Interview for a Wife by Ruth Ann Nordin

Chapter Five

Deanne woke up the next morning right before the sun rose. She washed up and got dressed in the faint light of the moon. If she had thought about it, she would have asked for a candle or a kerosene lamp.

By the time she was brushing her hair, the sun was finally rising for the day, and it gave her enough light to see what she was doing as she pinned her hair up.

She had no way of knowing what time it was. She used to own a pocket watch, but that had been in her purse. After slipping her boots on, she left the room. She stopped in front of the other bedroom and opened the door a crack. The children were still asleep.

Without knowing what time it was, it was hard to determine if she should wake them up now or wait. She went down the stairs. Finally, she found a clock hanging on the kitchen wall. It was almost 5:30.

She heard a sound from behind her and jumped when she saw Bill wheeling himself into the kitchen. She put her hand over her heart and chuckled. “I didn’t realize you were up.”

“I’m used to getting up early. Henry usually comes around this time to get the kids up and ready to go to town.” He came further into the room and went to one of the shelves on the wall that had been built for the height of the wheelchair. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to get a house in town. It takes so long to get to town in a wagon. When I could walk, I’d go on my horse. The ride was much quicker.”

She bet it was.

“Do you mind making a pot of coffee? I ground the beans and put them in here.” He selected a small bag and held it out to her.

She accepted it and loosened the bag where the smell of freshly ground beans greeted her. “This smells expensive.”

“I get a discount since I’m the owner of the store I buy it from.” He winked at her. “The pot is on the shelf of the cookstove. All you have to do is pump the water into the sink.”

“Alright.” She went to the cookstove and lit the coals to warm it up. “What do you want to do for breakfast?”

“Henry brought in some eggs last night. You mind frying them up?”

“No. Eggs are easy.”

“They are, but not everyone likes them. There’s a loaf of bread and some butter in that box on the counter. Vernon will only eat the bread, so don’t make any eggs for him.”

“How much food should I make for the children? Do they eat as much as adults?” Even as she asked the question, she felt silly. She’d shared two meals with Amber and Vernon but hadn’t taken the time to watch how much they ate.

Fortunately, he didn’t make a snide comment. Instead, he said, “No, they don’t eat much. Amber only needs one egg. I think between the two of them, three slices of bread will do. They can each have one-and-a-half buttered slices.” He chuckled. “Don’t set the butter in front of Vernon. He’ll pick up the whole thing and try to eat it.”

She grimaced.

“I know,” he agreed. “I don’t understand how he likes it all by itself, but he treats it like candy.”

She filled the pot with water then she set it on the stove. Placing the bag on the table, she turned to him. “I have time to wake the children up before the coffee’s ready. Then I can make breakfast. Is there anything special I need to do to help them get ready for the day?”

“Just wake them up. Amber will take care of Vernon. It might not seem like it, but she can do a lot for a seven-year-old. The poor thing had to grow up faster than other girls her age.”

She caught the regret in his voice and understood why he felt that way. No child should have to lose a mother, and the same child shouldn’t be expected to fill in a mother’s role because her father was confined to a wheelchair. But the selfish part of Deanne was glad the girl was mature for her age. It helped to have someone around here who could help her with a four-year-old boy.

“I won’t be long,” she told him before she left the kitchen.

***

“That will be $3.56,” Deanne told a customer later that day.

The mother with four children sorted through her coins while her oldest, a boy who looked to be ten, helped Deanne put the items his mother had purchased into two large boxes.

The door opened, and Deanne saw two old ladies enter the store. “I’ll be with you in a moment,” she called out to them.

Once the mother was done putting the coins on the counter, Deanne quickly counted them then put them in the leather pouch. She slipped it into the pocket of her apron.

“I’ll carry one of the boxes out for you, Mrs. Wibaux,” Deanne said.

The mother began to reply, but one of her children called out to her, so her attention went to the girl. Deanne picked up a box and went around the counter. The mother followed behind with the other box. The boy, thankfully, opened the front door. All mothers seemed to be busy. Ever since her marriage to Bill, she found herself paying attention to women who had children with them, especially children who were the same age as Amber and Vernon.

Once she put the box in the woman’s wagon, she returned to the store and hurried over to the two ladies who were looking through a catalogue.

“May I help you?” Deanne asked.

“Good morning, dear,” one of the ladies said. “I’m Winnie Jordan, and this is my sister, Piper Miller.”

Since the ladies looked expectantly at her, Deanne obliged them by saying, “I’m Deanne Harvey.”

“Harvey? Are you Bill Harvey’s new wife?” Piper asked.

Deanne nodded. “We just married yesterday. Is there something I can help you with?”

Winnie’s eyes lit up with excitement. “So it’s true then. Bill did take another wife. We heard the rumors about a wedding at the preacher’s house yesterday, but we weren’t sure they were true.”

“We had to come and see for ourselves,” Piper added.

“Where are you from?” Winnie asked.

Deanne glanced from one woman to the other, and it occurred to her that they hadn’t really come here to purchase something. They were here to satisfy their curiosity. Since it would be rude not to answer the question, Deanne said, “I’m from Omaha.”

“All that way?” Piper asked, her eyes wide.

“Omaha isn’t that far,” Winnie replied. “There are places farther than that. Like New York and Chicago.”

“Yes, those places are farther. That’s a good point,” Piper said. “But even so, it does take time to get from Omaha to here. It’s not like she was already in town. She wasn’t even on a nearby farm.”

