest political story there is, not just in Wyoming, but the country. My god, and they think Teddy Roosevelt is an interesting up and coming story to cover!”
What none of them knew was that the interesting part of the story was just about to begin.
Chapter 21
For the next six days, Wyatt did a minimum of four campaign appearances a day, sometimes up to seven. Tom was surprised and delighted. They sat together each evening at Wyatt’s insistence going over the day’s events, deciding what worked well and what they could capture for the next day’s meetings. But each night, Tom confirmed all Wyatt needed to do was to be Wyatt. Tom didn’t coach him because he didn’t need to.
In every event around the state, Wyatt turned the discussion to the pictures that Grant had circulated. The response was the same. People were angry, appalled at the viciousness of the attacks. The contrast between the man on the stage and the man in the pictures was too stark. The real person won over the caricature every time. They knew they were fighting prejudice and used Grant’s pictures in every meeting to bring it to the surface. They wanted to give people a chance to talk about it. Every night, they toasted Grant with at least one bottle of bourbon for the gift that kept coming.
Two days later, they got a new question. They knew from the way it was framed that Grant was testing a new line of attack.
“Hey, Wyatt, since you like to talk about your damn family so much and that Chink woman you live with, how come you never married her? You’re always talking about church-going people not liking those pictures of you and all that crap, yet you’re living in sin with a bunch of kids from different women.”
Wyatt took his time answering the question. He walked up to the corner of the stage and for a long minute looked Fred Marshall in the eye. Silence settled over the crowd. Many people were embarrassed by the way Fred asked the question, but they conceded it was a good one.
“Fred, you obviously took a lot of time putting that question together. Hell, you probably even had some help,” Wyatt said with a sardonic smile. Many in the audience guffawed, knowing from Fred’s blush that Wyatt had hit it on the head.
He stepped closer to the edge of the stage and glared at Fred with a cold anger in his eyes that made Fred whiten and step back. “Before I answer your question – and it deserves an answer – I never like correcting people in public. But you used a word that isn’t a real word. So people won’t think you are an ignorant, uneducated son of a bitch instead of just a son of a bitch, the word is Chinese, not Chink. If you have a problem with that, some of the men who ride with me are Chinese. They’ll be happy to meet up with you some night and teach you the correct pronunciation. Let me know if that’ll be necessary. Niu and Renshu over there are especially helpful teaching ignorant white folks how to pronounce Chinese words.”
One look at the stone cold faces of the two Chinese men who moved closer to Fred gave added emphasis to Wyatt’s point.
“Now to your question. Vivian, the mother of my seven year old twins, died in childbirth. A lot of you know that I’m not bad at delivering foals or babies for that matter. Felicia, Sally Mae, Connie are some of the women who called me in to help when things got rough and together we delivered some beautiful babies.” He smiled as more women raised their hands indicating that Wyatt had been involved with their deliveries.
“Knowing that I’ve been able to help a lot of women through difficult childbirths, I will tell you the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my life was to stand by helpless watching my nineteen year old wife die giving birth. I did everything I knew how to do… but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t save her.” He stopped for a moment then went on, “But I was able to save the twins.”
“For those of you who have had someone die, someone you love more than anything, I don’t have to tell that for a while you kinda wonder if you’re ever going to be able to get up in the morning - much less smile again. Thank God I had the twins, and Chief and Alono and Joey and a lot of you people out there who helped me through some rough times. I have to admit, though, that I went a little crazy after Vivian died. I decided I would never love another woman. I guess I was afraid if I did, something might happen to her too.
“But I’ve always liked women and I always will. And I gotta confess, in those years I liked a lot them.”
The crowd laughed.
“Okay, damnit, I’m gonna be honest. I liked a whole hell of a lot of them and in the process lived a wild and free life.”
There was more laughter. Wyatt smiled and shook his head in mock embarrassment.
“Let’s face it, folks, my reputation wasn’t good,” he chuckled, “unless of course you asked the women.”
The crowd roared when an anonymous woman’s voice called out, “You’ve got that right, Wyatt! Ask any of us!”
Wyatt grinned appreciatively and then went on more seriously.
“Three years ago, I met Lei and fell in love. We had a beautiful child, Nicolas Deshi. We’ve been together for over three years. Not only has she been willing to love me like I never thought I’d be loved again, but she became the most loving mother Elena and Alex could ever have. What she hasn’t been willing to do is marry me until she’s sure I won’t become the guy I used to be.”
Several women groaned and one called out “We liked you the way you were, Wyatt!” A chorus of women’s voices said, “Here, here!” The crowd laughed and clapped in delight.
Wyatt laughed and shook his head with a wicked grin, “Now, now, ladies!
