The Healing Quilt

by Lauraine Snelling

  Teza stopped beside her and gave her a quick hug. “It is beautiful, isn't it?”

  Beth wished she could lean into Teza's strong arms and just float for a while. Or maybe she needed cuddling the way she'd cuddled that bear, if her tears didn't drown him. She looked up at Teza, into eyes so full of love that her own brimmed over, instantly, as though flipping a light switch.

  “You've had a hard morning?” The whisper was gentle as a dandelion kiss.

  Beth nodded. “I…” She took a breath of courage. “I'm seeing a counselor.”

  “Good.”

  That one word permanently joined a friendship that was already basted together.

  “I know some Christians feel we should be able to let God handle all our problems. We can, but sometimes we need help. Wise counselors are a real gift from God.”

  “Thank you.” Beth sneaked an arm around Teza's waist and hugged her back.

  When Beth took a seat, Elsie Mae leaned across the table. “I saw that good-looking husband of yours going into the courthouse. Must be the hearing was today.”

  Beth nodded.

  “You tell him there's lots of us praying for him.”

  “Thank you.” You dorit know how ghd I am to be here instead of there.

  After a silence stretched for a bit, broken only by the hiss of thread through fabric, Teza announced, “When we're done here today, if any of you want to come out and pick cucumbers, I'll give you a real deal.”

  “Maybe we should have a pickle party,” Elsie Mae suggested.

  “You mean you really make pickles?” Elaine looked around at the others, who all nodded. “I've never made a pickle in my life. I thought they came in jars.”

  “I don't suppose you make jam or jelly either.” Elsie Mae looked over her glasses to see Elaine shaking her head. “Well, but you do quilt with even stitches and your pillows are gorgeous. What about it?” She looked to each of the others. “Is she forgiven?”

  “Deprived is more like it.” Teza smiled at their looks of shock.

  “Well, at least that's better than depraved.” Elaine rolled the tip of her tongue in one cheek. “I think we're due for a coffee break. My rear is so tired from all this sitting every day that I've ordered a new one.”

  “Good luck. When you find the catalogue to order from, let me know” Elsie Mae stood and stretched her arms over her head. “Its my shoulders that get stiff. I must sit hunched over or something.”

  As they poured their beverages in the kitchen, Elsie Mae leaned her head from side to side, trying to pull the tension out of her neck. “There must have been a cat fight going on right under my bedroom window last night. I didn't sleep a wink.”

  “They were most likely doing something other than fighting, but the caterwauling of two cats mating is enough to wake the dead.” Sue poured herself some iced tea.

  “Or keep the whole neighborhood awake. Why do they always choose my yard? I don't even have a cat.”

  “Let your dog loose.”

  “Oh, sure, and have him come back all bloody and get an infection.” Elsie Mae set the pitcher back on the counter. “I'd need a dog the size of a Mack truck.”

  “I dont know, remember my Chihuahua chased that English bulldog out of our yard the other day. Even drew blood.”

  Sue nodded. “Heart size is more important than bark size.”

  “You'd think people would keep their cats indoors. I saw another hit on the road.” Beth shuddered and leaned against the doorjamb. “Just breaks my heart.” And makes me cry like about anything eke does.

  Kit set a plate of gingersnap cookies on the table. “Had to beat Ryan off these, so you better enjoy them.”

  “Where is he, off seeing his girlfriends?”

  “No, he took Thomas down to play ball at the park. The two of them really hit it off.”

  “Sounds like he is as nice as he is good looking.” Elaine filled a glass with ice cubes from the refrigerator door and added iced tea. “Cats fighting, hmm? Interesting.”

  “If I can ever get that stray cat on my deck into the house, I'll never let him out.” She turned to Elaine. “You know we havent even chosen a name for our cat yet.”

  “Doesn't sound like he's quite yours. Maybe when he gets tamer something will come to you.”

  “Maybe.” Seems it takes me a long time to work anything out.

  But as they filed out of the kitchen and sat back down at the quilting frame, Beth's thoughts returned to her counseling session. Would she ever be brave enough to tell Dr. Kaplan everything?

