Finding Grace: A Novel (11 page)

“
What?” There was a long,
quiet moment. And then it dawned on her. Her eyes grew large. “Are
you…”

“
I’m not sure yet,” Alice
replied, trying to hold back a smile. “My doctor's out of town for
the next two weeks, so I'm planning on seeing him as soon as I
can.”

A shadow of sadness crossed her expression.
Grace watched her, sensing what she was thinking of. Alice
frowned.

“
I don’t know if I should
get my hopes up. I lost the other two so early on, and I’ve had a
few false alarms. So I’m trying not to get too excited. I haven’t
even told Jack yet, because I don’t want to say anything until I’m
sure."

Grace reached out, giving her hand a gentle
pat. "Keep your hopes up. You never can tell."

They smiled at one another. Then, from out
in the hall, a clock struck the half-hour. Alice turned towards the
sound.

"It's five-thirty already. Jack should be
home any minute."

As if on cue, the front door opened. They
looked at each other, Alice putting a finger to her lips. She rose
to her feet, going out to greet her husband…and Grace felt her
heart begin to flutter, filled with anticipation. She could not
remain in her chair, sitting still. Creeping close to the doorway,
she remained out of sight, but listened carefully.

And then she heard that beloved voice…one
that was as familiar to her as her own, even after all these years.
It made a tear come to her eye. She listened, hearing him talk to
Alice.

"Honey, I'm home. And it's Friday, which
means you get to spend two whole days with me. Doesn’t that make
you the luckiest woman in the world?"

She couldn’t resist stealing a glimpse of
him…just a small one. Peeking around the corner, she watched as he
put his arms around Alice, kissing her. They stayed in each other’s
arms for more than a few moments, exchanging soft little presses of
their lips, until Alice pulled back in his embrace. She smirked up
at him.

"You came home to me, fella, so think of
yourself as the lucky one.”

Grace listened to the sweet little sounds
they made as they went on with each other. For a few moments she
wondered if Alice had forgotten about her. Then she heard Jack
speak.

"Supper smells good. What are we
having?"

"Don't worry about that now," Alice replied.
"We have a visitor staying with us."

There was a pause, and Grace heard Jack
grumble.

"A visitor? Oh honey, I ain’t in the mood
for visitors. Tell whoever it is that I have some awful disease,
and then send them the hell back home.”

Grace smiled, watching as Alice punched Jack
in the shoulder.

"Don't be such a rat. Besides, you'll never
believe the surprise I have for you."

This was the moment. Alice took Jack by the
hand, pulling him forward. But just before he entered the room, he
brought both of them to a halt, turning to look at her. He tried to
keep his voice low as he griped.

"You know I hate surprises.”

Ignoring his complaint, Alice gave him a
determined little push, making him scoot forward into the kitchen.
He turned his head to look…and at last, Grace was looking him in
the eye. She took in the sight of him, seeing him…the real him, not
just a picture…for the first time in six years. And he looked back
at her, his mouth slightly open in shock. She had imagined their
reunion. She’d imagined tears and loving embraces. And now, she
waited to see if her imaginings would come true. But he just stood
there, looking at her. He looked over at Alice…and then back at her
again, dumbfounded.

"What are you doing here?”

She blinked, unsure of what to say or what
to do, baffled by his reaction. She looked over at Alice, who
sighed and rolled her eyes.

“
Boy, sometimes you just
gripe my cookies.” She reached up, backhanding him hard across the
upper arm. “You haven’t seen your sister after all this time, and
this is what you do? You knucklehead. Give her a hug or something,
will you?”

He finally seemed to wake up, coming to hug
her. And as she hugged him back, she felt the strength of their
bond growing stronger by the moment. How wonderful it was to be so
near him again. When at last he let go of her, he held her at arms
length, looking her up and down.

“
I’m sorry if I acted so
dopey just now. I just can’t believe you’re standing here in my own
kitchen. So, what are you doing here? And why in the world are you
dressed like that? If Mama saw you in pants, she'd have a
fit.”

He smiled with the same lopsided grin she
knew so well. It made her almost giddy to see it again.

“
Look at you,” he declared.
“All grown up. I can’t hardly believe my eyes.”

