A Most Unusual Passage
Copyright© 2026 by J&J
Chapter 42
“It’s a mite early for dinner,” said Marcus as we drove towards town. “You need to go home for anything, or you just want to come hang out with Martha?”
“Marcus, I suspect you knew the answer to that question before you asked.”
“Ayup, I reckon I did.”
It wasn’t long before I had joined Martha in the kitchen, where she was preparing the stuffed roast. I washed my hands, put on an apron and joined her. Martha smiled and made a fuss, looking me over as though for damage.
“Well, I reckon you survived a day of Marcus teaching you the ways of the west without too much visible damage. But I think I will have Professor Martel give you the rest of the day off. Enough is enough.”
Marcus shrugged tolerantly. “She’s all yours. I’m going to see about putting in that new watering trough for the stable. That’ll even leave you free to talk about me behind my back, since you’re going to anyway.”
“Like we even find you that interesting, you old buzzard,” laughed Martha. “Go on, git, so we can talk about her handsome young boyfriend, more likely.”
“Well, don’t be too sure. I was with the two of them not an hour ago, and she wouldn’t even give the poor guy a hug.” Marcus walked out the door, practically cackling to himself. Martha turned to me with a question in her eyes. “It’s Marcus’s idea of a joke. Roger had just spent the morning mucking out his barn. It would’ve taken a gas mask to get within 10 feet.”
“Humph, he would think that was humorous. Sometimes you just have to realize that Marcus will always be Marcus.”
“Speaking of that,” I asked, “Have you ever known Marcus to be deliberately cruel and hurtful?”
“Marcus? Never. The man doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body. Why do you ask? Has he done something to hurt your feelings?”
I hesitated a moment; then shook my head. “No, forget it. I’m just being silly.”
“No, we are not going to forget it. That damned old fool has done something to really upset you, and I want to know what it is. No, wait a minute; I already know. I tried to warn him, but he wouldn’t listen. It’s Sand Creek, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “I know I’m being silly, but I just feel like he set me up. He takes me out to this pretty spot, and I was really enjoying being out in the fresh air so early in the morning. Then with no warning, he dumps this massacre on me, like he’s just trying to see if he can upset me. I felt blindsided and a little bit betrayed by someone I thought I could trust.”
“Elizabeth, please believe me; Marcus cares for you like you were his own daughter. He would never hurt you deliberately. In fact, he would be devastated, if he realized you felt betrayed. He’s been a teacher all his life, and he’s got this bug up his ass about people who over-romanticize the West. Sand Creek is his favorite lesson, and he likes to make it all dramatic. I tried to warn him you might take things differently than he thought, but he had no clue what I was talking about. But I promise you he was in his teaching mode and had no idea how you’d take it. Do you want me to say anything to him about it?”
“No, please don’t. I know now that it was all a misunderstanding. And I’m sure you’re right; he would feel terrible if he knew. As far as I’m concerned, it never happened. Besides, I can’t pretend he’s the only reason I’m upset about the day. But that’s probably just as silly.”
“Why don’t you tell me about it, and let me be the judge of what’s silly?”
“It’s just that after spending an evening with Roger, I felt so happy, so secure. It was like being wrapped up in a warm blanket and watching it snow outside. You know it’s cold, but you feel protected. And the feeling lasted so long, I just assumed that’s the way I would always feel. But then there was this little incident at Sand Creek, and poof, it all went away. It just seemed to me ... I don’t know...”
For a moment, Martha gave me a strange questioning look, as though she couldn’t believe what I was saying. Then suddenly, I could see it in her eyes, first understanding, followed by an amused little smile, “Elizabeth Anne Manigault, you’ve never been in love before, have you?”
I shook my head. “No, I guess not. There was a time when I thought I was in love with Ted. But I never felt anything like this. I didn’t know there was anything like this.”
“The first time you have that feeling, the sky is bluer, music more beautiful, and you see everything as perfect. Your feet never touch the ground. You feel so good the earth itself must be a better place. And the first time reality intrudes to bring it all crashing down, the whole experience seems discredited. It’s shocking and disillusioning to realize the world is still there, with its old same problems and pains. Some people never get over it and become cynical.
“But love is not a talisman to protect you from the evils of the world. There’s no magic potion to always make you happy. Being in love doesn’t mean you’ll always feel good or that bad things won’t happen to you. All love means is when bad stuff happens, you don’t have to face it alone.”
“I’m embarrassed by my own naiveté,” I said ruefully. “I’m acting like a school girl, and I’m a grown woman who should know better.”
“There are things about love you don’t learn till the first time you fall, whether you’re 16 or 60.”
“I should learn quickly; Roger seems like a very good teacher”
“Since you brought it up, tell me all about dinner at Hazel’s. She already told me it was romantic, but beyond that, she said I would have to ask you. Hazel knows how to be discreet.”
I told her all about the evening, how I now understood what Roger meant about taking one thing at a time and experiencing it completely. I never knew how sensual dancing was, until I concentrated on that and nothing else. As I told the story, Martha made a show of fanning herself.
“That’s so hot! I may not be able to sleep tonight thinking about it. So the real question is, what does Roger have planned next?”
“Why Roger? Two can play this game, as far as I’m concerned, and it’s now my turn. I invited him over tomorrow night, and I plan to give him an evening he’ll never forget.”
“Whatever has your devious female mind come up with?”
“It’s perfect. Not only is it going to be a great deal of fun, but it’ll also be payback for making me so frustrated that first night. I’m calling it ‘look but don’t touch.’ All evening, I’m going to give him plenty to look at, and we’ll see how he likes being hoisted by his own petard.”
