Chapter 12: One Crazy Woman

~You never really understand a person... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.~ —Harper Lee

Jake reached over and pulled a wet strand of hair out of Dannie’s face.

“You’re one crazy woman,” he told her.

“From now on, I shall take that as a compliment.”

“You got your hair all tangled.”

“So what? I’ll brush it out again. I came back when you called; you can stop being such a killjoy now.”

“All right, all right, I’m sorry,” Jake said, relenting. Then, before he could stop himself, he blurted, “You look pretty, you know, all wet like that.”

Dannie’s face flushed a deep red from the compliment. She looked down and mumbled something incoherent.

“So, are you going to change or somethin’?” he asked.

The blush deepened. It was bad enough traveling with an unmarried man, but now she would have to change her clothes around one. But what could she do? “I should. A wet dress is very uncomfortable.”

Dannie searched for a secluded place, but there weren’t many options.

“You can go behind the wagon,” Jake suggested, “and I’ll turn around and look the other way. Don’t worry, I won’t peek.”

“You’d better not, or I’ll pray for your damnation,” Dannie threatened, and went over to get out her other dress.

“Oh, now you’ve frightened me,” Jake called over his shoulder, “preacher’s kid.”

“Vicar’s daughter,” Dannie corrected. Luckily, she hadn’t been out in the rain long enough for her chemise to get too wet. She only had to change her outer clothing. “Tell me, what did your father do for a living?”

“Why do you want to know?” Jake’s voice got angry. “Why do you keep askin’ ’bout personal details of my life?”

Dannie didn’t answer until she had changed and stepped out from behind the wagon.

“Jake, why is it that every time I ask about your family, you get angry? You asked me all about my family, my friends, even about my former sweetheart, and I answered truthfully even though much of it wasn’t easy to talk about. But the minute I ask you anything about you and yours, you tell me it’s none of my business.”

“That’s ’cause it ain’t.”

“Now listen here, Mister!” Dannie stood in front of Jake, hands on her hips. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you thought of me as some sort of spy trying to get secret information out of you.”

“Well, for all I know, you are.”

Dannie stared at Jake in disbelief. “I beg your pardon?” She narrowed her eyes. “I may not know who you are, Jake, but I know who I am, and by now, you should know too. All I’ve done during this entire journey is tell you about myself.”

“Maybe it was all a sob story to get my guard down…”

“Sob story?” Dannie cut him off. “Well, that’s a fine conclusion to come to about my misfortunes. I could come to similar conclusions about you. Maybe you are an outlaw, maybe you are a thief, maybe you’re a murderer. I don’t know. Your secretive nature makes you the suspicious one here, not me. But whatever dark past you are hiding does not give you the right to accuse me of…of…of ~spying~!”

Jake caught her angry gaze and held it for a couple of minutes.

“Are you going to keep staring at me like that for a long time?” Dannie broke the silence. “What are you trying to do—figure me out? Might as well stop now, because you are terrible at reading people, Jake.”

“Am I now?” Jake found himself getting on the defensive.

“Of course, you are. From the moment we first met, you defined me as your prejudice deemed fit. You didn’t even bother to get to know me first before judging what sort of a person I was. And you went above and beyond all reason and good manners just to keep me in this little box you constructed for me. I wonder, do you do that with everyone you meet?”

“It’s a dangerous place out here…”

“Pathetic excuse!” Dannie turned from Jake and sat down, staring at the mouth of the cave. “Ironic, isn’t it,” she said, “how different Abner Shaw is from you? He lives in the same world you do, he knows of the dangers this place holds, yet he was still sympathetic to a foreigner who was lost and confused and didn’t know what to do.”

Dannie sighed and hugged her knees, resting her head on them. There was a moment of silence before Jake spoke again.

“Dannie, look at me.”

Dannie stubbornly shook her head. “I will not! At this moment I can’t stand the sight of you.”

He chuckled at her words. “Dannie, come on, don’t go be sour at me.”

“I shall be as sour as I please. What is more, I shall not speak to you at all unless I absolutely have to! Once we get to Hopewing, I shall leave and never think of you again.”

“Now, why would you do that? I’ve been so nice to you. I brought you all the way out here for free.”

Now he was trying to butter her up? Dannie rolled her eyes and ignored him.

“Oh, come on,” Jake persisted. “I know the past two days I haven’t been the easiest person to live with, and I’m sorry. And yes, I’ll admit I’m a stick-in-the-mud, but please try to understand.

“There are a lot of secrets bound up in my family, and I’m afraid of givin’ them away. You see,” Jake faltered a little, wondering how best to explain, “you see, the last time I had a girl trying to find out about my past and my family, it all led to nothin’ short of betrayal. I guess that’s why I’m suspicious of anyone around me, especially women.”

“One bad experience, and you are convinced that all women are out to get you,” Dannie retorted.

“Like I’ve said, numerous bad experiences,” Jake went on. “I’ve got good reason to be mistrustful of you womenfolk. I just wish you could take my word on that.”

“Why should I take your word when you won’t take mine? You say women are bad, you say women can’t be trusted, you say we are an evil race. Jake, has it ever occurred to you that your mother was a woman? Was she evil too?”

Fire flashed in Jake’s eyes. “My mother was a saint who walked this earth. The best woman that ever lived.”

“The only one, apparently. And my mother was as wicked as the rest of us?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You did, many times. Not directly, of course, but by insulting women you insult me and my mother. You are unfair, Jake. Unfair and rude. I will remind you that throughout history, it is you men who have dominated and suppressed us women. Confining us to the house and to childbearing.

“How often have you seen a woman doctor? A woman lawyer? We are constantly forbidden from taking up any such occupations. And now, thanks to you, we all have to be collectively evil, as well. My goodness, there is just no pleasing you and your kind.”

After this speech, neither of them spoke for a long time. The only sound was the wind and the rain and the occasional snorting of the horses.

“I ain’t an outlaw or murderer,” Jake finally spoke up again. “And to answer your last question, my father was a farmer.”

“And I suppose his name was Isaac?”

“It was, actually.”

“Oh!” Dannie was surprised at her correct guess and turned to face him. “I don’t suppose your mother’s name was Rebekah, and that you happen to have a twin brother named Esau?”

“No.” Jake gave a little laugh. “No, I don’t have a twin brother, and my momma’s name was Leah. Though there was a Rebekah in my family. That was the name of our colored maid, though we always called her Becky.”

“Have you ever noticed how you’ve all got names from the same part of the Bible? Isaac and Rebekah were the names of Jacob’s parents, and Leah was one of Jacob’s wives. Tell me, was there a Rachel, Joseph, and Benjamin in your family as well?”

“Ironic as this may sound, Benjamin was the name of my stepdad, and I have a sister named Rachel.”

“Oh, my.” For some reason, Dannie found herself feeling a little uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Jake.”

“Sorry for what?”

“I didn’t realize I’d go and guess how everyone was named.”

Jake couldn’t keep from letting out an amused laugh. “You’re sorry because all the names in my family happen to be so predictable?”

“Well, I suppose so, yes.”

“Don’t be.”

“So, did you only have one sister?”

“Yes, but I have a brother too.”

“Not Joseph?”

“Daniel.”

“Oh dear, he’s the only one who doesn’t quite match. Pity. It must have been fun growing up with a brother and a sister.” Dannie’s eyes grew a little wistful.

“Half brother and sister.” Jake’s face became hard. “They’re the kids my momma had with my stepdad.

Dannie looked at Jake with eager eyes. Jake held her gaze for a few seconds then, with a sigh, relented— and began telling the story of his life.