A New Life - Chapter 3

A Day during Christmas 1953:
A New Life

A "Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck" fanfic

(Inspired in part by Don Rosa's The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck)
Disclaimer: Scrooge McDuck, etc. are (c) Disney. The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is (c) by Don Rosa and Gladstone Publications. Lyrics by "The Platters" from "Only You". This story is (c) by me. Please don't copy, link, or use it in any wise without my permission.


Chapter 3

It was about 12 noon when they finished breakfast. Scrooge talked about the boys, how much they had grown and how Donald had become engaged. They were to get married early next year.

"I thought he'd nev'er do it!", Scrooge said with a knowing smile. "I think he has once again proven the better of us." He sighed as his face lost its gleam. "I miss the lad."

"I'm sure they're going to come visit, Scrooge." She warmly wrapped her one arm around him and rested her bill on her knuckle. "They'll miss you too, you know."

"Yes, perhaps they will....but other things fill their lives now.", a grateful far away look finds itself in his eyes as he thinks of his dear nephews.

To heighten his spirit, Goldie proudly speaks of all that had happened in Dawson since his last stay. She eagerly tells him how much all the tourists enjoy the seclusion and adventure of the Yukon, just the way he did.

Even though she sincerely tries to sound excited about what she says, her true concern was solely resting on the him. However Scrooge felt the same way. Just looking hat her lifts his spirit. That smile, that expression, the movement of the hands, the gestures, the familiar sound of the voice, that had all sounded throughout many of his dreams...even the familiar smell of Goldie's perfume mesmerised Scrooge.

Scrooge caught himself reaching the thought if he still knew were she applies it - and blushed abruptly. He hastily glanced outside the window, in fear she would read his thoughts. Perhaps the intense rush of his emotions and extreme anxiety had taken it's toll on him.

"I have prepared to stay at White Agony over Christmas. Would you also like to spend Christmas up there? ", she asked him soothingly. "It's really peaceful and..."

"Of course my dearlin', I will go wherever you go.", he said, almost as if he was excusing himself and turned to gaze back into her eyes. It was awkward for him to feel the particular burning inside, which he had felt many years ago back in the gold rush days. He reached for his cane and stood up.  His body ached.  Strange how reality sometimes catches up, just when things turn out so beautiful...., he thinks ungratefully.

"I'll show you my new Dawson, Scrooge. Let's take a stroll!"

Goldie decides to show him everything that had changed in Dawson.

She was clearly very proud of the hotel and Dawson itself and she spoke of all the achievement with the great pleasure. They walked through the hotel and out into the streets of Dawson. The hotel had become bigger and had a high ranking in the hotel industry. The little town had everything one could wish for : a library, shops, hairdressers, doctors, a school, a nursery, a tourist information office, a post office, stables etc..

Goldie explained how she had supported most of them to get it all started. The hotel worked together with many of the stores and helped keep them running.

"Dawson has become one of the Top Ten towns in Alaska and many have found a new home here." She smiled proudly. Scrooge found that he also couldn't help feeling proud of her.

She had also been town major for sometime, but now passed the job on, since the hotel had become more and more popular, and greater visitor numbers meant more work. A lot of the hotel profits had flown into the foundation of the library, the nursery, school and of course the  attractions.

Its still quite cold and Scrooge gently takes her hand, hoping to warm it, but soon realised the warmth that hand holds. She's still as warm as back then in the old days, he thinks, and sighs.

They both stroll slowly through the familiar streets and pass the new stores with their gleaming lights. The latest music sounds from an open car window and drowns them in their love:

"...Only youuu....and you alone can thrill me like you dooo...and fill my heart with love ...for onlyy youuu ...uhuh...only youu...can but make this change in me, for its truuue, ...for you are my destinyyyy. When you hold my hand, I uuunderstand the magic that you dooo.... You're my dream come true...my one and onlyyy youuu..."

It was magic. As they walk, her coat quietly rustles along the snow covered ground. The now late afternoon streets of Dawson - glistening, fresh, wintry streets- where tourists wander from one store to the next, children pull their sleighs towards the outskirts of town and the snow quietly crunches beneath their webbed feet, people greet Goldie to wish her a Merry Christmas. The keen growing interest in her famous companion is not quite unnoticeable. Suddenly they hear a shout.

"Hey, Mr. McDuck! Can I have your autograph?!", a man asks running towards them, after realising who had just walked by.

"Grunt." Scrooge couldn't hide his annoyance. This was an intimate moment for the both of them and the last thing he needed was some nosy stranger bringing up all the infamous internationally spread prejudices and rumours about him.

"Go away! Leave us alone!", Scrooge shouts coarsely. He demonstratively holds his hand up at the face of the excited stranger and then walks on ignoring him. Goldie wraps her arms around Scrooges other arm. The man follows them.

"Scrooge, give him his autograph! Then he'll leave us alone!", she suggests, feeling the need to clam the situation.

"I won't! I don't even want to think about what he'll do with it...", he remarks angrily, while walking at a faster pace. Goldie looks over her shoulder noticing the man following them with determination. More people had picked up what was going on.

"'comon, just one autograph! You can't really be that stingy!" The man seems disappointed, but then gets even more excited: "Hey, are you together? Are you together with her?".

Scrooge stops abruptly, he could now feel his blood boil. 'No one messes with my privacy! And least of all, if Goldie is part of it!'
Scrooge rolls up the thick sleeves of his coat, ready to let out all the fierce anger that had built up inside of him and make sure the next thing the man whines for is the first aid team, that is, if he still can...
Goldie realises what Scrooge is about to do.

