Author's Note: Here's a little cheesy love story with some research in it. I also used this for both my language arts and social studies.
We were two peas in a pod. We were
two love birds. We were in love. I would have never thought of a better way to
leave this world. I would have not rather spent the rest of my life with anyone
else but him. He was the one. He was my soul mate. And the story started off
like this.
My
legs felt as if they were about to snap off. It seemed as if we were walking
for a million years. A 13 year-old girl shouldn't be walking so many miles in a
day. A 13 year-old girl should be outside with her friends and gossiping about
all the latest drama, not walking millions and trillions of miles a day. Why are you walking so many miles a day
you ask? All of this wasn't my decision. None of it was.
It
all started when my parents found out that our neighbors, Bob and Jill, were
moving westward. Since they thought that it would be a “good idea and a new
experience!” “Moving west would help us start new, on a clean slate.” Sometimes
I question my parents’ decisions. Like having another baby sister. Do they
really think that I want to be a “role model”? She’s going to be so irritating
when we leave tomorrow.
Tomorrow
is a new day. New place. New life. As ma and pa start to pack our belongings, a
young man knocks on our shaggy, ancient wooden door. He claims he’s a rider for
the Pony Express, but he looks too young and good looking to be a rider. I
mean, I thought he was pretty cute. Starting to lecture my parents, he’s
convincing them to take him with us. Do I mind? No. Looks like I’m going to
have a new friend.
It
was departure day. All five of us were not ready to leave our small town, but
my parents were ready to clean off the slate and start new. Was I ecstatic? Not
at all. We walk and the raging, steaming hot sun was showering me with sweat
while walking. The only thing my mind was set on was crossing the finish line. Knowing that
Tom, the rider, was with me made me feel much more better than what it would be
like if he weren’t here and what it would be like without him being here.
Our first pit-stop had come. Tom and I were sharing a tent
together. That was no surprise. As the night was falling and the moon was
rising, Tom would tell me all of his stories being a rider. All starting from
history. I know that history is boring, but it helps you understand things more
when they are talked about.
The Pony
Express began on April 3rd 1860.[1]
I started my duty as a rider on April 4th. They were looking for a
young looking lad, like me, to go and deliver mail for others. Only 200 of us
were able to get the job.[2]
Jake, my best friend, didn’t get the job. Although I felt bad at first, I had
to take care of my family and myself. First, they weighed me because there was
a weight limit for all riders: 120 pounds or under.[3]
I barley made the cut by 5 pounds. I had to ride more than 180 miles in a day;
1800 in 10 days to be more accurate.[4]
Each of us riders had to go 60-120 miles.[5] My monthly salary was anywhere from $120-$125.[6]
I’ve been in St. Joseph, MO all the way to Sacromento, CA.[7]
That’s 1900 miles of riding on a horse to deliver mail.[8]
I would always get complaints of how a customer’s mail would come late. I mean
there’s nothing I can do about it. Sometimes it would take 3 weeks to several
months.[9]
He told me all about his adventures being a rider; the pros
and cons. A few more weeks came as we traveled west. As he told me more and
more about being a rider and what is was like working for the Pony Express, I felt a connection with Tom. I felt as if we
were meant to be. That we were destined to be together. Maybe that’s why he
entered my life. We were meant to be together.
Our final miles were ahead of us. Tom pulled me aside. I was
anxious to know what he needed to tell me. “Samantha, I have a confession to
make.” He said terrified.
“Yes Tom?” Questioning him.
“Well, ever since we started to talk, I felt a special
connection with you. More than friends and I was wondering if you felt the
same?” He said with the most fear as a little girl seeing a rat.
“Tom, ever since I met you, I have never set my eyes on another
man but you.” I said with much love and full-heartedly. He ran towards me and
gave me a big kiss. I had never gotten one before, but I knew that this was the
best one. From that day on, every single day I was falling in love with him
even more.
The Indians came to attack a few weeks later. Tom and I stook
together. If one of us died, so would the other. It wasn’t long until we were
safe. Chief of the tribe found us hiding in the near-by barn. Pleading for a
second chance and another chance of living, he had enough of what we had to
say. BOOM. He was dead. And there was nothing I could do about it.
“Kill me.” I shouted.
“What?” The chief questioned.
“Kill me. We both made a promise. If one dies so does the
other.” I said with no doubt.
BOOM. As he shot with no care and no heart.
Sometimes I question that day. I question what would have
happened if I were still alive without Tom. There’s nothing I regret. A promise
is a promise. But everyday, Tom and I are together in heaven. In love. We were
two peas in a pod. We were two love birds. We were in love.
Works Cited
Pony Express. (n.d.). Retrieved from Plains Humanities:
http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.tra.024
Pony Express Debuts. (n.d.). Retrieved from History: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pony-express-debuts
Pony Express-
History & Culture. (n.d.).
Retrieved from Nationl Park Service:
http://www.nps.gov/poex/historyculture/index.htm
Pony Express Trail
National Back Country Byway. (n.d.).
Retrieved from Utah: http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/pony_express.htm
