Kristen.
*****
As she climbed into bed that evening, Kristen told Samuel about her promise to Mary. “And I’m watching the girls tomorrow while she goes on a job interview.”
Samuel had nodded. “That’s fine. They’re sweet and well-behaved. I can’t complain about you watching them.” His hand stroked down her arm. “I feel bad that I didn’t realize there was so much of a need there, and nothing was done for her and the girls.”
Kristen blew out the lamp beside the bed. “I don’t think that’s the sort of thing a man would notice.” She propped herself up on her elbow looking at Samuel. “I’m glad we think alike about things like that. We both want to help her, because we want to help her, not because we’re supposed to.”
“You’re right. It is good to be well-matched with my wife. Even if she is trying to bury me alive in dresses.” He kissed her before she could protest.
Chapter Seven
Kristen was thrilled to have the girls with her the next day. They helped her bake bread and fix lunch. Mary still hadn’t come at lunch time, but she’d warned Kristen that could happen, so Kristen wasn’t worried.
After the dishes were done, she put the girls down for a nap in her bed. She could always wake them later if need be. She went into the sitting area with Samuel and curled up beside him on the couch. She liked the idea of him only working half a day of Fridays.
“I’ve never really seen you with children before,” he told her. “You’re really good with them.”
She smiled her head on his shoulder. She had never enjoyed touching anyone before, so she found that anytime she and Samuel were alon e she was touching him somehow. “I love children.”
“They love you as well.” He sighed. “Mary looks so unhappy. I know she just lost her husband, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look that unhappy. I really feel like I wasn’t doing my job right, because I never noticed.”
Kristen shook her head. “No one noticed from what I could tell. She had devoted her life to her husband and children, so she had no close friends. When her husband died, her life was over. At least that’s the way she saw it, and because she’d never reached out and made friends with anyone, she didn’t feel like she had the right to ask anyone for anything.” She sighed. “And now she’s alone with those two sweet little girls, and has no idea how she’s going to provide for them.”
Samuel kissed the top of her head, his hand stroking up and down her arm. What had he thought the negatives to marrying her were? Somehow, he couldn’t think of any anymore. She was the wife God had chosen just for him, and he couldn’t be happier with her. “We’ll help her. You don’t have any friends here yet, so you can be her friend. Watch her girls when she needs it even watch them while she works if she needs you to. I don’t mind at all. She’ll have it hard enough as it is; she needs a good friend like you at her side.”
They talked of all the ways she could help Mary and decided she would start a rotation at church for meals to be taken to the family once Mary started working. She wouldn’t have time to cook as much as she had been.
The girls woke from their nap, and she sat straight startled. It was already three in the afternoon, and Mary hadn’t returned. She hadn’t been sure when she’d be, though, so Kristen decided to just keep on as if nothing was wrong. Maybe the interview had gone so well, they’d asked her to start immediately.
She helped the girls make the bed after their nap and took them into the kitchen to help her with supper. “If your mama is okay with it, then you can just have dinner with us again tonight. Would you like that?” She cut up strips of bacon to add to the huge pot of beans she was making. She’d fix some corn bread to go with it. It
*****
As she climbed into bed that evening, Kristen told Samuel about her promise to Mary. “And I’m watching the girls tomorrow while she goes on a job interview.”
Samuel had nodded. “That’s fine. They’re sweet and well-behaved. I can’t complain about you watching them.” His hand stroked down her arm. “I feel bad that I didn’t realize there was so much of a need there, and nothing was done for her and the girls.”
Kristen blew out the lamp beside the bed. “I don’t think that’s the sort of thing a man would notice.” She propped herself up on her elbow looking at Samuel. “I’m glad we think alike about things like that. We both want to help her, because we want to help her, not because we’re supposed to.”
“You’re right. It is good to be well-matched with my wife. Even if she is trying to bury me alive in dresses.” He kissed her before she could protest.
Chapter Seven
Kristen was thrilled to have the girls with her the next day. They helped her bake bread and fix lunch. Mary still hadn’t come at lunch time, but she’d warned Kristen that could happen, so Kristen wasn’t worried.
After the dishes were done, she put the girls down for a nap in her bed. She could always wake them later if need be. She went into the sitting area with Samuel and curled up beside him on the couch. She liked the idea of him only working half a day of Fridays.
“I’ve never really seen you with children before,” he told her. “You’re really good with them.”
She smiled her head on his shoulder. She had never enjoyed touching anyone before, so she found that anytime she and Samuel were alon e she was touching him somehow. “I love children.”
“They love you as well.” He sighed. “Mary looks so unhappy. I know she just lost her husband, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look that unhappy. I really feel like I wasn’t doing my job right, because I never noticed.”
Kristen shook her head. “No one noticed from what I could tell. She had devoted her life to her husband and children, so she had no close friends. When her husband died, her life was over. At least that’s the way she saw it, and because she’d never reached out and made friends with anyone, she didn’t feel like she had the right to ask anyone for anything.” She sighed. “And now she’s alone with those two sweet little girls, and has no idea how she’s going to provide for them.”
Samuel kissed the top of her head, his hand stroking up and down her arm. What had he thought the negatives to marrying her were? Somehow, he couldn’t think of any anymore. She was the wife God had chosen just for him, and he couldn’t be happier with her. “We’ll help her. You don’t have any friends here yet, so you can be her friend. Watch her girls when she needs it even watch them while she works if she needs you to. I don’t mind at all. She’ll have it hard enough as it is; she needs a good friend like you at her side.”
They talked of all the ways she could help Mary and decided she would start a rotation at church for meals to be taken to the family once Mary started working. She wouldn’t have time to cook as much as she had been.
The girls woke from their nap, and she sat straight startled. It was already three in the afternoon, and Mary hadn’t returned. She hadn’t been sure when she’d be, though, so Kristen decided to just keep on as if nothing was wrong. Maybe the interview had gone so well, they’d asked her to start immediately.
She helped the girls make the bed after their nap and took them into the kitchen to help her with supper. “If your mama is okay with it, then you can just have dinner with us again tonight. Would you like that?” She cut up strips of bacon to add to the huge pot of beans she was making. She’d fix some corn bread to go with it. It
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