The Piano Teacher

Chapter 20

By the end of the week, the news that Harriet Oleson and her children had left Walnut Grove spread all over town as the latest gossip. Charlotte heard about it early from Doctor Baker, who often chatted with his old friend Nels.

"It's not much of a surprise, if you ask me," said Doctor Baker, holding her arm as he helped her down the stairs of the hotel. "Those two were always arguing, but more importantly, that woman never treated Nels all that well."

Charlotte made it to the bottom of the stairs quite breathlessly, her heart pounding. The doctor had deemed that her usual sitting and standing exercises had become too easy for her heart, and the next step was to go up and down stairs, which had always been a little difficult for her. The doctor had also given her a crutch so she wouldn't have to worry about putting pressure on her bad ankle.

Charlotte had only agreed to go up and down the stairs of the hotel as long as there wasn't anyone in the restaurant below, as she didn't want to look like a fool or, more importantly, weak. Fortunately, the restaurant was almost always closed now that Harriet and Nellie Oleson weren't around to manage it, and Mr. Oleson seemed to have no interest in it. The hotel remained open, and food would be available only to those who stayed there if Caroline Ingalls was paid to cook for the day.

"I feel rather bad for Mr. Oleson," she said. She hadn't seen him all week, not since his family left, save for the one time he came to give her the money for her brooch and her uncle's pistol. "He's all alone running the mercantile now."

The doctor chucked. "I wouldn't feel too bad for him. I'm sure he's finally enjoying some peace and quiet. And I'm not too worried about the situation with his wife; Harriet's pulled dramatic stunts like this before."

"Still. He has a lot of work to do without Mrs. Oleson."

Doctor Baker shrugged. "He's a capable man. I'm sure he can handle it, at least until Christmas comes around, then it's a different story."

She bit her lip in deep thought. "Do you think... they're actually separated?"

Doctor Baker furrowed his brows and paused as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. "That's a good question, young lady. I suppose they could be. But then again, they always seem to come back together eventually after their spats.... Now, let's see if we can get you back up the stairs."

Going up the stairs was much more difficult for her than going down. Each step made her body shiver and her heart lurch. She had to stop several times to catch her breath, though she was proud of herself to a certain extent as this was the second time she ascended the stairs this morning. Only a few days ago, such a task had been impossible.

By the time she made it back to the top, she was gasping as if she had been running all day, and she felt lightheaded. "I think that's enough of that for now," said Doctor Baker, helping her back to her room. "You're improving faster than I expected. That's good. I'm sure you're motivated by the fact that you'll be returning to your cabin with your uncle in a few days."

"Certainly," she said. She was counting the hours until she could go back to the cabin. She missed her uncle quite a lot. Doctor Baker told her yesterday how Samuel had regained much of his strength already. She was glad, as her uncle was not a man who did well when stuck in one place for too long. Now, he had the energy to walk the prairies and the roads, though he couldn't make it all the way to town yet as he had done before.

Though that prospect acted as a bubble of positivity in her mind, much of her mood was still quite blue. She couldn't stop worrying about money. Selling her uncle's pistol and her brooch allowed her to pay for her hotel room and buy some food. She tried paying Doctor Baker several times, but he graciously refused. "Most people just pay me in apples anyway," he said.