  THIRTY-SIX

  As Elaine left the quilters she could feel an idea swirling around, gaining strength at each turn like a tornado as its fingers head toward earth. She drove slowly toward home, waiting for her idea to touch down. How could she get dogs barking or cats fighting under Mrs. Bootsie's window? It would drive her nuts. Even nuttier than she already was. A teenager gyrated along the crosswalk, keeping time to the music only he could hear through his earphones.

  “That's it!” “She slammed her hand on the steering wheel. “Vigilante on the move.” Keeping her inner chuckle under control, she swung by the local electronics store, chatted with a young man who had given her good advice on earlier purchases, and left the store with two sacks of merchandise and instructions. Once home she took her tools out of their boxes, followed the clerks diagrams, and, within a short period of time, was ready for the next step.

  She drove out of town to the Jefferson County Humane Society.

  “I'm here to look for a dog,” she told the woman at the desk. “I'm not sure what I want, but I know I'll know when I see it.”

  “That's fine, take your time.” The woman led the way into the aisle between pens containing dogs of every color, size, and breed. “Call me when you want to take one out of the pen.”

  “Thank you, I will.” Elaine steeled herself against the pleading eyes and wagging tails that begged her to take them home. When she found a pony-sized dog with a bark to match, she took a small recorder out of her purse, turned it on, and held the microphone closer to the pen. She continued on down the line, recording dogs barking. When she had fifteen minutes of tape, she made her way toward the door.

  “If I had a country place I'd take all of you home with me. But thanks for your help.”

  Back home Elaine fiddled with her gadgets until they were working the way the young man had said they would, then called Mrs. Smyth. The phone rang and rang with no answer.

  She slipped her sandals on and, with palm-sized speaker in hand, crossed to the side of her neighbors house. She could hear Bootsie barking, confirming no one was home. Under the master bedroom window, she planted her device on the trunk of a gnarly juniper. She checked the drive to find no one coming and hurried back across the yards to her own front door, snickering all the while.

  “Just wait, Doodlebug, tonight we get even.”

  She did her laps in the pool, sucking in a mouth of water on a giggle when she heard her neighbors cranky car drive into the garage. She stopped swimming to cough, and when she could breathe easily, commenced her strokes. Tonight would be the night.

  Should I tell George?The thought made her smile, inside this time. No, George wouldn't appreciate the brilliance ofthisphn. But it would be so much more fun to share with someone. And Doodlebug, smart as he was, wouldn't understand.

  That evening George nodded and smiled at her recital of the quilting meeting, but she would have bet his year's salary he didn't really hear her. After nearly thirty years of marriage, she knew the look that said he was either planning a difficult surgery or solving a problem at the hospital, but she let it go for now. Half an hour after he went up to bed, she tiptoed up to find the lights off and the snoring on.

  She went back down to the deck and pulled her new toy out of the bag by her chair. She watched the Smyth house until she saw all the lights go out. Good thing they were the early-to-bed kind of people, like George. She waited another half hour and flipped the switch.

/>   A dog barking convention convened in the backyard next door. She raised and lowered the volume, playing the control knob like a virtuoso. She managed to keep her glee to a whisper. “It works, it works.” Doodlebug leaped from her lap to the deck, adding his warning to the din.

  Lights came on. Someone leaned out the window and screamed, “Shut those dogs up!”

  Elaine upped the volume.

  In a few moments the light came on in Mrs. Smyths kitchen. A mighty scream rent the air. “Fire!”

  Elaine shut off the tape. Was their house on fire? She saw no smoke. Surely there was no fire.

  Within minutes a fire truck roared up to the house next door.

  Mr. Smyth met them on the front step, his voice carrying like a megaphone of old. “Its out now, though, thank God. Some barking dogs woke us up, or the house would have burned down around our ears.”

  Elaine leaned back in the chair and stared up at the stars. Doodlebug leaped up in her lap.

  “Bug, I can't win. And this was such a wickedly delightful plan. What do I have to do to get even?”

