Fred was upstairs in the bedroom and had just taken his bath on a Saturday evening. He got out of the washtub, stepped onto a towel on the floor, so he wouldn't get the wooden floor all wet. Frances made sure of that! Fred reached for his towel on the dresser and put it around his waist. He opened the top dresser drawer to try and find something to wear...
"No...that's my nightshirts..." He said to himelf as he opened the second drawer. "Nothing..." He muttered and opened the third and fourth drawers. "Where are my clothes?"
"Frances!..." He hollered. "Hey honey, have you seen my clothes?...FRANCES!"
"What?" Fred heard her yell from downstairs. "I'm a little busy with the baby right now!" Frances was downstairs, in the midst of the sitting room, right in the middle of changing three month old Freddy into a new cloth diaper and a little white cotton shirt that went to his thighs. He was laying there and looked up at her in a little sassy attitude that made it known he didn't like all the noise.
Frances laughed..."Don't look at me like that!...Its your Pa who's doing all the yelling!" She got him dressed and picked him up..."Well, let's go see what Pa wants, hm, Freddy..." Frances headed upstairs with the baby in her arms.
"What's wrong, Fred?..." She asked, coming into the room.
"Hon, all my clothes are gone...All that's in there are my nightshirts."
"I tried mending them today...When I wasn't busy with the baby..."
"Well, are they ready or not?" He asked, getting a little annoyed.
"No...I'm sorry."
"Frances!" He whined.
"Fred, I told you I'm sorry! I tried!...I had so much housework to do! And with taking care of Freddy on top of that!...Can you put something on for right now and I'll see if I can finish them?"
"I guess so..."
"Here then...take your son." Frances lifted baby Freddy onto Fred's bare chest and went downstairs.
"Well how does Ma expect me to get dressed when I've got you to watch over...huh, little man?" Fred said, smiling at his son and gave him a little peck on his chubby cheek. He layed down on the bed, the towel still around his waist, his arms holding baby Freddy up in the air. "Its Mr. Birdy Boy!" Fred laughed, and brought his son down again so they were face to face. "All we need is feathers for you and you'd be all set, eh?" He smiled, and brought him back up in the air and close to his face again, and Freddy grasped his chubby little hands on Fred's face.
"Hey, that's my nose, kiddo!" Fred laughed. Baby Freddy brought his hands over Fred's mouth and Fred blew softly to see what he would do...Freddy was a little interested by it, but still put his little fingers over his daddy's lips, to which Fred gave him tons of kisses.
"Ma likes to do that more than I do, huh?...I think you like it better when she does it anyway!" Fred laughed.
"I thought you were going to get dressed..." Frances laughed. She was holding a pair of Fred's walnut colored trousers, a really nice-looking dark, dark brown...and a dark red and burgundy striped collared shirt.
"I will." Fred smiled and sat up. Frances layed her husband's clothes on the bed and took baby Freddy from him. Fred started to get changed.
"Supper's almost ready..." Frances smiled.
"What are we having?" He asked, finished buttoning his shirt and he tucked it into his trousers.
"Deer stew...I'll go see how its cooking..." She said, placing the baby back into his father's arms and went downstairs to the kitchen.
"Pretty soon our little man will be eating some real food!" Fred came into the kitchen. "Bet you'll love that, eh buddy?"
"Not for awhile yet, hon...When he's about six months old...we'll try some fruit preserves!" Frances smiled excitedly at Freddy.
"Maybe some pears...plums...some peaches...Just start him out slow, Ma told me...Get him used to a food...and then move on..." Frances said, stirring the stew. "I don't want to try oatmeal on him...I hate the stuff."
"How do you know he wouldn't like it?" Fred chuckled.
"Fine..." Frances laughed..."Then you feed him it!"
"Its not that bad, you know..."
"I don't like it...I never have...Its just, nasty!" She shuddered. "Besides, you need to help out with him too!" She laughed.
Fred smirked and layed a gentle hand on her shoulder and leaned in and kissed her cheek. "All right."
"Good...then I leave you to feed him the oatmeal!" She laughed. "We'll try next month..."
A month later...
Frances had just come out of the local mercantile after buying a gift for Fred for their very first wedding anniversary that was the next day. She saw Fred loading boxes into the iron factory a long ways away...Well, now he was talking to a stout, shorter woman. Frances wondered who she was and was about to go up to them, when she saw...something...that shocked her. Fred had excitedly wrapped his arms around the woman and kissed her cheek. The woman clung to him and also kissed him. Frances wasn't quite sure what that was all about, and didn't want to jump into conclusions...but she knew she must get Fred's gift home and pick up Freddy from Joe and Nona's place. They wanted to be used to being around babies, so they offered to watch him for her, this being their first time.
"How was he, Nona? Was he good for you?" Frances asked, when she arrived at their home. "Did you two survive?" She laughed.
