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Ava pulled one from the ceramic canister by
the door and headed out. It felt good to be outside and alone. She
had become accustomed to walking everywhere, and she was surprised
how much she missed it. The scenery was so much more peaceful here.
She could look all around as she walked, instead of keeping her
eyes on the concrete, afraid to look up. She could nod at neighbors
instead of shying away from them. She felt safe to stroll along
leisurely, looking at the cute homes and cottages with their pretty
trim and neat yards and dream about how she would decorate their
home when they had one again.

The air was surprisingly warm and still;
almost stale with a strong, earthy smell. She looked to her left
and couldn’t see the ocean through the trees, but saw a large wall
of billowing clouds above them, smoky black with deep, violet
veins. She hoped Jonathan wasn’t anywhere near them and that he
would be home well before those clouds got to shore.

Claire saw her as she walked up the gravel
drive and met her at the door with an excited hug. “I’ve missed you
so much!” She pulled her inside where she said hello to Aryl’s
mother, made a cup of coffee and slipped out the back door to sit
on the swing and talk.

“How have you been? How's it going with
Jonathan’s parents? What do you do with yourself all day? I’ve been
going out of my mind with boredom!”

“Whoa, one at a time. First, I’ve been fine.
It was rough with Jon Sr. in the beginning, but he’s starting to
come around. Can you believe that, after all everyone has been
through, he's still pressuring Jonathan to start trading again?
Jonathan said never again. He has other ideas. And as far as what I
do all day, I’ve been going crazy! Jonathan is gone so much, and I
think Margaret and I have run out of things to talk about. I tried
some of her hobbies, but I didn’t really like them enough to keep
at it. I am helping her with her garden, though. That I like, but
I’ll like it better when it’s my own.”

Claire sighed in agreement. “Aryl said maybe
by May if things go well.”

“Well, that’s hopeful. Jon hasn’t said
anything either way. I don’t see why we all couldn’t find a place
now, we have the money that they would have used for the down
payment on the building, but Jon said that money is savings for the
business. In case they need to repair or replace something.”

“We should start having our weekly meetings
again. We can visit and maybe start some projects together.”

“That’s a great idea. And we need to start
planning Arianna’s party.”

Claire’s eyes popped open. “I almost forgot
about that! We should go see her.” She scrambled to her feet as if
they were going to set out right then.

“That’s a long walk, Claire. Maybe someone
could drive us out there this evening?”

“Nonsense. I’ll drive us.” She had a
mischievous grin, and her eyes sparkled. Ava looked hesitant.

“Oh, come on.” Claire grabbed her arm and
pulled her up. “It’ll be fun.” She skipped ahead, dragging Ava with
her and found Kathleen in the living room tending to Michael, who
was home with a cold. “Would it be all right if I borrowed the car
so Ava and I can go see Arianna?” She aimed her question at
Michael, since she knew it would be almost impossible for him to
say no to her.

“Well, I suppose. You know how to drive?”
Michael asked cautiously.

“Of course,” she said, smiling sweetly and
convincingly.

“Well, all right.” Michael struggled up,
coughed for a moment, and then went for the keys in the
kitchen.

“We’ll only be gone a few hours. Thank you!”
She gave him a peck on the cheek.

Claire sat for a moment, looking everything
over.

“Just give me a minute. I’ve seen Aryl do
this a hundred times.”

“You should probably begin with starting it,”
Ava teased. Claire started it, put it in gear, turned to look
behind her, and lurched forward five feet. Ava screamed and grabbed
the dashboard.

“Oops.” She giggled. They glided out of the
driveway clear to the other side of the road, and she put it in
drive, making a painfully slow, wide turn to get straight in the
road. She paused, took a deep breath and the car lurched forward
again, only to screech to a halt a second later. It sputtered
violently and the engine died. Claire had to try three times to
start it again, and when it did, she took off like a shot, steering
wildly to stay on the road. Michael and Kathleen watched from the
window.

“That girl has never driven a day in her
life,” he whispered under his breath.

“Well, she did better than I did when I got
behind the wheel.”

“That’s not saying much, honey.”

