Taos, Chapter 8 (Conclusion) -- PG-13

[librarian_7]

Well, this is it. The last chapter of this story. I've enjoyed writing this one; a little off the beaten track. But I'll be happy to get back to focusing on the vampires and their many, many stories. I want particularly to thank Allegrita, for her exceptional beta work, and Lilly, for providing advice and encouragement. They are the best! It's been a lot of fun to speculate about Sarah, not only who she was, but how she came to be that young woman who caught the heart of a vampire. Moonlight certainly didn't last anywhere near long enough, but one of the great things about it was that it left us with so many, many tantalizing threads to pick up and follow.

Taos

Chapter 8

The Journey Home


Sarah leaned out the train window, one hand on her hat, and the other waving frantically to Betty on the station platform. “See you in September,” she called. “Don’t forget, come a day or two early so we can go shopping.”

Betty laughed at her. “I’ll be there,” she called back. “I wouldn’t miss it!”

They kept waving as the train pulled out and began to pick up speed, kept waving until Sarah could only see a small figure on the platform. She pulled her head back inside the carriage. The dust was starting to kick up, and she wasn’t about to let her immaculate travel outfit get smudged so soon. It had been hard enough, what with Betty and Teresa Bakos trying to talk her into enchiladas for breakfast at the Plaza Café in Santa Fe. She and Betty had driven down from Taos the day before, planning to spend the night at La Fonda, the big hotel at the corner of the Plaza. But when they had stopped by Teresa’s gallery, the older woman had insisted that she and Jozef had plenty of room, and the girls were staying with her.

Betty had fussed a little, saying that she wanted to show Sarah the upscale side of Santa Fe, but Teresa just laughed at them. “If you’re that determined,” she said, “after dinner, you can go over to La Fonda for a drink at the bar. You’ll save so much money that way. Besides, I promised your mother I’d look after the pair of you.”

Finally, Betty gave in, and the girls spent an enjoyable afternoon, wandering around downtown and shopping. Sarah was fascinated with the Indians sitting on blankets in front of the Governor’s Palace, their jewelry and pottery spread out before them for sale. She picked out a chunky necklace and bracelet of turquoise, and several pieces of silver jewelry to take home as gifts for her school friends. After some thought, she purchased an unusual black pottery turtle just large enough to fit comfortably in the palm of her hand, as a present for her mother, and in the shop near the square she found a traditional red, black, and gray Navajo blanket that she thought might make a good rug for her father’s study. She and Betty brought their packages back to the gallery, and before dinner Teresa had helped Sarah wrap her gifts in colorful paper.

After dinner, Sarah and Betty returned to the Plaza, determined to at least visit La Fonda for that promised drink. Somehow, in the twilight of the late summer evening, the Plaza had seemed different, mysterious. Couples were strolling, soft music was coming from somewhere, and the light, cool breeze held an alluring scent of desert sage and piñon. She and Betty felt quite sophisticated as they went into La Fonda and took a table in the lobby bar and ordered drinks.

“This place is beautiful. Has it been here long?” Sarah asked.

Betty shrugged. “Forever, I think. I’ll bet Aunt Teresa knows.”

Sarah glanced around, admiring the beautiful room. “I love it.”

“Yeah,” Betty said. “I bet if these walls could talk, they’d have a lot of really good stories to tell.”

“No doubt,” Sarah laughed.

One drink had turned into two, then three, as they enjoyed a last long chat. The music was good, and they had to turn away several young men—and a couple of older ones—who wanted to join them at their table. It was enough, Sarah remarked, to go to a young girl’s head.

Sarah always remembered the walk home. Not because anything remarkable happened, but strolling along the sidewalks of the plaza, watching other people enjoying the cool of the evening, and smelling the distinctive aroma of piñon smoke that perfumed the air, it seemed like a magical place. She’d had just enough to drink that she felt like she was floating along, that everything was right in the world, and she would always be young, and happy, and at peace.

In the morning, Teresa hustled them out of bed early, laughing at their reluctance to awaken. Somewhere in the night, the magic had worn off a bit, although Sarah still felt wonderfully relaxed and content. She decided, however, that the growling from her stomach might be lessening the contentment just a little.

“I’ve never been much of a cook,” Teresa said, “so we’re going out for breakfast.”

“The Plaza Café?” Betty asked eagerly.

“You betcha, toots,” Teresa said with a wink. Despite the urging, Sarah had drawn the line at enchiladas for breakfast, but had admitted that the huevos rancheros looked awfully good. Even if Betty had managed to sneak little green chili on them in the ordering.

“Oh come on,” Betty smiled. “Where you can get green chili in New York City?”

Sarah shook her head. “I have no earthly idea.” She paused. “Although I’m sure you can find it somewhere.” And she’d been lucky not to spill even so much as a drop of it onto her blouse.

Her original plan to take the short train ride from Santa Fe down to the main line at Lamy had been scotched as well. Betty insisted on driving her. “It’s only a few miles,” she said. “And it’ll be so much faster if I just drive you.”

Sarah couldn’t argue with that. Of all the things Betty was as a driver, slow was not one of them. “At least it’s a paved road,” she said, conceding defeat.

Betty laughed and tossed her curls. “I haven’t put you in a ditch yet!”

They arrived in Lamy in plenty of time for Sarah to check in at the station, turn over her luggage to the stationmaster, and sit down for a few last minutes to chat with Betty. Now that the time had actually come for parting, she felt like she needed to say something, anything, about some of the events of her stay.

“Look, Betty –” she said, “about Rob –”

Betty waved her hand impatiently. “We don’t need to discuss that,” she said flatly. “It’s nothing to do with us.”

