“Yes. Her fiancé was hurt in the war. He’s going to be in Boston. She’s going back there to be with him. Help him get better and marry him and all that,” Carolyn told them.
Mrs. Gable frowned. “That’s what happened? Nothing else?”
“Sorry it’s nothing more exciting for you, but that’s it. I’d like to get on with my praying, if you don’t mind,” Carolyn grumbled.
“Of course,” Mrs. Gable agreed.
Mrs. Bean and Mrs. Gable left Carolyn. Ronnie joined them once they reached a private corner. Mrs. Bean hummed. “I believe what Mrs. Jennings said. Still, something doesn’t feel right.”
“I agree, Mrs. Bean. There’s something more to Ms. Mayer and Mrs. Jennings, just like we thought. Look at the woman. She’s heartbroken. She must be missing Ms. Mayer terribly. That’s my guess,” Mrs. Gable added.
“She did seem real unfriendly when you started talking about Hazel,” Ronnie concurred.
“She did. I can’t figure out what was going on there. They were closer than I’ve ever seen friends before,” Mrs. Gable noted.
“Well, Ms. Mayer’s gone. There’s no reason to whisper about her anymore. But, did you hear about Mr. Harmon’s daughter and the blacksmith’s son?” Mrs. Bean asked.
They wandered away as they babbled, but Ronnie didn’t move. He was still intrigued by the situation. His gaze rested on Carolyn. She had her eyes closed and hands folded. He wondered what she was praying about, for a single tear rolled down her cheek. It had to be for Hazel, Ronnie thought.
It was.
*-*-*-*
Later that day, Carolyn went to Elmer’s store. She browsed the liquor selection until she found her favorite whiskey. Sluggishly, she set it on the counter. Elmer didn’t ring it up. Instead, he took a long look at Carolyn. She flipped through her wad of bills.
“How much is it?” she wondered.
“Don’t worry about this, Carolyn. It’s on me.”
“No, that’s all right. I can afford it.”
“Carolyn, it’s on me. I know why you’re buying it.”
“What?” Carolyn stammered.
“I’ve known why.”
Carolyn searched the store to be sure that they were alone. Then, her chin dropped. “How long have you known?”
“It was obvious from the start. It got more obvious every time you were in here. It was real obvious when you two started feeding each other cake.”
“You saw that?” Carolyn blushed.
“I see everything in this town.”
“And you don’t think that it’s wrong?”
“I’ve known you since you were a kid, and you’ve always been different. Different, but wonderful. You shouldn’t be in this store with bruises under your collar. You should be in here with a smile. She gave you that. You gave her that. That’s what I saw. Not something wrong.”
“I love her, Elmer.”
“I know. I’m sorry that it can’t be,” he delicately patted the back of her hand. “You take that whiskey now. You’ll feel better soon.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Yeah. I honestly don’t think so either. But, one day. Remember that. One day, you will.”
She shook her head. She wouldn’t feel better until the day that Hazel returned to Debarr.
Thirty-seven
Before the morning could truly begin, Hazel was sitting in the yard. She couldn’t see the horizon over the tall fence. If she were in Nebraska, she would have been standing at her kitchen window, watching the sky change from black to orange to blue. Instead, she shivered and jolted when a siren cried in the distance.
She stealthily slipped into her sister’s house. Although she worried about waking her family, she needed a warm shower. It helped her chills a bit, but it didn’t take them away. She layered her dress with one of her plaid shirts, and she found a heavy quilt in the closet. It was time for a hot drink. Sally was already in the kitchen.
“We don’t have a lot of coffee, but we have hot tea. I can make you some,” Sally yawned in Hazel’s direction.
“Tea would be lovely,” Hazel said.
“All right. Is there anything else that I can get you? You look horrible.”
“Are you referring to my health or my plaid?” Hazel asked.
“Well, a bit of both. It seems like I could breathe near you and you’d flop to the floor.”
Hazel sighed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened.”
“Me either,” Sally chuckled. She carefully approached the topic. “Don’t take it wrong, but I’ve noticed that you’ve been different.”
“I’ve lived in a different state. I’m bound to have changed, at least a little bit,” Hazel defended.
