Wednesday: Nathan's Night
Feb. 13th, 2013 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
huntersglennTitle: Wednesday Night: Nathan
Author: Cathy Roberts
Characters/pairings: Nathan, Mary
Rating: PG-13 (for subject matter)
Words: 1,259
Summary: It’s Nathan's night at Judge Travis’ brothel in the hills!
Note: This story is set in an old west alternate universe where Judge Travis hired the boys as both lawmen to protect the town and prostitutes to serve the clients at his brothel in the hills.
Mary had to keep from frowning as she looked over the men who were waiting for Nathan to arrive. They seemed to be a varied bunch, and she knew that at least two of the men rarely had two coins to put together, which made her wonder why they'd showed up. The rest of the men seemed to have some money, and she knew good and well that Stuart James had money, and some to spare. She was a bit surprised to see him sitting there, calmly drinking tea and talking with Tiny, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to be doing. But, it wasn't her place to judge those who came there, no matter how she felt about the men in question. Nathan was late, nearly an hour late, but the clients didn't seem to be too anxious about that. Everyone seemed to accept that with Nathan being the nearest thing to a doctor, there would be nights when he'd be late
The door opened, and Mary knew she wasn't the only one looking to see if it was Nathan finally arriving, and she sighed softly with relief when it was. Had he been much later, then she was certain she'd run out of the special tea he insisted upon for his clients.
"Ma'am, gentlemen." Nathan removed his hat. "Sorry to be late, but Mrs. Harvey had her baby today, and I'm just now getting' back to town."
"It's good to see you, Nathan," Mary said, smiling warmly at the healer. "Did she get the daughter she's been wanting?" Alice Harvey had already given birth to five healthy sons, and the woman seemed desperate for a little girl.
Nathan grinned. "She sure did. And Ned Harvey couldn't be no prouder than if it'd been another boy."
Before anyone else could speak, Nathan glanced out at the assembled men. "Mr. James'll be last, so other than him, you can send them up in any order." And with that, Nathan headed on up the stairs.
Mary waited for five minutes before asking which of men wanted to go up first, and as Tiny made his way up the stairs, she retreated to the office, hoping that things would be quiet and she'd be able to get some stories finished for the next day's edition of the paper.
It was a little after midnight when Mary closed the door behind Stuart James, and in the process, closing the business for the night. Nathan came down the stairs, his hat and rucksack in hand, and his coat already on, clearly more than ready to head on to his own home for the rest of the night.
Mary led the way into her office, and she pulled out the ledger, then took a seat and opened the book to Nathan's page. "Business seemed good tonight."
"Yes, ma'am." Nathan reached into his rucksack and pulled out a leather pouch, which he handed to her. "There's the money for tonight."
Mary opened the pouch and spilled the money onto the desk top. "Your fee is five dollars per client, and you had eight clients tonight, bringing the Judge's share to twenty dollars."
Mary began to count out the money, but Nathan interrupted here. "There ain't twenty dollars there, ma'am. It's just seventeen dollars and one cent."
Mary took a deep breath, not liking the facts that Nathan thought he could shortchange her father-in-law, or that she'd now have to take him to task for doing so. "You know the agreement, Nathan. Judge Travis gets half of your set fee."
Nathan nodded. "I know. But, Aaron has promised to drop off two chickens tomorrow, and they're worth three dollars, which would then be giving the Judge more than his share, since I've put the penny in there, too."
Mary shook her head slightly. "You're letting a client pay you in chickens?"
"It's all he has, Missus Travis. He was hurtin' pretty badly tonight, with his arthritis actin' up on him, and a carbuncle needin' to be lanced. I couldn't hardly turn him away, now could I?
"What do those things have to do with…" Even as she asked, Mary knew the answer. Nathan was treating his clients, and not giving them sexual favors in return for their money.
