Promise of Tomorrow (16 page)

Thirty-three

Despite Jack and Alaina's efforts, her mother remained cloaked in silence. She lowered her hand from her mother's forehead and hugged herself before glancing over at Jack. “Can you think of anything else to try?”

He shook his head. There was an edge of desperation in Alaina's voice that tugged at his heart. He'd been startled by Alaina's mother's appearance. Her once-full figure had thinned to little more than bone.

Mrs. Bledsoe, the farmer's wife who had so kindly cared for Charlotte, could shed little light on her condition. “When she came here, she was like that. Just wandering. Must have been three days ago that Ben found her and brought her here. She's not ate more than a piece of bread, or said two words put together.” The woman's brown eyes were solemn. “Seems I've seen the same look on many other faces lately. Such a tragedy.”

The woman had left them alone, with Alaina chattering at her mother, sharing details of her trip to Pittsburgh. Seeing Pitcairn's private car. The way the people dressed. The noise of the city. And on and on. But all her efforts failed and now she looked to him.

It struck Jack as a deep irony that Alaina, who knew how much her mother disliked him, would think he might be able to penetrate the wall Charlotte had retreated behind. What could he say? His heart beat hard as he knelt.
Lord, grant me wisdom.

“Hi, Mrs. Morrison. Alaina and I are going on a picnic and want to take you along. If you don't mind, Frank and Missy will join us. It'll be fun.”

That was it. His mind shut down, and he couldn't think of another thing to say, so he swept to his feet and faced Alaina, keeping his voice low. “Would you mind asking Mrs. Bledsoe if she could spare a bit of food?” He fished out a few coins and pressed them into Alaina's palm. “Give these to her. Perhaps they'll help.”

“But what good will a picnic do?”

Jack didn't really know. “I thought maybe if we could be together, normal again, maybe it would help her. We'll go out onto the other side of the hill, away from Johnstown, where the view is nice.”

Alaina nodded. “Yes. I think it might help. Everything that happened is too much. It's the same sense I got with one of the women I ministered to on the hill.”

Jack squeezed her hand, then released it. “Good. And Alaina. . .”

She caught the tender light in his eyes.

“We'll pray.”

❧

The Bledsoes offered Alaina a room to stay with her mother. Upon hearing that Charlotte was a seamstress, it was Mrs. Bledsoe's idea to gather together a few scraps and a needle and put them into Charlotte's fingers. “Make her feel normal again,” the farmer's wife reasoned.

At first Alaina noticed little things. Her mother ate a bit more, and she would massage the material between her fingers, and those things gave Alaina hope.

In the evenings, Jack would come up with Frank, Missy, and a mending Sam, and they would help Alaina take her mother to the little section of woods that had become their special spot. They did their best to keep the conversation away from news of Johnstown.

In the wooded spot, surrounded by a giggling Sam and Missy and watching as her mother watched the children, Alaina allowed the worry to erode her confidence.

Jack leaned forward and tapped her head. “You're thinking too much. You've got that worried wrinkle between your eyes.”

She leaned back against him, allowing him to support her weight. “Sometimes I wonder if she'll ever smile again. Or laugh. Even do her sewing. Aunt Jo wants me to bring her to Pittsburgh.”

“She's a kind woman, but I think you're going to be your mother's best chance of recovery. We should stay together.”

“Do you think we should all go out to Pittsburgh? She wouldn't mind.”

Jack didn't answer for so long that she finally shifted to look over her shoulder at him. Blue eyes captured hers. A small smile quivered on his lips.

Alaina became aware of the fact they'd spent very little time without being surrounded by her mother or Frank and the children. “Why don't we go for a walk?”

“A most brilliant idea.”

Alaina laughed and shifted away from him.

He swept to his feet, steadying her rise and retaining his grip on her hand.

Frank's eyes smiled over at them from where he sat talking to Charlotte.

Jack chuckled and whispered to Alaina, “I think he approves.”

They walked in silence. Alaina noted the change in direction, away from the Bledsoes' farm, and wasn't surprised when they came out on the hill overlooking Johnstown. Though still terribly scarred and riddled with debris, progress had been made.

“Will it ever be the same?” she whispered.

“In many ways, no. But change doesn't mean it's better or worse. Only different.”

A cool breeze washed by her, and she leaned her head back to stare up at the sky. “It seems so strange that life goes on despite everything.”

Jack didn't seem to hear. He walked on a few steps more and stopped, his body silhouetted against the sky.

She studied him and realized his shirt looked new and his suspenders, though frayed, weren't nearly as gnarled as the last pair. Even his trousers were less tattered. People had sent in used clothing from all over. “There must be a terrible need for clothing,” she murmured to herself, as an idea dawned. If she could manage to secure some bolts of material, she could, with Mrs. Bledsoe's help, put together clothes for the victims. But her thoughts stopped there only briefly. Jack's posture let her know that something was wrong. “Jack?”

He faced her. “I have something to tell you.”

She swallowed. Maybe in the time she'd been so preoccupied with her mother he had found someone else down in Johnstown. But no, it couldn't be. Jack loved her.

He advanced on her with an amused expression. “You've got that worried line again. Why?”

