"I haven't done anything to deserve a gift," Shin tried to explain then paused as he realized it would be difficult if not impossible to explain the whole face saving 'game' gift given often produced in Japan. Offering a gift out of sympathy wasn't unheard of in Japan but it was polite to refuse such a gift at least once then to accept it when the giver insists. A free drink wasn't an unreasonable offer and one he could accept without loss of face now that he had refused it initially. He certainly didn't want to appear rude by refusing it, that would be far worse than simply accepting it.
"As I do not wish to appear rude, or disrespectful to you by refusing, I will accept your kind gift," he says, bowing his head slightly as he did so. At a later time he will have to give her a similar gift as a thank you.
The strange man from that strange country, least both were weird to Caroline's way of thinking, now said he did not deserve a gift. Perhaps she needed to fill him in on 'gifts'.
"Oh hon, that's just it. Gifts are given not because they are deserved though usually they are but.... Gifts are a way we show kindness to other folks. That's all. Besides, it's only a beer," Caroline smiled.
"We got us an old sayin'. Never look a gift horse in the mouth," she chuckled.
"As I do not wish to appear rude, or disrespectful to you by refusing, I will accept your kind gift," he relented, bowing his head slightly as he did so.
"Oh that's good then! I will go get you another glass then, let you have a chance to eat without me botherin' ya. I might have to spend some time mingling with the rest of the customers too," she informed him as she then stood up to head back to the bar.
"You are a good listener," he admitted. Despite feeling awkward through most of the conversation he found he didn't mind her company. He couldn't hold it against her for not understanding Japanese ways no more than he could be blamed for not understand American ways. He had picked up quite a bit in since he arrived in America but there was plenty he didn't know. It had been too easy to spend all his leisure time with his wife instead of making friends among non-Asians.
"Thank you for your company," he said when Caroline rose to take her leave. He wouldn't have ordered a second drink, not wanting to dull his senses any with alcohol but two beers won't be a hinderance. As soon as she left he turned to his stew, taking a few bites before washing it down with his first beer. Beer had always been an interesting taste to him but he did miss sake. American didn't have anything like his native drink and he didn't have the skills to brew it himself.
"You are a good listener," he admitted.
Caroline smiled, "Thanks, hon. You know it is actually a skill more folks should learn."
She left him to his stew then and before she made her way to the bar, she stopped by a trio of cardplayers. They were way too busy with playing though, which was fine with her, so she moved on.
Rancher Quentin Cantrell had been there awhile so she wondered if maybe he needed a glass refilled or whatever. Unlike the Evergreeners, whom she despised, the Lost Lake Ranch people were always decent enough and she got along with all of them. When she reached him, she smiled down on the man.
"Hey there! Do you need another drink? I can get it for ya, hon."
"I have to get to the bar to get that new jasper a refill so might as well kill two birds with one stone," she explained.
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
There was a familiar rat-tat-tat on the boardwalk outside and the swing doors were pushed open and in walked not another cowboy or miner, but a young blind woman. She seemed to know her way about and made her way to the bar and gave a happy "Hello Mr Flandry" to where approximately she thought he would be standing, giving her distinctive gap toothed smile.
She must have either heard Caroline's voice talking to Mr Cantrell when she came in, or smelt her perfume, because she cast a similar greeting in her general direction and added "Mr Cox isn't feeling very well and asked if I'd come in a spell him on the piano. Do you think that would be all right with Mr Fortner? I don't mind just working for tips." she added and indeed, she'd got her little tin cup with her.
To tell the truth, Frances was glad of the opportunity: giving the odd piano lesson and playing incidental music sometimes at the White Rose theatre didn't pay much.
@[Anyone]
Quentin looked up from his paper as Caroline paused at his table. He started to respond to her when Frances greeted her on her entry into the saloon. Quentin gave a nod to her before remembering she was blind and not to respond out of habit.
"Evening Frances, glad you'll be on the piano for a while."
Quentin then looked back to Caroline. "I appreciate that..." Quentin reached into a vest pocket and handed her some coins. "...Buy the newcomer whatever he's having on me. I suspect that he's probably the person who has traveled the longest distance to end up in Kalispell out of anyone who has ever been in here. I'll have another Scotch, thank you...from my bottle, please. He'll know what I mean."
Just as Caroline began to chat with Cantrell, there was the familiar voice of the young blind girl. The young blind girl who played piano very well, Caroline liked her for that reason alone but she seemed nice enough otherwise too.
"Mr Cox isn't feeling very well and asked if I'd come in a spell him on the piano. Do you think that would be all right with Mr Fortner? I don't mind just working for tips."
"Evening Frances, glad you'll be on the piano for a while," greeted Quentin.
Caroline turned, "Hello, Frances, you look nice."
Quentin then looked back to Caroline. "I appreciate that..." Quentin reached into a vest pocket and handed her some coins. "...Buy the newcomer whatever he's having on me. I suspect that he's probably the person who has traveled the longest distance to end up in Kalispell out of anyone who has ever been in here. I'll have another Scotch, thank you...from my bottle, please. He'll know what I mean."
Caroline took the coins and grinned, "I know exactly what that means. You think I'm new at this sorta thing. You have a reserved bottle behind the bar."
"The stranger has come a long way but not from where you think he's from. He's no chinaman but he's all the way over Japan," Caroline shared that info with the rancher. He's having beer but he might not accept yer drink. I had me a hell of a time to get him to take a free beer. "
But she didn't want to ignore the poor blind girl now, "Frances, I'd be happy to have ya play for me. Far as Fortner goes, he don't have to sing without musical accompaniment, it'll be fine. And as for tips, well you might get some of those but regardless, you play and I will see to it you get the same pay as Mr. Cox gets any night he plays."