  “She wouldn't even let me stay with her.” Kit threw her bag down in the recliner.

  “I'm assuming you mean Teza.” Sue looked up from threading her needle.

  “Who else? Stubborn old Norwegian, sometimes I…”

  “Takes one to know one.” Sue's grin made Kit want to shake her.

  “You could show some sympathy for crying out loud.” Kit looked to each of the other quilters. “Like I told you, I planned on spending the day to make it easier for her, and she told me to go home and quilt where I'd be doing someone some good.”

  “Leave it to Teza. Yes!” Beth pumped air with her fist. “My hero. And besides, we're here to help you.”

  “So I guess you'd better just sit down here with the rest of us and put your fingers to work.” Sue rolled her eyes at the others. “Some people will go to any means to get out of work.”

  “Did everyone get coffee and.

  “And I brought lunch.” Elaine nodded toward the kitchen. “I put the things in the fridge, if that's all right with you.”

  “Hey, didn't I hear about a fire out your way last night?” Sue looked toward Elaine.

  “How'd you hear already?”

  “Doug is on the volunteer fire crew. They got called out about ten. Seems some barking dogs woke the people in time to prevent any real damage.”

  “It was next door, and you don't know the half of it.” Elaine huffed a breath and told them her wonderful scheme. “Why can I never get even? It's just not fair.”

  Beth tried to hide a giggle and failed. She deepened her voice to announcer quality. “And thus goes the continuing saga of Elaine versus Bootsie. Tune in tomorrow for the next installment of Life in Jefferson City.”

  “You're too young to know about old radio shows.” Sue elbowed her neighbor.

  “Not when your husband is addicted to The Shadow and other old stuff. Besides, you can hear some of those old programs on Public Radio. I love them.”

  “Well, do any of you have any suggestions?” Elaine looked around the group.

  Kit caught her eye. “Teza and Beth gave you good suggestions the other day.” Is this really me saying such a thing?

  “Thanks. Like I'm about to do the kill-her-with-kindness thing. She'd be too dense to figure it out anyway. I like the burning coals angle of it, though.”

  Beth groaned. “I think that's God's part of it.”

  “Oh, just my luck.”

  “Hey, I've got a problem I could use some help on,” Beth said.

  “Hope they do better for you than for me.”

  “Mine's easier. Well, you all know about Garth and the court, and I've been thinking how I can help out, so I came up with starting a seamstress kind of business. I really do love to sew and.

  “That's a good idea,” Kit broke in. “While there are a lot of women who sew in this town, there is no real seamstress business as such. You should do well. Get some business cards made up off your computer and printer. I found some really pretty card stock down at the office supply, and you can use a template from your word processing program, easy as pie.”

  “I'd need a name before I could even do the business card bit.”

  “How about Sewing by Beth?”

  “Or, ‘You Rip, I Fix.’ ”

  “Fit and Sew.”

  “Or Sew and Fit.”

  “Stitch in Time.”

  “Time to Stitch.”

  The titles came from all of them. Beth stopped stitching and reached down in her bag for a notebook. “Stop, I have to write them all down.” She did and looked at the list. “I like Sewing by Beth best.”

  “Good, then you make your cards and hand them out to everyone you know,” Elaine offered. “In fact, you give them two, one for them to keep and one for them to give away. Then you post them at like the cleaners, the grocery stores on their bulletin boards, places where foot traffic is high.”

  “But, well—I haven t mentioned this to my husband yet. I thought I'd just bring in a bit of money on the side, to help out, you know.”

  “I'd tell him, dearie, right up front.” Elsie Mae leaned forward to make a point. “You shouldn't never try to keep secrets from your man. It'll just turn and bite you on the butt.”

  “Elsie Mae.” Kit covered her surprise by rolling her lips together.

  “Th-thank you, I think.”

  Elaine studied the stricken look that quickly changed back to a smile on the younger woman's face. Something is going on here. I wonder what it is she's hiding. He's really a gorgeous man too. Shame hés in trouble with the police. I bet he is too proud to have his wife working.

