by Lori Wick
As Silas pulled the large wagon to a stop, he knew he’d never been to this home before. He had probably seen it from a distance but not close enough to tell him that the roof was deteriorating so badly. He doubted whether one inch of the interior stayed dry during a storm.
A rusty plow lay against the weathered siding along with a broken pitchfork, a potato basket, and a large tin can. None of these looked as though they’d just been tossed there but rather placed carefully in order.
In fact a quick look around the yard showed that someone had a care as to how it looked. The weeds around the front of the house were high, but the path to the door was well beaten down and not cluttered with things to trip a man. It was swept clean, right down to the hard earth and was lined with a few small stones.
Silas took all of this in as he followed Chad to the front door, a door that opened before them without a knock. The young woman standing across the threshold was very thin, with dark brown hair. She wore a dress that was too big and a look that was far from welcoming.
“Hello, Mandy. I know you didn’t expect to see me until Tuesday but I need to talk with you.”
“What about?” The question was asked warily, and the oldest Jackson child made no move to invite him in.
Yes, what about? Chad thought to himself, now that they were here facing this young woman and not sitting around his own dining table, it would not be so easy explaining that her brothers and sisters were to be taken out of her care.
He took a breath and plunged in. “I’ve been in touch with the sheriff, and he informs me that in cases such as yours the children under age usually stay with families in town until the parent can be found.”
Amanda Jackson felt as if the floor beneath her had moved, so shocked was she. Leaning against the doorjamb to steady herself, her mind raced. Silas very nearly reached for her, thinking she was going to faint. Gone instantly was the belief this girl would be strong-minded. She didn’t appear ready to question Chad’s statement at all. In fact, if he didn’t believe with all of his heart how good this would be for these children, he would feel she was very much a victim right now.
“Mandy,” Chad’s voice was gentle. “If you’ll let us in I’ll explain everything to you.”
Wordlessly she swung the door back and led the way to the table. Silas had never seen a home so lacking in warmth in spite of the humid June day. Not until after he’d sat down at the table, in a chair so beat up he was not sure it would hold his weight, did he notice the occupied bed in the corner.
He was still staring at the bed, or rather the four children sitting on it, when he heard Chad speak.
“Mandy, this is Silas Cameron.”
“Hello, Mandy,” Silas said to the silent girl at the table, who was still looking numb with surprise.
“And over here on the left is Carrie, she’s 14. Sitting next to her is Levi who’s ten and then Clovis who’s nine, and next to Clovis is Rebecca. Rebecca is five.” Silas smiled at each one, but only the little one returned his smile or made any move to acknowledge his introduction.
Silas took none of this personally. He realized how, in the space of a few hours, these children’s world had been turned upside down. He only hoped Amy would be as practical. She might respond to their indifference with hurt feelings, but then, maybe not. After all, Amy had lost her mother, too.
Chad explained briefly who Silas was and how he and Silas were related. He then explained the plans to have all five of the children come with them, that very day, to the Cameron home to live.
“You mean you want me to come, too?” Mandy’s look was both a mixture of fear and relief as she posed the question to the big man across the table.
“Yes,” Silas answered simply, thinking what an awful thing it was to assume you were unwanted.
“All five of us, at the same house?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“As long as you need.”
Suddenly Mandy understood. “What would our jobs be?”
Silas stared at her, completely nonplussed. Chad was the first to recover. “Mandy, you are not being put to work. Silas and Amy have a large home and wish you to share it for as long as you need. They have no ulterior motive, believe me.”
Mandy’s eyes went from one man to the other, gauging their sincerity, and then to her family. Rebecca must have missed what was going on, for her look was only curious, but Carrie and the boys were looking at her, their eyes round with surprise. Mandy came to a swift decision, wondering as she did, what in the world she would do if it was a mistake.
“Alright,” she said as she rose from the table. “We’ll come if you really mean the offer.”
“Great!” Silas said and stood with her. His smile was so genuine that it was a few minutes before Mandy’s qualms returned, and by then she had her siblings gathering their things to leave.
The quilts were removed from the beds and the needed possessions loaded inside. When the first quilt was carried out by the boys, with hardly a bulge within, Silas very nearly sent them back with the order to gather all of their things. Just in time he realized they had done just that. He turned away, swallowing hard over the sudden lump in his throat.
A few seconds elapsed before Silas realized the boys had remained next to the wagon and were staring up at him in unembarrassed curiosity. He took his first good look at them. Unlike their oldest sister, whose dress was too big, their clothing was too small, even for their too-thin bodies. But somehow it didn’t detract from a look of promised sturdiness.
Their hair, in need of cutting, was dark brown like Mandy’s and their eyes were a mixture of browns and greens. Hazel, he guessed it would be called. He studied them as closely as they studied him before admitting he’d forgotten which was Levi and which was Clovis.
“I’m Levi.”
“I’m Clovis.”
The names were spoken solemnly and Silas studied them an instant longer to put the name with the face. It wasn’t hard. Levi was a shade taller and, Silas remembered, older. Clovis had an adorable sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of his nose.