Sally had to frown. “You loved it there, didn’t you? If you didn’t, you would have written me twice a day.”
“Yes. I loved it.”
“You miss it already,” Sally stated rather than asked.
“What makes you think that?” Hazel wondered.
“You’re testy. You’re miserable. You’re aloof.”
“I didn’t want to leave,” Hazel whispered.
“I know you didn’t,” Sally whispered in return. She put on her big sister voice. “Now, you finish up that tea. We can go for a walk after that. It’ll warm you up. After that, well…”
Hazel groaned. “No. No, no, no.”
“You really should let our parents know you’re back, Hazel.”
“Can’t I have a few days? Maybe a month or two?”
“Don’t you want to see Father?”
Hazel felt a jab in her chest. Her long breath was painful. “That’s why I came back. Him.”
“Then you’ll come with me to our parents’ house this afternoon?”
“Yes, Sally. I’ll go,” Hazel sorrowfully caved.
“Good. Just be prepared. He’s gone downhill since you’ve seen him. And, I suggest taking off that plaid shirt. Mother will cut you to ribbons for it.”
“Trust me. I know how things are here,” Hazel muttered. “Too well.”
*-*-*-*
Hazel used to love the architecture of her parents’ house. It was a grand building with an ornate exterior. In her mind, it was a magical castle of some sort. However, it seemed excessive now. Almost gaudy. She appreciated simple homes. Anything more was a waste of materials.
“Come on, Hazel. I have to worry about picking up the girls later,” Sally ushered her towards the front door.
They didn’t have to knock. Mrs. Mayer saw them climbing the front stoop. She threw the door open and wrapped her arms around Hazel. Hazel was rigid. She scarcely returned the embrace.
“Hazel! It’s you! I didn’t know that you were coming,” Mrs. Mayer beamed.
“I came as soon as I got Sally’s letter about Eugene, Mother.”
“That’s my good girl. Come in, come in. Your father will be thrilled to see you.”
When Hazel walked in, she turned towards the steps. Her parents’ bedrooms were upstairs, but her mother was going towards the parlor. She followed her mother into the room. There, a bed was setup for her father. It was extremely close to the bathroom, which told Hazel that her father was sick more than he wasn’t. He was barely awake.
“Darling, Hazel is here,” Mrs. Mayer whispered.
Gradually, his eyes opened. He turned his head in Hazel’s direction. “Daughter?”
“Hello, Father. It’s me,” Hazel answered as she approached him.
His features were sunken into his head, and his lungs were wheezing. She noticed how pale he was. It was as if the blood had drained from every vein in his body. His hands were cold.
“I’m so happy that you’re back. I’ve missed you,” he hazily smiled.
“I missed you too. This is probably a silly question, but how are you doing?” she asked.
He coughed when he laughed. “It is a silly question. I feel better today than yesterday, though.”
“He’ll be right as rain when he gets that treatme
nt,” Mrs. Mayer chimed in.
Hazel winced. She wondered if her mother knew that the cost of that treatment was more than money. It was Hazel’s life. Regardless, Hazel forced a smile.
“I hope that we can get it for you soon,” Hazel said.
“I hope so too. But, I saw a doctor just last week. He—”
“Hush, darling,” Mrs. Mayer interrupted her husband. “Let’s not talk of such things, hmm? Our little girl is here, and her love will be home any day. We should talk about the wedding.”
“We shouldn’t,” Hazel quickly dismissed.
Mrs. Mayer glared. “And why not? It’s coming so soon now.”
“I’d rather plan when we have Mrs. Miller with us,” Hazel smoothly replied.
“All right. That is a point. We can visit,” Mrs. Mayer decided.
“Nebraska?” Mr. Mayer asked Hazel.
“Wonderful,” Hazel gently told him.
He smiled and took her hand. “Good. I want my girl happy.”
“Yes, yes. I’m glad that you were happy. But, why is your skin so dark? You used to have beautiful skin like a porcelain doll. And your hair. You never cut it while you were gone? Never styled it?” her mother asked.
“I was outside, Mother. Working,” Hazel snapped.
