25

Thomas accepted Mr. Gorski’s proposal of work in exchange for a bit of money and a place to rest up before continuing on to Boston. After only a short time training under Mr. Gorski, Thomas found himself proficient in the art of brining and smoking meats. It made for a good partnership. Thomas needed the money, the food, and a place to stay. And Mr. Gorski needed someone to talk to. And that’s what he did from daylight until dark.

As the weeks passed, a hole grew in Thomas’s heart. The absence of Margaret was unbearable. He needed her in his life…in his arms. Everywhere and everything reminded him of her. The purple robes portrayed on the stained glass in Mr. Gorski’s parish were the color of her violet eyes. Coals cooling in the fireplace were as black as her raven hair. Even the fresh milk delivered to the butcher shop reminded him of Margaret’s porcelain-colored skin.

It didn’t help Thomas that New York was overflowing with war widows. The women who came in Gorski’s shop were desperate to share their tales of loss with him. He listened out of sympathy.

Thomas was ready to leave. He waited for the right time to break the news to Mr. Gorski.

The two men chatted as dusk drew near. They ate cheese and bread and drank strong coffee. They laughed and talked about family and friends.

Thomas backed his chair away from the table, full and satisfied. “Well, Ed, I can’t thank ye enough for taking me in when I needed the rest. But I’m afraid the time has come for me to move on now.”

Mr. Gorski rubbed his rough thumb on the handle of his coffee mug. “I was afraid you would say that. Can’t say I didn’t know it was coming. I’m sure you’re anxious to see your family though.” He looked at Thomas eye to eye. “When are you thinking about heading up north?”

“Soon, I’m afraid. I’m anxious to get up to Boston and see my pap and brother. But honestly, sir, I’m more eager to head back to Texas and hold my Margaret in my arms.”

The older man chuckled and lifted his coffee mug to him. “Can’t say that I blame you, son.”

On the day he left, Thomas had so many farewells to say to all the nice people he’d met in New York, it seemed he would never get away. He hugged his elderly savior and promised to come back again someday. With Mr. Gorski’s gift of a huge package of smoked meat thrown over his shoulder, Thomas went on his way.

~*~

The sun was beginning to set by the time Thomas arrived at the address he was given at Massachusetts General Hospital.

It took a minute for Thomas’s father to realize who was standing at his door. Tears formed in his eyes and he openly wept as he took Thomas in his arms.

Pap looked as if he’d aged twenty years since Thomas had last seen him. Obviously, the months of not knowing either of his two eldest sons’ fates had taken a toll on him.

“Let me look at ye, son.” The older Mr. Murphy held Thomas at arm’s length.

“It’s so good to see ye, Pap.”

Pap pulled away, put his arm around Thomas’s back, and led him inside the house. “I can’t believe yer actually here. That means the old man saved the letter I wrote you and Jonathan.”

Thomas smiled and nodded his head. “Yep, he sure did.”

The pair moved to the table and sat down.

Thomas put his pack of meat and belongings down.

Pap held one of Thomas’s hands in both his own across the table. “I truly didn’t think I’d ever be seeing you again, Thomas.” He picked up a stack of papers and handed it to Thomas.

Thomas’s heart sank when he read the endless list of soldiers still unaccounted for—his name and his older brother Jonathan’s name were among the missing.

They mourned their loss together. Thomas prayed with Pap, pleading beyond any hope that there was a chance his brother had somehow survived. But he knew in his heart that it was a pure miracle that he had managed to stay alive.

“Pap, I’d prefer not to tell ye, but I was shot off a boat as well. All the way down off the coast of Texas.”

“Is that so?” Pap ran his hand through a thinning shock of red hair. “Is Texas really as big as they say it is?”

“Believe me…I had to make my way across most of it, and let me tell ye, it’s big, all right.” He took a coffee mug from the kitchen counter. The smell of coffee drew him to the warm pot sitting on the stove. “Pap, I need to talk to ye about a couple things.”

“Pour me a cup while yer up, son.”

Thomas poured his father a cup of coffee.

“So what’s on yer mind, boy?”

