The Angel's Song

by Roberta Kagan

  “I know’d he did. But I don’t believe it. I always thought you loved us equal.”

  “You were easier. I will have to say that. But you’re right, son. You are both my children and I love you both equally. It’s just I always know’d from the time he was little that Cyrus was going to have a harder time in life. He fought it harder.”

  “What do you mean, Paw?”

  “All’s I mean is that you, Aiden, trusted me from the beginning. If’n I told you to do something, you didn’t question me. You just done what I asked. But now Cyrus … he ain’t like that. He challenged me … he challenged our way of life, and he even challenged God at every turn.”

  “Poor Cyrus. You think he’s gonna be all right?”

  “You’re still worried about your brother, even after all he done to you, ain’t you? He stole your girl and made her pregnant. He hurt you and you love him still. Don’t you?”

  “I do, Paw. I guess he could kill me and I’d look down from heaven and still call him my brother. I suppose it’s just the way God made me. Guess some folks might just say I’m a fool.”

  “You ain’t no fool, Aiden. You’re good and kind. I always know’d that about you, son. And I love you all the more for the goodness in your heart.”

  “Thank you, Paw. We ought to pray for Cyrus. He’s gonna need our prayers, specially if he’s gone and signed up to go off to war.”

  “Sure is gonna need our prayers. Well, all we can do is ask God to watch over him.”

  They knelt together on the land in Mudwater Creek, where the Hunt family had lived for generations. Then together, father and son opened their hearts and asked God to watch over Cyrus, the one who had strayed from the flock.

  Once they finished praying, Josiah walked back to the house, and Aiden walked the other way. He was on his way to see Alice. He knew it was going to hurt her when he told her that Cyrus was gone and he felt bad for her. But he hoped that she would say yes when he asked her to be his wife.

  Chapter Seven

  Aiden knocked on the door to the little cottage where Alice lived. Her father answered. In spite of her father’s anger towards Cyrus for what he’d done to Alice, he still couldn’t help giving Aiden a smile.

  “What brings you here, Aiden Hunt?”

  “I come to see Alice.”

  “She’s betrothed to your brother now. You know that, don’t you son?”

  “I do, sir. I heard everything that you and my paw discussed last night. But I have some sorry news.”

  “Well, go on then …”

  “Seems my brother lit out during the night. We ain’t sure where he’s gone off to. My paw thinks he probably signed up to go to the war.”

  “That sure is sorry news,” Alice’s father said, rubbing the gray scruffy hair on his chin. He coughed and then spit into a bloody handkerchief. “Alice gonna be real upset. She done got herself into a might of trouble. She brought shame on her family.” He shook his head. “You want to tell her yourself, or do you want me to talk to her?”

  “I’d like to see her, if you don’t mind, sir.”

  “Well, come on then. My guess is she’s out in the garden.”

  Aiden followed Alice’s father, who looked like a man much older than his years, as he limped bent-over out the back door of the house. Aiden saw Alice kneeling. She was carefully pruning tomato plants. She looked up when she saw him. At first, she smiled, obviously glad to see him. Then her face turned scarlet remembering her embarrassment. Aiden knew she was ashamed to look at him because of what he knew about her and Cyrus. But he walked over and knelt beside her.

  In the gentlest voice he could muster he said, “Hey Alice, how you doin?”

  “I’m doin all right, Aiden.” She didn’t look up at him.

  “Well, I am glad to hear that you’re doing fine. But I come to tell you something. It ain’t good news, but I gotta tell you.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Cyrus run off last night.”

  “Oh? No …”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. His heart hurt when he saw her face crinkle and tears begin to fall.

  Alice sat back on her haunches and put her dirt-covered hands over her eyes and wept like a child. Aiden sat beside her for several minutes before he spoke again.

  “It’s all right, Alice,” he said, his voice as soft as a whisper.

  “No, it ain’t. My life ain’t never gonna be right again.”

