Promise of Tomorrow

by Moore, S. Dionne

  Alaina woke from a deep sleep to the touch of her mother’s hand on her arm.

  “I thought I’d better wake you before I left,” her mother said.

  She scooted up in bed, fully expecting her mother to turn and leave, surprised when she stayed.

  Charlotte stood still, her eyes on the far wall.

  Alarmed, Alaina scooted up in bed and noted her mother’s puffy, red eyes and pale complexion.

  “Mama, are you ill?”

  Charlotte’s gaze snapped to hers. “I’ll be fine.” But she still didn’t move.

  Alaina grasped her mother’s arms. “Mother, please, what’s the matter?”

  Charlotte’s eyes filled with tears. Her mother pressed a hand to Alaina’s cheek, then spun and left the room.

  Alaina skittered on the edge of concern all morning, not at all sure what to make of her mother’s unusual behavior. After she dressed, she decided a quick visit to the store after chores might help alleviate her fears. If her mother was truly ill, she needed to know.

  Laundry took all day, and it wasn’t until early evening that she got the chance to escape to the store. If Jack kept his promise, he would be here this evening. If only she could get her mother to talk to her first.

  Through the back door of the store, Alaina could see Charlotte sitting in the corner, stitching on a long gown of tweed brown and gold. Surrounded by needles, pins, and spools of Clark’s O.N.T., her mother appeared relaxed and serene, though her eyes still showed tinges of puffiness.

  “Miss Morrison.”

  Alaina’s attention flew to the young man coming toward her. Charlotte Morrison raised her head. Young Victor Heiser, the storekeeper’s son, grinned at her with a mixture of shyness and longing.

  “Good day to you, Victor. How are you?”

  He seemed abashed that she answered him and lowered his head. “I’m doing well.”

  “And is Miss Powers doing well with the Sunday school?”

  He peeked at her. “Yes, ma’am. Though you were the best teacher.”

  Alaina smiled her gratitude. “How kind of you. Give Miss Powers a chance, and I’m sure everyone will love her as much.”

  “I suppose.” Victor’s ears reddened and he shrugged. “Your mother asked me if I still remembered my scripture verses. I do. I repeated them all for her. All forty-two.”

  Alaina felt the edge of surprise that her mother would inquire. In the six months Alaina taught Sunday school, she had endeavored to commit two verses a week to memory and challenged her pupils to do the same. Friday and Saturday nights during the fall and winter, she had repeated them aloud as she went about her chores. Her mother had never shown the least interest. “You are to be commended, Victor. I don’t know that I could do such a thing without first brushing up a bit.”

  “Oh, you could, Miss Alaina. I’m sure of it!”

  She laughed at his enthusiasm. “Maybe I should pop into your class this Sunday. We could have a contest.”

  Mathilde Heiser, Victor’s mother, appeared from the front of the store, her expression harried. “Victor, stop dawdling. Your father needs you.” Mathilde gestured to the boy and then rolled her eyes over at Alaina. “How that boy does go on about you. I think you’ve stolen his heart and most of his head. I keep reminding him that he’s no competition to Jack.”

  Alaina tilted her head and laughed. “I’m sure Jack won’t feel threatened, Mrs. Heiser. How is your husband doing?”

  “Very well. Your mother’s skill has really been a draw for the womenfolk. She is very good.”

  Alaina smiled over at her mother. “Yes, she is.”

  Charlotte held up the dress she had been working on and shook it out, but Alaina saw the trace of a pleased smile on her lips. “You’ve both been very kind to me, Mrs. Heiser. Mr. Springer never seemed to appreciate a woman’s need for a fine gown.” She paused, her eyes lifting to Alaina. “I think it’s about time for my daughter to have some new gowns, too. I wouldn’t want the ladies to see the daughter of their seamstress in anything less than the best.”

  Victor rushed over to his mother and tugged on her sleeve. “Father needs us both.”

  Mrs. Heiser lifted her hand. “Whatever your mother does for you will be lovely.”

