by Rye Hart
“You are not going to the church with me,” Connor commanded.
It was Wednesday night and the entire town would be attending. My eyes narrowed and I looked up at him, my gaze determined. I had always been a strong-willed woman, and while the last few years I had been struggling to regain that determination and independence, I knew who I was now.
“I’m going with you whether you give me permission or not. I am your wife, but I can still make my own decisions,” I stated firmly.
He looked at me as if I was crazy and maybe I was, but that wasn’t going to stop me. “Why would you want to be in the same room as the woman who tried to kill you and our baby?”
“You have to trust me, Connor. I just know that I need to be there.”
I knew I couldn’t tell him that I planned to stand up for Ariel and even forgive her. He would have thought me absolutely insane and I knew he wouldn’t let me do it. If I was going to help Ariel, I needed to keep my intention a secret.
Connor looked at me, his eyes narrowed and his jaw set. Finally, he grunted and turned towards the door, though he didn’t try and stop me. We marched through the empty town and straight to the church. The sound of hymns floated on the cool summer breeze and my heart jumped into my throat. I was still a little wobbly on my feet, but I knew God would give me the strength I needed. Connor glanced back and checked on me every now and then, but I knew his concern lie within the church.
He pushed the doors open and the singing came to a halt. He walked through the rows of pews and didn’t come to a stop until he was looking Ariel. The woman turned to look at Connor slowly and I was only a little surprised at the strange look of hopefulness on her face. Somehow she thought that Connor might still fall for her.
He grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of the pew, causing everyone to gasp. His hand flew out and he pointed at me, his eyes wild with anger.
“Do you realize what you almost did?” he growled.
Ariel’s husband stood up but Connor gave him a look that made him fall right back in his seat. Tears were pooling in Ariel’s eyes as the realization hit her. She stared at Connor and then at me, looking at us helplessly as if she didn’t understand what she had done wrong.
“Connor, I was only doing it so we could be together,” she whispered.
Connor squeezed her wrist so tight that she screamed and fell to her knees, clawing at his hand and trying to get him to let go. She had no such luck and soon she was sobbing, begging for mercy. A few of the other townspeople stood up, ready to help her, but Connor was livid.
“She tried to kill my child!” he screamed. “She pushed Sara into the ravine to try and kill my child!”
When he yelled this, the townspeople’s faces hardened and they all sat back on the pews. Connor dragged Ariel to her feet and pulled her towards the priest.
“Beg forgiveness! You ask God to forgive you for your jealous, sinful ways!”
Ariel fell to her knees, tears streaming down her reddened cheeks. I watched in horror as people began yelling at her, repeating Connors chants. Some were even calling for her to be thrown out of town. I looked around, my head spinning as hatred and anger took over this house of God.
As the anger reached a fever pitch I looked up and saw a white dove fly in through the rafters. Its feathers were as white as the purest light and I knew what I had to do. I ran through the jeering crowd and fell to my knees where Ariel knelt, sobbing into her hands.
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled the woman to my body, shielding her from the angry eyes of the townspeople. My head shot up and I glared out into the crowd.
“Stop this madness!” I yelled, my voice strong and confident.
The crowd fell silent, confused looks coming to the faces of everyone in the crowd. Connor looked down at me, wide-eyed.
“What are you doing, Sara?”
“I’m doing what is right!”
Ariel sobbed into my dress, pleading for my forgiveness, shaking her head back and forth. I gazed out at the crowd and shook my head.
“This woman does not need your anger. Hatred begets hatred,” I said desperately. “We need to fix her with love and forgiveness and there is no better place for those things than a house of God. This is where we forgive our brothers and sisters for their sins and I don’t see why we should change that now!”
Ariel looked up at me, her eyes wide and wet. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered.
I smiled at her sadly and brushed my fingers over her cheeks, wiping away the tears. “Because I understand. I understand what it’s like to feel trapped. I know what it’s like to want to change your life, but you feel like you’re backed into a corner. I was like that too, until I moved here and I found freedom and love. I know you’re unhappy, but this isn’t the way to fix that, Ariel. What’s meant to be will find its way. You and Connor were not meant to be, but God will show you the way, you just have to listen,” I whispered cupping her cheek.
The congregation watched with surprise and a few tears. I smiled at Ariel and I stroked her hair.
“I forgive you, Ariel. I forgive you and God will forgive you. This isn’t the end of your life, this is the beginning of something wonderful.”
Her lip began to tremble and she collapsed against me, wrapping her arms around me as she sobbed into my chest, whispering words of thanks over and over again. The rest of the church was silent for a moment before finally, one by one, people stood and threw their arms up to the sky, singing hymns and praises to the rafters.
Connor looked down at us for a moment before lowering himself to his knees and wrapping his arms around Ariel. “I forgive you too,” he whispered.
My heart swelled with pride as I looked at him. It takes a bigger man to forgive than it does to be angry. He wrapped his arms around us and as I looked up I saw the dove flutter out into the sunset as if to say that its job was done here.
