Gretchen Feltes
gf3@nyu.edu
Story Rating – PG13
Sara and Adam struggle with losing their
added weight after the new baby is born. Their new housekeeper discovers
the way to a man's heart may not be his stomach when Ben visits.
Just Desserts
Prologue
September 1869
The
"You didn't open it?"
"I wanted us to be
together." She wiped her hands on her apron and gave him a hug.
Jonathan Charles Cartwright born
September 16. STOP Bridget is well. STOP Hoss is over the moon.
STOP love, Joe STOP
They breathed a collective sigh
and smiled.
"It's a good solid name.
Jonathan for her brother. Charles for Pa's father."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That evening in bed Adam turned to
retrieve the french letters from the drawer. Sara put a hand on his
back.
"Please don't."
"What are you saying?"
"I want another baby, Adam.
I want to hold a baby in my arms and snuggle it. I want to see you
holding a baby on your chest and singing lullabies. I want someone for
Jacob to play with the way you and Hoss played."
"You're sure? It's not too
soon?"
"We've talked about more
children. If I conceive tonight, Jacob will be three and half when the
baby is born. Amy will be ten."
"And I'll be forty," he
said deliberately. "That's your point."
"I'll be thirty-two.
It's better now than later."
He turned to face her. Her
eyes were smiling, coaxing him. He smiled back and nodded.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
October 1870
The train had pulled out of
She caught her reflection in the
window and frowned. She saw only flaws, the tired eyes, the blotchy skin
and the stubborn baby belly. With Amy and Jacob she had regained her
figure in several months. Now, nearly three months after delivering
Thomas, that doughy bulge at her waist would not budge. Her muscles were
weak from the imposed bedrest late in her pregnancy and for several weeks after
the birth. A small price to pay when she looked at her beautiful, healthy
baby, but her perceived frumpiness annoyed her. She worried about how
Adam would feel now that she'd lost her looks. She resolved to see her doctor,
Ned Stewart, as soon as she got home.
The train jolted and Ben woke with
a start. He stretched a moment. "I can't seem to stay awake
after lunch these days with the sun shining in and the rocking. I'm going to
visit the, you know… I can go to the dining car for you. Would you like
something cool to drink?"
"No, thanks."
"I can get you an ice cream.
You didn't finish your lunch and you're eating for two."
She smiled at her father-in-law.
"No, I had plenty. I'm fine."
"Sara, that new grandson of
mine is a greedy little eater."
She frowned and patted her belly.
"I have plenty stored up right here to feed him."
"Oh Sara, don't be silly.
You'll get your figure back soon enough."
She rolled her eyes and he
harrumphed as he left the compartment. "Women and their silly vanity,"
he said under his breath.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam waited impatiently in the
crowded station. The three o'clock train from
To leave her and Jacob and the
baby behind at the Ponderosa and return for the fall semester seemed necessary
two months ago. He and Amy settled into a fitful routine anxiously
waiting for letters and the news from
A call went out announcing the
imminent arrival of the
"Papa!" Jacob
nearly leaped from Ben's arms.
"Jacob!" Adam answered
and reached for his feisty four year old. "How's my best boy?"
"Don't squish me, Papa."
"Oh, it's just 'cause I've
missed you so much," Adam said as he held Jacob in a tight hug. He
turned to his father with a wide grin. "Hi,
Ben put his arm around Adam's
shoulder and squeezed it. "They've been on pins and needles all the
way from
He rushed against the exiting
crowd to find her. She opened the door and he gathered her in his arms,
showering her with kisses. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.
"Oh Sara, we can never be
apart again. I should never have returned without you."
She kissed him again and then
broke away. "Come see your son."
Thomas Edwin Cartwright was
kicking in the basket on the floor and beginning to protest his confinement.
Adam beamed as he lifted the baby
and inspected him. "He's still got that reddish fuzz on his head.
And his eyes are green, I think they may just stay that way. He's
perfect, Sara."
"Amy's hair was like that.
It may darken to auburn like hers, like mine."
Ben and Jacob joined them in a few
minutes. "I've arranged to have the luggage delivered. I, for
one, am ready to leave this train and walk on firm ground. Let's
go."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That night Adam put the older
children to bed as Sara nursed the baby. The evening was warm enough to
keep the window cracked and the smell of autumn leaves lingered in the air.
It felt wonderful to be home again. She smiled as she remembered
Amy's exuberant greeting. She and Katrina were baking gingerbread for
dessert. She was covered in flour and leapt into her mother's arms.
Katrina struck Sara as a kind and
wise woman. It was obvious that she had grown fond of Amy and Adam.
Still, she stepped away from the reunion to allow the Cartwrights their privacy
and stayed close enough to anticipate their needs. The beds and closets had
been aired and Sara's favorite soap was on the bathtub tray. A good plain
supper was served. Later she drew a bath for Jacob and retreated to the
kitchen to clean up.
The baby's eyes were closing and
Sara caressed his soft fluffy hair. She wrapped him in his blanket and placed
him in the cradle by her side of the bed. He fussed for a moment and
settled into a deep sleep. She approached her vanity table and frowned at
her image in the mirror. She turned sideways and pulled her nightgown up
to examine her profile. Disheartened, she let the nightgown drop and
grimaced at her silhouette. Again she resolved to do something about her figure..
Adam walked quietly into the room
as not to disturb the baby. He grinned wryly at Sara's stance and pouting
face in the mirror. He tiptoed behind her and put his arms around her,
hugging her close. "It's good to have you home, my beauty."
"Oh Adam, I'm glad to be home
but I am not beautiful. My skin is spotty. I look and feel
exhausted and then there's this." She stretched the material tight
to emphasize her belly. "I'm fat."
He rubbed her torso lightly.
"That belly gave me some of my greatest happiness, my children. It
took nine months to grow it, Sara. Be patient. It'll disappear in time.
Until then," he turned her to face him, "I'll have more of you
to love." He kissed her forehead.
She groaned. "Nice try,
but I'm going to see Ned tomorrow."
"Aren't you feeling well?
Was the trip too much for you?"
"I'm fine. Fat, but
fine. No, I promised Paul Martin I'd see Ned when I got back.
Besides he needs to see the baby as well."
"But Paul wrote me that you
had healed properly."
"Yes, but Paul is a country
doctor. Ned was trained here in
"I see. And as for
making love tonight? We should wait?"
"Just one more night, Adam.
I promise."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Mama! Look at the
skinny pancakes!"
Amy piped in, "They're
Swedish pancakes, Jacob. They are very special. See, you put cherries
here, and fold them up, and put sour cream on top. They're the best."
Ben looked over to Adam who winked
at him. "Bring back memories, Pa? Remember Inger's pancakes?"
The pancakes were familiar and
something about the woman serving them was familiar as well. The tall
woman with dark eyes ringed with laugh lines, silvery gray hair and a quick
warm smile looked uncannily like Inger had she lived to sixty. Ben
thought surely Adam saw this as well. It was a bit disconcerting but not
altogether unwelcome.
"I do remember them, son.
They were your favorites."
"I'll just have some coffee
and dry toast," Sara said as she joined them at the table.
"Is your stomach bothering
you, Mrs. Cartwright?"
Sara nodded and looked over to
Adam who rolled his eyes. "I'll have a glass of skimmed milk as
well," she paused and added quickly, "for the baby."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam had an early afternoon lab to
teach and did not come home for lunch. At Sara's request, Katrina made a
light vegetable soup and sandwiches for those who wanted them. Sara
refrained from the sandwiches.
"If you're feeling poorly
maybe you should go see the doctor," Ben suggested.
"I did promise Paul Martin
that I'd see Ned as soon as possible. I could take the baby with me. Ned
will want to examine him as well."
"I'll accompany you."
"Oh no, please. If I am
late Katrina will have to fetch Amy at school and you'll be needed to watch
Jacob. Besides, it's only a few blocks away."
Ben arched his eyebrow suspicious
of the cause of Sara's stomach trouble.
"I'll nurse Thomas first and then
go soon after."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
An hour later Sara walked into
Doctor Ned Stewart's office. She was greeted warmly by her friend Laura,
Ned's wife. "Sara Cartwright, when did you get home?" She
gently chucked the baby under his chin. "And this is the newest
little Cartwright, I believe. You do have the most beautiful babies,
Sara."
"Oh Laura, I've missed you.
I got home yesterday."
Laura was a little startled.
"Are you feeling ill?"
"I'm fine. I promised
the doctor in
"Oh yes, Doctor Martin wrote
Ned. He was surprised and a bit worried by your troubles in delivering.
He'll be glad to see you. I'll just stick my head in and see if
he's busy."
A minute later Ned walked into the
waiting room to greet and kiss Sara. "Come in. Anything for you, my
dear. How are you feeling?"
She placed Thomas on the
examination table and began to undress him. "I'm fine, really, Ned.
Perhaps we should start with the baby, that way Laura can watch him while you
examine me."
Ned poked and prodded a bit,
listened to his heart and his belly and pronounced Thomas very healthy and
thriving. "Nothing wrong with this boy. He looks more like you
than Jacob did as a baby."
"I see a bit of my
father-in-law in him."
Laura was thrilled to take the
baby and begin her rights, as Sara's best friend, to spoil him.
"All right, Sara. Let's
take a look at you."
She undressed behind the screen
and walked out in her chemise and pantalets. Ned helped her on to the
table. He was quiet during the exam, stopping to ask questions when he
needed information, but thorough and professional in his manner.
"That country doctor did a
very good job. I can see no undue damage or scarring. You've healed well.
There shouldn't be a problem if you and Adam should want to have another child.
You can resume relations if you haven't already. Now what's bothering
you?"
"This," she said
emphatically as she grabbed her stomach. "I was never this big for
so long. Is there something wrong?"
Ned smiled and gently patted her
abdomen. "Everything is where it should be. There isn't a growth, as
you probably know. No, Sara, it's most likely a result of the forced
bedrest. Your muscles haven't been worked lately. It'll disappear in
time. You're still nursing, that'll help."
Sara sat up and frowned in
frustration. "So I have to live with this? I can't do anything
about it?"
He smiled warmly and put an arm
around her shoulder. "I didn't say that, Sara. I just don't
want you to go off half cocked. Get on the scale and let's see what
you're facing."
She blushed scarlet when the bar
settled at fifteen pounds heavier than before her pregnancy. Her waist
had thickened by four inches, her baby belly swelled underneath. She
teared up and stepped off the scale.
"Sara, get dressed and we'll
talk."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
She walked home with a spring in
her step. She had Ned's permission, even encouragement, to start walking
and do gentle calisthenics. He had given her a modified reducing diet,
poached eggs, dry toast and fruit or oatmeal with fruit for breakfast, lean
meats, salads, and plenty of vegetables for the remaining meals and skim milk
twice a day for the baby's sake.
"I want a slow and steady
loss, Sara. But by New Year's I assure you, you will be happier with your
figure."
She entered the house and was met
by Katrina. "How are you feeling, Mrs. Cartwright?"
"Much better, thank you.
Are the children home?"
"They're with their
grandfather upstairs. I can go get them."
"No, that's not necessary.
I need to talk with you for a few minutes."
"Would you like some tea and
cookies while we talk? I have some butter cookies."
"Let me put Thomas in his
cradle and I'll come down to the kitchen."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The butter cookies remained
untouched as Sara talked to Katrina.
"Are you sure the doctor said
this is enough food for you and the little one?" Katrina asked as
she read the food plan Ned had given Sara.
Sara nodded. "He said
that the baby will continue to grow. I need to go back in two weeks for
him to check both of us."
"I just don't see why you're
so worried about your figure. You have a beautiful baby. That is all that is
important."
"I feel lazy and out of
control,” she sighed. “And fat and unattractive to my husband,” she continued.
“My belly gives me back aches."
"Of course, if you insist I
will follow this plan, but not for the whole family. I won't deny them real
food."
"It's just for me. You
can continue to make your wonderful meals. I will skip the pastries,
breads, butters and cream sauces."
"All right. I'll make
my specialties for the others. Amy and Mr. Cartwright like their strudels
and bread. I'm sure that Jacob and his grandfather will, too."
"Of that I have no doubt,
after this morning's pancakes."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That evening Adam watched Sara
unpin her long auburn hair. She stretched her torso as she brushed her
hair, revealing the outline of her figure. This loss of her confidence in her
looks was much ado about nothing he thought. He did not dare voice his
opinion, however. Dinner had been tense after his father's response to
Sara's dinner of "rabbit food."
"Did Ned mention anything
about resuming relations?"
Sara turned and smiled.
"Yes."
"Yes, he did or yes, we
can."
"Yes and yes. And yes,
my love. I'll join you in a moment."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sara woke before six when the baby
started to stir. She put on her underclothes and robe and carried Thomas
downstairs to the parlor. There she stoked the fire and laid him in the
cradle they kept downstairs. Next she stirred the embers in the stove and
added kindling. She put a pot on to boil water and returned to the baby.
He nursed greedily. He'd
only recently started to sleep longer hours and was always ravenous when he
woke. She sang softly to him. It was her favorite time of the day,
the quiet hour before the cacophony of her family's start of the day. She
changed Thomas and put him in the cradle to sleep.
As instructed by Ned, she drank a
cup of hot water and then began a series of bends and stretches and light
calisthenics. She recalled her school days and her physical education
classes. She vowed to buy a gymnasium outfit and soft shoes as soon as
possible. She could ask to borrow Catherine Beecher's calisthenics book
when she stopped by the Women's Library in
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For a week the weather cooperated
with Sara's plan. She took Amy to and from school and walked the
perimeter of the park for thirty minutes. On the weekend Adam was more
than amenable to join her in long walks. On Saturday, they walked up to
Today it was raining. No, it
was coming down in torrents. Great buckets of water were falling.
She had walked in the morning but at two o'clock the heavens opened. She
insisted on picking up Amy and managed to bring her daughter home relatively
dry under her umbrella. The afternoon walk was canceled and Sara was
discouraged.