  Unconsciously, Alaina fingered the material of her blue dress. It used to be her best, but after months of wear, it had lost the luster of newness. She wanted to tell her mother not to worry about making her a new gown, but something about the offer stopped her. How long had it been since her mother last made such an offer? Alaina usually made her own gowns during the winter months. Her mother knew that. Something about Charlotte’s offer seemed gentle and kind. Different.

  Charlotte stuck a pin in her mouth and nodded. “What brought you down here?”

  “I wanted to check on you.”

  The pin in her mother’s mouth seemed to tremble, and Alaina thought she detected a sheen of tears in her eyes.

  Her conscience pricked, and she whispered the next words. “I’m supposed to meet Jack this evening.” Alaina expected to feel the singe of her mother’s anger at the mention of Jack.

  Instead, Charlotte merely sat down and reorganized the yards of material. “On your way out, tell Victor to come back when he gets the chance. I want to hear him recite those verses again.”

  Alaina pleaded with her eyes. “Jack will want to say hello.”

  Her mother’s mouth drooped. “Tell him hello for me.” Charlotte returned her attention to the material, her needle sliding in and out in impossibly small stitches.

  Alaina headed to the front of the store. She stopped in the middle of the room and took in the bright display of candy and soap powder, medicines, and washboards. Unshed tears made everything a blur. She had so wanted to hear her mother acquiesce and welcome the opportunity of seeing Jack.

  A hand appeared in front of her face, with a licorice whip dangling from long, calloused fingers. Her heart leaped and almost turned into the embrace of Jack’s arms, but conscious of where they were, she took a step back and plucked the licorice from his hand.

  “My, my, greedy, aren’t we?”

  “You tempt me with my favorite candy and you don’t expect me to take the bait?”

  Jack’s expression held mischief. “I wish you were that excited to see me.”

  Alaina returned his smile. “Don’t be silly.”

  He twined his fingers through hers and pulled her close enough to whisper in her ear. “One piece for you. I thought I’d make a peace offering with the rest.”

  “Jack.” She shook her head and kept her voice low so other patrons wouldn’t hear. “Mama told me to tell you hello. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to push too hard right now.” Though she loved him the more for wanting to try and make peace.

  Jack glanced toward the back of the store and then at the bag of licorice in his free hand. He handed it over to her. “Then I’ll surrender them to you for delivery. But you have to promise not to eat them all on your way back.”

  Alaina accepted the bag and gave him a rueful grin. “I’ll try not to.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  She held up the bag. “I won’t be.”

  Jack touched the tip of her nose. “Let’s go before I storm the back room and demand to marry you on the spot, with or without her blessing.”

  The lightness being in Jack’s presence had brought faded as she retraced her steps back to her mother’s corner of the store. Charlotte didn’t look up from her sewing.

  “Mama?” The bag crinkled in Alaina’s hand as she slipped it onto the low table by her mother’s stool.

  Charlotte glanced at the parcel. “What’s this?”

  Her throat thickened and she swallowed. “Jack’s peace offering.” Before she broke into tears, she hurried back to the front of the store. With one glance, Jack must have understood her need, for he offered his arm and led her to the entrance, giving Victor Heiser, his eyes wide upon them, a slap on the back. He whispered something in the
young man’s ear, then turned and winked at Alaina.

  Once outside, she demanded to know what he’d said to the boy.

  “I told him the truth. You’re too old for him.” He leaned in so close she could feel his breath against her face. “Unless, of course, you prefer younger men.”

  The way he said it, his closeness, it made her heart beat madly. “No, there’s only one for me.”

  His playful expression became serious. His gaze swept her face and caused her stomach to twist. Beneath the luminescent light in his blue eyes, heat rose in her cheeks.

  “Well, then”—he took a deliberate step back and returned her hand to his arm—“if you won’t marry me tonight, then we could go for a walk or roller-skating.”

  She laughed but sobered at the thought of her mother’s scowl of disapproval upon learning they had married without her knowledge or blessing. Still. . . “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get married and—”

  “Until we reached my place and I carried you over the threshold.” He gazed at the darkening sky of lead gray. “We could take turns emptying the mug of water from my leaky roof.” The smile he sent her didn’t reach his eyes. “Not what I want for you. For us.”

