Amy's Story
Chapter 2:
Peter and Charlie had hitched up Clover, one of their mares, to the cart that they had built earlier in the fall. Mrs. Muir sat between the two of them on the wide bench seat, while Peter held the reins. It was cold but sunny and the air was fresh as Clover obediently trotted down the road toward town. Bundled as she was against the weather, in between the two men, Carolyn found the trip not unpleasant. Soon they stopped at the gate of the Parsonage House and Charlie gallantly handed her down and onto the walkway to the Reverend's door.
"We'll be back fer yeh in about an hour or so, Ma'am," he told her. She thanked him and made her way to the house. Before she could even raise her hand to knock, Mrs. Whitman opened the door for her and invited her inside.
Taking the nurses cloak, the minister's wife thanked her for coming to speak with her husband and lead her into the parlor where a small table held cups, a china coffee pot, and a plate of cookies.
Reverend Whitman stood to greet Carolyn, holding his hand out to her. "Thank you so much for coming to speak with me. I know how busy you are with running the Home. Please won't you take a seat? I'm sure you'd have a cup of coffee with me, won't you?" He didn't wait for her answer, knowing that she consumed large quantities of the dark liquid.
"Thank you," she responded, taking the cup from his hand. "I hope you and your family are well, and I hope that wasn't the reason that you wanted me to come visit you here," she began, eager to solve the mystery of her summons.
The Reverend smiled. "We are quite well, thanks to the good Lord's care. Although it is a family matter which I require your advice on." He leaned back in his chair, the coffee cup and saucer on his knee. "You see, I am the oldest child of my parents. There were ten of us altogether, but two passed away young. The youngest child, my sister Amy was born more than five years after brother Joseph was. I'm sure you know that sometimes children born of older mothers are, well, not quite normal." He stopped for a moment, searching for a way to continue his story, but Carolyn interrupted.
"Yes, I know. Is Amy one of these children?" When Reverend Whitman nodded she continued. "Is she a Mongoloid?" using the term that would eventually be replaced with "Downs Syndrome".
"Yes, exactly. She a sweet and happy young woman, but limited, of course. She's thirty-one years old now. She stayed with my mother and actually was quite some help to her in her last years, but after Mother passed away, Amy went to live with my oldest sister, Barbara. It hasn't worked out well and since Agnes and I no longer have any children living at home, we were asked to take her in."
"I see," was all that Carolyn could say, because she really didn't see at all. Perhaps the Reverend was asking if Amy could be lodged at the Home? Even if they had the space, it was a home for old seamen, not for youngish women.
"I need your advice on how to make a home for her with us. I was more than twenty years old when Amy was born and, to be quite honest, I don't know her very well."
"Then tell me what you do know," prompted Carolyn.
"Well….as I said, she is quite sweet and loving. She enjoys being helpful, but Barbara tells me that she can be quite clumsy at times. Barbara also told me that she over-estimates her abilities and that causes her to get into troubling, even dangerous situations at times. In addition, Amy doesn't understand why she can't live as a typical wife and mother and this was the root of many arguments between her and Barbara.'
"I see," repeated Carolyn. In her nursing career she had assisted at the birth of a few such children and had seen parents have to make painfully serious decisions about their babies, but she had no experience with someone of Amy's age. "I'm not sure what I can help you with, Reverend. Unless your sister requires some nursing, I don't think I have anything to offer in the way of support."
"Oh, but you do, Mrs. Muir, you do! You and Mrs. Grant have done wonders helping Red Secor fit in with the rest of the seamen in the home and have found things for him to do that keep him happy, occupied, and helpful. Mrs. Whitman and I need to do the same for Amy."
"We did nothing more than treat Red as a useful member of our home, like all the others. We just found tasks that he was capable of doing and made sure that the supervision we gave to him was kind and understandable to him. And the other men in the home understand and appreciate Red, protect him, and look out for him. We have all heard stories of poor unfortunates who have been used, beaten, abused, and worked to death by those heartless individuals who take advantage of those less capable of caring for themselves. I am sure that Amy will find a good home here with you and Mrs. Whitman and I can count on all the men of the Home to look out for her. We have many little social events that she might enjoy attending, and that would give you both a little rest."
"That is wonderful advice and good and helpful news. I am leaving for my sister's home in Buffalo, New York tomorrow to fetch Amy. We should be back in Schooner Bay a week from today, and then I will introduce her to the townsfolk. I'm sure that the village will take to her. Everyone becomes her friend in no time at all and if we are able to find an appropriate little occupation for her, we will all be happy."