Love Comes Home

by Ann H. Gabhart

  “You’re right, Tori. You are so right.” He put his arms around her. “When Kate wrote me about Sammy, I didn’t want to believe it. He was just a kid. After that, every time I saw another kid get it, I’d be thinking of Sammy and you all over again.”

  She leaned against him the way she sometimes leaned on her father and swallowed the lump in her throat. “You never saw him while you were in the Army, did you?”

  “No. But I saw plenty of boys like him. They looked like they ought to be shooting paper wads in school, but instead there they were, storming the beaches. Flying bombers and coasting back to base on fumes. In tanks crawling across the battlefields.”

  “And dying.” Tori’s voice was flat. Everybody else in the room was forgotten. Everybody but Samantha. She could never forget her even for a second.

  “Too many did. But they did save the world. For us.” He looked back at Samantha, who watched them with big eyes. “For her.”

  “How do we know it won’t just happen again when she grows up?” That made her mad too. Why couldn’t the first war, the war her father fought in, have been enough?

  A shudder went through Jay. “God forbid.”

  She’d never seen him look so grim. The Jay she remembered was always smiling and trying to make people laugh. But that was before the war. “I’m sorry. Don’t let me spoil your homecoming.”

  “Don’t worry, Tori.” His smile bounced back. “Nothing could do that. It’s good to be home. To see you. To see all of you.”

  Kate stepped up beside Jay to kiss Tori’s cheek. That was enough to summon up Tori’s tears again. So she was glad when Mike’s car pulled up outside to divert attention from her.

  Lorena peered out the window. “Mike and Evie are here.”

  “I thought they’d be at church,” Jay said.

  “They’ve found a church in Shelby County,” Kate said. “Halfway between here and Louisville. Evie says the church is three times bigger than ours and that you should see the collection plates when the deacons carry them back to the front. Spilling over with bills. And not all ones, either.”

  Jay laughed. “What’s she doing? Campaigning for Mike to take over the pulpit there?”

  “She might like that, but remember, I told you Mike’s not preaching right now.” Kate lowered her voice as though afraid Mike could hear her outside. “He’s not sure he’ll ever take a church again.”

  Jay looked surprised, but he didn’t say anything. Tori had been surprised too when Mike came home. He wasn’t the same Mike who’d always had a ready answer or prayer for problems before he went to war. She missed that Mike. They all missed that Mike. Evie most of all. But at least he came home. That was what Tori wanted to tell Evie. But she didn’t.

  Evie’s smile looked forced when she came in the door. Her hat was new and perfectly matched her charcoal suit. Jay and Mike shook hands and clapped each other on the back. Two who came home. Then Fern helped Aunt Hattie up the steps and all the hugs started over. Mama came in from the kitchen to make sure they all stayed to eat.

  Lorena still had Samantha, so Tori told Mama she’d finish putting dinner on the table as she slipped past her out to the kitchen. They’d closed in the old back porch when they piped water to the house from the well and put in plugs for the stove and refrigerator. The new kitchen was smaller than the old one that now held the big dining table for when everybody was home, but it was cozy with room for a small table and chairs.

  Tori liked to cook. Not as much as she liked to fish, but in the winter, the fish didn’t bite. In the kitchen, she could take a recipe and put all the ingredients together and make something turn out right, the way it was supposed to. Even better, nobody seemed to mind when she went off by herself to cook.

  People were always trying to keep her from being by herself. Especially that Clay Weber. He would not give up asking her to do things. Every week, sometimes twice a week, it was something different. A movie. A trip to the library in Edgeville to get his little sisters and Samantha picture books. Did her mother need help unloading the stock at the store since Daddy wasn’t feeling well? Roller-skating. There was a new rink in Frankfort and didn’t he remember that she used to like to roller-skate? She didn’t know how many times she was going to have to say no before the man got the message.

  Just that morning at church, he’d found her in a back pew trying to keep Samantha quiet while the older ladies went over their Sunday school lesson in the front of the sanctuary. He sat down beside her without even asking, and what could she say? The pew didn’t belong to her. Then he offered Samantha a sucker, not asking if that was okay either. Of course the child wanted a sucker, but if Tori had wanted her to have a sucker, she’d have given her one. Sticky hands and Sunday dresses didn’t go together, but Clay didn’t appear to know that.

