A Stitch in Time

by Susette Williams

  Chapter Ten

  A fter church, Lizzie had the opportunity to properly introduce Jeremiah to Father and Mother. Lizzie had hoped to make introductions, and then make an excuse for them to go to lunch and on a walk. She wanted Jeremiah to help her find her grandmother’s house.

  Father had other plans, like inviting Jeremiah over for lunch so that they could get acquainted.

  Olivia and Mary Margaret both petitioned Father to sit by Jeremiah at the dinner table—Olivia won. Lizzie smiled when Father asked Jeremiah to say grace. To her surprise, Jeremiah did so without hesitation.

  “What’s this?” Lizzie asked, pointing to the plate Miss Ella placed in front of her. She’d only learned the woman’s name from hearing the girls address her in conversation.

  Miss Ella’s eyebrow arched a fraction. “Parsnips, miss.”

  “Ah, thank you. It looks delicious.” Lizzie didn’t mention she was referring to the roast, potatoes, and carrots. She’d never had parsnips. Sprinkling a dash of salt on her vegetables, Lizzie took a small bite of the parsnip. To her surprise, it tasted a little sweet, and salty.

  She looked up from her plate to see Jeremiah smiling at her. Something in the way he looked at her made her cheeks warm.

  “What do you do for a living?” Father asked, distracting them from the moment between them.

  Jeremiah wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin from his lap, then returned it before looking Father squarely in the face. “I’m a conductor, sir. Have been for the past year and a half.”

  “I see.”

  The way he said it gave Lizzie the impression he didn’t approve. She didn’t know why she felt the need to support Jeremiah, but she did. “I think it’d be a fun job. Getting to ride the train from city to city, seeing different states and tourist attractions between shifts.”

  “Tourist attractions?” Mother laughed. “There you go with those fancy thoughts of yours again. Honestly, Lizzie, I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately.”

  “I have an idea,” Father said in a deep tone. He directed his attention toward Jeremiah again. “Do you have any bigger aspirations?”

  Jeremiah shrugged nonchalantly. “I think riding the rails is a fine profession. Sometimes I make extra money by buying things from one place and selling them in another.”

  “We have stores and catalogues to order from for such things,” Father said.

  Lips pursed, Jeremiah’s nose jutted up a fraction. “That’s true, but not everything is in a catalogue and not everyone can travel.”

  “I want to travel,” Olivia announced. “Do you think they have animals in Heaven? Miss Chamblee said we will all get to go to Heaven one day.” She smiled, wide-eyed, at Jeremiah. “Do they have a train that goes there? Maybe we can take another adventure?”

  “Another adventure?” Father’s brows furrowed as he glanced from Olivia to Lizzie.

  Mother’s eyes became teary.

  Lizzie remembered their conversation on the way to church, and thought of Mother’s unborn children, already in Heaven. Her heart raced. “Olivia, we’ll discuss Heaven later. Did you tell Father about all the things we saw when we went to see the progress on the fair?” Lizzie’s smile was shaky. “Did you tell him about the World’s Fair Flight Cage? One day it will be part of the St. Louis Zoo.”

  “St. Louis doesn’t have a zoo,” Father said.

  “It will eventually,” Lizzie insisted, “and it all started because of the walk-through flight cage.”

  “What is going to fly in this cage, and what makes you think it will cause the city to want to build a zoo?” Father scoffed. “Surely they wouldn’t want dangerous animals so close to where people lived. What if they got out?”

  Lizzie sighed. What use was it trying to tell them of things to come. To her, it was exciting to see what things used to be like, especially knowing what the future held.

  She didn’t dare ask what he thought might ‘fly’ in the cage, such as a pterodactyl. Were they even aware of prehistorical creatures? Taking a deep breath, she decided to explain the exhibit to him, like she would a small child. “The caged enclosure will have a fenced in tunnel for people to walk through and see the birds up closer.”

  “Birds aren’t dangerous,” Father admitted, “but that doesn’t explain why you think there will be a zoo. There’s never been mention of anyone planning to build one in this city to my knowledge.”

