Hearts and Harvest

by Amber Stockton

  “The time will pass much faster with a task to complete.”

  She left before Annabelle could reply. How well Mother knew her. No wonder they worked so well together.

  “Can I help with something, too?” Victoria wrapped a hand around Mother’s arm and followed along beside her.

  “Yes, dear.” Mother wrapped an arm around Victoria’s waist. “You can help me stir the potatoes and set out the tin plates for serving.”

  Their words faded as they moved farther away. With spoon and serving fork in hand, Annabelle soaked the pieces of beef farther into the gravy. At least the chill of the morning had turned into another warm day. Otherwise they might not have been able to promise a hot meal to the workers. They’d been spreading the word for several days to make sure everyone knew.

  A bell rang and sounded to everyone that the meal was ready. Annabelle shifted from one foot to the other and drummed her fingers on the table in front of her. No one came toward them, although many did stop their work to take a break. She glanced around at those she could see. They were definitely curious, but they didn’t make an attempt to investigate. If they waited too long, the food would be cold, and all their hard work would have been for naught.

  So Annabelle got an idea. She left her station and headed for the end of the table. Grabbing a tin plate, she put a small portion of each item on it and moved her way toward the end, where she grabbed a fork and knife. The other women watched, and one nodded when she realized Annabelle’s plan.

  With a deep breath, she stepped away from the table and headed toward the nearest worker. It happened to be a young father with his wife and two sons, who clung to their mother’s skirts and hid partially behind her.

  “The hot meal is for everyone,” Annabelle began. “Please. Take this and bring your family to get plates of their own.” She extended the plate toward him, praying he wouldn’t allow his pride to turn down the offering.

  The man swallowed several times and looked from the plate to Annabelle and down at his wife. Almost a minute passed before the man slowly raised a hand and took the plate from Annabelle.

  “Thank you,” he choked out.

  She released her breath in a soft sigh and gave the family an encouraging smile, winking at the two boys who seemed to be in awe of her. One of them curled his fingers and gave a little wave then ducked behind his mother again.

  “Make sure you get your fill, now. There is more than enough food for everyone. We don’t want anyone to leave hungry.”

  The family followed her to the table and continued on to the far end. That seemed to be the trigger for the other workers. Before long, a line stretching back at least sixty feet had formed. Parents and children all gathered for the midday meal and a break from their work.

  For the next forty minutes, the women filled the plates presented by each worker. With each passing person, Annabelle became more and more delighted to be there. Far better than last week, this endeavor seemed to be paying off in a great way.

  In the frantic pace to see everyone fed, Annabelle didn’t recall William or Jacob coming to get any food. When the line dissipated, she took a moment to brush her hair back from her face and wipe her hands on her apron, now smeared and in dire need of a good scrubbing. Susannah was going to love doing the wash this week.

  Annabelle stepped back and surveyed the small groups of families eating together. Some had already finished and were back at work. Others, no doubt, enjoyed their respite from the backbreaking labor. Her gaze took in each and every cluster of people until she finally located the person she sought.

  William crossed a particularly muddy piece of land, with Jacob trailing behind him. Both held a plate, but William walked with purpose in his step. Annabelle followed their progress until they stopped in front of a young lad who couldn’t be much more than seven or eight. She couldn’t hear the verbal exchange, but the boy dipped his chin toward his chest and shook his head at whatever William said to him. A moment later, William handed the boy his plate. The boy hesitated then took the food and nearly inhaled it.

  Why hadn’t the boy come through the line like everyone else? Surely he had family somewhere who could have brought him. And why had William not filled up two plates if he intended to give one to the boy?

  “What are you looking at, Annabelle?” Victoria appeared at her side and stared across the land in an attempt to identify the source of her sister’s attention.

  “Nothing, really.” Annabelle checked the line and saw that only a handful of workers remained. Some latecomer volunteers had just arrived to help with the cleanup afterward. “Victoria, would you mind taking over my station here and serving anyone who’s left?”

  “I can do that. Where are you going?”

  “To help a friend,” was all she said to her sister. Victoria didn’t need to know any more. It would only start a slew of questions Annabelle wasn’t ready to answer just yet.

  After filling another plate, she made her way to where William and Jacob had settled, sharing one tin plate between them. They’d located some higher ground and were able to sit on a clear patch of dirt. William looked up and stood when she approached, but he didn’t offer a greeting of any kind.

  Jacob turned his head when his brother moved and beamed a wide grin at her. “Good afternoon, Miss Annabelle.” His face was smeared with gravy, and his fingers bore evidence of the rather large piece of cherry pie he’d sampled.

  Annabelle giggled at the adorable sight, retrieving a clean napkin from her skirt pocket for him. “Good afternoon, Jacob. I see you’re enjoying your lunch.”

  “It’s the best meal we’ve had in weeks.” He tilted his head and regarded her with a curious stare as he eyed the plate of food she held. “Did you come to eat with us, too?”

  William narrowed his eyes. That wasn’t exactly a welcome invitation if she had intended to join them. Did he just not want her around, or was there some other reason for his seeming distrust?

