Lucky to be loving you

Chapter 3

Page 7

Molly sat down on the sofa next to Bill cuddling into the crook of his arm and sighed, "This year with you, Bill has been so wonderful. I really have enjoyed our time together as husband and wife, haven't you?"

"Yes, Molly, it's been more fun than I expected," Bill answered.

Molly sat up and looked at Bill shocked, "What's that supposed to mean? What did you expect?"

Bill swallowed hard asking himself what did he say wrong? "Molly, it means that you have made my life fuller, don't you agree?"

"Fuller? Good full or bad full?" Molly questioned, intently watching Bill's face.

"It's just that there's been so much going on in town with the Family Festival, parade, Fiona and James' engagement, and new babies popping out everywhere, that it's been a full couple of months!" Bill explained. Then Bill leaned in closer, "Molly, you have made my life happy and fun, okay? I love you and our life together!" then he pursed his lips ready for a kiss.

Molly was satisfied and kissed Bill lovingly. Just as she surrendered to his warm embrace, Rosaleen came walking in.

"Oh my, Mom, I'm sorry! I didn't see a thing, Bill!" Rosaleen shouted as she ran into the kitchen. Molly and Bill both started laughing heartily.

"Are you trying to make us feel like love-sick school children sneaking a kiss? It won't work," Molly grinned.

"All right, you two. I just wanted to talk to you about Thanksgiving," Rosaleen started.

Bill made a frustrated face and said, "That's not for a while."

"Yes, but Bill, last year we had our second Hope Valley Thanksgiving at Billees and the Hopefuls want to know if we're going to plan for one this year too. We need to make plans for food and activities," Rosaleen said.

"All right, honey, let's talk this through," Molly began, "I agree, it would be nice to have it this year again as we all had such a marvelous time last year."

Bill held his hands up for the ladies to stop, "Wait! If we do this, we need to make sure we can get enough turkeys for everyone. We'll need to get a head count."

"I'll see to that," Rosaleen offered.

"I'll be roasting the turkeys like last year so they'll have to be basted and cooked slowly so they don't dry out. I will ask Lee to help me. It's a lot of work do you remember?"

Molly added, "Yes, Bill, so I'll have to ask for donations of dishes to pass at Bible Study. Usually, that's no problem plus the Chickadees are always a big help always willing to pitch in!"

"The Hopefuls will decorate and help with place settings. We'll also make all the beverages. I'll let them know we are having a community Thanksgiving dinner and I know they'll be excited to help with whatever is needed," Rosaleen smiled.

Molly had an idea, "I wonder if Elizabeth would ask the children to make decorations during their art time?"

"Mom, I like that idea, so I'll check with Elizabeth and see what she thinks. I'm sure the children would enjoy being part of the festivities!" Rosaleen said.

"I'll ask Fiona if she wants any entertainment," Molly suggested. "Maybe, we can have the Moretti family sing, or maybe Dee and the choirs from both churches might want to."

"Of course, Fiona might want to have her fiancé, James Scholl perform too."

Bill sat back in his chair and listened to the two women in his life making plans for the community Thanksgiving dinner. There was no sense in him trying to get a word in edgewise because the two of them never stopped to take a breath. When they were finished, Rosaleen left to talk to Elizabeth as she offered.

Bill grabbed Molly's hand and squeezed, "Now, honey, where were we before Rosaleen came in?"

"Oh, that," Molly giggled, "I'll pick it up where we left off when I get back, I promise."

"Get back?" Bill looked shocked.

"Yes, Bill, I have to talk to Fiona about the entertainment and Minnie about asking the ladies for food donations when we meet at Bible Study Tuesday." Molly gave Bill a quick kiss on his cheek and went to get her shawl and handbag.

Minnie had come over to talk with Brook as Dee had asked. She came inside and joined Violet and Brook sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hello Violet!" Minnie smiled.

"Good to see you," Violet replied. "I told Brook that I would be here for her when you came, I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all, in fact, I think the two of you have suffered with grief from losing your babies. Is this right?" Minnie asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is," Violet shared. "There is nothing anyone can say unless they've lost a baby themselves, that will help you accept the loss. But, I had my parents who took me in when Jake left for prison. If it wasn't for my faith, I don't know how else I'd deal with it." Violet shared.

