Chapter Seven
Myrtle and Aaron wereright on time Saturday evening, and Josie had supper on the table waiting for them.“Thanks for coming!”Josie said, excited to have a Saturday night of fun.
“I brought cobbler,” Myrtle replied.“I hope mixed berry is all right.”
“It sounds delicious,” Jack said, shaking hands with Aaron.“You getting soft working at the sawmill so much?”
Aaron nodded.“I don’t remember how to be out in the cold anymore.”
While they ate, the men talked about work, and Josie found out a man they worked with had been badly injured when the axe head had flown off and embedded into his foot.
“Are there usually a lot of injuries at work?”Josie asked, worried for Jack.
Aaron shrugged.“There are a few every year.We should all be checking our axes daily, and Steven wasn’t very good about it.The accident is his own fault.”
“But that doesn’t make it any less devastating, does it?”Myrtle asked.
Jack shook his head.“He’ll probably have to go back and live with someone who can take care of him for a while.Where’s he from?”he asked Aaron.
“I think he said North Carolina.His folks are still alive, so I’m sure he’ll move back in with them.”
“At least he has somewhere to go,” Josie said softly.In Steven’s position, she’d have nowhere to go.She couldn’t watch her mother deal with her stepfather’s “punishments” ever again.
“True,” Jack said, reaching over and squeezing Josie’s hand.He seemed to understand what she was thinking, and it made Josie feel at ease.
After supper, Josie and Myrtle did the dishes together while the men talked, and then Myrtle pulled out her cribbage board and deck of cards.“Do you men know how to play cribbage?”
Aaron nodded, but Jack shook his head, so Aaron quickly explained the game.
Josie looked at Myrtle.“Men against women?”she asked.
Myrtle nodded.“I think that’s a good idea.Then we’ll know how Aaron did teaching Jack.”
Aaron shook his head.“I did great.”
They moved chairs so that the women sat opposite one another as did the men.Aaron dealt first, explaining about the crib.
Josie and Myrtle had played cribbage with Ella and Lula on the ship from Seattle to Ketchikan, so they were used to playing together.It didn’t take them long to go all the way around the board, while the men floundered less than three quarters of the way.
“Again,” Jack said.“I think I understand better now.”
They played three games before Jack finally yawned.“If we’re going to get up for Bible study, we should probably stop here.Well, we should stop now that we’ve beaten you as well.No chance for you two to get revenge!”
Aaron laughed.“I’m sure they’ll win again next time.”
“You should come to our house next week,” Myrtle said.“I’ll make supper, and we’ll let Josie bring dessert.It will be a good lesson for her.”
Josie made a face.“You have too much faith in my abilities,” she said to Myrtle.
“No,” Myrtle replied, “you don’t have enough faith.”
Jack watched the two friends interact.Myrtle was obviously good for Josie.
After Myrtle and Aaron had left for the night, Jack looked at Josie.“How long have you and Myrtle been friends?”
“Years,” Josie replied.“We both started at the hotel as dishwashers around the same time.I was afraid of my own shadow.She was a calming influence...I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”
“I’m glad you know that you can work together already.I was a little worried about that.”