Amy changed into dry clothes and
grabbed some cookies on her way to the piano. She loved to play. While
Sara was still at the Ponderosa, Laura had come to play with Amy. Laura
gave her a new book of Strauss marches and waltzes to practice. The young girl
enjoyed the quick finger work. She sat down and started to play the
brightly paced music.
Sara walked into the parlor and
listened a few minutes. "That's wonderful, sweetie. I don't know
that song. What is it?"
"It's the Radetzky March,
Mama. Mrs. Stewart taught it to me."
"It makes me want to
march."
Amy nodded and continued to play.
Sara thought a moment.
"It makes me want to march. And march I will." She
smiled and went upstairs to change into her gymnasium clothes.
While Ben occupied Jacob playing
with his toy horses, Amy accompanied her mother. Sara marched in place during
the fast songs and stretched and did calisthenics during the waltzes. They
laughed and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. At the end of the session Sara
was winded and very pleased.
"We should do this again,
sweetie."
"That was fun, Mama.
You looked silly."
"I suppose I did."
"We could do it on rainy days
and make it our secret."
Sara smiled. At ten, Amy
adored secrets. "That's a fine plan, Amy."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Early that evening Ben sat in the
parlor reading the newspaper before dinner. Jacob was at his feet playing
quietly with his toy train. Amy was setting the table. Adam and
Sara were upstairs with the baby. It was a rare quiet time in the Adam
Cartwright household.
There was a heavenly aroma of
almonds coming from the kitchen. Ben closed his eyes and was transported
back to his courtship days with Inger in
It was the perfect evening to
serve such a cake. The weather was raw and dreary. The afternoon rain had
turned cold. Adam's coat was heavy with sleet when he hung it near the
fire to dry. Surely Katrina had been inspired by the foul weather. She made the
rich creamy dessert to comfort her adopted family.
Katrina served a hearty cabbage
soup with freshly baked brown bread and butter for dinner. Sara looked at
her bowl carefully but had no objections. There was a clear broth with
pieces of chicken, cabbage, onions and carrots in her bowl. The potatoes
had been omitted from her serving. She passed up the dish of sour cream
and dill to garnish the soup as well as the bread and butter.
She leaned toward the bowl and
took a deep breath. "This looks and smells lovely, Katrina.
Just the right dish for a cold damp night."
"It is better with the
potatoes and cream."
"Still, I appreciate that you
served my bowl without them."
Ben met Katrina's glance and
raised his eyebrows. Neither one of them approved of Sara's diet. It was
"modern" and unnecessary. She would get her figure back in good
time. Nature would take its own course, there was no need to hurry it
along. Especially for vanity's sake.
When the bowls were cleared,
Katrina returned with the ostkaka, served warm with raspberry preserves on top.
She smiled triumphantly as she set it in front of Ben.
"It is ostkaka, a custardy
cheese cake. Did your Inger ever make it, Mr. Cartwright?"
He looked at her, puzzled by the
mention of his late wife’s name.
“Oh, I’m sorry to be so forward. Mr.
Adam told me a bit about his stepmother.”
Ben smiled at her.
"Yes," he said softly. "It was Inger’s specialty."
"I hope that mine lives up to
hers."
He sliced it and the aroma of warm
almonds perfumed the air. He looked toward Katrina and smiled with deep
affection. Ben served everyone save Sara who shook her head when it was
offered.
"You should take some,"
Katrina said. "It is good for you. It has eggs and milk."
"And sugar and cream and it
smells divine, but no, thank you,' Sara answered. She patted her stomach.
"Just a taste, Sara,"
Ben added. "It won't hurt. It is such a special treat."
Sara smiled and shook her head
once again.
"We'll split her portion,
"As I recall, son, there was
never any left when Inger made it."
Ben and Adam finished the ostkaka
with gusto.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
November 2, 1870
Two weeks had passed and Sara was
seated in Ned's outer office. Laura held Thomas on her lap and was cooing
and making him smile. "I could just eat you up," Laura said as
she kissed his tiny hands. "I swear he's grown an inch since I last
saw him."
Ned stepped into the waiting room
and greeted Sara with a warm smile. "Step in, Sara. Let's see
how you both are doing."
He was very pleased to see that
the baby had gained half a pound and was healthy and very alert. "Just as
I thought, there are no ill effects to Thomas from your diet."
Sara stepped out from behind the
changing screen. "I'll be happy to report that to my father-in-law
and my housekeeper, Katrina. They're skeptical of my regimen."
She climbed up on the exam table
facing Ned.
"How are you feeling,
Sara?"
"I feel much better. I
have more energy. I can walk farther and not be winded. Look at my
skin! It's clear. I feel lighter but I don't know….” She grabbed
her belly, "this is still mighty stubborn."
He nodded and smiled.
"You look radiant, Sara… like you found yourself again. Hop on
the scales."
She took a deep breath and stepped
on the scales platform. Ned adjusted the bar to her read her weight.
"Five pounds. That's a little
more than I expected, but diets can start fast. I expect that pace to
slow down a bit, maybe to a pound or a pound and a half a week."
Sara was beaming at her
accomplishment. She took the tape measure from Ned and put it around her
waist. "One inch. I've lost an inch!"
Ned recorded the changes in his
notes. "This is very good progress. You can continue the plan
with my blessings. And you can tell that to Adam's father and your
housekeeper."
"Ned, I feel stronger.
Can I do more exercise?"
"Do what feels comfortable,
Sara. No pushing. I want to see you again in a couple of weeks.
How about the 23rd?"
"The day before
Thanksgiving."
"That's right." He
leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Now get dressed and scoot. You're
too healthy to linger around a doctor's office, even if the doctor is your
friend."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Laura handed a sleepy Thomas back
to Sara. "I miss having a little one. My girls are so grown up
now. They were off to college in September."
"You are welcome to visit
anytime, Laura. Jacob would love to see you and Amy adores you.
That reminds me, thank you for the Strauss music book. She is
working her way through it and having a wonderful time."
"I'm so happy to know that.
I'd love to hear her play. Maybe I'll stop by on my way home
someday."
"Make it soon Laura.
She's home from school by 3:30 most afternoons."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
November turned cold and raw,
hindering Sara's resolve to walk each day. She walked in the mornings
despite the weather but she couldn't face getting soaked through most
afternoons. Sara and Amy's secret calisthenics sessions were becoming a
common occurrence. Neither minded that. It gave them an excuse to
spend some fun time together.
Ben had noticed his
granddaughter's peculiar penchant for marches. He could hear laughter
behind the closed parlor door during her piano practice but did not delve
further. He respected the "Do Not Disturb" sign hung on the
doorknob. He had raised boys and little girls were a bit of a mystery to
him.
About a week after Sara's
appointment, Laura came to visit. Kristina opened the door and showed her
to the parlor door. Laura listened to the marching music and the laughter
and knocked hard. A breathless Sara answered and pulled her friend into
the room.
"What's going on here?"
"It's our secret," Amy
said. "I play music while Mama exercises."
Sara nodded. "When I
can't walk because of the weather, I march and do calisthenics."
"Well, I'll be. That's
brilliant. Can I join you?"
"If you want to, of course,
Laura."
Laura put her hands on her waist
and sighed. "I do. I do want to join you. I can make it
Tuesdays and Thursdays, is that all right?"
"That's settled," Sara
agreed.
"Can you bring more music
books, Mrs. Stewart?"
"It's a deal, Amy."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was a quiet morning in the
Cartwright house. Adam was teaching, of course, and Amy was in school.
Jacob had begged to join Sara on a visit to the Children's Aid Society and
was thrilled that she had consented. The baby was asleep. Ben
walked upstairs to fetch a train schedule for
"Oh, excuse me, Katrina.
Here, let me take those for you."
She smiled warmly as he gathered
the sheets in his large arms. "Thank you. I was trying to save
myself another trip up and down the stairs. I need to take these to be
laundered. If I don't get there by noon, Mrs. Fratelli will keep them an
extra day."
"I see. Well, we can't
have that," he said, teasing her.
They walked down to the kitchen
and he placed the linens in the large basket by the door.
"Katrina, may I speak with
you a moment?"
She nodded and pointed to the
table. "Coffee, Mr. Cartwright?"
"No, thank you."
He pulled a chair out for her and waited for her to sit. Then he
sat opposite her.
"Katrina, I know few people
here in
"Yes, Mr. Cartwright."
"Well, see, that is a perfect
example of what I mean. I called you by your first name and you call me
'Mr. Cartwright'. Please, call me Ben."
She grinned.
"Ben."
“Katrina, I was just reading about
a concert at Steinway Hall on Sunday. Miss Christine Nilsson is singing. The
paper calls her the new Jenny Lind.”
“I have heard of her, yes.”
“I was wondering if you would do
me the honor of accompanying me to that concert. I know that it is your day off
and your time is your own, but please consider it.”
“Oh, Mr….Ben. I would love to go!”
“Shall we have lunch at Moretti’s
before? I want to try the spaghetti.”
“Oh yes!”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ben and Katrina found the sign for
Moretti’s Restaurant on the south side of
The waiter told them they had just
missed the tenor, Signor Brignoli, who had come in for a late breakfast before
the concert. “Many singers come here. We have the best Italian food.”
On the waiter’s recommendation,
Ben ordered a full four course meal of spaghetti, a roasted veal chop, two
vegetables and a pastry dessert. It was a large meal but they justified
ordering it because of the weeks of plain and simple meals Katrina had tried to
serve Sara. They relished the spicy and flavorful food.
“Adam is right. He said that the
spaghetti here is as ‘tender as first love and a delight forever.’”
“He did?”
“I think he was quoting a review.
Still, it is delicious and we do not have to feel guilty about finishing all of
it.”
“Signor, signora, may I offer you
some wine? It is my gift to you. It is a pleasure to see you enjoying my food
so passionately.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The concert was “a triumph”
according to the papers. “Mlle. Christine Nilsson has come, has been seen and
has conquered” was the first line of the review in the New York Times.
To Ben’s ear, she had the voice of
an angel. She sang Handel , Ophelia from Thomas’ Hamlet, and arias from La
Traviata. Ben could not help but watch Katrina’s reaction to the tall blond
Swedish soprano. Her eyes sparkled as Nilsson sang but they brimmed over with
tears when a Swedish folksong was the encore.
Ben took her arm and she leaned in
toward him as they walked home.
“Oh Ben, it was a perfect
afternoon. Thank you.”
He took her hand in his and kissed
it softly. “Thank you, my dear.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The three weeks between Sara’s
appointments passed quickly. It was the day before Thanksgiving and she stood
on the scales in the doctor’s office. Ned adjusted the bar and smiled. “You can
look, Sara. You’ll be pleased.”
“Another five pounds!”
“Your waist is considerably
thinner. It must be all that marching,” Ned said with a wink.
“I guess Laura couldn’t keep our
secret from you.”
“Not when she came home aching
from the efforts. Did she tell you that she has lost half an inch from her
waist?”
“We encourage each other,” Sara
said.
“How do you feel? Do you want to
stop? When you started this you wanted to lose fifteen pounds.”
“Oh no! I have in mind that I will
wear the ball gown I wore on my wedding night for our anniversary.”
“And when is that?”
“January twelfth.”
“I’ll see you in a month. We can
decide whether you should stop your diet then.” He kissed her cheek. “And tell
that husband of yours not to be such a stranger.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanksgiving
Adam woke to the tantalizing smell
of onions and celery frying in butter. He found Sara spooning the
fragrant wilted vegetables over a large bowl of cubed stale bread. She added
salt, pepper and sage to the bowl. Then she put the frying pan back on the
stove and began to sauté the turkey liver. He approached her from behind
and placed his arms around her. He kissed her behind her ear.
“You’ve made an early start.”
“I have to if we want to eat this
bird this afternoon. It’s enormous. What was your father thinking
when he bought it?”
“He was thinking it was big enough
for four hungry ranchers and Hop Sing.”
“Well, none of us is exactly
riding the range these days, dear.” She turned around to kiss him.
“Don’t worry, Sara. Pa and Edwin
and I will put a dent in it this afternoon.”
“I brought down some of our winter
clothes from the attic yesterday. Your brown wool suit is hanging in the
closet. The garnet colored vest would look nice with it.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sara buttoned the cream silk
blouse and pulled on the tartan skirt. She smiled triumphantly. She
hadn’t needed to pull her corset strings tighter. It fit! She had
not worn it since Christmas last year. She looked in the mirror and stood
in profile. Not perfect but considerably better.
Adam walked in from shaving in the
bathroom. “You look very pretty.”
She turned and grinned. “You
look handsome, save for that dab of shaving cream under your chin.” She
used her handkerchief to remove the soap. “Don’t take too long.
Edwin and Winna will be here soon.”
He looked at the brown suit and
garnet vest laid out on the bed. He smiled to think how they would
complement Sara’s plaid skirt. She had looked so pleased to be wearing
it. There was a risk of looking too deliberate in his choice of suits,
but he acquiesced to her preference.
He put on a clean white shirt and
struggled to pull on his trousers. Surely they had shrunk in the
cleaning before storing them last spring. There was a considerable gap at
the waist which his belly now filled. He held his breath, pulled in his
stomach and strained to button the waistband. In the end he had to leave the
top button open. He pulled his belt tight to disguise the fact. He
buttoned the vest hoping it would hold his stomach in.
He stood in front of the mirror
forced to admit that Sara was not the only one whose waistline had expanded in
the last year. He had noticed his clothes getting tighter but the brown
suit and his protruding profile were concrete evidence of a weight gain. His
once flat stomach had gone to fat. He put on his jacket and hoped it would hide
the problems for at least one more day. Today, he would eat, drink and be
merry. Tomorrow, he vowed, he’d join Sara in her diet.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam opened the door to Edwin
Booth, his daughter Winna and his mother. Winna rushed passed Adam and
ran upstairs to find Amy. They were fast friends and happy to spend
Thanksgiving together. Adam took their coats and ushered his guests into
the parlor where Sara was seated with Thomas in her lap.