  “No, Jacob. I actually brought your brother an extra plate since he gave his away.”

  At this William averted his gaze and looked down at the ground.

  “He saw this little boy who didn’t have anything to eat, so he took his plate to make sure the boy wouldn’t go hungry. His papa didn’t want to come and take the free food, and we felt bad. So we gave him some of ours.”

  “Well, that was very kind and generous of you, Jacob.” She raised her eyes toward William, who had returned his gaze to her. “Of both of you.” Focusing again on the plate she held, she continued. “Will you accept this plate from me, then?”

  He took the plate and split portions of it with Jacob before partaking on his own.

  “Why did you go to all the trouble to bring this to me?”

  So he was still sore about something. And he couldn’t accept a gift for what it was. He had to question it. Annabelle had no idea why, but she figured the honest answer would be the best way to go.

  “Because the Lord commands us to help those in need and watch out for the ones among us who have fallen on bad times.”

  “That’s what the Bible says,” Jacob announced, pride evident in his voice.

  “You’re exactly right, Jacob. The Bible does teach us that.” So they had some exposure to the teachings in the scriptures. That was a start. “It also commands us to love our neighbors and even do good to those who hurt us.”

  “Mama used to read to us all the time before we had to come here to work. Now we don’t get to hear the stories as often because she’s so tired at night that she falls asleep right away.”

  “Well, she works hard, Jacob,” William interjected. “You can’t expect her to do all the things she used to do when we had our house and lived a different life.” He grunted. “Besides, a lot of what she read was just stories of people who lived a long time ago. We’ve got more important things to do these days.”

  More important things than reading the Bible and learning from what God has to say? Annabelle couldn’t imagin
e anything that could take the place of God in her life.

  “Do you mind if I join you? I’ve been standing for quite some time and would love to take a rest.”

  “Sure!” Jacob scooted over and made a grand show of brushing a clear spot in the dirt beside him.

  Annabelle hesitated and looked to William before making a move. He didn’t say a word, only nodded. She gathered her skirts in her hands and settled next to Jacob. William took a seat as well and continued eating.

  “Jacob, you say that your mother used to read a lot to you. What was your favorite story?”

  “Umm. . .” He scrunched up his face and pressed his lips together, thinking hard. “Well, I like the story of Jacob, but that’s only because we have the same name.” He grinned. “The other one I like is the one about the boy who only had two fish and five loaves of bread, but the men who followed Jesus fed thousands of men with it.”

  “Yes, that’s an amazing story, isn’t it?”

  “You fed a lot of people today with the food you brought, and it was much better than fish and bread.”

  “They fed a lot of people,” William interjected, “because they all made a lot of food and brought it. God had nothing to do with it.”

  “Actually, William, God has everything to do with it.”

  William waved her off and remained intent on the food still left on his plate.

  “We wouldn’t be here if God didn’t command us to be. And we wouldn’t spend any time at all with those in need if we weren’t following His commandments.”

  “So you’re saying you don’t really want to be here. That you’re only doing it because you feel you have to or because of some obligation?”

  All right, so that didn’t go exactly as she’d planned. She wanted him to see that she cared, as did all the other women, and that’s why they came. But he was being rather hardheaded about it.

  “No,” she corrected. “We do want to be here. At least I do. My mother and sister do as well. The three of us are organizing the food distribution. We enjoy helping those who are working hard here at the potato patches and farm plots. It’s an added bonus when we can get involved in others’ lives instead of just sitting at home and collecting items for people we’ll never see.”

  “Well, don’t feel you need to spend any more time than necessary with us. We’re doing just fine on our own and don’t need your charity.”

  Annabelle almost recoiled from the bitter tone in his voice. His words stung. On the one hand, he appeared to appreciate her efforts. On the other, his words and attitude said something entirely different.

  “I don’t consider it charity at all, Mr. Berringer. In fact, I see it as a partnership in many ways.”

  William wrinkled his brow. “How so?”

  “Well, you and many other families are spending your days working this land and cultivating it for fresh food that will be harvested and used to feed those in the city who need it. Some of what you harvest will replenish the depleted stores that are in desperate need of restocking.” She gestured back over her shoulder toward where the women were cleaning up the food. “It’s our pleasure to provide a hot meal for you as our way of saying thank you.” Annabelle shrugged. “A partnership.”

  He regarded her for several moments, as if he couldn’t believe someone like her would bother to spend time with someone like him. But she’d seen passion in him that obviously ran quite deep. And despite the heartaches of recent months, she knew that spark still existed. She also longed to know more about his life before they lost everything. And she’d only find that out if she spent time with him. If he didn’t welcome her presence, she could always come to visit Jacob instead. Jacob watched his brother with interest but remained silent. She prayed William’s sour attitude didn’t rub off on Jacob. That innocence suited the boy well and didn’t deserve to be tainted.

  “You make some valid points, but I still don’t agree that God is involved in any way.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “If He were making it possible for you to be here, then why didn’t He make it possible for the banks to survive the crisis or the railroads not to lose their investments? Why did He cause so many families to lose their homes and their entire livelihoods?” William balanced the plate on his legs and flailed both arms out away from his body. “God caused the selective ruin of many families who didn’t deserve to suffer the way they have. He picked and chose at will, while others came out of this just fine. If He is so intent on helping, why didn’t He help then?”

