Where Does My Heart Beat Now- Chapter 10

A Chapter by Sympathy Heart

Chapter 10

On the evening the Dawson’s were leaving to go set up camp in town for the reenactment, Gabriel had told Kate to pack the things she’d need for the weekend. Well, not everything would be packed; she would get into her ball gown at the seamstress’s shop. She had all of her things in the living room for Gabriel to load into the bed of the truck and when he walked back through the front door he nearly had a stroke.

“Sweet mother of Jefferson Davis! We’re only going three miles from here. I said to only bring the essentials, not the entire house!”

“These are the essentials,” she replied.

Thirty minutes later they arrived at Lion’s Park, the location of one of the Confederate camps. Many white canvas “A”-framed tents were being put up by their occupants while young children ran through the maze of white as their mothers helped the men raise the tents. The camp stretched over a large, grassy square, and across the street stood an old two-story mansion. The appearance of the house gave Kate an eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach. Hopefully Gabriel would decide to set the tent up in the middle of the camp or on the other side of the park, away from the mansion.

“That’s the Schluter Mansion,” Gabriel mentioned after seeing her staring at the old house. “Just another stop on the ghost tour.”

Kate grabbed one of her bags before heading to the row of tents in the middle of the camp, “Well, that’s just fine and dandy, but I’d prefer we set up over here in the middle.”

“We have to put our tent up over there by that tree. That’s Officer’s Row and also where the 1^st Texas Cavalry is camped. We’re gonna be right at the very front where I can keep an eye on those drunk hillbillies. I can’t afford to have them pulling any shenanigans at this event. This is just one of the perks of being the colonel,” he passed Kate with a wooden box which held the large wall tent and it’s metal stakes. “Kate, see if you can find Sean, and tell him to get the poles out of the truck. I’m sure he’s already got his tent up.”

Gabriel was laying out the canvas tent and fly by the time Sean and Kate showed up with the different sized wooden poles. Behind them, Logan, one of Sean’s friends from the infantry carried the ropes for the poles. In a matter of five minutes the tent and fly were standing near the tree with an authentic lantern hanging on a wrought iron hook outside of the fly, a candle shining brightly in the purple light of dusk. On their right, a few tents down, stood Rob and Mae’s wall tent. Across from theirs was Sean’s tent with the 1^st Texas Cavalry’s colors standing proudly in the night.

“Is this all cavalry, Gabriel?” Kate asked curiously as she walked down the lane made by the tent fronts.

“Some of it is, but for the most part it’s infantry and civilians. Our cavalry and a couple other divisions like to camp here,” he explained while tying back the flaps of the tent.

“Then, where are the Yankees?”

“They’re spread throughout the town, but all of their cavalry is camped on the battlefield,” he cleared his throat and continued. “Actually, it’s not a real battlefield. The reenactment of Port Jefferson is a ‘what-if’ scenario; there wasn’t a battle here, but there were battles in Texas during the Civil War.”

Kate found herself becoming more and more educated about one of the biggest wars in American history. She actually enjoyed learning about these things, even the ones not concerning the cavalry. Perhaps Gabriel knew something about the female side of the war and what went on with their lives. Well, they’d have plenty of time to talk about that while they were at the reenactment.

“Okay honey, time for a little lesson in camp setup,” he caught her attention and pointed toward the row of tents facing each others. “Do you see how the fronts of our tents form a path through here? That’s called a street. Every division in both armies are set up that way. Now, in the morning we usually have a short meeting to discuss what’s going to happen during that day’s battle. Are you following me?”

“Yes. So, what time will we need to get up in the morning?”

“Bugle call is at six, but I’ll let you sleep in since you don’t need to be up until an hour before the suttlery opens, because I believe you were going to help Mom out in her tent selling crocheted blankets, shawls and some of the quilts she’s made. Which reminds me… do you know how to make things that can be sold at the suttlery?”

“I can learn how to make jewelry and bonnets.”

“That would be a great way to get started in the whole reenactment business,” he excused himself before stepping into the general’s tent, leaving Kate to explore the camps.

Walking around, she noticed women already in period clothing. Some of them were sitting around talking with other women while their children played nearby. She couldn’t believe how incredible the camaraderie was; everyone helping each other out setting up their camp and laughing as they unloaded their trailers. She had no idea people enjoyed reenacting so much. A noise behind her made her turn around to see who was approaching.

“Hey! You’re Gabriel’s wife, Kate, aren’t you?” A young woman with strawberry blonde hair stopped in front of her with a smile on her face.

“Yeah. Might I ask who you are?” Kate replied.

“Oh, I’m Ava… Sean’s girlfriend. He was telling me on the way here that his best friend got married, and I was just wondering who the lucky lady was,” Ava shook Kate’s hand before smoothing her dress. “You have no idea how great marrying Gabriel was. He’s such a great guy, and I hated seeing him so depressed after Susan and the baby died. Now, he’s got that spark back in his eyes.”

