Chapter 5
"Mr. Adams?" James hesitantly asked as he and John rode a pair of horses to independence hall, the nervousness he felt evident.
"Yes, James, you know you need not be so formal with Abigail and I." John replied, glad he would have something to take his mind off his meeting, if only for a moment.
"I'm sure you have much more important things to think about than my family but I wanted to talk with you when I was sure Sarah nor Sally would overhear... How did you stay connected with Mrs. Adams, your daughter, the boys..."
"During the revolution? Just in general?" John asked receiving a nod from James "As I believe Abigail has told Sarah when you two were engaged, we write one another daily, not the same as being together but it still lets you share your thoughts, feelings, daily happenings with one another and anything else you have to say."
"Sarah and I wrote nearly that much while we were separated the months before the wedding... I had a big story for the paper."
"I figured as much John nodded as he rubbed his chin in thought "You know James for me, as I suppose for you, the hardest thing actually wasn't fearing for my children's futures but rather that they would need me to be with them and I wasn't regardless of the reason. With that the best advice I have for you is to spend the time you can with them, you do that you've done what you should."
"Thanks..." James whispered with a sigh "but the thing that bothers me most... I never had my father... all I had of either of them was mother's wedding ring... I haven't the slightest idea how to care for a baby. I think I do ok with Sally but she's ten, not a helpless newborn and I'm so proud of what she's accomplished the months she's been with us already but what if I don't do enough for the baby because of her... what she suffers or we loose our father daughter bond we've already built?"
"James, you're asking some hard questions, son but I can sympathize with each one of them. Your situation with Sally isn't one I've experienced but still it is not unlike what I went through with our boys and Nabby... Nabby's still my little girl even if she's the oldest. I think we'll have to go into detail later. Just so much you need to tell me before I can really help."
Nodding in agreement, James smiled in thanks to John for his advice "I think you're right. Sarah's parents will be joining us here in a few weeks, Sarah's father is a great man."
"If Sarah got her personality from him I'm sure he is." John replied with a smile as the two stopped their horses outside independence hall.
"He was a British general before he came to America but you met him you would've thought he was born here, just everything about how he is."
"Come on." John nodded as he led James towards independence hall where they both were soon met by Washington in the courtyard.
Back at the printshop, Sarah now resting, Abigail took it upon herself to make sure dinner was ready when the men returned. As she let the food cook she walked over to where Sally sat, writing in her notebook.
"What you working on, dear?" Abigail gently asked as she laid a hand on Sally's shoulder as she sat down on a chair beside her.
"I guess you'd call them practice articles... they're not very good but someday I hope to write about important people like mama and papa... I'm embarrassed to admit it but I really want to interview Mr. Washington... he's just so amazing but why he should care about a ten year old's dreams."
"He may surprise you." Abigail whispered, a slight twinkle in her eye remembering things the general had done for herself and her husband "Haven't your parents told you stories about him?"
"Yes... but that's also why I'm nervous... he's such an important man." Sally replied as she flipped her notebook back to a page on their now president.
"Sally, Washington may be president but he's the same man my husband met in congress... he did anything he could for anyone who needed help, including helping me get letters to my husband during a time when the soldiers would rifle through and read anything that went through the mail." Abigail assured her with a smile.
"Papa has told me of when he's camped out with the men under Mr. Washington. Said he treated his generals as well as the soldiers like sons and brothers, says he'd visit the critically wounded to personally comfort them and... if they wanted... he'd read to them from his bible and pray over them... I've never heard of another general like him or his wife who cared for the soldiers as well and when she wasn't helping with the other women she'd crochet socks and blankets for the soldiers... almost makes me wonder if being a journalist alone will be enough after everything these brave men and women have done."
Realizing just how small Sally's role must seem compared to her parents and the people they'd met Abigail slightly shook her head, still smiling "I believe someone has told your father once during the war that a journalist writing the right things is worth a thousand soldiers."
"I remember Papa telling me a spy named Nathan Hale said every service to the cause of liberty becomes honorable by being necessary... I suppose that applies to ten year olds writing stories about their heroes to hopefully be printed one day."
"Who all have you written about?" Abigail asked, obviously interested.
