Mail Order Meals

by Kirsten Osbourne

  While it started boiling, she made French toast for breakfast and fried bacon to go with it. Doug came down later than usual, going straight to the barn to milk the cows and gather the eggs. He brought them to her, and then settled down at the table, saying a prayer and starting to eat his breakfast.

  “Are you feeling sick?” Trudie asked, feeling as if she was grasping at straws.

  He shook his head. “No, I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind.”

  And that was the end of the conversation. Trudie waited a few minutes. “Anything you want to talk about?”

  “Not at all.” He ate the last bite, and he stood up. “We’ll leave for church in two hours. I need to check on some things before we go.”

  She watched him leave, wondering if she’d done something to upset him. Maybe she shouldn’t have thrown the cherry at him, but he’d seemed to take it in stride at the time. There was no reason for him to be ignoring her now.

  He returned just before they needed to leave for church, and hurried upstairs to change into clothes that weren’t covered with dirt...and was that blood? She had no idea what he’d been doing, but she knew it was blood. She wanted to follow him up the stairs and ask him why he was covered with blood, but she didn’t. Instead, she put a lid on her pot and carried it out to the wagon that he’d already hitched for the ride.

  She put the pot onto the wagon seat, and then she climbed up beside it. Even if he was going to act strangely, she was going to enjoy her first morning at the new church.

  Chapter 6

  Doug talked little on the way to church, and Trudie’s attempts to get him to speak fell on deaf ears. “Did you have blood on your shirt this morning?” she asked. She wanted to know if it was animal blood or human blood, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to get the information from him. He’d been so quiet lately it was starting to make her think she was doing something wrong, but she had no clue what it could be.

  He shrugged, not ever looking at her. She had no idea what on earth she’d done that was so wrong, but she was determined not to let his attitude hurt her at all. Instead she’d go to his church and meet as many people as she could. She didn’t know anyone in the area yet, but she wanted to. She needed to make some friends to make up for the sisters she was missing so desperately.

  When they pulled up in front of the church, he quickly handed her down, and she took the pot she was carrying inside the church, letting Mrs. Goldman show her where to put the pot.

  Mrs. Goldman led her to the area where all the pots were waiting for them, talking as they walked. “How’s married life treating you, dear? Your husband has lost a bit of the hungry look he always has.”

  Trudie laughed. “I’m thankful. I thought cooking for him would be a never-ending job.” She finally had time to do a few other things since his appetite was sated for a short while.

  “Well, I can assure you it’s not over yet.” Mrs. Goldman smiled. “Let me introduce you to a few of the ladies. I think you’ll enjoy meeting Mrs. March a great deal, because she lives close to you. Perhaps the two of you could spend some time getting to know one another.”

  “Oh, I’d like that so much.” For the most part, Trudie’s only friends had been her sisters. She’d made a friend at work, and a couple on the train on the way there, but no one had ever spent time with her when they weren’t required to except her sisters. Her reputation had been bad enough that it was hard for other women to be around her.

  “Let’s go meet her then.” Mrs. Goldman took Trudie’s arm and led her over to a woman sitting quietly in a pew, waiting for church to start. “Mrs. March? I want you to meet Trudie Charleston, Douglas Charleston’s new wife. Trudie this is Marion March. Mr. and Mrs. Charleston are your closest neighbors.”

  Trudie smiled, offering her hand to the other woman to shake. “It’s so good to meet you. I hope we’ll be friends.”

  Mrs. Goldman added, “Mrs. March and her husband just moved here from back east. They’ve been here for a few weeks.”

  Trudie sat down beside the other woman. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only newcomer to the area.” Mrs. March was probably a little bit younger than she was, and there were no clinging children, but she asked anyway. “Do you have any children?”

  Mrs. March shook her head. “Thomas and I only married three weeks ago.”

  “I only married four days ago. Sounds like we have a lot in common. How would you feel about coming over for tea one day this week?” Trudie hoped she didn’t sound desperate when she asked, but she really wanted some time with other women.