“I’m Silas,” he spoke to Levi first and held out his hand. There was a moment’s hesitation and then with dawning respect the boy let his hand be swallowed by Silas’.
The act was repeated with Clovis who, with his hand still engulfed in Silas’, said, “Our pa’s not as big as you.”
Silas smiled his slow smile and reached out to tousle the overlong hair of the youngest boy. “We best see if your sister needs help.”
The boys followed his broad back to the house and watched him duck beneath the low door. Behind him, they exchanged a look of wonder mixed with a little bit of fear.
4
“Mandy, Silas and I talked it over and he’d really like to see you to the house and let you get settled. You’ll be well taken care of, I promise you.”
“Thank you, Reverend Nolan,” Mandy spoke humbly as he stepped down from the wagon in front of the parsonage.
“Most of the kids at church call me Pastor Chad and the pleasure has been all mine, Mandy. You’ll like Amy when you meet her, and if you need me, Silas will bring you.” He reached out then with a gentle hand and touched each child as he said good-bye. Their smiles were a little strained, but they all waved at him.
“All set?” Silas asked.
“All set.” Mandy answered as the wagon pulled away.
Mandy and Carrie’s eyes met as the large farmhouse came into view. It was a beautiful home, two stories of white-painted boards and clean glass. A small, covered porch led to the front door and Mandy, realizing how quickly they would be inside, regretted their lack of privacy.
The two girls were very close and Mandy knew Carrie would have been the perfect person with whom to discuss all this, but there just hadn’t been time.
It wasn’t anything the men had said or done, but Mandy was sure that if she didn’t snatch up this offer, even if it wasn’t all it seemed to be, it would
disappear forever beyond her grasp and she would be sorry for the rest of her life.
When Pastor Nolan had said something about the different families in town, Mandy had felt lightheaded with panic. That they might actually be separated when they needed so desperately to be together was just too painful to take in. Her heart pounding as the wagon came to a stop, Mandy’s fear over what was in store for them in this strange house with these unfamiliar people nearly choked her. Only one thought kept her going: We’re all together and that’s exactly what Mama would have wanted.
Silas could have reassured her so easily if he’d known what she was thinking, but Mandy kept her tempestuous thoughts to herself. It would be some time before she really understood why this family was so willing to take them into their sphere.
Mandy’s feet had barely touched the ground when she looked up to see the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen coming toward her. Her mind formed the word “Amy” just as the woman reached her and spoke.
“You must be Mandy. I’m Amy, and I’m so glad you’re here.”
Mandy was speechless for a moment. Why she’s not much older than I am, she thought, and she’s beautiful. Mandy’s hand went down the skirt of her dress, realizing for the first time that she must look like a scarecrow compared to this vision of warmth and grace in front of her.
“You are Mandy? I mean, I did get your name right?”
“Yes,” Mandy recovered quickly. “I’m Amanda Jackson.”
“Which do you prefer, Mandy or Amanda?”
“Mandy, please.”
“Then Mandy it is. And you must be Carrie.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Amy smiled and reached out to squeeze the arm of the younger girl. “Will it be a problem, Carrie, for you to share a bedroom with Rebecca?”
There was a moment of silence before Carrie answered quietly, “No, no problem.”
Levi, Clovis, and Rebecca were introduced, and the boys found the same question about sharing a room posed to them. Levi answered as his sister had, and Clovis simply stared at Amy in silence.
Silas led the way through the front door directly to the stairway. Mandy and Amy brought up the rear and with every step Mandy wondered where she would sleep. As they all entered a long narrow room, the first at the top of the stairs, Mandy figured that these people were rich and that there must be a servant with whom she would share quarters.
The room was done in peach and cream, with touches of brown and tan. It was easily twice as long as it was wide with a built-in closet at one end. There was no wallpaper but the peach walls were not marked or scratched in any way. It boasted two broad windows that looked out at a cluster of huge oak trees and two brass beds, one at each end of the room. The children looked around in openmouthed awe as Amy spoke.
“This room is for Carrie and Rebecca. You can each have a bed and if you need anything, just ask.”
Amy tried not to look at the vulnerable, unbelieving faces of the two younger girls as she moved back out the door. “Levi and Clovis,” she said to the boys, “your room is at the end of the hall at the front of the house.”
Everyone moved again, even the ones who already had a room assignment, to see the boys’ room. It was square and Amy had chosen every imaginable shade of blue, from pastels to navy. The walls were light blue with a large round rug in bolder shades. It had a masculine feel to it, with dark oak furniture and a wide bed the boys would share. The one large window was throwing sun across that bed now, and they stood gaping at the multicolored quilt as though fascinated.
“Be sure and check with me if you need something, boys. Mandy, your room is just a few steps back down the hall.”
Nothing in Mandy’s imagination could have prepared her for the last bedroom they entered. The room was a vision in softest pink and white and utterly the most feminine decor she had ever seen. The curtains covering the two windows were white and ruffly, as was the coverlet on the large bed. The wallpaper was pink-and-white stripe with small sprigs of lavender flowers every few inches.
