“If both of us did it at the same time, it might actually work,” Joel agreed.
Tom opened the door for Joel, and Joel reluctantly went into the house, wondering what other ribbing he was going to get now that he was married.
Chapter Fourteen
April was overwhelmed by the large number of people in Joel’s family. There were his parents, his oldest brother and wife and three children, Sally and Rick and their son Greg, Tom and his wife and their four daughters, another brother and his wife and one son, and Jenny and Owen and their sons Jeremy and Carl. That was twenty-three people total, and that number went to twenty-seven if she included Joel, Sep, Nora and herself. She tried desperately to remember who was who, but once again, her mind spun so she gave up. She was doing good to figure out how large the family was. Maybe one Christmas she would come here and know everyone’s names.
After she did her part to help Sally set the table and get the tables and chairs ready, everyone assembled to sit at either the adult table or the children’s table. She held Nora and stayed close to Sep as people decided where to sit. Joel appeared through the mass of chaos in the dining room which seemed large before everyone came into it. Even if things hadn’t improved much with Joel, she was relieved to see him because he was a familiar face.
“Sep, you should go to the children’s table.”
“No, I won’t,” Sep replied, a scowl on his face.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” April said, not wishing to sit apart from her brother in this unfamiliar place. “Sep is old enough to sit with the adults.”
“Richard’s kids are twelve, and they’re sitting over there,” Joel replied, motioning to the oldest children who helped the younger ones into their seats. “Nora will sit in the highchair next to you.”
“But Sep will be fifteen next month,” she argued. “I don’t think a fifteen-year-old has much in common with them.”
Joel sighed, once again, and April closed her eyes so she wouldn’t lose her patience. The more he sighed, the more the sound resembled nails down the blackboard, and that was one of the most annoying sounds she’d ever heard…until she met Joel and learned that sighing could be just as irritating, if not more so.
“There’s not that much room at the big table,” Joel said.
“We’ll make room,” she insisted.
“We’ll be cramped,” he replied.
“That’s your fault for having so many family members.”
Beside her, Sep let out a slight chuckle, and she felt a smile tug at her lips. Joel stopped arguing with her, and the side of his mouth twitched up.
“Are you going to eat or are you just going to stand there and watch?” Sally called out as she settled next to Rick.
Joel glanced at the big table where everyone was already seated and sighed. “Fine,” Joel told April. “Sep can sit with us. I’ll put Nora in the highchair.”
Imitating Joel’s sigh, April handed Nora to him. “Alright. If it must be done…”
This time Sep chuckled and followed her to one of the empty chairs. Once they were seated, Joel’s father led them in saying grace and they began passing the large dishes of food around. Around them people began laughing and talking in a casual manner befitting a huge get-together.
As Joel handed her the mashed potatoes, he whispered, “We should start saying grace when we eat.”
“Alright, as long as you don’t sigh while you do it,” she whispered back while she placed a spoonful of potatoes on her plate. “I wouldn’t want to put the Good Lord through the aggravation you put me through at least twenty times a day.” She handed the bowl to Sep who sat on the other side of Nora.
“Look, it’s a habit,” Joel said. “Most of the time, I don’t even know I’m doing it.”
“I can’t recall anyone having such a peculiar habit.” She took a portion of turkey from the large plate he handed her and put it on her dish. “I’ve heard of people cracking their knuckles, biting their nails, or tapping their foot out of habit.”
She handed the plate full of turkey to Sep, and Joel said, “It’s a different kind of habit.”
“Different indeed.” She grabbed two of the many rolls from the next dish and handed one to Nora so her daughter would stop fussing before she could start feeding her from her plate. “You have to be the strangest person I’ve ever met.”
“You want to know what’s strange? Strange is locking up a perfectly good bedroom so I can’t give Nora her own bedroom.”
Her body tensed. Not this topic again! “I told you, I think she’s just fine where she’s at.”
Leaning closer to her, he whispered, “No she’s not, and I’m not getting close to you with her right there in the room.”
So that was why he hadn’t bothered to touch her. She assumed he wasn’t interested. Not that she could imagine a man who wasn’t, but he was strange in other ways so why not this one, too?
“It’s going to happen at some point,” he continued as he handed her a dish of cornbread. “I might be patient, but I’m not a saint.”
Her cheeks grew hot and she scanned the table. Fortunately, no one heard them or noticed they were having a private conversation in a very public setting. Even Harvey for all his faults kept talk of intimacies to the bedroom. Not that, “Roll over, honey. I’m home,” from a drunk man who stumbled into bed was tactful, but at least he did it where no one could possibly hear him.
Joel, not seeming to be the least bit embarrassed by what he’d just said, took a plate of dumplings from the person next to him and gave himself a hearty portion before holding the plate in her direction. Blinking, she quickly took a slice of cornbread for her and Nora and handed her plate to Sep so she could take the plate of dumplings from Joel.
Keeping his voice low, Joel continued, “And be reasonable. There are enough bedrooms so everyone doesn’t have to be crammed into one space. It’s not like we live in a one-room house.”
She debated on how much she should tell him, especially since she didn’t know him that well yet. “I don’t like to think of that room.”