  Mrs. March bit her lip. “I’d love to, but I’m afraid it’s too far to walk, and I don’t know how to drive.”

  Trudie shrugged. “I could come to you if that would be better.”

  Mrs. March looked around as if she was trying to hide something. “I can’t do that either.”

  “I could bring the refreshments and the tea,” Trudie said.

  “Would you?” Mrs. March looked as if she wanted to get together, but there was something holding her back. If it was the refreshments, Trudie could easily take care of them.

  “I’ll have my husband point out your house, and I’ll do that. What day is good for you?” Trudie asked, wanting to get the ball rolling on the new friendship.

  “Is tomorrow too soon?” Mrs. March asked.

  “Not at all. I’ll happily come tomorrow. Say two or two-thirty?”

  “Either would work for me.”

  “Then I’ll set out to be there at two, and if I get lost, it’ll be two-thirty.” Trudie grinned at the other women, determined they would be friendly if not bosom friends.

  “That truly sounds lovely.”

  “To me too.” Trudie got to her feet as the pastor stepped up to the pulpit. “I had better find Doug.”

  She rushed away, finding her husband standing quietly at the back of the church in a group of men. All the men around him were talking, and he was just standing there as if he had nothing to say, which seemed strange to Trudie. He’d done nothing but tease her for the first three days they knew one another.

  As soon as the service was over, all of the women were handing Doug small plates with their meal on it. After a moment, Trudie frowned. “Doug, you should try my chicken and dumplings. I promise, they’ll put all the other dishes to shame.” The women who were crowded around him all seemed to think they had a hold on him. Trudie needed to show him she was the only person who had a hold on Doug.

  Doug accepted her chicken and dumplings with a nod, and took a bite. He grinned. “My wife is right, ladies. I’ve never tasted anything quite this delicious.”

  At his words, the other women wandered away, and Trudie was left alone with Doug. “It feels strange to see so many other women vying for your attention.”

  He smiled. “Sorry about that. It’s something we’ve done for a long time. I don’t really know how to put a stop to it.”

  “I can see that.” Finally, he’d said something to her, so perhaps everything was about to change.

  Once they arrived home, Doug went to change clothes immediately. “Need to work,” was all he said as he headed out.

  Trudie sighed. He was obviously back to being “silent Doug.” She’d had such high hopes for them spending a day together.

  Just after he left, she heard a wagon pull into the yard, and she hoped it was someone there to talk to her. She was going to go nuts if she was lacking conversation all the time, and Doug didn’t seem to care about speaking at all anymore.

  She hurried to the door and spotted Mr. and Mrs. March getting out of their wagon. At least Trudie assumed it was Mr. March. He’d sat with Mrs. March at church, so he must be.

  “Come in. It’s good to have guests!” Trudie called to the couple.

  “Is Doug inside?” Mr. March asked.

  “No, he just rode out that way,” Trudie said, pointing in the direction her husband had gone.

  “I’ll borrow a horse and follow,” Mr. March said.


  Trudie shrugged, assuming the men had things to talk about. “Come in, Mrs. March. I’ll make some tea.”

  “I’d like that,” the other woman said softly. Once they were inside, and the door was closed, Mrs. March bit her lip again, as if she was considering what needed to be said. “I need your help.”

  Trudie nodded, sitting down as well. “What can I do?”

  “I can’t cook. Thomas is getting angrier and angrier when I burn the food, but I don’t know how to do anything else. I saw that everyone gobbled up your food at the potluck, and I enjoyed what I tried as well. So, I’m here to beg you to teach me to cook. Thomas suggested it after trying your chicken and dumplings.”

  Trudie smiled. “I will teach you to cook happily. What do you know how to make now?”

  Mrs. March shrugged. “Nothing. I have been feeding my husband beef jerky and crackers for three meals a day, and he’s told me that has to end. He’s not happy with me right now, and I really don’t know what else to do.”

  “Well, we’ll take care of that then. I’ll come over tomorrow as soon as I’ve finished the breakfast dishes, and we’ll cook together.”

