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May 20, 1889
Dear future wife,
I was right. Mr. Parker isn’t a liar. I am concerned about his interest in my friend Amy, though. If I am not mistaken, he is nearly twice her age. That may not be terribly unusual, but with Amy having no father for most of her life, I’m afraid she may not make a wise decision here. But I can’t do anything about it besides pray, so that is what I will do.
I haven’t talked much about myself, have I? I’m sorry. I have a hard time doing that. As you probably already know by now. I will try to do some in my next letter.
Sincerely,
Otis
***
The next morning, Otis brought the forms to Mr. Parker.
“Would it be possible for me to bring the new forms to you once they are finished?”
Otis hesitated. “Yes, but I help Dr. Benson most of the time, so I can’t guarantee where I’ll be. Check the doctor’s office first. Otherwise, I’m usually at the ranch by seven every night.”
He nodded. “I’ll go to the ranch, then. Thank you.”
Otis left and went to see what Dr. Benson needed. The office needed organizing again, so he started on that until the doctor returned. It was a slow day at the office, but he got everything well organized for at least a week. Hopefully.
Back home later that night, Mr. Brookings asked when Otis planned to leave.
“I’m not sure yet. A lot depends on if Dr. Tyler accepts me into the school. Classes don’t start until September, and I would like to go to Fort Wayne before I start there to see the rentals, mill, and factory. I was considering leaving mid-July.”
Mrs. Brookings made an affirmative sound. “That gives you more than two months to prepare. I think that will give you plenty of time.”
Mr. Brookings rubbed his beard. “Will everything you inherited be all right for the next couple of months?”
“Yes. I would ask Mr. Parker to take care of any pressing needs, and I should be able to take care of anything else from here.”
Mrs. Brookings put a hand on his arm. “We’ll miss you.”
Otis put his hand on top of hers. “I know. I’ll miss all of you, too.”
She sighed. “It’s all a part of you growing up. It’s just been so long since one of my children left I’m not used to it anymore. Not that I was back then, either.”
Otis put his arm around her and squeezed her lightly. “I’ll try to visit when I can, and I’ll definitely write as often as possible.” He stifled a yawn, but Mrs. Brookings caught him.
“We kept you up too late. Go to bed, we can talk another day.”
He stood and saluted. “Yes, ma’am. Goodnight.”
***
Mr. Parker finished the forms a few days later and brought them to the ranch. Otis read them—there were fewer forms and they were easier to understand, so it didn’t take long—and then signed them all.
The lawyer left the next day, but not before receiving permission to write to Amy. Amy made sure she came out to tell Olive as soon as she could.
As May and June both crept and flew by, Otis learned more from Dr. Benson, got everything in order in Castle City, filled out all the forms needed to go to Jenner Medical College, and started to say his goodbyes.
A week before his scheduled departure, Otis sat in the parlor with his sisters and brothers surrounding him.
“Where will you go after college?” Mary asked.
“I don’t know for sure, but the mining town I own in Colorado apparently has no doctor, so I may go out there. We’ll see.”
Mary leaned against him. “Will we ever see you again?”
“I’ll try to visit you occasionally and you can always do the same. Don’t worry about the money. I can always send you what you need.”
Carter’s eyes lit up. “Can I come out to the mine when you get there and work in it?”
Otis choked. “No. We have no idea how safe the mine is. I don’t want you working down there until it’s safer. And even so, I’d rather you didn’t work there.”
He scowled. “Rats.”
Ellis chuckled. “You could always go there to help Otis.”
Carter shuddered. “No, thank you.”
They all laughed and the conversation turned to memories, both good and bad. At one point Otis saw Mrs. Brookings peek in and then leave. Of everyone in Castle City, he would miss Mrs. Brookings most—not including his sisters and brothers. Mrs. Brookings had always been so encouraging and understanding and he thanked God for her every day.
***
One day while Otis was in town getting a few things for his trip, Amy found him in the general store.
“Otis! I heard you are going to Fort Wayne. Is that true?”
He nodded.
She clapped her hands. “Perfect! How much longer will you be in town?”
“Uh, not much longer. Why?”
“I need to talk to Ma. Can you please stop by the boarding house before you leave?”
“I guess—” Otis didn’t finish the word “guess” before she darted out the door.
“That girl is a whirlwind,” Mr. Holcomb said with a shake of his head. “Here are your packages. How long will you be in Fort Wayne?”
Otis shrugged. “A couple of weeks. Then I’ll head to Chicago for more training as a doctor.”
His eyes widened. “Sounds like quite the adventure. Good luck to you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Holcomb.”
Otis did a couple more quick errands for Mrs. Brookings and trudged to the boarding house.
The door flew open before he could knock and Amy’s cheery face appeared. “Ma and I have something to ask you. Please come in.”
He followed her, a little dazed. What would the calm Mr. Parker do if he ever married Amy? Assuming they were even still corresponding.
She led him to the kitchen, where Mrs. Ackerman bent over the stove. “Good morning, Otis. Thank you for coming.”
“You’re welcome. What’s this about?”
Amy bounced on her tiptoes. “Ma and I have been trying to figure out a way to get to Fort Wayne and visit Mr. Parker. His letters lately have been rather gloomy. Things aren’t going well as he tries to straighten out the mess his father made. Anyway, neither of us wanted to travel without a male escort. But with you heading out there, we could go with you.”
Mrs. Ackerman looked up at Otis. “If you are willing, of course.”
He took a deep breath and let it out. “What about the boarding house?”
Mrs. Ackerman shrugged. “There’s a hotel. People can go there instead. If our visit is long-term, Mr. Carson has agreed to help us sell it.”
Otis took his hat off. In his dazed state, he had forgotten to take it off when he entered the house. “I don’t see a problem since I’ll be going anyway.”
Amy clapped again. “Wonderful! Thank you, Otis! When are you leaving?”
“Probably July nineteenth, but I haven’t decided for sure yet.”
Mrs. Ackerman tasted her dish. “When you know for sure, tell us, and we will purchase tickets.”
Otis nodded. “Are you telling Mr. Parker?”
Amy grinned. “Probably not. The only problem with that is where we will lodge.”
Otis crossed his arms with a half-smile. “Nope, not a problem. I own a house there and will inform the housekeeper I am bringing two guests to surprise Mr. Parker.”
He tried to dodge the hug from Amy but failed. “Thank you, Otis! You are a wonderful friend.”
He pried himself away from her. “You’re welcome. I need to go now. See you soon.”
“Bye, Otis,” Mrs. Ackerman said. “And thank you again.”
Amy walked him to the door. “Thank you for all of this. It really is generous of you to open up your home.”
Otis shrugged. “I guess it’s become ingrained in me. Mr. and Mrs. Brookings always told us to invite anyone we wanted to have over.”
“And you wanted to invite us?” Amy asked.
“Yes and no.”
“What?”
“I want to be hospitable, but honestly, your bounciness is a bit much for me.”
She giggled. “I think it’s a bit much for everybody. I’ll try to restrain myself for you.”
“Thank you. See you Sunday.”
“Bye!”