"Are you going to come to the Halloween party?" John asked Sara.
Sara and her aunt were making pies to sell. The money they earned would go towards buying goods to send to the soldiers. In total there were more than a hundred pies! This did not count the loaves of bread and the other things that had been made.
"Oh no," Sara said as she shook her head. "I am plum tuckered out!"
It had also been a year since the dreaded Halloween that nearly ruined her life with Gil. She didn't want a replay of the situation.
"Sara is right," Aunt Catherine agreed. "you are old enough now to go alone. Take a lantern and don't get into trouble!"
John hurriedly rushed to comb his hair and grab his hat. After that he went to the barn where he would grab a lantern. Sara hoped that he would stay out of trouble. Uncle Jim was staying a fortnight in Philadelphia and the two women were too tired to punish him.
"Are you getting along?" Aunt Catherine asked referring to the baby.
Sara nodded. "Yes," she paused for a moment. "though the food is making my stomach weak."
Aunt Catherine wiped her hands on her apron. "Take a seat," she said. "we will take a break."
Sara poured herself a glass of water from the tin pitcher and gulped it down. Her sickness was at it's strongest in the evening, but she didn't let it slow her down. She intended to take care of herself.
"When you were with child," Sara asked. "did you get ill?"
Aunt Catherine nodded. "Oh yes, I was ill most of the time with John. Little did I know what the Lord was preparing me for. He and Nicholas were a handful!" she said with a laugh.
Sara laughed along. "I remember," she said.
"Before you came to stay with us," Aunt Catherine said. "we had a peach tree in the yard."
Sara gasped. "I recall! What happened to it?" She asked.
Sara did indeed remember the peach tree that grew in front of the house. Aunt Catherine plucked it's ripe peaches to make preserves. She had climbed it when she visited as a young girl, but it disappeared one day. She had never thought to ask why.
"Well," Aunt Catherine said. "One day Nicholas was supposed to be minding John while James and I left for Philadelphia. We had been gone for nearly half the day and when we came home we saw that the tree was on fire!"
Sara gasped. "On fire!?" she repeated.
Aunt Catherine nodded. "James quickly put the fire out and asked the boys what had happened. Nicholas swore they had just gone down to the creek and came back to find the tree ablaze," she said.
Sara laughed and shook her head. "Something tells me that is not so," she said.
"Later that week, the guilt was eating John up inside. He finally came to me and told me the story. He said they treed a raccoon in the peach tree and wanted to smoke it out. They figured that they could just set the bottom of the tree on fire and stomp out the flames once they killed the varmint. The fire got out of control and the raccoon got away. I have never told your Uncle Jim what had happened. James just thinks it was Old Man Andersen, the town drunk," she said.
Sara was laughing so hard her sides ached. She could just imagine Uncle Jim's face when he saw the tree on fire against the evening sky.
"I plan to tell him on his death bed," Aunt Catherine said as she made the sign of the cross.
Sara laughed. "Gil told me stories of his own boyhood," she said.
Aunt Catherine smiled and poured them both some more water. "Oh, I would like to hear them!" she said.
Since Sara married Gil, she and her aunt had gotten close. Aunt Catherine was welcomed in Sara's social circle and was very well liked. On hot days the women would sometimes walk down to the creek and dip their itchy legs into the water. Now, as the two women swapped stories. Sara felt content and at ease.
~~0~~
November 1779
My Dearest Gil,
I can feel the child more and more as the days go by. I find myself not as sad I had been in the past, as I have part of you inside of me. I know that may sound foolish, but it is true. Tell me, would you mind if the baby were a boy or a girl? Will you be angry if I were to give birth to twins? I am afraid I am counting my milk pails before the cows are milked. How are you, my dear? Do you dream of me, as I always dream of you? I had to spend a little of our money for flour and cornmeal, but that was all. I have a Christmas present for you. I will hold it here until you return. Thanksgiving is coming up and our social circle has saved up enough money to buy turkeys for the army. I hope you have a fine Thanksgiving, my love. I do hope you come home soon, for you have been gone far too long. I wish for you to hold me in your arms and tell me sweet things. It is cold now, more so in the morning. I keep the cook stove stocked with coals, but nothing could compare to the warmth of you next to me. I keep you in my prayers and forever in my heart.
Your adoring wife,
Sara
Dearest Sara,
I hope I can return to you soon, my love. The days here are cold too and I wish for the warmth of home. If you are expecting two babes, that cannot be helped. It may be that God will want to bless us with twins. I wouldn't care if the baby was a boy or a girl, it would be rewarding to have either. If we had a son, I would teach him how to fish and to be a man. If we had a daughter, I would be very protective of any man who asked to court her when she was of age. Just imagine growing old together, Sara. I promise that the house we settle in will be very nice. I will build you plenty of rooms for all of the children we will have. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving, actually. Some of the men here can actually cook very well and we will have many fine things to eat. I cannot wait to hold you close to me. I love you deeply.
Your loving husband,
Gil
Once again the family traveled to Uncle Charles's house to celebrate Thanksgiving. There would be plenty of food to eat and drink. Once the ladies had set out the food and drinks, Uncle Charles blessed the food. Sara thought about her own child's first Thanksgiving. She would set it down and tell him or her about the pilgrims and how the Indians helped them and shared food. Instead of moist turkey and sweet potatoes, the Indians and Pilgrims probably had dry meat that wasn't salted.
"Heap your plate full, young Sara," Mrs. Debose said. "you'll want a healthy baby."
Sara had not thought that she was showing too much, but everyone who knew her stopped to smile. Once in a while her cousins, the ones who only came around once a year, patted her belly and congratulated her.
"I declare, Sara," one of her cousins said. "you look beautiful for a lady in your condition. You're looking plump as well. You must be eating well."
