Love Finds You in Daisy, Oklahoma

by Janice Hanna

  She turned to look at Carolina, knowing she must voice her questions aloud. Steadying her voice, she said, “Well, I do have a question about housework and such.”

  “What is that, dear?”

  “The last director—she did everything for the children? Besides caregiving, I mean. Was she responsible for the upkeep of the house?”

  “Well, the children are responsible for making their own beds and tidying up after themselves.” Carolina pointed at the messy tables, the overturned chairs, and the messy floor underneath it all. “Though you can see how well that’s working out. I’m sure you saw the boys’ area upstairs.”

  “Yes.” Rena bit her lip. “There’s work to be done in convincing them, I see. I, well, I do have to wonder about something else. What about food? Who does the cooking?”

  “Ah.” Carolina nodded. “Mrs. Wabash was a wonderful cook. One of the best in the county, actually. The children were a bit spoiled in that regard.”

  “I see.” Should Rena mention that she usually burned the toast and overcooked the eggs? Should she add that the cook in Gulfport had forbidden her from helping in the kitchen for fear that she would burn the house down? Why, oh, why hadn’t she thought about this in advance? Her confidence faded more with each passing moment.

  The sheriff reentered the room and reached for several more plates. She stood to help him, but he gestured for her to sit. “No, please. It’s the least I can do.”

  Rena nodded and sat once more.

  Carolina reached over and patted her hand. “Don’t fret over the cooking just yet, honey. I’ve put together a list of ladies from the church. They’ll come by to help you over the first couple weeks until you learn your way around the kitchen. And Jenny Jamison, our teacher, will help, too. She’s a peach. I just know you’re going to love her. Besides, I had a feeling you would need time to adjust.”

  Rena was struck with an idea. “Do you suppose you could spend a little time helping me with the meals the children love most? I’d like to cook the things they enjoy, but I’ll need a bit of assistance.”

  “Of course. Happy to do it. I’m at home in the kitchen, as are most of the women in town.”

  A wave of relief washed over Rena. “Thank you so much. And what about the laundry? Do I…I mean, am I responsible for…” The words sounded ridiculous even to her own ears. Still, she’d barely laundered her own clothes, let alone the clothes of others.

  “Mr. Kovach, the laundry man, comes around on Saturdays to pick up the week’s laundry. He sends a bill every month, but the missions society covers it. The children know to put their laundry in the bin on Saturday mornings. You can do the same with your personal items, but be advised that Mr. Kovach often loses things, so hand-wash anything you might be attached to.”

  “I will do that.” Rena leaned back in her chair, feeling a mixture of exhaustion and relief. She wouldn’t have to handle all this on her own, at least not yet.

  “Just relax, Rena,” Carolina said. “Your primary task here is to make sure that the children are cared for. I think it would also be a lovely idea to train the little girls to be ladies, if such a thing is possible.” She paused. “And the boys…they need attention, lots of attention. Most of all, they need your love, as you will quickly learn.”

  “That, I can give them.” Rena smiled, feeling more hopeful than she had since her arrival. “I’ve plenty of love to give.”

  “I’ve sensed that about you,” Carolina said with a reassuring smile. “You strike me as someone who has a full heart, spilling over. You must be well versed in the Scriptures, to have such a sweet countenance.”

  Unaccustomed to such flattery, Rena felt heat rise to her cheeks. “I’ve had plenty of time on my hands, since I’ve not had a family of my own to raise. So, yes, I’ve spent a great deal of time studying the Scriptures. My brother is a reverend, and so was my father.” A lump rose in her throat as she mentioned her father. “We have a great love for the Bible and for those less fortunate.”

  “Then surely you know the verse about tending to the widows and orphans.” Carolina put her hand on Rena’s arm. “What you’re doing—sacrificing your time, your plans, your own personal life—is admirable. It’s also biblical. If you ever feel like running for the hills, remember that caring for the orphans has always been something God smiles upon.”

