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He glanced over at Riley who was fast asleep. Realizing she went to sleep with no cover, he gathered the blanket at the foot of her bed and pulled it over her. She woke up as he tucked it in.
“Sam…” Her eyes popped open and she stared at him in the darkness. “Where are we?”
“In a room, in the hotel,” he exclaimed and started to move away, but a hand pulled him down to her.
“Don’t leave me, Sam,” she begged.
“Look, you are fine. Get some sleep, we’ll figure out how to do all this in the morning.”
Suddenly, she sat up and reached for him. “I’m scared, Sam…”
He pulled her arms from around his neck and pulled away. “Everything is fine. We just gotta get you cleaned up and into a dress so you can see those lawyers.”
“Thanks for coming with me…” She sighed. “I didn’t figure you would. I figured after Mavis got a hold of you, I’d lost you.”
“I told you I would. I keep my word.” He nodded silently. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you out of here. We’ll go to the general store, buy you some clothes, then to get a bath and you can go on to the lawyers. I’ll go back to the hotel. It will all be fine. This is gonna work out fine.”
She yawned and he laughed and got up. He moved to his bed and lay down once more, pulling his blanket up around him.
When he heard her snore lightly, he smiled, glanced at Nodog who was already asleep, closed his eyes and went to sleep too.
The next day, they left the hotel through the back door and had a hearty breakfast at a place down the street. It was the first meal they’d eaten together away from the trail and Riley seemed awkward about it. But she laughed and talked all the time they were there, trying hard to remember she was a boy. A few heads turned when they went in, but after they were seated no one seemed to pay much mind.
When they entered the general store the old clerk seemed disgruntled. “What’s a white boy doing with a black man?”
“He took care of me. I’m to meet my kin here. My folks died,” Riley explained, glancing at Sam and wondering why an explanation was necessary. “Thought I’d buy my Aunt a dress.”
“Your aunt, do I know her?” the man asked.
“I doubt it, she ain’t from here. I’m meeting her here; she’s comin’ in on the stage,” Riley remarked.
Sam twisted his head at the fast story she was unloading, but he said nothing.
“What size is your aunt?” the clerk asked.
“‘Bout my size only a little shorter,” Riley explained.
“Okay, let me check my stock…” The clerk left and Sam shook his head.
“Don’t get tangled up in too many lies, you’ll have to remember them all.”
But when they went to the barber shop it was Sam making up stories.
“He’s meetin’ his kin folks, gotta spruce up a bit, take a bath and all. He even bought his aunt a dress,” Sam explained to the barber.
“That’s right nice…well the bath is in the back, help yourself, kid.”
He left Riley to take a bath at the barber shop, while he went back to the hotel. He knew she was nervous about seeing the lawyers by herself, but it was best for him to not go with her.
***
So when she walked out of the back of the barber shop, she was wearing a dress. Her hair was swept up and back so it didn’t look so short and she had a hat to hide the lack of hair. She made sure no one saw her leave.
She stopped and asked the clerk in the general store where she might obtain a lawyer and after giving her the eye, he told her. “Oh, you must be the aunt?” he remarked.
“Uh…yes, my nephew stopped in here, did he?” she asked.
“Yes, he bought that dress here.” The man pointed then looked a little puzzled.
