Page 90 of A Whim and a Prayer

“Exactly. Poor Grandpa hounded me day and night—”

For the first time, a trace of a twinkle broke through the groggy look in her eyes. “Like you do me?”

“Yes, exactly like that,” Charity said with a teasing lift of her chin as she shimmied closer to the headboard, bringing Winnie along, “and now is the perfect time to tell you why.”

Chapter Sixty-One

“Because Hope and Julia are so perfect and I am so bad?”

Charity paused, thinking of how much she resented Faith growing up because she was the “perfect” daughter. “Noooo”—she wrinkled her nose, remembering all the knock-down, drag-out, hair-pulling fights she’d had with Faith in her teens—“although that’s closer than you might think with having Aunt Faith as a sister.”

Winnie yawned as she leaned back once more. “With Hope and Julia, I can sure relate.”

Charity gave her a light squeeze. “Just like I can with your feelings of abandonment as a child, Winnie. It’s not the same I know, and not as painful as what you experienced for sure, but in a very small way, I can relate because I felt abandoned when I was five just like you.”

Winnie peeked up out of the corner of her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, sweetheart, that I was the apple of my daddy’s eye until my twin sisters Faith and Hope got polio—”

Winnie sat up. “Aunt Faith had a twin?”

“Uh-huh, and Hope was my favorite because she coddled me, so when she died—”

“Oh, Mama!” Winnie placed a hand on Charity’s arm.

Charity battled the sting of tears as she continued, shocked that she could still feel the pain after all these years. “Mama and Daddy spent most of their time with Faith at a hospital far away, so I guess you could say I felt abandoned by them—especially Daddy.” She gave a listless shrug, grateful that God had worked through her family to turn all that hurt in her life around for good, and praying she could do the same for Winnie.

“As you know all too well, darling,” Charity said, patting the hand Winnie had laid on her arm, “at the age of five, one doesn’t often know the whys of a situation, only the pain, so it took me many years to find true healing.” Charity sniffed as she mopped up a few stray tears with the handkerchief. “So you might say that my pain over feeling abandoned at age five sowed seeds of rebellion that, unfortunately, bloomed rampant in my teenage years, putting me at constant odds with my father.”

“Mmm …,” Winnie whispered, “just like you and me …”

The thought suddenly crystalized in Charity’s brain for the very first time, providing insight into their relationship she had never thought of before. Her gaze drifted into the past as she gave a slow nod. “Yes, darling, I guess so.”

“So, that’s why Pop hounded you day and night?”

“Yep, because although I didn’t know it at the time, apparently he was just like you and me when he was young—rebellious, wild, and wanting his own way, so he had to ride me harder than anyone else.” She paused to squint in thought. “Except for poor Uncle Steven, I guess, who made me look like an amateur.” She waved the thought away. “Anyway, Grandpa stayed on my tail because he saw me going the same wayward direction and wanted to protect me.”

“Sounds more like nagging,” Winnie said, a touch of a smile on her face.

“It is, I suppose, but the truth is it’s really just love in disguise.”

“I guess.” Winnie’s whisper was tinged with regret while her lip quivered the slightest bit, as if a prelude to another bout of tears. “Because if I listened to you all the times you nagged me—”

“Uh-uh-uh …” Charity held up a finger, desperate to lighten another somber mood. “Loved you in disguise.”

“I would have never gone through what I did … l-last n-night …” Her voice ebbed into another crying jag as she collapsed into Charity’s arms once more, wracking Charity’s soul as much as it wracked Winnie’s body.

She jerked back, her eyes glazed with fear. “Oh … M-Mama … w-what if … what if … something h-happens …” A heart-wrenching sob broke through, cutting off her words, but Charity knew exactly what she meant.

“It won’t, sweetheart, and I truly believe that and so does Alex. He said the doctors saw no medical evidence of assault, and I think you would remember if something that drastic had happened, don’t you?”

“I … I don’t know. All I remember is this awful dream I had this morning where someone was pawing at me and pulling at my clothes.”

Charity swallowed her up in her arms, more saltwater burning as she forced her voice to remain calm and sure. “Well, I’m praying, Winnie—and believing with all of my might—that despite this vile experience, everything will turn out okay. Because whatever happens, sweetheart, we’ll get through it together—with God’s help. And I promise you, sweetheart, that when all is said and done, you will come through this stronger and happier than you ever dreamed possible—I just know it.”

“Oh, Mama, I wish I could believe that.”

“You can, darling girl, I promise ...” Charity clutched Winnie all the tighter, her voice trailing off along with her memory into a bleak past she didn’t want to remember. “Because the same thing happened to me.”