A Life Of 'Shine - Lem Fike

33

"Maggie said they had to go and so they left."

"What?"

Nora read over the letter one more time, sitting at the table of what was once hers and Lem's house they shared. Harry and James were opposite, a look on their faces that Nora couldn't quite make out. Was it worry? Hatred? Anger? She didn't know and she didn't care.

"The letter he left me, Harry. Says it as clear as day." She passed the paper over, Harry taking it from her shaking hand so he could read it himself.

"Aunt Maggie said we gotta go, I tried to reason with her but there is no changing her mind. I do promise to write as often as I can Nora, but for now we've had to go. I'm sorry." Harry read the last part out loud, shaking his head before placing the note back down on the table.

"I'm sure there was a good reason."

"Wouldn't he have said so?"

"Nora. Lem he.. I never thought him as the type to just, walk out on his girl. Perhaps he only had enough time to say Maggie was leaving and he had to go with her." Harry tried his best too comfort her in the situation, but he himself didn't know what to say. Honestly, Harry was mad at the Fike's for leaving so suddenly and unexpected as they did.

"Maybe." She let out a long sigh, moving towards the bedroom to gather her things. "But I ain't staying here." She called out, as if clearing some question nobody asked.

She was packed and ready to leave withing five minutes, owning not as many clothes and objects as she initially thought. Enough to carry by hand but camp was a little too far for her to walk to from Valentine, she was just happy to see Lem had left them the wagon.

"How long do you reckon they'll be gone for?"

"Probably forever, Maggie don't exactly strike me as the person to return." Nora listened to her brothers talk as she pushed the box in the back of the wagon, climbing in behind it while her brothers remained sitting at front.

"Let's just, go back to camp you two. Was starting to miss Cripps." She spoke in a low voice, her head lowered as if ashamed although it was nothing. James had expected her to have cried by now but she held on, remained strong by all this and her sadness was expressed through countless sighs.

When they got back to camp Cripps was more than welcoming to say the least, giving Nora a hug when she stepped off the wagon even though he had seen her earlier before hand.

"My favourite moonshiner returns!" He called out, patting her on the back as he walked away to sit back near the wagon with his harmonica in hand. Nora smiled at the title before realising that she was no longer a moonshiner, instead she wasn't so sure as to what role she had no. Perhaps she should go back to robbing banks and helping widows instead of laying low and waiting for a little bit of excitement to happen in her life.

"We never dismantled your tent as you can see, everything is still there. Just a little messy." Harry smiled, his hand on her shoulder to walk her over to where she once lived.

She turned to the men with a smile, nodding her head in thanks before sitting down on an old cot which replaced the bedroll she was slept on.

"I see I've upgraded." She joked, laying down on the hard piece of furniture before closing her eyes for a bit of rest. Sleeping was the only thing she could think of doing right now, being away from the world for a short time where she was oblivious to all that was going on around her, forgetting what had happened for a moment.

"Why's she so glum?" Cripps asked once he was sure Nora was asleep enough to not here the conversation about her. James had walked to the fire, cooking meat to be stored and leaving Harry alone to talk with Cripps.

Harry brought his hand up, scratching his chin before even thinking of an appropriate way to answer.

"Maggie and the others left, no proper reason they just walked out." He explained. Cripps let out a long sigh, understanding the situation better than most from the time he was once a close friend of Maggie's up until they both walked out on eachother.

"And she's beat up about Lem going."

"Guess so."

"Poor kid." Cripps grabbed an un-opened bottle of beer from the crate, opening it before taking a long drink. "Maggie's had to have good reason and Lem, well, that woman raised him when his mother left. She didn't have to but she did and so he feels as if he's.. I don't know, point is, he's going to do what Maggie instructs. Even if he doesn't want too, I seen the looks he would give Nora, he really do love that girl."

Harry could only nod, hearing Cripps trying to defend Fike did clear up a little of the lingering anger Harry had bottled up inside but he was still mad at Lem for just leaving without bothering to give the female a proper goodbye.

"Let's just hope that when I see him next, he'll have a good excuse." The male threatened, retreating to his own tent for the night.

~

Nora woke to the smell of coffee that morning, something she had grown used too during her short stay inside a proper home but now the smell was foreign and she didn't want to welcome it.

"Mornin' sunshine." Cripps greeted once he noticed how the female sat up from her own cot.

She scowled in his direction, eyes hurting from the bright sun somethings she was no longer used to waking up too in the morning.

"Mornin'." She managed out, sulking out of her tent to join the others around the campfire. James had passed her a cup of coffee, which she happily took and gently took sips from.

"How are you feeling?" The same brother asked with a forced smile. Nora shrugged, placing the now empty cup at her feet.

"Honestly?" She paused, shrugging as if she wasn't sure on how to word the following sentence. "One my friends lost her husband recently, I don't think crying over someone who ran away is something I want to be stuck doing for years."

The boys all nodded, listening to Nora as if they were children fascinated by some fairytale.

"Truth be told. I can't sit here and cry so for now, I'm over it." She forced a smile.

"That's the attitude to have!" Cripps cried out, raising a beer bottle in his hand that he was previously trying to open.

Nora chuckled, smiling at the others around her. She still loved Lem but she had better things to do than sit around a wish these events turned out differently, for now she was just glad to have others to sit and laugh with. Helping her to realise that there were far better things than Lem Fike.