March 1906. Galveston, Texas, USA
Kate Kasse
Kate walked with a wicker basket on her arm just like the one that used to belong to Roberta, up to the house that belonged to her mother-in-law. Long gone were the days where youthful and giddy laughter, and the sound of clinking glasses would permeate all the way to the stable from the front porch.
It was Easter, and beside her skipped her three children, all screeching and trying to get to Nana first, and her husband Gideon, who followed close behind. They had come to visit Roberta where Scowler’s Ranch used to be, having moved to Michigan to be closer to Wilson and his family.
This house wasn’t the same building that had existed by Turning River all those years ago, but it was on the same plot of land. This was because what became known as the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 had caused massive devastation to the area and leveled many of the populated areas of the county.
After crossing over Cuba towards the USA the storm was heading towards the Mississippi Delta, and was due to miss them completely. That was until September 7th, when it curved westward and made a beeline for Galveston instead. The wind speed over the Gulf of Mexico rose to 132 miles per hour, and it struck land two days later. The hurricane together with the resulting storm surge destroyed thousands of homes, displaced ten thousand people, and leveled the town of Galveston. That historic town which had seen and survived so much was erased in a single day.
John never lived to see what happened to his ranch, his pride and joy, the one he had spent his life developing along with George. This was because he had died unexpectedly of pneumonia the previous winter, his loving wife at his bedside to comfort him when he passed and saw to it that he was at peace when the moment finally came.
Wilson had brought his wife and children down to Galveston for his father’s funeral, where Gideon finally got to meet Wilson’s daughters. John received a king’s ceremony, and Gideon was inundated with requests for those across generations wishing to speak and tell their stories of how this great man had influenced them and give thanks. Some spoke during the wake, and others spoke at the saloon afterwards, with the anecdotes stretching long into the night, along with countless toasts in his name.
Then, Gideon and Kate decided to take Wilson up on his offer of visiting him and his wife in Michigan. They returned north with them after the funeral following an emotional goodbye to Roberta. They knew she was surrounded by family and entrusted Nick to watch over her as he was to remain close. Although they had expected to come back, they never did until now.
Collin and Rose went to San Francisco, where his parents had moved to after leaving him in charge of the post office. It used to be the centerpiece of the town, but as it was now gone there was nothing keeping them there any longer. Gideon never heard whether he had succeeded or not in finding his parents, as he never heard from him again, but he dearly hoped that he did.
Nick and Grace had remained near the county, and assisted with the reconstruction efforts of the town which had taken many years. Seeing it now, it didn’t resemble the town they once knew, but they were delighted to see it finally beginning to thrive once again. At the same time those streets they once walked, the setting of their childhood memories, were now relegated to them. The town that was built in its place wasn’t Galveston. They would never walk those streets again, and neither would their children.
It made Gideon wonder about the term ‘act of God’. It did seem as though there was a degree of divine intervention, and as though God had provided each of them with the catalyst to move on and sever the leash of their past life. Otherwise, he was certain, they never would have. The happy memories of their younger years would have kept them there like glue, and they would have happily stayed, waiting for those better times to maybe return one day. Only they never would. Their lives were all very different now, but as much as they missed the wise, stoic John Reed, they were all happy.
Nick and Grace regularly visited Roberta in her new house after John’s passing, having helped construct it for her, and she lived with them for a time after the ranch was destroyed. They were happy to return the favor having spent so long enjoying her hospitality in the days of Scowler’s Ranch. Their house wasn’t far from Kurt’s either, who had returned to his and Kate’s family home in the aftermath, which thankfully still stood.
George and Aurelia had gone to Oklahoma, where Aurelia had once lived, and started life afresh in Thackerville. Their children moved with them and ultimately attended college there, ending that branch of the family’s intergenerational discipline of rearing ranching.
They embodied much of America, which was beginning to change in this period as it did in all others, and the family’s changing discipline was spearheaded by Wilson. That applied to all but Gideon, who never stopped talking about the ranch even when they were in Michigan at the other side of the continent.
They knocked, and Roberta, who was expecting them, greeted her son and Kate at the door. She was older now, having reached sixty years of age, but her kind eyes were still there, buried beneath her wrinkles. Her smile was still warm, even though she had lost a particular and elusive fire in her belly once John had passed away. She had a slight waddle when she walked, on account of her arthritis, but she had grown into a patient and caring grandmother, and the younger generation was delighted to deliver their own children to her.
“Kate! Look at the size of you! Do you think this is another set of twins?” Roberta asked after she had kissed her cheek and then touched her pregnant belly excitedly. Kate laughed.
“I don’t know but what I do know is my hands are more than full with the little ones we have now,” she replied, “Gideon and I have been truly blessed.”
“Indeed, you have. Just don’t blink. Before you know it they’ll be having children of their own. What about Wilson? How is he?” Roberta asked them.
“He is very well. The whole family is well, and they told us to send their regards,” Gideon said, putting her at ease.
Kate had their twin boys not quite a year after their wedding: Johnnie Collin Reed and George Kurt Reed. They had just started walking and talking, and that was what triggered the decision to bring them back to Texas, being of a more manageable age and eager to see their grandmother like the other children they knew.
