The new part of the house was coming along splendidly. Gil had the walls built up, the fireplace was stoned, and the doors were cut. He had also tarred up the house and stuck tar paper between the cracks. From the outside it looked horrible, the black tar was stripped along the boards and it looked like a tiger house, but the inside was dry. Gil promised that he would paint it after he got the floor laid. The weather was warm enough now for Sara to walk with Thomas among the trees. At first he didn't like the wind blowing on his skin, but he became used to it and soon he looked forward to his walks. On most days Hank walked with them, but he sometimes ran off to chase the rats that were starting to make their homes in the barn.
"I have to start setting out poison for the rats," Gil said one day.
The next day he came home with a clear bottle and started to spread it over pieces of cheese. He set them all over the house and before nightfall there was a dead rat outside the pantry door. Rats were most likely the ugliest thing she had ever seen in her life. Its mouth was open and Sara could see little teeth that were sharp enough to chew her finger off. She picked it up by its ropey tail and flung it into the woods. That wasn't the end to their problem. The seed bags in the pantry began to have holes in the bottom and once when Sara was reaching for flour, the bag started to move. She had screamed and Gil had come and killed it with his gun.
"Gil, we can't live like this," Sara said.
"I know," he answered. "other people in town say that if you burn the tall grass then rats won't have a place to hide. I should dig you a cellar and build some drawers for you. Don't leave food uncovered."
The problem was worse at night. Sara would lay awake and listen as the rats scurried about. Hank did his best to hunt them, but it was more a job for a cat. One night, as Sara lay awake, she heard something skitter into their bedroom and she went stiff. She wanted to light a candle, but if it was a big rat it would turn on her and it would attack. She waited until she heard it leave, but it crept to the other side of the bed. She heard it climb something and she sat up in bed. There, by the light of the moon, she saw Thomas's cradle and a giant rat perched on the end of it. It looked back at her for a moment and it's red eyes glowed back at her. Sara screamed and threw the oil lamp at it, knocking it off but not killing it. It ran away and Thomas cried. Gil sat up beside her and looked around the room.
"What happened?" he asked.
"There was a rat!" Sara said as she lifted the baby up. "It was trying to eat Thomas."
In town there had been a few reports of rats trying to eat babies. Babies smelled like milk and rats were attracted to that smell. If a baby was unlucky, the rat would eat it's face. Thankfully that hadn't happened in town, but people had been warned.
"That's it," Gil said as he looked at the broken lamp and a crying Thomas. "I'm bringing a cat home tomorrow."
Sara nestled the baby between them that night, but didn't sleep for fear of waking up to find a rat standing over her.
0~0
The next day Gil brought back a cat, like he had promised. Sara had never been found of cats, but it was necessary. It was a pretty cat, with orange and black on it. It also had a long tail and big ears.
"It looks like a good mouser," Gil observed.
Sara steered clear of the cat. It laid in front of the cook stove and slept. As she fed Thomas, she rocked back and fourth, waiting for the cat to spring and chase a rodent. As Thomas nursed, Sara felt her eye lids grow heavy. She woke with a start to the sound of a chair hitting the floor and the cat letting out an angry yowl. She set Thomas in his cradle and went to lift up the tablecloth to see the cat with it jaws locked onto the neck of a rat. The rat was much bigger than the cat and fought back. Sara grabbed her broom and got ready to hit the rodent when it got away. The pest bit into the cat and it screamed, but with one powerful leap the cat pounced again and the rat went limp.
"You did it!" Sara exclaimed.
Before cat could start to eat it's kill, Sara took it away and flung it into the burn pile where Gil burned things. He said that the dead rats were starting to stink up the woods and he needed to burn the bodies. She picked up the cat and tried to doctor it's bites, but it seemed to have it's own technique. When Gil came in, Sara told him what had happened. Later, more and more rat bodies turned up.
"Well, we almost have that problem solved," Gil said as he lit his pipe. "I wonder what comes next."
~0~
May 1780
For John's birthday Aunt Catherine decided to have a party. John invited all of his school friends and Uncle Jim invited family. Sara helped make the cake and clean Aunt Catherine's house from top to bottom. It was also the one year mark for her and Gil and they were celebrating that too, though it was mostly John's party. The day before the party Sara bathed Thomas. Nowadays he liked his bath and laughed when he was in the tub. After Thomas was in bed, Sara helped Gil bathe and then he helped her. Though they were grown and didn't need help, they both liked it when they helped each other. This was one of their few moments alone together. Springtime was always a rush and people stopped by to visit Thomas nonstop. Sara missed being alone with her husband, not so much that she wished Thomas away, but enough to wish that they lived farther away from everyone.
"What are you thinking about?" Gil asked her as he watched her wash.
"Just us," Sara said. "about our one year mark. We haven't had much alone time because I was with child soon after we married."
Gil nodded. "Yes, I know," he said. "I love Thomas, but sometimes I wish it hadn't happened so soon. I hated being away from you for so long after we married."
Sara smiled. "I have you all to myself right now," she said.
Gil smiled. "Let's go on a trip," he said.
"To where?" Sara asked.
Gil thought for a moment. "We can go into Philadelphia and find a nice place to stay. They have a nice inn," he said.
Sara thought this over. "I hate to expose Thomas to so much," she said.
"Your aunt has been asking to sit with him for a while. How about we go alone?" Gil said.
Sara smiled. "It dose sound nice?" she said.
