AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I do. That’s why I have everything on the table and ready.”
With a loud, long-suffering sigh, her mother got out of bed and walked into the kitchen, not looking a bit sick. She did walk slowly and carefully, but with as little as she moved around, Heather thought that was to be expected.
“Soup? I’m tired of you making so much soup.”
Heather shrugged. “Chicken soup is for sick people. Youaresick, aren’t you, Mother?”
“You know I am.” Mother plopped down in one of the chairs, staring at the soup unhappily. “If I eat soup tonight, will you make something tastier for supper tomorrow night?”
“What are you thinking about?” Heather asked, not willing to agree to anything. She wouldn’t lie to her mother, but she would leave and let her mother fend for herself. The doctor obviously thought that was a good idea.
“A pot roast? With mashed potatoes and carrots, and maybe some onions. And gravy. Lots of gravy to serve over it.”
“That sounds too rich for you. We can’t risk it,” Heather said.
“I’m tired of eating invalid food!”
“Aren’t you an invalid?”
Her mother frowned, looking down at her lap. “Well, of course, I am. That doesn’t mean I don’t like good food though.”
“I understand,” Heather said. “I guess we’ll see what I feel like cooking tomorrow, and what I feel like you can handle.” She paused for a moment. “I need to make a trip into the mercantile tomorrow, so I will most likely be gone when you wake up.”
“But what about my breakfast?”
Heather wanted to tell her to get it herself, but instead, she said, “I’ll leave some toast with butter out for you. That should be just what you need.” Until a few weeks before, when Heather’s suspicions were raised when she found her mother standing beside her bed, Heather had completely catered to her mother, making her whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it. Now that she knew her mother wasn’t truly sick, Heather had no problem telling her mother she was too sick for certain things.
Her mother covered Heather’s hand with hers. “I wasn’t going to tell you this because I don’t want you worrying… The doctor told me I only have another month or two to live this afternoon. Don’t you think I should be able to eat meals that I truly enjoy before I pass?”
“I’ll think about it,” Heather said, smiling sweetly in the face of her jailer.
“That’s all I ask,” her mother said, folding her hands in her lap, and looking straight at her food so she could hide a smile. “Will you read to me after supper?”
“I need to do the dishes, bring in the laundry, fold, and iron it, and put it away. By the time I’m finished, I’ll need to go to bed. You need to remember, I get up much earlier than you to see to your needs,” Heather said, trying to keep her voice sugary sweet.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Mother said, gazing at her with fondness. “Hester from church told me just the other day that her daughter would never care for her the way you care for me. I hope you know I’m grateful to have such a good, obedient daughter.”
Heather just smiled. An only child, her mother had always tried to get her to do whatever she wanted. “Have you ever thought about how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren?”
“Oh, what a terrible thing to say to me! You know I won’t live long enough to see you bear children. Oh, how I wish this affliction would leave me, and I would be able to live as long as any other woman.”
“What is your affliction called again?” Heather asked.
“It was one of those long names doctors like to give everything. If I knew what it was, I would certainly tell you.”
“I know you would.”
After supper, she did the dishes, helped her mother back to bed, and tucked her in for the night. “Sleep well,” she said softly as she left the room.
For the rest of the night, she folded, ironed, and put away the clothes that were out on the line. Laundry had become her job when she was just twelve, because her mother had injured herself hanging something on the line. Now, Heather could do it easily, but it had been hard work when she was but twelve.
When all the clothes were put away, Heather made sure to turn down all the lanterns. As she changed into her nightclothes, she thought about how she was going to find a man who needed a mail-order bride.
In bed, she prayed for God to find her a good person to marry and that her mother would be well. Maybe her life had been hard thanks to her mother’s ways, but she still didn’t want her to be sick or unhappy. She just wanted a chance to live her own life for a while.
The following morning, she was up early to go straight to town, buy a few things, and talk to Elizabeth Tandy about finding her a husband. Heather was certain she had a lot of love to offer, and she wouldn’t even mind if her future husband already had children.
She did the little shopping she needed to do first, and then arranged for everything to be delivered to her home, as she always did. And then she made the short walk to Rock Creek Road, stopping for a moment in front of the Tandy house, a little nervous about knocking on the door.