Brook tried to smile. She didn't know what to say, she just listened. When Violet asked Brook if she wanted her to tell her story to Minnie, Brook nodded yes.

"All right, Brook's experience was quite different. Whereas I lost my baby in the hospital, Brook lost her baby at home by herself. All alone and scared, she wrapped her baby in a blanket and put it in a box and under a blanket in the corner of her closet. She felt like a failure and grieved without telling Carl."

Minnie listened carefully and her heart sank realizing that Brook was far from family and felt she had no one to turn to. "Brook," Minnie moved to sit closer to Brook, "Do you believe in God?"

Brook quietly answered, "Yes, Carl tell me."

"Good, then did Carl tell you that God will give you comfort if you turn your burden over to Him? You are a child of God and He loves you so much, and He wants you to tell Him all your sorrows and joys," Minnie comforted Brook.

Brook looked up with tears shimmering in her eyes, "I thought God mad at me."

"No, Brook, you did nothing wrong. Sometimes, sad things just happen and we don't understand why, but that is when you must try to trust God. If you turn it all over to Him, He will walk with you," Minnie said as she hugged Brook hoping to help her to open up.

Violet's sadness flowed down her cheeks too and soon it became a group hug. It was a good beginning to healing.

Page 8

Sunday morning in Hope Valley was a day of rest this time. Most folks attended church but today there were no special doings so the only things going on in town were a few boys from the team who gathered together to play touch football, and some of the girls were working on badges in their Girl Guides handbook. Those who were farmers had been busy harvesting. On Sunday they would bring their wagons of produce to church so whoever wanted vegetables or fruit could buy it freshly picked.

Emily was glad that Archie picked some apples off the trees on their land so she could make her famous apple strudel. Just like in Brook Springs, she often brought some to Mass to sell, and Dee took some to the Community Church to sell for her too. It kept her quite busy all day Friday and Saturday even with Allie's help peeling the apples but Emily was in her element and loved baking. The little pocket money she made she kept for her Christmas fund. What she couldn't sew, knit, or make, she would order from the Mercantile catalog. Knowing that it would be especially busy with the new baby and Christopher's first birthday, she wanted to get started planning her gifts.

When Nathan picked out the property he liked having fruit trees and the stream flowing through their land which oftentimes provided fresh fish caught by Archie for dinner. Today, Nathan was fishing with his dad and relaxing together.

"We won't have many days left like this to fish," Nathan said.

"Yes, you're right. I'm hoping we have a good catch today," Archie answered.

Nathan looked around when he heard the rustling of leaves. There stood Ella and Taffy. The dogs were watching the squirrels playing in the leaves and gathering nuts. Both of the dogs stood frozen like statues ready to pounce. Their entertainment was completely oblivious that they were being watched. As the squirrels skittered about, they were making squeaking and chirping sounds talking to each other. When they finally spotted the dogs their tails quickly flashed around warning the other and they ran up in the trees with their mouths full of nuts. Up there they watched the dogs and noisily scolded them by making a racket hoping they'd go away.

Ella and Taffy barked and barked staring up keeping an eye on them and even trying to follow them up. Archie and Nathan laughed at the frolicking of the squirrels and the hunting of the dogs. It set the mood for father and son.

Nathan looked at his dad wondering what he was thinking. No one ever knew if he was in the present moment or living in the past. Just then Archie felt a nibble and got excited, "Look here, I've got a bite. Maybe I'll be lucky."

As Archie yanked his pole just enough to snag the fish, he stood up and started reeling in his pole line little by little.

"Ah-ha! I got it!" Archie grinned.

Archie reeled his catch all the way in and held the fish line up to size up the trout. Nathan looked over and saw that it was a good-sized trout, "Dad, that's a keeper!"

"Looks good enough for dinner, but we'll need another one. Get busy there, Nathan," Archie teased.

The two of them enjoyed a good time that afternoon while fishing together. Nathan was grateful that Archie was in the present moment as he didn't know how many more times he'd have with him like this. He closed his eyes briefly and let this experience fill his heart where he could keep the memory safe.

