Chapter 22: A Time Among Friends
Rosemary and Elizabeth had spent the afternoon together at Rosemary's rowhouse that Thursday before the town bonfire. They picked up the children from the preschool after lunch and walked back to the rowhouses in order to get fresh air and exercise. Elizabeth helped put Ian down as Rosemary worked with Evie. Meanwhile, Little Jack colored pictures at the table. Once the twins were napping in their cribs, Rosemary and Elizabeth joined Little Jack at the table, each with a glass of lemonade and a plate of cookies."So my friend, how is it working part time at the Valley Voice and being a full-time mommy here with the twins?" Elizabeth looked over at Rosemary as she sipped her tea.Rosemary smiled and answered, "Oh, I'm absolutely loving it, Elizabeth!" She paused for a moment and gave a slight pout before continuing, "Don't get me wrong, though. It is not the easiest thing. Even with Lee helping out, I still find myself being stretched on all sides. And don't even get me started about lack of sleep! " Rosemary once again paused, placing one hand on Elizabeth's and the other on her heart as she completed her thoughts, "But those two little ones upstairs and my work at the Valley Voice, they are my passion. So, no matter how exhausted, frustrated or stretched I may get, I am more than willing to give these things 100 percent of my attention and my heart because they are worth it to me. "Rosemary looked at Elizabeth, her face glowing.
Elizabeth smiled back, and her heart was truly happy for her friend. She felt that Rosemary and Lee deserved all the happiness. She looked over at Little Jack and saw him rubbing his eyes. Rosemary caught it too and immediately stood up to get him. Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest and say that she'd take care of it, but Rosemary simply shook her head no and said, "Let Aunt Rosie see to this little one."
Rosemary knelt down to Little Jack's level and placed her hand on his back and rubbed it as she spoke to him. "Jack, would you like to lie down over on my couch?" Little Jack simply shook his head "yes" and held his arms out to Rosemary. She took him in her arms and carried him over to the couch, where she laid him on it. He rolled over and closed his eyes as she rubbed his back and hummed softly to him. Elizabeth remained at the table and smiled to herself once again as she watched the scene before her. What a blessing she had in this woman! She was thankful that they had resolved their rift from a few years prior. It would have been devastating to not have this treasure in her own life as well as her son's life.
Once Jack was asleep, Rosemary covered him with a lightweight throw and returned to the kitchen. She refilled their glasses and sat back down at the table. Rosemary and Elizabeth continued to visit for the next hour until the twins woke up. Elizabeth went upstairs and helped Rosemary change them. Then, the friends went downstairs and took their different positions in the living room to feed the siblings. When Rosemary decided to start preparing dinner, Elizabeth laid out a blanket on the floor, and the friends laid the twins side by side, and Elizabeth took a seat on the floor next to the blanket, talking to them. Rosemary watched her friend for a moment and smiled before going into the kitchen.
Once dinner was in the oven, Jack started stirring in his spot on the couch. Elizabeth transitioned to the couch with Little Jack as Rosemary joined her children on the floor. Elizabeth knew it was time to get the two of them home to start their own dinner. As Elizabeth gathered Little Jack and her things and made her way to the door, Lee walked in. He greeted Elizabeth and Little Jack with a hug and came over to give Rosemary a kiss. Then, he joined the twins on the floor next to the blanket. This gave Rosemary an opportunity to say goodbye properly to Elizabeth and Little Jack.
Rosemary gave her friends a hug, and as she pulled away, she had a look on her face. Elizabeth looked at her friend puzzled, but Rosemary went on to explain, "Elizabeth! Could you do me a huge favor? As you know, the town is holding that bonfire on Saturday night. "
Elizabeth nodded, and Rosemary continued, "I spoke to almost everyone about it and what needs to be done, and everyone is on board. But I just realized that we need to take care of something very crucial before that evening. We need to have enough wood to burn for that evening. Now, Lee can supply the wood from the mill, but I don't want him chopping any of it due to his past back problems."
At that point, he looked over at the two women about to protest, and Rosemary held up her hand and spoke before he had the chance. "And don't you dare argue with me, Lee Coulter!" she said, putting her hand on her hip and looking at her husband sternly for a moment. After a moment of that forbidding look on his wife's face, Lee waved his hands in surrender and put his attention back on his children.
Rosemary turned back to look at Elizabeth, placing her hand on her friend's arm and continued. "Anyway, we need someone or a team of people to chop enough wood for that evening. I want to line up someone as soon as possible considering it's already Thursday evening, but I'm in for the night. Would you mind very much, on your way home, going over to Nathan's house and asking if he would take that task on?" she asked her friend with pleading eyes.
Elizabeth smiled at her friend and nodded. In response, Rosemary enthusiastically embraced her and thanked her profusely. Elizabeth chuckled and said goodbye to the Coulters and walked down the steps toward the Grant home.