Jessamine’s Journal: The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides

by Osbourne, Kirsten

  “I’m Jessie Samuels, and I was a teacher in New York before I moved here to marry Bob. I wanted everyone to know that I would like to start a school, right here in your church, and my target date to start it is November first, which is only two weeks away. Is there anyone here who would be interested in their child attending school?”

  All but a couple of the hands went up, and those parents quickly excused themselves. Jessie felt bad that the opportunity for education would not be given to their children, but she had no way of knowing if the children were taught by their parents in a home environment.

  Slowly Jessie went from parent to parent, writing down the names, ages, and education of each child. It didn’t take her long to realize that she had very few children who could read. That was all right. She would enjoy teaching them to lose themselves in literature. She actually looked forward to the challenge.

  Once she was finished, she asked if everyone would be fine with starting November first, and was surprised at how enthusiastic the remaining parents were about their children learning.

  One man asked if the children would be taught things like advanced farming techniques. For a moment Jessie was taken aback, but then she nodded. “If that’s a subject you want taught, I’ll make sure to study up on it. Your children will learn whatever they need to learn.”

  By the time the meeting was over, Jessie was both exhausted and starving. “Let’s head home so I can fix lunch.”

  “There’s no need,” Bob said, obviously thinking about her comfort. “Let’s eat at the diner. This is when we should eat out. You shouldn’t have to cook when you’re as tired as you are.”

  “How do you know I’m tired?” she asked.

  “Your eyes don’t seem to want to stay open. Trust me. It’s obvious.”

  She smiled. “I guess it is. Maybe I need a nap this afternoon. I’m not horribly fond of public speaking, and it takes a lot out of me.”

  “Isn’t teaching public speaking?” Bob asked.

  “Not in the same way this was. I don’t mind being up in front of the children.”

  “I can see where that would be different.” He led her toward the diner. “Until last year, the diner wasn’t open on Sundays, but I talked them into opening, and they now do a booming business. I kept having to go to my mother’s on Sundays, and her cooking is nothing to be proud of.”

  “Have you ever considered learning to cook? You could save a lot of money that way.”

  He laughed. “I tried to boil water once. It was a disaster. No, I will not be learning to cook. But why should I with you here?”

  She smiled. “I’m glad you know that I can cook. I don’t think I would enjoy eating at the diner for every meal.”

  “I never minded it. Sometimes there were other bachelors there, and we’d eat together. Mostly it was just me though.”

  Jessie had not only never eaten alone in a restaurant, she’d never eaten in one. Even on the train, she’d done her best to save her pennies by just eating the sandwiches that people brought by. “I guess if that’s what works for you, then you should do it. Not anymore though.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to cook three meals a day for me?” Bob asked.

  “It does. Not when I start teaching of course, but for the next couple of weeks.” She’d spent some time looking around the church that morning, thinking about what would need to be done to make it a classroom. She was sure she could teach there, and she was excited to start.

  “I’ll take it. I won’t mind eating at the diner for lunch when you start working, but it will be nice to eat at home for a change.”

  She wanted to laugh at his abrupt change in attitude, but she couldn’t. She would simply take it as a victory that he liked her cooking. “I hope you won’t mind. The waitresses at the diner would be lost without you.”

  “That’s true.” Bob grinned at her, taking her hand in his. He found himself getting more and more comfortable with her, and he liked it. She was awfully special to him.

  “I’m going to start working on lesson plans tomorrow. Most of the children I will be teaching don’t know how to read yet, so I will be starting them at the same point. We’ll see how things progress from there.”

  “Were you happy with how the meeting went?” He had sat through it, but he had simply taken the opportunity to look at his beautiful wife. He hadn’t paid much attention to anything else.

  They sat down at what she was starting to think of as their table. “Yes, I was. The parents seemed to be excited their children would have the opportunity to get an education. And I feel like the children will be happy to learn. I do hope no one expects me to be teaching a lot of upper sciences. I would have to find a co-teacher for that.”

  “We’re simple folk here, and we’re in a rural community. No one will expect you to teach complicated science. They probably don’t have any idea it exists. Just teach what you feel comfortable teaching.”

  She liked that idea. “Oh, good. The children can learn to count to ten, and we’ll call that their math.”

  He laughed. “I think you might need to do a wee bit more than that in the math realm.”

  She sighed. “Yes, you’re probably right. I think children should know enough about addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division that they don’t get taken for fools by people who know more. I just don’t want to teach the complicated maths like algebra and geometry that I was forced to learn.”

  He blinked a couple of times. “No one is going to ask that of you here.”

  “Good, then I will simply skip those things.” She glanced over to look at the special for the day. “Chili. What is that?”

  “You’ve never had chili? I guess we have it here because of the Mexican influence. Chili is like a soup or stew, with a tomato base, with beef and beans mixed in. It’s spicy.”

  She frowned for a moment. “I’ll try it. You like it?”

  “Sure. It’s chili. What’s not to like? The diner does a good job with theirs. My mother’s was almost inedible, but it was probably one of her best dishes.”

