If a Door Opens, Walk Through It.

For fifteen year old Jeremy Morehead, the last day of school was no cause for celebration. He walked the dirt lane home slowly, holding hands with Amber. "Do you really have to, Jeremy?" she said. He nodded, as he kicked at a rock in the dirt. "Ain't got no choice, really. My daddy's all stove up. He can't do it no more. We ain't got no money, Amber, unless I do it." It was a scary thought to think of going deep down into the mountainside. All his young life, he had watched men like his father, succumb to the back-breaking toll of mining coal. It was a history of cave-ins, and black lung. People who went down and never came up. People the earth swallowed. There were at least a dozen makeshift crosses erected around the mine shaft. Many were adorned with plastic flowers and hand-scrawled messages. "We will always love you, Jimmy." "May the Lord bless and keep you." "Called home to God." Jeremy's first time to go down into that dark world was rapidly approaching. He had already signed on, and would begin working in but a week. "But, I don't want you to, Jeremy." Amber said, her eyes welling with tears about to fall. "I lost my daddy, an' I lost my uncle to that mine. I can't lose you too. I just can't." And with that her whole chest began to heave and she clutched her face. "I just can't!" she sobbed, as Jeremy took her into his arms, and swallowed all his own fears. "I'll be ok, Amber" he said caressing her hair and trying to lift her face to look at him. "It's jus' for a little while. Jus' 'til I can find us some way out."

Amber stood on the front porch with her mother. She drew her shawl around her shoulders as she felt the chill of the fog that once seemed so romantic, and now seemed like a bad dream. She could hardly see the men who came by, two or three at a time, carrying their helmets, and their black metal lunch boxes. But she could hear Jeremy. He was whistling "Mocking Bird Hill". "Tra la la, tweedly dee dee, Jeremy! "I love you!" she blurted out.

The next several days, Amber did her chores as expected. She fed the chickens. She milked the cow. She drew water from the well. She went down to the river and usually was able to catch a few catfish. Her daddy had taught her how to fish. She was strong, for a girl so young. But then, it was a world where there were only two choices. You get strong or you wither away. Well, there is that third possibility, that is not a choice really. You just die under a large slab of fallen coal. For the coal company, it was just one less pension to dole out.

Sunday was the only day Jeremy had off. The only day where he could actually feel the sun on him. He strolled up the hilly pasture with Amber, and they laid down together in the tall grass. She doted and fussed about his every scratch and bruise. He pretended it was nothing. But his whole body was aching. They laid there looking up as clouds rolled through the blue sky. They held each other and dreamed of places they would like to go. Amber wanted to see Niagra Falls. Jeremy wanted to wade out into the ocean. They opened up a cigar box that they shared, and counted their money. They had forty two dollars. Some of it, money Jeremy managed to save, some of it Amber had made at her produce stand in the front yard. "How far you figure that could get us, Jeremy?" Amber asked. "I don't know, maybe to the Carolinas. Or, over to Kentucky." Amber stood and hiked her faded summer dress and straddled his belly. "Let's do it then, Jeremy." she said, tickling his ribs. Jeremy wrestled playfully with her, and easily pinned her down in the grass and kissed her. "Let's get a little more cash first." he said. "Next week, then? she said pulling at his belt buckle as he pushed her dress up. "Maybe." he said.

Jeremy and Amber stood in line at the bus station. Amber's mother had cried when she told her she was going away with Jeremy. Jeremy's mother did, as well. Jeremy's father just said, "Can't say as I blame you." They bought two tickets to Lexington, Kentucky. After that, they had 21 dollars. It's not that far a ride from Shrewsbury, West Virginia to Lexington, Kentucky, but it would take all night just the same. The bus stopped, it seemed, in every small town along the way. Amber huddled against Jeremy in the dark. "What's in Lexington, Jeremy?" Amber mumbled sleepily. Jeremy wrapped his arm around her. "Lotsa horses. Pretty rolling hills. Little stores where you can buy pretty clothes. I can probably get a job grooming horses." "I like horses" she said, yawning. "Me, too." he replied nuzzling his head against hers. "I can make pies." she said. "Maybe I could sell pies." "You can make damn good pies, baby!" he said, running his fingers through her hair. "They woke up as the bus pulled into Lexington. "I'm scared, Jeremy." she said, clutching his hand as they stepped out onto the street. "Don't be scared, baby." he said, even though he was scared himself.

Well, to make a long story short, they managed to get a room at a boarding house. It was tough, at first. They had to promise the first two weeks rent. Amber worked some of it off in the boarding house kitchen. And Jeremy swept the floors. But when you have been on the bottom, you know when you are on your way up. And Jeremy did get a job cleaning stables and grooming horses. He then went on to become a breeder of horses. He went on later to own three horses himself, and gives riding lessons now to children. As for Amber, there is a very sweet little place just off the town square, called "Amber's Pies And Stuff". One, called 'Grandma's Apple Pie' was very popular. So was 'Aunt Minnie's Pecan Molasses Cookies." They sent money home to Shrewsbury every week. And Jeremy came home each day, free of the black coal dust that once colored his body, and even if he did sometimes smell of manure, Amber didn't complain much. And Jeremy said nothing of the fact that Amber was getting more and more fleshy every day. After all, she was eating for two now.