Rud and the Damsel

Chapter 7 - New Clothes

Instead of wrapping Patience up in furs, Rud put several down for her to lie on, then covered her with the rest. It was less restrictive, and he thought she would be more comfortable. Rud carefully checked for other travelers before pulling back on the road. Rud stated they should get to his home about midnight.

As the mule settled into a steady rhythm of hoofbeats, "Rud?" came from under the pile of furs. Rud looked back, and Patience had stuck her hand out and was holding her brother's hand. "Yes, Patience?" Rud replied. "Are we okay?" Patience asked. Rud said, "Yes, Patience, right now, we are okay." Rud liked saying her name.

Patience remembered Rud had said he could not save her mother, which meant her mother was dead too. Patience, knowing her mother was gone, was softly sobbing as she gripped her brother's hand. Her brother was all she had left.

Late in the afternoon, Rud stopped where a wagon store had set up by the side of the road. Rud whispered: "Patience, I am going to see if they have clothes for you and the boy."

Rud walked up to the wagon and, when asked, said he wanted to buy his wife and son some new clothes. The salesman asked what size. Rud had no idea what size Patience was but held his hand up and said his wife was about this tall, thin, and pretty. Rud lowered his hand and said his son was this tall and looked like a regular boy.

The ladies, looking through the items for sale, all laughed. One said, "Never send a man to buy women's clothes." One of the ladies asked, "Is she about my height?" Rud responded, "Yes, but real 'boney.'" Another asked what does your wife need? Rud replied, "A dress and everything underneath, I guess." The ladies set out a dress and several articles only a woman would know to buy.  

Rud said, "I will get my money," and returned to the cart. While pretending to get money from his old coat, Patience quietly gave him a rundown on sizes for her and the boy. Back to the wagon, he checked the dress for the right size and, when it was, figured everything else would fit.

He gave the women what he said was a guess on the boy's size, and after it was totaled up, Rud checked his money. He had enough for two sets of clothes each, so he asked the ladies to pick out another set of everything in a different color. Patience had given him her shoe size, so Rud asked the women to pick out a pair of shoes for his wife. Rud picked out a new pair of boots for the boy and heavy coats for the boy and Patience.

Rud paid for the clothes, thanked the ladies for their help, and carried the new clothes, wrapped in bundles, back to the cart. As Rud placed the bundles in the cart, he silently thanked his mother for teaching him to keep a little over what he spent. He needed the extra money today.

Once they were moving again, Patience asked, "Rud, did I hear you say you had a wife?" Rud responded he did not have a wife, and he had only said he did as a reason to buy women's clothing. Nothing more was said until a few minutes later when he heard Patience say, "I'm not boney!" Rud smiled for the second time in two days.

It was about an hour until dark, so Rud stopped next to a stream to feed and water the mule. There had been no traffic on the road for a while. Now was a good time to have his passengers dress in more appropriate clothes. They each took one of their bundles and headed into the woods.

Rud tied the mule to a tree, put the bell on the harness just in case, and with the shovel he carried in the cart, dug a hole to bury their old clothes. He did not know if they would resist giving them up, but the clothes were the last bit of evidence tying them to the town, and keeping them was a risk.

When Patience and the boy returned, they had folded their old clothes in a neat stack. Patience said, "Thank you for the new clothes and shoes." Then she quickly threw their old clothes in the hole without Rud asking.

Rud realized every rip and tear reminded her of those men grabbing her and pulling on her clothes, and touching her body with their filthy hands. She knew full well what those men had planned to do to her. Her once beautiful party dress was now an ugly reminder of what had happened. Along with the dress, Patience seemed to be throwing all that ugliness into the hole as well. Rud saw Patience breathe deeply, then slowly exhale as her shoulders relaxed. All that was behind her now.

Despite being dressed in simple clothes, Patience was still a beautiful young woman, and Rud did notice. He filled in the hole, covered it with dead limbs and other forest debris, and placed the shovel back in the cart. They ate without talking, and just as it got dark, Rud said they needed to leave. 

The boy, tired of riding in the back, started to climb onto the driver's bench, but much to his displeasure, Patience had beat him there. Patience figured she had spent the entire journey on the cart floor, and she deserved to sit on the driver's bench for a while. Even in this tragedy, a tiny bit of sibling rivalry still existed, and a slight smile crossed her lips, knowing she had won out over her brother this time.

As Rud pulled himself up to the driver's bench, he was surprised to see Patience there and froze for a few seconds, his eyes locked with hers. Patience realized she had not thought this through very well, and both had a nervous looks on their faces as Rud took his seat next to her. Spending the last seven years alone, Rud did not know how to act next to a young woman. Being next to a young man was new to Patience as well.

They exchanged awkward glances until Patience assumed the natural female appearance of being disinterested in everything. Her heart was racing, though, as Rud reached across her to pick up the reins and release the cart's brake. She could tell Rud was nervous and could see his hand shake as he flipped the reins to get the mule moving. The bumps in the road jostled the cart back and forth, forcing Rud and Patience to brush against each other often. Again, awkward at first, but both eventually accepted their circumstances, relaxed, and did their best to maintain their distance.

It was getting late, and despite having slept while wrapped up in the furs, Patience still felt the effects of the last two days. She could barely keep her eyes open. As she dozed, she swayed further with each bump, only waking when she was in danger of falling over. Rud suggested she get in the back of the cart and sleep, but Patience, unwilling to give up her seat, insisted she was fine even as her eyes closed again.

With the next bump, she swayed against Rud with her head coming to rest against Rud's shoulder. In her sleepy state, she had found a spot to rest her head, and Rud felt her shift her weight against him. Patience woke several times. She would breathe deeply, move her head slightly in search of a more comfortable spot on his shoulder and close her eyes again.

Rud felt a moist spot developing where her mouth pressed against his chest and laughed to himself at the thought of this proper young rich woman drooling on his shirt. Rich or not, maybe she was no different than anyone else.

When they arrived at his cabin, Patience woke as Rud pushed her up off his shoulder. Patience's eyes closed as she dozed off again, sitting on the driver's bench alone. Rud unhooked the mule while Patience and her brother continued to sleep. Once the mule was taken care of, Rud lifted the sleeping boy out of the cart and carried him inside, placing him on the far side of the bed. Rud slipped off the boy's new boots and covered him with a blanket.

Rud returned for Patience, and she woke as Rud lifted her from the driver's bench. Patience was at first uneasy being captive in his arms but somehow knew she would be safe. She put her other arm around Rud's neck and held tight as he stepped down from the cart and carried her in. He placed her very carefully next to her brother. Rud started to remove her shoes but stopped.

Patience sensed his hesitation and pulled her shoes off, then slid under the blanket beside her brother. Patience knew there was enough room on the bed for Rud to lie down, and she was frightened at what might happen next, but Rud just moved away once she was settled. Patience relaxed and was soon sleeping soundly again.

After bringing in only the supplies the night air might ruin, Rud closed and barred the door, started a small fire in the fireplace, and removed his coat, knife, hatchet, belt, sling, and outer shirt before kicking off his boots and settling down on the tattered old rug in front of the fireplace.

His big knife within easy reach, Rud drifted off into a deep sleep. Tomorrow the events of the last few days would weigh heavily on him. He had killed at least nine men and had basically kidnapped a boy and a young woman. But for now, he would sleep.