and Josh carefully lifted the paper to end the suspense. An excited yell sprang from the wad of onlookers as Josh stared up at his own likeness peering back at the crowd. He smiled broadly.
“Thank you, Bernadette, thank you. It’s special. A great gift. The best I’ve received in a very long time.”
Back inside, the clapping and cheering wound down slowly, replaced with good-naturedness and bad jokes. After much back slapping and holiday wishing, the crowd finally disbanded. Wanda flipped the store’s sign to “closed”. She walked over to the scrawny tree and sorted out the pile of boxes, then herded the café’s crew into their cars for the ride to her home.
Peeking in at the celebrants that Christmas Eve gathered in the House of Many Colors, no one would have guessed the little mismatched group wasn’t family. Histories, laughter and hopes blended together, forming a web of comfort and support. It was an easy net to catch a young woman—one who was about to face major changes.
Chapter 37
Bundles
A mother! BAD, a mom? How did that fit into the real world? Somehow the idea of it didn’t line up with Lilly’s memories of her lifelong friend. Adventurous, bossy, attractive, creative, and stubborn: attributes which made her a great best friend, but not necessarily ones she’d choose for mothering. Bernadette hadn’t been around newborns and had never wanted to be. Nurturing? Maybe of her own talents and ideas. But a baby? A living, breathing, dependent life form?
“Lilly, are you being fair? After all, you aren’t the same person you were a year ago, right?” Susan’s words hit home. “And look at me. I’ve gone from knowing nothing about being a wife to being an expert in diapering in that same amount of time. What you should be worrying about is who is going to be there to help her. Without Jack’s occasional baby duties and my mom’s insistence on keeping Miranda one day a week while I attend classes, I’d be a bigger grouch than I am now! Unfortunately, I don’t think Lone Grove’s inhabitants are ready to fling open their arms for ‘the one who has strayed’. The gossip is that the Donahues are pretty broken up by the news and are keeping a low profile. Sad, really.”
“You’re right. They say very little about Bernadette at all, almost as if she’s ceased to exist. And yet her photos are still everywhere in their house; her room is unchanged. Sometimes when I’m visiting it’s like they want me to tell them everything I know without them having to ask anything. I share what I can but it always feels strained and a little strange.”
“My best advice to you, Lilly, is to send her a good baby care book and lots of prayers, and make sure she knows we are still her friends.”
Miranda’s crying interrupted their conversation. Susan adeptly plucked her from the windup swing and whisked her to the changing table, all the time cleaning and comforting the little girl. The class clown had become a first-class mama.
Lilly fervently prayed that when BAD’s baby arrived, everyone would be able to say the same of her.
Dear Lilly,
I received your Christmas gifts in the mail yesterday and was thrilled. The baby and child care book is perfect for someone who needs all the help she can get. It answers many of the practical questions I’ve had. But the rest of the package was amazing – how did you pull it off? You are a genius! Only you, Lilly, can imagine how great it was to get back in my possession the notes, tubes of paint, and brushes I left behind! Just a few of things I’ve missed dearly. Believe me, everything has been put to good use.
Another surprise arrived from Lone Grove. My folks sent a winter coat and a note that made me think there is hope. You may have been right, Lilly, it just takes time.
Thank you, thank you, dear friend.
Bernadette
Dear Bernadette,
What a lovely surprise! I knew you were great at landscapes but when did you start painting portraits?
“Thank you, Bernadette, thank you. It’s special. A great gift. The best I’ve received in a very long time.”
Back inside, the clapping and cheering wound down slowly, replaced with good-naturedness and bad jokes. After much back slapping and holiday wishing, the crowd finally disbanded. Wanda flipped the store’s sign to “closed”. She walked over to the scrawny tree and sorted out the pile of boxes, then herded the café’s crew into their cars for the ride to her home.
Peeking in at the celebrants that Christmas Eve gathered in the House of Many Colors, no one would have guessed the little mismatched group wasn’t family. Histories, laughter and hopes blended together, forming a web of comfort and support. It was an easy net to catch a young woman—one who was about to face major changes.
Chapter 37
Bundles
A mother! BAD, a mom? How did that fit into the real world? Somehow the idea of it didn’t line up with Lilly’s memories of her lifelong friend. Adventurous, bossy, attractive, creative, and stubborn: attributes which made her a great best friend, but not necessarily ones she’d choose for mothering. Bernadette hadn’t been around newborns and had never wanted to be. Nurturing? Maybe of her own talents and ideas. But a baby? A living, breathing, dependent life form?
“Lilly, are you being fair? After all, you aren’t the same person you were a year ago, right?” Susan’s words hit home. “And look at me. I’ve gone from knowing nothing about being a wife to being an expert in diapering in that same amount of time. What you should be worrying about is who is going to be there to help her. Without Jack’s occasional baby duties and my mom’s insistence on keeping Miranda one day a week while I attend classes, I’d be a bigger grouch than I am now! Unfortunately, I don’t think Lone Grove’s inhabitants are ready to fling open their arms for ‘the one who has strayed’. The gossip is that the Donahues are pretty broken up by the news and are keeping a low profile. Sad, really.”
“You’re right. They say very little about Bernadette at all, almost as if she’s ceased to exist. And yet her photos are still everywhere in their house; her room is unchanged. Sometimes when I’m visiting it’s like they want me to tell them everything I know without them having to ask anything. I share what I can but it always feels strained and a little strange.”
“My best advice to you, Lilly, is to send her a good baby care book and lots of prayers, and make sure she knows we are still her friends.”
Miranda’s crying interrupted their conversation. Susan adeptly plucked her from the windup swing and whisked her to the changing table, all the time cleaning and comforting the little girl. The class clown had become a first-class mama.
Lilly fervently prayed that when BAD’s baby arrived, everyone would be able to say the same of her.
Dear Lilly,
I received your Christmas gifts in the mail yesterday and was thrilled. The baby and child care book is perfect for someone who needs all the help she can get. It answers many of the practical questions I’ve had. But the rest of the package was amazing – how did you pull it off? You are a genius! Only you, Lilly, can imagine how great it was to get back in my possession the notes, tubes of paint, and brushes I left behind! Just a few of things I’ve missed dearly. Believe me, everything has been put to good use.
Another surprise arrived from Lone Grove. My folks sent a winter coat and a note that made me think there is hope. You may have been right, Lilly, it just takes time.
Thank you, thank you, dear friend.
Bernadette
Dear Bernadette,
What a lovely surprise! I knew you were great at landscapes but when did you start painting portraits?
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