My Sweet Kathy by Reggie McCann (classic books for 7th graders .TXT) 📖

of chances.

On the sixth night that I knew her, I was holding her in my arms and said, "Kathy....uh, Kathy, I was wondering about something. Would you consider, I mean, could you....what I'm trying to say is, Kathy, would you consider becoming my wife? My soul aches for you."

She said, “Yes, I would be honored to marry you, Sam. I've been waiting and waiting for you to ask me that question. Yes, I'll marry you, my love.”

Now, my whole life seemed complete.

However, she wasn't finished yet. "Oh, by the way, Sam?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Darling, I have money saved up and if I give it to you...Sam, now don't be mad or insulted, but, if I give it to you, do you think you might hire a carpenter to fix your place up? I mean, just a little bit? Maybe make it a suitable place for you and me to live? We might even raise a family there, if it's fixed up just a little bit."

Well, I certainly hope she didn't think she'd hurt my feelings. Nothing could take away the thrill and pure joy she'd just given me. Besides, I'm sure she probably didn't mean what she said in a bad way.

Chapter Six

Two days ago, after returning the rental buggy, we were walking back to her hotel. A drunken cowboy came out of the saloon just as we were passing its doors.

Seeing Kathy, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her hard up against his body, trying to kiss her. I put my hands around his neck to make him release her and then slugged him, knocking him out into the street.

I commenced to beating on him. The only thing that stopped me from killing him had been Kathy pulling me from him. But, of course, now that I'm seeing that part of my life, it brings me back to tonight.

Tonight, while we were eating in our little cafe, the door opened and in came this cowboy who'd assaulted Kathy. Seeing us there, he walked up to our table and squared off right in front of me.

"You sumabitch--I'm gonna kill you," he said, staring coldly at me.

I stood, un-strapping the hammer on my Colt, ready for him to make his play. Kathy tried to prevent it, but that just would never happen.

His hand flashed, down for the gun hanging at his right side. My draw was much faster and I sent a bullet tearing through his heart.

As he was falling to the hardwood floor of the little cafe, I felt a tremendous blow hit me in the back. The shock and the sheer, unexpected force of the impact, drove me to my knees.

Looking behind me I saw a man I’d never seen before, standing there, his pistol smoking. He was aiming it at me, ready to fire again. Without thinking about it, acting only out of instincts sharpened through the years, I threw myself off to the side. I kept my gun hand from making contact with the floor, which could've jarred the pistol from my grip.

I felt the heat of his bullet...heard the snap, as it passed close to my ear. Then I heard this horrible "thump

," as it struck Kathy in the chest. She grunted from the bullet's impact, even while she was slowly falling to the floor. I knew I’d made a horrible mistake.

"NO!"

I yelled out, damning myself for having moved from in front of her.

While I'd been looking at her, it had distracted me from the stranger, who must’ve been a friend of the man I’d just killed. Before I could fire at him, his third bullet struck me in the chest. I felt it burn its path all the way through my body, and then rip itself out through my back.

I shot the man four times. All four of my slugs hit him somewhere in the chest. He began to crumble and fall, but, I'd already turned back to Kathy, because I knew he was done.

Kathy was lying on the floor, mostly on her back, but partially on her left side. I crawled the short distance over to her and gently rolled her onto her back. The front of her dress was soaked with her blood. I carefully tried to judge the damage she'd suffered but was unable to do so.

I quickly unbuttoned the top of her dress and pulled it over to the side. When I could see the wound, I was stunned and simply slumped over her. The bullet had entered just beneath her left breast. I knew this was a wound she could never survive. I’d seen many such wounds before.

My forehead rested for a few seconds upon her bare breast. Lifting my head from her body, I gently pulled the dress back over her, covering her breast.

Standing slowly, and with great difficulty, from beside her, I began walking toward the man lying in the back of the cafe. It was hard for me to walk. I was having trouble getting my breath and I was coughing up blood. The blood constantly filled my mouth.

Hatred, which I thought I'd dealt with long ago, rushed like a flood back into my heart again. I spat a mouthful of the blood onto the cafe floor. I watched it splatter there, in all directions.

It scattered the dirt on the floor, sending it flying. In what seemed to be slow motion, I noticed it not only scatterd the dirt, it also caused many casualties to a long line of ants who'd been marching along the floor from one table to another.

