Poppies

Alan, Jobeth and Oliver talked late into the night. With the threat of Mara-Joy being taken from them gone, they could relax and enjoy Oliver’s company.

  They spoke of what had happened in the last seven years. Oliver was saddened with the news of Jonah’s death and how it had come to pass. It was hard for him to take it in all at once. Even harder to find out that Tamara and Jonah had been gone for so long without him knowing. He was happy for Jobeth and Alan. Life had blessed them with a happy marriage and three beautiful daughters and Oliver couldn’t help but comment on what a beautiful person Shawna was turning into.

  “She will make some man a wonderful wife,” he said, sipping a cup of coffee.

  Both Alan and Jobeth agreed. Jobeth smiled proudly as she gushed about Shawna’s achievements, her earlier discussion with Shawna forgotten.

  By the end of the evening, the three decided Oliver had no reason to continue traveling. Tamara was dead. His family was also Jobeth and Alan’s. Alan would get him hired on at the mill where he worked. Oliver was humbly grateful.

  When Alan and Jobeth were in their bed finally, and Oliver was asleep on their couch, Alan turned to his wife and sighed.

  “Did we do the right thing, Jobeth?” he asked, cupping her naked breast beneath her gown.

  “We asked him to stay,” Jobeth’s voice answered him in the dark.

  “But is that enough?” he ran his hand up her thigh, raising her gown.

  “Shhh,” she whispered, kissing him lovingly on the lips.

  “I love you,” he reached for her in the dark, needing the comfort of her embrace to ease his troubled mind.

  “I love you too, Alan.” Jobeth went to him, wanting to be one with him.

  The next morning, Jobeth stood by the wood stove cooking eggs for breakfast. Shawna walked into the kitchen looking as though she hadn’t slept a wink all night. Joanna and Mara-Joy sat at the wooden table eating their scrambled eggs scowling, as usual, at each other.

  “Shawna?” Jobeth said, stopping what she was doing and walking around baby Constance, who lay on a thick blanket on the floor.

  “Yes, Jobeth,” Shawna answered dully, sitting between Joanna and Mara-Joy, hoping it would stop their constant bickering.

  “I would like to talk to you,” Jobeth twisted her fingers. Shawna shrugged her shoulders and followed Jobeth into the living room.

  “Listen, about last night--” Jobeth began.

  “I won’t say a word. Like you said, Jobeth, I owe you everything,” Shawna said stiffly. Her nose was tipped red from crying all night.

  “Oh, Shawna,” Jobeth put her arm around the girl’s shoulders. She was nearly as tall as Jobeth. Shawna stood rigid and unmoving.

  Jobeth cleared her throat, grabbed Shawna by the shoulders and made the girl face her.

  “You don’t owe me anything. I was just frightened last night. I love you. You have given so much to me.”

  Shawna, weakened by the soothing words-- words that were familiar to her--looked up into Jobeth’s begging eyes.

  “I love you too, Jobeth.” Shawna hugged Jobeth furiously to her, afraid to let go of the only woman who had ever been a mother to her. She had been so frightened. The whole night she had lain awake fearing Jobeth would send her away. She knew without a doubt that Jobeth would do anything to keep Mara-Joy.

  Jobeth stroked Shawna’s long blonde hair and sighed. She would make it up to her for the harsh words said the night before.

  “Guess what?” Jobeth asked, pulling Shawna slightly away and brushing the silky strands of hair out of the pretty girl’s light blue eyes. “Oliver is going to stay with us.”

  “Really?” Shawna squealed, bouncing up and down, her sprits rising.

  “Really. So you have nothing to feel bad about. He will have all of us as his family.” Jobeth hugged Shawna to herself again. “He need never know.”

  Shawna frowned slightly, in Jobeth’s arms.

  Shouts came from the kitchen.

  “Those two girls!” Jobeth pulled away from Shawna and rushed into the kitchen.

  “She started it, Mama!” Mara-Joy yelled at the top of her lungs, pointing at

  a confused Joanna.

  “Nuh-uh,” Joanna said flabbergasted, clutching a strand of her hair.

  “Liar!” Mara-Joy stormed, standing up and stamping her small foot close to Constance’s flailing hand. Shawna entered the room and saw how close Constance was to being trampled and went and scooped her up. She held the baby protectively in her arms.

  “You! Joanna pulled my hair!” Mara-Joy howled at her confused sister.

  “Enough!” Jobeth shouted. “Joanna, go to your room now!”

