Kathleen kept looking out the window, watching for the ladies’ arrival. Finally, a rented hack pulled up and Mrs. Heaton stepped out carrying a huge picnic basket. The other ladies followed her into the building.
Earlier, when she’d told Colleen about the ladies’ visit, her sister had hesitated. Kathleen had insisted.
“We can’t be rude, Colleen. These women care about us.”
“You’re right, to be sure. I’m just a little nervous about havin’ company here.”
Kathleen had understood. She’d felt the same way until she’d come to realize these people genuinely wanted to help her and her family. And just as she knew they would, Mrs. Heaton, Mrs. Driscoll, Elizabeth and Violet all put her sister at ease immediately by showing their concern for her health, for her welfare and the boys’, as well as for Kathleen’s. They talked to her as if they were lifelong friends and with as much respect as they would give one another.
Kathleen was pleased to see that her sister began to relax as soon as they started to eat the meal Mrs. Heaton had brought over.
“My dears, we’ve come to tell you some good news. At least we think it is and we’re hoping you both do, too.”
“What is it, Mrs. Heaton?” Kathleen asked.
“Well, we’ve found a place for your family to live outside the tenements. It’s not overly far from Heaton House and it’s—”
Kathleen could see the tension in her sister’s face as she sat a little straighter and shook her head and interrupted Mrs. Heaton.
“Aw, now, we can’t be taking charity, even though I know your hearts are good and you mean well,” Colleen said with a sigh. “We’d never be able to pay for a place the likes of what you’re describin’ with Kathleen’s wages and what I can bring in doing laundry for others.”
“Oh, but my dear, please wait until you hear us out. We have a plan for that also.”
By the time the ladies finished explaining that Colleen could run one of the child care homes they were establishing around the city, Kathleen could see the hope she felt deep inside reflected in her sister’s eyes. Not only did the plan offer a better life for Colleen and the boys, but also the hope of a future for Colleen’s children—and her own if she ever had any.
“I assure you, Colleen, you’ll be earning every penny you receive,” Mrs. Heaton said. “Please don’t consider anything we are doing as charity. We’ve just figured out a way that we can all help you and your family and others to have hope again.”
“You say there’ll be another woman living there, too. What about Kathleen?” Colleen asked.
“Well, we have an offer to make to Kathleen, too.”
“Oh?” Kathleen looked from Mrs. Heaton to Mrs. Driscoll. “And what is that? Do you want me to run another of the homes?”
Mrs. Heaton shook her head. “No, dear. We want you to find others we can hire to run the new homes as we can start them up. And most of all we need you to identify those who are in real need of child care while they work.”
“But what about my job at Tiffany Glass? Will I be able to work around it?”
“Kathleen,” Mrs. Driscoll said, “I love having you work in my department. You are one of the best workers I have. But this is a much better position. It will pay you more than you are making now—or, for that matter, more than I’m making.”
“How can that be?”
“The backers of this project have the money to do it right,” Mrs. Heaton said. “And they want someone who has lived in the tenements, who can relate to the women in need. Because it involves talking to women, a man isn’t going to be able to do the job as well as you. Many of the women would never even talk to a man.”
“And you’ve expressed a desire to help others,” Violet added. “We thought this would be ideal for you to be able to do that in a way we can’t.”
“But where will she live?” Colleen asked.
“She has a room at Heaton House as long as she wants it,” Mrs. Heaton said.
Kathleen felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. She wanted to move back to Heaton House, but— “I’m not sure Colleen is up to this so soon.”
“I’ll be fine, Kathleen. And now that I know you can go back to Heaton House where you have so many friends, my heart is at ease. You’ve given up so much over the years to help us and—”
“But, I—”
“Kathleen, it will be a few weeks yet before we get things in place. By then Colleen will feel even better. We don’t want you leaving her until you both feel comfortable about it,” Mrs. Heaton explained, looking from one to the other. “In the meantime, you could try to find someone with the need of a job who could help run the house and who would be a blessing to your sister. I’m sure you know several people that are friends already who might want this opportunity.”
“You know there are, Kathleen,” Colleen said. “I can think of several right now.”
Mrs. Heaton smiled. “I thought that might be the case. It would be good if it were someone you know and like, Colleen. So, ladies, will you help us?”
Help them? Kathleen looked at her sister and nodded. She saw Colleen’s smile before it even reached her mouth and knew she’d agree to the plan. How could she not?
“Oh, yes, ma’am,” Colleen answered. “I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity you are offering us. I promise you’ll never be sorry.”
“We’re pretty certain of that, dear. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here.” Mrs. Heaton smiled and looked at the women who’d come with her. “Well, ladies, I think we can put our plan in motion.”
“Thank you.” Kathleen hugged the older woman who’d taken her into her home for no other reason than just to help her for a few days or weeks. Now she’d helped her for all time.
* * *
Luke enjoyed flying kites with the boys. They loved being at the park, running and playing, letting the kites he’d bought them fly higher and higher in the sky.