  “I really don’t want to eat your mother’s cooking.”

  He laughed. “You’re probably going to need to on Monday.”

  “Could I offer to help her in the kitchen? Or better yet, tell her I want her to see that I’m a good enough cook for her baby and offer to do it myself?”

  “That might just work.”

  They both ordered the chili and water to drink. “I hope you like chili as much as I do,” he said as the waitress walked away.

  “I’m not overly fussy about my food,” she said. Coming from a poor family, she’d had no choice but to eat whatever her mother was able to cook.

  “Good, then we’ll get along just fine. My mother was such a terrible cook, that I’ll eat just about everything. It made things easier.”

  “I’m sure it did. My mother was a wonderful cook, but we didn’t always have a lot of food to work with. She would do what she could with whatever we could afford, and she taught me to be able to do the same. I can cook on a simple budget if that ever becomes necessary.”

  “I certainly hope it doesn’t.” He shook his head. “I truly enjoyed the meal you made last night. If you cook everything that well, I will eat at home for every meal happily.”

  The chili was put in front of them, and Jessie eyed it skeptically. She took her spoon and stirred it a bit, looking at the ingredients. “It smells good.”

  “Try it. I promise you won’t regret it.”

  She scooped up a bite and tried it, her eyes widening. “It’s good! Not too spicy, but it tastes just right. I like it.”

  “Good. Then eat it.”

  She laughed. “Maybe I should learn to cook this.” After that she ate with gusto, just then realizing how terribly hungry she was. She hoped he wasn’t one of those men who didn’t think women should have appetites because she wasn’t going to pretend to be something she wasn’t.

  “You should. I bet you could imp
rove on the basic idea of it.” He continued eating, happy with their ability to be quiet around one another or talk. He’d never quite realized how easy it could be to talk to a woman. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t really have any. I’ll make supper, of course. Should I make something to take to your mother’s house tomorrow?”

  “No, you don’t need to. I mean, if you want to eat something that won’t make you sick, it might be a good idea, but other than that, she’ll provide.”

  She frowned. “I guess I’m going to need to make something then, huh?”

  “A loaf of bread maybe? Or a dessert?” He had a sweet tooth that was a bit overwhelming at times. He wondered if he should mention it.

  “I could bake a loaf of bread and a cake. Then we’d at least have a couple of things to eat that would be good. What kind of dessert do you like? Cake is good?” She wanted to do whatever he would prefer, but it was hard when she didn’t know his preferences.

  “I’ll eat anything with sugar in it. I have a true love for sweets.”

  She smiled. “Maybe I’ll make a big batch of cookies then. I’ll look through what I purchased yesterday and come up with something.”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?” She was only doing what any good wife would do.

  “For taking my tastes into account and for caring about what I want.”

  “That’s my job as your wife.” She smiled, feeling a bit strange to call him her husband. Yes, they were married. Yes, they were living together and even sharing a bed. But there wasn’t any other true intimacy between them. “Why did you decide to become a barber?”

  He shrugged. “The barber in town was getting ready to retire when I was of an age to look for a profession. He offered to teach me everything he knew, and I took him up on it. I bought the shop and the apartment from him when he retired, and I’ve been a barber ever since. I enjoy what I do.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “How about you? What made you decide to be a teacher?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t think I ever really decided to be one. I was getting old enough to go out on my own, and Madam Wiggie came to me and asked me to stay on as a literature teacher, because she knew of my love of books. I agreed and then I was a teacher.”

  “So it wasn’t really a decision. It just sort of happened.”

  “Right. I don’t regret it, because I don’t know what else I would have done. Been a maid or a nanny maybe.”

  “You don’t think you’d have become a writer?” He couldn’t believe that wasn’t’ the first thing she’d mentioned.

  “I don’t. I don’t think I have the confidence to send anything I’ve written to someone to publish. I’m not sure I would ever have that kind of courage. It would take a lot, and I’m used to rejection.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean you’re used to rejection?”

  She sighed, realizing she’d said too much. “After my parents’ death, no one really wanted me. I tried to live with several relatives, but it didn’t work. So I ended up in the orphanage, and though I was treated well, I still felt lost.”

  “I can see that.” He shook his head. “Well, I’m not going to reject you. I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, and I have the pleasure of being your husband. Don’t expect to be sent away.”

  She smiled, hoping he’d always feel that way. For some reason, she just never seemed to be good enough to keep around. Only Wiggie had ever seemed to want her. And she’d been sent away from her as well. Not as quickly as expected, but still…she wasn’t kept around. “I hope you always feel like that.”

  He couldn’t believe she’d even doubt her place with him. She was beautiful, she could cook, and she planned to work. What more could he ask for in a wife? “You’re awfully special. I don’t think my opinion on that will ever change.”

  As they walked back to their apartment, she asked, “What do you usually do on your days off?”

