Chase the Wind

by Cindy Holby - Wind 01 - Chase the Wind

  Jenny scooped Mary up, laying the child’s curly head against her right shoulder so she wouldn’t have to bear her weight on her broken arm. She helped Mary change into her nightgown, pulled the covers up under her chin, and turned to find Sister Mary Frances waiting to talk to her. She followed the nun to a small courtyard within the walls of the mission. There was a birdbath in the middle, circled with flowers that looked purple in the shadows cast by the half moon visible over head. Jenny was surprised at this oasis of color in the otherwise drab world of the mission. Once again, the nun showed Jenny a bench, then stood before her as she had that first day in the orchard.

  “Do you think it was wise to defy Father Clarence today?” the sister asked after taking a moment to collect her thoughts.

  “He expected me to bend over his desk and take a beating. I think I was wise to decline that offer.”

  “We have rules here, and he expects everyone to obey them.”

  “He didn’t even ask me my side of the story, just told me to bend over and take my lickin’. My dad would kill anyone who laid a hand on me like that.”

  “Jenny, your dad is no longer here.”

  “I know.” Jenny put her head down in her hands. Sister Mary Frances laid her hand on the girl’s shoulders as the sobs began to rack her body. The nun sat down beside her and pulled her over so that her head was lying in her lap. She began to stroke her temple, smoothing the wayward strands that had escaped from the braid trailing down her back to her hips. The sobs soon gave way to a long sigh. “Every time I think I’m done crying, I start up again,” Jenny said into the habit beneath her.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you can go a lifetime and never finish crying for someone or something.”

  Jenny raised herself to a sitting position and looked at the nun as she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. “Did you lose someone you were close to?” she asked.

  Sister Mary Frances looked at her in surprise. “Yes, I did,” she said after a while, a soft smile curving her lovely face. “I still grieve and pray every day.” They sat in silence for a while, each lost in her own memories. Then Sister Mary Frances broke the silence.

  “We still need to talk about you and Father Clarence.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. I won’t just bend over so he can beat me, especially when I don’t deserve it.” Jenny jumped up from the bench and began pacing around the courtyard. “My dad taught me right from wrong, and how to stand up for myself when I’ve been wronged. No one has ever laid a hand on me that I didn’t deserve, and I don’t deserve anything from him.” Jenny came to a stop and looked up at the half moon that was still shining above them. “Why is he here anyway? I can’t imagine that he would ask to run an orphanage.”

  “It is not our place to question the wisdom of those who are in charge of such matters.”

  Jenny grinned at the nun, her teeth flashing white in the darkness. “You’ve wondered the same thing yourself, haven’t you?” Sister Mary Frances crossed her arms, her hands disappearing into the sleeves of her habit. Jenny put her hands on her hips and looked at the nun, who sat piously on the bench before her. “I know you have, you can’t help it. You’re not like the others. They’re scared of him, doing their best to stay out of his way and not make him mad, but you’re different.”

  “I think it’s time you went to bed. We have another busy day before us.” Jenny dropped a quick kiss on the surprised nun’s forehead. “Let’s not discuss this with anyone else,” the nun added.

  “Okay, but I know Jamie has you figured out. Marcus too.”

  “Jenny.” The nun stopped short at the door. “Let’s make it our secret?”

  “Who would I tell?”

  Sister Mary Frances smiled as Jenny disappeared into the mission. For the first time in a long while, she felt as if she was not alone.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next day passed in the same way as the one before. Jenny managed to avoid Father Clarence, and battle lines were drawn in the classroom, with Jenny and Marcus on one side, Logan and Joe on the other. Jenny and Marcus knew that when Jamie joined them the tide would turn in their favor, and Marcus looked forward to that day with great anticipation, glad that his torture would be finally over. Jenny was amused to find Mary following her as she made the rounds during the short recess allowed them after lunch. Marcus pretended to have hurt feelings, but he was actually very happy that Mary was getting some attention. When school let out for the day, Jenny hurried to the infirmary, anxious to get Jamie outside for a change. It was a beautiful day, almost summery, and she knew it would do him good to get outside in the fresh air. He was reading when she came into his room and seemed very glad for the company, even asking where Marcus was when he saw she was alone.

  “Let’s go for a walk,” she said as he stretched on the bed, his muscles cramped from lying around all day. “You’re getting lazy.”

  “Walk where?”

  “Outside. There’s an orchard. It’s really nice.”

  “I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” he said nervously, looking towards the window.

  “When will you be ready? Tomorrow, next week, next month? Come on, Jamie, let’s go outside. Everyone is busy with chores, no one will see you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Would I lie to you?”

  Jamie looked down at the face of his sister, who was trying her best to look innocent. “Yes, you would, if it would get you what you wanted.”

  “Jamie, I promise, to the best of my knowledge there is no one waiting outside these walls to look at you. Now, will you please go outside with me and walk around so you can get better? I miss you.”

