Ladies of the West

Kate sat in her chair and stared out the window of her small room in the Arizona desert. She was a charity case now. The Pioneers home was where they kept the old fossils these days. Nobody much cared about them. They only cared about the War over in Europe and if we were going to be pulled into it. In 1940 Doc Holliday’s whore was old news.

Baszd szajba az anyadat! They did want her story for free. Some of these newspaper men tried to get her to talk about her life. For free. They should know a whore never does anything for free.

She knew she was a whore. Once she had dreams. When she married the dentist. Silas had been a good man. She had loved him and the baby they had. But the fever had taken them both and she was alone. So she turned to working on her back as it was the only occupation open to her at the time.

Life was strange. She took up with another Dentist. Doc. He didn’t practice much. In fact he was a pretty piss poor dentist. Still the times they had. Until it all turned to shit. Because of those god damned Earps.

There was a knock at the door. Soft. Tentative. She almost thought that she had dreamed it. Then it happened again.

“Who is it?”

“It’s John McLemore Mrs. Cummings. I wonder if we could have a word. I have someone I would like to introduce to you.”

A kurva istenit! What now! McLemore was the front desk clerk. She had to keep him sweet if she wanted anything. Like cigarettes or a newspaper. Baszd meg! She had to let him in.

“Come in. Come in.”

The weedy desk clerk came into the room ushering a tall man in tweeds wearing a slouch hat and an eyepatch of all things. He had a presence. Not like the old gunmen. Still and all he had something. He was a man. A man to be reckoned with. She would have fucked him.

“Mrs. Cummings I would like to introduce you to someone. This is a very famous Hollywood Director. Mr. John Ford. He wanted to meet you.”

Ford strode over to her chair and picked up her hand. He kissed it like an old time grandee. “Very pleased to meet you Mrs. Cummings. I wonder if we might speak for a few minutes.”

“Surely Mr. Ford.  I have enjoyed your movies. Love the ones about Ireland. Of course for sure certain I reckon the ones about the old days are bullshit.”

The director had taken off his hat and was holding a stained handkerchief in his hand. He raised an eyebrow. Or at least the one eyebrow you could see.

“Yes I can understand how some of it can seem strange to someone who had lived through it. I am a story teller. I want to tell the truth. That is why I am here. I understand that before you married Mr. Cummings you were married to John Henry Holliday?”

“Not hardly.”

Ford looked alarmed. He turned to McLemore who just shrugged. “I was given to understand that you were known as Katie Elder and were married to Doc Holliday. Was I misinformed?”

“I was Katie Elder. But I was never married to John. I was his whore. Till his dying day.”

“I see. Still I would like to talk to you about those days. About Doc Holiday. The Earps. The Clantons. I am researching a movie about that time and I would like to talk to someone who was there.”

“We can do that.”

“Splendid.”

“If you pay. I am still a whore. I still need the money. I have needs. So if you want to know you have to pay. Like they all did. Doc. Ringo. Frank Leslie. Wyatt. All of them. You have to pay to see what I got.”

Ford sat back in his chair nonplussed. “I appreciate your honesty Mrs. Cummings. It is quite unusual where I come from. I think we can come to an understanding.”

“Fair enough young fellla. Now why not start out by having this young sprat get us a bottle of whiskey and some cigarettes.  Then we can start.”

“You heard her McLemore. Get moving. I think this is the beginning of something wonderful.”