Now it was up to us.
Chapter Ten
Things only got better after that day. I expected there to be some residual anger, but everyone seemed willing to forgive Ariel for all of her trespasses. I hadn’t been the only person she’d been cruel to, though I had borne most of it. Despite her reputation in town and her past actions, the local women were ready to forgive her and bring her back into the folds of society.
Ariel was doing her part was well. She tried to make her relationship with her husband work and was surprised to find that they actually had a lot in common. They ended up having a second wedding and it was everything Ariel ever dreamed her wedding would be. She was finally happy and expecting her second child, though she was much more excited about it this time round.
We became good friends and started spending more and more time together. Her son and Regina were the best play mates and we both enjoyed watching them waddle around and play with the handmade toys Ariel’s husband made for them.
There was no bad blood between us, though Ariel would occasionally try to apologize for everything that had happened between us in the early days of my arrival. She only recently stopped bringing it up and I was just happy that we were finally putting all of it behind us. Ariel was my friend now and what happened in the past was going to stay there. I had no intention of ruining a good friendship over it.
A few short months after the incident at the ravine, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The closer we got to meeting our child, the more nervous Connor became. He was worried that the stress over the incident with Ariel was going to complicate my birth, but none of his worries became reality. Charley was born a healthy baby and I was just fine too.
Charley was beautiful. He had my fiery hair and his father’s honey-colored eyes. He was a good child and rarely cried or fussed. Even Regina was enamored with him. She would peek at him while he slept and touch his face; it was a rather adorable sight.
I smiled softly as I watched Connor guide the cattle into the stables for the evening. Fall was right around the corner and I was trying to enjoy the last few night
s of cool weather before it became unbearably cold.
The sun was just starting to set, casting beautiful shadows over the plains. The cows lowed as they were led into the stables, making sure that Connor knew they weren’t happy about being locked up for the evening. If you would have told me three years ago that I would have had an opinion on what cows think, I would have told you that you were crazy.
Connor walked over to us, taking his hat off and hanging it in a tree as he settled on the blanket beside me. He grinned up at me and snatched Regina off the blanket, making her squeal. She was walking now and often got into a mess of trouble, though it wasn’t ever anything serious.
“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” I asked, watching the sun slowly disappear behind the mountains in the distance. I’d always wanted to visit the mountains.
Connor nodded, cocking his head to the side and then looking up at me. “Not nearly as beautiful as you, though.”
After all this time, he still managed to make my cheeks heat up and my heart flutter. No matter how much time passed, I knew I’d always be desperately in love with him. Connor made me come alive; I had so much to thank him for.
I smiled and turned, catching his lips in a tender kiss. “This is paradise. I think when we go to Heaven it’s going to be nights like this.” I whispered. “You, me, the babies and the sunset.”
“I sure hope so. Otherwise Heaven might be a little lackluster compared to this,” he said with a teasing smile.
He was joking, but I couldn’t have agreed more. This moment was utter perfection. I never wanted to leave this place. I wanted to live out the rest of my days in Billings, Montana with my little family. I’d always wanted adventure, but my path led me here to this meadow and I couldn’t have been happier.
I was home.
The End
Mary
Chapter One
Life was perfect. At least for a while. There wasn’t much to do in the small town of Grace, North Carolina, but that was okay. I’d always been a small town girl, though I had gone into Charlotte with my father on a few occasions. I remember riding in the wagon, clinging to his arm as I watched the hustle and bustle of the city with wide eyes, hardly able to contain my excitement about the whole thing. It made my heart pound, but it also made me miss home. It made me miss the quiet of the farm.
Those trips to the city were nice. They broadened my world view, but they also served to cement it in my mind that I belonged here, in the country and among the fields and animals. It was where I was born and it’s where I wanted to live out my days and raise a family. I could only hope that was the case. I loved my life on the farm and I loved my family.
Grace was the type of town where everyone knew their neighbors and waved when they saw them on the street. People gossiped, but never with cruel intentions. We built homes together, raised barns, and went to church every Sunday. It was a town where people didn’t leave because they were happy there.
Few families left and even fewer moved in. The industrial revolution was in full swing and many people moved to the big cities in order to work in factories. It was a time of change where women could get jobs and work alongside men. Many of the women in town, especially the older ones, seemed appalled by this idea. They didn’t want their daughters sweating and working until their fingers bled.
I always stayed quiet about it, but I didn’t think the idea of women working was that bad. I liked working on the farm, though I did enjoy the more traditional feminine work as well. I liked needle point and sewing, but I liked building things as well. My mom always told me I was a rare bird because of my diverse interests. She never said it with disappointment, though. Unlike many of the other mothers, mine didn’t want me to rely on a man to care for me. She wanted me to get married and raise a family like any other mother, but she also wanted me to be able to take care of myself just in case I was left alone.