Trevor had brought Kenny Conner and his son Jason with him to Mass that morning. It worked out that Jason was one of the boys who planned to meet and play football, so Kenny was free. Now he had an appointment with Fr. Ricardo to talk about the guilt he was carrying around.

As the two men sat down, Kenny explained about his wife who died of tuberculosis, "Fr., it was horrible, just awful to watch my sweet Mary get sicker and sicker. I prayed she'd get better, but the doctor said she needed to go to a sanitarium and away from people, even her family."

"That must've been very hard to do," Fr. Ricardo began, "how did Jason handle his mother's illness and being away from her?"

"He was worried about her. She had been a small slight woman to begin with, and at first, he saw his mother coughing and always tired. She never got better, but then she never got any worse either for a few months so we were hopeful she would recover," Kenny said.

Fr. Ricardo knew the story was about to change and watched Kenny as he tried to stay strong while continuing with his story.

"All of a sudden she started coughing up blood, which really alarmed us. She suffered from chest pain while coughing, and eventually even just when breathing. When she started running a fever and having chills she lost her appetite and began losing weight," Kenny's voice cracked.

"Do you want to stop Kenny?" Fr. Ricardo asked.

"No, not now, I want to finish so I don't have to start again. At that point, the doctor told me she had no other course of treatment except to go to a sanitarium. He told me she'd have a good chance of recovering if we got her there soon."

"Did she go?" Fr. asked.

Kenny's face quivered and he kept biting his bottom lip, fighting back tears he continued, "No. I didn't have the money to afford sending her. It was my fault. I got involved in racing automobiles and spent all the money I saved on my hobby which became an obsession with me. When Mary needed to go, I couldn't take care of her; the money was gone. Her family was mad at me. Her mother took her to a cabin in the far north woods and that's where she died, never to see me or her son ever again."

Kenny stopped and looked away. The hot, salty tears stung his lips as they rolled down his cheeks. Fr. Ricardo sat and waited patiently allowing Kenny to let his grief be released.

After what seemed like a long time, Kenny straightened up in his chair and wiped his face with his handkerchief. Clearing his throat, he finally looked at Fr. Ricardo and confessed his guilt out loud. "How can our Lord ever forgive me for what I did?"

Fr. Ricardo put his hand on Kenny's shoulder, "Son, our Lord forgives everyone who confesses and repents. He taught his followers to forgive their enemies seventy times seven. He would do no less."

Before Fr. Ricardo could continue, Kenny got up and walked over to the window. "I can barely look at myself in the mirror. The only reason I'm still here is because of my son Jason. I don't want him to be an orphan. If it weren't for him..."

Fr. Ricardo walked over to him and said, "Don't think like that, Kenny. God loves you, He's forgiven you, now you have to forgive yourself. I want you to pray for the courage to do just that. Do it for Jason."

"I can't. I just don't have the words," Kenny shook his head.

"Let me help then," Fr. Ricardo offered while putting both of his hands on Kenny's shoulders he began, "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Father, you know your child is hurting. He has confessed his sins to you and you have forgiven him. Please, Lord, I ask that you allow him to feel your love and forgiveness. Let him know within his heart that he is important and is loved, not only by you but especially his son. Help him to forgive himself. In Jesus's name, we pray. Amen."

"Amen."

"Kenny, this is just a start, I want you to come next Sunday and we can talk about how your week has gone. I want you to feel the freedom of forgiveness. If I can help with Jason too, let me know, don't hesitate, all right?"

"Thank you, Father."

Page 9

Fiona was over at Dottie's looking through the bridal dresses and enjoying every minute of it! Fiona, of course, had so many freely given opinions and suggestions.

Fiona knew her good friends were just encouraging and happy for her. There were plenty of oohs and ahhs with each picture she looked at. It was hard to pick a few out of so many, but she needed to narrow it down today! Her wedding to James would be in January and she wanted it to be her only walk down the aisle and as perfect as she could dream of.

The giggles could be heard from the shop outside. A few men walked past shaking their heads and Bill was one of them.

Peeking inside, Bill inquired, "What's with the commotion in here? You can hear all your gaiety outside!"

"Never mind, Bill," Dottie shooed him away while shutting the shop door, "It's none of your business, this is Fiona's day and we're enjoying it!"