Mandy was still taking it all in when Silas ushered the rest of the Jackson family to their own rooms with a suggestion that they use the dressers within and get themselves settled.
Amy was ready to ask if there was anything Mandy needed when her new houseguest turned to her with an unreadable look on her face.
“Who else stays in here?” Her voice and face did nothing to betray her tenseness, but her stance was almost that of one who expected a blow.
“No one. The room is yours.”
“What about you, I mean, I didn’t notice a fourth bedroom up here.”
“We’re downstairs, the door near the foot of the stairs. Mandy, is there something wrong, I mean with the room, that you’re not comfortable?”
“No, I just wasn’t expecting, I mean, a room all to myself is a new experience.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy it and please, like I told your sisters and brothers, don’t hesitate to ask if you need something. I’ll go now and let you get settled.”
Amy started for the door but then came back and put her hands on Mandy’s arms. “I want you to know how sorry I am about your mother. I won’t keep bringing it up because I know how painful it is, but if you ever want to talk, I’m a good listener.” Amy drew Mandy into her arms and hugged her before exiting and closing the door behind her.
5
Amy wondered as she descended the stairs if her legs were going to give out under her. She found Silas in the kitchen and walked straight into his arms. He felt her tremble and held her tightly against his chest.
“Did you see their faces?” Amy finally asked.
“Yes.” Silas was thankful as he answered that Amy had not seen where they lived.
“I hugged Mandy, and Silas, there is nothing to her. We seem to be the same height but she must be 20 pounds lighter.”
“You can begin changing that tonight at our table.” He sounded very confident and indeed he was. He had been sure of God’s leading, even though everything had moved so swiftly, especially going for the children. The more time he spent with them the more he believed that he and Amy had been given a special job from the Lord. A job that would definitely change the quiet way they lived and could very well break their hearts. But it was what God called them to do at this time and they would do it.
The five objects of Silas and Amy’s thoughts were all gathering in Mandy’s room. Mandy had sunk down to the floor and leaned against the wall after Amy left. She was lost in her thoughts when the door opened quietly and Rebecca came in. Mandy held out her arms and Rebecca went into her big sister’s lap. The boys came next, sitting down in front of her so their legs touched hers through her skirt. Carrie came last and put Mandy’s few things on the bed before taking a spot against the wall, her shoulder against Mandy’s.
“Did you get your things put away?” The question was directed to Levi.
“Yeah. There’s hooks in the closet and we hung stuff in there.”
“How about you, Becca?”
“Carrie did it.”
“Where’s their bedroom?” Carrie asked.
“Downstairs—and their names are Silas and Amy.”
“Do we call them Silas and Amy?” Levi sounded incredulous.
“I think so. It’s the way they’ve introduced themselves, but maybe we should say Mr. and Mrs. Cameron until we have permission.”
“I think Mrs. Cameron is pretty.”
“Oh, Carrie, you’re so dumb!”
“Yeah, dumb, Carrie.”
“Levi and Clovis, you stop that right now! We are guests in this house and you will mind your manners or I promise you a licking you won’t soon forget. Do you hear me?”
“Yes.” They answered quietly. Mandy rarely scolded them, but when she did she meant it.
“Where do you think Pa is?”
“I don’t know, Clovis. This is the longest he’s ever been away. The Reverend Nolan, I mean Pastor Chad, said the sheriff is trying to find him.”
“Is that why the—you know—isn’t ’til Tuesday?”
“Yes, and it’s called a funeral.” The word seemed to have a quieting effect on all of them, and even though the day was warm they sat without speaking, huddled together, for a long time.
Amy’s first reaction to having these children at their supper table for the first time was to put out an elaborate spread. But she refrained from such an action and stayed with her normal Sunday evening routine of sandwiches with meats and cheeses along with whatever fruit was in season and cookies for dessert.
As she stood over the breadboard with a knife, she said a prayer of thanks that she’d baked bread yesterday, even though it wasn’t her usual day. Not that she couldn’t skip over to Christine’s, whose house was a stone’s throw away, and borrow a loaf, but it was just nice to know she could take care of these five charges, whom she felt were on loan from God.
As Amy sliced, her mind dwelt on Mandy’s face and the way she prepared herself for disappointment at every turn. The other ones were easy, even Carrie at 14; they were just children. But Mandy was nearer her own age and if the truth be known, she scared Amy to death. She seemed the most vulnerable and the most in need of mothering. But there was no way with Amy being only 22 that Mandy was going to look at her as a mother figure. After all, Mandy was 18. That’s why it was so important that she do nothing to make Mandy feel young or patronized and that she do everything to show she wanted to be her friend.
She began to pray as she carried the bread platter to the table that God would give her an opportunity to share the loss of her own mother. Of course she’d had her dad, still had him for that matter, so she couldn’t completely understand. Maybe Mandy would throw that in her face…
“Oh, Lord,” she prayed as she went to call everyone to supper, “it’s all too much for me to take in. Please just use me.”
Silas helped Rebecca wash her hands and they were the last to sit at the dining room table. Amy had left the seating arrangement to Silas and after filling a pitcher with cold water, joined them to find all the girls on one side and the boys on the other.
