Anna's Visions (3 page)

Finally, the family was gathered on the front porch.
Ma handed Anna a picnic basket and trying not to cry, said, “I crammed as much
food as I could in it. It’ll hold you for a day and a half, I suppose. I fixed
you a gallon of lemonade, too. Pa already put it in the wagon. It’s the least I
could do to get you started off on such a long trip.”

As Anna touched the handles of the basket, an
electric-like current ran through her fingers. It was the second time she had
felt the sensation when she touched an object. Would it be the last time Ma
would fix her something to eat? The last time she’d taste her mother’s cooking?
A knot formed in her throat. She swallowed, hard.

“Thank you, Ma,” was all she was able to say. She
gathered Billy Joe into her arms and as she hugged him, a vision flashed into
her mind. She gasped, teetered a bit, and Tom steadied her.

She wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and looked at
her oldest brother.
“T.J.
I need to tell you
something. Come with me for a minute, please.” She led T.J. around the corner
of the cabin, looked into his eyes, and said sternly, “T. J. you’ve got to
promise me that you won’t mention what I’m about to tell you to Ma and Pa.
Promise?”

“I promise,” T.J. said.

“If Billy Joe goes missing, you tell the sheriff that
he can be found at the bottom of the ravine about three miles east of here.”

“But Billy Joe ain’t going to go missing,” said T.J.
“And don’t tell me you had a vision. You know I think that’s all hogwash, so
just get on your way, will you?”

“I don’t care if you believe me or not,” Anna
insisted. “You keep your big mouth shut to Ma and Pa about this or I’ll come
back and kick your butt forty ways from Sunday. Do you hear me?”

“I ain’t going to tell them something that ain’t going
to happen, so don’t worry about it,” T.J. replied. He hesitated, and then
asked, “But if he does go missing, why should I tell the sheriff? Why can’t I
just go pull him out and take him to the doctor?”

Anna put her hands on T.J.’s shoulders.
“Because a doctor won’t be able to help him.
You’ve got to
get the sheriff involved because he’s not going to fall – he’s going to be
pushed.”

“What?” T.J. said loudly.

“Now you hush!” Anna said, slapping her hand over his
mouth.

“You’re crazy, Anna!” T.J. said, pulling away. “And
you want to know something else? I’ll be glad when you’re gone!”

“I love you, too, T.J.,” Anna said, with a smile. As
she turned to go, she looked back and
added,
“Now you
remember to do what I told you!”

Anna hurried back to the porch and said, “I didn’t
want to embarrass T.J. by gushing over him, so we said our goodbyes in
private.” Then she hugged Howard. No vision.

She hugged Pa, then Ma, and instantly had a vision of
her parents lying in coffins. “No!” She grabbed them both around the neck and
buried her head between their shoulders, her body shaking and tears rolling
down her cheeks.

Pa lifted her face and said, “There, there, daughter.
I know you hate to leave us, but your day has come. Go now, live your life, and
be happy.”

Ma wiped Anna’s tears and added, “Pa’s right, honey.
Our hearts are breaking, too, but we always knew this day would come. It’s the
hardest day in a parent’s life, but this is the way it should be. Now you dry
those tears – and you come back and see us as soon as you can.”

“I will, Ma,” Anna said, struggling to regain her
composure. “You’ve got our address.”

“I’ve got it right here in my apron pocket.” Ma patted
her thigh. “T.J. will help me with my spelling, so we’ll write from time to
time – but I expect a note from you every week!”

“I’ll write, Ma, I promise. Don’t lose our address,”
said Anna, taking Tom’s arm as they headed toward the wagon. Tom put the picnic
basket into the wagon, aided Anna up, climbed onto the bunk board beside her,
and then slapped the reins. “Giddy up, go!”

Anna waved until the cabin was no longer in view. Her
tears rolled as the wagon headed down the mountain, her heart breaking for the
family she was leaving, but her heart also filled with happiness. She was Mrs.
Thomas Morgan. She deeply sighed. Life as she’d always known it was over, but a
beautiful new life was just beginning.

“The ending and the beginning,” she softly whispered,
snuggling close to Tom.

“What’s that you say, sweet?” Tom asked.

Anna laid her head on his shoulder.
“Just
mumbling to myself.
Get used to it. I do it a lot.”

She wondered when she’d find the right time to tell
Tom about her gift. It would come soon enough, but today was their wedding day,
so she decided to enjoy it in spite of her grief. By the time the sun set, they
were both tired and decided to pull the wagon off the road and call it a day.