"Well, there's Washington, Grandpa Ben, Grandpa Sam, Mr. Adams, Papa if he'll let me... I'm sure I have some others but I already have so many amazing men... and women in my life... kind of want to do a story on mother's transition from loyalists to patriot and what ultimately changed her heart. I know Grandpa Ben and Papa kind of encouraged her change by showing her all she didn't realize about Britain."
"Sally, you have no idea how well... traumatizing I guess that transition would've been for her if your Papa hadn't been there for her, even with their irritation with each other until your mother finally decided she was in fact a patriot." Ben admitted with a sigh, having overheard their conversation as he'd made his way to the kitchen to join the two.
"I suppose Sarah's still asleep?" Abigail whispered.
"Suppose so, she hasn't come down yet." Ben replied as he sat down "But I'd rather her be up in her room, even crocheting for the baby than be down here trying to take charge of everything."
"I know you already told us it went well but what did Adams and Washington say?" Sarah asked that night as she laid in her husband's arms, content just to be with him.
"They've still got a lot of discussion to go through but it's amazing to be reporting on Washington again and I admit I gain more respect for Adams the more I listen to what he says." James replied "As for my question for him... about uh our little reporters... same thing your father told me not long after we gave them the news... as long as I spend what time I can with them and teach them what I they need to survive on their own I've done what I need to... I know they're right but..."
"James?" Sarah whispered, her eyes beginning to droop as she gently rubbed the hand her husband laid on their unborn child "James, what's wrong... is it something Washington said?"
"Sarah..." James could only sigh, holding her ever so slightly tighter as he attempted to hide the emotional tears he failed to blink back as he looked out their bedroom window at the familiar street, the only light being the lanterns.
"James, What is it?" Sarah pleaded as she laid a hand on his cheek, urging him to look her way "I just want to know why you're so upset."
"Well, I honestly didn't know he'd had anything to say... unless it was about one of the soldiers but Sarah... he told me the most heartbreaking story I've ever heard... about his stepchildren. He wanted nothing more than to share his love as a father but it only happened... because Martha had two children of her own... Washington was their stepfather."
"I had no idea... the little time I've seen him,... he's never spoken of anyone besides his wife... but why is his story so heartbreaking?" Sarah whispered, her emerald eyes full of questions as she looked into her husband's crystal blue ones.
"Because Sarah, he lost his stepdaughter Pasty the same year you came to live with us in Philadelphia to a condition she was born with, Jacky his stepson died from sickness in camp in '81 when his stepfather made his victory in Yorktown... I knew he'd sacrificed a lot for the war but loosing his stepson... I lost it Sarah... I broke down crying... but all too soon I felt a strong, gentle hand on my shoulder. When I looked up, despite the pain in his eyes at the memory of these two he loved so much he whispered 'James, believe it or not when I held Pasty in my arms those last few minutes I can honestly say I wasn't scared... not for her because I knew soon while she'd no longer be with me... she'd finally be healed from everything I'd watched her suffer through the fourteen years I'd been her father.' Once Jacky died Washington raised... well is raising the two youngest of his grandchildren... sounds a little confusing to me but he seems happy he can give them the father they wouldn't have otherwise had."
"You mean like you're doing for Sally?" Sarah whispered, her smile already voicing what she thought of her husband's relationship with their adopted daughter.
"I guess but Sarah is he their father or their grandfather or what... Right now their older sisters are with their mother, the youngest of the girls Elenor, she's nine... You should hear Washington talk about her, how she's doing little things to help him and Martha to hopefully help the families of the men who fought and didn't survive or are incapable of providing for their family due to injuries, her brother Washy... was named after his grandfather, is only seven but he loves to follow Washington around the plantation."
"They sound wonderful." Sarah whispered.
"But, Washington invited us to dinner... I told him I'd love nothing more... but I couldn't leave Ben so they're coming here, plenty of room for Sally, Nelly and Washy to play in the courtyard... you won't have to do anything."
"Sounds wonderful... James, we already agreed what we want to name a son but... what if we have a daughter?"
Though Sarah's question caught him off guard, James only smiled, we have a list, we'll just have to wait and see if we even have a daughter. If we do I'm sure we'll know then."
While I was writing this i started wondering what types of things James might have written Sarah or possibly Ben during the series what y'all think?