∞∞∞

They found the farm without too much trouble,
sputtering and jerking up the long drive. As they neared the house,
Ava couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Arianna, who was
sitting on the front porch, churning butter with one hand and
blowing on freshly painted nails of the other.

Claire shook her head. “Ma farmer meets
Parisian party girl.”

Arianna stood with a little effort and hugged
her friends. “It’s so wonderful for you to come see me! I feel like
I’m so far away from civilization out here. And when did you learn
how to drive!” She looked excited and envious at the same time.

Claire gave a sly but proud smile. “Just
now.”

“How on earth did you get them to let you
borrow the car?”

“I lied.” She shrugged her shoulders.

Arianna’s face fell in shock at first, then
she smiled in approval. “Well, I’m glad you did, and I’m glad you
came to see me.” She spun around to Ava, almost losing her balance
due to her off-centered midsection. “I almost forgot! I got a
letter from Maura yesterday.”

“So did I, but I forgot to bring it.” The
latter was Ava’s lie. She kept Maura’s letters, three of them in
only two weeks, all to herself. Even Jonathan wasn’t allowed to
read them. Ava would read important segments to him aloud instead.
They were special, they were hers, and she wasn’t going to
share.

“I haven’t gotten one yet,” Claire said,
feeling somewhat left out.

“Well, I’ll go get mine, and Ava can read it
aloud while I finish with the butter.”

Claire and Ava looked at the wooden butter
churn after the screen door slammed shut behind Arianna. “Never in
my wildest dreams,” Claire said, shaking her head. “I wish I still
had a camera.”

Arianna returned, handed the letter to Ava,
and took her seat next to the churn, moving the paddle up and down
and glanced to admire her short, bright red nails. Ava began
reading, hearing Maura’s voice in her head as she spoke. She had to
speak loudly, so the sloshing and the tapping of the churn didn’t
drown her out.

Dear Arianna,

I hope this letter finds you happy, healthy
and having gained some weight. How was the train ride and how are
you settling in? I think about all of you often and miss you all
very much.

Ava blinked quickly and cleared her throat
before she continued.

I am sorry I wasn’t able to give your baby
shower, but I’m sure Ava and Claire will do a fine job. I saw
Charles on the trolley the other day. He says hello, sends his love
and best wishes with the baby. As much as I miss you all, I am
feeling strongly that it was good that you left the city when you
did–

“Hold on one minute, Ava,” Arianna
interrupted. “Mother Ethel! I’m ready!” she hollered. Ethel came
quickly, with a bottle of nail polish in one hand and a large glass
of milk in the other. She set the milk down on the porch rail with
orders for her to drink it. Arianna moved the chair to the other
side of the churn, took the plunger with her polished hand and held
out the unpolished hand to Ethel. “Okay, you can go ahead now,
Ava.” Ava watched incredulously as Ethel finished the manicure,
complete with hand massage. She shook off the surprising scene and
continued reading.

. . . good that you left the city when you
did. There are scores of people without jobs and I have seen them,
sometimes a block long, standing in line for free soup and bread.
Petty crime is worse as well, as more folks are struggling to make
ends meet. Ian’s hours were reduced, but we’re grateful he has the
ones he does, and we’ve taken in an older aunt. It helps both of
us, she puts a little toward the rent now, and she will have
someone to care for her later in her old age. She works part-time
at the library, which are my only moments of peace. She’s likely to
drive me to the insane asylum with her complaining of America and
how she would be better off back in Ireland. I suggested that if
she gets a good running start off the pier, she might land on the
deck of a departing ship headed that way. And if she didn’t, well,
her troubles would be over either way. She didn’t think that was
none too funny. Write me soon. Tell me all about your life. And
take care of yourself and that baby. Get plenty of rest and let
folks pamper you.

Ethel cast a look at Ava, who stifled a
giggle.

Love, Maura

Ethel let go of the pampered hand and Arianna
glanced to admire her work. “It looks wonderful, Mother Ethel,
thank you so much,” she said and smiled sweetly at her. Ava could
see the frustration and irritation melt away from Ethel’s aged
face.