  Jamie went over to the window and surveyed the area. In the distance he could see children working in a garden, and a little girl with curly brown hair handing laundry to a nun who was hanging it on a line. He could barely see the corner of a barn, and he was curious to know what kind of livestock was inside. The thought of an orchard sounded nice, too, although what he really longed for was the sight of the plains rolling out before him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt the sun on his face, or the wind in his hair, and all he had to do was walk with his sister out through the door. It was the hardest thing he had ever had to do in his life.

  Sister Mary Frances appeared at the door with a hat in her hand. “I thought you might need this. It will help shield your eyes from the sun,” she explained as she handed the hat to Jamie.

  He turned it in his hands, looking it over as if it were hiding some great secret. She didn’t have to add that it would also shield his face from prying eyes, if any were about, and he was grateful for the offer. He pushed his hair back from his eyes and set the hat firmly on his head, cocking it a bit to the left and forward.

  Jenny stood contemplating him for a minute, then held out her hand with a smile. “Let me show you around,” she said as he took her hand. She led him past Sister Mary Frances and out into the halls of the mission. He tried to stop when he saw a nun coming towards them, but Jenny tugged on his hand and they passed the sister, who walked by with her eyes down, as if she never saw them. Jenny led him out into the bright sunshine, and on across the yard, never stopping until they reached the shelter of the orchard. He dropped her hand when they reached the bench and stood looking up at the limbs full of buds, swaying gently in the breeze.

  “I told you it was nice out here,” Jenny said. Jamie leaned back against the trunk of a tree and let the breeze wash over him.

  “I feel like a baby,” he finally said.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I’m just weak. I feel like I can hardly walk back.”

  “You need to build your strength up.”

  Jamie stretched his arm out in front of him, made a fist, and began to flex his arm, watching the muscles move under his shirt.

  “You still look the same. You haven’t lost anything,” Jenny assured him; then she waved her bandaged
arm under his nose. “This, however, will probably look like a twig by the time I get out of these splints.”

  “You want to arm wrestle?” His grin flashed at her.

  “Ha ha,” she said, returning a grin of her own. “Come on, I want to show you something.” She led him to the edge of the orchard where the rise fell away and tapered down to the town in the distance.

  “Nice view,” he agreed with her. “I wish Grandmother was still there.”

  “Yes, that would be nice.” They stood for a while looking at the town, while the breeze scattered spent blossoms above them. Jamie put his arm around his sister’s shoulders and soon was leaning on her.

  “Let’s go back and sit down for a while,” she finally suggested when his weight became more than she could stand.

  “Yeah, I don’t want to go in yet.” Jenny led him back to the bench where she had first talked to Sister Mary Frances, and he wearily sat down.

  “We have to try a little more each day.”

  “Yeah.” He leaned back against the armrest and stretched his legs out before him. Jenny sat down on the ground in front of the bench and busied herself with the spent blossoms littering the ground under the trees. She heard footsteps and looked up to see Mary coming towards them at a run. She glanced at Jamie, but he had his eyes closed. Mary was soon standing before her, out of breath from her run. Jenny saw that Jamie’s eyes were open beneath the shadow of the brim of his hat, but he kept his breathing even as if he were asleep.

  “Is this your brother?” the little girl asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

  “Yes, it is.” Jenny laughed as she watched the brown eyes roam up and down Jamie’s long frame.

  “Wow, he is very tall.”

  “Yes, taller than anyone here, I’m sure.”

  Mary climbed up on the bench beside Jamie and peered up under the brim of the hat. “Are you asleep?”

  He couldn’t help it, he had to laugh. “No.”

  “What happened to your face?”

  Jenny held her breath as she waited to see what Jamie would do. He froze for an instant, then slowly reached up and took off his hat. “I was burned,” he said.

  Mary carefully studied the side of his face, even reaching out her small hand to turn it just so, to see the wound better. She sat back down beside him and picked up his hand. “I got burned, too. Want to see?” she announced.

  Jamie gave his sister a puzzled look, and she shrugged her shoulders in return. Mary was busy hiking up her dress tail and turned her hip around to show a crescent-shaped scar on her thigh. “See, I bumped into the stove door when we were living with our uncle. Marcus said I cried for a week. Our uncle sent us here after it happened. He said he didn’t know how to take care of a little girl.” Mary carefully rearranged her dress and settled back down beside Jamie. “Do you think you could ride me on your shoulders when you are feeling better? Then I would be bigger than everyone here instead of being the littlest.”

  Jamie looked down at the little hand that had managed to find its way into his. He looked down at his sister, who was smiling up at him, and he flashed his grin. “I think I could manage that, maybe in a week or two.”

  “Good, I can’t wait to tell Rosy,” Mary said with a smile of her own. She climbed down from her perch and took off towards the mission; apparently she was set on telling whoever Rosy was this very minute.

  “That was Marcus’s sister,” Jenny explained as Jamie watched her go, shaking his head and grinning. “And I think she’s in love with you.” Jamie just kept on grinning as the little girl disappeared into the mission.