  Annabelle remained silent for several moments. He asked a lot of good questions. Questions she didn’t know if she could answer. After all, she was among the families who faired far better than his had. What could she say to him that would ease the obvious anger and resentment he felt?

  “You make some valid arguments, and I know I don’t have all the answers—”

  “Look,” he cut her off. “I appreciate all that you’re trying to do. The food was delicious, and you managed to feed a lot of people. But no matter what you do, you can’t cure everything. And regardless of what you might find to say, it’s not going to change our circumstances any.” He gathered Jacob’s plate and stacked it on top of his own then handed them to her.

  She took them and stood there, waiting for what he might say next. The pain he felt was evident, yet she could see he kept his emotions somewhat in check and made certain to deliver a respectful response to her. No retort came to mind to what he’d said already, yet he seemed to need to get a few things off his chest. So she lingered.

  “The truth is, God decided we must have needed some sort of reprimand or punishment. Maybe we weren’t doing good enough to please Him. Whatever the reason, we lost what we had, and your family didn’t.” He schooled his expression and reached out to take Jacob’s arm. “So thank you for coming and bringing the extra plate. But we can’t stand around and talk all day. There is work that needs to be done.” Bending to retrieve his cap, he straightened and slapped it on his head. “Good day, Miss Lawson.”

  FIVE

  “Now wait just a moment.”

  William didn’t pause at Annabelle’s retort, but he grimaced at the predictable response. He knew she wouldn’t just leave his good-bye at that. She didn’t seem the type. He fought against a grin that threatened to pull at his lips at the appealing prospect of continuing conversation with her. Despite her pleasing appearance, he didn’t look forward to more talk of God.

  “William,” Jacob said in a loud whisper. “Aren’t we going to wait for Miss Annabelle?”

  “She’ll be able to keep pace with us, Jacob. We’re not walking all that fast.”

  “But why did we walk away? I don’t think she was done talking.”

  “Mr. Berringer, I don’t believe we were finished with our conversation.” She spoke as if she’d heard Jacob.

  William wanted to say that a woman like Annabelle could probably find any number of reasons to talk, but that wouldn’t be fair to her. He’d only had two encounters with her, after all. Too soon to be making assumptions like that.

  “We left because our break is over, and we have to get back to work. I know you might want to stay and talk with Miss Annabelle, but our ground isn’t going to till itself. And if we want to make sure we have something to show for the first harvest, we have to put our backs into it.”

  He turned his head to look down at Jacob, but in his peripheral vision, he caught sight of Annabelle still trailing behind them, stepping gingerly through the mud patches. She’d somehow dispensed with the tin plates he’d handed her, so perhaps another volunteer came to take them. He and Jacob just tromped along, mud and all. If his mother saw him right now, she’d box his ears for leaving a young woman the way he had.

  A groan rumbled in his throat.

  “What’s the matter, Willie?”

  “Nothing. We should stop, though, and wait for Miss Annabelle. It’s not nice to leave her trudging through the mud on her own.”

 
Jacob immediately halted in his tracks and turned, beaming a wide smile in Annabelle’s direction. “We’ll wait for you, Miss Annabelle. Come on. The mud isn’t that bad.”

  William grinned. Leave it to Jacob to make an unpleasant experience sound like fun. He paused as well but didn’t turn around as he allowed his brother to draw Annabelle into their circle. His brother even reached out a hand to help her attain the last step that brought her to their sides. How could an eight-year-old boy make him feel like such a lout?

  “Thank you very much, Jacob.”

  She raised the hem of her skirts just enough to view her boots, stamped each one of them twice to shake off the caked mud, and then lowered her skirts again. Giving her blouse a somewhat discreet tug, she appeared to have herself back in order. At least they were on dry ground now for the remainder of their trek.

  “Shall we continue?” William extended his left arm out, palm up in front of them.

  It was more of an instruction than a question, and he resumed walking without waiting for a response.

  “I would like to pick up our conversation where we left off, Mr. Berringer.” Annabelle sounded a little winded, but she kept up with them.

  “And I would like to get back to work, Miss Lawson.” He almost cringed at the harsh tone to his voice. It was true, though. “Fields don’t plant themselves, you know,” he added, repeating what he’d said to Jacob only moments before.

  “I realize that, Mr. Berringer. And be that as it may, there still remains the issue of your beliefs regarding the role God played in the ruination of your family and so many others.”

  She didn’t give up easily, did she? He’d have to add persistence to the list of qualities he’d begun making in his mind. Only he didn’t know if that one went under positive or negative attributes.

  “Willie, do you really think God caused us to lose our money?”

  Jacob spoke with such curiosity, yet a tinge of worry accompanied his question as well. William scolded himself for allowing his younger brother to overhear the exchange. It was bad enough he struggled with understanding the situation. Jacob didn’t need to be dragged into the quandary as well.