Nathan sat down in the chair across from her. "I know the Judge means well, but he sometimes don't see the forest for the trees. I appreciate the pay I get for keepin' this town safe, but I didn't sign on to help these people. You were the only person in this entire town to stand up for me when those cowboy's were gonna lynch me, and I appreciate that more'n you'll ever know. And, I don't mind one bit about makin' sure you stay safe here in town, but the others?" Nathan shook his head. "Most of 'em never came to see me in the first place, either out of ignorance or hate. Most of 'em won't come to see me now, no matter how badly they hurt. But, the men, they came here thinkin' they could buy me for thirty minutes of fun, and there was no way that was gonna happen."
"Now, I 'preciate that Judge Travis could look past me being a black man and all, but he forgot that I was a slave, and there's some things I'll never do." Nathan got to his feet. "I made myself a promise a long time ago that no man was ever gonna own me again, no how, no way, even if they want to think of it as rentin' me."
Nathan put his hat on and draped his ruck sack over his shoulder. "I figure that as long as the Judge gets his thirty pieces of silver, then he ain't got no cause to find fault with what I do with my clients. Up til now, everyone's been able to pay me a little bit, and I've been able to put any extra money in, so's that makes up for those who are short. But, I weren't gonna turn someone away just because he had no money. I figure you and me can get plenty of eggs out of those two chickens, and then the next time the Judge is in town, you can bake him a chicken for dinner. That's gotta be worth more'n three dollars."
Mary nodded, as her understanding of Nathan's position grew. As did her admiration for him. She knew that at least one of the other seven was taking advantage of the fact that Orrin let them keep what they earned over and above their fee. But, she doubted if any of the others were using that extra money to help any of their other clients pay their fee. "I'd say it's worth far more than three dollars, Nathan. I'll make a note of it, and then the next time someone can't pay, their fee will be taken care of."
Nathan smiled and nodded, touching his fingers to the brim of his hat before turning away to leave.
"Nathan?"
He paused in the doorway and looked back at her, waiting patiently, and Mary realized that Nathan always seemed to wait patiently. Most likely a holdover from his days as a slave.
"He doesn't admit it to anyone, but Judge Travis likes a nice rabbit fricassee. So, should someone ever want to pay you with a rabbit, please don't hesitate to take him up on the offer."
Nathan grinned. "Yes, ma'am, I'll do that."
Author: Cathy Roberts
Characters/pairings: Nathan, Mary
Rating: PG-13 (for subject matter)
Words: 1,259
Summary: It’s Nathan's night at Judge Travis’ brothel in the hills!
Note: This story is set in an old west alternate universe where Judge Travis hired the boys as both lawmen to protect the town and prostitutes to serve the clients at his brothel in the hills.
Mary had to keep from frowning as she looked over the men who were waiting for Nathan to arrive. They seemed to be a varied bunch, and she knew that at least two of the men rarely had two coins to put together, which made her wonder why they'd showed up. The rest of the men seemed to have some money, and she knew good and well that Stuart James had money, and some to spare. She was a bit surprised to see him sitting there, calmly drinking tea and talking with Tiny, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to be doing. But, it wasn't her place to judge those who came there, no matter how she felt about the men in question. Nathan was late, nearly an hour late, but the clients didn't seem to be too anxious about that. Everyone seemed to accept that with Nathan being the nearest thing to a doctor, there would be nights when he'd be late
The door opened, and Mary knew she wasn't the only one looking to see if it was Nathan finally arriving, and she sighed softly with relief when it was. Had he been much later, then she was certain she'd run out of the special tea he insisted upon for his clients.
"Ma'am, gentlemen." Nathan removed his hat. "Sorry to be late, but Mrs. Harvey had her baby today, and I'm just now getting' back to town."
"It's good to see you, Nathan," Mary said, smiling warmly at the healer. "Did she get the daughter she's been wanting?" Alice Harvey had already given birth to five healthy sons, and the woman seemed desperate for a little girl.
Nathan grinned. "She sure did. And Ned Harvey couldn't be no prouder than if it'd been another boy."
Before anyone else could speak, Nathan glanced out at the assembled men. "Mr. James'll be last, so other than him, you can send them up in any order." And with that, Nathan headed on up the stairs.
