The Piano Teacher

Chapter 2

Charlotte surprised herself with how content she was once her uncle had the cabin cleaned.

It was such a cozy place to be. There was no hollering outside her window from drunkards in the street, no wagons rattling by, no factory workers spitting tobacco in the alleys.

Instead, when she went to bed on those rough, clean sheets, she could hear absolutely nothing outside but the wind. The prairie wind was harsh, constant, and strong enough to make the cabin's old boards whistle. It made it difficult to fall asleep, but she figured she would get used to it.

In the morning, she was surprised again at the scent of bacon and eggs.

Her bedroom had no door and instead led straight to the main room, where she found her Uncle Samuel cooking on the small wood stove.

She felt a little embarrassed because she hadn't done anything useful since they arrived. Her weakness had prevented her from helping her uncle clean the old cabin, and now he was making breakfast.

She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around herself. She felt somewhat better today, though still weak and a little breathless. She had no stamina at all from being bedbound for two weeks because of her last illness. Even standing made her heart race.

She moved to her uncle in the main room, reaching out to the metal spatula he was using. "Uncle, please, let me help. You know I'm a good cook."

"And you reckon I ain't?" he replied with a laugh. He gestured to the greasy bacon in the cast iron pan with his spatula. "You know, when I spent time in Texas as a ranch hand, I was the only fella that could cook worth a damn, pardon my French. The only other fella who'd try was Big Jim, and all he ever did was burn the bacon."

"But you burn the bacon, too," Charlotte laughed.

"That's true, but I tell you, it ain't as bad as Big Jim's. Besides, this here's traditional cowboy breakfast. You eat this, and you'll have enough energy to run cattle."

She laughed again, feeling very much at peace with her uncle in the cabin. He did indeed burn the bacon, though the eggs were fine. They had brought enough provisions with them for a few more days, so there seemed to be no reason to go into town.

But Samuel had different ideas.

"Today we'll be visitin' the local doc."

Charlotte stopped eating, a piece of scrambled egg hovering on her fork. "Why?"

"I promised your father that when we'd arrive, I'd take you to the doctor. Your Pa wants to make sure you're in good hands in the chance that you do get sick again. It'll just be an introduction. We can tell him about your troubles, and who knows, maybe he'll have some good ideas that your old doc didn't."

"But I'm feeling better now," she insisted. She really didn't feel much better, but better than she had been. And she wanted more than anything to avoid going into town. She desperately didn't want people to see her. And she didn't want to talk to another doctor, either.

Her old doctor hadn't been of much help, and she didn't want to talk only of her sicknesses. She was more than that, or at least she used to be more than that. Now, she felt like the shambles of the person she used to be.

Samuel wiped a piece of egg from his white mustache. "Now, Charlie, I won't be arguin' with you about this. Your Pa told me to have you meet the doctor, and that's what we'll do. You can't go your whole life thinkin' you won't have to deal with another livin' soul. This is as easy as it's gonna get, Charlie. I reckon he'll be the only one there when we get to his office. Just a simple interaction, and we'll be gone in a few minutes. I know you can handle that. Remember, you used to be a tough little tomboy, not afraid of nothin'. I believe you can channel that tomboy back up for a moment, even if it's just to talk to a stranger."