The four years of war were long. Sometimes we would see a soldier walking up the road, going home, wherever that was. They were tired and hungry. All they wanted was to be back home with their families. We tried to do all we could.
My mama was a great person. She had a way of making everyone feel welcome. There wasn’t a soldier who passed by our road whom she didn’t offer a smile, a place to rest from their journey, and food. She treated them with kindness and respect since, after all, they were the returning heroes. But some of those young men never came back. Some of the ones who lived had lost their minds.
Papa had thought about joining, but Mama convinced him otherwise. They didn’t have arguments but rather “discussions,” as Mama called them. My brothers were too young to join, and for that, we were all glad.
The war finally ended, and life slowly came back to normal. Unfortunately, at the end of the war, Agatha Sullivan passed away. Even after all these years, I still miss her pleasant voice and the way she played the piano. She was like the grandmother I never had. I've always remembered her advice and have followed it many times in my life. She told me that I was confident and capable and that I had a lot to offer the world.
Of the triplets, I had always been the quieter, more sensitive one. As I grew into my teenage years, I began to realize I was not like my sisters and didn’t need to be. I was my own person. Mama would tell me that we all had different goals in life and they should reflect what we wanted, not what others had chosen for us.
I took this advice to heart too. The day I decided to be a teacher was one of the happiest of my life. I was all of twenty-two years old and felt I wanted to give something to the children of Fall River. We had just lived through a war that had divided the nation, and it had had a devastating effect on all of us. I just wanted to give the children a sense of stability, love, and care as the nation started to heal its wounds.
Our grandpa had left everyone enough money to live comfortably for the rest of our lives, but there wasn’t any reason I couldn’t do more and give back to society. This was my chance to give the children something that would benefit them for the rest of their lives: an education.
The last teacher at the school had left to marry her fiancé, who had come home from the war. She had gone back to New York with him to settle down and start her own family as so many of the teachers did. It was a good chance for me to apply for the job.
Mama also seemed to think it was a good idea. It would be a service to the town as well as a way for me to open new avenues. With newer settlers coming into the town each day, it was clear that Fall River was growing, and there was a need for a teacher. The town board interviewed me for the position. Even though there were no other candidates, they still required an interview and a vote.
On my first day as the new teacher, I was as excited as the students. I expected to see many eager faces, and I was right. Young boys and girls who wanted to learn about life outside of Fall River, far from where the train stopped, came into my classroom.
Many of them were new to Fall River, and there were also the children of farmers and storekeepers, who didn’t attend often. I had a well-rounded mixture of town and rural children. As they all found desks to sit at, I smiled at them.
“Good morning, class. My name is Annie Lochlan, but you can call me Miss Annie. That will make it easy. Now, I don’t know about you, but I like it when things are easy.”
They all seemed to agree on that one. I learned each of their names and a little about themselves. One of the most touching moments was when Cal Sullivan walked up to me and placed a little white puppy in my arms.
“Miss Annie, here’s is a pup from my pa’s prize hunting dog’s litter. She’ll make you a good house dog. I hope you like her, ma’am.”
I looked at the dog, and it was love at first sight. She was a soft ball of fluff and so small, and she needed a name. What a perfect project for the students. I smiled at Cal then handed the puppy back to him.
“Cal, I need your help to hold her for a bit, okay?”
A smile came to the boy’s face. “Yes, Miss Annie.”
Cal was Travis’s nephew. His grandma was the same Mrs. Agatha Sullivan who’d taught me how to play the piano. Cal’s family also lived on a farm, not far from his uncle Travis’s farm. I hadn’t seen Cal’s pa, Ethan, since the war. I didn’t even remember the last time I’d seen Travis. He was rarely in town.
Cal was the only child of the oldest Sullivan son to actually go to school—not meaning any disrespect to the boys. They all knew how to read and write. Miss Agatha had made sure of that, God rest her soul. But book learning was something they never seemed to have time for. Their farm was bigger than ours, and Cal’s father needed his boys in the fields helping instead of in school. The pup was a thoughtful gift since she was from Cal’s pa’s prize dog. I looked up at the class.
“Now, I would like your help on a very special project, class. Cal, here, has graciously given me a puppy. In case you are thinking of the same gift, I must warn you my mother only allows one pet per family. Since our pup will be coming to school each day, she will need a name. So, your first assignment is to think of a name for her. This will be your homework assignment for tonight, but for now, let’s see how far you are in your schoolwork. Let’s start with history. Take out your history books. Turn to Chapter Five. Martha, would you like to start reading at the top of the page?”
As Martha read, I walked around the room to see how the others were keeping up with the reading. Many of the older ones were doing fine, but I did see I would need to change the reading schedules for the lower grades.
Many of the younger ones needed readers for below their grades. I was sure there was one in the study at home, and I would have to check and see if there were any at the school.
The older children seemed to be following the text, but then again, it was the first day back from summer vacation, and they still had dreams of running outside. Didn’t blame them. I would too if I was their age.
As I walked into the house that afternoon, Mama took one look at the puppy and shook her head. “Annie, I thought you outgrew bringing strays home.”
“Oh, Mama, she’s not a stray. She’s a gift from Cal Sullivan. Isn’t she pretty?”
Papa came in and saw the pup, too. “Annie, you know what this dog is, don’t you?”
“Sure. Cal said she was from his father’s prize hunting dog’s litter.”
“Prize or no prize, what you have there is a wolf pup.”