  “Suckers used to keep my sisters quiet in church when they were little,” he whispered with a glance up at the Sunday school ladies.

  Mrs. Jamison and Mrs. Wilson let their eyes wander from Miss Sadie talking about how Mary had pondered in her heart things like the shepherds coming to see her baby. It was obvious from the looks on the two women’s faces what they were pondering about Clay and Tori.

  Samantha reached for Clay and Tori let him take her. It would serve him right to get sticky sucker juice on his suit. But he was ready for that too with his handkerchief out to wipe Samantha’s hands without her making the first complaint.

  He waited until the bell rang to signal the end of Sunday school to ask, “Would it be all right if I bring the girls by your house later today? Mama helped Lillie and Mary make Samantha a rag doll. It’s not store-bought, but Mama is pretty good with a needle.”

  “I’ve seen your mother’s dolls. They’re wonderful, but the girls should keep the doll for themselves.” Mary was only seven and Lillie nine, not too old for dolls.

  “No, they wanted to make something for Samantha. They think she’s the cutest kid ever.”

  Tori wanted to tell him he shouldn’t use his little sisters to get his way, but maybe she judged him wrong. The girls did really like playing with Samantha. And what could it hurt to let them give Samantha a present?

  Now here in the kitchen, she stirred sugar into the applesauce and wished she’d said no. Clay would show up at the house and everybody would think she wanted him there. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him there. She didn’t care whether he came or not. She simply didn’t care.

  Tori looked out the kitchen window over the new sink to where some hens scratched in the dirt. Maybe Graham’s pond wouldn’t be frozen over. She could go pretend to fish. But she couldn’t take Samantha. It was too cold.

  She sighed. She couldn’t escape. She didn’t truly want to disappear on a Sunday afternoon. Sundays meant family.

  She didn’t want to escape family. She just wanted to be that girl she was before the telegram came. A girl who cared.

  11

  They gathered around the dinner table, laughing and talking. Everybody except Evie. Kate didn’t know what was wrong with her, but something was. Evie picked at her food with her preacher’s wife smile pasted on. Whatever her problem was, it could wait. Jay deserved the spotlight today. Not Evie and whatever crisis she was deciding to have.

  That could be anything from a bad week at work to Mike forgetting to pick up something at the grocery. Evie said that happened a lot. She claimed Mike’s mind was always somewhere else. Like he and God were having this deep conversation they weren’t letting Evie in on.

  If Mike was upset with Evie’s bad mood, he didn’t show it. He seemed the same to Kate. Careful to hold Evie’s chair at the table and then Mama’s too. He was quiet, but while that wasn’t like the old Mike—the Mike before the war—it was like the Mike who’d come home from Germany. Daddy said Mike needed time. Mama said he needed prayer. Evie said he needed to figure out things and do it soon. Evie had never been long on patience.

  Kate did her best to ignore Evie and just enjoy Jay at home and her family cro
wded around the table. Family that included Aunt Hattie and Graham and even Fern, though she’d refused to stay and eat today.

  She missed Fern there. Kate could hardly believe she’d thought that, but somehow Lorena had pulled Fern into the family. That didn’t mean the woman wanted to be at the table with them. Too many people made her nervous, but she’d passed up a great meal. Mama must have gotten up before daylight to cook.

  When it was time for dessert, Mama sat a whole brown sugar pie in front of Jay. “I thought maybe you would want to slice your own piece.” She handed him the knife.

  Jay smiled at Mama. “Nadine, I want you to know I dreamed about this pie. Whenever things would get bad over there, I’d think about eating another piece of your pie and keep my head down.”

  “What about thinking about us?” Lorena said.

  “Sure, I did that too.” Jay winked at her. “I’d think about all those pieces of my pie you were eating.”

  “You told me to.” Lorena insisted.

  “So I did, but I do have to admit I’m happy to see you aren’t fat as a pig from eating all that pie.”