“Working outside? You mean to say that you were a farmhand?” Mrs. Mayer gasped.
“Yes. I worked on a farm. It was to keep busy and learn about farming. Eugene wants to be a farmer. I want to make him happy. That’s all,” Hazel fibbed.
Sally didn’t believe her. Strangely, neither did Mr. Mayer. Mrs. Mayer brightly grinned at Hazel’s thoughtful answer. That was precisely what a wife should say, the woman thought.
“I want to know more about farms. Stay?” her father asked.
“Yes, you should stay with us. We’ve kept your old room clean,” Mrs. Mayer offered.
Hazel shook her head. “I’m staying with Sally and Orville.”
“Orville and Sally? In that matchbox?” her mother scoffed.
“It’s more comfortable than here,” Hazel argued.
“Stay for supper?” her father requested.
“I’ll stay for supper,” Hazel agreed.
Regrettably, Sally had to leave to pick up the girls from school. Hazel didn’t want to be alone with her parents anymore. It wasn’t her father. It was her mother more than anything. Judgments flowed from her like water through a faucet. However, Hazel behaved herself at dinner. No outbursts. No backtalk. Simple answers to any questions. Nothing more.
After the meal, Hazel sat alone with her father. He clutched her hand. “You’ve grown up so fast. I guess that you had to.”
“Life is what it is,” Hazel faintly answered.
“Thank you for carrying the weight for us all, daughter.”
“You’re my father. I owe you my very existence.”
“You don’t owe me,” he disputed. “I love you very much.”
“I love you too.”
“So good to have you home…” he drowsily sighed.
Her father fell into slumber. She pressed a kiss to his forehead and carefully padded away from his bed. Without speaking to her mother, she left. She jogged back to Sally’s house, mentally envisioning riding through the fields on Carolyn’s horse. The thought wouldn’t leave.
At Sally’s house, Hazel darted into Sally and Orville’s bedroom. The girls wouldn’t notice her there, and Orville was at work while Sally was in the kitchen. Hazel would have plenty of privacy, which she needed. She searched a small desk for a piece paper, a pen, and an envelope.
Thoughtfully, she penned the first line of the letter.
To my dearest sweetheart,
My heart is breaking.
Thirty-eight
The phone call from the hospital was not welcome. “Eugene Miller has arrived from overseas. You can see him now.” That was the last thing that Hazel wanted to hear. Her quiet time with Sally was coming to an undesirable end, for she had no way to stall the inevitable any longer.
They weren’t sure how to do it. Did Hazel go with the Millers to the hospital? Did Hazel wait at the Millers’ house for Eugene? No, that wasn’t acceptable. Eugene deserved a hero’s welcome, his parents decided. They wanted to throw a party in his honor. The Millers wanted it to be at the Mayer’s house. They said that it was to include the Mayer clan, knowing that Mr. Mayer was unable to leave the house.
Hazel’s parents were thrilled that the Millers saw them as one happy family. Hazel did not see it that way. She believed that the Millers wanted to remind Hazel of the truth. She was to stay with Eugene or watch her father fail. What better way to display that than to put them in the same room?
With the little time she had left, Hazel sat on a bench in her parents’ backyard. She thought of a fence in Debarr. It was a simple fence. But, it was their fence. Their sky. Their love. She figured that Carolyn could be standing beside those wooden posts at that very moment.
“There was a telephone call for you. It was from Mrs. Miller. They’re leaving the hospital now. They should be here in ten minutes,” Mrs. Mayer shouted across the yard.
“I’ll be in,” Hazel replied.
The time had come. Hazel prepared herself. Eugene was certainly not a bad man. However, he did have an ego that stretched across oceans, and he fiercely believed that women existed to serve men. That side of Eugene reminded her of Ronnie Richardson. Ronnie was one of the few things in Debarr that she did not miss.
Inside the house, Hazel sat on the hall tree. Her mother insisted, as it was the closest seat to the front door. Mrs. Mayer said that Hazel had to be the first thing that Eugene would see. A lovers’ reunion, or something of the like. Hazel hated the sound of the doorknob as it turned.