  The days passed, one much like the other. Every day Jamie waited until Jenny was done with her schooling, then the two of them would wander around the grounds, Jamie growing stronger and more confident each day. They were careful to stay away from the others, especially Logan and Joe, who were constantly watching Jenny. Jenny didn’t want anything to interfere with Jamie regaining his strength, or make him self-conscious about the way he looked. She was grateful for the way Mary had reacted, and included her and Marcus as often as possible in their walks around the grounds. Soon Jamie was able to do all the things he had done before the injury, and with the help of the hat that Sister Mary Frances had given him, he looked much the same. When he was inside, however, the hat had to come off, and the scabs that had formed over the wound were prominent. Jenny was not looking forward to the day when he would be pronounced well enough to join the rest of the orphans.

  It was Father Clarence who made the decision for them. Jenny had managed to avoid the man altogether since her rebellion, and except for an occasional look at her over his glasses, he ignored her. She was surprised to find the priest in the infirmary looking at Jamie’s face, his hand on Jamie’s chin, tilting his head from one side to the other as if examining a rock. Jamie’s eyes were turned to the ceiling, and Jenny could tell by the set of his jaw that he was raging inside. Sister Mary Frances was standing next to the bed, and she quickly motioned for Jenny to be still as she came into the room. The priest finished his examination and looked over his shoulder at Jenny, who had stationed herself against the wall at the foot of the bed.

  “You say the other wounds have healed over like this one?” he asked the nun, disregarding Jamie, who was sitting between the two.

  “Yes, Father, he is healing quite well. The worst wound is on his face.”

  “So there is nothing that will interfere with his going to school, or helping to earn his keep?”

  “No, although I would like him to take it slow where the chores are concerned.”

  “Good. I’ll expect to see him with the others tomorrow. You may move him into the dormitory today. We need someone to work in the barn.” He finally looked at Jamie. “I believe you were raised on a farm and know how to handle livestock and such.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Sister Alice will instruct you on your duties.” He turned and looked at Jenny. “There will be no excuse for you not doing your share now that your brother has recovered. The cook—”

  “Father, she has been helping me since the day she arrived,” Sister Mary Frances interrupted. “There is always plenty of work here in the infirmary, and when we have a chance, we work on the mending. The girl has a fair hand with a needle and thread. It would be a shame to waste such a gift.”

  Father Clarence peered over his glasses at the nun, who turned her lovely face up to him with a hopeful smile.

  “It is a shame to waste any gift that the Lord has given us. Let us hope that the girl will learn something from spending time with you.” He gave Jenny an indecipherable look, then left, leaving all three of them to sigh in relief.

  “I guess I should go meet Sister Alice,” Jamie said. He looked rather nervous, and Jenny knew he was not looking forward to leaving the safety of the infirmary.

  “Marcus should be in the barn also. Why don’t you find him and have him show you where you can sleep?” the nun suggested. “Jenny, go with him and help him get settled.” Jamie pushed his hair back and put his hat on. “You’ll be fine,” she assured him. He squared his shoulders and left the room, for the first time in the lead, Jenny following.

  Jamie was genuinely excited to be in the barn among the livestock. There were some horses, a team for the wagon, and a pair of draft horses for plowing and heavy work. There were also some milk cows, one with a calf, and plenty of chickens underfoot. He stood in the aisle of the barn and breathed in the smells while Jenny poked around, trying to find Marcus. He was out behind the barn, shoveling the muck of the pigpen around while a sow protested angrily from a corner of the sty. Marcus was muttering to himself about how useless his chore was and how all his brain power was going to waste on such a stupid animal when Jenny interrupted him.

  “What are you doing?” she asked with a laugh.

  “What does it look like, I’m moving mud from one side of this stupid pen to the other. Anyone with half a brain can see that.”

  “Oh, I see
it, I just don’t understand why you’re doing it.”

  “Because it needs to be done, because Sister Alice told me to do it, because she couldn’t think of anything else for me to do and she knows I’d rather be inside reading a book than stomping around out here in the mud with this stupid pig.”

  Jamie appeared next to Jenny at the fence. “I’ve been sent to rescue you,” he said to Marcus.

  “What?”

  “Father Clarence has decided that I’m cured and I am to report to Sister Alice right away for work.”

  Marcus looked up from his shoveling. “She’s over there,” he said with a jerk of his arm. Jamie went over to where a nun was struggling with a fence board. He took the hammer out of her hand and was soon pounding away, the nun standing at his side with a handful of nails.

  Marcus watched him go to work, then turned to Jenny. “Are they moving him into the dormitory?” he asked.

  “Yes. Sister Mary Frances wants you to help get him settled. He’s supposed to go to school tomorrow.”

  “Do you think he’s ready?”

  “I hope so. He doesn’t have much choice.” Jenny watched her brother test the strength of the board he was working on. “Do you think he’ll have any trouble?”

  Marcus reached up to wipe sweat off his forehead and ended up smearing mud. “Yeah, he’ll have trouble. The question is how much, and how much will he take before he breaks or pounds someone.”

  Jenny laid her head down on her arms, which were folded across the top of the fence. Marcus leaned next to her, turning his head so that he was looking into her deep blue eyes.

  “What are you afraid of, Jenny?” His brown eyes were solemn, and Jenny had to remind herself that he was only a boy. “Are you afraid he’ll fight, or are you afraid he won’t fight?”