she
turned the ignition and headed home, to see Trinity waiting for
her.
God she didn’t want to do this, but she
needed to. She needed help for Linda. She got out of the car and
unbuckled Jonas as Trinity approached, looking fresh and pretty in
a floral T-shirt and white shorts, not looking the least bit
pregnant.
“I thought you’d forgotten about me,” Trinity
said. “You don’t usually take Linda to school.”
“No.” She picked up Jonas, who was fussy from
the change in his routine, and held him a little closer than usual,
the counselor’s suggestion ringing in her head. “We just had some
drama last night. In fact—can I talk to you?”
She wished she knew this young woman better.
God, she hated opening up to anyone, but particularly a
stranger.
“Sure.” Trinity’s blue eyes were wide as she
turned to follow Beth into the house.
“I’ll get him fed, then make some
coffee.”
“I’ll feed him, I don’t mind. But I can’t
have coffee, and don’t you need to sleep?”
“I don’t think I could sleep if someone paid
me right now.” She unlocked the door, set Jonas in his bouncy
chair, and opened her cabinet looking futilely for something
Trinity could drink. “I may have some juice.” She opened the
freezer and found some fruity concoction Linda had begged for, then
never drank.
“That’s fine.” Trinity entertained Jonas,
distracting him from his tummy. “He’s such a sweet fellow, isn’t
he? It was brave of your sister to keep him.”
Brave, or selfish? She knew the answer but
didn’t want to say it aloud. “I don’t know what I’d do without
him.” She couldn’t stop the catch in her voice.
Trinity straightened. “Beth, what is it?”
“Linda’s drinking.” Best to say it straight
out. “I came home last night and she and her friends were drinking
and—well, if I’d come home any later…” She shook her head. “With
Jonas sleeping in the other room. I need to get help and I don’t
know how. She’s just like our father.” Beth set the pitcher on the
counter and closed her eyes. “I don’t know where I went wrong.”
“Oh, Beth. Oh, honey.”
The next thing she knew, Trinity’s hand was
on her back, then her slim arms were around her, and Beth was
crying—no, sobbing—into this stranger’s arms, holding onto her like
a lifeline. It felt so nice to be comforted, soothed by another
woman, something she hadn’t known in—God. Ever. She tried to stop,
tried to pull away, but the strain of the past two weeks wouldn’t
let her. Only Jonas’s fussy grunts gave her the strength to
straighten and pull herself together. She wiped her face on her
sleeve and tried not to notice how she’d rumpled Trinity’s pretty
top.
She busied herself with appeasing Jonas, then
offered Trinity a watery smile. The young woman was looking at her
with such concern, she almost lost it again.
But no. She needed answers. “So. Tell me.
What can I do?”
“What have you tried to do?”
Defensiveness tightened her stomach. Whatever
she said would be the wrong thing. She’d made so many poor choices
with Linda. It was too late to fix them. “I’ve told her not to. I
reminded her what our father has become because of the drinking. I
remind her of her responsibility to Jonas, to her decision to keep
him. I can’t understand why she wanted to keep him so much and now
doesn’t have anything to do with him, if she can help it. She’s
just like our father. I don’t know what mistakes I made that she
can’t love her own baby.”
“You didn’t,” Trinity said in her soothing
voice. “You did the best you knew how in an impossible
circumstance. I know how hard it had to be, to make that choice.
I’m going to tell you something only my family and Leo know.”
Beth stiffened. “I don’t need to know any of
your secrets.”
“This one you do. I gave up a baby for
adoption when I was in college.”
Beth dropped onto a nearby stool, suddenly
too weak to stand. Miss
turned the ignition and headed home, to see Trinity waiting for
her.
God she didn’t want to do this, but she
needed to. She needed help for Linda. She got out of the car and
unbuckled Jonas as Trinity approached, looking fresh and pretty in
a floral T-shirt and white shorts, not looking the least bit
pregnant.
“I thought you’d forgotten about me,” Trinity
said. “You don’t usually take Linda to school.”
“No.” She picked up Jonas, who was fussy from
the change in his routine, and held him a little closer than usual,
the counselor’s suggestion ringing in her head. “We just had some
drama last night. In fact—can I talk to you?”
She wished she knew this young woman better.
God, she hated opening up to anyone, but particularly a
stranger.
“Sure.” Trinity’s blue eyes were wide as she
turned to follow Beth into the house.
“I’ll get him fed, then make some
coffee.”
“I’ll feed him, I don’t mind. But I can’t
have coffee, and don’t you need to sleep?”
“I don’t think I could sleep if someone paid
me right now.” She unlocked the door, set Jonas in his bouncy
chair, and opened her cabinet looking futilely for something
Trinity could drink. “I may have some juice.” She opened the
freezer and found some fruity concoction Linda had begged for, then
never drank.
“That’s fine.” Trinity entertained Jonas,
distracting him from his tummy. “He’s such a sweet fellow, isn’t
he? It was brave of your sister to keep him.”
Brave, or selfish? She knew the answer but
didn’t want to say it aloud. “I don’t know what I’d do without
him.” She couldn’t stop the catch in her voice.
Trinity straightened. “Beth, what is it?”
“Linda’s drinking.” Best to say it straight
out. “I came home last night and she and her friends were drinking
and—well, if I’d come home any later…” She shook her head. “With
Jonas sleeping in the other room. I need to get help and I don’t
know how. She’s just like our father.” Beth set the pitcher on the
counter and closed her eyes. “I don’t know where I went wrong.”
“Oh, Beth. Oh, honey.”
The next thing she knew, Trinity’s hand was
on her back, then her slim arms were around her, and Beth was
crying—no, sobbing—into this stranger’s arms, holding onto her like
a lifeline. It felt so nice to be comforted, soothed by another
woman, something she hadn’t known in—God. Ever. She tried to stop,
tried to pull away, but the strain of the past two weeks wouldn’t
let her. Only Jonas’s fussy grunts gave her the strength to
straighten and pull herself together. She wiped her face on her
sleeve and tried not to notice how she’d rumpled Trinity’s pretty
top.
She busied herself with appeasing Jonas, then
offered Trinity a watery smile. The young woman was looking at her
with such concern, she almost lost it again.
But no. She needed answers. “So. Tell me.
What can I do?”
“What have you tried to do?”
Defensiveness tightened her stomach. Whatever
she said would be the wrong thing. She’d made so many poor choices
with Linda. It was too late to fix them. “I’ve told her not to. I
reminded her what our father has become because of the drinking. I
remind her of her responsibility to Jonas, to her decision to keep
him. I can’t understand why she wanted to keep him so much and now
doesn’t have anything to do with him, if she can help it. She’s
just like our father. I don’t know what mistakes I made that she
can’t love her own baby.”
“You didn’t,” Trinity said in her soothing
voice. “You did the best you knew how in an impossible
circumstance. I know how hard it had to be, to make that choice.
I’m going to tell you something only my family and Leo know.”
Beth stiffened. “I don’t need to know any of
your secrets.”
“This one you do. I gave up a baby for
adoption when I was in college.”
Beth dropped onto a nearby stool, suddenly
too weak to stand. Miss
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