“Well, Fred, that’s probably more than you wanted to hear. But I think it is important to know the kind of man you elect as governor. God knows, with all the bad things I’ve done, I am the luckiest son of a bitch you’ll ever meet. I have had the love of two of the most beautiful women who walked this earth and three incredible children. My only sadness is that because of the things I’ve done, I haven’t been able to convince the woman I love to marry me. For good reason, she wants me to prove I am worthy of her.
“So that’s my story. Hell, I’m a wandering guy who only wants this one special woman for the rest of my life. If you’re up for it, I could use some advice on how to convince her I’ve changed my ways.”
“You might try to keep it in your pants, Wyatt.”
Wyatt grinned and said, “Fred, that’s interesting advice coming from you. Let me know how it goes when you try it. If you ever do, you should warn the chippy joints that their business might be cut in half.” There were roars of laughter. Fred had the decency to blush.
A young woman stood up and said in a serious voice, “Wyatt, thank you for telling that story. I think a lot of us had some of the same problems. For me and Pete, it took a lot of him telling me he loved me.”
Wyatt nodded and said, “Good advice, Sue.”
Rose Engle stepped forward and said, “Yes, Wyatt, you have to do that, but I f
ound out with Sam that I had to be willing to stop being mad at him. That took a while.”
Another woman stepped forward with a fierce look on her face. “I’ll tell you what I think, Wyatt. These women are too damn nice. I told Greg if I ever caught him with that skaggy bitch again he’d have to start buying smaller pants because he wouldn’t have anything left to put in ‘em.”
The crowd roared with laughter and there were a few groans from the men.
Wyatt smiled and said, “Now, Emmy, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll wait a while before I introduce you to Lei.”
There was a chorus of appreciative laughter.
Tom stood in the back of the crowd and marveled. Not a few of the people in the crowd had tears in their eyes when Wyatt was talking about Vivian and Lei. Tom found himself getting teary. Now, to his surprise one person after another—mostly women, but some men—stepped up and told some of the funniest, saddest and kindest stories he had heard. Most of them were about philandering husbands but there were also stories from people who told about a husband or wife or their child who had died, how they managed to go on living when they didn’t think they could. The audience listened quietly, many of them with tears in their eyes.
The meeting went on for two hours longer than scheduled. After it was done and they were packing up, men and women and some couples lingered around Wyatt, wanting to tell him their stories.
~~~
Tom agreed with Chief that it was time to bring Lei and the family into the public campaign. They had been contrasting the ugly pictures Grant had created of the children with the family portrait they had taken. As Wyatt and Tom expected, most people were embarrassed and angered by Grant striking at innocent children. Tom was convinced that Lei and the children on the stage or in the audience would further diminish the impact of Grant’s “mongrel” based campaign. He proposed a large three-day rally featuring the family. It would start in Laramie, go on to Cheyenne, and end up in Casper. Wyatt sent Wan a message floating the idea. Wan reluctantly agreed.
In an inspired overture, fueled by confidence and the reaction Wyatt was receiving across the state, from people and the press, Tom suggested that Wan also come. He was convinced that when people saw the family together, Wan’s role as a loving father and grandfather would shatter the prejudice that often came from the unknown. It was a risk. They agreed they would make a final decision later about how overt they would make his presence. No matter what, Wan planned to be there to ensure Lei’s safety—as he had all of her life.
In addition to the public and private meetings where Wyatt captured audience after audience, the statewide press and now the national press had jumped aboard the campaign. They were fascinated by the riveting issues and dynamics of the race between the handsome half-breed and the old time politician. From a newspaper’s point of view, what more could you ask for than sex, violence, and racial animosity - a powder keg likely to explode at any time.
~~~
As the campaign heated up, so did the ways the staff chose to unwind after long days of challenging often frustrating work. Proving Chief’s point, Tom decided the after work parties were getting too risqué to stay in the Back Door Saloon and arranged with the Cheyenne Hotel owner for a private club room for the staff gatherings. Charlie Morales was furious when Tom told him they were moving over to the hotel. Not only would he miss the river of money that they spent every night, but it was going to be hard as hell to be Grant’s eyes and ears without a bunch of drunk campaign staff members discussing campaign business in front of the bartender and waitresses, all of whom were well compensated for every piece of campaign strategy they managed to overhear and pass on. Grant had been paying him handsomely and, for once, Charlie was generous with his staff seeming to understand that the more he paid them, the better the information.
But the move to the hotel was a good one. The parties had become too wild for a public place and didn’t seem to be getting any tamer. Better they have them in private. Each night, Wyatt stopped in to be sociable. He, Alono, Tom, and Chief would start out the night sitting at their customary table, then head out when the evening got hot as it inevitably did.