“If she had been, we would have already known who she was.” Winnie’s gaze went back to Deanne. “Did you come here because of the ad Bill posted looking for a wife?”

“Oh yes, we knew about that ad.” Piper giggled. “You’re a lucky girl. He’s a good man.”

“Handsome, too,” Winnie added.

Deanne shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. “Yes, well, he wanted someone who could add and subtract numbers quickly.”

“Yes, I know he was looking for permanent help at this store,” Winnie said. “Archie couldn’t be expected to do this for years on end. He’s our age, and we can only handle so much before we get tired.”

“You get tired more easily when you’re our age,” Piper told Deanne. “A young thing like you wouldn’t know anything about that. Speaking of which, how old are you?”

Deanne glanced at the door, hoping someone who was an actual customer would come by, but since that didn’t happen, she said, “I’m thirty-one.”

“Oh, thirty-one,” Piper began. “Is this your first marriage?”

“No,” Deanne replied.

“So you’re a widow like poor Bill,” Winnie said. “How many children did you have from your first marriage?”

Deanne hated these questions. Why did everyone assume that just because she was a woman, it meant she could have children?

Before she could figure out a way to answer them that wouldn’t lead to them asking why she hadn’t had children, Bill came out from the back room.

“How are you doing, Winnie and Piper?” he greeted.

The two women left the catalogue and went over to him.

“It’s good to see you, Bill,” Winnie said. “Piper and I thought we’d come by to welcome your bride to Lincoln.”

“Yes, we were excited to hear you married again,” Piper added.

Deanne should have been relieved Bill had taken their attention off of her, but she couldn’t help but be annoyed. Why couldn’t everyone mind their own business like Mrs. Wibaux did? Not once did that woman ask Deanne anything personal. She’d kept everything strictly to what she wanted to buy.

“You two knew I was looking for another wife,” Bill told them, his tone indicating that he was amused rather than annoyed like Deanne was.

“Yes, but we didn’t know you found her,” Winnie replied. She glanced at Deanne. “She’s very pretty.”

“Yes, she is,” Bill said.

Despite the compliment, Deanne decided to put the catalogue away. She didn’t feel up to idle chitchat. All the two women were going to do was spread everything they learned around town. Then who knew if others would be coming to the store to look her over. It was like living in that apartment with Mrs. King all over again.

“How did the children take the marriage?” Winnie asked him.

“They took it very well,” Bill replied. “I’ve been preparing Amber for a new mother, and Vernon doesn’t remember Jennifer.”

Winnie put her hand over her heart. “Yes, the poor dear. But maybe that’s for the best. He’ll adjust to this change faster than Amber will.”

“Amber will be fine,” Bill said. “This will be good for her. She’s taken on too much for a little girl.”

“She has,” Piper agreed. “She’s pretty much been your legs at home.”

Deanne glanced at Bill, wondering if he was taken aback by the comment, but he didn’t seem to mind. If it was Deanne, it would have bothered her if someone pointed out the fact that she couldn’t do as much as others because she was bound to a wheelchair.

“I’m fortunate that God gave me a daughter who does so much for her little brother,” he said.

“That’s the way to look at it, Bill,” Winnie replied with a nod. “Amber is a sweet girl. I’m sure she’s going to have men lining up to court her.”

Bill chuckled. “I’m not ready for that yet. I’d like to keep her little for a while longer.”

“Enjoy every minute of it while she and Vernon are still children,” Piper said. “They grow up so fast. I don’t know how time slips away from those of us who are older. Children seem to be so impatient to grow up, but all we have to do is blink and they’re already adults.”

“Yes, it’s hard to believe we’re both already grandmothers,” Winnie replied.

“Great-grandmother,” Piper said. “I just found out my oldest granddaughter is expecting.”

Winnie gasped. “She is? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I was going to say something after we welcomed Deanne to this town,” Piper replied. “I didn’t want to take away from the newest member of the community.”

As if they all remembered Deanne was in the room, everyone looked at her.

Deanne’s face warmed. What did they expect her to say?

Bill broke the awkward silence. “Deanne and I appreciate you coming by to welcome her here.”

Deciding that was a good response, Deanne said, “Yes, thank you.”

“We shouldn’t keep you two from your work,” Piper replied. “I remember Archie saying he had his hands full when he was working here. It was nice meeting you, Deanne. And it was good to see you, Bill.”

Deanne smiled at them but was relieved when they went on to ask Bill a few more questions. It allowed her to pretend to be occupied as she straightened things on the shelves.

Once the women left, Bill called out to her. Deanne turned her attention to him, surprised he hadn’t returned to the back room.

“Did they make you uncomfortable?” Bill asked.

“No.”

“Something’s wrong. I’d like to know what it is.”

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just new here. People are curious.” No matter where she went, people always seemed to be curious.

“They didn’t mean any harm in coming by.”

“I realize that.” They never meant any harm. They were all just nosy. She wished they could all mind their own business. She didn’t go up to strangers and ask them a bunch of questions. She let them live their lives as they wished. It was a shame no one let her live her life as she wished. It’d be nice to have the freedom to do something without someone judging her.

“I’d like to start this marriage off on the right foot,” Bill said, his voice soft. “If you don’t want to talk about what’s bothering you, I’ll respect that. I just want you to know I’m willing to listen if you ever want to talk.”

He turned to go back to the room, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn’t feel like getting into an argument, especially not on the day right after they married.

The front door opened, and this time someone came into the store who actually wanted to buy something. Relieved, she turned her attention back to her job.