The thought of having Gil to herself sounded more than nice, it sounded wonderful. They had gotten married so fast they didn't have time to plan a big wedding party or a honeymoon, they just had a ceremony. The next day after they were married, Gil started working and soon they had been with child. Thinking about it now, Sara wanted nothing more than quiet time with Gil. She wanted much more than a bath or to be alone in bed, she wanted to walk through the forest alone with him . She wanted to go shopping with him and go on buggy rides. Now that Thomas's colic had gone down a lot, it would be easier to leave him. Aunt Catherine had broke him to glass bottles now, so milk wouldn't be a problem.
Gil nodded. "We can start making arrangements tomorrow," he said.
~0~
The next day Sara was up before the sun and getting breakfast. Gil had dug a cellar under the floor of the new room and Sara lifted the door to get the butter. It was still unfinished and dirty, but it was beautiful. The window seat had been carved and so had a bookshelf. For breakfast Sara made mush with buttered bread. She didn't want to make a heavy meal because there would be food at the party. When everything was finished and the dishes washed, Sara dressed herself in her blue calico and straw bonnet. She dressed Thomas in his new blue gown and matching bonnet. Blue was a fitting color for a boy and Sara thought she had the most handsome son in the county. Gil had a cobbler make little brown shoes for him, so now he looked like a little man. Thomas's hair was so dark that it looked almost black and his eyes were still the same blue from when he was born.
"Is my family ready?" Gil asked as he put his hat on.
Sara said that they were and they left. Hank walked to the party with them, but when he saw all the guests he turned back towards home. Thomas put his fist in his mouth and made a gurgling noise. Drool dribbled down and Sara had to wipe it off his gown.
"Is that the little lad?" Sara heard Uncle Charles ask.
Since Thanksgiving, Sara hadn't spoken to Uncle Charles. But he was family and Sara knew she must hold her tongue. Gil felt her tension and placed his hand on her back to steady her.
"Yes," Sara said with a smile.
"Let me see the little guy," Uncle Charles said.
Before Sara could move, Uncle Charles had taken Thomas away and was looking at him. Thomas looked back, his fist still in his mouth.
"He is a fat little lad," Uncle Charles said. "he is a healthy boy. I think it is good that you didn't have a girl, she would have turned out just like you, Sara. You need sons."
Sara took offense, but did not say so. This was John's party and she didn't want to ruin it. Uncle Charles bounced Thomas and Thomas began to wiggle. Sara saw his little face wrinkle up with worry and then he screamed.
"There, there," Uncle Charles tried to say.
Thomas screamed so loud his face turned red and he balled his hands up. The tears were running so fast that Sara was scared. Soon everyone started to look towards them and Sara took Thomas back. He quieted down as soon as his mother was holding him and Sara sighed.
"He has had colic," Sara explained.
Uncle Charles nodded. "Perhaps I better be off," he said as he turned.
Sara looked down at Thomas, who had put his fist back in his mouth and was looking around like nothing had happened. Sara kissed his head and went inside to help Aunt Catherine.
"Oh, there you are," Aunt Catherine said.
Sara set Thomas down in the packing box that Aunt Catherine kept for him and put her apron on. The packing box acted like a pen and Uncle Jim had carved little animals in it. Inside the pen, Thomas had a stuffed bear and his wooden giraffe.
"Sorry," Sara apologized. "Uncle Charles wanted to hold Thomas."
Aunt Catherine laughed. "I could tell Thomas didn't like him much," she said.
Sara agreed and helped prepare food for the guests. Outside the boys ran around with sticks that acted as swords. She thought that John was growing up so fast. When she had come to live with her aunt and uncle, he had been the little boy she climbed trees with and she minded whenever her aunt was busy. Now he was almost a man.
"Do you ever want to have another child?" Sara asked without thinking.
Aunt Catherine was quiet, but then answered. "Yes," she said. "I do want another, but it hasn't happened yet."
Sara smiled. "Maybe when Thomas is older I can have another and we can be with child at the same time," she said.
Aunt Catherine laughed. "Sara, I am thirty-five! I think that my time has probably passed for more children," she said.
Sara assumed she was right and continued to help cook. They party lasted for only a couple of hours, and Sara was relieved when everyone started to leave. Thomas lay asleep in the packing box, but Sara picked him up to feed him. If Uncle Charles was right about one thing, it was that Thomas was fat. He was so plump that Gil called him his little butterball. Sara sat in Aunt Catherine's wicker rocker and nursed him. Thomas was always a greedy eater and sometimes sucked more than he swallowed.
"I miss that," Aunt Catherine said when she saw Sara,
Sara looked down at Thomas and smiled. "I enjoy it. I don't know why," she said.
"It's because your mothering him," Aunt Catherine said. "mothers enjoy that."
Sara rubbed Thomas's head and Aunt Catherine came over to look at him. "Wow, he is greedy," Aunt Catherine laughed.
Sara pulled him away and saw that Thomas wasn't happy about it. He opened his and looked at Sara, waiting for her to put him back where he was. Aunt Catherine laid a towel on her shoulder and took him while Sara fastened her dress. As soon as she was done Mrs. Debose walked in.
"Who invited that old bat?" Sara wondered.
Mrs. Debose took one look at Thomas. "Oh, what an adorable baby!" she exclaimed.
She snatched him away from Aunt Catherine and laid him on her shoulder. She bounced him up and down and Sara could see catastrophe.
"Mrs. Debose, you may not want to-" Sara started.
"Oh be quiet," she snapped at Sara.
Just as she said it, Thomas burped and spit all over Mrs. Debose. She held him at arms length and wrinkled he nose at the baby.
"I should have known your son would do that," she said as she thrust him back into Aunt Catherine's arms.
When Mrs. Debose hurried from the room, Sara snickered. She looked at Thomas, who had put his fist back in his mouth, and smiled.
"You know who irritates mama," she said.