  Joanna began to cry as to why she was in trouble.

  “Now!” Jobeth hollered.

  Joanna slowly began to walk out of the room whimpering, her head bent low. She had done nothing wrong and she couldn’t understand why Mama was punishing her. It was Mara-Joy who had pulled her hair. Why was she in trouble?

  Mara-Joy watched her sister leave the room rejected. A small grin formed on her face. That sure brought Mama back into the room away from dumb old Shawna. Joanna even got punished as a bonus. Mara-Joy took a deep breath to prepare herself for a crying fit. She wanted Mama to feel sorry for her and hug her and say nice words. She was just about to let out a good wail when she spotted Shawna holding Constance in her arms, staring at Mara-Joy. Mara-Joy scowled at her, and began pouting.

  Shawna ignored the look on Mara-Joy’s face. She had seen the precious Mara-Joy smirking when little Joanna was punished. Shawna was beginning to think Mara-Joy was anything but a joy anymore. And Jobeth was totally oblivious to it all. Why was she so blind when it came to Mara-Joy?

  A year passed in quiet harmony. Oliver didn’t court anyone, which struck Jobeth as odd. Many of the town girls swooned over him, but he seemed content to be a bachelor. Oliver preferred to spend time with the family or to take long walks with Shawna. It bothered Jobeth how Oliver’s eyes followed Shawna around. She was blossoming into a beautiful young woman and Oliver seemed to notice it, too much.

  “He seems to spend too much time with her,” Jobeth would say to Alan in bed.

  “Don’t worry,” Alan said, snuggling her neck with his mouth. “It’s not good for the baby.” His hand rubbed Jobeth’s small rounded belly. “Is it moving yet?”

  “No, but he will.” Jobeth smiled, clutching Alan’s hand close to her tight, swelled tummy.

  “Think it’s a boy this time?” Alan asked, bending down to kiss his new baby growing inside of Jobeth. He loved seeing her pregnant with his children. “Has to be.” Jobeth murmured, wrapping her lean legs around his back. Alan gently pulled her panties down with his teeth, spreading Jobeth’s legs with his head.

  Jobeth groaned, arching her back. Oliver and Shawna were forgotten.

  Two years passed. Jobeth gave birth to another girl whom they named Pauline, after her brother.

  Shawna turned sixteen and her crush on Oliver was no longer something to ignore. Jobeth was becoming more and more concerned and complained constantly to Alan about it.

  Shawna and Oliver spent all their time together.

  It was almost as though they were courting and she couldn’t stand the way they looked at each other.

  “Jobeth stop worrying about her. It’s just innocent,” Alan said, hugging his wife. “She is still a child.”

  “Humph.” Jobeth shrugged into Alan’s arms. They were in bed together late at night. With four small children and Shawna and Oliver to worry about, Jobeth and Alan’s only time to speak freely was late at night in bed together.

  “She is no child Alan. She is a woman now. It is not proper for her to be spending all her time with a grown man. She should be courting boys her own age.”

  “I still see Shawna as a little girl in pig tails all of five years old.” Alan mused.

  “Even Mara-Joy is not five anymore dear.” Jobeth gently chuckled. “Our children are growing up.”

  I
t was true. Mara-Joy was six years old: a dark, curly-haired beauty with stunning blue eyes. Joanna, a year younger, was long and lean with light brown hair and green cat eyes like her father. And according to Jobeth, Joanna was in constant trouble, trying to blame it always on her big sister, Mara-Joy.

  Constance was three. A silent, blonde child with the same green eyes as Joanna. She liked to be outside studying flowers and butterflies. It was easy to see she was an intelligent child. When Constance chose to talk to people, it was always in complete, clear sentences. And then there was Pauline, a bubbly one-year-old, always full of delight and smiles for everyone.

  “I guess you’re right dear,” Alan said, picturing his daughters’ faces, including the tall pale Shawna who only vaguely resembled the little girl he had first seen, huddled close to Jobeth’s skirts. His heart ached for a moment for the child Shawna had been. Could she be sixteen already?

  “What’s wrong, Papa? You don’t like your girls growing up?” Jobeth teased, sensing Alan’s thoughts.

  “No, I don’t,” he said, turning to embrace his wife. “It makes me feel like time is going too fast and I am going to lose them all.”

  “You won’t lose them. They’re still young.” Jobeth smiled, her head resting on Alan’s bare chest.