In the past, Wyatt had spent more nights in brothels than he could remember. He and his Caballeros were coveted by the brothel madams, eager to satisfy however many happened to be present. Group sex and unusual pairings were the norm, not the exception. Watching the campaign staff enjoy themselves and each other, Wyatt was struck by how little difference there was between these parties and the whorehouses he and his men had frequented. He thought with a smile, the only difference between these women and the whores he knew was that they had to pay the whores. Christ, the men were the same no matter what. After enough booze, a pussy was a pussy, no matter whose it was.
Some of the women weren’t bad looking, not bad at all. Naked, Sarah was all she promised to be. A lot of bouncy flesh, generous curves and a propensity to do multiple men at once. Throughout the night, a group of men waited in line. Some of the younger women were attractive. No one seemed put off or unwilling to participate in the open sex taking place in the various semi-dark corners of the room.
Sitting at their table in the center of the room, Wyatt shook his head and smiled a salacious smile to himself. Christ, if these guys were turned on by these women, it was a good thing they had never seen Lei. And he thought with a grimace, they never would. He’d kill them first. He saw Tom shaking his head and realized he had been talking to him.
“C’mon, Wyatt, let’s get the hell out of here. Not too hard to see who you are thinking about. You’re right. Don’t settle for second, third, or fourth best when you’re the only one who has access to the best.”
~~~
But behind the scenes, there was no question that their time apart was taking its toll on both Wyatt and Lei. In the past, they were often angry with one another, but their fights had always taken place within shouting distance of each other. When an argument or flare up was especially intense, one of them might head to the retreat room alone to punish the other. A Midnight knock or, if necessary, a smashed lock, would transform the argument to foreplay. Lei’s favored escape was to head for the mountain stream. She knew when Wyatt discovered Stealth gone, he would know where to find her. Their argument would be resolved in a passionate tryst that began and ended naked in the cool waters of the stream.
This time, the distance between them exposed the seriousness of their disagreement, preventing them from putting another protective layer of lovemaking over the scab. Wyatt was furious when he left the ranch and his anger became more intense the longer they were apart. Without her seductive loving presence, his anger and imagination grew wilder. Lei’s haunted imagination, that never took much to stoke, was burning bright. In the first day apart, they had no communication. On the second day, Wyatt sent her a telegram that said simply “I love you, Lei.” Hers in return said, “I love you, Wyatt.” The messages got longer, more passionate, more explicit and then, not surprisingly, the anger surfaced. At first it crept in, but by the sixth day, it raged. On the seventh day the signature phrase “I love you” was lost in the anger. When Lei didn’t answer for the next two days, Wyatt determined that he would not be the one to break the silence. Their mutual hostile silence became the greatest threat yet - to them personally, and to their love.
~~~
While he knew they were engaged in a dangerous game, Wyatt was shocked, then livid, when he returned to Cheyenne after a ten day trip around the Eastern part of the state to learn from two of the Caballeros that Lei and Elena had gone to Denver for two days to meet up with her father. When he first heard, he refused to believe that she would do something so outrageous, particularly since their round trip train ride began and ended in Cheyenne, on days carefully scheduled for when he and his entourage were in towns in the far west of the state.
Her willingness to involve Elena, and to come tantalizingly close to where he usually was, but to come when he was gone, stunned him. At first h
is rage was so intense it immobilized him. Then it became more dangerous—a hard smoldering anger that consumed every loving feeling he had for her.
He knew the root of his anger was her refusal to marry him. Each night, as he watched his men take on woman after woman, his fury increased. For over three years, he had been faithful to Lei, but she refused to let go of his philandering past. Somehow she was convinced that if they married he would eventually slip back. The conversation with Wan gave him insights he hadn’t had. Goddamn it, he wasn’t her father. Sure as Christ, Wan had never been faithful to anyone for three months, much less three years. Knowing that her fear wasn’t rational didn’t lessen his anger or his longing for her, both of which left him wounded and vulnerable.
In retrospect, it was inevitable that the Denver outrage would turn out to be the spark that blew his resistance. Changing logistics contributed. Their campaign train caravan took them to Laramie and then to Casper. Wyatt, Keith and Alono met with local ranchers for a roundtable discussion then headed back to Cheyenne. Chief continued on to the ranch to help with his ailing mare. Tom stayed in Laramie to meet with a group of church leaders. They all planned to meet up in Cheyenne to make final plans for what they were calling the two “family rallies” – scheduled for the next week.
It was after Midnight when they got to the Cheyenne hotel. Wyatt was exhausted. Alono had gone to the stables to check on Master. He seemed to be favoring his right leg and Alono offered to see what was wrong. Wyatt and Keith went into the hotel. They had planned to go their rooms. It had been a long day. They had met with five different groups and tomorrow would be more challenging. The sounds of music and shrieks of laughter confirmed that the usual campaign party was in full swing. Ignoring his tired body and seeking the comfort of a tall glass of bourbon and a good cigar, Wyatt and Keith joined the party.