“Sara, my dear, you are a vision,”
Edwin said as he bowed and took her hand to kiss it.
She blushed and gently scolded
him. “Edwin, stop, please.”
“I mean it.” He held his
hand out in her direction. “Mr. Cartwright, Adam, you will agree with me.
Our Sara sits in the pose of a madonna and child. There is no more
beautiful or serene subject than that. Sara and Thomas are perfection.”
She shook her head at Edwin.
“Mrs. Booth, it is a pleasure to see you again.”
“Oh, let me near that beautiful baby,”
Mrs. Booth answered reaching out her arms to hold Thomas. “He’s a heavy
boy.”
“Like his father,” Edwin said
eyeing Adam’s straining middle.
“Yes, well….I propose a toast,”
Adam said trying to divert the attention away from himself. He poured
champagne and Edwin distributed the glasses.
“To the fair ladies,” Edwin said
as he raised his glass, “who make our lives worth living.”
“To the ladies,” Ben seconded.
“Now I must go and assist in the kitchen. I promised Katrina I would
help her take the turkey from the oven.”
“Katrina?”
“Our housekeeper. Adam hired
her while I was still in
“It appears that your
father-in-law may share their opinion.” Edwin winked.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“Sara, my dear, you are eating
like a bird. Is that good for the baby?” Mrs. Booth asked.
“Not a bird,” Jacob piped up. “She
eats like a bunny.”
“Jacob Cartwright!” Amy
exclaimed.
“Well, Grandpa, says she eats
rabbit food.”
Sara wiped her mouth with her napkin.
“What he means, is that I have been trying to recover my figure after
Thomas’s birth.”
“Your efforts have been rewarded,”
Edwin noted. “You look slim and radiant.”
“Thank you.”
“Is anyone ready for dessert?”
Adam asked as he stood and started to gather the emptied plates. “Katrina
has made apple and mincemeat pies. They smelled delicious as they were
baking.”
Edwin stood to assist him.
“I am in tights as Hamlet tomorrow night. I dare not have more than
a sliver of pie.”
“But you’re so thin,” Ben said.
“An actor’s curse, Mr. Cartwright.
I need to be trim to be believable on stage.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After dessert the women headed to
the kitchen to clear up, the girls disappeared upstairs, and Thomas slept in
his parents’ room. The men retired to the parlor for brandies. Jacob
played quietly on the carpet with his toy horses. Ben unbuttoned his vest
and patted his full stomach. “That was a mighty fine meal.” He
plopped down heavily on the settee.
Edwin sat in Adam’s leather chair
near the fire and picked up the book on the table, examining the title page of
Robinson Crusoe. Adam handed him a brandy, explaining, “I’ve been
reading it to Jacob before bed.”
Adam poured two more glasses of
brandy and headed to the settee. He gave his father a glass and sat
down. The last button on his vest, that had strained all day against his ample
belly, gave way explosively. It catapulted across the room. Adam looked
down and, to his horror, a roll of fat had been released from its constraints.
It spread over his waistband. He flushed bright red.
“Pop goes the weasel.” Jacob
sang.
Edwin laughed and Ben joined in
the humor at Adam’s expense.
“It was bound to happen, Adam.
I must say your appearance took me by surprise today. Whatever
weight Sara has lost, has found its way to your middle,” Edwin chided.
Adam groaned in disgust.
“My advice,” Edwin said as he eyed
Adam’s stomach, “is that you join your sweet wife in her diet and find your way
to Wood’s Gymnasium. There is a mean little man there, Gus Schultz, who
performs miracles on corpulent bellies. He did wonders for Eugene Harold.”
Adam harrumphed and glared at
Edwin, who nodded at his friend and mouthed the words “Wood’s Gymnasium"
to him. "Tell them I recommended it to you.”
Grimly, Adam nodded in
conciliation.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That evening Adam removed his
jacket and trousers and hung them in the closet. He checked the
watch pocket of his vest for the button. He frowned remembering his
embarrassment earlier. He pulled in his stomach and unbuttoned the vest.
Sara looked up from nursing
Thomas. “Put the vest in my sewing basket, Adam. I’ll mend it
tomorrow.”
He removed his shirt and stood in
his underclothes, studying his torso in the vanity mirror. His undershirt
stretched tightly over a bloated belly. He stood in profile and was
disturbed to see how it protruded over the waistband of his drawers. He
grabbed it in disgust and groaned in frustration.
“Oh Adam, it’s Thanksgiving.
You just ate a big meal.”
He sucked in his belly and shook
his head. “Look at this! It doesn’t go away. When did this happen?”
She smiled
sympathetically.
He thought of Edwin’s taunt
earlier in the parlor. “How much weight have you lost, dear? I know where
to find it,” he said patting his paunch. “That settles it. Tomorrow I
begin a diet.”
“Really?”
“I have to, Sara, before
this gets worse. Misery loves company. Wake me when you get up and I’ll
join you with those morning stretches.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“I’ll just have a poached egg and
dry toast,” Adam said as he sat down for breakfast. He poured himself
some coffee and began to sip it, black.
All eyes focused on him and the
spare portions on the plate in front of him.
“What?” He said, annoyed by
the unwanted attention.
“Nothing, Papa,” Amy said,
using her napkin to hide her grin.
“What time is your train to
“Nine o’clock, Adam.”
“I’ll take you to the station.
I need to do some, er…, business in that area this morning.”
Ben smiled at Adam’s unease.
It was not often that his confident eldest son was so nonplussed. “Well,
thank you, son. You had an envelope for Jack, I believe.”
“Yes, I do, and Sara has a
small package for Carrie.”
“We should get going then.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
He had walked by the sign on
the way to the
He opened the heavy door and
stepped into a purely male domain. The decor was Spartan and dark. No flowers
or velvet draperies or plush settees were in sight. There was a lingering odor
of cigar smoke and chlorine from the baths. Here there would be unbridled
sweating and straining and grunting, all in the pursuit of manly fitness. At
least, that's what Adam expected.
Professor John Wood had
opened the gymnasium in 1853. Since then generations of
"You need something,
mister?" a young attendant asked.
"I'm here to talk with
Professor Wood if he is free."
"I'll take ya to his
office."
He led Adam up the stairs to a
private office overlooking the gymnasium floor. He spoke to the secretary, who
consulted a diary, and soon Adam was waved into the office of Professor John
Wood.
"Mr. Adam Cartwright. Is that
right?" He stood and shook Adam's hand. Wood was a few years older than
Adam, lean, with strong shoulders and a firm handshake.
"Yes, a pleasure to meet
you."
"Please sit down and tell me
why you're here this morning."
"In the last year I have
gained weight and it is time to address the problem."
"How much? Ten
pounds?"
Adam grimaced and shrugged his
shoulders.
"Fifteen?"
He took a deep breath and let it
out slowly. "I don't really know. But this," he said as
he stroked his potbelly, "has to go."
Professor Wood nodded
thoughtfully. He noted Adam's vest straining against the bulge at his waist.
"My friend Edwin Booth
recommended that I come here."
"Ah, Mr. Booth. A fine physical
specimen of a man."
"He said that you
helped Eugene Harold when he was cast as Horatio."
"Yes, a fat actor in
tights is, in Mr. Booth's words, “regrettable in a tragedy.” Mr. Harold
looked quite trim after our regimen. Tell me, Mr. Cartwright, was this
gain because of an illness you suffered?"
"No, not directly. I've
never really had a problem with my weight. I grew up in the west and we built a
ranch from scratch. If my appetite was large, the demanding work more than
compensated for it. But now that I teach here in the city, I find that I often
put on a few pounds during winter. In summer, when I visit my family's ranch in
"So you both grew bellies,
but she delivered a baby and you were left with a paunch."
Adam nodded sheepishly.
"It got worse when I had to return to
"That I have noticed,
Mr. Cartwright. Are you reunited now?"
"Yes. The baby is
healthy and thriving and so is my wife. I'm a lucky man."
"Mr. Cartwright, please stand
and remove your jacket and vest so I might see your physique more
clearly." Adam rose and removed the clothing, painfully aware of
Professor Wood's sobering gaze. "I think that you are correct. It
seems that this is a temporary condition, not a result of a lifetime of
sedentary bad habits. Your chest and shoulders, while "padded"
at this time, are well formed."
Professor Wood stood and walked to
the door. He opened it and called for his assistant to find Gus Schultz.
"Mr. Schultz is a trainer
here. He will do a proper examination of your condition." Adam
raised his eyebrow. "Of your strength and stamina. He will
weigh you and take measurements as well. I shall talk to you afterwards."
"Charles, get Mr. Cartwright
a gymnasium suit and shoes and take him to the dressing room to meet with
Gus."
Gus Schultz was a compact man with
grizzled hair and a gruff voice from years of shouting. He had a
handshake that could make a grown man wince and he suffered no fools. He was a
bandy rooster of a man.
"You Adam Cartwright?"
he asked. "Hang up yer clothes and come over here."
Adam stripped to his underclothes
and began to pull on the flannel tunic.
"Did I say to put that on?
I gotta weigh ya. We do that naked here. C'mon I don't have
all day."
Adam stripped down and walked
across the room. He straightened his shoulders and pulled in his stomach
as he first faced the mirror and then stepped on the
Gus recorded the figure in his
notebook and said, "Let's do the other measurements." He
wrapped the tape around Adam's chest and then his waist and hips, silently
observing the scar from a gunshot on the left lower abdomen. As Gus took Adam's
leg measurements he stopped to look at the long scar at the right knee
“Where’d ya git those scars, Mr.
Cartwright? They ever bother ya?”
Adam fingered the scar on his lower
belly. “My family has a ranch in
"Yer numbers ain't as bad as
most older men I've seen. Yer strong on top, just flabby. Kinda
like somebody basted ya all over in butter, ‘cept for this." Gus grabbed
Adam's belly and shook it. "This is like ya swallowed a stuffed
turkey whole. Yer legs are skinny for the rest of ya. Put the suit and
shoes on. I gotta see how fit ya are. We use the policeman’s test."
They entered the gymnasium. It
looked, for all the world, like a medieval torture chamber to Adam. Gus was its
Grand Inquisitor. There were pulley weights, Indian clubs, dumb bells, ladders
and parallel bars. A cinder running track was around the perimeter.
“We’ll start with the running
test. Sixteen times around the track is a mile. I want ya to go ‘round as fast
as you can. You can run or trot or walk. Just don’t stop.”
Adam began the test at a slow
jogging pace and progressed more rapidly to a run. He couldn’t sustain the pace
for long. He’d never been a runner. His body had been honed by riding and ranch
work. He marched as a soldier and settled back into that cadence. But even at
that pace he was undone by his heaviness. He finished in eleven minutes. He
bent over at the waist, with his hands
on his knees, sucking in great gasps of air.
“Go over there to the mat,"
Gus pointed. Adam followed him, still huffing and puffing.
“Lie flat on yer back and put yer
arms behind yer head. Now raise yerself up as many times as ya can.”
Adam strained and managed to sit
up and slowly lowered himself back to the mat. It was harder than he thought.
As he continued, Gus called out, “Two. Three. Four.” Adam grunted and raised
himself once more before Gus taunted him again. “Hard with that lard ‘round yer
middle, ain’t it?” Adam pressed his lips into a thin line and glared.
“I’ll put that down as five then.”
“Chin-ups.” Gus pointed to a
horizontal bar fixed to the wall. He adjusted the bar to a height that required
a full stretch of Adam’s arms. “Grab the bar, Mr. Cartwright and pull yerself
up to yer hands as many times as ya can. I got to see how strong yer arms and
shoulders are.”
Adam was relieved when he made it
to four without much difficulty. The last two chin ups he performed to spite
his nemesis. Gus nodded his approval and directed Adam to the dumb bells. Adam
was able to lift the 45 pound weights confidently.
“Parallel bars. I want ya to raise
and lower yerself ten times.” He did five with greater effort. His pesky
abdominal region plagued him. And when Gus upped the ante and had him raise
himself on the bars and then try to pull his legs up horizontal to the floor,
he grunted in defeat.
“Okay, Mr. Cartwright, that’s the
end of the test.”
Adam wiped the sweat from his brow
and started toward the dressing room.
Gus called out to him. “I said it
was the end of the test, not the day. I want another two miles if yer serious
about losing that gut.”
Adam nodded his head and hung the
towel on the railing that lined the track. He stepped in and started to trot
around the gymnasium.
“Johnny, c’mere! I want ya to
count the laps for Mr. Cartwright. Thirty-two. Ya can count that high, right?”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Within the hour Adam was ushered
back into Professor Wood’s office. “Sit down, Mr. Cartwright, I’m just going
over your results. Did you tell me your age?”
“Forty.” He added, “forty and
fat,” under his breath.
Professor Wood smiled and
addressed him. “I commend you for coming here. Too many men lose the resolve to
be fit at your age. We can help you if you are willing to commit yourself to
our methods for several months.”
Adam sighed and nodded. “With what
kind of results?”
“Don't worry, Mr. Cartwright. Gus
Schultz will make you fit and trim again. He can turn back the clock five,
maybe ten years, if you work with him and follow the diet I give you. Let’s
say, you’ll lose twenty pounds and that unsightly paunch of yours.”
“He’s a bit of a bandy rooster,
isn’t he?”
“You'll find he's more like a
tenacious weasel. He will work you hard and you will curse him most days.”
“The diet. Is it Banting’s?”
“The man’s an amateur. Not enough
vegetables and too much liquor. Gus wrote here that you have a bad knee from
the War. Is that right?”
“It’s healed now.”
“I want your doctor’s word on that
before we start. Take these with you when you see him.”
“What are they?"
“The fitness report and the diet I
want you to follow. Go see your doctor and we’ll see you tomorrow morning at
9:30.”
Adam glanced at the papers and
folded them. He placed them in his jacket pocket. Then he rose to shake Wood's
hand.
“Tomorrow morning, Mr.
Cartwright.”
Adam opened the door and turned to
face Professor Wood again. “You didn’t say anything about the fees.”