  “Maybe it’s time to have another baby?” Alan sighed, thinking of Jobeth with child.

  “Umph, maybe it’s time for a boy?” Jobeth answered knowingly.

  “Jobeth?” Alan sat up, “Is there something you are trying to tell me?”

  “Maybe…” Alan sat himself up on his elbow so he could look down at Jobeth lying flat on the bed. She was beautiful with her hair flowing over her shoulders.

  Color tinted her cheeks giving her a healthy glow. Her arms encircled his neck and she pulled him to her, her lips only inches from his ear.

  “Maybe this time we will have our son, Alan. Maybe this time we will finally get our boy,” she whispered softly in his ear, creating a mine field of goose bumps.

  Why had Jobeth’s words caused such an uneasy feeling to overtake him?

  Jobeth was busy washing the supper dishes the next evening. Mara-Joy and Joanna were the only children still up. They were studying for a spelling test. Oliver and

  Shawna were out again, taking another long walk, much to Jobeth’s dismay.

  She couldn’t help worrying about Shawna. This crush she had on Oliver was just not healthy. It had just grown stronger over the years, and Oliver fed on it, acting as though they were a couple. Alan tried to tell Jobeth that Oliver just liked Shawna’s company, that Shawna was like a little sister to Oliver, but Jobeth thought Alan was blind. She didn’t think a man paid that much attention to a young woman because he thought of her as a sister. Besides, she saw how Oliver’s eyes feasted on Shawna. He was like a cat ready to pounce. Shawna was no better, flirting shamelessly in front of him. Jobeth had made up her mind.

  She was going to put a stop to it tonight. It was just not right for the two to behave like this. Alan sat beside Joanna, helping her with a homework assignment. She had just started school that year and the teacher said she was an armful.

  Wiping her hands on a towel, Jobeth sat down with Mara-Joy to help quiz her on her test. She was deeply engrossed in her tutoring when the door swung open.

  Shawna and Oliver tumbled in flushed and out of breath.

  All eyes at the table looked up at the couple. They were excited, clutching each other’s arms. They were quite the pair. Oliver dark and tanned from days spent outside and Shawna blonde and pale as though she had never spent a day outdoors in her life.

  “We are getting married,” Oliver blurted out.

  “What?” Jobeth stifled a scream as she jumped up. She looked at Shawna for answers.

  Shawna ignored Jobeth’s face and clutched Oliver’s arm, beaming with happiness.

  “I know this may come as a shock, but Shawna and I love each other.” Oliver turned to Shawna and held her hand.

  Jobeth felt faint. Alan came to stand behind her, grasping her shoulders tightly to support both of them. He looked as though the wind had been knocked out of him. Jobeth had been right.

  “Married?” Alan directed his question to Oliver. “Are you out of your minds?

  She is just a child.” Alan’s face looked pained.

  Mara-Joy looked over at Joanna and stuck her tongue out at her. She was smiling at Shawna like a silly fool. Mara-Joy wanted her mother to quiz her on the test. Who cared if stupid Shawna wanted to marry dumb old Oliver?

  Joanna didn’t respond to Mara-Joy. She just smiled knowingly at Shawna. This is what Shawna had dreamed of since Oliver walked back into their lives. Shawna told

  Joanna many times that she would love no man but Oliver. If he didn’t want her as much as she knew she wanted him, she would be an old maid. She could never marry anyone but him. Joanna was happy for Shawna. She didn’t want her to be an old maid. Maybe dreams do come true, she thought.

  “Alan,” Shawna interrupted. She looked happy. It was hard to believe she had once been a frightened, haunted child. A child who clung terrified to Jobeth’s skirts. Where had time gone? When did Shawna grow up before their eyes?

  “I am not a child anymore.” She went over to Alan and took his hand. Her other hand grasped Jobeth’s. “I love you both so much.” A tear ran down her cheek. Jobeth felt a tear form in the corner of her eye. “You both have done so much for me. I want you to be happy for me. You are the only parents I have ever had. If you are not happy for me, I will die.”

  Alan was nearly in tears. He looked at Jobeth in desperation.

  “And I can’t live without Oliver. I won’t.” Oliver came up from behind Shawna and placed his hands on her shoulders. Shawna seemed to grow with strength from his touch.

  Just like Jobeth felt when Alan touched her. Jobeth bent her head. They were losing her.

  “I will take good care of her,” Oliver said to Alan’s and Jobeth’s downcast faces. “I am not the man I was when we were kids. I have changed.”