“You’re welcome, dear.” She stood and gave a
loving pat to the top of Arianna’s round belly.

“Would you girls like anything to drink?” she
asked, turning to Ava.

“Oh, no, we’re quite all right.” Ava felt so
bad that, on top of the never-ending, physically demanding chores
that belonged to that of a farmer’s wife, Ethel had Arianna to
contend with as well.

“Well, let me know if you need anything. I’m
going to start dinner.” She glanced up at the darkening sky. “Might
lose power if that turns out to be as menacing as it looks.” Ava
again thought of Jonathan and hoped they would return home early,
well in advance of the approaching storm.

After the screen door closed lightly behind
Ethel, Ava cocked an accusing eyebrow at Arianna. “Well, it looks
like you’re settling in quite well here,” she said, with just a
hint of sarcasm threaded in.

“Oh, Mother Ethel takes such good care of me.
I hardly have to lift a finger. I offered to churn the butter
because I felt like I should do something around here to
contribute. But other than that, I really am quite bored. Caleb
isn’t much for company in the evenings these days.”

“They work very hard,” Claire acknowledged
and subtly hinted. This she knew and understood but had to admit
she didn’t like any more than the others. Monday through Saturday,
Aryl would come home after being gone twelve hours, eat an early
dinner, promising to spend the evening with Claire, or on warmer
nights, sit in the swing with her and look at the stars. Most
evenings, however, he would fall asleep on the couch, full from
dinner and warm by the fire. Claire would spread out their feather
tick and blankets in front of the fireplace and gently nudge him
awake. He would apologize as he crawled under the covers, pull her
head over to his chest, and promptly fall back asleep. She supposed
it was just as well, as their sleeping quarters were smack in the
middle of the living room.

Aryl’s mother had begun a habit of ringing a
small bell at the top of the stairs before coming down in the night
to afford at least a hint of privacy, which embarrassed her. It
hadn’t mattered much these last few weeks; the tiny ring only
reminded Claire of what his mother wasn’t interrupting. To say
there wasn’t hand-wringing frustration building in her would be a
laughable lie.

“Oh, I know they do,” Arianna said before
taking a breath to blow on her freshly painted nails. “We’ll have
to plan on a vacation soon or something.”

Ava and Claire exchanged a look that was both
disbelieving and amused.

“Oh, sure, I was thinking about London or
maybe Africa–a nice safari,” Claire said in full-blown sarcasm that
Arianna missed completely.

“That would be so nice,” she said
dreamily.

“I think the first order of business is to
get a home of our own again. I don’t know about you two, but I’m
getting a little tired of living with Jonathan’s parents.” Ava
crossed her legs and arms and blew out her breath.

“Are things not going so well with them?”
Arianna asked, sounding genuinely concerned, although she didn’t
give Ava a chance to reply. “Because if they aren’t, you really
should get pregnant as quickly as possible. They’ll turn sweet to
you in no time. It’s working out so well for me that I'm thinking
about having five more,” she said with a giggle. Claire couldn’t
help but laugh out loud.

Arianna turned to her, bewildered at what was
so terribly funny. “What?”

Ava smiled. “You know, Arianna, eventually
you will have to care for that baby, and that’s no easy job. I’m
not so sure you realize–”

“I realize perfectly well how much work a
baby is. That’s why . . . we’re not going to move out right away.”
She whispered the last part of her sentence, and the smile on her
face was devious.

“What do you mean? Don’t you want a home of
your own?” Claire sent a strained look to Ava. “And privacy?”

“Amen,” Ava whispered under her breath.

“The way I see it, the longer we stay here,
the more money we can save. And the more help I will have. Can you
imagine trying to run a house all by myself when I’m tired and achy
and as big as a house?” Her friends glanced at her stomach. Her
rail-thin frame created the illusion of a distorted, oversized
stomach. “And with Caleb gone so much, I don’t want to be alone.
So, we’re going to stay here until after the baby is born, and I’m
back on my feet.”

“And how does Caleb feel about this?” Ava
couldn’t imagine he wanted to spend one day longer than he had to
under the strained conditions.