He waved his hand to dismiss the
topic. “Tomorrow morning. We'll talk about it then.”
Adam nodded and exited. Professor
Wood thought about Adam’s examination results. Most men never returned when
they learned there were no quick fixes. He was betting Adam Cartwright was not
like most men.
Adam stepped out on
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
He found Sara sitting on the bed
sorting through baby clothes from a trunk she’d dragged down from the
attic.
“It’s quiet, where are the
children?”
“Thomas is asleep in his cradle as
you can see. Emily and Hannah Marshall invited Amy to their dance lesson and
James is taking the boys for a ride in his new carriage. They’ll be home for
dinner but not before.”
Adam leaned down and kissed her.
“Remind me to thank James. After this morning it is nice to have a little time
alone with you.” He removed his jacket and vest and hung them in the closet.
“Was it bad?” She walked up behind
him and wrapped her arms around him.
“Oh yeah, worse than I thought. I
am officially fat.”
“Distinguished looking.”
“No fat. I saw the numbers. I am
giving Hoss a run for his money.” He put his hand over hers and jiggled his
belly. “Fat. Like Santa, like a bowl full of jelly.” He shook his head in disgust.
She gently rubbed his abdomen and
quoted him. “There is more of you to love.”
He groaned. “You weren't convinced
when I said that to you last month. I apologize now.”
She laughed. “It’s not so bad,
sweetheart. We’re in this together now.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The bell on the door rang as he
entered the doctor’s office. Laura Stewart looked up from her desk. “Adam
Cartwright. I haven’t seen you in ages. I haven’t even congratulated you on the
baby.”
“Laura, it is good to see you,” he
said as he bent to kiss her cheek.
“Nothing is wrong at home, I
hope.”
“No. Everyone is well. I want to
see Ned about me.”
“I’ll pull your record and see if
he is free.”
Adam hung his coat on a peg and
stood impatiently tapping his fingers on the desk.
Laura returned smiling. “He’ll see
you in a few minutes. He's finishing a chart.”
“Thank you.”
“That Thomas is a wonderful baby.
Sara is so proud of him.”
Adam nodded.
“And Sara, she gets more beautiful
every time I see her. You know I doubted her when she said she’d have her
figure back by the New Year, but no more. She’s a model for us all.” Laura
blushed. “Well, a model for me. I’ve lost half an inch off my waist since I
started going to your house for calisthenics.”
Adam nodded absentmindedly and
then with a start asked her to repeat that statement.
“Well Adam, she was so successful
with her diet I had to know her secret. It was marching and calisthenics. She
does calisthenics while Amy practices piano. It sounded like fun so I’ve joined
her twice a week.”
“I just thought Amy had a new
lesson book of marching songs.”
From the examination room Ned
called for Adam to join him. Adam walked in and Ned could scarcely hide his
surprise at Adam’s girth. “What happened to you? You look like you’re pregnant,
I'd say about five months pregnant.”
Adam’s frown stopped Ned’s
teasing. “That’s why I’m here. I need to lose this.” He pinched the roll of fat
around his middle. “I went to Wood’s Gymnasium this morning. They want your
approval for an exercise regimen.” He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled
out the papers Professor Wood had given him. “And here is the diet.”
Ned leaned on his desk and looked
over the report and the diet plan. “Wood’s Gymnasium, huh? You are serious
then. That’s good. This diet looks fine. Lots of green vegetables, few
starches, no alcohol. It’s a lot like Sara’s plan, without the milk. It’s
restrictive but we can change it as you lose fat and gain muscle. Take off your
clothes and let’s see what we’re dealing with.”
“You can see it in black and white
in that report.”
“Adam, I’m your doctor. I need to
see that there isn’t another cause for the weight gain. And I need to see your
knee and ankle.”
Adam winced at the thought of yet
another thorough examination. He undressed and settled himself on the
examination table. Ned checked his heart and lungs, palpated his belly, and prodded
and twisted his knee and ankle. He pronounced Adam healthy enough for the
exercise plan.
“Thanks," Adam said as he
dressed.
“Oh wait a minute, buddy. Who is
it you’re working with?”
“Gus Schultz, at least that's who
I saw this morning."
“Whew! He’s a hard taskmaster.
When do you start?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Just don’t quit when you’re
hurting at first. He's going to ride you hard and work you 'til you feel like
dropping. The pain’ll ease up after a couple of days. I want to see you in a
month.” He patted Adam’s midsection and smirked. “And I want to see less of
you.”
Adam rolled his eyes.
Ned called out to the waiting
room, “Laura, when is it that Sara is coming next month? Schedule an
appointment for Adam at the same time.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In a perfect imitation of his
grandfather, Jacob shook his head when Sara served Adam his dinner. “Rabbit
food! Now you’re eating rabbit food!”
Amy giggled behind her
napkin.
“Are you gonna march like Mama,
too?”
Adam smiled smugly and answered in
measured tones. “Children, Papa loves you so much that he is taking it upon
himself to get healthy so he may torture you all the days of your young lives.”
“Adam!”
“You’re right, dear. That was
harsh. Yes, Jacob I am eating rabbit food. And no, son, I will not "march"
with your mother. I will exercise with other men at a gymnasium.”
“Well, that’s good. ‘Cause Mama
marches with Mrs. Stewart." He paused dramatically, "In her
underwears.”
“I’ve heard that,” Adam answered.
“Though not the part about the underclothes.”
Sara arched her brow.
“Laura told me about the piano
practicing and calisthenics.”
“Oh.”
“Sweetheart, I think that is
great.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In that drowsy state between sleep
and wakefulness, Adam turned and reached for Sara. His hand touched the cool
sheet. He sat up to see her nursing the baby in the dim light from the
streetlamp.
“Go back to sleep, darling. It’s
early yet.”
“No, I said I’d do those stretches
with you in the mornings. It’s probably better to work the kinks out before I
face my ignoble fate with Gus Schultz.”
“True.” She smiled warmly. The
embarrassment of yesterday’s examinations had taken the sparkle out Adam’s eyes
the night before and she wanted to encourage him.
“I’ll go down and stoke the fire
in the parlor.”
“Thank you, dear. He’s nearly
asleep. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“And Sara, put on something more
than your “underwears” in case Jacob wakes up early.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Charles knocked on the door softly
and peeked in. "Mr. Cartwright is here, sir."
“Show him in.”
“Professor Wood.”
“Mr. Cartwright, I’m glad to see
that you have returned. Many men shy away after the examination. Somehow I
think you are made of sterner stuff. Do you have the doctor’s approval then?”
Adam handed him Ned’s note.
“So, you can begin today. Did you
start the diet?"
"Yes."
"Good. It's best not to
exercise on a full stomach. You will work with Gus today and every day but
Sundays. On Sundays Sanders will train you. You will come every day until I
say, excepting Christmas and New Year's Day. We're closed those days. Follow
our regimen and the diet and you will be fit and trim again."
"And the fees?"
"Twenty dollars per year for
the use of the gymnasium. Three dollars a month for training fees. One dollar
per month for laundry."
"I make that $32 for a three
month period. Should I write you a check?"
"I hope, Mr. Cartwright, that
it will not be the last check you write for my gymnasium."
"Of course not."
He wrote the check and excused
himself to change into his gymnasium clothes. Five minutes later he met Gus at
the track.
"It's more of the same from
yesterday, Cartwright. Ya start with doing some track work - two miles - for
yer wind and stamina. Then ya move to the mat and the bars to work on that gut
of yers. Then weights. Then back to the track for another mile. That's about an
hour. Yer gonna work hard and yer gonna sweat. Ready?"
Adam nodded.
"One more thing. I don't chat
when yer working out. We're not friends. Yer time here is for training."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
With every muscle aching and
dripping in sweat, Adam entered the dressing room an hour later. He was
grateful he knew no one. And he wondered just when the routine would be
comfortable.
A voice from someone behind him
startled Adam. "I saw you with Gus," the man said. "He's a tough
old bird but he knows what he's doing." Adam turned to see a older
businessman changing out of his street clothes. He noted the man’s flat abdomen
as he added, "Gus changed my life. You'll see."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That night Adam lay propped up
against the pillows watching Sara's evening toilette. Every inch of him ached.
She sat at her vanity in her chemise and pantalets. Her arms were bare. She
unpinned her hair and he noted how much her torso had slimmed in five weeks.
Her arms were shapelier as well. Laura was right, by New Year's Sara would lose
the baby weight and belly. His empty stomach growled loudly in hunger.
"Was that you, Adam? Oh
sweetheart, drink a glass of water, it'll make you feel fuller."
"I'm fine, Sara."
"Are you sore?"
"Very," he said
emphatically and groaned. "It's been a long day."
She smiled and grabbed a jar of
scented cream. She pulled back the covers, carelessly tossing them to the foot
of the bed, and climbed in.
"What are you doing,
woman?"
She perched on his hips and tugged
his undershirt from his drawers. "C'mon Adam, take off your shirt and I'll
give you a massage."
"No, thank you. I've been
poked and prodded enough lately."
She leaned down and kissed his
pouting mouth, coaxing his lips open to kiss him fully. "Tell me where it
hurts. I'll kiss it and make it better."
He pointed to his neck. She kissed
it and nibbled at his ear. "Where else?" "Here." He pointed
to his bicep. She pushed the sleeve up and kissed his arm. He tapped his upper
abdomen. Then she pushed his shirt up to his chest and kissed him just below
the sternum. "Is that better?" He took a deep breath and let it out
slowly and nodded. She opened the jar and warmed a dab of the cream in the palm
of her hand. She caressed his chest, massaging it in small circles.
"Better?"
He grabbed her by the shoulders
and held her and looked at her directly. "You don't play fair, you
know."
"I know. Now take off your
shirt and roll on your stomach."
He did as she had instructed. He
winced as he lifted the shirt over his head and rolled over facedown. She
perched on his hips and leaned forward to massage his neck and shoulders. Her
gentle kneading relaxed the tension there and she felt the knots in his muscles
release their hold. She slowly worked her way down to the small of his back.
His breathing slowed. He was finally relaxing.
She gently massaged his lateral
muscles and he took a deep shuddering breath. "Turn over, sweetheart, I'll
do your abdominal muscles."
He smiled sheepishly and said,
"Not unless you want to take this to its logical conclusion." She
looked puzzled and he continued. "You have relaxed some muscles and , um,
"awakened" some others."
"Oh, I see." She laughed
softly. "Well, lovemaking is supposed to be good exercise."
"Sara, you are
shameless."
"Yes."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The routine was set. On Mondays
and Wednesdays when Adam's first class was at eleven o'clock, he met Gus no
later than eight-thirty. Tuesdays and Thursdays he headed to the gymnasium
after his nine o'clock class. He had enough time for a good training session
before the lab he supervised at one-thirty. On Fridays and on the weekend, he
arrived by nine o'clock.
One week into his regimen and the
soreness was finally abating, or maybe he was just inured to it. He completed a
mile in less than eleven minutes. He earned a smile from the implacable Gus.
Still, he was soaked in sweat and breathing heavily as he entered the dressing
room and stripped for a quick "shower" bath.
"Hey, Cartwright. Where'd ya
think your going?"
"To bathe, Gus."
"Not 'fore I weigh ya."
Adam sighed and stepped on the
scales platform.
"Five pounds."
Adam looked at Gus and then the
scales to make sure the number hadn't changed.
"Yep, five pounds. Ya worked
hard, ya earned it."
Adam smiled sheepishly and walked
toward the bathing room, his shoulders squared, his belly pulled in.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The morning train from
Adam greeted his father with a
wide grin. “It’s good to have you back,
“I hardly recognized it. Things
have changed so much, including me. I’ve changed, too.”
Adam picked up Ben’s bag and
started toward the exit. “C’mon Pa, there are people waiting to see you at
home.”
“Yes?”
“Oh yes. Jacob is quite anxious to
have you home,” Adam answered. "And Katrina was up very early this
morning," he added with a wink.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
At lunch Ben looked alarmed when
Katrina walked into the dining room with two plates of salad and poached fish.
She placed them in front of Sara and Adam.
“Is everyone on short rations in
this house?”
Katrina smiled and walked back into
the kitchen to retrieve a tureen of hearty stew. “It’s a pleasure to cook for a
man who appreciates it.”
“Oh Katrina, I assure you that I
appreciate your cooking. I appreciated it all too well,” Adam said patting his
stomach, “and I am paying the price for the pies and strudels and cookies now.”
“Papa goes to the ‘nasium
and runs and gets sweaty,” Jacob suddenly announced.
Ben looked at his grandson
bewilderedly.
“I’ve joined Wood’s Gymnasium,”
Adam explained.
Ben raised his eyebrow. Adam
nodded. “Five pounds. I was weighed this morning. I’ve lost five pounds in the
last week.”
“Sweetheart, that’s wonderful!!
Five pounds in one week!” Sara jumped up and hugged Adam.
Ben met Katrina’s glance. She
rolled her eyes. He smiled at her. “Vanity of vanities, son.”
A rather perplexed Adam looked at
Ben.
“I mean, it was just a button that
popped. You are overreacting. I think that you look fine, son. Prosperous, in
fact.”
“You mean that I have a 'banker’s
paunch'. No, Pa, if I don't stop now I’ll be as big as Hoss by summer.
And yes, Ned approved of my diet.”
Katrina popped up from her chair.
"Oh, I’ve forgotten the biscuits!”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Sunday those who were not
participants in Adam and Sara’s Spartan regimen, save for baby Thomas, craved
starches and sugars and all manner of confections and fled the house. The
children were invited to a birthday party across the street. Ben and Katrina
headed back to Moretti’s to try the risotto and beefsteak. This time the waiter
suggested a fruit and cheese course instead of a sweet. They ate in guilty
pleasure, laughing and savoring each decadent bite.
Afterwards, they headed to the
“She looks so pleased with
herself. Look at her. Her eyes are sparkling. Her skin is rosy and healthy,”
Kristina said.
“And she is not bothered by her
round belly,” Ben observed. “How refreshing!”