Molly was running over then so he stopped her. Bill asked, "Don't tell me darling, that you are going to join those silly women?"

"Of course, Bill! There's no one at the infirmary right now, so Dr. Faith said I could go on a break." With that she kissed Bill's cheek as she rushed past him.

Bill stood on the boardwalk shaking his head, "Women!"

"Ain't they grand?" Henry remarked with a huge grin as he was walking towards Dottie's Apparel shop, "Dottie is excited for Fiona which puts Dottie in a good mood, which well, makes for a happy husband! Get my drift? You ought to try it, Bill!"

Bill sighed. As he walked into his office, he saw that the mail had come while he was out as Harper had placed it on his desk. Sitting down, he grabbed his letter opener and began to open all the mail. He came upon a letter from his cousin, Peter.

He hadn't heard from Peter in years, and out of nowhere here was a letter from him. Anxiously Bill scanned the letter to find his reason for contacting Bill. As he read the letter Bill found out that Peter needed him. He wanted his advice and help with a situation he was in. He claimed he was falsely accused of bootlegging during the prohibition.

This caught Bill's attention. He noticed that Peter was living not too far away. Bill re-read the letter and was wondering what to do next. Peter lived in a local area that was very strict about prohibition, not like Hope Valley, even though they both lived in Alberta, but it was left to the local municipality if they allowed liquor. It was lucky for Bill and Lee operating Billees to be able to sell alcohol for the weekend dances or at night for dinner and for the Morettis in Brookfield under their local government.

Apparently, from what Bill gathered, Peter worked at a saloon in which the establishment was raided and shut down for selling illegal liquor. When the NWMP went through the kitchen, they found a stairway down to the cellar where liquor was being made illegally. Usually, when the owners sensed a raid, they'd dump the liquor in the local lake, but this time they were caught off guard. Peter claimed he knew nothing about the bootlegging when he was arrested.

Even though prohibition was ending in many provinces slowly but surely, Peter was arrested awaiting a hearing, at least at the time of writing the letter. Bill wanted to telephone Peter, but no telephone number was included. Instead, he would need to contact the NWMP office in the locality where Peter lived.

Setting aside the rest of the of the mail he called the NWMP office in Fort Clay to confirm who the Constable was in Buxton. He went over to see Nathan about this situation and wanted to see what Nathan thought.

"That's a situation you have there," Nathan said after listening to Bill and then reading the letter himself.

"I never heard from my cousin for years, and now when he wants something, I hear from him, doesn't that take the cake!" Bill retorted.

"When was the last time you two spoke?"

"Years!"

"Then maybe it goes both ways," Nathan suggested giving Bill a little bit of his own medicine.

Bill shrugged, "All right, all right. But now, what do you think Constable Christopher Herrmann is going to say about this?"

"The only way to find out is to telephone him and ask." Nathan wasn't being much help Bill thought.

Nathan handed Bill the telephone. Bill grabbed it and telephoned Christopher. He was lucky to catch him in his office. Bill explained his inquiry and the situation.

"Yes, I know all about the raid. I was retired then, but for that, I was called back to duty and have been working here ever since," Christopher explained.

"Will you please send me any details of the raid? I guess I'll be Peter's attorney. I haven't contacted him yet, so I would like to know what I'm getting myself into."

Christopher asked, "Bill, I need you to come here and sign for any paperwork you need first."

"I suppose that will work. I don't want to give Peter false hope. I'll be there first thing in the morning. Where is Peter being held now?" Bill asked.

"He's in the Edmonton Correctional Center."

Bill looked frustrated, "All right then, I'll be by you tomorrow. Thanks Christopher."

Leaning back in his chair, Bill rubbed his eyes, and then looked at Nathan and reported that he'd be leaving for Buxton tomorrow morning and then off to Edmonton the following day. Nathan regarded him solemnly and nodded.

"I hope you can help Peter, although it might be tough trying to prove his innocence," Nathan replied.

"I'm thinking that too," Bill said, "Now to tell Molly."

"Good luck!" Nathan called.

Bill stopped and chuckled, "What? Good luck on my trips or good luck telling Molly?"