  “You don’t mind?” Mrs. March seemed nervous to even ask. “You don’t even know me.”

  “We’re neighbors. I’m happy to help you. Do you sew?” Trudie asked, thinking that if her friend could help her sew, then she might feel better about the cooking lessons.

  “I can. It was the one thing I learned growing up. You see, my father had a great deal of money, and I only went to the most exclusive schools. He died a year ago, and we still had servants for a while after. Thomas met me at church, and he thought I would be a good wife because I was pretty.” Mrs. March sighed. “I have no idea how to do anything womanly but sew.”

  “We’ll learn the rest together.” Trudie went to take the kettle off the stove. “You can boil water?”

  Mrs. March shook her head. “I’m hopeless, aren’t I?”

  “You’re not. We’ll work together, and you’ll help me make supper tonight.” Trudie was confident in her teaching abilities. She’d taught some of her younger sisters to cook, and she’d even taught someone at the diner.

  “I will?” Mrs. March looked skeptical.

  “You will. We’ll have breakfast for supper, and then you can cook breakfast in the morning without me there.” Trudie poured tea for them both, and then she served a slice of the raspberry pie she’d made for supper. “You and Mr. March will stay for supper, of course.”

  Mrs. March smiled, her face practically lighting up the room. “We would love to.”

  The two women spent the afternoon talking and learning. Trudie showed Mrs. March how to use a knife. “What you want to do with fried potatoes is to cut the potatoes into chunks. It’s easier if you start with leftover potatoes in my opinion.”

  “Well, I don’t know how to make potatoes at all, so how will I know how to make them leftover?” Mrs. March seemed terribly frustrated with her lack of knowledge.

  Trudie laughed, showing Mrs. March how to properly peel a potato, cut it into smaller pieces, and then boil it. “Now when they’re done and cooled, we’ll chop them into small pieces. I almost always cook more than I need so that I’ll have enough to cut up and make for another meal.”

  “That makes a lot of sense.” Mrs. March paid rapt attention to each thing Trudie explained.

  “How do you like your eggs?” Trudie asked.

  Mrs. March frowned. “I usually like them soft in the middle but with the egg whites hard. I’ll eat them any way that I can cook them, though. What’s easiest?”

  “And those are the hardest eggs to make, of course. I’ll show you how, and you’ll make them for supper tonight. But we’re going to practice first, so that your husband thinks you are wonderful for cooking for him. No more mistakes that he can see.”

  Mrs. March laughed. “I hope I can learn all of these domestic chores quickly. I feel like I’m lacking.”

  “You’re not lacking. I grew up on a farm, so I had to learn these things whether I wanted to or not.” Trudie carefully showed her new friend how to heat up a pan, fry bacon, and then how to use the bacon fat to cook the eggs.

  She messed up more than a dozen eggs, and Trudie was glad she had so many for her friend to practice with. When Mrs. March made her first egg by herself, she squealed and hugged Trudie. “I made an egg and it has no shells, and I didn’t mess up the yolk.”

  “I told you it was possible.”

  Trudie also showed her how to cut pieces of bread to make toast. “I’ll show you how to bake bread tomorrow. Don’t worry about that yet. And we’ll write everything down, so that you can just follow the instructions on your own.”

  “I’m so glad you moved here. I thought my husband was destined to be angry with me about how little I could do in the kitchen. I was getting desperate as I tried to please him.”

  “Soon he’ll be begging for his favorite dishes, and you’ll know how to make them. We’ll make it work. Have you put in a kitchen garden?”

  Mrs. March’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know I was supposed to!”

  “Yes, you really should, but if you don’t get it done this year, then you can do it next year, and just buy canned vegetables this year. They’re easier to cook with anyway.”

  “Can you show me how to do the wash as well?”

  Trudie nodded, absolutely thrilled to have a project to work on. She would fill her days and have someone to talk to, whether Doug started talking to her again or not.