“That’s cruel and wicked,” Martha cried delightedly; “I love it. It’s perfect, and you’re going to drive him out of his mind. If you want some nifty outfits, I know someone who has quite an impressive collection of sexy lingerie and is about your size.”
“Perfect, it’s exactly what I need. Who is it?”
“All right, but you’ve got to promise this stays just between us girls. It’s Fancy; let’s just say it’s a hobby of hers. I know she be delighted to lend you some hot outfits, and believe me, she’s got some.”
“Wait a minute,” I exclaimed; “I should have guessed. Fancy is the ex-stripper, isn’t she? Oh my God, she must have been great.”
“Just remember I’m not the one who told you. But yes, she’s the one. She keeps it quiet for obvious reasons, but the truth is, she’s not the least bit ashamed of it. In fact, she’s given some of us gals informal lessons over a few drinks. Marcus never could figure out where I learned to do a lap dance.”
“I’d like to have seen his face. But the real question is whether she’ll give me some lessons before Roger comes over.”
“I’m sure she’d love it. I’ll give her a call after dinner.”
“Great, I can’t wait. By the way, have you given any more thought to getting Marcus to go to Charleston?”
“Yeah, I have, and actually, I think it’s going to be pretty easy. Tonight at dinner, I want you to issue the invitation like I’ve never heard about it before. Now, I’ll be all excited to go, and you’ll be all excited about us going, and I figure Marcus will have no choice but go along. He’s not going to want to make both of us unhappy, and I think he’s smart enough to know he doesn’t have a good excuse. One good thing about Marcus, after all these years of marriage, he has learned how to surrender gracefully to the inevitable.”
“It will be like the old trick we used to play, having a friend there when we’d ask our parents for something, knowing it would make it harder for them to say ‘no.’”
“Well, we’re going to find out soon enough, because this roast is about ready, and I think that’s Marcus coming in through the mud room.”
As fate would have it, Marcus made it even easier, by giving me the perfect setup. We were all enjoying the dinner and chatting about nothing in particular, when suddenly Marcus asked me a question.
“Tell me, Elizabeth, you still planning to go spend some time with your folks? Do you think I should send someone to keep an eye on you and bring you back in handcuffs, if you try to make a break for it?”
Martha practically choked on her dinner, trying not to laugh, while I pounced. “Funny you should mention that, Marcus. I was thinking along the same lines myself. But fortunately, we have a perfect solution. When I talked to Dad the other night, he and Mother have decided they would really like you and Martha to come with me as their guests.”
“Hold on,” Marcus protested. “You know I was just kidding.”
“Well, I’m not. With all the kids gone, there’s tons of space. Dad’s not working this summer, other than writing. They both would love to meet you; they appreciate all you’ve done for me, and they both really enjoy playing host and showing people around the city. And it would mean an awful lot to me, to get to share my home place with you. Oh, please say you’ll come.”
“Oh, Marcus, please,” begged Martha. “It’s been years since we’ve had a real vacation together, and I’ve always wanted to see Charleston and the Old South. It’s a perfect opportunity, because you can’t pretend your job won’t let you off. You’re retired now, and you can come and go as you please. I’m sure Roger and George won’t mind taking care of the horses. Let’s go; please, let’s go.”
Marcus looked from one eager female to the other, and seeing that he had no chance, he shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly. “I don’t think I have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting out of this one; not with the two of you ganging up. So yes, Elizabeth, please tell your parents we will be delighted to accept their kind invitation, as long as you’re sure we’re not putting them out any.”
“Are you kidding? Dad’s about to bust his buttons to meet a fellow historian he can talk to. They’re going to be thrilled. I’ll call them tonight.”
As I was taking my leave, Marcus walked me to the door and asked, “Will I be seeing you in the morning for our next class?”
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to play hooky tomorrow, I think I need to make a trip to Brush to see a certain doctor. I’ve got a lunch date with him. After that, Martha and I promised to go visit Fancy for a little girl talk.”
Marcus laughed good-naturedly. “Good night, Elizabeth. I don’t even want to know what the three of you might be planning to get involved in.”
The next day, I drove back to the hospital where I had spent so much time after Marcus’s injury. I wasn’t really looking forward to lunch. Even though we only spent one day together, I really liked Russ, and he had done nothing to deserve the brush off I was about to give him. It was his bad luck that I happened to meet Roger, with whom I had a very special chemistry. I asked the receptionist to page him and moments later, he was greeting me in the waiting room. We opted for his 914 for the short drive to an Italian restaurant he liked. We exchanged pleasantries, as I tried to gather up my nerve to discuss the reason I was there.
“Don’t look so sad, Elizabeth,” Russ said reassuringly. “I knew the reason you were coming to lunch today as soon as you called. I didn’t really think you’d drive all the way here to have lunch with me, unless it was to tell me something. And I’m pretty sure that something is to tell me you’ve met someone you’re serious about.” I nodded without speaking. “I’m selfishly disappointed, of course, but I’m really glad for your sake. I could tell you felt terribly alone and isolated, and with my job and the distance between here and Otis, I wasn’t a very good solution. So tell me about this lucky young man, and I’ll see if I approve.”
“Oh Russ, you’re such a sweetheart; any girl would be lucky to have you. Yes, I think you would approve. He’s a teacher, and he raises horses, so he’s teaching me to ride. I don’t know what it is, but the minute we met, I knew there was something very special about him. I never felt like that before.”
“Well, he sounds okay, so far, although are you sure it’s a good idea to date one of your teachers?”
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