by M. Mabie
“I guess, but I had to talk to the bank because that kind of deposit is not normal. Then Lindy suggested getting a lawyer and an accountant to make sure everything was legit. So the money is kind of in limbo until it all checks out. It was just a hassle.”
I must have looked like a total nutcase, laying there naked, but I didn’t care at that point. There was a lot of stuff I had to get off my chest, that I had to share with her, and I hadn’t even got to the worst part yet. So I took a deep breath and let it out. “I read the letters.”
Her chest swelled against my side as she audibly inhaled. “What did they say? Are you all right? Abe, why didn’t you tell me when you got home? Why didn’t you wait?”
She was picking up Ashley’s style of questioning. One after another, no space between.
“They said a lot. It was all one sided, but it was clear they cared about each other for a long time. Then my father married you to him to keep your family’s money away from your brother, who knew Jacob was gay and was threatening to out him to everyone. Daily. Matthew wanted to take you and your money to New Mecula. Now that we have it, I’m not sure if he’s going to try anything.” Just thinking about him doing something to Myra had me sitting up. “And I’ll tell you one thing, if he does, he will live to regret it. Has he called you? Does he try to contact you?”
How was I ever supposed to leave her again knowing what Matthew was capable of after reading the letters? The blackmail. The bullying. The threats.
I’d be damned if he ever tried anything like that with her. I’d make him wish he’d never been born.
Myra climbed onto my lap and stroked my cheeks, trying to calm me down. “Shhh. No. He doesn’t call. We’re probably the last two people on his mind, Abe. He knows he can’t control us. He knows better than to test you.” Her eyes were pale and cloudy, a stark contrast from the fiery blue they’d been when I pulled into the drive. However, her cheeks were still peachy and as smooth as fresh cream.
“If he does, don’t answer. I know you talk to your other brother’s wives, don’t let them know when I’m gone. Okay?” I did what I could to slow my haggard breaths, but it took effort. “Don’t ever let anyone know you’re here alone.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
My arms cinched around her and she pressed her lips to mine, ever so softly.
“We’re going to be okay,” she said. “You can’t carry all that around on your shoulders alone. What can I do to help? What can I say to make you feel better? I hate seeing you like this.”
I hated that she had to, but there was no hiding it. All of that, combined with the stress of opening my own business soon and being away from home, it all crashed down on me at once.
“Tell me something good.”
“Ms. Perry likes me now.” Her head pulled back a few inches, and the light return to her eyes.
“Of course she does. Who wouldn’t?”
“And I still have to show you what I made you.”
“You don’t have to show me. I can smell the roast.”
She laughed, and it was a balm to my soul.
“No. Well, yes. But I made something else too.” She playfully rolled to her side of the bed, hopped up and then slipped her arms through her robe. “Put some pants on.”
Before I could even stand, she skipped out the room. Whatever she wanted to show me pleased her, and now, having shared the burdens I’d brought home, I couldn’t deny I felt somewhat lighter already too.
I pulled my jersey pants up and tied the drawstring as I walked into the living area of the cabin. She was in the corner where she kept her sewing things, and I noticed a massive new machine. It was hardly believable I’d missed it on the way in.
Beside it sat a sample chair design I’d been messing around with last winter. A low-sitting club chair with widely planked arms. A clean, almost artisan style. And she’d added cushions.
“I know these don’t look the best. I went a little faster than I should have because, as you can see, some spots are kind of sloppy. But imagine if the cushion was fuller, and the material was leather. With this machine, I can help you at the store.”
I stepped closer to examine it. What she’d called sloppy didn’t look that way to me.
“When did you get it?”
“Saturday. That’s why I had to come back so early. It was a great deal, and I didn’t want to miss out.”
It was Monday. Two days. It had only taken her two days to figure out how to design and make a cushion for one of my designs. All because she had a notion to do it.
There wasn’t a facet in my life she didn’t improve, sharpen, or make more valuable. She was my biggest blessing.
But was she only doing it for me? Because that wasn’t good enough.
“Do you like doing it?”
“Oh, yeah.” She bent to run a hand over the seat. “It’s not too tricky since I already know how to sew pretty well, but there’s definitely a learning curve. It’ll take a lot more practice before it’s good enough to sell, but I have tools on order and some faux leather to practice with.”
How could I resist that face? So full of promise and hope. How the world never beat her down was beyond me. She’d been handed more curveballs than most, yet there she was beaming and trying something new, jumping into life with both feet.
I smoothed my hand over her hair and leaned over to kiss the top of her blonde head.
She stood and loosely embraced me around the waist and then gazed up at me. “So when I get better, think you might hire me?” Her smile could be the only thing on her resume, and I’d offer her whatever position she wanted. Lucky for me she was talented and hardworking too.
“The job is yours.” I didn’t have to give it a second thought. Of course, I’d love working with her every day and sharing my dream and the new adventure with her. But truthfully what she added to my designs would open doors even I hadn’t thought of.
She bounced and wiggled in my arms. Her squeal of delight made me all the more excited to get started.