  “Hey.” She tried to frown, but a smile pushed it off her face. “From now on, eat your own pie.”

  “That I can do.” Jay studied the pie a minute, then sliced right through the middle of it. He slid one of the halves out on his plate. “There, that’ll probably do me right now.”

  When everybody laughed, Jay looked around the table. “You think I’m kidding? Well, you’re wrong.” He attacked the pie with his fork. “Umm, even better than I remembered.”

  “Mercy sakes,” Aunt Hattie said. “Don’t know that I ever saw a boy like pie so much, ’cepting maybe my Bo. He did love my raisin pie. You remember Bo? He didn’t make it home from that first war, you know.” She looked across the table at Jay.

  Down at the end of the table, Evie let out a heavy sigh. Kate spoke up quickly to keep Aunt Hattie from noticing. “We didn’t get to know him, Aunt Hattie, but we wish we could have.”

  “Us old ones remember, Hattie.” Graham said. “And those raisin pies too. They were fine.”

  “Better than fine,” Kate’s father added.

  “I don’t know what’s the matter with me.” Aunt Hattie shook her head. “Course you babies here don’t remember. You weren’t even born then. My old head loses track of the years from time to time. Hard to think about being eighty and that it’s been nigh on forty years since Bo went on ahead of me to heaven.”

  “You think he’s eating raisin pie in heaven?” Jay asked her between mouthfuls of brown sugar pie.

  “He might have to wait till I’m up there for that to happen.” Aunt Hattie’s laugh made her wrinkles dance. “You just keep on enjoyin’ that pie down here, son, and we’ll enjoy a little of it with you. If I know Nadine, she made plenty.”

  “I did,” Mama said. “Lorena, get the other pie out of the pie safe.”

  “Somebody can have my piece,” Evie said. “I never cared all that much for brown sugar pies anyway.”

  Since when, Kate wanted to ask, but she kept her mouth shut. Some stews were better left simmering instead of stirred up.

  “Birdie can have it. Now that she’s not getting my piece.” Jay took another bite and closed his eyes as he chewed.

  “I think your pie is about to make the boy float up in the air.” Kate’s father reached for his slice.

  “I am being transported.” Jay took another bite. “I knew this place was the closest thing to heaven the first time I came here. Beautiful women. Divine food. Books everywhere.” He glanced over at Mike. “Wedding music. All thanks to you, buddy.”

  “The Lord works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.” Mike smiled almost like old times as he dug into his pie.

  With pie still on his plate, Jay groaned and pushed away from the table. “Don’t throw any of that away. I’ll eat the rest later, but my poor stomach’s not used to such good food. Got to break it in slowly.”

  “Could be you should have taken a smaller slice,” Graham told him.

  “When somebody offers you a slice of heaven, you grab hold of as much of it as you can.” Jay reached for Kate’s hand and then Lorena’s. “And you hang on.”

  “Can’t argue with that,” Graham said.

  “Heaven don’t come down ev’ry day,” Aunt Hattie said.

  “Not unless you live in Rosey Corner,” Jay said.

  Kate leaned over and kissed his cheek. It was good to have Jay home. He had a way of making everybody smile, even Tori. Everybody except Evie, who had stopped faking good humor and held her head in her hand. Mike stroked her arm and glanced down the table toward Kate as though asking for help. Kate pretended not to notice. She would not let Evie’s dramatics spoil this day.

  Samantha picked that moment to spill her glass. Tori jumped up to mop up the water. Daddy moved his chair back and started coughing.

  Aunt Hattie frowned over at him. “Is he taking that tonic I made up for him, Nadine?”

  “He’s taking it, Aunt Hattie.” Mama rubbed his back. “He’s getting better.”

  Daddy held up his hand and stood up. “I am,” he choked out. “Better.”

  That had to be wishful thinking. Or maybe just wishful talking. The cough didn’t sound better as he pulled out his handkerchief and made his way into the other room. Her mother stared after him with a worried frown, then pushed a smile back across her face as she asked, “More pie, anybody?”

  “We’re stuffed, Nadine. Couldn’t hold another bite,” Graham said.