“Well, ye already know I was shot and fell off the boat, but what ye don’t know is that if it weren’t for a family by the name of Logan, I wouldn’t be here to tell ye about it.”

“Is that right? If ye would tell me where they live, I’d be most willing to send them my thanks.”

“Yes, of course, but there’s more.” He scratched his ear. “Pap, the Logans live on a little strip of land called the Bolivar Peninsula, way down on the coast of Texas. Mr. Logan is a trained lighthouse keeper, but the light was torn down at the beginning of the war. Mr. and Mrs. Logan have four children. The oldest of the bunch is named Margaret. And…and…I’ve fallen in love with her, Pap.” There, he had said it.

Pap looked off into the distance and slowly nodded his head.

“I intend to earn some money and buy her a ring. I’m going to ask her to marry me, Pap.”

Pap rubbed his jaw. “Well, if ye love her, I suppose that’s what ye have to do then.”

Thomas stood to hug his father.

The door swung open.

Michael looked at Thomas and his jaw dropped. He ran inside and put his arms around Thomas so tight he could barely breathe. “I can’t believe my eyes. You’re really here in the flesh. It’s so good to see ye, brother.”

When Michael released his firm grip, Thomas hugged him and patted him on the back. Thomas let go and took a long, thorough look at his younger brother. “For heaven’s sake, when did this happen?”

“What is that, brother?”

“When did my little brother grow into a man?”

Michael chuckled. “Oh, go on now.”

“And look at this hairy chin on ye.” Thomas rubbed his younger brother’s scraggly beard.

“All right, you two have a seat. Thomas just arrived and I have a whole passel of questions.”

Through Thomas’s stories, Pap and Michael learned much about the Logan family. They laughed with gusto at his telling of June and Jeremiah’s antics. They were saddened to hear the not-so-happy tale of Elizabeth’s betrayal. Thomas didn’t know how else to explain it other than to say the poor girl had a problem with her mind. But the one they heard the most about was his beautiful Margaret and how he pined after her and longed to marry her.

Pap made fresh coffee and set out a dish of rolls.

Thomas cut up some of the fine meats Mr. Gorski sent with him. Sitting around the table with Pap and Michael warmed Thomas’s heart. He didn’t allow himself to dwell on the thought that the three of them were more than likely all that remained of the Murphy family. Thomas rubbed his fingers along the smooth grain of the bare wooden table while answering an abundance of questions from Pap and Michael. Then it was his turn to ask the questions. “So tell me, Michael, how is it that you and Pap came to live in Boston?”

“Go on, Michael, tell him.” Pap looked proud as a peacock, gesturing to his youngest son.

“Oh, stop it now, Pap.” He turned to Thomas. “Ye know I was working at DeCamp Hospital in New York.” Michael looked away for a moment. When he turned back, the look on his face revealed his mind had visited a very dark place. “That was a mighty bloody place, to be sure. Anyway, I learned so much from the doctors I worked with there that one of them, Dr. William Mills, thought it would be to my benefit if I could train with the professional surgeons here at Massachusetts General. So he made the arrangements.” He stopped a brief moment and laughed. “But to my surprise, I found that I had much to teach the surgeons here of what I’d learned working on the injured coming from the front lines.”

“You always were the smart one of the bunch.”

“So when are you and this woman of yours going to get married?”

Thomas smiled at how his brother referred to Margaret. “I promised her I’d come back as soon as I looked in on my family.”

“Aw, ye don’t have to rush off now, do ye?” Michael reached over and squeezed Thomas’s shoulder.

“No, no, I don’t plan to leave right away.” Thomas reached for his coffee mug. Now that he knew his family’s fate, he wanted to leave as soon as possible, but he knew he couldn’t do that to his pap. “Maybe the two of you can show me around this big old town.”

The three men talked deep into the night. The night turned to day and the days turned to weeks.

One day, Thomas’s heart told him it was time to leave.

His father and brother hated to see him go, but they understood him wanting to return to Texas and the woman he loved and intended to marry. They made him promise he would return someday soon with his bride. With his back pay from the Navy in hand, he set out for Texas.