  Rena nodded, suddenly feeling better about her situation. If, indeed, God was smiling on her situation, then surely He would give her the wherewithal to see it through. Another yawn escaped.

  “Sweet girl, I can tell you’re exhausted.” Carolina rose and gestured for her to do the same.

  The sheriff appeared just in time to help Rena with her chair. She gave him a shy smile, and he responded with a crooked grin. She couldn’t have sketched a finer portrait for the cover of her novel.

  Not that he would ever know she penned stories. Oh no. She would hide that fact from everyone in town, just as she’d done back home.

  Home.

  There was that word again.

  Oh well. No time like the present to start thinking of Daisy as her home away from home. What else could she do, really?

  Gene noticed the shy smile from Miss Jewel and responded with a grin. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer than he expected, and he found himself feeling a bit unnerved. Was she working up the courage to quit already? Would he end up hauling her bags back to the train station before morning?

  With his mother leading the way, the ladies walked into the front hall. Gene lagged behind in the dining room, knowing that he should finish clearing the tables. Still, there was one thing he needed to do first.

  “Miss Jewel?” He called her name and she turned his way.

  “I want you to know that we’ve heard from another interested party—someone who is willing to come in May to take over the orphanage full-time.”

  “Ah.”

  Not much of a response, really, but he could read the relief in her eyes.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “I would’ve written to tell you, but I’ve only just learned myself.”

  His mother took Miss Jewel’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “It will be your choice, of course, dear. We just wanted to give you the choice to go, should you decide to.”

  A hopeful shimmer lit her eyes, which gave Gene the courage to continue. “No doubt your family back home would be thrilled to have you back before summer.”

  “No doubt.” A look of sadness swept over her briefly, and he wondered if she was already battling homesickness. “Oh, and speaking of my family, I wonder if you could tell me how to go about telephoning my brother to let him know I’ve arrived.”

  “There’s a phone at the jail. I’d be happy to make the call tomorrow.”

  “I would be grateful.” Her shoulders slumped forward, and he thought for a moment that she might fall asleep standing up. Instead, she offered him a weak smile. “And thank you for doing the dishes, by the way. I’m sure things will settle down before long.”

  She’d no sooner spoken the words than the herd of buffalo above took to stomping and screaming again. A couple of the boys—likely his—had taken to fighting at the top of the stairs.

  Gene bounded up the stairs once more, took William and Jacob by the collars, and led them back down downstairs. “Sit in the dining room until we’re ready to leave,” he said. “I don’t want to hear a peep out of either of you.”

  “But, Pa, he called me a sissy.” William scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “I’ve told you a thousand times to treat each other as you would want to be treated.”

  “That’s the Bible’s way,” Rena added. “‘Do unto others—’”

  “Before they do unto you.” Jacob punched his brother again. “I always do things the Bible’s way.”

  Rena looked stunned by their behavior. “Doing what’s right isn’t easy,” she said. “But we’re to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. That means we treat them kindly if we want to be t
reated kindly.”

  William muttered, “He don’t want to be treated kindly, trust me,” before slugging his brother back.

  Jacob doubled up his fists and put them in the air, but Gene pressed them down. “Enough. Go. Sit.”

  The boys retreated to the dining room, and he glanced at Miss Jewel. The weariness in her eyes spoke volumes. She wouldn’t last long. Just like Mrs. Wabash. And the director before her. And the one before her.

  “Well, I guess I’d better tuck in the children then head to bed myself.” She stifled a yawn. “These last couple of days have been exhausting.”

  “Just one thing before you go up,” he said, reaching out and touching her arm.

  She gazed at him, her brow wrinkled. “Yes?”

  “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

  It took the better part of an hour to get the children settled down. Rena had enough trouble keeping all their names straight: Lilly, Josephine, Wesley, David, Oliver, Callie, and at least a dozen more. However would she remember them all?

  No time to worry about that now. She went about settling disputes, one on top of another. She then picked up at least a dozen articles of clothing from the floor in the boys’ room. From the top of the stairs she offered an exhausted good-bye to the sheriff and his mother, who headed home with the sheriff’s two boys in tow.