Their daughter, they had a scant year later, was named after Kate’s mother. She had ‘Roberta’ as a middle name, which delighted her namesake to no end. Roberta hugged her grandchildren, doting over them as she handed out sweet treats like it was confetti, and Kate looked up to see Kurt sitting side by side with Nick and Grace at the dining room table.
They had sent a letter informing Kurt of their date of arrival in the hope he would be there to greet them, so his presence came as a welcome relief. The two men were still not friends, not even close, but they had formed a mutual respect and worked through their issues finally.
The storm reminded Gideon of what had happened between them. It was a dreadful occasion, but out of that disaster they were forged together, as they were forced to work together for a greater good. That opened the door for a closer relationship which had persisted all these years.
Even before then though, Kurt had eventually forgiven John. He had even spoken at his funeral, giving him credit for inspiring him to be a better man in the years following his daughter’s wedding to Gideon. He still thought him a coward, and would never trust him again, but he saw his strengths of character, and learned from them. That was transformative to him and helped him integrate himself into their community.
With Gideon too, he was never fully welcoming, as he doubted his loyalty to his daughter solely because of who his father was. Gideon was more patient and understanding with him and the uneasy truce persisted. It was the first time they had seen each other in many years, and he softened when he saw his grandchildren for the first time. This softening too would change him, and things would be different now he was a grandfather.
Nick and Kurt had holidays together and it was that sort of progress and good will that Kate knew her mother would love. Gideon came in from the outside sun, kissing Kate and then bending to kiss her belly. He joined Kurt and Nick at the table, as Roberta ran to the kitchen to fetch them some food and drinks.
“How are the children?” Nick asked Kate.
“Wonderful,” Kate replied with a warm smile, “Thank you for everything, Nick. I’ve heard about what you’ve done here. It’s still the talk of the town. We heard all about it when we were passing through earlier.”
“The house is beautiful too. It must have taken you such a long time to build it,” Gideon said, in awe of his mother’s new lodging.
“And even more lumber,” Kurt replied gruffly. Nick nodded in agreement and laughed.
He had been nothing but good to her in the time that had transpired between John’s death and now, and having made some good money in Michigan they had spoken about returning to the ranch they sorely missed to see it again. Gideon wished to give his children the wonderful childhood he had, and he only hoped he could be half the father John was to him, as he was to teach them all of the skills which the ranch required.
“Remember when you told me you were going to build us our dream home? I said I wanted it to have a porch just like your parents’ old house did,” Kate said with a happy smile as she recalled the romance of when they were courting.
“I remember. It was going to be right at the far side of the sunflower field. We can do it now. Let’s build it together. Our children will have a room each,” Gideon said, and Kate could see that fire coming back which she saw the first time they had discussed it. And so, they left the children with their grandparents and went to find the same spot to see how it looked now.
Around the house there were multiple sunflower fields, and a horse paddock for them to break in horses together which they had commenced construction on. Kate was now an expert at it, and Gideon had challenged himself to train his children to be at least as adept at riding as he was when he was young. He plucked up a sunflower and offered it to Kate. She smiled and kissed him.
“It’s just like it used to be, when you used to take me around here to impress me. It worked, too,” she said dreamily, reminiscing upon those complicated times when they were filled with hope, ambition, and a searing desire for each other. The desire settled in the succeeding years, but the love was as strong as it had ever been.
“We’re much older now, though,” Gideon commented.
“Does it matter at all?” she asked.
“I suppose not. Not as long as I’m with you, then ageing doesn’t worry me one bit.”
The two of them held hands as they trudged through the fields. The ranch felt empty now. It had never occurred to Gideon before that they were wealthy not because of the crops and the livestock, but because of the family that were there and filled their hearts. It provided them with an endless stream of happy memories which they now recounted warmly to their children.
“I can’t remember. What was the plan you had for this place? You told me all about it once on one of our walks,” Kate asked as she looked out over the fields which were ripe with potential.
“You know, I can’t remember either. It doesn’t matter, though. The soil is famed for its fertility here at Turning River. We can plant anything and it’ll grow big and strong. What would you like to plant first?”
“Anything but more sunflowers,” Kate replied, laughing.
They set about planning the construction of that house he had once promised Kate, just beyond the sunflower fields past where George and Aurelia’s home once proudly stood. After being pleased with the plot that was to support their new house, they went to see John’s grave together.
He had been buried on the family plot just at the intersection of the treeline and Turning River, beside the graves of both of his parents. Gideon was happy to return, as he dearly missed his father, and could now return regularly to speak with him just as his father did with his own. It brought him peace to be near him again and read his epitaph: “Scowler - the man who was never true to his name”.
Kurt and Roberta lived many years longer, seeing their youngest grandchildren grow into fine adults. Kurt was adored as a grandparent, and he excelled in this role. The bad blood that once split their families apart had become the family secret, and they pledged never to utter it to the children. They should be allowed to forget. One night he confided in Kate that he finally felt as though he had finally done some good in his life in his twilight years.
“That’s all we can do in the lone life we live, isn’t it? We can do some little good in the time that we have, and then we can remember the good times as they were,” Kate said.
