Falling in Love With Her Husband (19 page)

asking me when they would be grandparents. I bit my lower

lip. She had been my friend since childhood, and if there

was anyone I could confide in, it was her. I explained how I

wasn"t ready to engage in marital relations on my wedding

night since I was still in love with Kent at the time, and I

added that Todd was waiting until I was ready.

She shook her head. “My brother has an abundance

of patience.” Then she looked at me with a question in her

eyes. “What about Kent?”

“I haven"t thought of him for at least a month.”

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“Maybe I should rephrase my inquiry. If Kent were to

show up and ask you to annul your marriage to Todd so you

could run off with him, would you?”

“Annul my marriage?”

“You haven"t consummated it yet so it permissible,

not that I"m recommending that.”

Feeling uneasy, I shifted on the couch and asked, “Is

there something you"re not telling me?”

She sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world

rested on her shoulders. “You might as well know. Kent

broke off his engagement to Rebecca. I don"t know why he

asked her to marry him in the first place. And I don"t care

why they"re not together. You and Todd are what I care

about. Kent kept asking me about you, especially where

you are living. I refused to tell him anything, but I think he

found out from someone else. That"s why I wanted to know

how you feel about him. He could arrive any day now. I just

wanted to warn you.”

I stared at the fire.

“Ann, what are you thinking?” She tugged the sleeve

on my dress. “Ann, please speak to me.”

“I have to be alone to sort things out,” I calmly

replied. The truth was, I didn"t know want to think. Kent still

wanted me? He didn"t want Rebecca after all? I stood up.

“I"l show you to your bedroom.”

“Promise me you won"t do anything rash!” she

anxiously whispered.

I purposely ignored her because I was afraid of what

I might say.

She mutely followed me, her head hung low. I knew

that she figured she had said enough already.

I didn"t get undressed when I closed my bedroom

door. I sat on my bed and stared at the box stove. Todd

faithfully started a fire in it every evening so my room would

be warm by the time I went to bed.

Agnes" words haunted me.

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“Kent kept asking about you...”

But Todd takes good care of you. He would never

hurt you the way Kent did.

Kent was coming for me. What would I do?

I blindly stared into the box stove, willing my feelings

away.

Do you love Todd?

Kent"s image blocked any rational response to that

simple question.

Oh God, I don’t want to feel this way. Why am I

pleased that Kent is coming?

***

By morning, I couldn"t bring myself to face Todd,

even though I was wide awake and could make him

breakfast. I heard him moving around in the next bedroom.

He was getting dressed for work. I wondered what he

looked like as he got dressed in his cotton shirts and denim

pants. I turned over in my bed and caught sight of my

dresses hanging in the wardrobe. They weren"t as fancy as

the ones my parents bought me, but he worked hard for

them. He wanted to give me nice things. I sighed heavily

and squeezed my eyes shut to force the tears away.

When he left for work, I got out of bed. I needed to

put Todd and Kent far from my mind. That meant I had to

keep myself busy. I finished some light housework by the

time a yawning and sleepy Agnes came down the stairs in a

pink dress. My body relaxed at her familiar face.

“What would you like to eat for breakfast?” I asked

as I took out a skillet.

“You cook? I mean, you know how?” She shook her

head as she walked over to me. “Is it hard?”

I laughed, recalling my uneasiness when I started

cooking. “It"s a lot easier than it looks. I"l teach you. What

would you like to eat?”

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“Can you make French toast?”

“Sure. Todd eats that all the time.” I paused for a

moment as I realized I had mentioned him. I hoped she

wouldn"t ask me about Kent. Fortunately, she didn"t. I

breathed a sigh of relief. “First, we need some bread,” I

began and turned my attention to the meal.

After breakfast, I introduced her to Barbara and the

children. “We didn"t even know she was coming, but we"re

glad she did,” I said. “Barbara has been my friend and

mentor. She"s the one who taught me to cook and take care

of children.”

It was exciting for me to be with both of them at the

same time. I did most of the talking on the way to town in

Barbara"s carryall.

After Barbara dropped us off at the mercantile,

Agnes looked around the town. “This place is small. Don"t

you miss the entertainment in Virginia? There doesn"t seem

to be anything to do around here.”

“At first, I was dismayed at the small population, but

now I"m familiar with most of the people here. It"s cozy.”

“Hmm... I don"t know. I feel trapped.”

“Yes, I suppose you aren"t meant for the small town

life.” That"s when I realized that we were different. I had

assumed we shared all the same interests while we were

growing up.

We entered the mercantile and I introduced her to

the Coleys who were as friendly and generous to her as

they been to me when I first met them. I smiled at her

startled expression. She wasn"t used to such welcoming

introductions, but she quickly began talking to them as if she

had known them her entire life. I happily did my work while

they shared stories.

Everyone I introduced her to seemed to enjoy her.

Everyone, that is, except for Barbara. I didn"t notice

Barbara"s discomfort right away. On our way back home,

Agnes did most of the talking.