  By the time she retreated to her bedroom, Rena could scarcely think straight. She felt the sting of tears but pushed them away, determined not to give in to the emotions. Instead, she dressed for bed, spent a few minutes unpinning her hair, and stared at her exhausted reflection in the mirror.

  “Ugh.” No woman thirty-eight years of age should have bags under her eyes.

  Still, she’d earned them, hadn’t she?

  She walked over to the dresser, wondering if she should take the time to unpack her clothes and put them away. Determined to get the job done before settling into bed, she pulled the handle on the top drawer. It fell off in her hand. She reached for the handle on the second drawer. Same thing. The third worked, but as soon as she pulled the drawer open, its contents fell out all over the floor with a loud clatter.

  “What in the world?”

  Someone had put the drawer in upside down. She knelt on the floor to have a look at what had fallen and nearly lost her breath when she found several marbles, which rolled across the uneven floor and under her bed. She scrambled to fetch them, but it was no use. Though they were out of sight, she could still hear them rolling.

  From outside her door, Rena heard giggling and realized that the perpetrators were nearby.

  “Get back in bed,” she called out. “I mean it.”

  A scuffle of feet against the wooden floor convinced her they’d headed down the hall. Still, she could hardly compose herself. Now, seated on the floor, she began to cry. Her tears fell—slowly at first and then with abandon. So much for thinking she would unpack tonight. After a few deep, cleansing breaths, she willed herself to settle down. And after a few moments, she found herself wrapped in a quiet calm. Finally.

  Reaching into her bag, she came up with a carefully wrapped teacup and saucer. She unwrapped the layers of dish towels surrounding the pieces and then put the precious items on the dresser. Willing the tears not to return, she fingered the hand-painted saucer. Silly, she knew, to care so deeply about a teacup and saucer. But they had belonged to her mother. Oh, how she missed her.

  Rena stuck her hand into her bag and came out with the china doll, one her mother had given her as a youngster. It, like the cup and saucer, had survived the house fire that had taken her parents from her. A lump rose in her throat as she clutched the doll to her chest. The tears started again.

  Not tonight, Rena. You have enough on your mind without going there.

  Composing herself and settling into the four-poster bed, Rena’s thoughts began to tumble. The sheriff’s words replayed themselves in her mind: “We’ve heard from another interested party—someone who is willing to come in May to take over the orphanage full-time.” Could she possibly manage until then?

  “It’s only for seven months,” she whispered, before rolling over in the bed. “It’s only for seven months.”

  Chapter Nine

  TIPS FOR DEALING WITH UNRULY YOUNG’UNS—When it comes to child-rearin’, the Bible is filled with pertinent advice. We’re taught to train up our children in the way they should go and when they’re old they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). We’re instructed to diligently teach our children, talking about God’s precepts as we come and go (Deuteronomy 6:7). We’re told to not provoke our children, lest they become discouraged, and we’re instructed to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Most of all, we are to love them as we want to be loved. This is, perhaps, the hardest commandment of all, particularly in the town of Daisy.

  —Reverend Thomas Harding, Pastor of Daisy Community Church

  Rena spent the first few days in Daisy acquainting herself with the children. In spite of their previous antics, most were adorable, on the outside. Deceptively adorable. What was it the Bible said about wolves in sheep’s clothing? Oh well. She would conquer her fear of wolves soon enough. What these youngsters needed was a good old-fashioned church service to get them walking the straight and narrow. Though she couldn’t imagine getting seventeen children dressed and ready for a Sunday morning walk to church, she would give it her best shot.

  On Saturday morning she arose and dressed then went to wake the boys. They fought one another to get to the water closet just outside their room. Next Rena headed to the girls’ room. The little darlings had somehow managed to sleep through all the noise coming from the rowdy boys next door. As she gazed down at Lilly, her heart began to flutter. The child—just a wisp of a thing—was so innocent. When sleeping, anyway.

