Pingya And Sammy--A Secret Love   Chapter 8 from Pam Potter's Secret Love Novel Pam Potter © Copyright 2002 by Pam Potter

A few hours passed as Sammy hurried down the back stairs to the carriage , painted yellow at the top and red for the carriage where she and Dolly would set. She laughed as she heard the beads from her hat clicked together as she hurried down the steps, then she looked at her feet, ,she had just her red stockings on, as she was was about to raced back up the stairs, Poney saw her, and laugh. "No time, just get in the carriage I go get for you, just got Dolly in there a second ago, she forgot her red beads necklack my mother gave her ,so was on the way to your apartment anyway. " Sammy nods as Poney passed her and was at the top of the stairs in a seconds as Sammy climb in back of the wooden gold and red carriage. Dolly sat on the gold bench , twisting at her fingers, rolling her gold wedding band around. " I can't me, really having a real wedding! I 'm the one who woman whisper about , and whose husband sneak to visit.."

Sammy nodded ,half hearing what she said as she seen Poney family and hers, gathered under the big tent the wedding would be at. She hoped her friends from church would come, but they decline since it was a Buddist wedding. She smiled as she seen her true friends Claire Jane and Simon and their children Lauire and Noah turn the corner of the side of the Sungya and Poney laundry. At least she knew she had one true friend, that understood it was just a Sammy and Pingya, and Dolly and Chong wedding, no other labels attached to it. It was a a wedding, true she was wearing a red dress instead of white, but after seven children who would believe she was a virgin in a white wedding gown anyway. She laughed to her self as the thoughts raced through her mind wearing white satin dress in 1877 at Holton, Kansas, but quickly remember she only wore a calico dress, she had ridden all night in and didn't have a chance to change clothes before they were married. Now was her chance to wear a real weding gown and she was going to enjoy every moment of it. ' 'Who cares if it's red satin, and not white satin, red a pretty color anyway. I bet Pingya looks cute all dressed in his red satin pants and shirt, never could get him to tried it on long enough to really see how it looked on him. He just say, I'll wear it all day , on the wedding day, you shall have plenty of time to see me in it.' Sammy thought as out of the corner of her eyes she seen her four daughters and niece raced from inside the tent to Laurie, who broke free of her mothers hand, and ran to the giggling girls. They soon raced back inside the tent.

Several minutes later Poney enter the Kelly apartment and hurried into Sammy and Pingya bedroom to gathered Sammy shoes . She searched behind a red checker curtians where a metal rod hung, and Sammy three calico dresses, two blue, one yellow hung, squashed against two blue pale work shirts and one pair of levis,. Underneth was two rose hat boxes, and a black high top shoes tosed on top. She search behind the hat boxes but only shoes in the closet was the black ones. " Where are those red satin shoes? I seen a few hours ago when she was bathing. Ahh, they are at my apartment! I better see if I can find Dolly necklace before I leave here. She sleeping with the children.. She hurried down the dim hall ,light by the sun from the over cast of the front porch roof. She kicked a wood train cabose left by one of the children, she wasn't sure who toys were whose anymore they way all the children play and fussed together on the front porch and under the stairs in back of the apartments every day.

Poney turn her glass door knob and it the door wouldn't budge.' Fine time the door get stuck now, I'm sure I didn't lock it, wonder if Sungya lock it. He probly did, and the key with him!' She whinned to herself, then hurried to the kitchen window. It was almost shut and lock.' Why did that man lock up the house like a bank today! He must be still mad about our children, the Kelly children, and Jones children, my sisters children sneaking in the house yesterday as the tent were being put up and spilling the sugar and flour all over the kitchen and wasting it and making sugar cookies, no he was not mad over that I was, he just laugh and ate a cookie. He did not have to clean up the mess, I did, but little Jade and Ah had a rag too, could not do anything about the children that was not mind. So why he locked up the house. Oh well, I will just get Sammy my red shoes, Dolly will just have to get married without the beads.' Poney thought and hurried down the back stairs to the carriages as four men, one her husband, and one Caleb picked up a side of the carriage. She quickly slip Sammy her shoes. Sammy giggled and slipped them on and didn't noticed that they wasn't her shoes as she felt herself being carried. Poney ran back to the apartments to Sammy apartment to borrow a black pair of high top button shoes, so she wouldn't be at the wedding in her black stocking feet, as she heard the flute and banjo playing in the distance, Poney knew the wedding had begun. She better hurry.

Across the road Sammy twisted the lose skin from her thumb as she poked her head out the carriage. She narrow her emerald eyes trying to focus through the beads that dangle in her eyes as she was carried across the dirt road to the tent,as a rope tide the post of Chong and Dolly front porch of their new two room brick house , attached to the back of Sunya laundry. Sammy heard flute and banjo strings playing behind her as the sounds came from her apartment. She peeked outside of the carriage and seen Pingya , and Chong dressed in red satin shirt and pants, and a small red silk hat and red silk shoes, in the middle of the singers and banjo and flute players, three on each side of them, and the well wishes of Poney family covered them so fast they disappear before Sammy blink her eyes.

Her eyes searched for mother in the crowd, at the back of the open tent attached to Dolly and Chong home. " Was ma really here? Or did I just dream it? Where is she and Hallie? Oh ,there Charlie with Joshua and Abe..Ma really is here! But where? ' Sammy thought as she pulled at her thumb nail as it broke off and bleeding. But she didn't noticed, she keep poking her headaround from the carriage as Caleb saw her, and suddenly she felt her head pushed back in the carriage. Sammy glared at him, as he point at her to keep her head in the carriage. " Caleb , as bossy as Pingya! He don't have any say over me!'

