𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 | 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐗 𝐎𝐂

𝐂𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘

TWO YEARS LATER
CHRISTMAS EVE 1901

"Damn carolers." Karen shut the door behind her annoyed like. "Those little bastards stopped me in the middle of the goddamn road."

"They're just kids, Karen." I placed down plates at the dinner table and she scoffed. "Kids who have no sense of respect for hard working adults." She took off her coat and hung it with the others.

"Karen," I put down some utensils. "they used to say the same thing about us."

"Yeah, but we had the decency to rob them of their money and not their time." She sat down at the table and I scoffed. "Wash your hands."

"Fine, boss." Karen stood up and went over to the kitchen.

"Hey, hun." Sadie approached me and gave me a quick kiss. "Hey." I smiled at her. "Where's Mary-Beth?"

"Oh." Sadie groaned. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"What? Sadie-" I laughed. "Go get her."

"Alright, alright, i'll be back then." Sadie gave me another kiss and she went over to the door. She put on her coat and walked out.

I shook my head. Today Mary- Beth was visiting from Saint Denis. Sadie was supposed to pick her up at the station after work. By work, I meant collecting a bounty.

She was still doing that.

"Is dinner ready?" Reverend approached me and I nodded. "Just setting up the table now."

He was visiting from Ohio.

"Oh, i'll help." Reverend took the plates out of my hand and I smiled. "Thank you, Mr Swanson."

"We will be going to church tonight, right, Rosa?" He asked and I nodded. "That's the plan. Though," I chuckled. "I think Karen might start burning when she walks in."

He shook his head in disappointment making me laugh. "It's a joke, Reverend."

"You young ladies are so boyish." Reverend said and I rolled my eyes playfully. "Alright, i'll go get the turkey." I walked into the kitchen. There was Karen and our dog.

The dogs name was Copper. He was a border collie who protected the chickens at night. One night, Sadie randomly brought in a puppy and I just went with it. He was a good dog.

I looked over at Karen to see her pass her finger across the frosting from a dessert cake. "Stop." I immediately said. "You filthy-"

"Oh, shut up." Karen put her finger in her mouth eating the frosting. "I washed my hands."

"Just-" I tried to ignore her disgusting act. "Just get me a cigarette."

"Jesus. What is this: your seventh one today?" Karen reached into her pockets and I rolled my eyes. "Just give it to me."

"Here." She handed me a cigarette. I placed it between my lips. Karen brought a lighter up to my mouth and lit the cigarette for me. I breathed in the smoke. For some reason it was great relief.

"Alright..." I exhaled. "Help me get all this food onto the table."

Reverend and I spent the entire day cooking. I usually liked cooking, but with this much food it sort of made everything stressful for me. Besides, I think Reverend was the only person on the planet who could out-talk even me. He kept going on and on about journeys of discovery. At first it sounded nice, then he just kept repeating himself.

I was also a little stressed about my future recently. It seemed like everyone was growing up besides me. I tried hard to live up to Arthur's sacrifice. I tried to live the quiet life. I even planted strawberries every spring. But yet every year I felt the same. Useless and boring.