speak to Damaris, though the two of them had known each other well in Wanganui.
The following Wednesday afternoon at the Circle of Fellowship, Abigail was looking stunned. ‘It’s Kezia,’ she said when we were free to go outside. ‘Drusilla’s mother told my mother about it. She went back to her parents last night. She told them she was leaving Ira.’
I felt sick. ‘Her father made her go back?’
But we didn’t need to ask. The Rule was clear: a couple are married in the sight of the Lord. The marriage bond cannot be broken. A wife may not leave her husband, nor a husband his wife.
‘Do you know why?’ I asked. ‘Why she left, I mean.’
Abigail shrugged. ‘No.’
We were quiet until Tirzah said, ‘We could say a prayer for her.’
We did so, but I knew none of us had any hope our prayer would be heard. That was the Rule: Kezia must live out her life with the man the Elders had made her marry.
Altogether, it was a miserable week. Sister Jerushah wasn’t at school on Thursday. On Friday we heard she was in hospital. We prayed for her too.
MARKET DAY ON SATURDAY was wet and windy. Enoch was curt with us and then apologised. ‘The children haven’t been well. But I should not take my lack of sleep out on you.’ He lay down in the cab of the truck and didn’t surface until midday.
Mrs Lipscombe brought us hot chocolates again. ‘Get these inside you. Wretched weather. Never mind — it’s meant to clear tomorrow. Here’s hoping.’
‘We should tell her we’ll be leaving soon,’ Rachel said.
But we wouldn’t, not yet. I didn’t want to think about how much we’d miss her when we had to stop coming to the market.
The next day at the nursery, Kezia was back in her corner. She looked awful. Mara started crying, but Kezia didn’t seem to hear.
I was nearest, so I went to her. ‘Kezia? Here, let me give her to you. She’s beautiful.’ Except at that moment Mara was red-faced with the effort of trying to get her mother’s attention.
Kezia took her but made no move to start feeding her. She looked at her daughter and murmured, ‘Who will care for you?’
I knelt down beside her. ‘Kezia! What are you talking about? Look, your baby is hungry. Please — feed her.’
Kezia’s eyes seemed to come into focus. ‘What? I’m all right. Stop fussing — and stop looking at me like that! Go away, I don’t need you. I don’t need anybody.’
She wasn’t all right. I hesitated, but she ignored me and got on with feeding her baby.
I was frightened. What had she meant?
Who will care for you?
All through the morning, I stayed inside where I could keep an eye on her while I played withthe children too small to go out to the playground.
Talitha came in to take a child to the toilet. ‘Rebecca, you have been indoors all morning. Go out for a bit. The sun is glorious.’
I looked up from where I was sitting in the middle of a jumble of blocks, rattles and balls. ‘Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine. I’m not in an outside mood today.’
I was probably worrying about nothing. Kezia seemed to have got herself together. Mara had started to cry a couple of times and each time Kezia had picked her up immediately.
Mid-morning, Sister Judith’s baby woke and howled his fury at a world that didn’t feed him instantly. I stuck my head out the door. ‘Abigail, can you get Sister Judith? Little Shiloh wants her right now!’
When I turned back, Kezia was gone. Mara, wrapped in blankets, was lying on the floor under the bench where her mother had been sitting.
I ran to check the toilets. She wasn’t there, as I’d suspected she wouldn’t be. In my heart, I’d known it. What to do?
Don’t make a fuss. Find her
.
I grabbed a soiled nappy from the bucket, dripped it down my skirt, smeared it on my apron and sleeve. Out in the main room, I went to Sister Grace, the most senior of the women present. ‘I must go home and change. Please excuse me. I will ask one of the other girls to come
The following Wednesday afternoon at the Circle of Fellowship, Abigail was looking stunned. ‘It’s Kezia,’ she said when we were free to go outside. ‘Drusilla’s mother told my mother about it. She went back to her parents last night. She told them she was leaving Ira.’
I felt sick. ‘Her father made her go back?’
But we didn’t need to ask. The Rule was clear: a couple are married in the sight of the Lord. The marriage bond cannot be broken. A wife may not leave her husband, nor a husband his wife.
‘Do you know why?’ I asked. ‘Why she left, I mean.’
Abigail shrugged. ‘No.’
We were quiet until Tirzah said, ‘We could say a prayer for her.’
We did so, but I knew none of us had any hope our prayer would be heard. That was the Rule: Kezia must live out her life with the man the Elders had made her marry.
Altogether, it was a miserable week. Sister Jerushah wasn’t at school on Thursday. On Friday we heard she was in hospital. We prayed for her too.
MARKET DAY ON SATURDAY was wet and windy. Enoch was curt with us and then apologised. ‘The children haven’t been well. But I should not take my lack of sleep out on you.’ He lay down in the cab of the truck and didn’t surface until midday.
Mrs Lipscombe brought us hot chocolates again. ‘Get these inside you. Wretched weather. Never mind — it’s meant to clear tomorrow. Here’s hoping.’
‘We should tell her we’ll be leaving soon,’ Rachel said.
But we wouldn’t, not yet. I didn’t want to think about how much we’d miss her when we had to stop coming to the market.
The next day at the nursery, Kezia was back in her corner. She looked awful. Mara started crying, but Kezia didn’t seem to hear.
I was nearest, so I went to her. ‘Kezia? Here, let me give her to you. She’s beautiful.’ Except at that moment Mara was red-faced with the effort of trying to get her mother’s attention.
Kezia took her but made no move to start feeding her. She looked at her daughter and murmured, ‘Who will care for you?’
I knelt down beside her. ‘Kezia! What are you talking about? Look, your baby is hungry. Please — feed her.’
Kezia’s eyes seemed to come into focus. ‘What? I’m all right. Stop fussing — and stop looking at me like that! Go away, I don’t need you. I don’t need anybody.’
She wasn’t all right. I hesitated, but she ignored me and got on with feeding her baby.
I was frightened. What had she meant?
Who will care for you?
All through the morning, I stayed inside where I could keep an eye on her while I played withthe children too small to go out to the playground.
Talitha came in to take a child to the toilet. ‘Rebecca, you have been indoors all morning. Go out for a bit. The sun is glorious.’
I looked up from where I was sitting in the middle of a jumble of blocks, rattles and balls. ‘Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine. I’m not in an outside mood today.’
I was probably worrying about nothing. Kezia seemed to have got herself together. Mara had started to cry a couple of times and each time Kezia had picked her up immediately.
Mid-morning, Sister Judith’s baby woke and howled his fury at a world that didn’t feed him instantly. I stuck my head out the door. ‘Abigail, can you get Sister Judith? Little Shiloh wants her right now!’
When I turned back, Kezia was gone. Mara, wrapped in blankets, was lying on the floor under the bench where her mother had been sitting.
I ran to check the toilets. She wasn’t there, as I’d suspected she wouldn’t be. In my heart, I’d known it. What to do?
Don’t make a fuss. Find her
.
I grabbed a soiled nappy from the bucket, dripped it down my skirt, smeared it on my apron and sleeve. Out in the main room, I went to Sister Grace, the most senior of the women present. ‘I must go home and change. Please excuse me. I will ask one of the other girls to come
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