Embarrassed, she looked away. “I thought you were going to tell me you'd found someone else?” But it came out more a question than a statement, and she cringed.

Jack's hand captured her chin and tilted her face back toward him, his blue eyes darkened with disappointment. “How could you think that?”

“We haven't had much time together.” She flushed. “Your clothes look new.”

Jack stared down at his shirt. “A man gets some clothes from one of the shipments, and you think I'm dressing up for another woman?”

Alaina stamped her foot. “Don't you dare laugh at me.”

“I'm not laughing. Really. I know you've been under a lot of stress. Everyone has.” He put some distance between them. “There's something that's happened that we need to talk about.”

❧

Jack knew he was being vague, but he didn't know how to suggest what he felt God had been nudging him to do. He'd wrestled with the ever-stronger urging of his spirit for two weeks, and he felt exhausted from the mental struggle.

He drew a strengthening breath. “It's ironic, really, everything that has happened in these last few days.” He grimaced. “But let me start at the beginning. After the flood, as I worked at the bridge and around Johnstown, I kept wondering if I could go back to Cambria Iron. They're calling some of the men back and trying to get in full swing. Part of me wants to stay here and see Johnstown rebuilt, but then your mother is so ill, and I wondered if it would be wiser to take her away from here.”

“I've thought the same thing,” Alaina offered.

Hearing that made it easier and lessened Jack's fear. “But then there's you and me. And money.” He swallowed. “You see, the plans I turned in right before the flood hit were looked over, and the boss thinks they might work. He called me into a meeting yesterday and gave me a nice sum.”

“That's. . .wonderful news.” But Alaina's words were wooden, devoid of happiness, and he thought he understood the sudden flicker in her eyes.

He licked his lips. “When I had that money in my hand, I felt such satisfaction, but something else, too. I realized that God had allowed everything to happen to bring me to this point. I had everything I thought meant so much; now what would I do?”

He paused before continuing, “There are still so many who need shelter, and though food isn't nearly the problem it once was, housing is. I could build a huge house and have families come and live there, but I realized it wasn't what I wanted. I want to divide the money between some families who need it.”

Alaina's mouth parted. “Are you serious?”

Jack's throat thickened. “I mean it so much it hurts. I've learned my lesson, Alaina. I want to help someone else. I'll still keep a portion for us, but the rest will go to help those in need. To rebuild life for those so shaken by the disaster.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes, and Jack felt the rightness of his words in every part of his body. “We'll move away, you, me, and your mother. Frank and Missy and Sam, too, if they want to come. Then we can settle down and make a home.”

Alaina brushed her hand across her cheeks. “Where will we go?”

He shrugged. “Wherever you want to go. We'll travel until we find a place. God will show us.”

She hugged herself and stared out over Johnstown, and when she finally met his gaze, Jack saw the spark of a smile. “Aren't you forgetting something?”

He chuckled. “I was wondering if you would notice.” He closed the distance between them and grasped her by the waist. “I think this is going on the third time I'm going to ask, so I'm hoping for a better answer.”

She reached as if to smack his shoulder, but he captured her hand and raised it to his lips. As he stared into her dark eyes, he glimpsed a future of peace and commitment, not only to her but also to God and to his fellow man. “Alaina?”

“I would be most honored to become your wife.”

Epilogue

Dear Aunt Jo,

We hope this letter finds you doing well. We've settled down in Kansas for a space of time. Sam and Missy love the prairie grasses and fresh country air, and Frank has them going to the schoolhouse down the road, something they both seem to enjoy very much. I think Frank is pleased with the idea of staying on here. Jack thinks it would be a good place to put down some roots and start a family. I can honestly say that my heart has already learned to love the prairie, and staying here would be a joy.

Mother is doing quite well. In the two weeks since we arrived, she has taken more to sewing, even completing a new dress for Missy. She still doesn't say much, but I suspect time will heal that as well. Time and Frank. Yes, you read that right. I think the two of them are finding that their hearts aren't quite so lonely when they're together. It's a wonder to behold, Auntie. Momma's face takes on such a beautiful gentleness when Frank is near.

Jack just lit the lantern for me to write by, but I think he really wants to go for a short walk. By the way, he and Frank have been whispering lately. My guess is they've found some land on which to build. But I wouldn't want to spoil Jack's surprise and will write no more until I know for sure.

As you will see, I've included a likeness of us. We posed for it the day after Jack and I were married, at the insistence of the man taking pictures of Johnstown. He said everyone should have a memory of their special day. It was a special day, Auntie. In the midst of Johnstown's rise to its former glory, we stood on Green Hill and were joined as husband and wife. Many of the townspeople were there to share our happiness and, we hope, glean a bit of joy to give their hearts a new promise for all their tomorrows.

It's been a long road for all of us, but we're praying for strength and grace, and for Momma's complete healing, though if Frank has anything to do with it, that prayer is being answered as I write.

We send our love.

Alaina Kelly

About the Author

S. Dionne Moore is a multi-published author who makes her home in Pennsylvania with her husband of twenty-one years and her daughter. You can visit her at www.sdionnemoore.com.

Dedication

To my mother with love

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