  Aiden bit his lip. It felt like such an awkward and inappropriate time to say the words he longed to say. And yet he knew he must. “Alice. I know’d you loved my brother. But…well, I don’t know how to say this, cepten to just to go ahead and say it.”

  “What you tryin’ to tell me, Aiden?”

  “I’m tryin to say that I love you, Alice,” he said. She looked up at him, her face stained with dirt and tears. “And if you’ll have me, I’d like to marry you.”

  “What about the baby?” she asked, hanging her head in shame.

  “It ain’t sprung from my loins, is true. But that child is my blood. It’s my brother’s child, what could be closer to my own? I’ll be a good father to the baby…and I’ll be a good husband to you too. I give you my word.”

  “You would do that for me, Aiden?” she asked.

  “I’d do that for both of us. I always loved you, Alice. I reckon I always will.”

  She threw her arms around his neck and held him close. “Thank you for forgivin me. I know that what I done with Cyrus hurt you.”

  “It’s all right. Folks make mistakes, honey. That’s what makes us all human.”

  “You’re so good, Aiden.”

  “So, what’s your answer, girl?”

  “My answer?”

  “Yeah, you gonna marry me?”

  She hugged him tighter. “I sure am. And I ain’t never gonna let you get away again.”

  Chapter Eight

  The wedding took place the following Sunday in the little white wooden church where the ancestors of both the bride and groom worshiped for the last fifty years. Pastor Hunt presided. And of course, by not being present, Cyrus was the unspoken center of attention. But no one put words to their questions. No one dared ask where Cyrus was. They all knew his reputation. He’d been getting into trouble since he was a child, mischief mostly. But, if anyone suspected that Alice was pregnant by Cyrus and that he had run away leaving his brother to pick up the pieces, no one said a word. The people who lived in that small mining village had the utmost respect for the revered Pastor Hunt and his kind and generous son, Aiden. They liked them both too much to speak badly of either one.

  The bride wore her mother’s old wedding dress. Her hair was plaited with fresh flowers from the Hunt’s garden. Anyone who saw her would still say that Alice was the prettiest girl in Mudwater Creek. However, if they were perceptive enough to look deeply, they would see her puffy tear-stained cheeks, her red eyes, and her strained smile.

  Aiden, with his heavy auburn hair, was handsome as always. He stood tall and stately at the altar. He looked across the room at the congregants with a smile that was open, engaging, and sincere.

  And so it was that the couple became man and wife. They moved in with Alice’s father so that they could help take care of him. The man’s breath was labored, and he could be heard wheezing whenever he walked through the small house. Aiden’s job was assistant pastor to his father but he also took care of his father-in-law’s farm. He tended the chickens, cared for the old mare in the barn, and pruned the small vegetable garden.

  As time passed, Alice grew big with child. Her stomach swelled and so did her legs. Walking was painful. She was so uncomfortable that she could hardly move. Most of the housework also fell upon Aiden. He did everything necessary to keep the family going without complaint. During the early days of their marriage, Aiden never mentioned the relationship between Alice and Cyrus. But secretly, he was worried that Cyrus’s memory stood between them. He felt it in their bed when they made love. He could see it in
Alice’s eyes sometimes when he found her sitting alone on the front porch staring out at the mountains. Instead of questioning her, he sat down at her side and took her hand in his. She always gave him a sweet smile, but there was something missing between them. Aiden’s heart ached for her love; he cared so deeply for her. He gave a lot of time and thought to her feelings. He decided that if she were still in love with his brother, life had to be very difficult for her. So the best he could do was to be gentle, and hope that her feelings for Cyrus would fade with time.

  It was a hard winter that fell upon the mining town in 1918. The weather was cold to an extreme and the snowfalls were deep and unceasing. Regardless of the weather, the Sunday church services continued. As always during the service, Pastor Josiah Hunt and his son Aiden would become so filled with the power of the Holy Spirit that they were able to handle the rattlesnakes and not suffer a bite. The joyous sounds of music and singing filled the tiny white church. The members began to feel the spirit too, as they came forth and spoke in tongues.