Completely and from out of nowhere, at a time like this, I chuckled. Even as I watched the ants scattering in a thousand directions, the thought came to me. Hell, boys...everybody's got their own problems, huh?

When I finally reached the man and could see his eyes, they were open wide. They were filled with fear. He was gasping for air—but hell, we were both gasping for the very same air.

His eyes followed my every move. He knew he was about to die— that right now, the messenger of death had come for him. He was about to need a lot less air.

My remaining bullet, I put straight into his left eye. I fully reloaded my Colt, and sent six more slugs tearing into his head. From no more than three feet distance, thise .44 caliber bullets tore his head apart.

I’d been hit very hard by his bullets and I knew that, just like my Kathy, I'd never survive them.

The gun fell from my suddenly, extremely weak, fingers. They no longer had the will with which to grip it. Horrible pain sent me back down onto my knees. The loss of blood, the pain; together they forced me to have to crawl, just so I could get back over where Kathy was lying. I refused to die before I reached her side.

When I finally reached her, after what seemed to take forever, I got myself up into a sitting position beside her. Lifting her upper body onto my lap, I sat there, cradling her in my arms, holding her close to my chest. Then, I leaned back against this wall.

Chapter Seven

Oh, my God, she is so beautiful

, I remember thinking when I'd held her in my arms earlier tonight, when she was first shot. I remember those last moments again, now, as I’d lived them then; her hair of gold, those blue eyes slightly closed

.

I remember too, gently placing my lips upon hers, feeling the cold wetness and tasting the iron of the blood which coated her sweet lips.

I feel the tears stinging again, as I remember whispering into her ear, "I love you so much, Kathy."

A soft laugh escapes my lips as the realization strikes me that I’d just repeated those words out loud, again, even as I was remembering I’d said them to her earlier.

Her hair, which I'd always found to be so sassy, had been falling across her face

, and I can remember gently brushing it back with my fingertips. The smile, with which she’d drawn me into her world the very first time I ever saw her, had returned once more to her lips, only seconds before she died.

That smile, appearing as if she had some secret knowledge of what awaited her, or what awaited the two of us, perhaps...when we were finally together again.

I remember asking her, "Will you wait for me when you get there?"

And, I remember too, her final words; the words which will take me on angel wings to her side once more, "I will wait for you, my love—don't be long. I'm afraid, and I don't want to be alone."

"You're not alone, my love," I hear myself say out loud.

I remember the fierce grip with which she'd held my hand, as if she was trying to keep me with her

; I remember feeling her soul, as it was leaving her body; her hand slowly relaxing, becoming soft once more.

I remember, in these last few moments remaining to me now, how she’d just slipped away from me, and was gone.

I know I’d begun to cry, sitting there on the floor, holding her close to my chest.

It's so hard to breathe—and now, a final insult. I can no longer see anything.

I am totally blind. Reaching down, I feel for, and, finally find her face. Tilting her sweet face up for the very last time, with my fingers, I know there is time for one last touch of my lips to hers. My tears fall, unseen by either one of us, onto her face and my hand.

I cannot believe I’m going to be deprived of having one final look at her beautiful face, before I die. It is not fair

...I hear myself screaming out from within my mind.

I have to fight back the blood, which is now filling my throat, my mouth. I'm not scared at all. I no longer feel any pain either. I only feel how very much I want to rush this moment. I can't wait for it to be over.

There is a persistent tugging on my hand and it's bothering me. It is frustrating my need to leave this place. Opening my eyes, which must have closed without me even knowing it, I see Kathy. It was she who had been gently pulling on my hand. She’s with me once again.

She’s standing there, above me now, and she's holding her hand down for me to take. With the wonderful anticipation of being rejoined with my love, I find myself reaching up, taking her sweet, tender hand in my own.

Rising, I stand beside her once again. My arm goes around her waist, gently pulling her body against mine. Now I'm looking down into her beautifully glistening, gold-flecked eyes. I care about nothing else but being with her again.

I want nothing more than what I now have. Just to be here...in her arms...to be with her again. Heaven cannot hold anything more beautiful

than this lovely creature now standing here, at my side. What a glorious feeling -- to know she wants to be here beside me. I am complete. Total happiness surrounds me, as