  “Then let’s walk around and see the sights. We could go to the park and walk until dark.”

  Jack winced. “I can’t stay too long. I need to finish my report to Mr. Fulton.” He placed his hand over hers, where it lay nestled against his arm. “I also need to spend some time this evening working on my plans since church is tomorrow. I think I’m close, Alaina.”

  He must have sensed her disappointment because he kept talking, giving assurances, reminding her he did it for them, but she scarcely heard him. All the doubts tumbled around in her head and welled in her chest. His invention always seemed first priority, and she couldn’t quite shake off the sincerity of her mother’s many warnings against Jack.

  “He is always chasing after his dream of money. Marry a man who will put you first.”

  And then there was the one her mother never directly spoke but Alaina felt in every line of sadness on her mother’s face.

  Your father chased after the dream of money and never returned.

  She knew Jack wanted to earn a good living, but how far would he go to do that? Was his need driven by something in his past? Maybe his parents were rich and he had been disinherited.

  Alaina slipped a glance over at Jack as he talked. They were engaged. Surely he could tell her about his mother and father. He knew all about hers. She had a right to know. Maybe it would help her understand him better.

  She waited for a lull in his words. “Jack, tell me about your parents.”

  “My parents?”

  The sudden shift in topics had taken him off guard. Something like panic seeped into his eyes.

  “Yes. You always avoid the subject. I want to know about them. Shouldn’t I meet them before we marry? Don’t you want to include them in our plans?”

  Jack’s face set like chiseled stone. She felt the wall of his anger rise with every second, brick by angry brick. “I’m an adult. I don’t need their permission.”

  “Surely your mother would—”

  He released her abruptly, his gaze full of pain. “She’s dead, Alaina. My mother is dead. She won’t care about a thing.”

  “What? How did it happen? I mean, when?”

  A muscle jumped in his jaw. “A long time ago. Before I moved here.”

  “What about your father?”

  His gaze went white-hot. He turned away, fists clenched at his sides. “It’s a topic for another time.”

  She touched his arm and felt the taut bunch of his muscles. “Please, Jack.”

  He bowed his head and knotted fists rubbed his eyes.

  Alaina felt his pain without understanding the reason for it. Shame washed over her at her insistence. “I’m sorry.” She ran her hand down his upper arm to his wrist and then lifted his hand to gently uncurl his fingers, all the while silently begging him to look at her. Please, Lord, take this hurt away. She wanted so much to erase the entire conversation.

  On another level, his reaction to the simple question chilled her. What did it mean? What was in his past that proved so painful it rendered him speechless?

  Finally, she felt the tension leave him.

  He squeezed his eyes shut and regarded her with a look of profound exhaustion, as if he had fought many demons in the last few minutes. “I’ve got to go,” his voice scraped out.

  “I understand.”

  “I’ll walk you back.”

  “No.” She forced a smile. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Alaina. . .” He paused. “I need some time. It’s not a topic I—”

  “Then I’ll wait.”

  Nine

  May 19, 1889

  Alaina started upon seeing her mother, dressed and ready for Sunday morning services. She tried to recall the last service her mother had attended and settled on Easter, two years ago, when her aunt had come over from Pittsburgh for a short visit.

  “You’re dressed,” she stated the obvious, then laughed.

  The comment pulled a smile from her mother as she smoothed a strand of hair back from her face. “It’s time, don’t you think?” Her mother gathered the material of her best dress in one hand and frowned at the brown plaid. “I need to start on new dresses for both of us. This material is so thin at the elbows.”

  Her mother continued to fuss over the dress while Alaina tried to make sense of her question. What did she mean by, “It’s time?” Time for what? Time to go? But no, it couldn’t be. Jack wouldn’t arrive to fetch her for another twenty minutes.

  “Alaina?” her mother asked. “Would you fetch my Bible?”

