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Selina jumped up and gave the girls a hug. She pulled back and looked at the wet spot on the front of her dress and smiled. “Looks like you two have been helpin’ with the laundry.”
“Yes, we have,” Emily said.
Rosie hung her head.
“What’s the matter, Rosie?” Selina asked.
“I didn’t get to help because I dropped the clean pieces on the ground and Miss Esther had to rewash them.”
“Oh, sugarplum. I’m sure you didn’t mean to.” Selina wanted to make the girl feel better.
“She didn’t.” Emily stood up for her sister. “She was just trying to help.”
Selina wished she’d had a sister to stand up for her growing up. Even more so, she wished she had girls of her own. At bedtime, she’d have another long talk with the Lord about that among other things, too.
She visited with the girls a spell, finished her tea and the gingersnap cookies, then hurried home. After spending a few hours sewing clothes for her and Michael, she went in search of something that would work as a net for catching fish—and maybe some crawdad tails. She smiled. Being herself felt mighty nice.
Close to home, the strong smell of food reached Michael’s stomach. Hungry enough to eat the side of a barn, he hurried up the steps, slung the door open and froze in the doorway. “What is she doing in here? Get that pig out of here right now!”
Sitting next to his wife at the kitchen table was Kitty.
“Well, hello to you, too. She followed me home so I let her in to visit with me.” Selina patted the pig’s head.
“To visit with you?” Michael stepped inside, letting the door slam shut behind him. Was this woman for real? “Just look at her. She’s covered in mud and who knows what else.”
Selina glanced down at Kitty. “It’s dry. Besides, don’t worry. She ain’t hurtin’ your fancy furniture.”
“My fancy…” He expelled a long breath of frustration. “I don’t know how to get through to you. What is wrong with you, woman?”
“Ain’t a thing wrong with me. Rainee said so.”
He’d never seen Selina look so smug before. “Rainee? What does she have to do with this?”
“She likes me just the way I am.”
“Yes, well, she doesn’t have to live with you. I do.”
“Ain’t you lucky?” She smiled.
“Lucky?”
“Yes. God is teachin’ you somethin’, Michael. And any time the good Lord teaches us somethin’, it’s always an adventure.”
“Living with you is an adventure. I never know what I’m going to come home to.”
“Well, at least I ain’t borin’.”
“That’s for sure.” He could do with some boredom.
“See.”
Michael’s chest heaved as he let out another heavy sigh. There was no winning with this woman. “Please. Just put Kitty outside and please, please don’t bring her in here again. I’m going to clean up for supper.” He turned and headed toward the sink. With his back to Selina, he asked, “What are we having?”
“Fried taters and onions, greens cooked in bacon fat and salt pork, fried fish and crawdad tails.”
Michael froze. Did she just say crawdad tails? He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. Nah. She couldn’t have. Crawdad tails were only used as fish bait. He must have misunderstood. He finished washing his face and hands while Selina set the table.
He sat down at the end of the table. A table loaded with a covered Dutch oven pan, two cast iron skillets, a covered bowl, a plate of butter, a jar of strawberry preserves and a pie pan with a few pieces of apples slices sticking out of the lattice top crust. His mouth watered just looking at it.
Selina filled their milk glasses and sat down in the chair on his left. As was their ritual, he reached for her hand, ignoring the usual warmth that spread up his arm.
They bowed their heads. “Father, we thank You for this day and for all that we got accomplished. Thank You for sending us to Jake’s today and for using Selina to help him. We thank You for Your bountiful provisions, in Christ’s name, Amen.”
“Amen.” Selina reached for his bowl, raised the lid on the Dutch oven kettle and spooned some green, wilted-looking vegetables with chunks of bacon into it. That must be the greens she was talking about. He had to admit, they looked good. He forked a bite and ate it. Salt exploded into his mouth, along with the taste of bacon. Aside from the shock of how salty they were, they were really delicious. “These are really good.”
“Thanks.”
“What are they?”
“Mustard greens and mountain sorrel.”
