Phillip loved that verse; it offered him hope when there seemed to be none. Amelia was quiet and he hoped that the words had given her the same encouragement as they always gave him.
She finally spoke up: “How do you do it?”
This one was easy to answer for Phillip. “Because I believe in the promise told to us in the book of Revelations; He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things shall have passed away.”
They fell into a silence. His neck ached and so did his back. Phillip longed to lie down and rest his body but he knew that whatever he felt, it was worse for Amelia. That night, for the first time in their married life, they slept close to each other. He pulled her gently towards his body and held her. He had never felt more content. They fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The next two days followed the same pattern of praying for the sick, and burying those who had lost the fight. On their last day in Newton, Phillip performed two marriage ceremonies. He watched Amelia sitting at the front bench and he felt a swell of pride. The last week had taken a toll on her and she had lines under her face. Despite this, she never complained. Once they travelled back home, she would be alright after a good rest. He performed the ceremony and while the couple exchanged their vows, he tried to catch Amelia’s eye.
She had fallen asleep right there in church and he smiled. She was even more exhausted than he had thought. Her luscious brown hair had fallen out of its pins and now tumbled around her face. She looked breathtakingly adorable. He ached to take her home to rest. After all she was his responsibility now. A wife of my own.
After the ceremonies were done and the couples left the small shack that served as the church, Phillip went to Amelia and shook her gently.
“We’ll be back home tomorrow and you can have your much deserved rest.”
NINE
By The Grace Of God
Phillip woke up at dawn the following morning, just as rays from the sun were streaking into the room, covering the bed in an orange hue. Amelia was still asleep and he tiptoed to the washroom and cleaned himself up and then dressed. She still had not risen but he felt loath to wake her up when he recalled how exhausted she had looked.
He sat at his desk and read the bible. He kept glancing at Amelia’s sleeping form and finally, worried about her; he went to her and shook her. Her response was to groan. He touched her forehead. His heartbeat took on a faster beat. Alarm rang in his brain. Her head felt hot. He touched her neck and it was just as hot.
Oh Lord no, please no! Phillip ran from the room and down the stairs.
“Please call a doctor, my wife is not well,” Phillip cried to Mrs. Spencer at the reception.
“Right away Pastor Phillip.”
He turned back to the stairs and ran to the room. She lay in the same position. He felt helpless and had no idea what to do. Finally, he got a wet washcloth and wiped Amelia’s face and neck.
“Come on my love, fight this, I can’t bear to lose you,” Phillip pleaded with Amelia’s still form.
By the time the doctor arrived half an hour later, Phillip thought he was losing his mind. He stepped out into the hallway as the doctor checked on Amelia. He emerged minutes later.
“I’m afraid it’s the fever that is going round. There’s not much I can do for her, we must wait and see how her body responds to it. In forty-eight hours, we shall know whether she’ll get better. I’m sorry Pastor Phillip.”
Phillip nodded, when in reality, he wanted to hold the doctor by the shoulders and shake him until he found a way to heal Amelia. Instead, he shook the doctor’s hand and returned to the room. He sat by her side all day, switching between praying for her and wiping her down.
She mumbled in her sleep, words that Phillip could not understand. Once she even sat bolt upright in bed, but her eyes were unfocused and she did not recognize him. When he closed his eyes to pray, Phillip could only utter the common prayers. No words of how desperate he was, formed in his brain.
It was as though he had forgotten how to pray. He held his bible, flipped through the pages and returned it to the table. He paced up and down, and when Amelia made a sound, he ran to her bedside, only to find that she was talking in her sleep. By evening, she had not changed, if anything, she seemed to have grown worse.
Her skin was pale with a tinge of green. He put a mug of water to her dry lips. When that did not work, he washed his fingers and used them to spoon bits of water into her mouth. Mrs. Spencer brought a plate of food for him but it lay there on the table untouched. Oh Lord, please do not let Amelia die. Intervene and help her live.
He must have dozed off in the chair next to Amelia because he woke up to an insistent knock on the door. Phillip checked on Amelia first. He held his breath and only started breathing again when he saw that her chest was moving up and down. Her breathing was raspy, emitting a sound like two pieces of metal scraping against each other, and it frightened him.
The knock came again and he went to open the door. He ushered the doctor in.
“Is she any better?” Phillip said, after the doctor took her temperature.
“This is the peak of the fever. Pray for her, as the next few hours are crucial. I brought a liquid medicine that you can try and feed her with a spoon.”
Glad of something to do, Phillip took the medicine and clutched it as though it held the power that would restore Amelia back to health. The doctor left and Phillip gave Amelia a spoon of the medicine; sliding it into her mouth a little at a time. It seemed to help because the horrible sounds left her. Other than rapid breathing, she looked as though she was sleeping peacefully.
As he sat holding her hand, Phillip smoothened her hair to the back and looked at her face. Amelia was beautiful inside out and now about to lose her, his heart broke at his own behavior. Phillip remembered his actions at the train station and felt ashamed of himself.