“Oh, Papa, don’t be silly. She’s not a wolf. Look at her…”
“It’s a wolf. I’ve seen enough to know the difference. Besides, Ethan Sullivan has hounds for hunting, not this kind of dog.”
I looked at the dog then back at my father. “But why would Cal lie to me?”
“Honey, he knew it was safe with you. Most likely, judging by the size of the little one, she’s not too old—five or six weeks old. I figure Ethan killed her mama and, well, maybe he would do the same to her if Cal didn’t take her to you. The boy saved her life.”
“Well, I’m keeping her, Papa. You’ll see. She’ll be fine, and no one will know she’s not a puppy.”
I went upstairs and didn’t come down for supper that night. I was looking out the window at the night sky, and I didn’t even hear Mama walk into the room. I turned around, and she was there.
“I knocked, but you didn’t hear me.”
“I’m sorry, Mama, but I’m not letting Ethan Sullivan kill this poor creature for no reason.”
“Annie, you do know that is a wild animal.”
“She’s a pup, and with the right environment and love, she can be tamed.” I wanted so much for her to understand.
She smiled at the pup. “She’s very cute and so soft.”
“See, Mama—she’s just a baby. She hasn’t learned to be bad, and I won’t teach her to be.”
“All right Annie. We’ll give it a try. But if there is a problem, she goes. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Mama. Thank you, Mama.”
Mama gave me a final hug and left.
The following afternoon, Ethan Sullivan paid a visit to the farm. He had come to see me, but I was not home from school yet, so Papa spoke to him. I heard the story later.
“I can appreciate your concern,” Papa had told Ethan, “but Annie is set on raising the pup. I told her as long as there is no problem, she can raise her.”
“You don’t understand,” Ethan said. “It’s a wild animal.”
“Yes, I know, and I explained that to Annie, but she’s dead set on proving me wrong.”
“I know the feeling.” Ethan sighed. “I have a ten-year-old son who wants to save every animal in the world.”
“I have it here also. Annie always took in every stray. Why, she even had a cougar cub once. She cried for a week when I told her she couldn’t let it sleep in the house.”
“Just remember, once that pup grows, it’s gonna draw every male wolf to your door.”
“I’ll worry about that when the time comes.”
Ethan was gone before I got home that day. Oh, yes—Papa told me the whole story, but I was set on keeping the puppy. Ethan would only kill her before she got a chance to grow up.
It was pretty quiet at the supper table. Mama asked how school was, and I only answered briefly. I did tell her the class had agreed on a name for the pup. She was to be named Chance, meaning she had a second chance.
Papa turned to me. “Annie, you’re set on going through with this, but you can’t take the pup to school with all those children. When their folks see her, they’re gonna know she’s not a dog. Their folks won’t allow a wolf in the same room with their children. You have to see their point on this.”
“I suppose so, but that don’t change a thing, Papa. I’m gonna prove you and Mr. Sullivan wrong.”
The air was warm as I sat in the rose garden later in the evening. I loved to go out there. I’d sit there and talk things out in my mind. Lordy, I would sit out there for hours like that. It was almost like going to church, maybe because of the cemetery just up from the garden, and I always felt that if I prayed there, God would hear me.
I always made sure I said a prayer for all those up there and ask them if they could send a good word on my behalf. There were times I even thought I would hear the answer clearly as if someone were out there with me. I never told anyone about that or the fact that I’d seen faces in the bark of the trees.
Papa always said the wee folk were around, too, keeping watch over the young ones. As a child, I used to look around at night for them. I never did see one.
I was still looking up at the night sky when Mama walked over to me. “Watching the gypsy dancing in the moonlight?”
I looked at her and smiled. “Oh, Mama, you used to tell us that story when we were kids. When I was younger, I would sit and look out my window at the moon, trying to find the gypsy. I was always disappointed that I never could find her. It was like Papa’s wee folk. I never found them either.”
“And I’m gonna keep telling that story. After all, I have grandchildren to pass it down to, and one day, I’d like to see a grandchild from you or maybe two.”
“Well, when I’m ready, you can tell my children about the gypsy.”
I saw the surprised look on her face. “Are you…?”
“No, Mama, not just yet. There is no one I have an interest in now, so there is no need to bring out the shoes and rice just yet. Besides, the way you talk, one would think you’re trying to get rid of me. Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Oh, of course not. You tell me when you’re ready. I’m going to leave you out here. Your papa will be snacking on the cake I made for the church social tomorrow night, and there will be nothing left before too long. You know how your father gets with chocolate cake.”
I laughed. She got up and headed for the back door.
“Good night, Mama.”
Mama didn’t understand why I wasn’t ready to settle down just yet. I thought I was still young. I didn’t feel the pressure to get married although I did miss my sisters.
I looked up at the moon and smiled. “Oh, you crazy gypsy. You’re dancing up there tonight. Could it be that you’re trying to tell me something? Can you hear me? Maybe your magic will come my way. Maybe you’ll come and visit me in my dreams. Show me what’s ahead in my life—or maybe I don’t want to see it. Oh, but then again, a small hint would be nice.”
Maybe talking to the moon was a little crazy, but it comforted me. I didn’t know what my life was going to be like, but it was nice to dream about. Mama was a bit worried about me—I knew that.
My sisters were married, and there I was, still single at an age when many women were happily married and raising families. Oh, the idea had come to mind a few times, but there were a few things that would have to be considered. I took one more look at the moon and smiled. “You keep dancing, gypsy.”