  Jobeth nodded, knowing this was true. In the past three years since Oliver had come to live with them, he had been hardworking and dedicated to their family. The Oliver from their youth who gambled and drank and frolicked with whores was gone.

  Alan moved his arms and encircled them around her shoulders.

  “Oliver,” Alan choked, “she is so much younger than you. We trusted you with her.”

  “Alan, I never planned to fall in love with her,” Oliver professed to him.

  Shawna beamed warmly up at Oliver and squeezed his arm. “But our feelings for each other are just as true as yours and Jobeth’s.”

  Alan didn’t respond. His best friend was taking this child of his heart from him. He and Jobeth had been so afraid those years before Oliver arrived. Afraid he would take from their family. It had never dawned on him that it would be Shawna and not Mara-Joy whom Oliver would steal.

  Shawna veered her responses to Jobeth, unable to stand the look of bewilderment of Alan’s face.

  “Jobeth, you know I have loved Oliver since I was twelve years old, maybe even longer. I remember having a crush on him when I was five.” Shawna placed a slim white hand on Jobeth’s arm. She was so pale. The veins were transparent beneath the skin. “Alan loved you the moment he saw you and you were younger than I am now.”

  “It was not the same. We were alone.” Jobeth said feebly, knowing she had already lost the battle. “You have never been alone.”

  “You didn’t fall in love because you were alone, Jobeth. Your marriage did not grow into what it is because you were alone. It grew because the two of you are two parts of one whole. Together you are complete. Just as Oliver and I are completed when together.” Shawna stood up straight, no longer needing to hold onto Jobeth’s skirts for safety.

  “I will make a good home for Shawna. I promise you both with all my heart,” Oliver said.

  “You!” Alan burst out. He had the urge to punch Oliv
er in the face with his fist, but stopped when he saw the look of determination and love on both their faces. His shoulders sagged knowing they were not asking his permission, just his blessing. “You better.”

  “I will,” Oliver promised, offering his hand out to Alan, sensing the battle had been won. Alan received it and clutched the man to him, hugging him.

  Shawna went to Jobeth’s waiting arms and they hugged each other while crying.

  “I swear, if you hurt her,” Alan said, pulling away from Oliver’s grasp, “you will have me to deal with.”

  “And me,” Jobeth said, glaring over Shawna’s shoulder.

 

  At the church they attended every Sunday, Shawna and Oliver were married.

  It was a small wedding with only family and very close friends attending. Jobeth held back as she watched Shawna walk down the aisle. She had never seen such a radiant, beautiful bride. Shawna glowed on Alan’s arm as he walked her to Oliver.

  Oliver could not take his eyes off Shawna. She looked like an angel dressed in her white wedding dress. She and Jobeth made it from the silk that they had special ordered.

  Shawna’s pale blonde hair was swept up into a French twist, hidden by her long flowing veil. She was a vision like Cinderella going to the ball.

  Mara-Joy and Joanna trailed behind dressed in cream dresses with puffed sleeves, tossing red rose petals as they went. Flowers crowned their long flowing hair.

  Jobeth could not help noticing how different the two girls were from each other. Joanna resembled Jobeth with light brown hair that hung straight down her back. Her eyes were Alan’s. The strange cat-like green eyes. Mara-Joy had dark, cascading curls, so much like Tamara’s, and deep ice-blue eyes, replicas of Oliver’s. Her skin was soft and creamy, whereas Joanna’s was tanned golden.

  Jobeth smiled proudly at her daughters as she held Pauline on her lap and Constance sat quietly beside her. They looked so different, but they were both so beautiful.

  As the couple said their “I do’s,” Jobeth knew they were in love. Shawna would be as happy with Oliver as Jobeth was with Alan.

  Later that night Shawna and Oliver broke the news to Jobeth and Alan that they were moving away. Oliver had been in contact with an old friend and he had a job offer that he could not refuse.

  “You are taking Shawna away from us,” Jobeth sobbed, hugging Shawna tight on the couch. It had never occurred to her that Shawna would not always be living near her.

  “Jobeth, we can’t live in your home forever. We need to have a home of our own,” Oliver explained. Alan refused to look at any of them. He only stared out the window at the new wagon Oliver had just bought.

  “Can we have a ride in your new wagon?” said Mara-Joy as she bounded into Oliver’s arms. She was the only child still up and awake. Jobeth released her embrace on Shawna and sat up, wiping her eyes.

