"Are you sure you have all his things?" Sara asked again.
Like Gil had said, Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jim had been glad to sit with Thomas while they went on a holiday. Aunt Catherine had put the cradle beside her bed and Uncle Jim had gotten extra bottles. Sara was a bundle of nerves as she unloaded extra nappies and socks onto Aunt Catherine's table. She didn't want to leave him, least something go wrong.
"I have a few extra bonnets and three gowns. Unless he gets sick I'm sure he'll be fine," Sara said.
Sara pulled his shoes out of her carpet bag and his wooden giraffe. "Here is his giraffe. He likes to take his bath with it. Remember that he likes to eat a lot, so fill up the bottles a lot. Oh my, what if there isn't enough milk?" Sara asked.
Gil chuckled. "There is plenty of milk," he said. "we have two cows now."
Sara straightened up. "I guess that's everything. He likes to have his back rubbed, so if he starts to cry just rub his back."
Aunt Catherine nodded. "I know," she said with a laugh. "I have two sons and they were the same."
Sara took Thomas and hugged him to her. She was excited to be going away with Gil for a whole week, but she was having more than second thoughts about leaving Thomas behind. She kissed his baby soft hair and his face.
"He's going to be fine, Sara," Gil said as he put his arm around her.
Sara handed him back to her aunt and turned with Gil. He had the wagon already packed and climbed up to help her into her seat.
"Goodbye!" everyone said.
"Goodbye!" Sara and Gil answered.
Gil chirruped to the horses and they started over the hill. Sara thought she heard Thomas cry, but told herself that he was fine with Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jim. The day was bright and the sun was warm on her face. The longer they rode in the wagon, the more relaxed she became. Sara leaned against Gil and sighed. Gil looked down at her and put his arm around her.
"When I first saw you I knew I was never going to get you out of my mind," he said.
"Really?" Sara said with a laugh.
Gil nodded. "Yes," he said. "I just loved your personality and your smile."
Sara blushed. It had been a long time since Gil made her blush. In the past, her cheeks would grow hot when he looked at her. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled closer to him.
"We are going to have a wonderful time," Sara sighed.
A friend of Gil's said that they could stay in his house for a week. He was going out of town and had asked Gil to watch his house for him while he was away. Sara wondered if this was the same man who had the key to the college, but she didn't ask.
"Yes," Gil agreed. "we are."
They stopped halfway to Philadelphia to eat lunch from tin pails. Sara had packed cold chicken and boiled eggs. The had folded pieces of paper with salt and pepper and they ate that with the eggs. They drank water from Gil's canteen and they drove off again. It was nearly suppertime by the time they entered the city. Even though it hadn't been that long since Sara had been there, new buildings were already being built. The drove down first street and Sara gaped at the sizes of the houses there. Each house was two levels and had large porches. Gil pulled up in front of a brick house with green shutters. It wasn't as big as the others around it, but it was bigger than their own.
"This is it," Gil said as he got down to open the gate.
He walked the horses up the drive and they stopped under a canopy. There was a flower garden in front of the house. It had roses and tulips and daisies. Sara couldn't believe that she was actually going to stay a whole week in that house. Of course she would keep it clean and what have you, but it was something different. Gil helped her down and together they went in. Gil had been their before, but Sara hadn't. The kitchen wasn't as big as Uncle Charles's, but it had a big stone oven that Sara wished she had at home. There was a shelf to her left that was filled with dishes and another to her right that was filled with spices.
"I want to built our house like this one day," Gil said with a smile.
He walked her over to the pantry and opened the door. It looked like a little grocery store because it was filled with good things to eat. There were soda crackers and canned preserves and all kinds of meat. There were loaves of bread and fish was salted in a barrel.
"Gil, we are going to eat like the queen of England!" Sara exclaimed.
The rest of the house was just as impressive. The floors were shiny and there was carpet in the upstairs bedrooms. The room they were to stay in had a huge bed and a big window. There was a wash stand next to the bed on one side and a wardrobe on the other side. Sara unpacked all their things and set it neatly in the wardrobe. After all the unpacking was done, the house was quiet.
"How about a walk before supper?" Gil asked.
Sara said that it was a good idea, so she put on her straw hat and they went for a walk. Outside horse-drawn buggies drove down the street. Sara and Gil only had a wagon, but she wasn't complaining. They walked on the sidewalk and Sara saw the other ladies holding parasols. They were dressed in fine material and walked with men that wore tall hats. Sara and Gil didn't have tall hats or parasols, but she didn't feel as if she were missing out. She diverted her attention away from the people and looked into the yards. Each house seemed to get bigger and bigger as they walked. Every yard seemed to have a different tree in it and every yard had freshly cut grass.
Sara sighed. "It is so pretty here," she said.
Gil looked down at her. "Do you want to move here?" he asked.
Sara was shocked. The new room wasn't even finished yet and Gil was already talking about moving to a new home.
"Our house is just fine," Sara said.
"That wasn't what asked you," Gil said with a smile.
Sara didn't know what to say. "Well, it is pretty," she said.