  With Father being a banker, he was prone to knowing what businesses, or even the city, borrowed money for.

  “I guess time will tell.” Lizzie chuckled. Their skepticism would fade eventually. Hopefully, she would be back in her timeline before that happened.

  When they finished their meal, Lizzie stood and picked up her dishes to take to the kitchen. “Jeremiah and I are going to go for a long walk.”

  “I know it has warmed up a little, but you still need to wear a jacket,” Mother said.

  Father’s frown of disapproval was obvious, and he didn’t appear to care if he hid his dissatisfaction. “I’d like to speak with you a moment, Lizzie. Perhaps Jeremiah could wait outside?”

  Jeremiah rose, and nodded toward Father. “Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Russell. Please tell your cook that the food was delicious.” He shook hands with Father. “Thank you, sir.”

  “You’re welcome.” Father shook his hand and waited until Jeremiah had gone before addressing Lizzie. “I would like to enquire into the nature of your relationship with this young man?”

  “My relationship?” Lizzie almost laughed. Instead, she shrugged. “We’re friends.”

  “So, you have no inclinations for him?” Father’s arms were crossed in front of him. He peered down over the rim of his glasses at her.

  She chuckled. “If you mean feelings, no, and if I did, so what?”

  “I would expect you to want to seek someone with more aspirations.” There was no mistaking the disdain in his voice.

  “Jeremiah has an honest job and he works hard, so who cares what he does?” The hairs on the back of Lizzie’s neck stood up. Apparently, snobs existed in the past, and hadn’t changed a whole lot in the future either, which infuriated her to no end. “Besides, I’m a grown woman. I think you should trust me to make decisions about whom I choose to date, or marry, myself.”

  Father sighed. Pain etched his eyes. “I don’t wish to see you get hurt or be left unprovided for.”

  He cared for his daughter. If this wasn’t a dream, then her great-great-grandmother would hopefully assume the role of herself—and soon, so perhaps it was best that Lizzie didn’t cause her any undo grief by starting a family feud. Her mind felt jumbled again with questions that she didn’t have answers to. If she was in her great-great-grandmother’s body, then where was her great-great-grandmother?

  This wasn’t the home her great-grandmother, or grandmother lived in, which is why she hoped she could find the house. Maybe it was the key to going back to her timeline?

  If her great-great-grandmother had switched places with her, she was probably enjoying the time to get to see her future daughter and granddaughter. That thought gave Lizzie some comfort.

  “Thank you for your concern, Father. I can assure you I am not looking to marry, or date, anyone in the near future.”

  “You don’t know how relieved we are to hear you say that.” Mother sounded chipper. “Mrs. Adams would like for you to meet her grandson when he comes to visit her in June.”

  Lizzie rolled her eyes but didn’t comment. “I best hurry. Jeremiah is waiting outside.” At least she hoped he hadn’t left without her. She scurried toward the door, still feeling restrained by wearing such a long dress.

  When she opened the front door, Jeremiah quickly turned around. “I wasn’t sure if you would be joining me.”

  She laughed. “I guess you could tell Father was being a bit protective.”

  “He’s a learned man.” Jeremiah frowned. “I imagine he expects someone equally educated for his daughters.”

  �
��Let’s hope he’s not trying to marry my sisters off already.” Lizzie giggled like a school girl, then blushed as she realized how girlie she sounded. This timeline was beginning to seriously mess with her, including how she thought and acted. She needed to get back to her reality before she ended up trapped.

  “What’s wrong?” Jeremiah took hold of her forearms. “Are you having doubts about spending the day with me?”

  Shaking her head, Lizzie forced a smile. “No, there are other things bothering me.” She swallowed. “Can we take a walk and talk about it? There’s a place I need to find.”

  “I’ll be happy to help.”

  She told him her grandmother’s address.

  “I know where that is.” He took her hand and guided her down the street. “It’s maybe six or so blocks away.”