  When the men came in, Trudie was standing to one side as Mrs. March flipped the eggs. The plates were already filled with toast, bacon, and fried potatoes. As soon as the eggs were on, they were put onto the plates and Trudie served the men, and then went back as Mrs. March made more eggs for herself and Trudie.

  Once they were all seated, Doug said a prayer over the meal.

  “How much of this did you cook, Marion?” Mr. March asked.

  “The bread was already made, and Mrs. Charleston and I did the potatoes together, but I could easily make them now that she’s shown me. I did the bacon and the eggs myself.” There was no little pride in Mrs. March’s voice as she answered. “Trudie has consented to teach me to cook.”

  Mr. March smiled at Trudie. “Thank you. I hope you know that this won’t be an easy task.”

  Trudie smiled sweetly instead of kicking the man under the table as she wanted to do. “We’ll work together, and it will go well.”

  Doug sat eating his meal. “Does that mean you won’t be cooking for me for a while?” he asked.

  “If I go to the March’s house after breakfast, do you think you could heat up your own leftovers for lunch?” Trudie asked. It would be an easy task, but she knew Doug was much worse in the kitchen than Mrs. March.

  He frowned. “How long is this going to take? I like having my meal already warmed up when I get home. It saves time.”

  “I could make you two sandwiches for lunch, and wrap them in oil cloth. Then you could take them with you, and eat without ever having to come home for lunch. It’s only for a week or two.” Trudie hoped it wouldn’t be longer than that, because she didn’t want Doug upset with her, but she did feel the need to help her friend. She wondered if life would always be a balancing act.

  He sighed. “I suppose that will be all right then.”

  Trudie smiled at Mrs. March, letting her know she wasn’t bothered by how gruff Doug had sounded. Learning to cook wasn’t easy, and the two of them would do it together.

  After supper, Mrs. March helped with the dishes, and to Trudie’s surprise she didn’t know she had to have hot water to wash the dishes in. “I’ll teach you all about housework as well,” Trudie said happily. She was thrilled to have a friend to be with while Doug was on the range.

  Once the Marches had left for the night, Trudie sat down with Doug at the table, picking up her sewing. “Thank you for not minding if I help Mrs. March.”

  Doug shrugged. “I do mind a l
ittle, but I suppose if you needed something she would be here.”

  “I’m sure she would. She’s going to be a good friend to me.”

  He looked at her for a moment before nodding. “Do you have a need to be around people?”

  “Absolutely. I grew up with a dozen brothers and sisters. How on earth would I ever get used to the silence of being alone all the time? I’m thrilled to have a neighbor so close, and one who needs to learn something from me. It will be good for both of us to spend time together that way.”

  “I’m glad you’ve found a friend then.”

  “Have I done something to upset you?” Trudie asked. “You’ve been awfully quiet.

  Doug shrugged. “I’m a mostly quiet man. I do my work, and I handle things, but I’m not running around looking for someone to talk to all day.”

  Trudie sighed. “I am.”

  “It looks like you’ve found someone.” Doug looked back down at a stick he was whittling, and paid attention to that instead of his wife.

  Trudie had no idea how she was going to live with a mostly-quiet husband. Where was the man she’d married, who had entertained her so much for three days?

  Chapter 7

  Trudie made Doug’s sandwiches for him, and sent him off to work with a kiss that next morning. He seemed distracted even when he kissed her. She knew something was wrong, but if he wouldn’t talk to her about it, there was nothing she could do.

  As soon as he was gone, she saddled one of the horses and rode over to the March’s house. When she’d dismounted, Mrs. March was on the porch smiling. “I made breakfast this morning exactly like you showed me. Thomas said it was wonderful. Thank you so much.” She was obviously thrilled to have cooked something edible for a change.

  Trudie smiled. “So, let’s see what we want to cook next. Do you have any supplies?”

  Mrs. March nodded. “We got new supplies for me to burn on Saturday. Thomas said it was surely a waste of time and effort, but I’m glad he bought them. Because now I can learn to cook with them.”