“We need to fix up a bed,” said Tom. “I brought two
blankets from home.”

“I’ll take care of it. You tend to the horses,” Anna
said. “I’ve got two more quilts in my trunk. I made them for when I became a
wife, so I think our wedding night would be a good time to put them to use.”

As Tom took care of the horses, Anna spread the
blankets and then dug the quilts out of her hope chest, remembering the days
she and Ma had spent stitching them and how she had dreamed about spreading
them on a bed with her husband. Then she smiled, because she had never
suspected that her wedding night would be spent in the back of a wagon.

By the time he returned, the sun was down and darkness
enveloped the wagon. Tom climbed into the wagon and as he sat down, he tenderly
ran his hand across the top quilt.

“It’s too dark to have a good look, but I’m sure the
quilts are beautiful, just like the girl who made them,” he said, reaching for
Anna’s hand.

Anna was so nervous she felt sick at her stomach. Ma
had never told her what to expect on her wedding night, but she’d overheard
some conversations at church quilting bees, and she wasn’t at all sure she
wanted to do some of the things she’d heard them talking about.

Tom was a gentle lover and Anna relaxed in his warm
embrace. The pleasure of the moment far outweighed the slight pain as he
entered her for the first time. When it was over, they lay in each other’s arms
in sweet silence, gazing up at the stars until they fell asleep.

Chapter Two

The journey to the Morgan farm took three days. As Tom
turned the wagon onto Old Mill Road, he said, “We’re just about home, Anna!
Another mile and we can finally get out of this wagon and stretch our legs. I’m
tired and I know you are, too.”

Anna barely heard Tom. She was too busy looking at the
fields on each side of the road, in awe of the goldenrods in full bloom. She
held her hand over her heart. “I’ve never seen anything so pretty. Can we stop
and pick some? I’d like to put them in water and put them on the kitchen
table.”

Tom smiled. “We’ve got goldenrods on our place – and
you can pick as many as you want.”

A short time later, he turned the wagon into a long
dirt drive. Anna turned her head back and forth, trying to drink in the
landscape, which was so different from the mountains of Tennessee. She’d always
thought the mountains were heavenly, but Kentucky seemed like the Garden of
Eden.

The horses snorted as a large two-story white frame
house came into view. Not even the richest folks in the valley had homes as
splendid. “Is this where you live? Is this your big fancy house?” Anna asked.

Tom pulled the horses to a stop, kissed Anna’s cheek,
and said with a smile, “This is
our
big fancy house, my love.”

Anna was dumbstruck as Tom lifted her from the wagon.
She held her bonnet and turned in circles, taking in the green fields and
rolling terrain around her. To her left, at the bottom of a small hill, stood a
huge barn – nicer than the cabin where she had grown up. Flowers were blooming
in front of the house, which had a concrete porch. She followed Tom as he
walked onto the front porch and unlocked the front door.

“The cabin didn’t have a lock and key. Pa said his
shotgun would keep out people who shouldn’t be noising around our place,” Anna
said.

“I like a key better.” Tom smiled and scooped Anna
into his strong arms. “Welcome to your new home, my love. Let me carry you
across the threshold.”

After they stepped inside, he put her down. “I’m sorry
it’s such a mess. I’m afraid I’m not much of a housekeeper, but I’ll help you
clean, then you can decorate, and fix it up any way you want.”

Anna glanced around the large living room and her eyes
came to rest upon the most magnificent fireplace she’d ever seen. “How
beautiful it all is,” she finally managed to say as she walked across the floor
and ran her hands over the multi-colored stones.

Tom joined her. “Papa and I dug these stones from a
quarry about five miles from here. Then we cleaned them and set them just so.
Mama always said the colors looked like a kaleidoscope – but you haven’t seen
beauty until you’ve seen a fire in it.”

“My stars in
heaven!”
Anna ran her
hands across the mantle. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The stones look
like glass.”

“It took a lot of scrubbing, but we eventually got all
the dirt off, and I’m pretty proud of it.” Tom took her hand. “But come on,
there’s lots more to see.”

He led her into the kitchen, where wooden cabinets
with glass fronts lined two walls. She opened a cabinet door, picked up a
plate, and ran her hand over it. “Is this real china?” she asked.

“Yes, it is. That set has been in the Morgan family
for generations. My great-grandparents brought it over when they left Ireland
and came to America. A few pieces have gotten broken over the years, but there
are still plenty of pieces left.”