  “Of course,” Oliver lifted Mara-Joy up into the air and into his arms where he held the little girl tightly, much to her delight. His eyes were full of emotion.

  “Oliver, are you going away with Shawna?” Mara-Joy asked, snuggling into his arms. Oliver sat down on the nearest chair and placed Mara-Joy on his lap.

  He looked deeply into the eyes of the child he had given life too. “Mara-Joy, honey, me and Shawna, well--” He looked awkwardly at his wife, who smiled warmly. Her heart filled with love.

  “Shawna and I,” Mara-Joy corrected

  “Shawna and I,” Oliver chuckled, glancing at Jobeth who sat stiffly beside Shawna. What he had to say was meant more for her and Alan than Mara-Joy.

  “We don’t want to stay in a small town. We want to live in a big city. We have stayed here because I wanted to wait until Shawna was old enough to decide to marry me and leave her family--our family. We love you all but we will still see each other. We will visit and you can visit us with your mama and pappy. Your mama and Shawna will write to each other all the time.”

  Jobeth felt jealous as Oliver held her darling child. He had already stolen Shawna from her. She would not let him steal Mara-Joy too.

  “Do you still want a ride in the new wagon?” Oliver said, trying to break the tension in the air. Mara-Joy looked to Jobeth. Alan had turned away from the window.

  “Oh Mama, Pappy, please?” she squealed in her small voice.

  “Only if Oliver gives your old pa one, too,” Alan exclaimed. He stood up and reached down to take Mara-Joy out of Oliver’s lap. Oliver had Shawna, but Alan had Mara-Joy.

  “You have a deal,” Oliver laughed. They stood to leave with Mara-Joy firmly in Alan’s arms.

  Jobeth turned to Shawna, who was paler looking than usual.

  “What is wrong, dear?” Jobeth asked, smoothing back Shawna’s unbleached blonde hair from her face. Shawna had taken to wearing her hair high up in a twist, similar to Jobeth’s. The young woman looked at Jobeth, frightened, her eyes large and quivering.

  “Jobeth,” she looked away embarrassed.

  “My goodness, what’s wrong?” Jobeth turned Shawna toward her. “If there is anything wrong, please tell me. I will always be here for you. Even though you

  are an old married woman now.”

  Shawna began to smile through her fears.

  “I know,” she said. “It’s just. I’m married. You know you are married and have children . . .” Shawna blushed.

  Jobeth suddenly knew what Shawna was afraid of.

  “Oh, Shawna.” Jobeth took the girl into her arms, just like she had when Shawna had been a little girl and frightened of the night. “I was frightened on my wedding night too, but I was in love with Alan and he loved me.

  Somehow it just seemed to complete our union, bonded us in a way we never had been before, as though I was not whole until we were together as man and wife.” Jobeth spoke sincerely to the young bride, who listened intently, though still frightened.

  “I see the same love in your eyes for Oliver. I see his love for you as strongly as I see Alan’s love for me. When you make love, don’t be afraid. Accept him and you will feel whole and complete in your love for each other. Tell him to go slowly and be patient with you and it will be a wondrous experience that will grow as time goes by.”

  “I am going to miss you so much, Jobeth,” Shawna sobbed, her lips trembling.

  Jobeth had settled all her fears once again, just as she always had done in the past.

  “I am going to miss you, Shawna. I don’t know what I will do.” Jobeth cried, hugging Shawna tighter. “But,” she pulled away and wiped her eyes with a other soon. We are a family and nothing will ever change that. We will write all the time. You are starting a new and exciting life. Alan and I will always be here for you. Loving you. Waiting to see you and all the beautiful children you will have. We want you to be happy, Shawna. That is all we want for you.”

  Shawna nodded her head, unable to speak as Jobeth buried her tear-streaked face into her sweet-smelling hair and breathed deeply. It would be a long time before she would be able to sniff Shawna’s hair or touch her fair cheek. But she would see her again. They would be in constant touch with each other. It wouldn’t be like the others who had left her life. Shawna would be back.

  “You take care of Shawna,” Alan said, standing beside the buggy. The newlyweds were already comfortably seated in the wagon ready to leave. Jobeth walked up beside Alan. She had just put Mara-Joy down to sleep after saying her good-byes to Oliver and Shawna. The child had been in good spirits to see Shawna leave. She hated the way everyone fell all over Shawna, wanting her to stay.