“But what about Hobby Lobby?” I asked to make sure I wasn’t just being selfish. Myra had been hell bent on getting a job at the store. “If you want to work there, don’t you dare change your mind on account of me.”
“Meh. Hobby Lobby isn’t even hiring now, and I’d rather make stuff. Sewing is what I’m good at, and I never get tired of doing it or learning new things about it. Plus, the best memories I have from my childhood are working on projects with my mom and sister. It makes me feel close to them. And it’ll allow us to be together more. This is what I want to do more than anything.”
It was settled. I’d told her numerous times she could have or do whatever she wanted. She was free to decide. The store had been my goal for so long and now that dream was just getting bigger and better.
“All right. But on one condition.” Knowing how much she loved negotiations, I hoped she’d accept my terms. “We’re total partners. It’ll be our store. Our family business.”
Holding onto each other, swaying on the polished hardwood in the living room, we found another way to strengthen the tether between us.
“I’m in. What are we going to call it?”
I’d thought about that very thing many times, and nothing ever felt right. Staring down into her blue eyes, only one thing came to mind. Something we had both fought for. “Freedom, Custom Furniture and Designs.”
Her mouth puckered, and she joyfully pouted. “I love it.”
27
Myra
We dressed and agreed to continue later what we’d started in the bedroom. There was just too much going on.
In no way had he hurt me, but I was thankful he cared and that he was the kind of man who kept his word. Even more so, thankful he was mine.
While I peeled potatoes and carrots for the roast, Abe sat at the island and read through paperwork he got from Lindy at the bank. There was a lot I didn’t understand about the whole thing, but Abe was smart about things like that. At l
east, he was smarter than me. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have even known there was any money to fight for.
It was just another way he’d been looking out for me since the day we’d met. There was nothing I could do for him that would ever measure up to all the things he’d done for me. Yet every day, I did my best to find ways to be there for him.
“Do you have laundry in our truck?” He’d been gone for over a week, and I never heard him mention visiting a laundromat.
“I do.” He hopped up. “I completely forgot.”
Like a flash he was out the door.
But after a few minutes, when he didn’t come back in, I peeked out the front door. He was leaning over the hood of his truck, talking on the phone. His duffel bag at his feet.
I didn’t want to interrupt him or eavesdrop, but the sooner I got his laundry going, the sooner it would be dry. And since he was only home for the night, there wasn’t time to kill.
I ducked out to the drive and grabbed it, hearing him give directions to the cabin.
When he came back inside, I already had a load in the machine, and I was setting out frozen rolls to thaw and rise a bit before putting them in the oven.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
He laid his phone on the counter, pulled a glass from the cabinet, and then filled it with cold tap water.
“I hate to drop this on you last minute, but I invited Robbie out for dinner. He wanted to talk in person while he was in town and since I’m leaving tomorrow, it was the only time I could do it. I hope you don’t mind an extra plate at supper.”
“No. Of course not. We have plenty.” Additionally, I was worried about the baby and curious about how she was doing.
“He said he’d be out in about an hour.”
“Perfect. That’s about the time it’ll all be ready. I hope everything is okay. I can’t imagine what they’re going through.” Having a sick child would be devastating but dealing with Lancaster and the Legacies on top of everything else would be a total nightmare.
By the time Robbie was parking the van out front, the aroma coming from the food was almost enough to make me crazy. Our stomachs had been having a growling competition, and currently, I was winning.
We met Robbie on the porch, and as he climbed the steps, he stretched his hand out for Abe to shake.
“Thank you so much for having me over. Jenny would love it out here. She stayed with Eva, but this place is great.”
I clung to Abe’s side, unashamed. This was our home, and we didn’t have to act like anyone but ourselves.
Abe greeted, “Welcome.” He looked around the porch and yard. “It’s not much, but it’s our home.”
“It’s nice to see you, Robbie,” I said. “I hope you’re hungry because we’re starving. Come on in.”
Inside the door, Robbie put his hand on his stomach. “That smells so good. I haven’t had a home cooked meal in too long. With the baby being sick, it’s been a lot of cereal dinners around our house.”
Abe and Robbie made small talk about the weather and Fairview as we made our plates, and then we all sat down. There was an awkwardly silent moment before we all dug in.
Abe’s gaze caught mine, and we both realized what the holdup was.
The grace.
We hadn’t been saying them before our meals since I returned from the Griers’. We’d never talked about why, and neither of us had brought it up. But it was obvious that Robbie was under a lot of stress and was already a fish out of water, and I knew how that felt.
Honestly, a little grace couldn’t hurt.
“Abe, would you like to say the grace, or should I?” I asked, relieving the tension as I held my hand out to him above the table.
He didn’t answer out loud, but when his head bowed so did mine and our guest’s.
He began, “Dear God, thank you for the food we are about to receive. Bless this house and everyone in it always. Please have your loving hands on our friends and family. Amen.”
Short and sweet, but honest all the same.
“Amen,” Robbie and I repeated.
Then Robbie placed his napkin on his lap and dug in. “This looks so good, Myra. Thank you.”