Mary waited for five minutes before asking which of men wanted to go up first, and as Tiny made his way up the stairs, she retreated to the office, hoping that things would be quiet and she'd be able to get some stories finished for the next day's edition of the paper.
It was a little after midnight when Mary closed the door behind Stuart James, and in the process, closing the business for the night. Nathan came down the stairs, his hat and rucksack in hand, and his coat already on, clearly more than ready to head on to his own home for the rest of the night.
Mary led the way into her office, and she pulled out the ledger, then took a seat and opened the book to Nathan's page. "Business seemed good tonight."
"Yes, ma'am." Nathan reached into his rucksack and pulled out a leather pouch, which he handed to her. "There's the money for tonight."
Mary opened the pouch and spilled the money onto the desk top. "Your fee is five dollars per client, and you had eight clients tonight, bringing the Judge's share to twenty dollars."
Mary began to count out the money, but Nathan interrupted here. "There ain't twenty dollars there, ma'am. It's just seventeen dollars and one cent."
Mary took a deep breath, not liking the facts that Nathan thought he could shortchange her father-in-law, or that she'd now have to take him to task for doing so. "You know the agreement, Nathan. Judge Travis gets half of your set fee."
Nathan nodded. "I know. But, Aaron has promised to drop off two chickens tomorrow, and they're worth three dollars, which would then be giving the Judge more than his share, since I've put the penny in there, too."
Mary shook her head slightly. "You're letting a client pay you in chickens?"
"It's all he has, Missus Travis. He was hurtin' pretty badly tonight, with his arthritis actin' up on him, and a carbuncle needin' to be lanced. I couldn't hardly turn him away, now could I?
"What do those things have to do with…" Even as she asked, Mary knew the answer. Nathan was treating his clients, and not giving them sexual favors in return for their money.
Nathan sat down in the chair across from her. "I know the Judge means well, but he sometimes don't see the forest for the trees. I appreciate the pay I get for keepin' this town safe, but I didn't sign on to help these people. You were the only person in this entire town to stand up for me when those cowboy's were gonna lynch me, and I appreciate that more'n you'll ever know. And, I don't mind one bit about makin' sure you stay safe here in town, but the others?" Nathan shook his head. "Most of 'em never came to see me in the first place, either out of ignorance or hate. Most of 'em won't come to see me now, no matter how badly they hurt. But, the men, they came here thinkin' they could buy me for thirty minutes of fun, and there was no way that was gonna happen."
"Now, I 'preciate that Judge Travis could look past me being a black man and all, but he forgot that I was a slave, and there's some things I'll never do." Nathan got to his feet. "I made myself a promise a long time ago that no man was ever gonna own me again, no how, no way, even if they want to think of it as rentin' me."
Nathan put his hat on and draped his ruck sack over his shoulder. "I figure that as long as the Judge gets his thirty pieces of silver, then he ain't got no cause to find fault with what I do with my clients. Up til now, everyone's been able to pay me a little bit, and I've been able to put any extra money in, so's that makes up for those who are short. But, I weren't gonna turn someone away just because he had no money. I figure you and me can get plenty of eggs out of those two chickens, and then the next time the Judge is in town, you can bake him a chicken for dinner. That's gotta be worth more'n three dollars."
Mary nodded, as her understanding of Nathan's position grew. As did her admiration for him. She knew that at least one of the other seven was taking advantage of the fact that Orrin let them keep what they earned over and above their fee. But, she doubted if any of the others were using that extra money to help any of their other clients pay their fee. "I'd say it's worth far more than three dollars, Nathan. I'll make a note of it, and then the next time someone can't pay, their fee will be taken care of."
Nathan smiled and nodded, touching his fingers to the brim of his hat before turning away to leave.
"Nathan?"
He paused in the doorway and looked back at her, waiting patiently, and Mary realized that Nathan always seemed to wait patiently. Most likely a holdover from his days as a slave.
"He doesn't admit it to anyone, but Judge Travis likes a nice rabbit fricassee. So, should someone ever want to pay you with a rabbit, please don't hesitate to take him up on the offer."
Nathan grinned. "Yes, ma'am, I'll do that."