Chapter Eight

When the Cartwrights arrived at church, Adam helped Rebecca out of the buggy and escorted her to the door. He leaned over to his father. "Pa, would you mind introducing Rebecca around?" Ben nodded, and Adam turned to Rebecca. "I'll be right back. I want to talk to Sheriff Coffee before the service begins." His intention was to ask about her brother, though he didn't want her to know that.

"I'll be fine. Please, go ahead," she said, smiling sweetly. She and Ben stepped into the church and looked around, watching all the church-goers milling about talking to each other. He introduced her to people as they came in behind them. She saw an old woman sitting in the front pew by herself. No one had uttered a word to the woman, and she had made no attempt to speak to anyone. Rebecca slipped away to the front of the church.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. Is this seat taken?" she asked the old woman.

"No, of course not!" replied the old woman sharply.

Rebecca sat down next to her, noticing an odor. She looked at the old woman out of the corner of her eye, and though at first she didn't notice, she realized that the old woman's dress was tattered in places and dirty. "My name is Rebecca Jennings. I'm new here."

The old woman looked up at her and huffed. "Mildred Bailey, and I'm not new here."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Bailey."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Why is it nice to meet me?"

"I've often thought that when you don't know anything about a place, but would like to get to know it…not only the people, but the history, you speak to an established person. Those are the most interesting to talk to," she said, smiling sweetly at Mrs. Bailey.

Adam had returned, and he and his father had been watching Rebecca from just inside the door before they found a seat. "Is Mrs. Bailey smiling?" asked Ben.

The corner of Adam's mouth turned up. "Yes, I believe she is, but it doesn't surprise me."

"Why not?"

"Come on, Pa. You can't tell me that Becca's outlook toward…everything…doesn't make you want to smile."

Ben snorted and smiled. "I guess it does. Becca?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Adam turned away and nodded toward an empty pew.

He watched Rebecca and Mrs. Bailey through the entire service. Rebecca held a hymnal and shared it with Mrs. Bailey. She helped Mrs. Bailey stand when the minister indicated. Adam had never seen Mrs. Bailey participate. She was always seated in the same place every Sunday, and she remained there motionless and quiet through the entire service. Today, she stood and sang…and smiled.

At the end of the service, Rebecca stayed up front with Mrs. Bailey for a few minutes before the two got up to leave. "Mrs. Bailey, please tell me if I'm prying, but…do you need help? What I mean to say…if you do need help, I'd be more than happy to…and it would help me, too, because I need to find a place to stay. I've been staying with the Cartwrights for far too long, and they've been very kind, but I should be finding a place of my own. I don't have any money, but I thought, perhaps, if you need help...maybe I could rent a room from you. Then we'd be helping each other."

Mrs. Bailey looked up with a tear in her eye. "My dear Rebecca, no one has ever cared enough to ask if I needed help, but the truth is, I do. I haven't been able to do the simplest of things for myself for a long time. Just coming to church is such a hard thing for me to do; it's gotten to be all I try."

Rebecca stood and offered her hands to Mrs. Bailey. "May I come to see you tomorrow, Mrs. Bailey, and we can talk about it further?"

"Oh, I'd like that."

"Can I see you home? Where do you live?"

"I'm just down at the end of the street…on the outskirts of town."

Adam approached them. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Adam, no, not at all. I was just going to escort Mrs. Bailey home. Then I'll be ready to leave."

"Why don't we both escort Mrs. Bailey home then?" When they arrived at Mrs. Bailey's house, Adam opened the door and tipped his hat. "Mrs. Bailey."

Before she entered the house, she turned and hugged Rebecca. "Child, you are a godsend. I look forward to your visit tomorrow."

Rebecca smiled and nodded as Mrs. Bailey stepped into her house. She turned back to Adam who was waiting on the top step with his arm held out for her. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since anyone has seen Mrs. Bailey smile?"

"It was apparent that the woman was being ignored, and based on what she said, she's been ignored for far too long. Do you know what treasures there are in the minds of the elderly…what experiences? I think most people consider them throw-away people. To have survived that long is an accomplishment, and the woman's life should be celebrated. I just can't believe no one asked her if she needed help."

Adam stopped walking and turned to face her. "Rebecca Jennings…maybe that's your purpose. To make up for the disappointment the rest of us are."

"Oh, Adam, I didn't mean to preach…."

"It was a well deserved sermon," he said, smiling.