I had to agree; it was about to hit the spot.
“You’re welcome. I almost can’t take credit though because roast does the work itself.”
Abe asked, “How is Eva? Were they able to find what’s been causing her so much trouble?”
Robbie nodded. “That poor child. Seems she was born with a congenital heart defect. She’s got a hole in her heart that’s letting blood move to places it shouldn’t be.” He coughed when his voice wavered, clearly emotional and rightfully so. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “She’s just so tiny. But the doctors here are optimistic now that she’s getting treatment. They want to get her weight up, so they had to put a feeding tube down her little throat, and she’s on oxygen.” He pinched at his eyes. “They said had we waited much longer, she basically would have drowned because blood was already collecting in her precious lungs.”
He didn’t try to hide what he felt anymore, or maybe he did but couldn’t. Tears streamed down the worried father’s face.
“I’m supposed to protect her, and because some board told me no, I almost killed that baby girl. That’s not right. None of it’s right.”
The guilt was eating him up across the table from us.
“Robbie, you did the right thing. You saved her,” I replied. It was so easy to see how much he loved his daughter, and when all was said and done, she was getting the treatment she needed.
“Well, we’re not out of the woods yet. She’ll have to have heart surgery when she’s stronger. But they think after it’s repaired, she’ll be fine. It’s possible that she won’t have any future issues if all goes well.”
Abe wiped his mouth and said, “That’s good. Kids bounce back faster than adults do. She won’t even remember all this.”
“Maybe not, but I will, and I’m not the only one. Jenny’s ready to pack up the girls and leave everything in Lancaster behind. Her sister and brother-in-law too. And we aren’t alone. Most people are afraid to say anything or upset Pastor Hathaway and the other Legacies, but something has got to change.” He swiped the front of his red hair to the side. “Lancaster has always been my home, where I was raised and where I started my family, but the older I get the more it feels like a prison. It’s not virtuous or Godly. It’s greedy and self-serving for the few who call the shots.”
Robbie crossed his silverware on the empty plate before him. “People are suspicious of your dad...” He paused and looked directly at me. “And your brother Matthew. In fact, some of the Legacies are even talking about moving things to New Mecula after it’s settled more. My father said when Matthew was back for your father’s funeral, he called a closed-door meeting of the board, but didn’t invite the Pastor. My father didn’t go, but he expects they’re trying to run Bill Hathaway out. Matthew is even trying to get the Academy to send some of the students to New Mecula for some work program.”
Abe had quit eating long before his food was finished, but it wasn’t hard to lose an appetite with a conversation like the one we were having. He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, jaw slowly rocking. A sure sign of what he thought of all this information. “Jenny wants to leave. What do you want?” he asked his old friend.
“I can’t leave the farm. It’s all I know and how I provide for my girls. I don’t have the money to buy land and livestock somewhere else. I can’t leave my mom and dad high and dry. But something’s got to give or that whole town will fall apart.”
“What does any of it have to do with us anymore. We left,” Abe said. “It’s not our business.”
I think he was only saying that to find out more. Because when we’d spoken about Lancaster, he agreed that we should help if we could.
“You being here is why I wanted to talk to you. Why did you leave?”
Abe shifted in his seat and r
an a hand through his hair. “Lancaster isn’t about God. It’s not about living the Word. It’s about greed and power, and I wasn’t going to be a part of it. When I went back after Jacob died it was worse than before. But what it boils down to, I left because my father is a selfish con artist who is running a cult.”
All those months ago he’d held back from saying those words to me, but he wasn’t holding anything back from Robbie now.
He continued with his voice even and measured. “No one there is free or holier than anyone outside those city gates. It’s a scam. It’s always been a scam, and if nobody does anything about it, then it will always be a scam.”
I remained silent, but not because the men were talking and I knew my place. I was quiet because even though I’d been gone for some time, what he was telling Robbie was hitting me all over again.
It was always like a rug being pulled out from under you. Like your whole world was one big lie. Hearing the truth was unbelievable when you’d been brainwashed and groomed like the people there were.
Like I was.
It wasn’t easy to process all at once. It was something you were forced to process over and over again.
Robbie’s eyes found mine, “Myra. You left too. What do you think?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Abe’s right. We were all lied to. If nothing changes, your girls will grow up into women who are uneducated and dependent on men—who will be chosen by other men for them—to live a life of servitude. Honestly, I didn’t even know a life like the one I have now was possible. I’m taking classes. Learning how to manage my money on my own. I’m free to come and go and do as I please, and not just because Abe allows it, but because I’m in charge of my life. Using fear of Hell and Service and Testimony and excommunication doesn’t need to exist in the real world. Here, I’m free.”
Abe was right. Freedom was the perfect name for our store.
Robbie’s head fell forward, chin to chest, as he listened. Part of me wondered if he already knew all this stuff but didn’t have a big enough reason to fight against it before. Now, with his family’s safety at risk, he couldn’t sweep it under the rug. He couldn’t be content to just let things go on the way they had for decades.