He had done the opposite of what he preached. He often warned his congregation against casting judgment on people. He was a hypocrite! Phillip saw Amelia’s face as it had been at the station, glowing at meeting her husband to be. Only he had not deserved the honor of being called Amelia’s husband.
He had let her down in so many ways and now he could lose her. He searched for the words he used to comfort people. None came. No scriptures came to mind. He did not want to accept that he could lose Amelia. Not before he had an opportunity to make amends. It hit Phillip then that he had ceased to notice Amelia’s short stature.
She was such a wonderful person to know and be with. Her size did not matter. What she lacked in size, she made up for in spirit. He had worried over what people would think of Amelia. How foolish, he now thought. His congregation had welcomed her into their fold and liked her from the moment he introduced her as his wife. It was he, who had the problem, not other people. Oh God, please forgive me.
That evening, Amelia seemed to grow worse. Her fever raged, her body dripping bucketful’s of water. As soon as he wiped her down and changed her clothes, her petticoats became soaked again. Phillip grew desperate. He was losing Amelia. He could feel it in his heart. Not knowing what to do anymore or where to turn, Phillip dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the floor.
The words came then and with them, tears. Phillip cried, like he hadn’t since he was a lad. He begged for Amelia’s life to be spared. He loved her with all his being and he needed to show her for the rest of his life.
“Oh Father in heaven, forgive me, please Lord spare my beloved’s life. Infuse health into her. She is a wonderful person and companion. Please do not take her away from me.”
Unable to continue praying, Phillip let the sobs out. He didn’t know how he would continue if Amelia died. He had had a treasure in his palm and had not recognized it as such. When his sobs subsided, he did the one thing he had never done. He made promises to God. “If you let her live Father, I’ll shower her with my love and she will neve
r know a moment of sadness caused by me, I will...”
“Phillip?”
Phillip paused and looked up, thinking that he was now hallucinating. The voice came again.
“Phillip?”
He jumped on his feet to Amelia’s side. Her eyes were open and focused on him. She looked weak but she was smiling softly. It was the most beautiful sight that Phillip had ever seen.
TEN
Forever Yours
“Amelia this is too much food,” Phillip said with a laugh as he eyed the packages that Amelia had laid on the table.
“I’ll only be gone for three days.”
“I know, but I feel better knowing that you have everything you could possibly need,” Amelia countered walking into the large airy front room.
Her gait was slow and she already looked tired though it was ten in the morning. She beheld her tall handsome husband clad in his official clothes.
“Should I cancel this trip my dear?’ Phillip asked, pushing his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose.
“Absolutely not, I’m alright and the child has a month before making its appearance. The doctor is sure of that,” Amelia replied firmly.
She smiled to reassure him. She wasn’t worried about being left alone for three days. Besides, she had so much to do. There was the kitchen garden that needed to have the weeds plucked out, their one cow that she had to feed and milk. Phillip had suggested that he get someone to do it for the period that he would be away but she had been adamant.
Her home was hers and Phillip’s sanctuary and she did not want to have to deal with a stranger. Besides, if she needed help, Emil and Mercy were only a few miles away, and her friend popped in regularly to check on her. At the thought of her friend, Amelia’s face fell. She felt guilty when she caught Mercy staring at her hugely protruding tummy.
She had not conceived a child yet and Amelia tried to encourage her that it would happen for her too. She prayed every night about it too and she knew that the Lord would work his miracles and help mercy and Emil have their own child. Phillip dropped to his knees and pulled Amelia into his arms.
“I treasure you so much and I’ll never tire of showing and telling you,” Phillip said with feeling.
“I love you my husband,” Amelia said, her face buried in Phillips cossack.
She was still in awe when she recalled the happenings of the last year. So many miracles had happened to Amelia in a short time. It had taken her falling sick and coming close to death for Phillip to realize that he loved her. He had been so loving to her and nursing her back to health.
She blushed now at the memory of their first night together as husband and wife. Phillip had been so worried that he would hurt her and it had taken him many weeks to understand that she was as strong as the next woman. Now, he referred to her in private as his little jewel of strength.
Another miracle had been Phillip’s decision to build a home for them. It had four bedrooms, which they both intended to fill with children. It had a large kitchen with a huge wooden table as the centerpiece. The floors were wooden and shiny and at the front of the house, was a small porch. The plan was for Phillip to make two rocking chairs from where they would enjoy watching the sunset.
It had been wonderful having her own home and land on which to grow their food. So far, Amelia had harvested corn, potatoes and her kitchen vegetables boasted of all types of vegetables from carrots to peas to onions.
Whenever Phillip travelled, he returned with seeds of different plants for her to try out. It made her feel loved because it meant that he often thought of her when he was away from home. She felt as though she had known Phillip all her life and he her. She could tell when he was sad or happy or simply tired.
Their love had grown day after day, since that awful two nights. They had both realized how precious life was and that one could lose it in an instant. Amelia still remembered the funerals they had attended and the people who had lost their loved ones during that period of the fever. She shook her head from those thoughts and instead focused on her husband.
