***
Going into town that evening, they rode up to the hotel. “Now look, we’ll go in with you as a boy, but once you’ve cleaned up, you’ll need to get another room and stay there. They’ll probably put me in a back room somewhere, and you’ll get a nice room. You enjoy it. Then tomorrow, you go see them. You can get word to me afterwards by leavin’ a note under my door. Let me know how it’s going. That sound alright?” Sam asked.
“I guess. I could leave my door open and you could wait ‘til I get back from the office, couldn’t I?”
“Yeah, you could do that; that would work fine.”
“Good.”
So when they went up to the desk, they ordered a room with two beds. The clerk looked at them strangely.
“My friend here is gonna meet up with his family tomorrow,” Sam explained. “You see, his folks just died.”
“Oh yes, of course.” The clerk nodded, satisfied that Sam had cleared the mystery up. “But the dog will have to stay outside. We don’t allow dogs in the hotel.”
“Can’t you give us a back room or somethin’?”
The clerk seemed to consider it. “Hmm…well, we do have a room in back you could take him, if you just gotta have him.”
“The kid is real attached to him…” Sam explained.
The clerk nodded. “Just don’t bring him through the lobby.”
“That’s fair enough.”
The clerk motioned down to the end of one hall and Sam nodded. Riley followed with Nodog.
“Why did you tell them I was so attached to Nodog?”
“‘Cause people tend to feel sorry for kids. They wouldn’t for me.”
“Oh…”
“Look, you need to go get a bath.” Sam looked at how dirty Riley was, dust all over her.
“Can I rest a bit first? I’m so tired,” she exclaimed as they walked into the room and she flopped down on the first bed. “I need to settle my nerves a little. I’m pretty tied in knots right now.”
“I guess so…” Sam said reluctantly. “It’s been a long trip. Once they find out you are a girl we can’t be seen together, understand?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, I understand,” she mumbled as she turned over and went to sleep. “You worry too much, Sam. The war’s been over for years. Get some rest. You aren’t a slave, you know.”
Sam sent her a derisive look.
“Don’t matter down here in the south how long the war has been over, as far as most are concerned black people and white people are not to mix.”
“I know that, Sam. I’m not as dumb as you think.” Riley frowned. “I guess you think I’m pretty strange. Don’t you? I mean takin’ up with a black man, even lettin’ you kiss me. But I grew up not makin’ no difference what color people were. My dad hired all kinds of men and most of the black and Mexicans liked me and looked after me. I grew right fond of them. Although the people in town seemed to make over the fact some. I’d see them whispering behind my back sometimes. It was hurtful, but I still didn’t see no wrong in it. I never paid much attention to it.”
“Go back to sleep, Riley.”
“I’m just tryin’ to explain.” Riley sent him an exasperated glance. “I don’t let just any man kiss me, that’s for sure.”
“Riley, I’m too tired to worry over it tonight.”
Nodog settled in front of Riley’s bed. He lay down and whined for a minute and laid his head on his paws.
Sam tried to stay awake but the minute he laid down across the bed, he was asleep too.
Hours later, in the middle of the night, Sam woke up.