"He was good...Yes...We survived,...I think." Nona said, a little shocked. "We do want kids...just a few more years down the road, please...I can't say we're ready now." Nona laughed a little. "I have a lot to learn yet!...So does Joe."
"Little thing peed on me!" He muttered. "I can't help it I've never changed a diaper before! I tried my best!" Joe insisted, and looked down at his shirt and saw the large, fresh wet spot. "How was I supposed to know to cover his..." Joe didn't finish his sentence, because Nona was laughing at him. "Go change your shirt, Joe."
"Don't worry,...I will!" Joe said, going upstairs to their bedroom.
"Really Frances...Freddy was just fine. We're just too inexperienced!" Nona laughed.
"You'll learn..." Frances smiled. "Fred and I did!...And we've only been at this four months!...Anyway, I've got to get going. Have to get Fred's present home..." Nona gave her nephew back to his mother. "Did you have fun with Uncle Joe and Aunt Nona? Huh?" Frances smiled and asked 4 month old Freddy, who responded with the cutest litttle baby grin!
"He was such a little sweetheart, really!" Nona smiled. "But these two 20 year olds need some more time!"
Frances smiled and gave her sister-in-law a one-armed hug. "Like I said, you'll learn...Practice makes perfect, you know...Well, I've got to get going...See you in church!" And with that, Frances left.
Once home, Freddy immediately started crying and squirmmed in her grasp.
"Oh, its okay...Its all right." Frances smiled and held him and swayed side to side to try and calm him..."I bet you're just SO tuckered out from being at Uncle Joe and Aunt Nona's..." Frances couldn't calm him down, he was still fussy. "Oh Lord, you need a nap...don't you, buddy? We'll take care of that right away..." She said, walking into her sitting room and layed him in his cradle that was against one wall, FAR away from her sewing machine and sewing equipment, which was against the wall by the kichen door. As she got Freddy settled, she went into the kitchen and went about her work, starting to get supper on the table so when Fred came home, it would be ready. She was starting to get the table all set when she glanced at the kitchen table and saw an open letter. She saw it was adressed to Fred. Frances knew she shouldn't snoop, but she sat down and started reading the letter.
"My Dearest Fred,
I am sorry to say that my husband Daniel and I are currently separated. I won't go too much into it but to be truthful I must tell you, my heart aches terribly...but I know I must move on in life. I must! I can't stay with him anymore...I just can't. And so I've packed up the little things I do have and I've moved to Walnut Grove, Minnesota. I've fit right in in this little town...and I've gotten to know the people fairly well. One family, the Ingallses says they know you...and their daughter Laura gave me your address. Says she got it from her older sister Mary.
Which brought me to writing you this letter, my dear. I must say I've missed you something aweful! I haven't seen you since...I can't remember when! Since we were young children, I believe. I don't even know if I remember what you look like! It took me weeks...possibly months for me to write you this letter, and I STILL haven't gotten my point across! Which brings me to say, I'd love to come to Iowa and see you...or you could come to Minnesota. I know the Ingalls family would LOVE to see you again!
I've missed you so very much, my dearest...So much, my heart aches for you! I love you so much and miss you with all of my heart, my dear Fred, and I hope to see you soon!...
There was even more to the letter, but Frances just couldn't read anymore...She glanced down to see who the letter was from when she saw the closing of the letter. "With All My Love, Barbara Guess." There were tear stains on the letter, not only from the writer of the letter, but also from Frances. Certain parts of the letter stood out to her. "My Dearest Fred...I've missed you something aweful!...I've missed you so very much, my dearest...So much my heart aches for you!...I love you so much and miss you with all of my heart, my dear Fred!...With All My Love...Barbara Guess..."
"Barbara Guess..." She said out loud and thought back to early this morning when she saw Fred and the shorter woman embracing and the kisses they gave and were given. "I don't want to believe this...I can't...There's no way. This can't possibly be! He can't be cheating on me!" Frances thought. She heard the front door swing open and heard Fred come through the sitting room, and into the kitchen, and quickly Frances hid the letter in the fabric of her skirt.
"Hey, sweetheart..." Fred said, placing his hands on her thin shoulders and kissed her cheek. "I'm home for supper a little early...That all right with you?" He smiled at her.
"Ummmm...s-sure...Perfectly fine...I'll get it on the table for you right away." Frances said and stood up and walked to the woodstove, got his supper dished up on his plate, grabbed a cup and poured him his coffee, stirring in his milk and sugar as he always took it. Fred grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto him into an embrace. To him it was a soft and loving moment, but Frances felt forced by him a little...all she could do was stare into his grayish blue eyes. "You do way too much for me...I'll take over from here." He smiled and kissed her on the lips. He let her go and she smoothed her skirt and straightened her blouse.
"I'll go check on the baby..." Frances said as she heard Freddy crying and rushed off into the next room.
"Hmm...What's this?" Fred mumbled and saw a piece of paper on the floor. "My letter from Barbara...Must've dropped it." He said, and picked up the letter and put it in his trouser pocket.
