The building’s pitched roof allowed the June heat to rise, and Jennie noticed how much cooler she felt as soon as she stepped through the door. Fifteen white pews on either side of the center aisle could seat three hundred persons comfortably.
At the end of the center aisle, a large cross hung on the wall behind the pulpit. Two large chairs flanked the pulpit, and the communion table was set on the floor in front, encircled on three sides by a low rail. Four clear windows on each side stretched from near the floor almost to the ceiling, and the afternoon sun streamed through, reflecting on the polished wood floors, lighting the entire room, and lending the entire space a mystical, luminous quality.
Jennie gasped as she saw it, pausing to take it in before they slowly walked down the aisle, stopping in front of the rail.
“It has been almost twenty years since I’ve been here,” Thomas said, almost in a whisper.
“Not since our wedding.”
Thomas nodded. “It’s pretty much the same as it was.”
“Except for the steeple, it hasn’t changed since…well, since before I was born, I guess. We keep it painted. It has electricity and heat now. I remember when the windows provided all of the light and people brought blankets in the winter.”
“Do they still have weddings here?”
“Oh yes. Three so far this year, and two more are scheduled over the summer.”
“It seems so common for people to live together without marriage that I sometimes wonder why anyone bothers. Are weddings simply big parties today, or do they still mean something?”
“I don’t believe I hear that coming from the mouth of Thomas Lindsay. You were so intent to hold out until the wedding that I wondered if you would sleep with me afterwards.”
“You didn’t have to wonder for long.”
“I couldn’t leave the reception after the first fifteen minutes,” Jennie exclaimed.
“I was teasing, and you knew it.”
“I did.” She smiled. “But you certainly suggested it.”
“I was mostly teasing. I knew we couldn’t leave…but it would have been nice.”
Jennie laughed. “It was my impression things went quite well that night.”
“I would say so.” He squeezed her arm.
Jennie gazed out through the window and saw a hawk gliding above the cemetery. “Grandmom’s hawk,” she called it because she often spotted it when she visited her grave.
“I think marriage is a symbol of permanence. If you’re living together, all you need do is just walk away. If you’re married, then—” She stopped, remembering how she had just walked away from their marriage. “Then there is…more to it.”
A long silence followed as Jennie looked at the floor and shuffled her feet. She had wanted Thomas to remember their wedding, not their divorce.
Louisa began to cry and to struggle in Jennie’s arms. Thomas checked his watch.
“She’s hungry. I can give her a bottle in the car. That will hold her until we reach your house.”
Thomas took Louisa as they left the church. At the foot of the steps he leaned over and kissed Jennie’s cheek. “It was a wonderful wedding.”
***
Louisa crawled around Jennie’s house while she and Thomas sat on the sofa, eating homemade pizza. The bottle Thomas had given Louisa had satisfied her just long enough to reach Whitesburg. Then yogurt, peaches, and granola—three of her favorite foods, Thomas had said—made her happy. Thomas had bathed her and dressed her for bed while Jennie had made the pizza.
“How many times did the phone ring while I was in the other room? Four? Five?”
“Six,” Jennie replied. “Almost everyone I know has heard you’re visiting this weekend. The last call was from my mother. She can’t wait to see you and Louisa at church tomorrow.”
“Why is my visit of such interest—Louisa, stop.” Thomas dashed down the hall to catch her as she disappeared into Jennie’s bedroom. She was giggling and struggling to get out of his arms as he carried her back to the living room.
“Is she more active than Alexis and Christa were? Keeping up with her seems so much harder than I recall.”
Jennie laughed. “You were twenty years younger when Alexis was her age. It was much easier.”
“I suppose you’re right.” He sat on the floor with Louisa. “Ten more minutes,” he told her. “Then it’s time for bed.” He looked up at Jennie. “You can get down here and play with us, you know. Unless you want to act like you’re twenty years older than you were with Alexis.”
Jennie eased herself down, and they helped Louisa chase a ball around the room for several minutes. When she began to rub her eyes, Thomas scooped her up.
“You’re sleepy, sweetheart, and it’s time for bed.”
“I’ll put her to bed, if that’s all right.”
“Of course it is. If you rock her and sing to her, she’ll be your friend forever.”
Jennie returned ten minutes later, to find Thomas eating another slice of pizza.
“I’d forgotten how good your pizza tastes. What is in the sauce? It’s tart and sweet at the same time. I love it.”
“Thank you. As I’ve always told you, it’s an old family recipe. I’m forbidden to reveal it to anyone who is not a blood relative.”
“Oh, right.” Thomas rolled his eyes. “So, why is everyone interested in my visit?”
“Well…you know why.”
“No, I don’t. You’ve been to Charleston, just last month in fact. My telephone rang once, I think, all weekend. And the call was not about you.”
“This is different.”
“Because…?”
Jennie noticed he was stifling a smile and decided he was hassling her. She leaned over and whispered in his ear.
“They all want to know where you’re going to sleep tonight.”
“Right, I know your mother asked that exact question.” Thomas laughed. “Surely your family knows you’ve visited me in Charleston.”
“To see Emma.”
“But in May…”
“I was helping the kids move. They didn’t expect me home the next day.”