Times were changing quickly and men were running off with mistresses, leaving their wives behind to suffer with the children. They would go away to the cities and work and only come back a few days out of the month. My mother didn’t want me to end up like the dead-eyed women who wandered through town, tearfully begging for their husbands to return home and help the care for the children.
I didn’t want to end up like that either so I took the opportunity I was given. I learned to milk cows, slaughter pigs, and build a basic barn. I learned everything I could from anyone who would teach me. The older women in town would chastise my mother, saying no man would want to marry a woman with callouses on her hands. My mother ignored them and encouraged me to do what I wanted. I have always been grateful to her for that.
As I got older and began attending school a few times a week, I met a young boy named Richard. He was a handsome, gangly boy with a soft face and kind eyes. He would eventually grow into his height and not look gangly at all. He was strong with a broad chest and even broader shoulders. He was built like an ox, but the kind smile he wore took the edge off of his imposing appearance.
Richard and I became good friends. We laughed and played together in the summer, ignoring the way people shook their heads back and forth at us. We were breaking many of the unspoken rules by being friends. Girls were expected to befriend girls and boys were meant to roughhouse with other boys, but we didn’t care. We loved spending time together and those days we spent together in our youth only made us closer.
As we approached marrying age I caught Richard looking at me strangely. He would stare at me, head cocked to the side as he took me in, his eyes full of a strange wonder. When our eyes met he would turn away, cheeks pink. It was adorable, but I didn’t put two and two together for a long time. We continued going on adventures, though our adventures took an exciting turn.
One day, while we were exploring the woods Richard took my hand and pulled me close, stroking my hair. He stared into my eyes and smiled, not hesitating to claim my lips. At first I didn’t know what was happening. He held me close and stared into my eyes and as we stood there, our bodies pressed flush and our eyes shining with adoration, and I realized that I loved him.
That was the first day of the rest of my life. We came back into town, our fingers tangled and thousand watt smiles on our faces. I told my parents about it and they were thrilled that I’d found such a good partner. Richard was strong and he came from a good family.
Soon after that first kiss we were married. It was a simple ceremony but it was the best day of my life. I was lost in his eyes, grinning brightly as I silently thanked God for this wonderful man. I knew my life would be complete as long as he was in it and I wasn’t wrong. I became Mary Marshall that day, and that was just the beginning. We went on to have a happy life and happy home. We had our first child soon after the wedding and everything seemed perfect.
Until everything changed.
Chapter Two
There were murmured rumors of war. Everyone in town had been talking about the possibility of it for months. President Lincoln wanted to free the slaves and the Southern states were raising a fuss. Grace was in the South, of course, but none of the farms in our small town were large enough to warrant slaves. We were far removed from the slave trade, but that didn’t stop us from getting sucked into the war.
Before the people of Grace even had a chance to realize what was going on they were drawn into a war they didn’t even understand. The once peaceful community was thrown into an uproar and we didn’t know why.
We were being told we were fighting for our rights and independence. We were being told the government was trying to uproot our way of life. Many of the people in town fell for it. They believed what the soldiers said, but I didn’t. I didn’t believe for a second that our livelihood was being threatened and I didn’t want to be any part of it.
Many of the women in town glared at me as I walked past, whispering about me under their breath. I could hear them talking about how I was ‘unpatriotic’. I just ignored it; I didn’t care what they thought. I had my fa
mily and that’s all I needed. I had no way of knowing that soon, even that would be ripped out from under me.
By the time the one year anniversary of the war came around, the Southern armies were desperate for men. They instituted a draft and called all able-bodied men to serve. My husband was only twenty-two at the time and fit the description of an able-bodied man. Soon enough he rode away in a wagon full of men to fight in a war we didn’t even believe in.
Richard promised me he would come home. He kissed our son and he promised us he would be back, but we both knew he didn’t control his fate. We had to leave it in God’s hands now. I’d always been a woman of faith, but the idea that there was nothing I could do to protect my husband other than pray was horrifying.
I watched him go, disappearing down the single dirt road that led out of Grace. I stood in my doorway, holding my son and watching until the wagon was out of sight. My heart ached for Richard and somehow I knew I was never going to see him again. This war was a bloody one; the postman brought news of death and destruction every time he came to town. We’d started to dread his visits.
The war took most of the town’s men away, leaving only the children, elderly, and feeble. Wives were widowed and mothers were forced to bury their children and somehow the leaders managed to convince us this war was worth it. I resented them for their lies and became a shut-in. I managed alright without Richard and thanks to all the things I’d learned as a young girl, I managed to keep the farm up and running after he left.
Many of the other women didn’t fare as well. With their husbands gone there was no one to till the land or slaughter the animals. The few men who were left behind were too weak to do much, even though they tried. With no other options, many of the women moved into the large cities to take jobs in the factories they’d railed against only a few years prior. Slowly but surely everyone in town left and then there were only a few of us hanging on to our way of life.