They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment, and then Sarah nodded. “Okay.”

Not long after that, the train had pulled in, a sleek and gleaming streamliner with the bold red and yellow Santa Fe logo emblazoned on its nose, the silver passenger cars looking as though they had just rolled off the factory lot. The usual bustle of passengers unloading and boarding bridged the last few minutes before the departure, and all too soon, Sarah was leaning out the train window, calling her goodbyes to Betty.

&&&

As the train began to gain momentum, Sarah reached into her purse, pulled out her book, and laid it on the vacant seat beside her. She thought it might be a little while until she was ready to start reading, but she liked to get settled. Outside the window, the dusty hills rolled by. She saw a herd of tan and white pronghorn antelope bounding away from the train tracks, their graceful leaps beautiful.

At length, though, the sameness of the landscape palled, and she picked up her book. As she opened it, the pages fell apart to reveal a small envelope. The note from Miss O’Keeffe! She had completely forgotten about it, the day before, in all the excitement.

The front of the envelope was inscribed with her name in a strong, forthright script, and Sarah smiled as she flipped it over to run a finger under the flap and break the seal. On the front of the enclosed card was a sketch of a girl standing next to a cowboy, rendered in a few deft strokes. Sarah gasped. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to frame it the minute she got home, or tuck it away in her diary, where only she would ever see it.

Opening the card carefully, she read:

Dear Sarah,

I’m not likely to get a chance to bid you farewell, so I thought this note might substitute. You struck me as a young woman of courage, but I wanted to give you one small piece of advice. We’re all afraid sometimes. I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do. There’s nothing wrong with being afraid, unless you let it rule you. It was a genuine pleasure to meet you, and I hope our paths will cross again.

Georgia O’Keeffe

Sarah closed the note very carefully and slipped it back into the envelope.

As the train rolled on, and the mountains fell behind her, giving way to the flat prairies, she fell into a reverie about her trip. All the people she had met, the experiences she had had. It had been a good trip, but she was ready to get back to the city. Back to school, and the future. Madame Sosostris had promised so many things for her. And even if her head told her it was all nonsense, her heart wanted to believe. She laughed a little at herself. Of course, everyone wanted to believe they had a destiny. But Sarah just knew that her destiny lay somewhere ahead of her. And as Miss O’Keeffe had advised, she resolved to face it without—or at least despite—any fears she might have.

With a smile, she opened her book, and began to read.

[francis]

Oh Lucky, is it really over? I so enjoyed to go on vacation with Sarah. And how much do I love the little note Mrs. O'Keefe gave her. And Teresa and Betty sure made her last day in New Mexico a pleasant day to be remembered. Thank you for writing this little gem. I enjoyed it even without any vampires.

[LadyAilith]

I hate that it's over, but I guess that's the mark of a good story...one that makes you sad that it's done. Thank you for sharing a look into Sarah's life. It was so interesting! And meeting Georgia O'Keefe - that was marvelous! I do hope she frames the sketch and puts the card on the back of the picture showing its provenance. Very nicely done - all of it!

I'm looking forward to reading more of your work. It's truly outstanding and I savor every bit of it like a gourmet dinner in an expensive restaurant!

With warmest regards,

[darkstarrising]

Thank you for not only providing a wonderful story, but for bringing Sarah to life for us. No longer is she simply 'Sleeping Beauty', but she's a flesh and blood young woman looking forward to life.

Her visit to Taos gave Sarah a glimpse of life different from the one she knew in New York. In Taos, she was able to spread her wings a bit, do and see things she'd otherwise never have the opportunity to do. Your story shows us Sarah beginning to see things for herself and with the advice of Miss O'Keeffe, learning not to be afraid. This is the Sarah that would one day meet a man on a platform and ask for a light. This is the Sarah that would one day take a chance on love.

Thank you so much for making Sarah real for us, Lucky

ETA: the letter Y at the beginning of the sentence that now reads 'Your story shows...."

*must use preview, must use preview*

[allegrita]

What a satisfying story. I loved it from beginning to end. One of the things I enjoy about your stories is the little touches that bring them into your Josef in History universe--they are subtle, and don't intrude on the story if someone is just reading it as a one-off, but they join the different stories into a whole in a seamless way. That's not easy to do, and you do it very well.

The note from Georgia O'Keeffe, with the sketch of Sarah and Jim, was a perfect way to draw this story to a close. I guess Sarah did have it framed after she went home, since Beth and Mick didn't find it in her diary. (And yes, this story is going right into my personal canon for Sarah! )

Thank you for this wonderful story. I'm so happy you've given us a deeper understanding of the lovely young woman who swept Josef off his feet.

[Shadow]

What a wonderful end to this story .... though I'm sad to see it come to an end! Georgia O'Keefe's note about courage seemed like the last part of a triad ... the cave painting, the palm reading, the artist's advice.... that set Sarah firmly on the course to being with Josef. The little sketch on the card was a lovely addition.

And how I loved the chat about finding green chili in NYC! My nephew grew up in New Mexico and went to college in NYC, and according to him, there is no place at all in NYC to get proper green chilies. I'm not sure how he would have survived without regular deliveries from home....

Sarah's such a more interesting character for me now.... I'm sure that from now on I'll always think of her as a girl with a piece of New Mexico forever in her heart.

[librarian_7]

Thanks, Shadow (and a belated thanks to the other commenters!). The thing about the O'Keeffe note--she actually said something along the lines of not letting fear stop her. When I found it, it seemed perfect for this story!

I really enjoyed writing this one. Actually, I've enjoyed writing all my stories, and intend to keep doing so.

I'm very pleased that my readers enjoyed a non-vamp Moonlight story.