  Early one morning in February, on a day so frigid that frozen icicles hung from the trees, Alice’s father had a massive and unexpected heart attack in his bed. He died instantly. Aiden found him, and it was left to him to tell Alice. She was devastated. Her mother had died long ago and her father was her only family. She was an orphan now, and Aiden was all she had left in the world. She clung to him as she wept. He held her tightly and she found comfort in his strong arms.

  It was a hard winter for Alice. She and her father were very close and now he was gone. Everywhere she looked in their little house, she expected to see him. But he was gone forever. However, at the time Alice could not see that God had a plan. The loss of Alice’s father was the catalyst needed to bring her and Aiden closer together. She clung to her husband during this most difficult time. And the kindness Aiden showed Alice convinced her to finally break down and allow him to love her and her to love him.

  Alice went into labor on a hot afternoon in mid-July of that same year. She hadn’t felt well all morning and by afternoon she was certain the baby was coming. What ensued was a fourteen-hour struggle with the town midwife by her side. But then, just like the miracle of creation, early in the morning as the sun rose in the east, spilling rays that looked like diamonds on the morning dew, a little girl came into the world. Neither Alice nor Aiden mentioned Cyrus. Although, they both thought of him for a single moment when the baby cried for the first time. But Cyrus was soon forgotten as together, Aiden and Alice counted the tiny fingers and toes and marveled at the beautiful child that they named Viola Lynn.

  As soon as mother and daughter were comfortable, Aiden went to see his parents and cousin to tell them that a new life had just joined the Hunt family. Josiah, Aiden’s mother, and Grace followed him back to the cabin to see the new baby. They held the infant in their arms and said she was beautiful.

  No one spoke the name of Cyrus Hunt.

  Chapter Nine

  Aiden took to preaching on Sunday like a baby turtle takes to water. Josiah was proud of his son. And like his father, Aiden had no fear of taking up snakes. He’d been doing so all of his life but, unlike his father, he was never bit. Josiah watched his youngest son and as he looked at Aiden, his heart swelled. He knew he was right when he chose Aiden as his successor. It had been a difficult choice for Josiah because he knew how badly Cyrus wanted to follow in his footsteps. And because Cyrus was his eldest, the job should have rightfully been his. He even knew that choosing Aiden would push Cyrus even further away from him. To make matters worse, Cyrus was not the only person who wanted to be the next pastor. Josiah’s brother Wade had always been jealous that Josiah’s father had not chosen him. And Wade often mentioned that he was waiting for his older brother to step down so he could take over. However, when Josiah looked into his brother’s eyes, he knew that Wade didn’t have the calling. Wade drank heavily from the time they were pubescent boys and was known to visit prostitutes quite often. Before Josiah’s sons were born, he worried that he might be forced to leave the church in Wade’s care. But he prayed and God sent him his two boys. Josiah didn’t feel sorry for Wade, but he did feel bad about choosing Aiden over Cyrus. Josiah knew that even as a small child, Cyrus was always trying hard to please him. Yet, there was something in Cyrus’ nature that made Josiah unable to choose him. Josiah couldn’t put his finger on exactly what was lacking. Although it was not tangible, he was certain that he felt it. And whatever it was, it kept Josiah from feeling as close to Cyrus as he did to Aiden.

  When the time came to decide between his two boys, Josiah didn’t take the decision lightly. He searched his soul, taking off into the woods to pray for clarity. He was gone for nearly three days, but when he returned he was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that Aiden was the chosen one, the one destined to follow him as pastor of the church he loved.

  Aiden loved the church as much as his father did. When he gave a sermon, he felt the power of God surge through him. And when he felt that power, he was certain that the serpents could do him no harm. The parishioners watched him, mesmerized, and so did his father. They all felt they were personal witnesses to Aiden’s connection with God and they loved him for it. When he gave the sermon, many folks claimed that they could feel the actual presence and power of the Holy Ghost enter the room. Aiden was the kindest, holiest man they ever knew, except for his father Josiah. He would take several rattlesnakes out of the cage during a service and hold them all high in the air at the same time. Their forked tongues would dart in and out and they would hiss and spit. But Aiden paid them no attention. He felt that he was one with God at that moment, and no serpent could ever break through that bond.