  “I always go to my mother’s on Monday. She does my laundry for me. I don’t mind cleaning and keeping things neat, but I hate laundry. Mother loves it, so I take mine to her. And I spend the day with her as she does it. On Sundays, I go to church and have a quiet day at home. I catch up on any cleaning that I’ve gotten behind on. Do some reading. It’s nice to have a day to mostly relax.”

  “It would be. I think that’s great. You can still relax and read today. I’m caught up on cleaning, and I think I’m going to spend the afternoon baking, and maybe doing a bit of writing.” She thought about the journal Wiggie had given her the day she left and smiled. It was special to her, and she’d vowed to write in it every day of her marriage. At least once. Hopefully she would be able to find time to do a bit more than that.

  “That sounds good to me. A relaxing day at home for both of us.” And he vowed he would find someone to publish her writing, even if he had to pay them to do it. She deserved to feel proud of herself and not rejected. He would make it his mission in life to make sure that’s exactly what happened.

  Chapter Five

  Dear Journal,

  Today has been good so far. I had a meeting with the parents of the children I’ll be teaching, and I can see I have my work cut out for me. Only a few of the children are able to read. I will be starting them all in one class, and we’ll divide from there as some of the children learn faster than the others.

  It’s been nice to have an entire day with my new husband. Initially, I did not find him attractive at all, but the more I get to know him the better looking he is to me. I’m certain it’s because he is a kind, good man. I have certainly been blessed. If someone has to marry a stranger, they should get to marry a stranger like Bob.

  Jessie spent the afternoon working on the supper she was preparing, as well as baking cookies and a loaf of bread. As she worked, her mind was on what ingredients she wanted to put in her chili. If she could perfect the dish her new husband was so fond of, she was sure he would want to keep her.

  When she took the first sheet of cookies out of the oven, she put a few on a plate, still piping hot. She didn’t know why, but hot cookies were so much better before they’d cooled. She poured some milk into a glass and took it, along with the cookies, in to Bob, who was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.

  He looked up with a smile. “I’ve been smelling those and wondering if there would be enough for me to sample a few today.”

  “There will be plenty more. I made a double batch.” She stood and watched as he ate the first cookie, loving the look on his face as he took a bite. Her favorite part about cooking had always been watching people eat what she’d fixed.

  “These are wonderful. Thank you.”

  She nodded and hurried back into the kitchen. Now that she knew he was happy with her cookies, she was pleased.

  After supper that evening, he once again did the dishes while she dried them. It seemed odd to her to have a man willing to help with household chores. She could not remember her father ever lifting a finger inside the house. He had taken care of the farm, and had worked hard, but he had never been willing to do women’s work.

  After the dishes were done, Bob took her hand and pulled her into the parlor. “Sit with me. I don’t know that we’ve ever taken some time to just sit and talk.”

  “We talk at meals.”

  “Yes, but I just want to get to know you better.”

  Jessie nodded. She really understood because she felt as if she’d just touched the surface with him. “What do you like to do in your spare time?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “I read the paper.”

  “Let me ask it this way. If you suddenly had more money than you knew what to do with and you no longer needed to work, what would you do with your time?”

  Bob looked at her, obviously thinking. “I really don’t know. I think I’d enjoy traveling.”

  “I didn’t like the train ride here,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “But maybe i
f I was going somewhere interesting and exotic it would be different.”

  “Texas isn’t interesting or exotic?”

  “Well, Texas wasn’t a place I chose to go. I came here so I could marry you, but it wouldn’t have been on my list of places I wanted to see.”

  “Where would you go if you could go anywhere?” he asked.

  “England.” Her answer was quick since she’d often given it some thought. “I love books set in England more than any others. I would like to see the places that I read about. I want to go closer to where the author was imagining when they set up the worlds I want to live in.”

  “If you could write any book in the world, what do you think you would write?”

  She pursed her lips thinking for a moment, surprised when he leaned in for a kiss. Her eyes met his, and his were filled with humor. “Were you trying to get me to make that face so you could kiss me, or did you really want the answer?”

  “Oh, I want the answer, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a kiss.” The more he got to know her, the more beautiful she became. He hoped they felt a little more comfortable with one another quickly, because he didn’t want to wait a lot longer before they consummated their marriage.

  She shook her head, but he could see her lips were still quirked with amusement. “I think I would like to write for older children. I love the idea of creating fantasy worlds and making them a place the children could disappear into.”

  “So children’s fantasy? Interesting. Would you use magic in the fantasy?”

  “Oh, definitely. What’s a world without magic?” She sat back, her mind already creating a world she wanted to live in and write about.

  “Tell me what your story would be. Would it be a young man making a pilgrimage to a new place? Or would it be a man and woman finding one another and falling in love?”

  “I think it would be a young woman’s journey. She would find love at the end, but that would be secondary to her journey for acceptance.”

  He grinned. “Sounds like you’ve given it a lot of thought.”

  “Well, that book is in my head, but there’s another for younger readers… and yet another novel for adults. I can’t stop thinking about them all. I really do need to put them all down on paper.”