They were tuckered out by the time they headed home that afternoon—so much so that Brody had fallen asleep on the trolley ride, and Luke carried him from the trolley stop to their building and up the stairs to their apartment.
Luke had prayed all afternoon that Kathleen and her sister would accept Mrs. Heaton’s offer for what it was and not refuse it as charity. He realized they were both proud, but surely they’d see that they would be helping others as well as themselves.
And hopefully Kathleen wanted to move back to Heaton House as badly as he wanted her to. Oh, he knew she loved her family, but she needed a life of her own, too. Clancy was no longer a problem and Luke couldn’t bring himself to be anything but glad about that. Kathleen could see her family anytime she wanted without fear of her sister’s husband, and she no longer had to fear that her sister or the boys would be hurt.
Collin ran ahead and knocked on the apartment door. When Kathleen opened the door to them and saw her nephew in Luke’s arms, she smiled and he tried to read what her decision had been as she reached out and took Brody from him.
“Come on in. Colleen is napping, but I’ve got some coffee on and Mrs. Heaton left cookies.”
“Cookies? May I have one, Aunt Kate?” Collin asked.
“You may. You can keep Luke company while I put Brody down.”
Collin led him to the cookie jar in the center of the table. “Mrs. Heaton brings the best cookies.” He looked into the jar, reached in and pulled out a huge sugar cookie.
Luke put his hand in and pulled out one for himself. He’d fed the boys lunch on the way to the park, but all the activity had made them hungry.
Kathleen came out of the tiny bedroom the boys shared and poured him a cup of coffee just as a knock came on the door. Collin ran to answer it and found Roger, the neighbor’s son, asking if he could come play.
“May I go play with Roger, Aunt Kate?”
“You may.” She pulled another cookie out of the jar and handed it to Roger. Then she stood and watched them enter the Walsh apartment before coming back to the kitchen.
“How were they? Did they tire you out?” Kathleen asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee and joined Luke at the table.
“Pretty near. But we had a good time. It didn’t take them long to catch on to the art of kite-flying.” He took a sip of coffee and met Kathleen’s gaze. “How did the meeting go?”
If the sparkle in her eye was any indication, it went well.
“Did you know of the offer Mrs. Heaton and her group were going to make us?”
“I did. But it wasn’t my news to tell and I—”
“I understand. I just didn’t know how much to tell you and I’m still not sure I believe it.” She smiled and shook her head. “That we’re all getting out of the tenements is such a blessing. Colleen couldn’t contain her tears once they left. It’s a lot to take in.”
“You accepted the position they offered you, too?”
“I did. At first I didn’t think I’d be qualified for it, but then Mrs. Heaton explained that they want someone who has lived here, who can relate to those who do. I think it’s my chance to help others as she’s helped us and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”
“I’m a little concerned about you coming and going all the time.”
“Luke, I’ve lived here for a long time. I’ll be fine. And Mrs. Heaton has made me promise not to be out and about after dark. I don’t do that now, so it was an easy promise to make.”
Luke leaned back in his chair, relief washing over him. His prayers had been answered. Kathleen and her family would be out of here before long. And she would be back at Heaton House. It couldn’t come soon enough for him.
* * *
By the end of the month, things had come together so well that Mrs. Heaton was asking for volunteers to get Kathleen’s sister moved into the first home that would serve as both home to her and her boys, along with a friend of Colleen’s who’d be helping to run the home and do a lot of the cooking. It would serve as a child care home for one of Kathleen’s former coworkers from Tiffany, one from Butterick, and two others who lived in the same tenements as Kathleen and her sister.
Colleen and the other woman they’d hired, Ida, would be watching ten children altogether, and everyone agreed that would be enough at least until they saw how things went. But Colleen would be in charge and with her salary and a furnished home, she’d be able to make a decent living.
“What did Kathleen say when you told her everything was in place?” Elizabeth asked.
Mrs. Heaton had visited her just that afternoon. “She cried. And then she hugged us. Clara and I told her together.” Mrs. Heaton clasped her hands together and smiled. “I can’t wait to get her family moved in the new home and Kathleen moved back in here.”
Luke felt the exact same way. Oh, he’d seen a lot of Kathleen at her and her sister’s apartment. But that was nothing like having her in the same house.
“What about furnishings? Will they have enough for the house?” Elizabeth asked.
“We’ve had wonderful donations of items to furnish it and all of that is already in place. It won’t take very long to move the rest of their belongings. There isn’t much,” Mrs. Heaton said.
“Luke and I are leaving here at nine in the morning. Michael and Violet will meet us at Colleen’s. Any of you who wish to help are welcome to come with us.”
Julia and Elizabeth immediately offered to help at least part of the day, as did John and Ben.
“I am so eager to get them out of there. The memories they have to live with would be enough reason to find something else, even if it wasn’t such an awful place to live,” Luke said.
But it was awful, and thinking about all the children living in similar conditions had kept him up late into the night working on his book.
“Once they are out, maybe they can begin to put those awful memories behind them. I pray Collin and Brody can forget that night.” Luke had become quite fond of those boys. It was a pity their father hadn’t cared enough to throw the bottle out and treat his family the way they deserved.