Kate nodded in agreement, “Yes, he is a great guy, and I love him to death.”

“Well, I just wanted to meet you, Kate, so I better get back before Sean wonders what happened to me. See you tomorrow!

After saying goodbye to Ava, Kate continued on with her walk through the camps. Even though it was dark, some re-enactors were still arriving and setting up their tents. With a glance to her left, the ominous form of the Schluter Mansion made her quicken her pace; it still gave her the chills being so close to another supposedly haunted building. My gosh, why did they have to choose this place for our camp? I swear if I see another ghost I’m going back to the house. The sight of Gabriel sitting underneath a tent fly talking with another cavalry member caught her attention. At a closer glance she saw a glass bottle in his hand, and every so often he would lift it to his lips.

“Gabriel, what on earth are you drinking? That doesn’t look like root beer,” she questioned when she walked up with her hands on her hips.

He smiled and motioned for her to join him, “Jameson whisky. Would’ve been better if I had some Guiness, but this will do. Why?”

“Please don’t get drunk, now. We haven’t even been here an hour.”

“I told you, baby, I don’t drink other than at reenactments, and even then I don’t drink very much,” Gabriel realized that he had forgotten to introduce Kate to his friends. “I’m sorry, this is my wife, Kate… This is her first reenactment, so I’m teaching her a little about what we do. Kate, these are some of my good friends, Joe and Shane… don’t get him confused with Sean. They ride for the 12^th Kentucky Cavalry.”

The older man with the scruffy beard nodded in acknowledgement, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I hope you find reenacting very exciting. Will you be attending the ball tomorrow?”

“I’m planning to,” she replied politely.

“Well then, I shall be looking forward to a dance… that is, if Gabriel will give you up long enough.”

“Of course.”

A little while later, Kate was sitting next to the campfire while Gabriel and his parents cooked a small dinner in cast iron pans over the fire. The air had gotten a little chilly, causing her to wrap one of the blankets around her shoulders. Even though the actual reenactment hadn’t started yet she was still fascinated by everything around her. With a glance over to her left she saw her husband talking with Sean and Ava while turning over trout fillets in the skillet. Mmm, that smells delicious. I never would have thought cooking fish like this would look so good… Well, I’ll just have to see how well Gabriel cooks. She shivered when her blanket slipped, “Oh my, it’s getting colder.”

“Kate, honey, move over here where it’s warmer. I don’t want you getting cold,” Gabriel became concerned after seeing her shivering.

Without hesitation, Kate picked up the wooden chair she had been sitting on and moved beside him, “I’m not going to freeze, Gabriel. I’ve got you to keep me warm.”

He gave her a small smile before going back to their dinner. What was I thinking; she is no delicate flower like some might think. She could probably go through a second Civil War and come out looking like a gem. “Well, I’d like you to stay here beside me for company. Besides, this is ready and I want you to eat.” Gabriel laid the fillets on a plate and handed her one with a fork.

“Gabriel, I’m not hungry.”

“Eat. I can’t have you getting skinny on me.”

Kate forced herself to take a bite of the fish and found it rather delicious. Cast iron cooking turned out to be better than she thought it would be, “Do you need me to do anything, Gabriel?”

He stared at her for a few seconds before leaning back against his chair with his arms folded over his chest, “Just get plenty of rest. Believe me, tomorrow is going to be very eventful.”

She quietly left the group after she finished her dinner and slipped into the tent. On her cot lay a white article of clothing. On closer inspection she recognized her chemise. After stripping out of her jeans and shirt she pulled on the long nightgown, which fell to her knees in a cascade of white, I wonder if Mae’s going to help me get all this stuff on in the morning? The warm blankets were welcoming to her when she settled underneath them before falling asleep.

A faint crying was coming from the living room, rousing Kate from her deep sleep. She slipped out of bed to investigate the noise, and stopped dead in her tracks in the living room where she found Gabriel sitting on the couch with a bundle in his arms. A smile shone brightly on his face as his gaze drifted up to meet hers. That’s when she realized what he was holding: a baby… their baby.

Kate jolted awake and looked around the tent. To her right Gabriel was sound asleep, snoring softly. Apparently her tossing and turning hadn’t disturbed him in the least. Outside, the orange glow of the campfire embers flickered in the breeze. Most of the talking had died down except for a few voices, probably re-enactors who had arrived late. She wondered what time it was since the dream had left her disoriented, and then she remembered her cell phone was lying on the cooler under her cot. After fumbling around in the dark she pulled out her phone and flipped it open. The time read one-thirty; only four and a half hours until bugle call. Even though Gabriel had told her she didn’t have to get up when he did, she was sure to be wide awake. Eventually her eyelids became heavy and closed.

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