“She’s not afraid to eat potatoes
or pastries,” Katrina continued.
“Nor is she hell bent on
calisthenics,” Ben offered.
“Mind you,” Katrina said. “Maybe
she should be, a little bit.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Inspired by his quick success,
Adam redoubled his efforts at the gymnasium that Sunday. He came home feeling
tired but pleased with himself. He had lost five pounds the first week of his
regimen. At that rate, he reckoned he could lose his shameful belly in about a
month.
Sara made them a simple lunch, a
lettuce and tomato salad, served with poached chicken and fresh fruit for
dessert. They "savored" each bite and sipped seltzer water instead of
wine, declaring that it was a "joy" to enjoy a healthy meal without
the judgmental glances from Ben and Katrina.
They asked the neighbor, young
Emily Marshall, to watch Thomas while they took a long walk to the Croton Reservoir
on 42nd Street and walked atop its Egyptian walls and home again.
They were hungry for dinner that
night. They had "earned" a good meal with their efforts that day. And
thus were disappointed when Ben and Katrina begged off anything more than a snack
after the fine Italian meal they had eaten earlier. The children had no
appetite after the birthday party and chocolate cake. So Adam and Sara made due
with another lettuce and tomato salad, leftover poached chicken and fresh fruit
for dessert. Uninspiring and healthful. They were not so self-congratulatory as
they dined sparingly again.
Adam was grading papers that
evening while Sara was bathing the older children. It was eight o'clock and his
stomach was gnawing at him. "Virtue is its own reward," he thought.
"Bah, humbug!" He longed for something sweet to satisfy his hunger. A
bite of the honey cake on the kitchen counter would not hurt. Just a
bite.
He walked into the kitchen to find
his father and Katrina sipping coffee and polishing off the last of the
cake.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to
interrupt. I just wanted…. a glass of water. Yes, I'm thirsty and I need some
water." He looked around the counter and added, "And maybe this
apple." He poured a glass of water, grabbed the fruit and exited quickly.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ben graciously carried the trunk
from the attic and deposited it in Sara and Adam's bedroom. With Thomas
napping, she used the excuse to close the door and open the trunk. She
retrieved the tissue-wrapped silk ball gown she'd worn on her wedding night.
She examined the slim waist and worried whether she could wear it in a month's
time. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I need to know," she
thought. She stood and walked to the vanity mirror, and held the dress in front
of her. She couldn't tell if it would fit so she undressed and stepped into the
ball gown.
Not yet. Maybe if she'd pull her
corset strings very tight she could wear the dress, but not comfortably, and
certainly she would not be able to dance all evening. She closed her eyes
imagining dancing with Adam that snowy night in
More dieting, more marching! She
resolved to wear that dress in a month's time, at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
ballroom, in Adam's arms!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Remembering that he had left a
paper in his jacket, Adam headed toward his bedroom to retrieve it. In
the hallway he heard Katrina singing softly to Jacob as she gave him a bath.
He tiptoed near the door and leaned against the wall to listen. He closed
his eyes and could hear Inger singing to him this same song.
"Ensam går jag här och
vankar,
Söker efter vännen min"
"What does it mean, Katrina?'
Let's see. She thought a
moment and said, "I walk alone and wander here looking for my
friend."
A flood of memories washed over
Adam. He had never known his own mother. When Ben married Inger, she was
his mother for nearly two years. She came into his life at Jacob's age
and left an indelible mark. She gave him a gift of optimism and loved him
as her own.
He sang softly the last lyrics.
"Se, jag möter honom här,
(Look, I meet him hereHan, som är min hjärtans kär
He, who holds my heart so dear)
"Vill du såsom förr med mej
(Say if you will dance with meSvänga om I dansen säj?"
As you did before?"
Ben watched his son quietly,
remembering his dear Inger. Her death had changed Adam as well. He longed
for her tenderness until he found it in Sara. Now Ben wondered how much
of Inger Adam saw in Katrina. The two women were much alike in spirit.
Ben stepped back into his room before Adam opened his eyes.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam had stayed back for ten
minutes to answer a student’s questions. Consequently, he was late for his
session at the gymnasium, which riled Gus, who dealt Adam’s punishment out in
an exact measure of his offense. Ten minutes of a new torture, jumping rope,
after his regular routine.
He collapsed on the mat
afterwards, panting. “Were you born mean, Gus, or did you have to learn
it?”
“I don’t mollycoddle, Cartwright.
Yer done now. And I’m bettin’ that yer never late again.”
Adam nodded and wiped his face
with his towel. He was headed to the dressing room when he heard his name
called.
“Adam Cartwright! Is that you?”
Edwin Booth was lying prone on a massage table.
Adam neared the table and Edwin
laughed at the sweat drenched jersey. “You took my advice to heart then,
did you?” He eyed Adam’s midsection. “Are you working with Schultz?
He’ll whip you into shape.”
He held his lips in a thin straight
line annoyed by his friend’s amusement at his appearance. He took a deep
breath and exhaled slowly. “Yes, Edwin. I thank you for your
concern for my health and your recommendation.”
Grinning slyly, Edwin added, “Sara
will thank me too.” He shook his head. “No, Adam, I don’t mean to
offend you. Good for you. I applaud your resolve. You look all done
in, Asa here is a wonderful masseuse. He’ll fix those sore muscles.”
Adam thought back to Sara’s
sensual massage and smiled wryly. “No thanks. I don’t have much time.
I have a lab to teach at 1:30.”
“It’s just going on twelve.
You can finish my appointment, I insist, as an apology for the teasing.
Go take a quick shower bath and come back here.”
“Just wrap a towel around your
middle, Mr. Cartwright.”
His aching body won the day.
“All right, Edwin. I accept your apology and the massage.”
Adam headed to the bathing rooms
and returned a few minutes later with a towel stretched around his waist.
“Lie facedown, Mr. Cartwright.
I’m going to start with your shoulders and work my way to your legs.”
Asa warmed oil in his hands and
began to firmly knead and press hard on Adam’s sore muscles. His touch had
little of Sara’s gentleness. Her massage
had relaxed him. This rougher method had a result of invigorating Adam’s
aching muscles. Edwin stopped by as he was leaving.
“I leave you in Asa’s capable
hands, Adam. My regards to your father and my sweet Sara. By the
way, Winna has been asking to spend a day with Amy.”
“Why not bring her by before your
matinee on Saturday? I’m sure that Amy would be pleased.”
Edwin nodded, tipped his hat and
left.
“You can turnover now, Mr.
Cartwright. I’ll do your arms, chest and those sore abdominal muscles.
I have something special for that belly of yours.”
Adam was perplexed by the mention
of a special treatment. Still he closed his eyes and sighed as Asa
kneaded the stiffness from his limbs. His eyes opened wide when he felt a
heavy pressure applied to his lower abdomen.
“What the hell is that?”
“It’s an old cannon ball wrapped
in cloth,” Asa answered as he rubbed the heavy weight back and forth across
Adam’s lower torso. “They say it helps to break up the fat faster.
There’s a doctor in
Adam sat up suddenly. He
grabbed the towel around his waist and hurried to the water closet.
“You’ll thank me at tomorrow’s
weigh in,” Asa called after him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Friday, December 16, 1870
“It’s been three weeks today,
Cartwright. Jump on the scales.”
Adam walked slowly to the scales,
pausing to glance at his profile in the mirror. His belly was definitely
smaller. He wasn’t imagining it. He had had to tighten his belt
another notch today. He stepped on the
“I’ll give ya this one. I make it
208. Ya lost ten pounds so far,” he said as winked at Adam. “I hear ya
had Asa’s cannon ball special yesterday.” Adam groaned and he heard Gus
chuckling as he made his way to the bathing room.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam had his office door open and
was grading exams when his colleagues, Paul Boyd and Cecil Croft, dropped by.
“C’mon Adam. You’ve dodged our
invitations for lunch for weeks now. It’s the last day of the semester.
Join us.”
He shook his head. “I’ve got
my lunch here. Thanks.” He pointed to a flask of soup and a thin
sandwich.
“That’s not enough to keep a bird
alive, man.”
The Dean was walking down the hall
and stuck his head in. “Adam, you’ve been absent in the faculty dining
room of late. Why don’t you accompany me?” He looked at the others
and with a glint in his eye said, “and you reprobates can join us as well.”
Adam could not easily decline the
Dean’s invitation. He stood and arched his back to relieve the kinks.
He grabbed his coat from the peg behind the door.
“By god man, you’re a different
person. You’re half your size,” Croft said.
“Not quite, Cecil, but I have lost
some weight lately.” Adam caught the Dean’s concerned look. “By design.
I was going to fat and have joined Wood’s Gymnasium.”
The Dean smiled. “Gus
Schultz?”
Adam grinned back.
“You should follow Adam’s
example,” the Dean quipped looking at Croft’s spreading midsection, “but after
we have lunch.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam took advantage of the end of
the semester and the week before Christmas to fit in extra long sessions with
Gus. They were invited to Edwin’s home for Christmas dinner and he desperately
wanted to fit into the ignominious brown suit and garnet vest. The
efforts paid off when he joined Sara and Thomas for their appointment in Ned’s
office on the 22nd.
“Let’s have a look at Thomas
first,” Ned told Sara and Adam as they entered his examining room. Sara
undressed him. Ned was pleased at the baby’s progress. He gently
held Thomas’s stomach and said, “Now this is the only baby belly I want to see
in the Cartwright family.” He called Laura in to take the baby to watch
in the waiting room.
“Adam, you first. Sara can
undress while I look at you.”
Adam stripped to his underclothes
and sat on the exam table. Ned checked his knee and ankle looking for
soreness. There was none. He listened to Adam’s heart and lungs,
then poked and prodded his abdomen. He patted Adam’s smaller midsection
and said, “I should never have doubted your resolve, my friend. You have
done remarkably well. Step on the scales and I’ll get the numbers.”
“205 pounds. Thirteen pounds
in one month is a lot but you had a lot to lose. How do you feel?”
"I feel strong
and…smaller," he said as he patted his flatter torso, "and
pleased."
"What does Wood say about
your weight?"
"The professor wants me to
get down to 195."
"I can't argue with that
Adam. Carry on, my friend. Now, hurry and change and go claim your baby
before Laura steals him for herself."
Adam smiled and dressed quickly.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sara stepped out from the screen
in her sleeveless chemise and pantalets.
Ned held out his hand to her.
“Step over here, my dear, and let me take a look at you. Is this
the same Sara who cried that she was so fat two months ago?”
She climbed on the exam table and
he listened to her heart and lungs. “If all of my patients were as
healthy as you, I would be penniless.” He lifted her chemise and palpated
her abdomen. “Perfectly healthy.”
“My belly is still a little
round.”
“My guess, Sara, is that Adam
would say ‘provocatively round’. You’ve not only recovered your figure,
you have improved it. Your arms are shapely. Your legs….I should
stop. I am your doctor not your husband. But as Laura’s husband, I
thank you for including her in your regimen. She has lost another inch
from her waist. Now, step on the scales.”
She walked to the scales
confidently and stepped on the platform. Ned adjusted the bar and said,
"Down another five pounds. I make that fifteen in total. And
the wedding night ball gown? Does it fit?”
“I need to lose a little more
weight.”
“You promise to stop when it fits?
Laura will tell me if you do not stop.”
She smiled and nodded.
“Laura will know exactly the day it fits.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That evening Sara stood with her
nightgown hiked to her torso studying her profile in the mirror. Her
waist was thin again but she still had a small rounded belly. Adam
stepped behind her and placed his hands on her waist. She flinched a
moment. He stroked her stomach softly in a circle, massaging it gently,
raising goose bumps along the way. He whispered in her ear, "Come to bed,
my love." He took her hand in his and led her to the bed.
He lay on his back, guiding her to
perch on his hips. He brought his legs up and she leaned against them.
She lifted the nightgown over her head and tossed it away. He smiled
warmly and began to caress her belly. Her breath shuddered. "I love this little
belly that held my children." He pulled her into a close embrace.
Her body was lying full upon his and she smiled down into his eyes.
She kissed him and he coaxed her lips open to kiss her passionately.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next morning Adam headed to
Wood’s Gymnasium early to work with Gus. His father and Jacob would come
to meet him there after his session to go to buy the Christmas tree in
“Papa, you’re skipping rope!
Girls skip rope not boys.”
Gus turned toward the visitors.
“Boxers jump rope, my boy. Boxers and men who want to be fit, like
yer papa.” He flashed a crooked smile and beckoned Ben and Jacob into the
gymnasium.
Adam stopped and wiped his brow.
He was still panting a little. “Pa, welcome to the torture chamber.
Let me introduce, Gus Schultz, my inquisitor.”
Ben offered his hand to the wiry
trainer. He was surprised at the power of Gus’ handshake.
“Pleased to meet ya, Mr.
Cartwright." He turned to Adam. “One more weighing ‘fore
Christmas. Let’s get it over with.”
Adam led his family into the
dressing room and he stripped for the weigh in. Ben watched with interest
as his son strode to the scales. Adam had always had a powerful physique.
Hard work makes hard bodies and the work on the Ponderosa had given Adam
a robust and manly build. His shoulders were broad and his chest strong.
But he had inherited the Cartwright tendency towards a bit of a belly.
Ben had it, Hoss certainly did. Only Joe was exempt, he took after
his mother. Weeks of work with Gus has narrowed Adam’s waist and was trimming
his abdomen. His back was straighter and stronger. Gone was the
soft padding that had settled on his hips. His legs were more muscular from the
running. He was leaner and more athletic. He held himself like a younger
man.
Adam straightened his shoulders
and stepped on the too familiar
"Yer gonna be happy.
204.5."
Adam stepped off smiling broadly.
"Where ya going? The
perfessor wants measurements. It's been a month."
Adam stood still as Gus measured
his arms, legs, chest, waist and the pesky lower abdomen. Gus recorded
them in his notebook. "Ya wanna know?"
Professor Wood walked up to Gus
and asked for the notebook. "I saw you from my office, Mr.