“I hope so, too,” Mrs. Heaton said. “But I’m not sure they can—at least not now. Perhaps, in time, they will.”
“Perhaps their mother will remarry one day and hopefully, another man, a good man, will help wipe out those memories,” Julia said.
“I have been relieved to know that Officer O’Malley has been checking on them from time to time,” Elizabeth said.
What mattered to Luke most right now was getting those children out of that apartment, out of the shadows and into a home where there was sunlight—and hope for their future.
* * *
The next morning most of Mrs. Heaton’s boarders, all except for Julia, who’d been called in to work at the last minute, showed up to help Kathleen and Colleen get moved.
Kathleen watched her sister. While she would have been embarrassed at one time, today she was happy to see them and thankful for their help.
There was Mrs. Heaton, Elizabeth and Violet, of course, and Luke. But also Michael, John Talbot and Ben rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Kathleen’s heart warmed that they cared enough to give up their Saturday to help her and her family.
“It is so good to see you again and know that you’ll be living at Heaton House once more.” Elizabeth hugged her. “And your sister will be close enough to visit.”
“I know. I’m so thankful for that. Thank you for your help and your friendship,” Kathleen said, hugging her back.
Everyone began gathering up boxes or crates to carry down the stairs and it seemed a madhouse for a while. But Luke and Michael had rented a couple of wagons, and soon they were loaded and on their way to the new house by noon.
In short order they pulled up in front of a well-kept, modest two-story home on a nice quiet block not all that far from where Mrs. Heaton lived. It was the first time Kathleen and her family had seen the house Colleen and the boys would be calling home. Kathleen only had to see the expression on Colleen’s face to know what her sister was feeling.
“Are we at the right place?” she asked Mrs. Heaton.
The older woman patted her hand. “This is it, dear. Colleen’s new home.”
Kathleen was speechless. It was...so much more than either she or her sister had imagined when Mrs. Heaton and Elizabeth had told them about it. She felt as if she must still be sleeping and would wake up soon, still in the tenement and finding this was all a dream. It was only when Luke offered his hand to help her and Colleen out of the wagon that she began to believe it was real.
Violet and Mrs. Heaton went in with them while the others began to unload the wagon. Kathleen looked around at the parlor...and put a hand to her mouth as she took in the furnishings. There was a real parlor suite of blue and gold that actually matched. There were paintings on the walls and drapes at the windows. The furnishings were in good condition, if slightly worn. But they made the parlor look homey, comfortable and beautiful in her eyes.
Then she spotted the dining room across the way and saw that it, too, was furnished. The pieces didn’t match but they fit each other and all she could do was shake her head as they made their way upstairs and picked out the rooms Colleen and her boys would have. The boys would share a connecting room. There was a room like Colleen’s across the hall and she chose it for Ida. “If Ida doesn’t like it or wants a different room, she can choose when she arrives.”
All the rooms were big, bright and clean, and Kathleen was thrilled. She wouldn’t feel so guilty living in Heaton House again, now that Colleen and the boys had such a nice place to live.
The bedrooms were furnished with beds and armoires—the boys would each have their own bed for the first time in
their lives. Kathleen turned to Mrs. Heaton. “Oh, we’ve never had such nice furnishings. Do these come with the house?”
“They do,” Mrs. Heaton said. “Many of my friends and I have things in our attics that were in good condition and just sitting there, not being used, Kathleen. It gave everyone who donated something much pleasure to know how it would be used, I can assure you of that.”
Colleen looked dazed. “I’ve never seen such fine things. I don’t know how we can ever repay you.”
“Just help someone else, dear. And you’ll be doing that by keeping the children of others in need.”
“But I’ll be paid for that. This is all...just too much to take in.” Colleen sank into a settee and looked around the parlor. “I’ve never seen anything so grand and that it will be ours...”
“Yours it is. It will feel like home before long,” Violet said. “At least we hope it will.”
The group started bringing things in and asking where to put the different boxes, and Colleen stood to take one.
But Mrs. Heaton turned to Colleen as she stood and shook her head. “You just sit here and get used to everything, Colleen. You still don’t need to be lifting and all. You’ll have your work cut out for you when you start keeping the other children in a few weeks. For now, just tell us where you want certain things put and try to get used to this being your home.”
Tears came to Kathleen’s eyes as she turned to Elizabeth and Mrs. Heaton. “I truly don’t know how to thank you both for all you’ve done for us. If it weren’t for you, we’d have no hope.”
“You both have grit, Kathleen. You would have made it. We just wanted to hurry things along.”
“You’ve certainly done that. Thank—”
Mrs. Heaton held her hand up. “You’re welcome. And we’re glad to have some part in your future. But it is your future and we know that you will both make the best of this new chapter of your lives. You’ve had a tragedy, to be sure, but you know the Lord can work all manner of things to the good of His people. And He will use you to help others. By understanding what others like you and Colleen have been through, you will be more able to help them.”
A Place of Refuge Page 11
