The Doctor Takes a Wife (30 page)

“Not publicly. I slipped by. We all slip by—”

“You
’
re being pretty hard on a lot of us, Min,” Phil suggested, not wanting to look at Page.

“I don
’
t care!” she cried hotly. “We need some hardness. You know what?” She turned and brandished the poker in his face. “I
’
m going to build a woodshed for the proper raising of my boys! And my girls—they
’
re going to be—to be—” She took a deep breath.

“Good?” said Phil, his brown eyes shining.

“Da
rn
right!
Good.
That
’
s the sort of word this country needs!”

He didn
’
t laugh at her. She was right. “How many of those boys and girls are you down for, Mrs. Whitley?” he asked, his eyes twinkling now. “If you
’
re going to reform the world
...”

“It
’
s not funny, Red Scoles!” She stepped backward and put her hand out to me. She knew that I had come around the
corner
of the house. “If I have only one son, or one daughter, and raise it right—that will be a beginning. We have to start somewhere, and it might as well be right here in Berilo, the four of us, and our children. We four just barely remember the difference between right and wrong—but we do remember! So it
’
s up to us
—
Whit and me and the children we
’
ll have—to have them and raise them, and no compromise! You may think—people say that Berilo is only a small city in the mountains, out of the way, and not significant. But it
is
significant, Red!” Her hand swept out to embrace the mountains, golden in the last rays of the sun, to enfold the valley dark with purple shadows, the river flashing over its rocks, the city streets and the neat little farms. “It
’
s the whole world!” she cried fervently.

Phil gulped and glanced at me. “Don
’
t leave Page and me out of your project!” he said earnestly. “We
’
d be glad to borrow your woodshed—”

Min laughed a little. “Oh, Red...”

“Don
’
t qualify. I
’
m proud of you, kid.
Proud
!”

She lifted my hand to her hot cheek. “Five years,” she said ruefully. Then she smiled and turned her face for my kiss.

“Hey!” she announced. “What do you know ... I think you
’
re right, Red. It
was
worth it!”