“Then I need to pack them and put them away so no more
will get broken. If I broke one, I’d simply die,” Anna said.

Tom took the plate from her hand and put it back into
the cupboard. Then he tilted Anna’s chin upward. “Sweet, things are to be used.
What’s the point in having something if you don’t put it to use? Don’t worry
about breaking anything. I want you to enjoy everything I have.”

“Well, I can’t take the chance,” Anna protested. “I’ll
box them up and we’ll use them for special occasions. We can use old dishes for
everyday, okay?”

“Whatever you say,” Tom replied, leading her over to
the gas stove. “It’s your kitchen now.” He turned a knob, struck a match, and
lit a burner. As the flame leaped up, Anna gasped and hid behind Tom. He
laughed and then hugged her. “It won’t hurt you. Go ahead, turn the other knob,
strike a match, and light it.”

Anna’s hand trembled as she lit another burner, and
she jumped again as the flame shot up. Tom covered her hand with his. “Now you
just turn the knob this way and the flame gets higher. Turn it this way and the
flame goes down. You adjust it according to what you’re cooking.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to cook on this,”
Anna said with a combination of awe and embarrassment.

Tom shut off the burners and led Anna to a tall
wood-and-metal box. “This is an icebox. You put food in it so it doesn’t spoil.
The iceman delivers a fifty-pound block of ice every week and puts it in the
top bin. As the ice melts, it runs down a tube in the back and drips into a pan
underneath. You have to remember to empty the pan every day so it won’t run
over and ruin the linoleum.”

“You don’t say,” Anna said in amazement. She bent down
and ran her hand across the floor. “Linoleum...it’s pretty. I sure wouldn’t
want water to soak it up. How do I keep it clean?”

“With a wet mop – oh, never mind, I’ll show you
later,” Tom said. “Let’s look at the rest of the house.”

Anna held Tom’s hand and followed like an excited
child. They walked back into the living room, took a right, and Tom pushed open
another door.

“This used to be my grandparent’s room, but now it’s
the guest bedroom, and it hasn’t been used in a long time. I don’t get much
company since my parents died and my brother moved out.”

“I’ll clean it up and get all the dust out,” said
Anna. “Then we’ll keep the door open so I can just look in. This place is like
a palace.”

“Not quite, but it’s ours,” Tom said with a smile.
“Now we’ll go upstairs. That’s the best part, I think.”

They held hands as they climbed the staircase. At the
top of the landing, Tom said, “The room straight ahead is our bedroom, but
before we go there, I want to show you the room on the other end of the hall.
It was mine and my brothers when we were growing up.”

Anna’s head was spinning as Tom led her down the
hallway. Then he opened a door and stepped aside. Anna gasped as she saw the
elegant furniture and a small fireplace. She wanted to touch everything, but
Tom took her hand and led her out of the room.

As they entered the master bedroom, Tom said, “This is
our room, sweet. Take a look around.” Anna covered her heart in amazement as
she saw a bed with a headboard that was almost as tall as the ceiling. She ran
her hand over a handmade quilt spread across the footboard. She also touched
the dark-stained bureau, amazed by the feel of its glossy finish. She stared
into the mirror above it. It wasn’t wavy or cracked and didn’t distort her
image like the one back home. She instinctively ran her fingers through her coal-black
hair as she admired herself in the mirror’s crystal clear reflection.

A few moments later, she turned toward Tom and said
bashfully, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to let vanity take over. It’s just that
I’ve never seen such a clear reflection of myself.”

“Well, now you know just how beautiful you really
are,” Tom said, putting his arms around her.

“I think I’ll be too scared to sit or lay on anything.
I’ve never seen furniture this beautiful. And it looks brand new. I don’t want
to ruin anything.” Anna looked at Tom, her eyes wide.

“You’ll get used to everything, and I want you to
enjoy it all. That’s what material things are really for. And nothing is new.
Everything in the house belonged to my grandparents and parents.

“I understand. But it’ll take some time. Right now, I
know what Pa meant when he used to talk about being a fish out of water.”

“Do you want to go outside and look around, or are you
too tired?” Tom asked. “It’s been a long trip, and I don’t want to hit you with
too much too soon. It’s just that I’m so proud to be able to share what I have
with my new wife. Make that what
we
have. Everything that’s mine is also
yours, my love.”

“I think I’d like to rest for a while before I bust
wide open,” Anna replied. “I’m a bit overwhelmed, and I need to use the
outhouse. Can you point me in that direction?”

Tom smiled. “Oh, I guess I forgot to show you
something else that you’re going to like. Come downstairs with me.”