Cartwright. I am impressed with your efforts. These numbers reflect your
hard work. I can see that you have lost that veneer of fat from most of
your body. You've gained muscle in your arms and legs. Your chest is
noticeably stronger and one inch larger. Your waist is three inches
smaller and your belly is retreating nicely."
Adam wrapped a towel around his
waist. He was pleased with his hard won results. "Thank you, Professor,
and thank you, Gus. Pa, may I introduce Professor John Wood."
Ben shook his hand.
"It's a pleasure, sir."
"You've got a very determined
son, Mr. Cartwright." Ben nodded. "You are a rancher,
sir? I recognize those broad shoulders and strong chest." Wood
did not continue but Ben followed the man's gaze to his middle. Ben
coughed and sucked in his stomach.
"Can ya do a somersault
little man?" Gus asked Jacob, who shook his head. "C'mon then.
I'll show ya while your papa washes up." Gus took Jacob by the
hand and led him back into the gymnasium.
Adam stood in amazement.
Gus's gruff exterior melted when he addressed Jacob. He had a heart after
all. Adam excused himself to bathe.
"I'll be done in fifteen
minutes, Pa, and we can go get that tree."
Ben was left alone looking at
himself in the mirror. Wood's gaze had focused on his middle and now Ben
could see material stretched tight over a soft belly. He rolled his eyes and
headed to the gymnasium to watch Jacob.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam joined his father and son in
the gymnasium just as Jacob mastered a forward roll. "Papa! Look I
did it! I did it!"
Gus was beaming at his little
protege. "Bring him again some day. I'll teach'm some
more."
"That's terrific, son!"
Adam swept Jacob up in his arms and hoisted the boy to his shoulders. "Thank
Mr. Schultz. We have to go buy that Christmas tree."
"Thanks, Gus!"
Jacob shouted.
"I'll see ya soon, little
man. Merry Christmas to ya and yer family."
Adam shook the trainer's hand.
"Merry Christmas, Gus. Thanks again."
"No cookies, no cake,
Cartwright. See ya in two days. Nine o'clock."
Adam turned toward the door and
waved as he left.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They made their way the few blocks
south to
"I've got one more gift to
pick up," Adam said. They headed toward a jewelry store on
"Yes, I have it right
here," the jeweler answered. He pulled out a gold locket on a chain.
The locket had three chambers with three wispy curls encased, one for
each of his children. "It looks good, yes?"
"It's perfect, Mr. Moser.
Could Rachel wrap it up for me?"
"Of course, Mr.
Cartwright."
While they waited, Ben looked at a
hat pin that would complement Katrina's best hat, the one she had worn to the
Nilsson concert. Adam leaned in to say, "I am sure she would find it
beautiful,
"What? Oh yes, I think she
might like it. I…"
"You don't have to hide your
feelings from me,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Christmas morning the Adam
Cartwright house was a happy jumble. By nine o'clock the parlor looked
like a cyclone had hit. Toys and brightly colored papers were strewn from
top to bottom. Amy and Jacob were seated on the floor taking stock of
their loot. Thomas was fast asleep in his grandfather's arms. Adam
held Sara in his arms on the settee. She was fingering the locket, her
eyes bright with tears.
"Who wants cocoa?"
Katrina said as she brought a tray of steaming cups. "And don't say
you are on a diet. It's Christmas morning!"
Each grabbed a cup as Adam toasted
Katrina. She blushed and thanked them for their kindness. Her eyes
were on Ben, who smiled warmly and winked. Ben stood and addressed Adam
and Sara. "I hope that you are not hurt, but I have accepted
Katrina's invitation to attend church and then go to a friend's Christmas
dinner."
Adam was taken by surprise but
graciously agreed to his father's plans. Sara pinched him and he
continued, "I am sure that Edwin will understand as well."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam opened the closet door and
retrieved a soft silk white shirt and the brown suit. He laid them on the bed
and went to his dresser to get a tie and the garnet vest. He inspected the
bottom buttonhole on the brocade vest. Sara had mended the tear caused by
the popped button and fastened the button securely. He closed his eyes
and sighed a moment thinking of his embarrassment at Thanksgiving. No
matter. He had moved on from there. He patted his flatter belly. It
hadn't disappeared yet but his undershirt which stretched tight over a paunch a
month ago, now billowed at his waist.
Sara came in carrying a squirming,
hungry Thomas. "I guess I'll nurse him now and hope that he'll sleep
at Edwin's house." She looked at the suit on the bed. "Is
that what you're going to wear?"
He nodded.
"Have you tried it on?"
"Not yet."
"You want to make a point,
don't you?"
"Oh yeah."
"Then put it on, Adam.
Let's see how it fits."
He tucked the shirt in and easily
buttoned the trousers. He slipped into the vest and it hung loose. Sara
adjusted the cloth belt in the back, allowing the vest to hug his frame,
accentuating his thinner waist. The buttons were flat. He admired
the fit in the mirror.
Sara embraced him from behind and
squeezed his middle. "You look wonderful, my love."
He turned to face her.
"Not bad for forty."
"I'd say very handsome
indeed, Adam."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Edwin helped Sara out of her cape
and watched Adam hang his coat on the peg. "That isn't the same suit you
wore at Thanksgiving, is it?"
Adam grinned. "It
is."
"Take off the jacket. I
want to see the vest."
Adam obliged him willingly.
Edwin whistled his approval. "My lord, man, you have
transformed yourself, or maybe Gus transformed you."
"The sweat and hunger pangs
were all mine, Edwin. Gus is a fine trainer, but I worked for each inch
and every pound I've lost."
"How much?"
Adam shook his head. "A
little more than half of what I want to lose. There's still some padding
here," he said as he rubbed his smaller belly bulge. "I will
head back to Wood's tomorrow."
"Bravo!"
Adam laughed and bowed to his
host.
"And you, my sweet Sara, your
waist is even smaller than at Thanksgiving. You are heavenly in your
appearance." He kissed her cheek. "Ah, you are flesh and
blood. I took you for an angel."
Sara blushed. "A madonna
at Thanksgiving and a Christmas angel today. Edwin, you are a master of
flattery. Thank you."
"Where's your father?"
"He sends his regrets.
He is spending the day with Katrina."
Edwin smiled. "He has
no regrets at all, of that I am sure. And he has my approval."
"Mine, too," Adam added,
winking at Edwin.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
December 26, 1870
True to his word, Adam met Gus by
nine o'clock. Sara had shared with him her desire to wear her wedding
night ball gown on their anniversary. Now he was determined to wear his
wedding suit with tails. He would book dinner in the ball room at the
Fifth Avenue Hotel. With Thomas still nursing they may not be able to
spend the night at the hotel, but they would dine and dance that evening.
Adam finished his run breathy but
not breathless.
"Yer not coughin' up cakes
and cookies this morning. Ya must have been good yesterday."
"No regrets this morning,
Gus."
"Good. I marked yer time at
nine and a half minute miles. The perfessor wants me to retest you for
fitness. Then I got somethin' new for ya after."
Adam worked his way through the
test. He did thirty sit ups and ten chin ups with no problems. He lifted a 60
pound dumb bell this time. The half dozen lifts on the parallel bars he did
while holding his legs horizontal. Gus smiled as he entered Adam's
results. At the end, he shook Adam's hand. "Yer fitter than
the ones ten years younger who wanna be firemen."
Adam smiled broadly, his dimples
showing.
"I got a strikin' bag here I
wantcha to try."
Adam shrugged his shoulders and
stepped up to the stuffed leather bag hanging near the end of the mat.
"When ya punch this thing, ya
see, most of yer power comes from here," Gus said as he tapped Adam's
stomach. "And here," he held Adam's hips as he positioned him
in front of the bag. "And here," he pointed to his legs.
"Yer stronger in yer legs now and in yer gut. This thing'll finish off yer
belly."
Gus had him do three two minute
rounds of punching and jabbing with the striking bag. He was dripping
with sweat and his stomach muscles burned.
"That's good. We'll
work ya up to eight rounds by the middle of next month. Yer belly will be
flat as a pancake soon. Now get on the track fer one more mile."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam's torso was sore that evening
as he eased himself into his chair at dinner. He winced as he pulled the
chair to the table.
"What's wrong, Papa?"
"Nothing, Amy. Your
papa tried a new exercise today and is feeling its effects." He
rubbed his sore stomach. "Gus promised it would make my belly
completely disappear."
"I would have thought that
your regimen was doing that all ready," Ben said. "You looked
mighty fit the other day at the gymnasium."
"This striking bag will do
the job quicker. You use the muscles in your stomach area and hips and legs as
much as your arms. It swings as you punch and jab at it like a boxing champion.
In fact, I may buy one for Hoss. He likes to box."
"Seems like much ado about
nothing to me. And your brother Hoss works hard enough with real cow
punching without you having him play with a silly contrivance."
"Bridget might like a smaller
belly on him," Sara noted.
"Enough! Can't we have one
meal without focusing on a person's anatomy!" Ben roared.
"Sure, Pa," Adam
answered sheepishly. "Amy, would you like to say grace?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam was reading and relaxing in
bed as Sara finished nursing Thomas. She stood and carried him to Adam.
“Hold him a bit while I check on Jacob and Amy, all right?'
Adam reached out and took the baby
in his hands. A very drowsy Thomas yawned. “Come here little boy.
You’re growing like a weed, aren't you?.” Adam settled the baby on
his chest, caressing his head and kissed his downy wisps of hair. Softly
he started to sing.
“Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
When you wake, you'll have cake,
And all the pretty little horses.”
Sara returned and stood silently
in the doorway listening. A wish fulfilled.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“Pa? Can we talk?”
Ben looked up from his book.
“Of course, son.”
“Sara and I are not planning
anything for New Year’s Eve. With the baby still so young, we think we
should stay home.”
“Yes.”
“We want a family New Year’s Eve,
just us,” he paused. Ben raised an eyebrow. “And you and Katrina.
We think of her as family. We’ll open some champagne and toast the
New Year.”
“That sounds fine.”
“But the next day, we’ll have an
open house. It’s traditional here in
“And Katrina will serve your
guests?”
“Oh no, she is a guest. We
want our friends to meet the two of you. Sara ordered cakes and pastries
from the French patisserie on
“You’ll let those sugary
temptations in your house, eh?”
“It’s just one day,
“What is it that Shakespeare says,
Adam? ‘Tempt not a desperate man.’”
Adam smiled at his father’s gentle
teasing. “Just one day,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shirtless, Adam was shaving in the
bathroom. His baggy trousers were cinched tight with a belt but it was
clear that he needed to visit the tailor. At the other end of the
hallway, Ben was inspecting the spot on the lapel of his only suit. He
remembered that Hoss had brought home fine silk shirts and several well made
suits from a store in
“Adam, son, where was it that Hoss
bought his suit?”
“Stewart’s Department Store, it’s
on my way to Wood’s. I’ll show you. In fact, I should have some clothes altered
in the tailoring department. I’ll come with you.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As Adam was measured and his
clothes were pinned for alterations, Ben selected some silk shirts. An older
salesman approached Ben and suggested that one of the other tailors could take
his measurements before he selected a suit.
With his arms spread out, a young
apprentice wrapped his tape around Ben’s chest. “I make that 41 inches, sir.”
The tape stretched around Ben’s waist. “I make it 40 inches.”
“That can’t be. You’ve got
your thumb in the tape. I’ve never had such a large waist.”
A master tailor stepped in to
intercede. “I apologize, sir. Let me take your measurement.”
He checked the number twice and said, “I’m sorry, sir. The
measurement is correct, 40 inches."
"But the trousers I am
wearing are not that large."
"Your true waist is 40
inches, these trousers sit below your, er…belly, sir."
He was grateful that Adam was out
of earshot. Chastened, he chose a dark navy suit and deep garnet vest.
“Very flattering, sir. Very
slimming. It shall be ready by Saturday, New Year’s Eve.”
“Thank you,” Ben muttered.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
New Year’s
At the stroke of midnight, Adam
held Sara in his arms and kissed her fully. There was much to be thankful
for in the last year. He had been so close to losing Sara and the baby in
the summer. Now each was healthy and thriving. Amy was growing into a beautiful
young girl and Jacob was keeping everyone entertained with his antics.
Ben kissed Katrina. He had
never anticipated finding someone new in his life again. She filled a space in
his heart and brought joy to his family. He hoped that she loved him as well
and would join him in a new life out west.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
January 2, 1871
“Professor Wood,” Ben held out his
hand. John Wood turned from his window overlooking the gymnasium floor.
“Mr. Cartwright, it is a pleasure
to see you again. I am afraid that you just missed your son.”
“I did?”
“I saw him leave not ten minutes
ago.”
“It’s not Adam who I wanted to
see. I am here to speak with you about me,” he gazed downward, “about
this.” He patted his midsection.
“I see.” Wood gestured
toward a chair. “Sit down, Mr. Cartwright.”
Ben sat, feeling like a schoolboy,
prepared for a scolding.
“Mr. Cartwright, may I ask how old
you are?”
“Sixty-three.”
“I see. And when you are not
here in
“Yes, of course.”
“Riding for hours, roping, lifting
heavy objects, a lot of physical work,…”
“Yes.”
“And in your time here in
“No.”
“You have eaten rich foods and
sweets.”
“Yes.”
“How long do you intend to stay
here?”
“I have to leave in early March.”
“Mr. Cartwright, I think that when
you return to your ranch you will find that your weight will naturally correct
itself.”
“But with Adam, you insisted….”
“Your son is quite a bit younger
and was developing bad habits with a sedentary lifestyle. It was
necessary to break those habits with a strict diet and a regimen of
violent exercise. He is a man who rises to a challenge, and challenge him
is what I have done. He would have no patience with gradual results.”
"But my resolution is to lose
this," he pinched the roll of fat around his middle.