  Part of her wanted to tell Jeremiah about her dilemma, but he might think she was crazy, and wouldn’t agree to help her. She didn’t know what else to talk about. It occurred to her that she knew very little about him, other than where he worked and lived. She’d also met his aunt. “So, tell me about yourself.”

  He smiled. “I have a brother named Nehemiah, who is twenty-one, and my sister, Ruth, is eighteen.”

  “Let me guess,” Lizzie said, “biblical names?”

  “Yes.” His teeth were pearly white, even though they didn’t have teeth whitener back then. Lizzie liked the way his eyes sparkled as he talked about his siblings.

  “I take it you all get along well?”

  “Of course, we do.” Jeremiah’s brows furrowed. “You get along with your siblings, too, so why does that surprise you?”

  “They’re closer to your own age.” Lizzie shrugged. “I guess I thought…” She almost said she thought they would squabble like she did with her brothers but caught herself. “I don’t know. Anyhow, continue. Tell me what made you want to become a conductor.”

  “As I said at dinner, I wanted to see the world.” He gently bumped shoulders with her as his eyes locked with hers. “And you can’t do that in a classroom.”

  She knew how he felt. When she was younger, she wanted to take a year off before going to college, but her parents encouraged her to go and get it over with, or they said she might end up not going at all. Plus, she’d risk losing her scholarships. “Are you thinking of ever going to college?”

  “Not everyone goes, Lizzie.” He stared ahead. “It’s very expensive.”

  “It is, but it can also help you get a better job.” Now she sounded like Father. “I’m sorry. It’s not any of my business. You should do whatever makes you happy.”

  Jeremiah grinned. “If I did that, then I would kiss you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  L izzie tried to ignore the words Jeremiah had said on their way to her great-grandmother’s property, but her mind kept imagining what his kisses might taste like. Distracted by her rampant thoughts, she stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk. When he reached to steady her, his fingertips felt like fire and she jumped at his touch. “I’m fine.”

  She felt anything but fine. Especially when they reached their destination. The empty lot in front of her was clearer than her jumbled mind. “It’s not here.”

  “What were you expecting?” Jeremiah looked from Lizzie to the grass covered property in front of them.

  “My great-grandmother’s home.” A disappointing swoosh of air escaped from her lungs.

  “Maybe they tore it down?”

  She almost laughed. The chances were, it probably hadn’t been built yet.

  “Can I tell you something,” Lizzie asked, “and you promise not to think I’m crazy?”

  “I would never think you were out of your mind.” Jeremiah’s expression sobered.

  “I know this is going to sound like something out of a science fiction movie…” Lizzie remembered they didn’t have television. She paced frantically, then stopped in front of Jeremiah and stared into his wide, brown eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to say this, but I’m not from here.”

  A smile etched the corner of his lips. “Are you playing games with me again?”

  Lizzie slowly shook her head. “A few days ago, I was visiting my grandmother and my great-grandmother—they live together, and Great-grandma Mullane showed me the Crazy Quilt, that was the name of it, that her mother had made.” She took a deep breath and continued, “I laid down with the quilt and fell asleep. When I woke, I was here.” Lizzie held her hands out, palms extended upward. “Back in the time of my great-great-grandmother. Somehow, I seem to have taken her place or something.”

  Taking a calming breath, Lizzie closed her eyes.

  Jeremiah’s arms embraced her.

  She relaxed, laying her head on his shoulder, smelling the spicy scent of his cologne. “I just want to get back home, but I don’t know how.”

  “I’ll help you find a way,” Jeremiah promised.

  Savoring the comfort of his arms, she absorbed the warmth his body offered, slowly nodded in recognition of his promise.

  “Thank you.” Her response was barely more than a whisper, but he’d obviously heard her because he held Lizzie even closer.

  Several of moments of silence lingered, before she lifted her head off his shoulder.

  Jeremiah tilted her chin upward to look at her. His thumb gently brushed against her cheek. “From everything you’ve told me, we know that you can’t go back to your great-grandmother’s.”

  Lizzie already knew that, because there wasn’t a house and it would be years before one was built.

