Cha'Nara's Gift

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 The Beginning

Once the Small brother's were taken care of I sent them packing along with the bodies of their friends, as they prepared to leave, I told them, "Once You guys get over to Georgetown, you're gonna hear about what happens to people who f**k with us, keep it fresh in you're minds boys, now get the f**k outta here!" Emily and I repaired the cabin roof and policed up the area, I examined the guns, a Colt a Remington, more Winchesters; I made myself a note to be careful about how I would auction these off, without drawing too much suspicion or depressing the market with all this antique stuff showing up all of a sudden.

The next few days were busy as Hell! Ben and I laid out the "town" some more trees were cut, lumber and building materials started arriving, along with the carpenters. With the aid of the power auger, I dug a well and installed a hand pump, a better one would be dug later, but for now this would take care of our water needs. I asked Emily if she'd ever seen "Once Upon a Time in the West" "No, why?" "Well you're running around here like Claudia Cardinale offering water to the men, just like she did, getting looks too." She laughed and kissed me. Mrs. Miller became a big hit as well. With help from her son and I , a make-shift kitchen was set up near the building site, Ben and I would go out and shoot a deer or two butcher them out for fresh meat. Later I shot an Elk with my trusty M1A, the men apparently enjoying her cooking. I asked her, "Alice, I was planning on building a small café, would you be interested in running it for me you're a good cook, you can set your own hours ,do things on your own terms," she said she'd think about it, she was also getting marriage proposals from the female starved workers, but she told me the pickings weren't very good. Ben and I worked right along with the carpenters, where I was able to show them some 21st century construction methods, (not telling them that of course.) There was some resistance at first, but when they realized these methods worked and were better in the long run they became true believers.

Slowly Deakstown began to take shape, as the hotel/saloon neared completion Emily took me aside and asked, "Deak, I want to run the saloon," "Why?" "Please, just let me, I've got some ideas, I want full operational control without interference from you." I suspected she was up to something but wasn't sure what, I learned about a side of Emily I never knew she had when I agreed. "I'm going to call it "Miss Emily's Bad Girls Saloon and I'm going to have…Girls!" "What!" "You heard me, I'm going to have at least four girls, and don't ever let me catch you "diddling" them, or you'll be sorry" I couldn't believe it my Emily, a madam. When she told me why she wanted to do this and that it was more an effort to better the lives of women who didn't have a lot of options at this time, her motives became more altruistic when she told me how she'd planned to run things and treat her "employees."

Emily picks up the story

I think I shocked the Hell out of Deak when I told him I was planning on having whores at the Bad Girls Saloon, When we first conceived of the idea of building a town, the thought never entered my mind. But after talking to Alice Miller and hearing her describe the bleak chances for women in 1878 I began to give it some thought. I was also reminded of the situation in Afghanistan. I knew a couple women who were on a FET (female engagement team) who went out into the field and dealt with Afghani women and children doing what they could to improve the conditions they faced. I planned to treat my girls well, see that they got at least high school educations, decent health care (could you call any health care in 1878 decent?) and make sure they were not abused. When Deak fully understood what I was about, he became very supportive, but warned me that I could easily be consumed by something like this. Cha'nara was still mad at him but I think it was more a gut reaction on her part, I'm not sure she truly understood the nature of the kind of people we were dealing with out here. Deak was beginning to scare me a little, he seemed to be operating with no rules of engagement, something he seemed to be proud of, the fact that there were so many rules of combat in Afghanistan may have caused him to fall to the other extreme here in the old west.

Deak Continues

We got another well dug for the hotel; I had to be very careful where I put it because of the location of the privies for the hotel and saloon none of the carpenters could understand why the two had to be placed well apart. Deakstown seemed to spark interest in others as well, one of the carpenters decided to "move" here, he set up a tent with a wood floor at first, a self-styled "preacher" also put up a tent as well. Emily sent "word" back to Georgetown that she was looking for "talent" and within a week "Soiled Doves started appearing at the unfinished hotel. Emily was very specific and particular about whom she would hire. In the end she chose four women, Sarah, Annie, Rachel, and Jenny. Another woman Sally Stark impressed her as well but she came late. However I think Emily gave her some money to "stick around," so Sally was another one setting up shop in a tent. Ben was becoming indispensable to me, I always sought his advice concerning human behavior in 1878, running important errands and generally my "second-in-command" as Emily became more and more involved with the saloon and hotel. I also noticed Ben and Cha'Nara becoming more involved, I warned Ben twice that Cha'Nara would be returning to her own world in another year or two depending on how long we stuck around here, he said he knew all this but continued to see her whenever he could.

Emily picks up the story

I sent word back to Georgetown that I would be hiring "Soiled Doves" a euphemism that never failed to make me laugh. I had around nine show up, but in the end I settled on Sarah O'Grady, Annie Sullivan, Jenny Letterman, and Rachel Evans. Rachel was the one I felt the most for, her parents were killed by Indians, she ended up in an orphanage, r***d when she was fifteen forced into prostitution and ended up here. Annie was the product of a dysfunctional family abused and r***d by her father, well you know the rest. Jenny and Sarah intrigued me the most, they chose this profession, actually liked having s*x, I think Jenny was a nymphomaniac. Later, after they learned who Deak and I really were and came from, Jenny, Sarah, and I had some very interesting chats, I used to tell them about s****l mores in the 21st century actually scandalizing them. Later on after seeing magazines and even a couple "porno's" they actually applauded the fact that women could now have as much fun as men could without the social stigma. There was another woman, Sally Stark, who really seemed "on the ball." She interested me, so I ended up "staking" her to a place of her own, (even if it was only a tent) down the street, but more on her later.