"I advise you to modify your
son’s diet plan for the remainder of your time here.Fewer sweets and starches
and no alcohol. Take a daily constitutional and explore the city. If the
weather is horrid, come here in the late afternoon when the businessmen
exercise. We have pulley weights and Indian clubs and such. In a matter of
weeks, I assure you, you will feel better. It will make your return to
ranch work easier.”
“That’s all.”
“Yes, Mr. Cartwright. It is
what I recommend.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Half asleep, Adam heard someone
retching in the bathroom down the hall. He mumbled, "Sara, sounds
like Amy is sick." When the sound continued he woke fully and found
Sara's half of the bed empty. He rose, slipped on his robe and padded
into the bathroom. There he found a ghostly pale Sara, sitting on the
edge of the clawed foot bathtub, her eyes closed and panting.
"Are you all right?"
"Of course, not. My
head's pounding and my stomach keeps rolling over and over."
He pressed the back of his hand to
her forehead. "You're not hot."
"Something's not agreeing
with me," she said softly as she held her stomach.
"I'll help you back to
bed." He put his arm around her and began to help her stand.
"Don't," she protested.
"I'm dizzy." She sat and gulped for air. As her
stomach clenched once more she crawled to the commode and vomited. Her
stomach was empty but still roiling. "I think that's it."
Adam lifted her and carried her to
the bed. Then he dampened a washcloth and placed it on her forehead.
"I'll be back with some soda water in a minute."
Sara was sleeping when he
returned. Afraid to jostle the bed and wake her, he grabbed his pillow
and sat in the rocker as the night turned to day. Thomas was fussing in
his sleep. "Must be hungry," Adam thought. He worried
whether Sara should nurse him this morning. She might give him whatever
she had. Regardless, he did not want to wake her for a time yet.
When the baby woke, Adam took him
downstairs to the kitchen. He thought giving the baby water might settle
him for a bit. Soon a wailing Thomas made his displeasure known.
Adam walked the kitchen to and fro, bouncing his son in his arms, cooing
to him to calm him.
"What's going on here?"
Katrina said.
"Sara was sick this morning.
I tried giving him water but he's still hungry," Adam answered
sheepishly.
"Of course he is, he's not
had anything since last night. He's old enough now, let's try some barley
water. It should help." She walked to the pantry and quickly brought
out some barley and put the kettle on to boil water. "Hand him to
me," she said as she reached for Thomas. "I'll try to settle
the poor babe."
She lay Thomas on his stomach in
her lap and patted his back. He soon was whimpering and settling down.
She looked up at Adam and smiled. "Takes a woman's touch.
The water should be boiling. Put the barley in a bowl and pour the
water over it. It will need to be strained and cooled."
"Thank you," Adam said
gratefully. "He'll be fine, won't he?"
"More than fine, it's time
that Sara starts to give him a little something more than milk. It'll be
good for both of them. What's wrong with her?"
"I don't know. She was
vomiting early this morning. She doesn't have a fever. She thinks it
might have been something she ate."
"Well, let her sleep late.
It's the best thing for her."
"I'll stop by Ned's office
and ask him to look in on her."
Katrina nodded to Adam and then
addressed Thomas. "Okay, my little darlin', let's see if you'll try some
barley water." She sat him up and started to spoon feed the baby the
barley water. He opened his eyes wide at the first taste and was soon
lapping it up greedily.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Whatever it was Sara, you
seem to be on the mend. No fever, no pain or soreness in your
belly." Ned closed his medical bag and placed it on the floor.
"Can I get up?"
"No, I think it would be best
if you just rested today. Katrina can bring you some clear broth. Drink
lots of water. And if your head hurts, mix this powder in some milk and
drink it."
"But Thomas, is it safe to
nurse him?"
"Yes. I hear he took
some barley water this morning. That's good. I think you should
introduce him to that and a little cereal. He's old enough and he can handle
it."
Sara smiled ruefully. She loved
the exclusive bond that she and Thomas shared. His weaning was beginning. He
was already starting to scoot around on the floor. Soon he would crawl and walk
and assert himself in his world.
"Your anniversary is at the
end of the week, isn't it?"
"Yes. And the dress
fits, as I am sure Laura told you."
"I want you to stop by in a
day or so. I want to see that you are well, and talk to you about
changing your regimen. I don't want you to lose any more weight."
He bent and kissed her forehead. "In my office,
Wednesday."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
With Sara sick and his caring for
Thomas that morning, Adam skipped his early session at Wood’s and headed over
to the gymnasium after his afternoon class. Gus was surprisingly
accepting of his excuse. Adam was taken aback and raised his eyebrow.
“Don’t be so shocked. I heard all
about it earlier.”
“About what?” Adam asked as he
walked on to the track and started to warm up.
“Yer wife bein’ sick.”
“How?”
“Yer father told me.”
“My father came here to warn you
that I may not be coming today?”
“No, he was here ta walk and work
with the pulley weights. Ya just missed him.”
“My father?" Adam asked.
"Tall man, snowy white hair, commanding voice?”
“Yea, yer father. He’s been
comin’ fer the last week. Now git started, I ain’t got all day.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
At dinner, Adam watched his father
with a closer eye. After all the rich food of the holidays, Katrina was
serving everyone, not just Adam and Sara, plainer meals. Now he thought
he knew why. Ben’s plate was filled but with fewer potatoes and more
green vegetables.
“Sly devil,” Adam thought.
“He makes a fuss over our ‘rabbit food’ and quietly joins the battle
himself.”
That evening Ben sat on the floor
with Jacob playing with the toy horses. It was Jacob’s favorite game,
racing Sport and Cochise across the rug, and Ben loved indulging his grandson.
But when the game was over, Adam noticed that Ben winced as he
rose.
“Pulley weights,” Adam thought.
“Good for slimming the torso.” He smiled behind his newspaper.
“Good for you,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
January 10, 1871
"Are you nervous, Sara?"
"For the weighing, Laura?
No. I feel very satisfied with how I look and feel."
"No, sweetie. Are you
nervous to go off the diet now that you are done?"
"I hadn't thought of that.
I know I'll continue the physical activity. It feels too good to be
strong and healthy to stop."
"What do you want
first?"
She thought a moment and shrugged
her shoulders.
"I know, for me, I'd like a
glass of champagne," Laura said as she measured her waist with her hands.
"You should drink a glass of champagne for your anniversary!"
Ned was pleased that Sara's color
had improved. Whatever had made her sick on Monday had no lasting
effects. But when he weighed her, he frowned. "Twenty pounds.
It's too much, Sara. Has your appetite come back?"
"I had a big bowl of oatmeal
with raisins and apples and milk this morning."
He nodded. "Well, you
ate little or nothing for two days. It might just be that you are dehydrated. I
want you to eat more and gain a couple of pounds. Being too thin doesn't
suit you, Sara, nor will it please Adam."
She looked at Ned sheepishly.
"Start eating some more meat
and add some grains. I trust you. You've had babies before and
gotten your figure back. Continue the exercise, it's good for your
strength and stamina. If you ever want another child, it'll make the
pregnancy easier."
"Good. I like the
exercise."
"So does, Laura. She
lost another half inch from her waist. That's two in all, wants to lose
another inch. She says she feels years younger."
Sara walked behind the screen and
got dressed. As she left the office, Ned asked about Adam.
"He has been sparring with a
striking bag. I'm not sure exactly what that is, but it is very
effective. His belly is gone. He is wearing his suit from our
wedding."
"So you've both turned the
clock back, what is it? Five years?"
"It's our sixth anniversary
on Friday."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Friday, January 12th
“Okay, step up.” The weekly
ritual continued. Adam stepped on the scales and Gus adjusted the bar.
“199. That’s nineteen pounds now.”
Adam looked disappointed. He
had worked as hard as ever in the past week and expected his usual loss.
Nonetheless he stood quietly as Gus took his measurements and recorded
them in his book.
“Not bad. Don’t look at the
weight number. Look at yer waist. It’s smaller. Yer belly,”
Gus tapped Adam’s abdomen with the back of his hand, “is gone. Yer not
fat no more. Yer building muscle now.”
Adam nodded and looked at his
profile in the mirror. Gus was right. The roll of fat that had
hugged his waist and abdomen was gone. His whole body was leaner.
He smiled remembering how he’d compared himself to Hoss nearly two months
ago. Now his waist was nearly as trim as Joe’s.
“It’s yer anniversary, ain’t it?
Go dance with yer wife and celebrate. Drink some champagne.
The perfessor wants to see ya in the morning at ten.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They ate their anniversary dinner
at home. Amy and Jacob insisted that they be included in the celebration and
Adam and Sara acquiesced. Gus gave Adam a special dispensation from his
regimen for the occasion. Katrina made a Swedish wedding cake for dessert
and the adults drank a champagne toast.
After dinner they changed into
their formal wear, Adam took special delight in watching Sara preen. She
was as slender and beautiful as the day they married. As Sara walked down
the stairs in her silk ball gown, Jacob exclaimed. “You look like a
princess, Mama.”
She smiled warmly and kissed the
top of his head. “Thank you, sweetie. I feel like a princess
tonight.”
“And Papa is Prince Charming,” Amy
added. “Don’t be late coming home.Remember the pumpkin!” She
teased.
“We’ll be home on time, Amy,” Adam
assured her.
Ben helped Sara into her cape and
kissed her cheek. “Now scoot and enjoy yourselves. You’ve earned
it. You make a very handsome couple.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As Adam unbuttoned the many tiny
pearl buttons on Sara’s dress, a shiver traveled down her spine. She
stepped out of the dress and the petticoats. Then he unlaced the corset
and tossed it aside. He lifted her chemise and placed his hands on her
bare waist, pulling her closer to his bare chest. Her breath shuddered as
he kissed her behind the ear, whispering, “You have never been more beautiful.”
She turned to face him and held
him at arm’s length for a moment. “Yes, Amy was right. You make a
very handsome Prince Charming, even in your ‘underwears’ as Jacob calls them.”
She stood on her toes to kiss his lips and he gathered her in his arms
and kissed her passionately.
“It was worth it, wasn’t it?” she
asked.
He nodded. “We could have danced
all night.”
She smiled mischievously, “We
still can.”
He grinned widely as she turned to
face the bed.
“Vixen.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Saturday, January 13th
The door was open and Professor
Wood called Adam into his office. “Come in, Mr. Cartwright. I am pleased
to see you.”
“Professor Wood.”
Wood pointed to a chair and Adam
sat. Wood reviewed notes on Adam’s progress and smiled. “I see
you’re a man who is willing to accept challenges. You’ve bested our regimen,
Mr. Cartwright and achieved your goal nearly a month early. Well done, sir.”
“I thought you wanted me to weigh
195.”
“It’s a number, Mr. Cartwright.
Your physique tells the story. Your commitment to getting fit is
admirable. I believe you will break that bad cycle of gaining and losing
weight each year. You've certainly put your bad habits of a sedentary life in
the city to rest. That gain and loss of weight is hard on the body, sir.
I think you have come to appreciate the necessity of constant
conditioning.”
“A lesson hard learned, Professor.
And one I hope never to repeat.”
“I’m sure that you mean that.”
“So what is next then, Professor?”
“You start to add things to your
diet. More meat, whole grains, a glass of wine. Moderation is the key.
Pies and cake can be an occasional treat. Listen to your body, Mr.
Cartwright. You’ve treated it as a working machine these last two months.
Don’t overfill it with fuel.”
“And my routine here?”
“Let your body tell you what you
need here as well. You can start by relaxing one day a week. It
will not affect your stamina and strength. But look to your own history,
Mr. Cartwright. Working on your ranch was not a sometime activity.
Always push yourself a little.”
“Thank you, Professor.” Adam
stood and shook Wood’s hand.
“Mr. Cartwright, you are very
welcome. And remember what I told you as you began this regimen.
Gus is a tenacious weasel of a man. If you fall from grace, he will
be merciless.” He looked at the clock and added, “I understand you have a
session with him now.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
January 16, 1871
He walked in to the dressing room,
sweating and satisfied with his regimen. He stripped down and wrapped a
towel around his waist. As he stood in line to weigh himself he caught
sight of Edwin Booth in the mirror. He was standing across the room from
Ben.
“Mr. Cartwright! Don’t tell
me Adam shamed you into coming here?”
Ben looked down at his middle and
shook his head. “Adam doesn’t know I’ve been coming here.” He
patted his belly and continued, “This is what shamed me.” He stood on the
“Join me in the Turkish bath,”
Edwin suggested. “It does wonders for your body. You’ll sweat out
a multitude of sins and emerge feeling virtuous.”
Ben lifted a skeptical
eyebrow.
“Well, maybe not ‘virtuous’ but it
will do much to relax your tired muscles. We’ll finish with a massage and
cold bath. It’ll invigorate you.”
“I don’t….”
“I insist,” Edwin said as he took
Ben’s arm and led him to the Turkish bath.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
January 17th
Jacob woke early and ran
downstairs. It was his fifth birthday and he didn't want to miss a minute
of it. He barreled into the kitchen and right into Katrina's arms.
"Happy birthday, Jacob!"
she exclaimed as she hugged him tightly. "You're such a big boy
now!"
"Can I have the skinny
pancakes with cherries for breakfast?"
"Oh yes, my boy, Swedish
pancakes with cherries and sour cream."
Sara was next to enter with a
babbling Thomas in her arms. She leaned down to kiss Jacob.
"Eww, he drooled on me!"
"Happy birthday, Jacob,"
she said as she wiped his face with her hand. "He's teething,
sweetheart. You did that too."
Katrina handed Sara the heel from
a loaf of bread for Thomas to chew. "I'll make him some hard
biscuits later."
"Not before you make my
cake!"
Katrina hugged Jacob again.
"Of course I'll bake your cake first. Now that was chocolate
cake with chocolate icing, yes?"
The rest of the family soon
greeted Jacob and settled at the table. Katrina placed a plate of
pancakes in front of Jacob. He began to eat them with obvious pleasure.
"Amy, how many pancakes would
you like?"
"Three, please."
Adam grinned at Katrina and said,
"Those look mighty good. I'll take three, please."
Everyone froze and looked at him.