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“And little Becky got so mad at Sam for putting a bug

in her hair that she punched him out. He was unconscious

for five minutes.” Agnes giggled. “I"m sorry, Ann, but this

makes the time Todd and Alex threw pebbles in your hair

look like child"s play. But anyway, I don"t think Mrs. Bore

appreciated Becky"s action. Not that Mrs. Bore"s ever had a

sense of humor about anything, although I do believe she

smiled once during a Shakespearean comedy.”

“Mrs.
Byron
has a sense of humor,” I argued. “You

were too busy acting up to notice.”

“Oh, I was a perfect eight year old. Mrs.
Bore
never

appreciated my enthusiasm.”

The children giggled as they played a word game.

Barbara remained silent. I wondered why.

“I couldn"t believe it when Rhoda decided to let Jeff

court her. He"s completely dull,” Agnes continued. “Why he

can"t even-”

I stopped her. “Agnes, it"s wrong to gossip.” I used

to enjoy these conversations but now I found gossip

irritating. Who knew how many people got hurt because of

careless talk?

She pouted. “You sound like Todd.” Then her eyes

lit up. “That"s wonderful! You must be getting close to him

after all!”

I sent her a “be quiet” look.

Agnes understood and started talking about the

latest book she read. Agnes was always good about

reading my signals. But even as we said good-bye to

Barbara and her children, I couldn"t figure out what was

wrong with Barbara.

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Ann’s Point of View

The next day, I decided Agnes and I should spend

some time with Barbara and her children. I knocked on

Barbara"s front door. Calvin answered it, Bruce and Molly in

tow.

I smiled at them. “Hello!” I surprised them with some

chocolate candy that Mrs. Coley gave me.

They squealed in delight and thanked me.

“Ann, is that you?” Barbara called out from her

kitchen.

The smell of freshly baked cookies filled the air.

“Yes, it"s me,” I called out. “Do you need a hand?”

“Actual y, I could use some help. Calvin and Bruce, I

want you to clean your room. Molly, come into the kitchen.”

Agnes and I followed Molly to the kitchen, amused at

the way Molly"s blond curls bounced as she ran.

Barbara"s smile seemed forced as soon as she saw

me and Agnes. I assumed she was worried about trying to

get her children to clean their room while trying to cook.

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“Ma, Mrs. Brothers gave me candy!” Molly

exclaimed, jumping up and down.

“That"s nice. Did you thank her and Agnes?”

Barbara asked.

“They all did,” I replied. “So, what can I do to help?”

“And what can I do? Give me an easy task though.

I"m not used to this,” Agnes added.

“Wel ,” Barbara began as she looked around the

kitchen, “I could use some help putting the cookie dough on

the tray. I also need to decorate the ones that are done.”

I stared at her, suddenly wondering if something was

wrong.

Agnes asked me how to bake cookies. I spent most

of my time teaching her, so I didn"t have a chance to ask

Barbara if something was bothering her. As the afternoon

progressed, we sat in the parlor. The children played a

game of hide and seek around the house. Agnes did most

of the talking. Whenever I attempted to bring Barbara into

the conversation, she usually gave one answered replies

like, “yes,” “no,” or just shrugged.

I became irritated at her lack of participation, and

after awhile, I ignored her. I figured if she was going to be

cold, I could be cold too. At one point, the silence grew so

thick that Agnes recommended she and I leave so she could

send a telegram to her parents. It was a lie, but I

appreciated the excuse to leave. Barbara seemed happy to

let us go, which I sourly noted. I said a cool good-bye and

left.

***

That night, I was in a bad mood. The good thing

about being angry at your friend is that you didn"t have time

to feel guilty for remembering the good times with your past

beau. I tried not to show my anger to Todd or Agnes, but

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they knew me well enough to know that something was

wrong.

They decided not to irritate me further by asking me

questions which was good because I didn"t feel like talking

to anyone. I made dinner in silence. I ate dinner in silence.

I cleaned the dishes in silence. I didn"t care about the

tension in the house. Todd and Agnes briefly made idle

conversation at the dinner table. They glanced at me,

uncertain if I would get more upset by a comment they

made. I just chewed the food mechanically, lost in my

thoughts. Soon, they gave up their efforts and finished their

meal in silence.

Agnes decided to go to bed early, and Todd decided

to get some firewood. Meanwhile, I cleaned the dishes.

What was Barbara"s problem anyway? I tried to be nice to

her and introduce her to my childhood friend. And how did

she repay me? She rejected me. It was if she resented

what I was trying to do.

“We"l see if I ever do anything nice for her again,” I

muttered sourly.

“Did you say something?” Todd asked as he set

some firewood by the stove.

I jumped. I didn"t hear him enter the kitchen. Some

of my anger subsided. “I was just talking to myself,” I

replied.

He put his hands on his hips and studied me, as if

debating whether or not to say anything.

I finished the last plate and set it on a towel to dry.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

I stood still for a moment. Was he referring to Kent?

Did Agnes tell him? Or was he referring to my bad mood

today? Realizing that Agnes wouldn"t tell him about Kent, I

relaxed. Taking a deep breath, I explained the events that

had transpired at Barbara"s house.

Once I finished, Todd nodded. “That is upsetting.”

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