Before they reached the kitchen, he opened a door and
said, “The bathroom’s right in here.”

Anna looked through the door and was dumbstruck to see
a bathtub, sink, and commode. “You mean we’ve got an indoor outhouse?” she
asked, her voice rising.

“I guess that’s one way to put it,” Tom replied,
stifling a laugh.

Anna went into the bathroom, shut the door, sat on the
commode and softly cried for a few minutes, lifting her head to the sky and
whispering, “Thank you, God. Every dream I wrote down on paper and put in my
hope chest has come true. I’ll try to be worthy of it all – but most of all,
thank you for my wonderful husband. You’ve blessed me more than I ever thought
was possible.”

They ate a light supper that night, made from whatever
Tom could find in the pantry. Then Anna wanted to take a bath in the claw-foot
tub, so Tom helped fill pans of water and set them on the stove to heat. They
filled the tub, and Tom backed out of the bathroom and shut the door so Anna
could relax and soak.

Anna picked up the bar of Ivory soap, dropped it into
the water, and couldn’t believe it floated. Lye soap sunk to the bottom of the
creek if you dropped it. The Ivory soap made her skin feel soft and silky, too.

A few minutes later, Tom gently tapped on the door.
“I’m going to take your trunk up to our bedroom. Then I’ve got to unhitch the
horses and do the barn chores. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Take your time!” Anna called back. “I’m enjoying
this, so take your sweet time!”

As Tom turned to go, he said, “I know Larry and Sally
Thompkins will be glad to know I’m home. I’m sure they’re tired of doing my
chores for me. Larry and Sally live on the farm across the way. I’ll introduce
you to them tomorrow.”

“Okay, that sounds fine.” Anna replied as she scooped
water with her small hands and let it trickle down her body.

Tom chuckled and went on his way.

After her bath, Anna went upstairs and unpacked the
trunk, neatly placing her clothes in drawers and hanging her dresses in the
armoire. Then she spread her nightgown across the footboard.

She went back downstairs, sat on the sofa, and felt a
bit lost in such a large house. As she waited for Tom to finish his chores and
come back inside, her mind traveled back to her little cabin, her family she
had left behind, and a tear rolled down her cheek. By the time Tom came through
the front door, it had gotten dark.

“Why don’t you turn on the lights?” he asked.

“I didn’t know where to find any oil lamps or
candles,” she said, sounding a bit annoyed. “You didn’t tell me where they
are.”

Tom laughed. “Anna, all you have to do is flip this
switch on the wall.” He walked to the front door, flipped the switch, and the
room lit up. “It’s called electricity, sweet.”

Anna stood, put her hands on her hips, and raised her
voice. “I know what electricity is, Mr. Smarty! I just didn’t know you had it!”
Then she marched out of the house and sat on the front porch swing, calling, “I
think I like it better out here anyway!”

Tom walked outside and sat beside her. He gently took
her hand. “I didn’t mean to laugh at you, Anna. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”
He kissed her forehead. “Are you about ready to go to bed? I’m an early riser
and it’s been a long day.”

Anna squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry I got in such a
huff, but you’re right. There’s a lot for me to adjust to – and I miss my
family. I’m happy to be your wife, but I’m a little homesick, too. After a good
night’s sleep, I’ll be in a better mood. What time do you want breakfast?”

“I usually eat about six, but you can sleep in. I’m
used to making my own breakfast. You can sleep all day if you want to,” Tom
said, rising from the swing and extending his hand.

“I’ll have you know I’m no lazy bones,” Anna
protested. “I’ll be up and I’ll have your breakfast ready by six, but I’ll need
flour and lard to make biscuits. I could also use some eggs and milk.”

“Everything you need for biscuits is in the kitchen,
and I’ll bring in fresh eggs and milk after I’ve done the chores. How does that
sound?” He gently kissed her lips.

“It sounds perfect.” She smiled. “Truth be told, I
can’t wait to cook for you. I just hope I don’t burn up everything until I get
used to an open flame.” She squeezed his hand. “Now let’s go to bed. I
am
tired.”

Hand-in-hand they climbed the stairs, and Tom flipped
on the light as they entered their bedroom. Anna picked up her nightgown, and
then flipped off the light as she undressed, slipped the nightgown over her
head, and climbed in beside Tom. They snuggled in the darkness, and Tom was
asleep within seconds. She listened to the comforting sound of his breathing,
and then placed her hand on his chest to feel the rhythm of his heartbeat.