“Mother, why do we have to travel to the west?” asked Wilhelmina. Wilhelmina Davis has always loved her hometown, Independence, Missouri. Her family owned one of the best bakeries in the city. However, they had to close down the bakery due to her parents’ large debt. “We have no choice, Wil,” her mother said while cleaning up, “And besides, if we travel to the west, such as cheap, abundant land and perfect weather, she also has heard terrible news, such as Indian attacks and steep mountains. But of course, since they had no choice but to move, before they set off, her parents joined a wagon train. The next morning, they packed their belongings and went on with the journey.
“Did you know Texas was a part of Mexico? I heard that they will think it is a part of Mexico. There is a war going on there right now,” said Mrs. Mitchell, a member of the wagon train the Davis family had joined, while everyone was having supper. They were all worried about the war, and were also concerned what will happen to them once they reach Texas, with the war going on. “I just hope it may be over when we get there,” said Mrs. Davis to her husband, motioning to where Wilhelmina and Thomas were. Wilhelmina met Thomas when the members of the wagon train introduced themselves, and they immediately fell in love with each other. Thomas had to be in the war so he could find his father who was missing and was rumored to be involved in it. “Why do you have to fight? You know I can never live without you,” said Wilhelmina to Thomas. “Wil, I am deeply sorry, but I have to find my father no matter what. He’s the only family I have. Do not worry, after the war, I’ll come back for you. Trust me”.
The wagon train traveled for a few more days under the heat of the sun, and the thousands of buffalo running beside them. The men shot the buffalo while some got injured because they went right in the middle of the path of the buffalo. Luckily, no one was killed. There was delicious food for everyone, and the people tried not to talk about what’s happening in Texas. Everybody was happy, but they were also anxious. Wilhelmina and Thomas were hoping that the Mexican War would be over, along with the others. At sunrise, the wagon train set out and reached Texas in eighteen miles. The war was not over yet, so Thomas was gone and Wilhelmina was left to wait and hope for her lover’s safety.
One day, she heard that the people involved in the war were going to fight in the Battle of San Jacinto to finish the war once and for all. She would listen in everyday for news about Thomas and his father, if he ever found him. She was hoping Thomas found him and that they were both safe, but the news told her something else. “Mother, what if Thomas and his father are dead? What would I do? How can I live without him? It is killing me everyday that I listen to the news,” she told her mother. Mrs. Davis tried to comfort her saying, “Everything is goin to be fine, Wil. Everything is going to be fine”. The next day, she heard that General Santa Anna signed a treaty that made Texas the Lone Star Republic, an independent nation. She also heard that the survivors of the war were going to back any time soon. She waited and waited, but there was no sign of Thomas and his father. As the sun set, Mrs. Davis came to her and said, “I am very sorry, Wil”. As Wilhelmina was staring at the setting sun, she saw the silhouettes of two men walking towards them.