  Rena wrinkled her nose as a pungent odor greeted her. The room had a—what was that? musty? moldy?—smell. Everything would need a thorough cleaning, and the sooner the better.

  She called Lilly by name and then rested her hand on the little girl’s shoulder.

  Lilly awoke abruptly, let out a cry, and pulled the covers over her head as soon as she saw Rena. Then she began to cry.

  “What is it, honey?” Rena asked.

  Callie yawned and stretched in the next bed. The youngster’s eyes grew wide as Rena started to sit on the edge of Lilly’s bed. “No, Miss Rena, don’t sit down!”

  “Why?” Rena rose to a standing position.

  “Because.” Callie lowered her voice to a whisper as she scrambled out from under the covers. “Lilly, um…she probably wet the bed again.”

  “Ah.” Rena took a little step back. She gestured toward the hall and Callie followed her.

  “Has this been going on long?” Rena whispered.

  Callie nodded and continued to speak in a lowered voice. “She don’t want anyone to know, but she pees the bed most every night. Sometimes I wake her up really early and take her to the water closet, but sometimes even then…” Her words faded.

  “Ah.” Rena pursed her lips and thought through her response.

  “She takes her nightgown and wads it up under the bed, but it smells real bad,” Callie said. “And her sheets stink too.” An innocent shrug followed. “We got used to it after a while. Hardly even notice it anymore.”

  “Still…” Rena paused and tried to think of what to do. She didn’t want to humiliate Lilly, but how could she handle it otherwise? She thought for a moment longer. “I’ll tell you what,” she said at last. “This will be our little secret. If you’re willing to pull off the wet sheets whenever Lilly has an accident, you can put them under the bed with the wet nightie. I’ll come along and fetch all the wet things after you children go to school, and I’ll make over the bed with clean linens. In the meantime, I’ll switch out the mattress with a spare one from the extra bed and figure out some way to protect it underneath the sheets.”

  Callie smiled and reached out to squeeze
Rena’s hand. “Thank you for not yelling at her.”

  “Yelling at her?”

  “Yes.” Tears brimmed the youngster’s lashes. “When Mrs. Wabash would catch her, she would say horrible things to Lilly. She called her a pee-pot and made her cry. It was awful…for all of us.”

  Rena shook her head. “I never understood such behavior from adults. To demean a child is…” She shook her head, unwilling to finish her thoughts aloud. “At any rate, please tell Lilly that she needn’t worry, should an accident occur again. But also please tell her not to drink water just before bed. That will help a lot.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Callie gave her a wink. “It’s our little secret.”

  “And we will think of what else we can do to get this under control,” Rena said, still deep in thought about the situation. “Perhaps a visit to the doctor is in order to make sure she is in good health.”

  “Lilly don’t like Doc Moseley,” Callie said. “The last time Mrs. Wabash took her, she bit him right on the arm.”

  “Not a pleasant scenario for patient or doctor, then.” Rena paused. “Well, go on back in your room and help Lilly. Make sure Josephine wakes up too. She’s still sleeping. We have a lot of work to do around here today.”

  “Josephine is spoiled rotten.” Callie rolled her eyes. “She ain’t never had to get up early or work or nuthin’. Says her mama made the servants do all the work.”

  “Ah.” Rena hardly knew what to say in response. Still, her heart went out to Josephine. Living in an orphanage would be quite a shock to a youngster from a well-to-do family.

  The rest of the morning was spent in getting the laundry situation under control. Mr. Kovach arrived promptly at eight that morning to take away the dirties and leave them with the clean clothes from the week prior. Sorting through everything almost proved to be Rena’s undoing. Thank goodness Carolina arrived just in time to help. Together, they managed to get the job done.

  The schoolteacher, a pretty young woman named Jenny Jamison, stopped by with the noon meal. She’d prepared sandwiches, lemonade, and potato salad. Somehow she managed to keep the children from fighting while they ate—not a minor feat. She promised to come by again later in the week to check on everyone. Rena had a feeling Jenny would be a great friend.