  “Are you going to specialize in anything? Like alterations, home decor, wedding dresses?” Kit asked.

  “Wedding dresses?” Beth's voice squeaked. “I… I hadn't thought that far. All those beads and lace, oh no, I couldn't do something like that.”

  “So, alterations?”

  Beth nodded.

  “Hard to fit people?”

  She winced. “I guess, but I've never done such a thing.” 1 hen no.

  With each comment Beth melted closer to the back of her chair. “I… I just thought to be a Proverbs 31 wife.” At Elaine's blank look, Beth continued. “You know, she sells things, dresses her family and all the servants or slaves, however you want to interpret it.”

  “I guess you don't have to worry about the slave part anyway.” Elaine leaned across the corner of the quilt frame and patted Beth's cold hand. “Dont mind me. I just love promoting these kinds of things, and the more we know about your business, in fact, the more you know about your business, the more we can help you.”

  “That's for sure,” Kit added with a nod. “You never know what one of us will hear and be able to pass on to you.”

  “So do you think you can bring in your business cards this week? Bring me a bunch, and I will hand them out at the hospital guild meeting next month. Several ladies there are always looking for people to hem slacks and skirts, that kind ofthing. What are you going to charge?”

  Beth flopped back, arms falling at her sides. “I have no idea.”

  “Call that cleaner downtown who advertises alterations. Tell them you need something done, like hem a skirt or put in a zipper and ask what they charge.” Sue tied a knot in her thread. “Then I'd check the Olympia or Tacoma paper, and if there are ads for sewing, do the same thing.”

  “You are all so smart. Thank you.”

  “Not smart, wise. Comes with age, hopefully.” Elsie Mae snipped her thread off. “Least ways, I been prayin for wisdom a long time, and God says he'll give it to all those who ask.” She raised her eyes to look heavenward. “And, Lord, I do need plenty. A bucketful would be just fine.”

  Beth giggled and took up her stitching again.

  “Now since Teza isn't here…”

  “I know, we can talk about her.”

  “No, we can talk about the hat party.” Elaine dug
in the bag at her feet. “I brought some hat patterns I had at home in case some of you didn't have any. I'm making this turban, one in a dressy fabric, one in real casual. I've made others like it for cancer patients.”

  Beth reached for one with a turned up brim. “This looks like fun.”

  “I'm doing one similar to that out of denim.” Kit pointed to one of the hats on the pattern cover. “I made one before, and it turned out really nice. You know what?”

  “Oh, oh, light bulb time. I saw it go off.” Sue touched her forehead.

  “What if we all brought hats, and when she opens hers, we can all put them on. You know, make her feel—well, I don't know. Maybe it isn't such a good idea.”

  “Yes, it is. She'll know we're all pulling for her.” Elsie Mae nodded. “I've got such a great crocheted hat. I'll see if I can get one done. If it were winter, I'd already have some in stock.”

  “She'll be needing winter hats too.”

  “You crochet hats?” Beth looked from Elsie Mae to around the group. “You all do so many different things. What an amazingly talented group.” Beth glanced at her watch. “Oh, my, I better get going. Garth should be done with his sermon by now, and then we're going up to the lake for a picnic. I'll see you all on Monday, unless you come to our church. We'd love to have you.” She smiled directly at Kit.

  Kit shrugged. “We'll see how things go.”

  “Bring your business cards.”

  “I'll have them by Wednesday.” Beth's voice floated back through the open front door.

  “Such a sweet child.” Elsie Mae stood and stretched. “These old bones need to move around.”

  “I'm sure she would appreciate knowing you think of her as a child when she is trying so hard to be the kind of wife her husband needs.” Kit eyed the recliner. “Wonder howTeza is faring.”

  “From the look in her eyes at times, I think that child has a dark secret that is tearing her up inside.” Sue rubbed her forehead. “I'm going to have to sit straighter or wear one of those braces that holds your shoulders back.” She leaned her head toward one shoulder and then the other. “Think I'll go out in the backyard to stretch a bit. Anyone want anything from the kitchen?”