Gil nodded. "I have been offered a job at the college. I will start this fall and the pay will be good. We can live in any house you want to and I'll buy you all kinds of nice things. Thomas will go to a good school," he said.
Sara felt a mixture of excitement and sadness at once. She wanted Gil to have a nice job, but at the same time she wanted to be near her aunt and uncle.
"What about our house?" she asked.
"We can sell it when I'm done with the new room," Gil answered.
Sara didn't know what to say. She had been looking forward to her window seat and her fireplace. She felt as if Gil had done all of that work in vain.
"I want you to think about it," Gil said. "I won't move unless you will be happy. Your happiness is most important."
Sara looked at him and smiled. "You're so good to me, Gil. What ever did I do to have you?" she asked.
Gil smiled. "You love me," he said. "that's all I need."
~0~
For supper that night Sara heated up some oyster soup and laid out soda crackers. The soup was rich and the little oysters were so good. For dessert Sara set out some fresh peaches. She hadn't had peaches in a while so it was a good treat. As she washed the dishes, Gil pulled out a gift for her. Sara was so excited, but sad because she didn't have anything for him. She didn't think that he would give her a present.
"Open it," he said with a smile.
Sara sat down at the table and tore off the brown paper. Inside was a copy of her favorite book, Gulliver's Travels. The book was leather and the edges of the pages were golden. It was indeed the most finest piece of fiction she had ever owned.
"Oh," Sara gasped. "Gil it is so beautiful. I don't have anything for you."
"Never mind," Gil said. "I didn't give it to you to get something back."
Sara looked it over and sighed. "It has always been my favorite," she said.
Gil put his arm around her and pulled her close. "I knew you would love it. I always see you reading that worn out copy at your uncle's house. Now you have your own," he said with a smile.
Sara turned to him and kissed him. The had kissed each other plenty of times since they had been married, but since the birth of their son, kisses have been short. Gil kissed her back and Sara whispered in his ear.
"Let's go upstairs," she said, setting her book on the table.
Gil put one arm under her legs and lifted her up. She had always been light to him and his arms so strong underneath her. He carried her upstairs and there they enjoyed each other. Sara knew that she would never love anyone else as long as she lived. She loved him more than herself.
~0~
The next morning Sara slept late. She woke up beside Gil, his warm body a comfort to her. It had been a while since they had been alone like last night and Sara had welcomed it. She brushed the hair off of Gil's face and smiled. He was so handsome and she knew Thomas was going to be just as good looking and manly. She slipped out of bed and stole quietly down the stairs, with the hopes to make her husband a nice breakfast. She looked out the window at the trees and sighed; it was a beautiful day. As she mixed eggs together she thought of what Gil had said. If they moved then they would have a nice house with money to do all the things they had always wanted. Thomas could play with the children in town and he would go to a school. More than that, Sara knew Gil loved to teach. He was a smart man and just the though of him wanting to put his dreams aside for her happiness spoke volumes. The sound of Gil coming down the stairs pulled her from her thoughts and she set the eggs on the table and turned to butter some bread. He kissed her on the neck as he passed and breathed in the scent of her skin.
"Last night was beautiful," he whispered to her.
Sara blushed at the memories. "It was," she said with a smile.
Gil took a seat at the table and Sara poured him some coffee. They ate eggs and buttered bread, just a simple breakfast for a peaceful morning. Gil's blue eyes looked at Sara and she smiled.
"I have been thinking about moving," she said.
Gil set down his coffee. "Do you think it would be something you would like to do?" he asked her.
Sara nodded. "Yes," she said. "I think it would be perfect."
After breakfast they went to window shop in town. There were new stores that had already-made dresses in the window and new shoes in a row. They went in and bought Thomas his first pair of suspenders and a sailboat. Sara knew he was too small to do much but look at it and put it in his mouth, but he would like it anyways. They stopped and ate at a restaurant for dinner. It was a nice place with beautiful tables and carpet. The both ordered potato soup and garlic bread. Sara had never made garlic bread before, but it didn't look hard.
"Gil," she said. "do you think that we will be happy here?"
Gil wiped his mouth with his napkin and nodded. "I think so. I know you don't have any friends here, but you'll find some. I believe your friend Warrick lives around town," he said.
Sara gasped. "I forgot!" she said. "you will just love him, Gil. I have known him since I was a girl."
Gil nodded. "I met him at the picnic. He is a nice man," he said.
Sara reached out and took Gil's hand. "I love you. I am having such a good vacation.," she said.
Gil looked at his beautiful wife and smiled. He didn't know why God decided to bless him with her, but she was his very own. Honestly, he had married her quick because he didn't want to loose her. He still remembered the day his life nearly changed forever. When he read that she wanted to end their courtship, he was heart broken. He took it out on everyone else around him and he wanted to end his life. It was Nick who had told him to talk to her and in the end everything had been taken care of. He wasn't angry at Sara, but he had been hurt. Their marriage had changed both of them. Sara had proved to be soft hearted to the people she loved, but she had a quick tongue. She had matured a lot in their time together, but she still had things to learn. Now that they had Thomas, things were different.
"I love you too, my love," he said.