  As far as Mara-Joy was concerned, it would be good to see her gone.

  “I will,” Oliver said seriously to Jobeth and Alan. “We didn’t turn out so bad for a bunch of waifs, did we?”

  “No, we sure didn’t,” Alan spoke with a laugh in his voice.

  “Although,” Oliver said, grasping Shawna’s hand, “I think I am going to try and find out what happened to the rest of the fellas. If there is one thing I have learned, it is th
at we are all family. We need our family. I will find them and when I do I will let you know what has become of them. I need to know what has happened to them.”

  Alan nodded, his eyebrows raised. “I have always wondered too.”

  Oliver’s eyes clouded. “We spent a lot of years together. Being a family when we were not wanted by anyone. Children comforting children.” Oliver lifted his head up and smiled. Tamara’s fighting spirit flashing before his eyes. They had comforted each other plenty in those days long ago. “Take care of Mara-Joy. She is very special to me. Just like Tamara, that one.”

  Jobeth stepped back, her hands flying to her mouth. Alan supported her arm, as they both stood stunned.

  “She is lucky to have parents like you. She is so privileged in ways Tamara and I never were. I think Tamara really would have wanted that for our daughter.”

  “How,” Alan choked taking a step back, “how did you know?”

  “Alan, how could I not know? Look at Mara-Joy and look at your other children. They are combinations of you and Jobeth. Mara-Joy is a combination of Tamara and me. When I look at her, I see my eyes looking back at me, in

  Tamara’s face,” he looked at Shawna, who did not say a word. “I knew Tamara was pregnant when she left me. That is why it was so important for me to find her. She was nearly due to have the baby. You told me she came to live with you before she killed herself, but you never mentioned her being pregnant. If she had not already had the baby, it would have been impossible not to know she was pregnant. When I asked Shawna if she remembered Tamara with a baby, she would change the subject.” Oliver bent his head not looking at anyone. “I guess I knew it all along. From the moment I saw Mara-Joy. Before you even told me Tamara had killed herself.”

  “Can you ever forgive us for not telling you?” Jobeth clutched Alan’s hand in fear. “We could not lose her. She is our daughter in our heart. She brought Alan and me together–she made us a family. Without her our family would not be complete.”

  Oliver looked up from the reins he held tightly in his hands. How could he tell them how he had struggled trying to figure out why they would not tell him the truth about Mara-Joy? But then he knew the truth. Seeing them all together as a family through the years, he had gotten his answer.

  “I am the father who helped to bring her into this world, but you and Alan are her parents. You have given her a life I was not able to. I love her. But I lost my chance to raise her when Tamara left me. I feel blessed to have seen her grow these last three years.” He looked at Shawna, who was sitting firmly beside him. Her face showed her loyalty was with her husband now.

  “It would be unfair to Mara-Joy if I had claimed her as my daughter. You two have always been there. You have given her the home I only dreamed of having.” Oliver gazed up into the sky. The night was filled with twinkling stars.

  “You helped me, even though I must have been a threat to your family. You took me in and made me part of your home. You got me a job and helped me set my goals in motion for the future–a future with Shawna. And you let me have that future with her. And now I can make a life with her and the children we will have together.”

  “Oliver,” Jobeth sighed with relief. The guilt she had felt over the past three years had suddenly been lifted from her shoulders. Oliver knew Mara-Joy was his daughter and he was not going to take her away from them. She placed her hand on his knee, genuinely feeling love for the man.

  “Don’t tell her about her birth parents. Let her know me as Uncle Oliver. It is the best thing I could do for her.” Oliver sniffed, rubbing his nose, embarrassed over the emotion he felt.

  “Thank you,” Alan said quietly. “For understanding that we could not lose her. Ever.”

  “Send many letters, all right?” Oliver smiled, trying to brighten the mood.

  Jobeth nodded, feeling suddenly light.

  Looking out the open window of her bedroom, Shawna’s old room, Joanna wiped a hand across her wet eyes. She had been awake the whole evening, watching from above. She was sad Shawna and Oliver were leaving, but excited for them too. Mama wouldn’t let her stay awake to see them off, so she had opened the window and watched enviously as Mara-Joy got to stay up and say good-bye. She observed and listened to everything that was said below by the adults. Shocked by the information she overheard, Joanna was unable to believe or understand what it all meant. What she did know was that all was not as it seemed in her family. This realization frightened and excited her.

  Chapter 19 —