After I had selected the four women, I sat them down one evening and told them just how things were going to be, I don't think they believed me at first, but slowly over time they realized my word was my bond, I backed them up every inch of the way, nobody laid a hand on my girls, I saw to it they had the best healthcare available for the time (and in some cases care that was only found in the 21st century) Over time, I taught and educated them in reading, math, science and first aid. By the time Deak and I left Deakstown for good, I had a crew of ladies that were willing to lay down their lives for me, loyal to the core as well as providers of incredible information.

I think at this point, Cha'Nara's position in all this should be mentioned. When the hotel opened, Deak and I maintained a room on the first floor in the rear, Cha'Nara also had a room across from us. The girls worked out of their rooms on the second floor, actual guests stayed on the second and third floors, with each floor having six rooms. They weren't very big, heat was provided through ductwork connecting to a separate furnace area off the main building (Deak's idea, always concerned about fire safety) This set-up never got the rooms quite warm enough, but it was safer than having individual stoves in each room. Off to the side, a wash room with an actual water heater (wood fired) for bathing and washing up, privies required a short walk out back. Deak designed features into the place that wouldn't be seen for another fifty years, but in the end, it was home.

Emily continues

As Deakstown was going up Deak and I often discussed what we were going to do with Cha'Nara, we couldn't very well stick her out in the open. In the end, my girls came through(with help from Cha'Nara).

As soon as it became available, we hid Cha'Nara in her room on the first floor, Ben also helped as well since he and Cha'Nara had a "thing" going. After I had my girls "installed" I fretted and fretted over how I was going to explain Cha'Nara to them. During that start-up week I noticed the girls all seemed logy and out of sorts, I was just too busy at the time to go into it any further, then one day I was up on the second floor and heard giggling and laughter coming from one of the rooms. I opened the door to find all my girls sitting around the room with Cha'Nara perched calmly on the bed drinking a beer. I was stunned by what I saw. Pointing at Cha'Nara all I could get out was, "What are you doing here Cha'Nara?" "Oh she's telling us about the first boy she had," said Jenny. Cha'Nara smiled and said, "I've been telling them all about, how you say, s*x! On Vaga IV" "Yes, but how do…Shit, did you do you're little "mind melds" on these women Cha'Nara?" She gave me a guilty look. "Oh Cha'Nara!" I then addressed the room. "Regardless of what any of you may think, Cha'Nara here is not a witch. I suppose all of you can now converse with her maybe even just think things and know what you and she are saying?" All the girls slowly admitted it. "Well all I can say is just roll with it ladies, Cha'Nara will not harm you, believe me, I know her a whole lot better than any of you, she and I have become like sisters but I want to make one thing perfectly clear, no harm is to come to her, in any form, I don't want any of your "clients" seeing her or touching her in any way, I'm placing her well being squarely in you're hands." For some strange reason everyone seemed to think Cha'Nara lived on Mars, Annie citing Jules Vern's "From the Earth to the Moon as her source for the outlandish belief, however when I later asked Cha'Nara about it, she laughed,

"To tell them I come from a parallel universe, would simply be too overwhelming for them. Annie asked me if I lived on the moon, telling me of this story of men from this planet traveling there. I told her nobody lived there, but that I come from Mars, Telling them I come from a planet they can actually see makes it easier to accept my appearance, besides it's where Ben thinks I come from as well." I was quite impressed with Cha'Nara's novel way of explaining herself, she wasn't as flighty as she sometimes acted.

"Do you see visions of places you have no words to describe?" All of then slowly nodded. "I have those same visions as well, Mars is certainly a beautiful place, isn't it. However It's Deak's and my responsibility to see that she returns there in one piece and unharmed, do I make myself clear?" Everybody said yes and nodded. "Well, if she hasn't already told you, Cha'Nara is rather well-versed in s*x and pleasing men, she's certainly got young Ben Miller under her spell, so if she offers you any advice, take it!" Everybody laughed. Soon after that, the women "adopted" Cha'nara making sure nobody saw her. In turn, Cha'Nara did things for them and helped out wherever she could, I never stopped wondering what she did to people's minds to make them accept and understand her.

Another thing I did was to add a housekeeping staff made up of women who suffered from problems that made them the butt of ridicule or scorn, women who through no fault of their own couldn't function in the world. I gave them simple tasks such as washing clothes, and bedding, or running errands for the girls. I instructed my ladies to always be patient with them, and to be kind. We added a small dorm in back with a fireplace and comfortable beds for them to sleep and a place to go when not working. The whores were puzzled by this at first, but eventually realized the humaneness of my actions. Once we officially opened for business, I would hold morning meetings, to air complaints, warn the other girls about a particular client, or to just pass along information. My "glamour scar" always drew interest, oftentimes I would sit in the corner, prop my feet on the table light up a cigarette and just look like I was "Queen" of the world, whenever the cause of my scar came up I would simply say, Ladies, you're not ready to understand, When I think you're ready I'll tell you. Another source of interest were the tattoo's of the rose and bee on the back of my hands, and the USMC and bulldog tattoo's on my shoulder, along with the barbed wire chain around my right arm. It didn't take them long to figure out there was more to Deak and I than we were letting on, but we decided to let them discover, and eventually answer their own questions.