And with that she patted Frances lightly on her back then headed for the bar.
"Ralph, two beers and Mr. Cantrell wants a refill too."
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
"Evening Frances, glad you'll be on the piano for a while" greeted Quentin.
"Oh Mister Cantrell! How wonderful to hear your voice!" Frances grinned, showing her cleated teeth again. Mr Cantrell had a warm attractive voice... she had also been told by Sally Cutts that he had a warm attractive face to go with it; such intelligence shouldn't have mattered to a blind girl, but it still made her heart flutter to know that she was talking to someone who was considered to be a handsome man!
Caroline turned, "Hello, Frances, you look nice."
"I do? Ooh, thank you!" she beamed. Nice compliment, especially considering that she hadn't a clue if any of the colours she wore went well together - she would have preferred it from a man, though! Quentin carried on the conversation with Caroline that she had inadvertently interrupted.
"...Buy the newcomer whatever he's having on me. I suspect that he's probably the person who has traveled the longest distance to end up in Kalispell out of anyone who has ever been in here. I'll have another Scotch, thank you...from my bottle, please. He'll know what I mean."
Caroline took the coins and grinned, "I know exactly what that means. You think I'm new at this sorta thing. You have a reserved bottle behind the bar."
"Oh, isn't that the one Mr Flandry's been refilling with cheap Red Eye for the last year?" quipped Frances. Being blind didn't stop her having little joke now and again. In fact, of all the people in Kalispell, she was one of the happiest seeming and optimistic, despite her blindness, lack of job opportunities, ill-luck in love and, oh yes, being stabbed through the lung last year.
"The stranger has come a long way but not from where you think he's from. He's no chinaman but he's all the way over Japan," Caroline shared that info with the rancher. He's having beer but he might not accept yer drink. I had me a hell of a time to get him to take a free beer."
Frances tipped her head, did she hear right? Japan! She'd lived in New York and San Francisco and she'd met people from all sorts of counties, but she'd never met a Japanese person!
Caroline didn't want to ignore the poor blind girl now, "Frances, I'd be happy to have ya play for me. Far as Fortner goes, he don't have to sing without musical accompaniment, it'll be fine. And as for tips, well you might get some of those but regardless, you play and I will see to it you get the same pay as Mr. Cox gets any night he plays."
"Oh Caroline, you are a dear! Thank you so much. I'm so broke I was going to have to go a beg Arabella for a loan." Now that was how to accept a favour or a gift!
"Ralph, two beers and Mr. Cantrell wants a refill too."
As Caroline took care of the round, Frances walked towards the piano, past the Japanese man. She knew the way in the saloon and didn't use her stick to feel her way, the customers, rough as they were, usually shifted out of her way.
Not all customers: Jimmy Miller had deferred his session with the prostitute Hettie and was sitting at the next table to Shin with a cruel grin on his moronic face; as Frances approached he put out a foot, intending to trip the blind girl up for a joke.
It was the odd sound of a stick tapping the ground which drew his attention. Shintaro looked towards the sound to see a young woman who was clearly blind. He had seen blind people before, mostly begging in the streets during his time in San Francisco and knew they weren't treated very well. In his homeland the blind were often musicians and survived by preforming many ancient tales around temples and other areas, often traveling from town to town. Blind women had less opportunities unless they had musical talent. In either case they were considered lower class and often made fun of.
Shintaro wasn't one to make fun of those in need, regardless of their class. It didn't mean he would go out of his way to help. Thus he paid little attention to the blind woman as she made her way to the bar, talking with the bartender, Caroline and others. With his stew nearly done and his first beer finished, Shintaro waited till Caroline was free to bring him his free beer. He normally didn't drink much, but beer was not as strong as sake even if it came in a larger mug. He mostly didn't drink often due to not wanting to waste money and because he liked to keep a clear head.
Overhearing the blind woman was going to play the piano, Shintaro felt a moment of anticipation. He always enjoyed listening to music, even more so when there was singing or other performance involved. It was one thing he found was universal, for there were plenty of musical entertainment in the West even if the language and style different. He watched as she made her way towards the piano, walking past his table in the process, Shintaro noticed the man sitting at the next table purposely sticking his leg out to trip the blind girl.
"Look out," he warned, already rising so he will be able to catch the woman should his warning not be quick enough.
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
Frances heard the warning but didn't know who it was aimed at or what it was a warning about: in fact, she actually hastened her pace to get well out of the way of whatever was happening, with the inevitable result that a second later her legs fell away from beneath her and she was falling through space. She had a second to brace herself against the expected pain of a hard landing on the even harder floorboards of the saloon when, all of a sudden, she felt strong arms catch her and hold her safe.
"Oh thank you! I tripped" she panted gratefully, holding onto her rescuer.
"Whooo-hooo, looks like little blind Frankie's gotten herself a boyfriend at last!" came the familiar sound of Mister Miller's carping voice somewhere behind her. The prankster had risen to his feet and at 5 11 towered over both Frances and Shintaro "Problem is, what you can't see, Frankie, is he's a 'bout a foot shorter than you and he's a little Chinese monkey man, ha ha ha." the cowardly bully laughed.
He then turned his mocking gaze on Takahashi.
"And you better learn better'n to come in here and lay your hands on a white woman, Tom Thumb, even if she is a cripple" Miller leered at the diminutive Japanese man "You'd best get out and get back to that there Chinese laundry or where ever you popped up from an' if you're lucky, I'll send you round my soiled long-Johns to scrub! Now let go her!" he barked, grabbing Frances and pulling her toward him, which made an agonising pain shoot through her chest where Doctor Danforth's probe had entered and saved her life last Fall.
She let out a short scream of pain.
@[LdyPayne]
@[Longshot]
@[Wayfarer]