"I'll go to Wood's this
morning and undo the damage. It's not every day that we celebrate a
birthday."
"You're right, Adam.
I'll take two. They smell delicious," Sara added.
"Are you sure, Mama?"
"Very sure, Amy. Mrs
Stewart is coming this afternoon. Have you practiced the new Strauss
music?"
Amy nodded between bites.
"I'll just have some toast
and coffee, please, Katrina. I don't have much of an appetite this
morning. I'm saving room for cake this evening," Ben explained
rather unconvincingly.
Adam winked at his father and
started in on his pancakes.
Ben looked at Adam rather puzzled.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A couple of days later Adam was
gathering papers from his desk as his father was in the hallway putting on his
winter coat. "If you wait a minute, Pa, I'll join you."
"Are you headed to school,
Adam?"
"Not directly, my class was
canceled today. The Dean has a program for the students. I'm going
to Wood's first. I thought I'd join you today."
"Join me?"
"At Wood's,
"Who told you?"
"Gus, when Sara was
sick."
"Damn busy-body," Ben
grumbled under his breath.
"Now Pa, did you really think
that we hadn't noticed that you started eating 'rabbit food', and spending more
time away from the house during the day, and that your middle was
shrinking?"
"Shrinking?" Ben asked
as he sucked in his stomach. "You have noticed that?"
"Yea,
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ben and Katrina continued their
Sunday outings, albeit without the large meals. They still returned to
Moretti's to enjoy a good meal. Signor Moretti still seated them in the window
seat, but Ben ordered a single veal chop and the lettuce salad. He drank mineral
water instead of wine. The chef at Moretti's proved that even a "diet
dinner", if well cooked, could be tasty and enjoyed.
"New Year's resolutions!
I hate them! Bad for business," Signor Moretti complained. "Still,
Mr. Cartwright, you look good.
"Grazie, Signor. I look
forward to eating your spaghetti again."
Katrina smiled her approval and
nibbled at the anisette cookies that Signor Moretti insisted she try.
They spent the afternoon back at
the New-York Historical Society, this time in the extensive Egyptian
collections. Unlike the generous figures in the European paintings, the
physiques of the statues were sleek and slim. Ben caught his reflection
in a glass case and straightened his shoulders. Katrina squeezed his arm.
"You need to have your suit altered, my dear." She patted
his stomach. "Your waist is slimmer now."
Ben beamed.
"You look very
handsome," she added. "I think that we are a handsome
couple."
They stood looking in the glass a
moment. "You are a vision, Katrina." Ben took her hand and
kissed it.
Ben led Katrina into a gallery of
the museum's very popular landscape paintings. "It's over here," he
said as he walked her to a Bierstadt painting of the West. "I think
it is extraordinary."
She stood studying the painting of
the
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
February 6
Clothed in his undershirt and
trousers, Ben was shaving in the bathroom as Sara passed by. She noticed
the gathers of cloth cinched by Ben's belt. "It's time for you to go
back to Stewart's. You need some alterations before you lose those trousers,"
she said grinning.
Ben looked down at his flatter
belly and nodded. "I think that you're right, Sara. I weighed
myself yesterday. Twelve pounds and most of it from right here." He
patted his middle.
"You're very handsome,"
she said and pecked him on the cheek.
"You are a very patient and
wonderful daughter. I gave you and Adam a hard time about your diets, but you
were right all along." He kissed her back. "Now, I want
to take Katrina somewhere special for Valentine's Day. What do you
suggest?"
"There is a ball at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel. It's very posh and very elegant."
"No, Sara, dear. I
think it would be too loud. I need some quiet intimate place."
"They do have private dining
rooms off the ballroom."
"I see. That may work
quite well," he said. They could have a private dinner and
conversation and then dance, hopefully, to celebrate.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The tailor pulled Ben's
measurements card from the index and looked at the tall, slimmer rancher in
front of him. "I see that we will have to measure you again, sir," he
said smiling. "Have you started a new regimen?"
Smiling, Ben stood erect and
answered, "I believe that I need my suit altered."
"Your new physique suits you,
sir, if I may say so."
"Er, thank you."
The tailor stretched the tape
measure around Ben's waist. "I make that 37 1/2 inches, sir. Less two and
a half inches. Well done, sir."
Ben looked down at his stomach and sighed. As Wood had promised,
his moderate changes in eating and exercising had paid off. He would return
home fit and thinner. "Now, I was wondering about an evening suit.
Something suitable for a ballroom dance."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Katrina was thrilled with the
invitation to the Valentine's Day dinner and the dancing later. She was
concerned about the dress, however. The cost of a ball gown was too dear
for something she'd never wear again. Borrowing a dress from Sara was not
possible. She was shorter and thinner than Katrina. It was Laura Stewart
who stepped in to lend her a silk gown. The fitted bodice flattered
Katrina's trim waist and the emerald color suited her perfectly. Sara
lent her a tiara that made Katrina's silver blond hair sparkle.
The Fifth Avenue Hotel ballroom
was like a beehive with activity. As Ben and Katrina were escorted down the
staircase to their private dining room, they watched a kaleidoscope of vibrant
silk dresses in the dizzying movement of the waltz. The music rose and fell in
time. Arrangements of roses and red carnations perfumed the room as if in
summer, belying the snow falling outside. Ben took Katrina's arm and pulled her
closer to him.
Their dining room was, as
promised, intimate and the service was quite discreet. The waiter anticipated
their needs but never interrupted them. Their champagne glasses were never empty.
Courses were served and plates removed almost invisibly. After the coffee was
served, Ben stood and walked to Katrina's chair. She rose but he stopped her.
"Please don't, I have
something to ask you." She sat and he took her hand in his. "Katrina,
my dear, at my age I never expected to find love again. He hesitated a moment,
"Never expected to find love here in this city. And yet, here I am in love
with you. I can't imagine life without you. I want you in my life every day for
the rest of my life. Wherever you say, whether it is back West or here in
Her eyes were brimming with tears,
she took his face in her hands and kissed him. "Yes," she whispered.
"Yes. I will marry you." She smiled through her tears and added,
"I would follow you to
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam held Sara in his arms as they
talked in bed that evening.
"She looked radiant, didn't
she?" Sara asked.
"She did. And he looked
a bit nervous. and distracted, like he had something on his mind."
"Adam, it's not that hard to
guess what was on his mind." Adam squeezed Sara. "He's going to
ask her to marry him tonight."
Adam nodded in agreement.
"We are pretty successful matchmakers, aren't we? First Hoss,
now Pa, perhaps we should go into business," he chuckled.
"Or focus on Joe," she
added.
"Oh no, Sara. Joe likes
playing the field too much. He needs no help in the game of love."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ben and Katrina confirmed Adam and
Sara's suspicions the next morning at breakfast. Hugs and kisses were
exchanged. Eyes shone with happy tears.
"Wait a minute, you're gonna
be my grandma!" Jacob announced.
"Indeed she will, son,"
Adam assured him.
"But Grandpa lives on the
Ponderosa. Are you gonna live there too?"
Katrina squeezed Jacob in a warm
hug. "That's right. I will go out west with your
grandpa."
"But who's gonna make
pancakes for me?"
"I'll teach your mother how
to make your pancakes."
"Will you make them for Uncle
Hoss when you live on the ranch?"
Katrina looked at Ben, who winked
at her. "Yes, if he wants them."
"Oh, his belly is gonna be
huge! Bigger'n Santa's maybe."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That evening with the children in
bed, Ben, Katrina, Adam and Sara gathered in the parlor to discuss the wedding
plans. Ben and Katrina wanted to marry before heading west in early
March. The trick would be to marry before Ash Wednesday, on the 23rd.
Most ministers would not perform marriages during the lenten season.
In fact, most judges were not inclined to marry couples either.
"We don't want to wait. I
think it is best that we have a small family wedding here if we can," Ben
suggested. Katrina took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I
can ask Judge Walters to marry us."
"Judge Walters?"
"Yes, we met while walking
the track at Wood's. I'm sure he would perform the ceremony if I asked
him."
Adam laughed softly. "I
guess that your time spent at Wood's Gymnasium was not only beneficial for your
physical health,
Ben smiled in return.
"Shall I ask him about Saturday afternoon?"
Sara gasped. "So soon?
Katrina will need a gown. We need to make preparations. Are we inviting
any guests?"
Katrina stopped her.
"Sara, I will wear my light grey silk dress. It is just family
and the judge. You and Adam can stand up for us."
"We can have a church wedding
in
Sara nodded and rose to give Ben
and Katrina each a hug.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"It will mean that we need to
look for a new housekeeper. I can ask Laura or the Dean's wife for
another recommendation," Adam said as he unbuttoned his shirt. He
looked at Sara's reflection in the vanity mirror.
"It's just for a short time,
sweetheart. We travel back to
"You've had both Katrina's
and Pa's help these last four months, my love. Bridget has an aunt in
"Maybe we should look beyond
an eligible young woman, Adam. Joe might visit and we'll be back to
square one."
They both laughed and readied for
bed.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Late Saturday afternoon the sun
shone through the curtains in the parlor casting a warm golden light on the
wedding ceremony. Ben stood tall and proud as he proclaimed his vows in a
deep steady voice. Katrina's emotions got the better of her as she
answered in hushed tones. Ben took her hand as she vowed to honor and
love him all the days of her life. Ben slipped a simple gold band on her
finger. There would be time to buy her a diamond ring later. Judge
Walters proclaimed them husband and wife as Amy played Mendelssohn's wedding
march.
"She's my grandma now?"
"Yes, Jacob." Sara
whispered.
"Whew, that's good!"
He ran to give Katrina a sloppy heartfelt kiss. "Let's eat the
cake!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adam arranged for a suite for the
wedding couple at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. A chilled bottle of champagne
was waiting for them in their room. A telegram from Hoss and Joe
congratulating them on their wedding was laying on a silver tray on the mantle.
Ben stood gazing at his bride
still a little stunned by the events of the last several months. It was
so unexpected that he would fall in love again, let alone marry. Each of his
wives had suited his needs.
She blushed at his attention. She
crossed the room to his outstretched arms and warm embrace.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ben bought Katrina two large
trunks and she was packing each with her belongings and the clothes she would
not wear on her journey. Adam would ship them tomorrow, a week before their
departure.
"I can shop here and bring
things for you in May," Sara said as Katrina inspected the trunks.
"Thank you, Sara," she
answered putting her arm around her new daughter-in-law. "I'm sure I'll
find things I have forgotten when I get to the Ponderosa."
"Katrina, you're not nervous
are you?"
"No, Sara," she said.
"Well, maybe a little. I have never been a rancher's wife. My Lars was a
teacher in
Sara pulled Katrina in a hug.
"You will love it, I promise you. It's a magical place. And you'll just
adore Joe and Hoss and Bridget."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Epilogue
May 1871
Ben and Katrina stood on the
boardwalk waiting for the two o'clock stage. It was late and Ben was sighing as
he consulted his watch.
"Afternoon, Katrina,"
Sheriff Coffee greeted her with the tip of his hat. "Afternoon, Ben. Is
Adam and his family do in today?"
"Yes,
"It must be nice to have
everyone home for summer. Granted you'll need Adam's help with Hoss so busy
with Bridget. How old is that little one?"
Ben smiled. "He's three weeks
old. Big and healthy, just like Hoss when he was a baby."
"That's good. I saw Hoss the
other day,"
Ben rolled his eyes. "He
fretted for Bridget. And he eats when he frets. He'll lose it when he starts
working on the branding and the round up."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Sara, look at you! Your waist
is so tiny," Bridget said as she rubbed her flabby baby belly. "I had
a waist like that once."
"Bridget, don't be silly. You
just delivered, you'll get your figure back soon enough. Give yourself some
time and when Paul Martin says you're ready, I'll share my secrets. Now let me
see that beautiful baby of yours." She lifted the baby from his cradle.
"Oh, he's a big boy!"
"He has his father's eyes,
don't you think?"
"I do, Katrina. Clear and
blue. Let's hope they stay that way."
"He has Hoss's appetite, too,"
Bridget said. "He's eleven pounds already."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After a big homecoming dinner, the
men settled on the porch for some conversation.
"Hey Adam, you're always a
bit chunky when you get here for summer," Joe said teasingly, "but
not this year."
"That's right, Joe. I'm in
good shape," Adam answered standing tall. "No paunch this year. I've
got a thirty-four inch waist."
"Whew, Adam! Yer downright
skinny!"
"Not at all, Hoss. I think
that he looks healthy and I know that he's strong," Ben added smiling and
patting his own flatter stomach. "Sara and Katrina seem to appreciate our
new physiques, don't they Adam?"
Joe rolled his eyes as Adam smiled
smugly.
"Adam, what's that
contraption Pa hung in the barn for ya?" Hoss asked.
"The striking bag? It's for
boxing practice."
"You're boxing, OLDER
brother?" Joe asked.
"No, it was designed for
boxing practice. I use it to keep fit."
"Let me see you use it."
Always competitive, Joe was more than a little curious about his brother's
routine and his improved physique.
They walked into the barn and Adam
stepped up to the bag. He began punching and dodging the swinging leather bag.
He stayed light on his feet, jabbing, always moving, in a sort of dance.
"That doesn't look so
hard," Joe said as he inched in to try.
Adam stopped and answered a little
breathlessly. "Don't fool yourself, Joe. It's a challenging workout. It
melted my fat away fast." He unbuttoned his shirt, and removed it,
revealing his carefully honed muscular frame.
"Whew! Adam, you gotta train
me this summer." Joe said in admiration.
Hoss shook his head. "Not me,
Bridget likes men with meat on 'em."
Affectionately, Adam placed his
hand on Hoss's large belly and shook it. "That's not all meat there,
brother. That's what comes from fretting and eating too many pies, cakes and
sweet desserts. Take it from one who knows." Adam smiled wryly and patted
his flat stomach. "This is what comes from the just deserts of the hard
efforts of diet and training."
Joe laughed. "'Just deserts',
that's a good one, Adam."