Phillip gently pried her hands from his neck. He then kissed her on the mouth.
“I must go now my dear.”
She followed him to the horse tethered on a tree. Now that she did not travel with him anymore, he preferred to go on horseback as it was faster. Just then, they heard voices coming their way. Amelia’s face lit up. She knew from the direction the voices were coming from that it was most likely Mercy and Emil.
Sure enough, it was them; walking from a path they had dug out for the purpose of linking the two homes.
“Are you just leaving?” Emil called out.
“I am, off to Greenhorn for three days. Watch out for Amelia, keep an eye on her, will you?”
“We will, I promise,” Mercy called out. “Take care now.”
Amelia watched Phillips disappearing back with a twinge of sadness. She would miss him but she never showed him that side because if she did, he would cancel the trip and that was not right. People needed him, much more than she did. When she did, she knew he would be right here with her, until then, it was her work as a preacher’s wife to support her husband’s work.
She felt Mercy’s hand on hers.
“He’ll be back before you know it.”
“I’ll leave you two ladies alone. I know you have a lot to talk about,” Emil said and with a cheerful wave, he left.
“Let’s sit here on the porch awhile, the sun is wonderfully warm,” Mercy said.
Amelia turned her attention on her friend. She noted the sparkling eyes and the skin on her face which had turned color.
“I can see that you’re bursting to tell me something,” Amelia said, shifting about and not quite finding a comfortable position. Being so short meant that the child in her tummy took up a lot of space and as time went by, the discomfort grew.
“Are you alright? Do you want to go in?” Mercy asked her tone concerned.
“It won’t make much of a difference. I’m not comfortable anywhere, not in bed or on a chair,” Amelia complained.
“It will be over soon and then it will be my turn to suffer the discomfort of carrying a child,” Mercy said.
Amelia stopped all movement. “What did you say?”
Mercy nodded and her eyes filled up.
“The Lord has answered our prayers. I’m with child Amelia. Finally I’m going to be a mother, just like you.”
Amelia screeched.
“The whole valley can hear you,” Mercy said with a laugh.
“They should,” Amelia said. “Oh Lord, thank you, thank you.”
“I know and I now believe all the things you’ve been telling me about patience. Amelia, we’ll be mothers together.”
“I’ll have a boy and you a beautiful little girl who will get married to my son and then we’ll be a proper family.”
Both women erupted into giggles and then Mercy sobered up.
“You’ve always been my family Amelia, from the first time we met at the bottom of the stairs. You were the prettiest girl I had ever seen.”
“You’re my family too Mercy. My loneliness disappeared when I met you. You’re a Godsend, always have been.”
“Is that why you followed me to the other side of the country?” Mercy teased.
Amelia nodded emphatically. “That’s right and don’t even think of going away because I’ll follow you wherever you go.”
They broke into laughter again and then linked hands. Amelia thought of how far they each had come. Mercy with her terrible scars, and her with her short stature. God saw none of those things, Amelia thought. He saw each person for who they were inside. She was just happy that she and her friend had found the love and happiness they had craved for all their lives.
The End
14. Mama Died, Daddy Needs A Bride
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ONE
A New Outlook
Ada Devine looked at her employer fondly, as she stretched and yawned. Joanna Hunter took her mug of tea with her right hand and sipped it. She had a tendency to wear long-sleeved dresses, so a stranger would miss it at first glance — the fact that her left arm was missing.
Despite working for Joanna for three years, Ada had never asked her about her missing arm. To be honest, she was in fact, not even curious about it. All she knew was that she had the best employer in the world and that was sufficient.
Besides, she had learned to mind her own business if she did not want others to poke their noses into hers.
“Do you sometimes wonder if our husbands are out there?” Joanna asked, breaking the silence.
Ada gripped at her mug and fought the tremble crawling up from her feet.
“Look at us, three years on, and still matching mail order brides with men in the West and not one of our unions has turned sour,” Joanne continued.
Ada momentarily shut her eyes and exhaled deeply. Nobody here knew about her past, not even Joanna whom she was very close to, after years of working together and sharing a home. She turned her attention back to the conversation at hand.
“We are still young enough to get husbands, Ada. Are we being bullish? What are we doing?” Joanna asked.
Ada shrugged. She was not surprised by the conversation. It was a recurring topic for Joanna, especially when she was physically tired like now. Ada had not confided in her friend that these last three years had changed her outlook on life. Had Joanna asked the same question to her two years ago, her answer would have been a resolute ‘no’. Ada had no interest in marriage, and for a very good reason. Unbidden, her mind went straight to that night when she had arrived at Joanna’s doorstep. She had been tired and hungry, with nowhere to sleep. She very much looked as homeless as she was. She had not explained how she had come to be on the streets but had quietly asked Joanna for work. Joanna had contemplated her for a while, her grey eyes weighing Ada. Finally, she had nodded and Ada had almost wept with relief. Both of them had never looked back.
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