  Once in a while, people would privately mention Cyrus’s name. On occasion, it was said that little Viola Lynn resembled her uncle Cyrus. But no mention of Cyrus was ever made to anyone in the Hunt family

  Grace had always wanted a sister and Alice fit the mold perfectly. Almost every day, Grace came to see Alice and Aiden. She watched the baby so that Alice could clean the house or prepare food. And it was an unspoken fact that Grace always had an open invitation to stay for dinner. Grace had always loved her brother but now she loved Alice too and because of this, she made a decision. Although Grace was still only a child herself, she knew that Cyrus had the power to ruin Aiden and Alice’s happiness. So one evening after dinner, as she watched Alice and Aiden playing with Viola, Grace decided that if Cyrus ever returned to Mudwater Creek, she would tell him that Alice had lost his baby. It would be a disaster if he ever decided to put a claim on little Viola or do anything to come between Aiden and Alice. Grace thought that it was important that if Cyrus ever saw Viola Lynn he must be made to believe that she was Aiden’s rightful child.

  That winter was as frigid as all winters in Mudwater Creek. Alice was glad, however, that she and Aiden had been diligent in preparing.

  Aiden is so responsible, she thought. He made sure to chop plenty of firewood, and then he done slaughtered a pig and dried the meat so as we will have what we need to carry us through the cold months. He buried potatoes too. And I done my part as well by canning plenty of fruits and vegetables. Thank goodness for Gracie. I couldn’t a done it had she not come and watched the baby for me.

  A winter storm came early that year. It was two weeks before Thanksgiving and it crushed Mudwater Creek. Snow and ice covered the town. The river froze. Josiah Hunt came down with the flu. He coughed, hacking hard until his lung collapsed. Unable to catch his breath, he died with his family surrounding him. Aiden was devastated. He had lost his father, the man he admired more than anyone in the world. Not only that but now he was the only preacher in town. The time had come to carry on his father’s legacy. Even though the weather was bitter, Aiden often went outside at night and gazed at the shadow of the mountain while praying to God. He cried and begged, asking Josiah to help him, to come to him in spirit and to guide him. Alone, he looked out at the land and wept for the loss of the man who had given him
direction and formed his life. But Aiden forced himself to remain strong when he was with his mother and his sister because as far as they were concerned, Aiden was the only man left in the family. No one acknowledged Cyrus.

  Finally, spring waltzed in, bringing with her wildflowers in brilliant colors and the warm breath of life. The air smelled of rain and rebirth. Tiny tendrils of grass began to peak their heads up out of the ground.

  The change of season brought beauty but only a select few of the residence of Mudwater Creek took notice. Over the past centuries, life for the miners changed very little. The only world they knew was a world made up of hard physical labor, long hours in a dark, hot mine, and constant fear of lung disease and explosions. However, that was why the Sunday services at the Pentecostal church were so important to them. The few hours that they spent each week in church offered them a little bit of comfort in a world that was harsh and brutal. The town folk sometimes climbed the mountain just to come to hear Aiden’s sermons. But they didn’t come often and they never came in winter.

  Although Aiden felt the loss of his father every day, he could also feel the promise of a new and glorious rebirth every Sunday in the crowded pews. How he loved to give those sermons. There was nothing that gave him more pleasure than seeing his flock gathered together wearing their special Sunday clothes, clapping their hands and singing as they raised their voices in praise of God. When one of them spoke in tongues or took up a serpent, Aiden knew that he was truly reaching them. He was God’s messenger, fulfilling his purpose in the world.

  Little Viola was growing fast. Every day, Aiden loved her more. With her bright intelligent eyes and winning smile, she was the apple of Aiden’s eye. And on one very special day, for the first time, she began to ramble “Da, Da, Da, Da.”

  “Would you look at that? Her first words and she’s calling for you,” Alice said giving Aiden a wink.