“Why?”
She dished out some dumplings for her and Nora and cleared her throat, hoping her unease wasn’t apparent for all to see. “I just don’t.” When she saw him open his mouth, she added, “And especially not in front of a lot of people. Some things are private.”
At that, he shut his mouth and gave her a good look. “You’re right. We shouldn’t be talking about it in front of others. I’m sorry.”
Blinking back the tears in her eyes, she broke eye contact with him and gave the plate of dumplings to Sep. Seeming to understand her need to drop the subject, he turned his attention to his meal and started eating. Thankful, she turned to Nora and made sure she got enough to eat.
***
After the big meal, April and Joel put Nora down for a nap in a crib Mrs. Larson put in one of the bedrooms.
“Ma loves to have babies in this house, so she has this crib available for when her kids bring her grandbabies over,” Joel explained while he pulled the blanket up to Nora’s neck. “You’ll notice she also has children’s beds so the older ones have a place to sleep when she watches them for a night or two. I think my brothers, sisters and I growing up was the worst thing that ever happened to her.”
Unable to stop herself, April giggled. “She seems happy with the eleven grandchildren she’s got running around the place today.”
“Twelve. You forgot to count Nora,” he said as he turned from the crib so he could face her. “It’ll be thirteen once Mary has her child.”
With all the people in the house, she didn’t remember seeing a pregnant woman. “Which one is Mary?”
“The one who made the three apple pies everyone fought over.”
“Well, at least you got the last slice.”
“Sure, after I nearly tackled Tom to get it.”
Amused, she shook her head. “I don’t understand why grown men would make a show of fighting over a piece of pi
e.”
“Didn’t you get a slice?”
“No. I let Sep have the one offered to me.”
“Next time don’t be so generous. No one makes a pie like Mary.”
She shrugged. “I don’t care how good a pie is. I wouldn’t jump on top of the table to snag the last piece from my brother.”
“Now that’s ridiculous. I didn’t jump up on the table. Besides, Tom already had a slice. He was being greedy.”
“Why don’t you just admit that you love it when Tom gives you a hard time?” she teased.
“Are you kidding me? I don’t like it when he does that.”
“Though you fight with him, you also have a goofy grin on your face, Joel. Granted, I didn’t think you two had a good relationship when he brought Rick out to marry us, but I see how the two of you messed with each other today. You’d be lost without him.”
Rolling his eyes, he said, “I don’t know how you got all of that from me wanting a piece of pie.” He paused and gave her a good look. “How did we get to talking about pie anyway?”
“I asked you which one Mary was.”
“That’s right. She’s the one who makes the pies everyone fights over.”
Laughing, she said, “You already said that. I get it. People will clobber each other to get a slice of her pie. I still think it’s ridiculous they’d do that, but I saw it with my own two eyes a half hour ago so I believe you.” She turned toward the door. “I was told to get to the parlor where the gifts will be opened. I have no idea where I’m supposed to sit. That parlor is spacious, but it’s not big enough for the amount of people in your family.”
He followed her out the door. “Well, if you can’t find a seat, you can sit on my lap.”
Even though she knew he meant it, the comment struck her as so funny, she stopped in her tracks so she could give him a good look. “That’s the strangest thing I ever heard.”
“Is it? Jenny and Sally have been known to sit on their husband’s laps if there’s no room.”
“What about Tom’s wife?”
“Oh, he sits on her lap.”
At that, she burst out laughing. “Surely, you jest.”
“Maybe a little bit, but if it weren’t for her, he’d probably never have got up the nerve to court her. You didn’t see them when they were courting. He was bumping into everything. All you had to do was say her name, and he’d trip on the rug or spill a drink at the table.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Fine. Then ask Jessica what he did to her hair at a square dance.”
“What did he do to her hair?”
“Got it stuck right here.” Holding up his hand, he pointed to the cuff on his shirt sleeve. “And then her friend had to cut her hair to free her from it.”
Curious, she cocked her head to the side and tried to gauge if he was kidding or telling her the truth. “That sounds too absurd to be true, but you sure seem sincere.”
“Ask her. She’ll tell you. Tom felt so bad, he went out and bought a whole bunch of hats and ribbons and whatnot to make up for it.”
“Well, that was sweet of him to make amends like that, if it really happened.”
“I can’t believe you doubt me.”
“I’ve never heard of anyone’s hair getting caught in a button to the point where they had to cut their hair.”
He looked as if he was ready to argue but then took her hand. “Come on.”
Surprised that he was touching her, she mutely followed him down the stairs and to the parlor. Still holding her hand, he headed right for Tom and Jessica. Jessica was sitting beside Tom on one of the couches while their daughters scrambled for a place to sit on Tom’s lap. Without saying a word, Joel brought his wrist near Jessica’s hair so the button of the cuff on his shirt sleeve was facing her. Jessica shrieked and leapt onto Tom’s lap. Their girls protested as they cried that they wanted to sit on their father’s lap.
Tom glared at Joel. “Will you stop doing that? The button incident only happened once, and it was because the thread was loose.”
Touching her hair, Jessica got off of Tom’s lap and settled back on the couch. “It’s not funny, Joel.”