Sara gasped. "I do?" she asked.
She did not think at all that she looked plump, but she hadn't stopped to study herself. Quickly she excused herself and stepped into the wash room. Her uncle had in there a long looking glass. It sat straight up and was almost as tall as Sara. She studied her reflection in the long mirror and looked for any tell-tale signs. Her face was a little more dumpier and her cheeks were rosy. She couldn't see a bulge yet, but she knew that may have been because she was wearing her petticoats. It was a fact that she hadn't tied her stay as tight as she once had. In fact it was rather loose and she still felt like it was tight.
"Well, I suppose I will show sooner or later," Sara said.
She let herself out of the wash room and joined the party. While she was in line with her plate, she felt enormously hungry. She heaped her plate full with turkey and cranberries and cornbread stuffing and potatoes. When she was done with her filling her plate, she poured a ladle full of gravy over her food. She ate heartily and when she was finished, she felt tired.
"Sara," Aunt Catherine said. "why don't you go into the library and lie down."
Sara found that she was too tired to object. It was a fact that when your stomach was full, you slept better. She opened the door to the library and laid down on the narrow sofa. Just being in a library, amongst books and knowledge, she felt at ease and found herself imaging their words. Slowly her eyes grew heavy became long and she went to sleep.
~~0~~
When she woke up it was evening. For a moment she was delirious and was afraid her family had left without her. Quickly she smoothed her hair and quickly walked out into the house. She found Aunt Catherine sitting by the window and was relieved to see that some of the guests had left. She walked over to sit beside her aunt and gave an embarrassed smile.
"I'm afraid I slept a bit too long!" she whispered.
Aunt Catherine gave her a reassured smile. "It was only a couple of hours," she said.
Sara was amazed that it hadn't been longer. "I guess a few hours can work wonders," she commented.
Aunt Catherine gave a nod. "Do have some pie, Sara. The apple is delicious!" she said.
The thought of a crisp apple pie made Sara's mouth water. She quickly went to a long table that had deserts set out and helped herself to a sliver of pie. She could just smell the sweet apples. She poured some cream over it and also added a tiny cherry.
"My, that looks delicious," Aunt Catherine commented as Sara sat back down.
"It does," Sara agreed as she sipped on some hot chocolate.
Hot chocolate is generally thought to be a winter time treat, but Sara thought it was year round. The November air was cool and crisp, so hot chocolate was welcome. As she ate her desert, Uncle Jim walked up to them.
"I suppose you are ready to get started for home," Uncle Jim said.
Aunt Catherine gave a nod. "Yes, I will say good bye to Charles and then we will be along," she said.
Sara took her empty dishes and went with her aunt to bid her uncle good bye. Uncle Charles was in the kitchen and was yelling swears at someone she could not see. She rounded the corner and saw the person he was yelling at was no other than Warrick Brown!
"When I tell you to paint the barn you do it! I don't care if there is company today. No body will pay attention to a colored man painting!" Uncle Charles yelled.
Sara felt her ears grow hot and she felt like yelling back at her mean uncle. He was nice to her at times, but most of the time he was mean as a snake.
"Now look," Uncle Charles said when he noticed Sara and Aunt Catherine. "I have embarrassed my company."
Sara shook her head. "You haven't embarrassed me, but you've made a fool of yourself," she said.
Uncle Charles's jaw dropped and he was speechless for a moment. Soon he found his voice and scolded her. "You've always been a sharp tongued little spitfire! You need to start respecting your elders!" he said.
Sara turned her nose up. In her opinion he was as immature as a school boy. "Mr. Brown has been faithful to you. If company saw work on Thanksgiving I am sure their appetite would have been ruined! I would feel in indebted to him for helping you save face. Not to mention that making a man miss the festivities is awful!" she argued.
"I wonder how that man you married puts up with you!" Uncle Charles said, shaking his fist at her. "I wonder what kind of child a spitfire like you will bare!"
Sara's temper flared. "I wouldn't talk, seeing as how you can't find a wife to take you!" she said as she turned.
She supposed she ought to feel remorse, but instead she felt victory. Warrick had always been a good man and he didn't deserve to be yelled at. Sara walked towards the front door, stopping to collect her hat, and out the door.
"Where is Cathy?" Uncle Jim asked.
Aunt Catherine came out the door behind Sara and they climbed into the wagon. When they stared off everyone was quiet. John tried to make small talk, but Sara was still in a mess after the argument. Finally, Aunt Catherine turned to her and smiled.
"You know," she said." I have always wanted to give him a piece of my mind. I love him, but he can be as mean as a bear!"
Sara smiled nervously. "I suppose I may have gotten to passionate," she said.
Aunt Catherine agreed. "You are fiery, you always have been. He is supposed to be an abolitionist, but now I am not so sure," she said.
Silence feel again and they rode the rest of the way home in silence.
~0~
My Love,
I am afraid I have been letting my temper get the best of me. Thanksgiving was just awful and I miss you even more. Did you eat well? Our bake sell went fine and we have sent a lot of dry goods in your direction. When you get them be sure to tell me. I am afraid I do not have much news. Winter is going to be starting soon and I hope you make it in before the snow comes. Aunt Catherine and I are becoming very close. I suppose it is because I am a lot older and more settled. I swear to you that I can tell you how much I love you and you still wouldn't know how much. I hope you don't mind, but Hank has been sleeping in the house and keeping me company. He sleeps in front of the cook stove and doesn't make a mess in the house. How I wish you could hold me, darling. I have been knitting a lot to take up my time and have made so many socks that we will not lack. I am beginning baby booties and I hope I have not made them too big. Well, I'll quit prattling on. I love you.
Sara