  Kate pulled her hand away from Jay’s with regret. She wanted to be touching him all the time. “You go visit with Aunt Hattie and the men, Mama. We’ll do the dishes.”

  Mama took off her apron and handed it to Kate. When Samantha reached her hands up to her, she picked her up out of the high chair. “Her dress is wet, Victoria.”

  “I’ll change her.” Lorena jumped up to take the little girl. Then she slid her eyes back to Kate. “Unless you need me to help with the dishes.”

  Kate laughed. “You go hang out with Jay, Lorena. After all, I get to take him home with me.”

  “But you’re coming back Christmas morning, aren’t you? Or you could all just stay.” Hope lit up Lorena’s face. “Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve. We could go caroling and come home and drink hot chocolate while Daddy reads the Christmas story to us. Christmas morning we can have pancakes and cinnamon rolls and play Santa Claus for Samantha. You can’t miss that.”

  “Sounds like more heaven coming down.” Jay smiled at Lorena. “But let’s get out of here now before Kate changes her mind and gives us KP duty.”

  “I wish I could do the dishes.” Aunt Hattie pushed up from the table. “It ain’t a good thing to get so feeble a body can’t do a piddlin’ thing. Seems to be time to move on up when that happens.”

  “No, no, Aunt Hattie. You have to make Victor his tonics.” Mama helped Aunt Hattie through the door to the sitting room. Daddy had finally stopped coughing and was opening the stove top to load it with more coal.

  “I can do that for him if he’ll wait,” Jay said.

  “It’s better to let him.” Mama looked over her shoulder at Jay. “This cough has been hard on him, but it’s like Aunt Hattie said. Nobody wants to feel helpless.”

  Mike stayed beside Evie after the others were out of the room. He looked a little helpless himself as he asked, “Are you all right, honey?”

  “I’m just peachy.” Evie shook his hand off and stood up. She snatched up her plate and stacked it on his with a clatter. “Go.” She made a sweeping motion with her hands. “Do your man talking things.”

  He looked so troubled Kate wanted to give him a hug, but it wasn’t her hug he wanted. Tori raised her eyebrows with an unspoken question when she moved past Kate to put up the leftover pie. Kate shrugged. She didn’t have any answers, but she was going to. Just as soon as Mike went in the other room.

  Kate picked up some glasses and headed toward the kitchen, but that
didn’t keep her from hearing Mike and Evie.

  “Do you want to go home?” Mike said.

  “Who said anything about going home?” Evie’s voice had an edge in it. “I’ve got to help wash these dishes. Probably ruin my new suit, but who cares? The dishes must be done. Food on the table. Food off the table. Clean dishes. Dirty dishes. Over and over.”

  “I love you, Evangeline.” Mike sounded weary as if he had no hope his words mattered to Evie.

  Kate turned in time to see Evie jerk back when Mike touched her cheek. He dropped his hand and shut his eyes a moment. Maybe praying for patience. It was obvious he needed it as Evie kept glaring at him until he turned away from her and followed the others out to the sitting room.

  Kate broke the silence that fell over the room. “Have you lost your mind, Evie? Whatever in the world is wrong with you?”

  “Wrong? What could possibly be wrong in this heaven-on-earth place?” She snatched up the plates and stomped toward the kitchen to set them on the counter by the sink. A fork bounced to the floor. When she started to lean over to pick it up, the color drained from her face. Grabbing the edge of the counter, she stood very still for a few seconds, then ran for the back door with her hand over her mouth.

  Kate and Tori followed her out. Evie held onto the porch post and heaved out everything she’d just eaten.

  “I think we can be pretty sure what’s wrong with her now.” Tori smiled as she pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket to hand Evie.

  Evie wiped off her mouth. She was trembling as she stared down at her skirt. “Did I get any on my suit?”

  “Don’t worry about your suit.” Kate wrapped her arms around her and turned her toward the door. “You’re freezing. Let’s get you inside.”

  “But you don’t understand. I just bought this suit. Last week. And now I’m not going to be able to wear it and I’m going to lose my job and I’m not ready. I’m just not ready.” She looked at Kate and Tori and burst into tears.