“In April, when you came to Atlanta…”
“No one knew…I didn’t know how it would turn out.” She smiled. “I’d planned to surprise everyone tomorrow at church. Since you won’t be a surprise, they’ll probably be standing outside waiting for you.”
“So I’m here on display?”
Jennie began to apologize, but she caught the twinkle in his eye.
“Definitely on display…Is it premature? Should I…?”
“Not at all premature.” He cocked his head to one side. “Of course, I’ve never been on display before. What’s the protocol? Do I need to wear a costume? Sing and dance, maybe…”
Jennie groaned loudly. “You can be so silly, you know. Those who know you will simply want to say hello. The others will want to see what you look like.”
“And all of them will want to know why I am here.”
“True.” Jennie nodded. “So what shall I tell them?”
“We’re madly in love and eloping on Monday.”
“You have class on Monday.”
Thomas chuckled. “True, but that should give everyone something to talk about.”
“Oh, they’ll talk no matter what I say, so suppose I tell them the truth. You’re here for work and I’m your babysitter. I’ll say we are becoming friends and we’re getting to know each other again.”
“Becoming friends?” He raised one eyebrow questioningly.
“We are friends.”
“And we’re enjoying getting to know each other again.”
Jennie nodded. “I certainly am.”
And perhaps we’ll get to know each other even better, she thought.
July Fourth
Good thing we came early, Jennie thought as the walkway on top of the seawall, the Battery, as they called it in Charleston, began to fill with people arriving for the fireworks. She had a spot
next to the rail, overlooking the harbor. Charleston, old Charleston, was set on a peninsula, between two rivers which met at the harbor. The seawall protected the old city from both rivers as well as from storms coming in from the ocean.
Thomas had taken Louisa from Alexis and had turned to talk with another teacher from the college. Alexis and her boyfriend, Robbie, were behind Jennie. Tasha had arrived after the others, and she stood next to Alexis, flirting with Robbie’s friend Ben.
“What will you do if the noise awakens Louisa?” Jennie had asked Thomas, looking at the baby sleeping peacefully on his shoulder.
He had shrugged. “I’ll show her the fireworks.”
It was so like Thomas. When Alexis and Christa were small, she had been the one to insist on schedules, while Thomas had been more laidback. While she had attempted to arrange for a quiet, orderly life, Thomas had loved to give them surprises and new experiences.
She recalled the time they had taken the children to the beach, near Savannah. Alexis had been three and Christa just a year old. Jennie’s plan had been to take the children on a short walk on the beach, and then to sit under an umbrella and watch the waves.
They had taken the walk, for sure. Instead of watching the waves, though, Thomas had taken Alexis into the ocean and played in the water. When he had come for Christa, Alexis had cried, not wanting to stay on the beach with her mother, so Jennie had found herself in the water too, jumping over the waves, splashing Alexis, and showing her how to body surf. A wonderful day, she recalled, one of the best.
Looking to her right, she spied Cecelia Cross, apparently deep in conversation with another of Thomas’s neighbors. Jennie had seen the other woman in the park, but had never been introduced.
As she watched, she heard Cecelia curse, and then stomp away, stopping when she reached the point. She appeared to be staring out at one of the rivers, her arms rigid, her fists clenched.
The woman to whom Cecelia had been talking looked at Jennie and rolled her eyes. Then she approached, holding out her hand.
“We’ve never met, Ms. Bateman. I’m Moira, Moira Brien, one of Thomas’s neighbors.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Call me Jennie.” Jennie shook her hand. “Cecelia seemed to be upset.”
Moira nodded. “She did, didn’t she? I think she was rather dismayed to see you here…You must know Cecelia.”
“We have met…What did I do to upset her?”
“Why, you’re here. With him.” She gestured toward Thomas. “In Cecelia’s mind, Thomas belongs to her, you know, almost as if Emma had left him to her in her will.” Jennie glanced over her shoulder, but Thomas was deep in conversation about some modern English poet whose name Jennie didn’t recognize.
“He belongs to her? You’re joking, I know.”
“So she seems to believe.” Moira laughed. “She tells the neighbors, though, you’re planning to be his third wife, as well as his first.”
Jennie’s mouth dropped open. “You know we were married? She…you…talk about me.”
Moira laughed again. “Remember that while Charleston is fairly large, this part of the city is really a small town. And in a small town, everyone knows everyone’s business.”
Jennie could feel her face burning.
Moira put her hand on Jennie’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. But, yes, people talk about each other. Everyone loves Thomas and we’re all interested in what he does, in what happens to him and that darling baby.”
“And all of you believe I’m the wicked witch trying for round two with the handsome prince.” Jennie crossed her arms.
“Oh no.” Moira exclaimed. “Only Cecelia and a couple of her friends think that. No one else seems to think you’re wicked.” She smiled.
“As for capturing the handsome prince…Well, we all know Thomas has seen you a number of times…Actually, we know Cecelia says he has seen you a number of times.” She paused, as if deciding whether to continue. “But there is a great deal of speculation concerning how long Thomas believes a proper mourning period ought to last.”
Jennie began to reply, but could think of nothing to say. Moira didn’t seem to notice, though, and continued.