  She did as bid, expecting the Book to be collecting dust on the small table her mother used to hold a lamp. To her surprise and satisfaction, she saw that the Bible lay open on the table and rejoiced at the implication. It had been such a long time since Father had left. Perhaps her mother would return to the faith she had once held so dear.

  She searched for a way to bring up the topic of her mother’s sudden Bible reading and churchgoing when Jack arrived. Upon seeing him, her mother’s frown deepened. Alaina feared she might say something harsh, but Charlotte nodded in response to Jack’s greeting and allowed him to help her into the hackney with a small smile bestowed on him as his reward.

  After Jack found his seat, he caught and held Alaina’s gaze for a long, blissful moment. “The great thaw,” he quipped in a whisper.

  She rolled her eyes and pressed her finger to her lips to shush him from further comment.

  Jack engaged her in conversation about the weather, though she noticed he did avoid the usual question of what they would do after service. Charlotte seemed content to make the trip in silence, and Alaina left her to it after her first few attempts to bring her into the conversation failed.

  She enjoyed sharing chatter on various subjects with Jack. After the previous night’s storm of emotion, he seemed attentive, though circles showed under his eyes. They were engaged in a fiery back-and-forth regarding the chances of the dam breaking when they arrived at the small church.

  Frank’s children, Missy and Sam, ran up to them.

  Jack swung Missy up into his arms and allowed her to perch on his shoulder. “What are you up to this morning, Miss Missy?”

  The child giggled at Jack’s greeting and beamed at Alaina. “He’s silly.”

  Frank broke through the small crowd, his suspenders worn and his Sunday trousers in sad need of patching. It was on the tip of Alaina’s tongue to offer to do the mending when her mother spoke up.

  “Frank Willit, what a surprise.”

  Frank’s face lit, and he dipped his head in a shallow bow. “A pleasure to see you, Mrs. Morrison.”

  “You must bring your mending to me. Missy’s dress needs a patch, and I’m sure there is enough material left over from some dresses to make her a new frock.”

  “And me?” Sam pipe
d up.

  Jack scrunched up his face. “You want a dress, Sam?”

  Sam cocked his head. “No, why would I want that?”

  Jack and Frank guffawed at the boy’s confusion.

  Charlotte sent them a withering look. “And a pair of pants for you, Sam.”

  Alaina could only stare at her mother, struck completely dumb, not only by her generous offer but by the interest she showed in the children and Frank. She glanced at Frank and wondered if the big man had captured her mother’s fancy. But no, it couldn’t be. Charlotte had only met Frank twice before.

  Jack let Missy slip to the ground and sidled up next to Alaina as Frank and Charlotte continued their conversation. “Is this the sun coming out?” was Jack’s question.

  “I—I don’t know. I’m as surprised as you are. More so.”

  Jack chuckled. “Frank’s not a bad-looking bloke.”

  But it didn’t explain the sudden change in Charlotte. What had prompted her mother to go from shy and resigned, even bitter, to considerate? Was it simply God’s working in her mother’s heart? She didn’t know, and she wouldn’t ask.

  When the pastor appeared at the front doors, the group began a mass migration inside.

  Jack winked down at Alaina. “I’m going to test the waters. If Frank can be charming, then I can be downright saintly.” With that, he strode up to Charlotte.

  She glanced his way in time to see his proffered arm. Charlotte hesitated only a moment before accepting, leaving a chagrined Frank standing by himself.

  He recovered quickly, though, when his gaze met Alaina’s. He copied Jack’s gesture and offered his arm, a good-natured grin coloring his cheeks.

  She lay her hand lightly on his arm as he tilted his head and whispered, “You watch. Jack’s going to win her over.”

  ❧

  If Jack’s restless night hadn’t been unsettling enough, then listening to the sermon on Judas’s betrayal and Christ’s forgiveness stirred the cauldron of his emotions into full boil. Every word the pastor uttered seemed to stir the same question. How to forgive betrayal?

  His fidgeting caught Alaina’s attention, and only a severe frown from her stilled his quaking limbs. He tried to focus on his plans and ignore the nagging of his spirit, but the pastor continued, now extolling Christ’s ability to forgive the unforgivable.