"No, Scrooge! That will make things worse!", she stops him by holding tightly onto his arm. Scrooge's face hat run red hot with anger, determined to face the man standing just a few feet away from them.

"Uh?" The man now seems unsure about getting an informative reply and steps back.

"Lets go back to the hotel! No one will believe him anyway, if he doesn't have any proof."

She firmly takes Scrooges hand and pulls him into a side street, a short-cut to the hotel. It wasn't his way to run from such a situation, but Goldie's physical touch and her will was more precious and important to him than his pride, and robbed him of his own will to protest.

Scrooge snorts and holds onto his top hat as if it would be the only thing that kept his dignity and help him control the anger glowing inside of him.

Goldie tries to calm him down: "I'm certain that won't be the only one of that sort around here. Best thing we go up to White Agony. No one will disturb us there.", she says hastily.

Back at the Hotel Goldie gets the hotel staff get her jeep all fixed up with the supplies for White Agony, while Scrooge sits in front of the open fire in the reception with a hot mug of nutmeg tea to clam his nerves. As Goldie comes down from her room, he glances up at her, realising she had changed to wearing a more rustical outfit: a pine green blouse and wild leather skirt. In her arms she holds onto a long, thick, leather fur-trimmed coat.

"You might need to change your clothes to something more...suitable.", Goldie remarks scrutinising Scrooges red gown, "you are receiving more than enough attention with that gown of yours. Come with me!"

As always she slaps her hand around his wrist and leads him up to her room. Scrooge felt never more happy to oblige. He wanted his life to be different from now on and treasure advice given to him by those who love him. And the small ones should make the start!

He would have made far less mistakes in his life if he had done so earlier.... Instantaneously dark memories of Hortense and Matilda come up into his mind. He hadn't listened to them and he made a mistake that haunted the rest of his life.

Goldie laid a fresh lumberjack shirt, leather jacket and hat in his arms.
"I hope they fit you, sourdough! Some odd tourists had left them in their room!"

Then she walked out, smiling at him warmly.

"Thank you.", Scrooge replies, trying to hide the uncertain gratitude.

After Scrooge had slipped into the shirt, he checked himself in the mirror.  With utter disbelief he saw how well the shirt suited him. It made him look younger too. Sure, it was a bit loose. He ruffled up the sleeves, before putting on the leather Jacket. It fitted perfectly.
The hat just topped the look: 'Hah! The return of the King of the Kolodike!', he smirks as it reminds him of his younger self.

As he went out, he noticed his gown and gaiters still lying on the floor. He went back to pick them up. They were worn and smelled like old coins. It was the smell of loneliness and depression, but also of many adventures...bygone adventures. His no. one dime was still attached to the gown. He tears it off with a jerk and carefully puts it into his chest pocket.

Indifferently he goes over to the fireplace and throws the old garment onto the glowing coals. Yes, perhaps they would still have made a few dollars on the flea market or even a few more at the millionaires club as "the gown of the richest duck in the world", but seeing off his older self was priceless. Just like everything else he was planning to do. From now on money all materialistic things would come second...

Scrooge stood there a few minutes with his arms held behind his back, while the old gown was eaten away by shallow flames.

As he came down back to the reception, Goldie was sitting there waiting for him. She had elegantly folded her legs, which seemed rather strange in the hiking boots she was wearing. And made her even more charming. The sight was enhanced by the way she rested her bill on the back of her hand, leaning her arm over the sofa, giving him a pleased smile.

'Wotta gal.', Scrooge thought again.

"You look as handsome as ever, Scrooge!" her voice rang throughout the well carpeted hall. There it was again.

He remembered his line: "If you weren't so pretty I wouldn't listen to you.", he replied with a proud grin. There was that particular sparkle in her eyes again, that reminded him of the dance-hall girl he had fallen in love with all those years ago. It made an electric tinge go down this spine and his hands all sweaty, just like back then.

He sat down with her and drank the rest of his tea, not loosing sight of her as he did so. The whole day had been like a dream. Every minute with her made him even more grateful to have taken the hard and difficult step he had done. The old Scrooge is no more. It feels like he has woken from a long nightmare that had only been interrupted by visits and adventures with his nephews.

Once they would reach White Agony and be alone for themselves, this feeling of inner happiness would be undisturbed and a new chapter in his life would begin.

He had a plan what to do with his fortune, but not what to do with the people who knew him. The hardest part would be facing Donald with his own new life. Would it be necessary to fake his own death? No – he couldn't bear the thought of them crying at his funeral while he was enjoying the utter bliss of living with the only woman he ever loved. They would have to know about it and keep it a secret...and live their own lives from now on, with which he didn't see as a problem. 'I was never easy, ...and a lousy, stingy, greedy, heartless uncle. - They'll be fine.', he thinks, calmly sipping his coffee.

Late afternoon at sunset time, they went off. The jeep is fully packed with supplies and other necessities for the long stay at White Agony Creek.

"Goldie, my dearlin', would you let me drive?".  Scrooge begged his beloved bride.

Goldie shrugged, "I don't see why not."

On the way here he had himself chauffeured, because it suited his image. But what a waste of the thrill he would have had driving down that dangerous slope himself! Things are going to change! He would now start off exactly where he had stopped...years ago.
Just because he was an old ex-billionaire didn't mean he had to act like one! Now life was going to be far more frugal – just the way it should be!

With this thought in mind he let his webbed foot come thrustfully  down onto the gas pedal. With a forceful jerk and both smiling keenly, they both drove off full power towards White Agony.