“My mother once told me that two years was the absolute minimum to wait after the death of one’s spouse. I clearly recall it. I was twelve years old and we were standing on our side porch. She was shaking her finger at me as if I were a widow. ‘You should not even contemplate remarriage until your husband has been dead and buried for at least two years,’ she said. ‘Not a day less.’” She laughed.
“Of course, she was telling me this because her baby sister, my Aunt Ella, was walking down the aisle the next day just a year after losing her husband.”
“I…I…”
“Oh, that was just Mama. There’s no rule, even here, you know. If the neighbors were to bet, though, and we don’t, I think most money would be placed on six months. In fact, Eliza Horton believes you’ll leave this weekend with a ring on your finger…It was six months ago that Emma passed away, you know.”
Jennie’s hand went to her mouth as if to stifle a scream. While Emma had been gone for six months, they had been seeing each other—and that might be an overstatement—for only three. They had talked about the children, about their day-to-day lives, even a little about the old days, when they were married. They’d held hands, hugged. She’d kissed him twice. Engagement wasn’t even on the table.
She looked at Thomas again, hoping for rescue, but his back was still turned. She reached out and took his arm, trying to escape from Moira Brien.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I just get carried away sometimes. None of this comes from Thomas, mind you. It’s just gossip.”
Jennie felt herself becoming angry and she clenched her left fist tightly. Then she allowed the muscles to relax as Dr. Wilson had taught her. “Tell me, Ms. Brien, what is the best way to handle such gossip?”
“Moira, please. Remember, most of the gossip is not truly malicious. Just ignore it and do exactly what you want. If you make Thomas happy, then his friends will like you.” She was looking off to her right and she stood on tiptoe and waved. “My husband has finally made it.” She waved again.
“He’s lucky. There is still room for him,” she said, looking at the growing crowd. Jennie turned to see a man wandering about, appearing to be searching for someone. “He doesn’t see me. Let me get him. I’ll talk with you later.” She flashed a smile at Jennie and hurried away.
Jennie heard Louisa crying and she turned to find Thomas rocking her gently. She started to tell him about her conversation with Moira, but decided to wait.
Until I calm down…
****
Forty minutes later, the sun dropped below the marshland across the river, and the red-orange sky was fading to dark blue. The water in the harbor, too, lost its pink tinge, turning black. In spite of the city’s lights, Jennie saw stars twinkling overhead in the cloudless sky. A cool, salty breeze blew in from the ocean. It was a beautiful night for fireworks.
Promptly at nine o’clock, the first rocket soared across the harbor, bursting into multiple streams of red and blue. White sparks danced at the end of each stream, and exploded into sprays of silver stars which floated lazily toward the water below. A cheer erupted from the crowd.
A second rocket exploded with a loud POP and the entire Battery was lit almost as if it were noon.
The walkway was packed, so Jennie could do no more than turn her head, but she could see that the crowd spilled off the Battery, across the street, and into the park. Families had spread blankets on the grass and had set out beach chairs. Adults were pointing as a third rocket sped into the sky, and children stood staring, ice cream cones forgotten in their hands.
She turned back to Thomas. He was holding Louisa so she faced the harbor and could see the long trails of colored light. Instead of being frightened by the explosions as Jennie had feared, her eyes had widened and
she twisted about in her father’s arms, squealing in delight.
Thomas and Jennie both laughed. She took Louisa from him, and his arm slipped around her waist, perhaps to keep her from falling or being bumped by the cheering throng.
Twenty minutes later, there was a pause, and silence settled over the city. The crowd was still, knowing the final burst was yet to come. Jennie saw rockets streaking up, high into the sky. At first they seemed to have disappeared, perhaps fizzling out completely. Then, they exploded, one immediately after the other, filling the sky with lights of all colors, red, white, blue, green, and gold, and filling the air with a sound like that of a dozen simultaneous claps of thunder. Louisa, awake for the entire show, laughed through it all.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, they strolled back to Thomas’s house, Alexis and Robbie close behind, Tasha and Robbie’s friend bringing up the rear, perhaps pretending that they were not with the others.
“It was beautiful,” Jennie told Thomas. “I’m sorry Christa and Amy missed it.”
“It was,” Thomas agreed. “I’m sure they will be setting off fireworks tonight in Colorado too.”
“Not like this though.”
Ahead, Jennie caught sight of Moira Brien, and she waved.
“Moira and I were talking earlier…”
“Really? Where was I?”
“You were standing right next to me, but you were in a deep discussion about some British writer.” She laughed. “You didn’t surface until Louisa awoke and began to struggle.”
They both smiled at the baby who had fallen asleep in Thomas’s arms.
“She’s rather outspoken, isn’t she? I couldn’t decide if she was being rude or whether she just speaks her mind. She told me that people—your neighbors—talk about me. About us.”
“Of course they do.”
“You knew it?”
“I’ve never actually heard the discussions, but they saw you here in May…”
“To help the girls…”
“In part.” They both smiled. “But the neighbors didn’t know that…You are here this weekend. I might have mentioned you took care of Louisa in June…”
Once and Future Wife Page 11
