She kissed the top
of his head. “No, sweetheart, I’m praying.”
“Oh.” He grinned.
“We eating dinner on the bed today?”
She picked him up,
carried him to the rocker, then eased down. “No, sweetie, I talk to God all the
time, not just before meals.”
He snuggled tight.
“Oh.”
For a good while,
she rocked her nephew with his head resting on her shoulder, then as though
he’d had enough mothering, he slipped out of her lap. Smiling as only a
five-year-old could, he rubbed her tummy. “He don’t like me squishing him.”
“Could you feel
the baby kicking?”
“Yep.”
She tousled his
hair. “Remember you manners, please.”
“Yes, ma’am. He kicked
me to make me get up.”
She nodded toward
the door. “You can go play for a bit. The beans need to boil a while longer.”
He nodded then
touched her belly again. “Hurry up cookin’ my brother, will ya?” He spun
whinnying for his imaginary horse then galloped out the door.
That night after
she finally got Levi to sleep, she returned to her knees beside her bed. “Oh,
Lord, help us. Send someone to buy the sawmill, please. I don’t want to sell
any land. And Father, You know the beans are about gone. The turnips are coming
on, but the boy needs meat, and we’re running real low on powder and shot. A
milk cow would sure be great, too.”
She closed her
eyes and pressed her forehead into the quilt. “Ease my heart, Lord, and heal
it. Sometimes I miss Andy so bad, but You know. You know everything. Tell him
I’m sorry, and that we’re making it.” She raised her head and looked to the
ceiling. “I love you, Lord, and thank you for your many blessings. Not my will
but Yours Father. Help me know what you want me to do. In Jesus name, amen.”
As most nights,
Levi slipped into her bed. Poor little thing; haunted too long by nightmares of
that most horrible day. Terrible for a little boy to see his father killed
right before his eyes. Not much better for her, and she was twenty years old.
Would she ever forget seeing the awful accident that took the lives of her
husband and his brother?
That next day
started like most, cold cornbread with a slop of molasses. Too soon, it’d be
cornbread only. Next, she and the boy worked the ground, except mostly he rode
the mule while she guided the plow.
So far, she’d only
managed to break barely over two acres. Even though she had enough seed for
three, if she didn’t get the plowing done before the rains set in… And with her
belly swelling by the day, she wasn’t sure she’d even be able to get any cotton
planted come spring.
Levi sat taller on
the mule and pointed east. “Auntie, look.”
She stopped the
mule, tied off the reins and shaded her eyes, but couldn’t make out the driver
or recognize the team. “Run get the rifle.”
He slid off Mabel,
and she stepped away from the fresh plowed ground. Before the boy got back, the
teamster stood waved his hat then sat back down. Seemed friendly, but that
didn’t stop her pulse quickening or her breath coming harder.
“Here, Auntie
Sue.”
She took the long
gun, cradled it across her chest, then went out to meet the man. Levi ran off
galloping and whinnying. “Don’t go far, young man.”
Shortly, her
visitor stopped the team. “Morning, ma’am. I heard tell about your man and his
brother getting themselves kilt. Right bad shame I’s plenty sorry to hear. You
got my condolences.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He looked familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why. “Do I know you?”
“Well, yes’em, leastwise
I was here back in the spring. Took a load of saw boards off your hands to San Antonio .”
Of course, she nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. It’s so good of you to stop by, and I certainly appreciate
your kind words.”
He locked the
break then climbed down. “Ma’am, Mister Jacob wanted surety, and I give him my
pap’s gold watch. I gots the coin now for them saw boards and come after Pap’s timepiece.”
“Yes, I remember
that.” She closed her eyes and searched her memory. Where had her bother in law
put it? She could see the thing plain as day, but couldn’t put her mind’s
finger on exactly where. “But to tell you true, I’m not sure where it is. Let
me go look.”
“Well, while
you’re findin’ it, don’t suppose you’d mind me workin’ your mule while I’s stretch
my legs breaking a bit of this fine black land.” He smiled.
“Why, no. not at
all, and you’ll surely let me heat up some dinner after I find the watch. The
least I can do is feed you after you coming all this way.”
He tipped his hat
then wrapped the harness straps over his shoulder. “I’d be much obliged,
ma’am.”
She hurried inside
and between searching and cooking, praised the Lord with every step. The
teamster had brought coin. How much was it?
Shortly she had a
pan of cornbread a nice mess of turnip greens with yesterday’s beans hot, but
she hadn’t located the man’s watch. She’d looked everywhere, could it have been
lost during the accident?
For sure, watch or
not, dinner needed eating. Once around the treeline guarding her home, the man
turned the far corner, and she waved him in. He’d turned two right smart rows
and a good start on a third. How could he have plowed that much in such a short
time?
She watched him tie
off the mule, then hollered up her nephew. “Levi, come eat.”
Grace offered, she
ladled her visitor’s and Levi’s bowls full of beans then stood. “Sir, I’ve not
been able to find your watch. I hope you won’t mind staying a little longer. I
intend to keep looking through your meal.”
“Hey.” Levi dug
into his pocket. “This here what’chur lookin’ for, Auntie?” He held the chained
watch out in his little dirty hand. “I got it.”
“Levi!” Horrified,
she took the timepiece then passed it to the teamster. “I’m so sorry, sir. I
don’t know what to say. I had no idea –”
The man’s hearty
laugh cut her off. “Naw, no problem at all.” He looked to the boy. “Thank you,
son, for taking good care of it for me.”
Levi beamed. The
man promptly handed over four gold coins, at least a year’s worth of hard
money. She enjoyed his company at dinner, catching up on the news. Hadn’t
realized how she’d missed having an adult to converse with and promised herself
a visit to the Dawsons
soon. How long since she’d seen Elaine?
Time came for him
to get himself gone, and she thanked him profusely on his way out the door.
Like he’d saved the best for last, he told her of a man over DeKalb way name of
Phillips looking to buy himself a steam powered saw mill.
Sue waved goodbye
as grateful to the Lord as she’d been since Andy’s passin’. Once the man got
his rig turned around and on his way, she turned to Levi. “We are blessed,
nephew, God has provided for us just like He promised.”
“Yes, ma’am! Can
we buy us a cow now?”
“I think that’s a
grand idea.”
“Good, ‘cause my brother
needs plenty of milk.”
She smiled,
nowhere near ready to explain about nursing mothers. “What’s if the baby is a
girl?”
He crossed his
arms over his chest and frowned. “Then she can’t be my brother.”