“Welcome back, son!” Mr. Miller’s voice carried through the opening door.
Hazel stood to greet Eugene. The solider arrived in a wheelchair, which he would surely use to his advantage somehow and somewhere. She knew that he’d gloat about the massive cast on his leg and the sling on his arm for months too. He grinned widely when he saw Hazel. She forced a happy expression.
“Hey, doll. Come here and give your hero some sugar,” Eugene said.
An inch at a time, Hazel went to him. She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. She knew exactly what to say. “I’m glad you’re home, Eugene. Everyone is. This is a party for you. You deserve it.”
“A party for me?” Eugene asked.
“It sure is, son. Everybody is here. Miller and Mayer alike. Are you hungry? Let’s start with the meal,” Mr. Miller decided.
“I’ll round everyone up,” Hazel volunteered.
In a flash, Hazel left Eugene’s side. She wandered her parents’ house until the Millers and the Mayers were all in the dining area. It was a challenge to fit everyone. Mr. Mayer had a bulky wheelchair of his own, and some of Eugene’s extended family arrived.
“The conditions were always hard. It was war, you know. War isn’t a friendly thing,” Eugene dramatically told everyone.
“How do you think we’re doing?” Eugene’s uncle asked.
“It’s hard to say. I’m not a general. I should be. I was great over there,” Eugene responded.
Hazel rolled her eyes. No one caught it. Mr. Miller was busy talking. “Oh, I know that you were. I guarantee there wasn’t a braver man in the army.”
“How’d you hurt your leg and arm?” Mr. Mayer groggily slurred.
“In battle. They dropped some bombs on us. I was thrown backwards from the impact. Landed on this arm and broke it. My leg was hit by debris. That broke it in a few places. I kept fighting, though. I didn’t stop until I got shot in the shoulder.”
“Where did it happen?” Hazel politely attempted to join the conversation.
Eugene glared. “The men are talking right now, doll. Refill my glass for me. I like the red wine. Not the white.”
Hazel picked up his glass and took it to the kitchen. She wanted to throw the bottle of wine against the wall. The g
lass would shatter and bleed, and she would shatter and bleed with it. She pulled herself together, barely, and went back to the table.
“But, enough about the war. I’m so happy to be home. Do you know what I’m going to do now that I’m home? Well, I’ve got it all worked out,” Eugene announced.
“Are you leaving us to go play farmer again, or will we have time with you?” Mrs. Miller asked.
This greatly interested Hazel. Eugene chuckled. “Don’t worry, Mother. Hazel and I won’t be leaving anytime soon. We’ll still go. Someday. But, not in the near future. Believe you me, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. Being here with family is the most important thing. Isn’t that right, doll?”
“Yeah. That’s right,” Hazel quietly agreed.
“Besides, I know how she must have hated Nebraska, being there all alone without me. I hope that she spent her time learning how to cook and clean,” Eugene loudly laughed. Everyone did, except for Hazel and Mr. Mayer. Her father was beginning to see through Hazel’s disguise, and he didn’t like what he saw.
“When do you want to be married? I believe that we’ve planned well enough,” Mrs. Miller asked Eugene.
“I don’t want to get married until I can stand at the altar. I still have a few weeks before I can get out of the chair and onto crutches. But, as soon as I can, we’re marrying,” Eugene answered.
Mrs. Mayer nodded. “Perfect. That’ll give us time to work on the dress. The one we have right now makes her look more like a bell than a girl.”
“Does it? Well, we can’t have that. My wife has to look pretty on the big day,” Eugene commented.
“Soon-to-be wife,” Hazel grumbled.
Her voice was overpowered by Mrs. Miller’s giggles. “Of course she should look her best, dear. Where do you want to live? We do have an extra bedroom at home.”
“I’ll stay there until my leg is better. After that, I think that Hazel and I need to buy us a nice little place. Maybe an apartment. I’m not too sure. I do know that it needs to have room for children,” Eugene responded.
Hazel dropped her knife and fork. “Excuse me?”
“Children. I was thinking we should have two boys since you have those two girls in your family already. We’ll name one after my father and one after yours,” Eugene concluded.
The Way We Are Page 18