She fummed as she peeked out of the carriage and seen his dark gray dress pants just a few feet away ' Caleb would of got my side, just my luck. I bet Pingya and Caleb had it all planned, so I wouldn't searched the crowd out to see who showed up from church,, Who did show up from church? I only see Claire Jane, no she don't count she my friend from back home.I thought maybe Mrs. Woolen would come. She teaches Ho-Ming sunday school class...But Caleb out there, he shoved my head back in the carriage if I dared to look. '

Sammy wondered as she felt the hot suns left her face as she was carried inside the tent and all went dark as her eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the wall to wall people. Mostly black heads with bright satin red or yellow dress covered the tent as Poney's family out number Sammy family and friends in the crowd.

Sammy slowly edge closer to the opening and the strange music was louder, she didn't know if the flute drown out the banjo or the banjo drown out the flute, but it was a pretty tune. Sammy suddenly seen Dolly friend Katie standing in by an opening in the tent. She was dress as she was going to church, you would never guess she was a working girl from the saloon. Sammy smiled, and whisper to Dolly, her friend Katie was here. Dolly beams. "I have a guest here too, good she came, she said she would, and she did. She had to work tonight, but Bart wouldn't let her off, and she came anyway.." Dolly smiled as her face glow knowing her friend was out there watching.

Sammy and Dolly laughed as they watch Golden carried a bridal box among the the Kelly and Jones and Woo children as they giggled and helped Golden he dirt road to the tent, Sammy laughed and Dolly giggled as Sammy point toward Dolly middled that already show a child was in progress. Both women were told this custom meant the bridegroom's dreams to have a child in the near future. " Chong and his family wish will come true, a baby is in the near future." Dolly laughed.

Both brides watched from the carriage as the music stop and Pingya and Chong were blocked at the door by Christie who giggled as Poney came panting up behind , and stood beside her blocking the door as the wedding guest watched . Sammy remembered that they had to past the questions Christie and Poney would asked them before they could go inside. She didn't believe Pingya when he had told her about all the games that took placed before the couple could be married, she did now. " Pingya ,what day and month did you met Sammy for the first time?" Christie asked laughing, she thought he might know the month but the day. She didn't remember herself until she sat up for a hour reading her old dairy looking for clues to ask Pingya. Pingya rolled his dark small eyes upward, and shook his head. " May 1877 at Elm creek in Circleville Kansas." " Pingya , what is the date?" He had no idea, he can see Sammy clear in his mind saying it, but he can't focus the sound in his memory. ' She mentions it every year . We were married September 14, and they had know each other four months to the day almost. it be May 13 or the 12? Which one was it?" " May 13 1877." Pingya stated as he knew it was for certain that date and not a guess. Christie nods, but still won't leave the door. Poney smiled at Chong and then noticed Dolly friend edging herself through the crowd to watched. She hurried over to the tall, dark hair woman and whisper to her to asked a question to Chong.

" What is Dolly favorite song?" Katie asked as she looked at Chong squared in the eyes, smiling. Chong coughed and looked around, and seen the carriage where his bride awaits. Dolly likes the church song, she hums it alot..What is it called?' Chong asked hiself. " Times a ticking." Poney giggled as she point to her watch pen to her dress.

Five minutes passed, Chong mind still was blank. Six minutes passed as Poney removed her watch and showed her brother the second hand ticking away.

" Amazing Grace."

Chong hollered. Poney moved aside as Chistie did and the carriage was carried inside the tent to Dolly kitchen.

Both men were asked two more questions and passed, And the carriage was followed behind them. The men sang one verse to Amazing grace. Both men sighed a relief knowing the hard part was over, they hoped, but then saw Christie and Poney and Katie hand out red packets, filled with silver and gold coins, that jiggled in their hands, then the three women hid the coins around the kitchen, then giggled as they went to the bedroom.

Then the three women stood at the door as Dolly was carried in by Poney cousin, and Sammy friend Claire Jane , then they took the empty sedan chair back out and came back a few moments with Sammy and carried her inside. Sammy watched, and remembered Poney saying this meant good luck, as Poney cousin shield Sammy and Dolly with a red parasol and Claire threw rice at sedan chair On her way to the chair, a sister of her will shield her with a red parasol and another threw rice at the sedan chair,

Joshua and Abe and Ah and Charlie stood at the open door, each had fire crackers in their hands, waiting for the signal to light the fuse. Sammy jumped as she remember Poney had told her that firecrackers would be shot warn away evil spirits as the two brides sits into the sedan chairs side by side hidden behind the heavy curtains.

At the back of the chair hung a sieve and a silver mirror that Poney's family believed to protect the brides from evil. Poney whispers in the ears to act as they were crying to show they don't want to leave their parents. Both women eyes was crying from joy as their dream came true, they had a wedding, not a few words said in front of a sheriff, but really married, all the fun that goes with it. Sammy and Dolly seen two sedan chair a red mat is placed so that the bride's bodies wouldn't touch the wood floor.

By the threshold of the two sedan chairs Sunya held a koresene lantern and a saddle was placed set up. Both women were told by Poney mother they had to step ober, which they did. Poney explain to the western guest that was scattered among her family that this meant to ward off evil spirts. The buddist priest came in, said a few words and smiled at the two couples.

Sammy knew now the wedding was over and the night of the wedding party has begun.

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