A Watch In Time – Chapter 6, Part 2

A WATCH IN TIME

A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons

Chapter Six – Part 2

Click here to start with Chapter One

The woman pushed her glasses up on her nose. “It’s time to call it a day.”

“What about … ?” Lily motioned toward the young pilot sleeping on a cot. “Lieutenant Foster went back to Rich Field.”

“We’ll take him over to the hospital for the night. I told his friend he could pick him up in the morning.”

“I see.” Lily hesitated. “I told him I would stay with him.”

Blanche stood, and handed Lily a clipboard. “If you want to stay until they come to take him to the hospital, I suppose that would be fine. Night shift is coming in about 20 minutes.”

“Is Ivy still here?”

“I think so.” The heretofore gentle woman’s lips turned up in an unexpected sneer. “Humph! She works herself to death … so afraid she’s going to lose her job.”

“Why would she be afraid of losing her job? She seems to be a hard worker.”

“She is, but, you know, ever since they shut the red light district down … those gals … well, most of them can’t find decent work, so they’ve moved on. And good riddance, I say. However some have stayed in Waco, and are trying to make a living here. Ivy was lucky to have landed this job at all.” She shook her head and clicked her tongue.

Lily glanced at the name on the chart and walked away from Blanche, with no comment. Clayton Burl Cole. Strong name.

Ivy hovered over the nightstand next to the young pilot’s bed, pouring water into a cup. She looked up, startled, at Lily Kate. The characteristic gray-blue eyes that blinked at her hinted at unspoken decades in that one moment. She turned to leave. “Quittin’ time.”

“Wait, Ivy. I need to talk to you.”

“Have I done something wrong?”

“No. Nothing like that.” Lily clasped the watch. “It’s not what you’ve done, but who you are.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you do.” Lily Kate motioned toward the back of the tent. “Come, sit down and, please, let me explain something to you.”

They sat facing each other in front of the cupboards. Ivy fidgeted with her cap, rearranging her hair. “I need to get back to work.”

“Not yet. You just said that it was quitting time.” Lily leaned forward, and took a deep breath. “Ivy, I’m going to ask you to believe something that is … well, unbelievable. I’m not who I seem to be. When you see me tomorrow, I may not be the same person. I am actually from the future. And I believe I’ve been sent back here to discover … to discover you.”

Ivy’s eyes grew wide, but she remained silent.

“Look at my eyes, my hair. They are your eyes—your hair. You are my ancestor, but I never knew anything about you until … until I was sent back to find you. I never knew anything about my heritage. The history of our family was always secretive, mysterious. My parents never told us anything about our ancestors.”

Ivy wrung her hands, the years of guilt and shame squeezing through her eyes in a torrent of tears and hitched sobs. “This is all too far-fetched for my simpleton brain.” She looked back at Lily. She reached her fingers toward the young girl, but pulled back without touching her. “But … but something about what you are saying rings true. It would ease my mind of a burden of sorrow I’ve carried for years, if I could believe it. I wouldn’t be surprised that the history of your ancestors has been hidden from you. I’m a disgrace. I’m a rotten excuse for a mother—for a human being. I had no way to support myself. My parents died on a wagon train headed west when I was 14. The wagon master dumped me off here in Waco, and the madam of the brothel was the only one who was kind to me. I worked as a … a … you know … a prostitute to exist.” She swallowed a sob. “And then when I became pregnant with you, I began to realize what I had done. I loved your father. I really did, I just couldn’t let him know about you, so I gave you to his family. When he was killed, I never forgave myself for not telling him.” She groaned and writhed in her chair. “Deceit and shame and guilt … always the guilt. I pray for God’s forgiveness, but I can never forgive myself. ”

Lily Kate placed her hand over Ivy’s rough one. “I may not ever see you again, or I may be back tomorrow. If I come back without the watch, you’ll know that it’s not me. But now I know why I’ve been sent to find you.”

Ivy wiped her eyes with her apron. “Why?”

“To tell you God is a God of mercy and compassion. He forgives those who turn to Him. Please accept that forgiveness from Him … and from me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Photo credit: east_lothian_museums / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 7.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.

The post A Watch In Time – Chapter 6, Part 2 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.