Chuckling, Joel said, “That depends on who you ask.” Turning to April, he added, “Believe me now?”
“I can’t believe it,” Tom replied. “You told April how clumsy I was when I met Jessica?”
On the other couch across the room, Dave shook his head and called out, “You’d think you’d get bored of that, Joel.”
“That will never get boring, Dave,” Joel replied. “Just as Mary’s pies will never get boring.” He shot Mary a grin while Dave and Mary’s three-year-old son settled on Dave’s lap. His attention returning to April, he lowered his head toward her ear and whispered, “If Dave hadn’t come home laughing about the whole incident when it happened, I wouldn’t have even known about it. So if you think about it, it’s his fault.”
April noticed that he still held her hand as he wove around his parents who headed for the tree in the corner of the room. As he said, most of the seats were taken, so when he sat in a chair close to Sep, he pulled her down onto his lap and held her around the waist. She blushed from embarrassment. She thought he was joking about sitting on his lap!
As the seats filled up around them, she saw Sally sit on Rick’s lap and Jenny sit on Owen’s lap. Knowing that she wasn’t the only woman sitting on her husband’s lap helped to relax her. Richard and Amanda sat up front with the older children who sorted through the wrapped presents. She couldn’t believe it. Everyone managed to find a place to sit after all.
Joel’s father stood up and opened his Bible, and Joel whispered, “Every year before we pass the gifts around, he reads the nativity story from the Gospel of Luke.”
She nodded, even as she became acutely aware of his strong arms. She hadn’t experienced such a tender embrace before, and she certainly didn’t expect something so pleasant from her husband. As she scanned the room, she noticed that all of the husbands were either holding their wives or had their arm wrapped around their shoulders. It was a lovely scene, something she didn’t think possible in a family. Sure, her father loved her mother and was tender toward her, but it was just her and Sep all their lives. There was no large gathering such as this. No wonder Joel’s mother looked forward to having the grandchildren over. It meant her children were there as well, and that made for a cozy family gathering.
She glanced at Sep who had a slight smile on his face and knew he noticed the same thing. For the longest time, it had been her and Sep against the world, doing what they could to not upset Harvey and to take care of Nora. And now they were a part of this family. She relaxed and settled in Joel’s arms.
Chapter Fifteen
By the time they got home, Joel had to admit his mood had improved. He reasoned it was because of the festivities, but his mind kept going back to the conversation he and April shared in the bedroom after they put Nora down for a nap. For the first time, he saw a side of her that was rather charming. She’d been laughing and relaxed. It was probably the atmosphere in the house. All the merriment was bound to improve anyone’s mood, including April’s.
As he led the horses onto their property, he took note of the sunset and wondered if this day would be the only one where they had a good time as a family. Tomorrow, would they go back to the way it usually was in the house? Stiff, awkward, depressing. The place he lived at now was such a sharp contrast from where he grew up. While he was growing up, no one locked bedroom doors, ate in silence, or shot each other looks as if they were afraid of something all the time. Fear. That was the prevailing mood in April and Sep’s house, and that fear led to the depressing sensation he couldn’t shake off.
So what April and Sep needed wasn’t him coming into their house in a foul mood. Granted, he didn’t ask to be married, but he was and the situation wasn’t going to get better if he kept acting like the world had come to an end. Deciding it was time to turn over a new leaf, he g
lanced at April, who was holding a contented Nora, and Sep who sat beside her. This was his family now, and he had a responsibility to set the tone. And one place they’d have to tackle was the locked bedroom. That room needed to be unlocked so April and Sep could confront whatever aspect of the past they desperately wanted to ignore. Once they confronted it, they could deal with it and move on.
Joel didn’t see how they could have any joy in that house until they took care of that bedroom. Soon. He’d approach April about it soon. He needed to go to her about it first because she was his wife and he had to settle matters with her before he could talk to Sep about it. Steering the horses to the front of the house, he cleared his throat.
April and Sep looked in his direction, so he took that as his cue to speak. “I realize we didn’t get started off on the right foot, but I think it’s time we changed all of that. I’m the head of this family, and I’ll do my part to make this work.” His gaze went from April to Nora and then to Sep. “There’s bound to be some adjustments. We all pretty much got thrown together because of this Lou person. Sooner or later the rat’s got to come out of his hole, and when he does, I’ll be ready for him. Until then, we don’t take any chances. No one stays here alone.”
The relief on April’s face tugged at his heart. He knew she’d been scared, but it didn’t register just how scared she’d been until then, and judging by the worried expression on Sep’s face, he shared in her fear. Yes, they were afraid. And for all he knew, it was more than one thing that worried them. Today wasn’t the day to ask them about it. That could wait.
Today, they’d start building a foundation with the same things his parents had when they married: trust, respect, and ultimately love. He caught himself sighing and stopped. Glancing at April, he caught the exasperated look on her face, but this time when they made eye contact, there was a hint of a smile on her lips.
Rolling his eyes, he said, “Habits are hard to break, alright? I’m afraid you’ll have to deal with it.”
Tipping her head to the side, she said, “I suppose I don’t mind it all that much as long as I know you’re not upset.”
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