Williams, Arizona, April 1905
Annie Rollins adjusted her new skirt and smiled at her reflection. How liberating! After making sure her hair stayed secure in its new style, backcombed so it stood inches higher than normal, she felt like a modern woman, even stuck in the backwoods of northern Arizona. With one final glance and pat at her pompadour, Annie sashayed from the room.
“What are you wearing?” Her mother’s reaction did not disappoint.
“It’s a split skirt, Mother.” Annie twirled. “Do you like it? It offers so much freedom of movement.”
Her mother planted her fists on her thin hips. “I do not, and what did you do to your hair? It’s sky-high. Heaven have mercy.”
“It’s called a transformation. It’s the newest style.” Annie brushed past her and glided down the stairs. She might as well get the day started, and one of her jobs was to register guests at the B and B’s front desk.
Her mother’s heels tapped behind her. “Why do you feel the need to be highfalutin way out here?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being modern. We’re in the twentieth century.” Lord, give me strength. Mother complained more often than not, ever since Papa’s death two years ago. It was time to start living again.
“You look ridiculous and out of place in Williams.” Mother unlocked the cabinet where she kept the registry book. She lifted the leather volume and plopped it on the counter. “People will laugh.”
“Let them.” Annie let the cover fall open and ran her finger down the page. “Only two guests registered?”
“Hopefully, there will be more. These two reservations came in by telegram.”
Annie leaned her elbows on the counter. “I have an idea.”
Her mother rolled her eyes. “Not another one. You and your harebrained schemes.”
“We need to entice people to stay here. Offer them extra services.” Annie raised her eyebrows, choosing to ignore her mother’s attitude. “Have you thought any about my suggestion of offering guided tours of the canyon? I mentioned the idea to you weeks ago. I could be the guide. You know I would love it.”
“Absolutely not.” Mother shook her head. “That is definitely not a ladylike occupation.”
“Sometimes I don’t want to act like a lady.” Annie lifted her chin. “Ladies don’t have a lot of fun.”
Mother’s hand fluttered to her chest. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Let me be who I am.” Annie sighed. Maybe a change of subject was in order. “The new restaurant opens today. Should we eat dinner there?”
“What’s wrong with my food?”
“Nothing. It was only a suggestion.” It seemed Annie couldn’t get anything right in her mother’s eyes. Maybe she shouldn’t try. Mother hadn’t been happy when they’d moved from Boston to northern Arizona, but since Papa’s death she seemed to want everyone around her to feel unhappy too.
“No more suggestions.” Mother took a deep breath. “Starting tomorrow, I will be running the boardinghouse alone.”
Annie fixed a stare on her. “What do you mean?” Please say she wasn’t being sent to a school for ladies. That would be a fate worse than death.
Mother pulled a sheet of paper from her apron pocket. “Tomorrow morning you will report to the El Tovar. I got you a job as a Harvey Girl.”
“What? Why? What about helping you?” It wasn’t as bad as boarding school, but almost. “What about the women’s ministry at church?” What about interviewing for the job herself?
“You have Sundays off.” Mother slapped the application on the counter. “They’ve also agreed to allow you to sleep here rather than in the girls’ dormitory. I promised them you were a comely girl with high moral standards and that I was more than sufficient as a chaperone during your off hours.”
No doubt there. “So you aren’t even going to consider my idea of guided tours?” Annie’s shoulders slumped. Why couldn’t Mother commend her, just once, for having a creative mind?
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t consider it, but that is a man’s job.” Mother wiped her hands on her apron. “Time for work.” She turned and unlocked the front door. Business as usual.
Annie blinked against the tears stinging her eyes. Nineteen years old, and she still wasn’t in control of her own life. Didn’t God give His children the desires of their hearts? Hers was to work outside in His creation, not in a stuffy restaurant.
“I need some air.” Annie bolted from behind the counter and dashed outside.
“Annette Rollins.” Her mother’s screech followed. “Ladies do not run!”
Annie pinched the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb, and then lifted her gaze to the new restaurant. Her prison.
The two-story El Tovar Hotel, built from local limestone and pine, overshadowed the dwellings around it. It was only a matter of time before the Rollins Boardinghouse would be out of business in favor of something grander. That was the main reason Annie presented new ideas to her mother for drawing in business. She didn’t want to see her mother thrust out of her livelihood. If only she would listen!
Annie turned and surveyed the rim of the Grand Canyon, barely visible behind the hotel. Her heart yearned to explore the canyon floor, but even she knew it wasn’t wise to go alone. Taking a group with her seemed the most sensible way. She headed toward her favorite view.
One of God’s wonders for sure, and the real draw to the town of Williams, regardless of what the railroad people said. It might be the trains that brought the crowds, but it was the canyon that made them return.
Annie stopped at the edge and flung her arms wide, taking in the azure sky and the pinks and mauves of the plunging canyon walls. The Colorado River wound like a ribbon along the floor far below. A bald eagle soared under her, bobbing and dancing on the wind’s current. What would that feel like—the freedom to soar?
Although the boardinghouse demanded plenty of hard work, it was home. It was all Annie knew. Now, she was being thrust into strange surroundings. Though her mother hadn’t spelled it out, Annie was sure this new job was supposed to teach her feminine ways. She’d seen the waitresses flitting around town and going in and out of the hotel in their black-and-white uniforms. They looked fetching, but such a life wasn’t for Annie.
She wanted so much more. Letting the tears fall, she lifted her desire to heaven. God would take care of the details. If she could step back and let Him.