  “So, what about the quilt?” Jeremiah asked. “Maybe you have to make it like she did? Then you can get home.”

  “Maybe.” Frustration welled up in Lizzie like a volcano, threatening to explode. “However, I don’t know how to sew.”

  “So, you learn.”

  She wanted to laugh at how nonchalantly he thought the task would be. “And who do you suppose I get to teach me?”

  “Your mother didn’t strike me as the type of woman to make her own clothing.” Jeremiah’s lips pressed together to the side, and his pupils raised as his mind apparently grasped for ideas.

  It was mesmerizing to watch him process his thoughts. The closeness made her a little uncomfortable. She wiggled out of his embrace and began to pace, long enough to put a couple feet between them.

  “You could join a sewing group,” he suggested. “I think some churches or women’s groups may have them. If not, I could ask my sister if she would come and stay with you for a few days.”

  “A few days?” Lizzie’s eyes widened. “You think I can learn that quickly?”

  “You certainly have the motivation to try.” Jeremiah smiled.

  That, she did. Lizzie remembered the fabric in the chair in her bedroom that her sister had pointed out the morning she woke up in this place. It was all the same material, and the original quilt had five different fabrics. “But there’s still another problem. I have to find the exact fabrics my great-great-grandmother used.”

  “I’m off work tomorrow,” Jeremiah beamed. “We can go shopping together.”

  “But don’t you live in St. Louis?”

  Jeremiah nodded. “I have a friend that I can stay with.”

  “Thanks.” Lizzie smiled. “Maybe we could also check out a few stores today as well?”

  “You really aren’t from here, are you?” Laughter bellowed as his chest shook. “Blue laws forbid some businesses to be open, or for some things to be sold on the sabbath.”

  “That’s right.” Lizzie snapped her fingers and pointed at Jeremiah. “I remember my grandmother telling me that they couldn’t sell soda on Sunday either and that’s how the ice cream sundae came about.”

  His eyes squinted as he looked at her curiously. “So, things change in the future?”

  “Oh, yeah, a lot.” Lizzie laughed. “Wait until you get to try concretes.”

  Jeremiah scrunched his face in a peculiar distortion of disapproval. “They’ll have edible sidewalks?” He shook h
is head. “That sounds disgusting. Who would want to eat something you walked on?”

  Her cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. Clearly, it would take more effort to explain the future. She imagined it much like speaking Christianese to a non-Christian. They would be clueless. Which was why the book of Revelations was so hard for her to understand. When John wrote the Revelations, he was talking about things that were yet to come—the future. So, he obviously didn’t know how to describe modern things that hadn’t happened yet with the proper terminology.

  “You don’t walk on it, silly.” Lizzie let out a deep breath. “But I can see how the name could be confusing. I think they call it a concrete because it is thick.” She shrugged and chuckled. “I guess it really is an odd thing to call ice cream, but it is delicious.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for that.” His hands in his pockets, he stared at her.

  Goosebumps ran up Lizzie spine and she shivered.

  “Are you cold?” He started to take off his suit coat, until she shook her head.

  “I’m fine.” At least she was physically. Emotionally was another story. “All this talk about ice cream made me cold and hungry for dessert. You really should try ice cream with chocolate candy mixed in.”

  “When the weather gets warmer, we’ll have to give it a try.” Jeremiah closed the gap between them and entwined his arm in hers. “In the meantime, why don’t we go get a cup of tea?”

  Jeremiah led Lizzie toward a busier street not far from the train station. The restaurant he took her to reminded her more of a café. It was old, yet modern, given that for their era, it was relatively new. Things still confused Lizzie, like the realization that the old soda fountains and paintings on the walls were not restorations or reproductions—they were the originals.

  After their earlier conversation, she laughed secretly at the sign in front of the soda fountains that informed patrons no soda would be sold on Sunday. Lizzie knew better than ask for iced coffee after their meal at the fair. She was certain iced tea came about years before anyone started drinking iced coffee. “Can I have a cup of coffee with cream?”