She grinned. “Look at yourself. You’re
shined up like a new penny.”

He took a slight step back, holding his arms
out so she could get a better look at him. In his white dress shirt
and black vest…his grey slacks and shiny black shoes, he looked
every bit the city gentleman. How different he looked! So different
from the country boy she used to know. But she felt quite safe in
knowing that no matter what he looked like on the outside, the same
old brother was still there. And she couldn’t have been happier
than she was at that moment.

* * * * *

During supper and long after, they talked of
her long journey from home…of all that had happened. Just as she’d
expected, Jack was upset over everything he heard, and he wasn’t
afraid to say just what he felt.

"Some things never change. Just one little
difference in your thinking, just one little behavior that’s
different than theirs, and they want to tie you to a stake and burn
you for witchcraft. And Charlie…" He paused, snorting bitterly. "If
I ever get a hold of him, I'll put a boot in his ass."

Grace smiled, looking over at Alice, who was
smiling as well but shaking her head. She rose to her feet, picking
up her plate. She smiled over at him.

“
You talk about someone who
never changes, you big ape.” Coming around to where he sat, she
reached out to run her fingers through his hair. “I still love you
anyway, hopeless as you are.” She bent down slightly, leaning
forward to give him a sweet kiss.

Grace was smiling as she watched them
together. She looked at Jack, who was openly admiring his wife,
watching her as she went to the counter to get a slice of cake.
There was a dreamy expression on his face…the slightest smile on
his lips. But after a moment he seemed to realize Grace was
watching. She saw him squirm, his face turning slightly red.

It almost made her giggle to see the changes
in his expression…bolding admiring his wife one moment, and then
embarrassed to be caught in such a moment of sentiment. He was just
the same old Jack he'd always been. Tough and protective, but
tender, and just a little bit shy at times.

"Funny that you ran into Henry and
Victoria," he mentioned, clearly wanting to take the direction away
from himself.

Hearing their names, Grace’s smile fell a
little. It was hard to hide her sarcasm. “They’re not the nicest
couple in the world, are they?”

Alice smiled and shrugged. “Victoria is an
actress, so that makes her a little temperamental. Her folks were
in show business and she’s always been a little Princess. At least
that’s what I’ve heard.”

“
And now she works at
Henry’s nightclub,” Jack chimed in. A grin came across his face as
he lifted his glass of tea, pausing just before it reached his
lips. “You might say she’s at his service, in more ways than
one.”

She wondered at that smirk on his face. When
Alice threw a napkin at him, Grace could see her smirking a little
herself, even as she scolded him for his comment.

"You shouldn't talk about that, you
know.”

Grace looked eagerly between the two of
them. "What?"

Alice sighed. "Well, since your brother
already flapped his gums, I guess there’s no use in keeping quiet."
She leaned in close, speaking in a low, almost secretive voice.
Grace eagerly leaned in to listen.

"Victoria and Henry are lovers.”

Jack leaned forward, speaking in his own low
tone of voice. “Very unmarried lovers.”

Grace's mouth fell open a little, her eyes
growing wide. She'd heard whispers about such things before. She’d
even known that some of her neighbors supposedly did such things.
But she’d never been openly exposed to such a subject. It was
shocking. She spoke softly, just as they did.

“
They really live together
like that? Do other people around here know about it?”

Jack shrugged. “It’s nobody’s business, if
you ask me. But I don’t think in this one case that people pay it
much attention. You see, Henry was a war hero when he got home. He
came back from Europe and everyone looked on him like a big shining
star. So, most people ignore his little indiscretions."

Little
indiscretions
? she thought. She couldn't
believe he would talk about it like that. Alice just
shrugged.

“
Personally, I never could
decide if I minded or not. And I’m still not sure.”

Grace blinked, not understanding. “Why’s
that?”

Again, Alice shrugged. “Well for one thing,
he’s not exactly sweet to his women. He had a few others before
Victoria, and he treats them more like pets than people. I’m
surprised he doesn’t keep a rolled up newspaper in his hand to
whack them on the nose when they get out of line.”

Grace smiled at that observation…one that
seemed to be spot on. Henry had certainly seemed to treat Victoria,
and herself for that matter, with an air of disdain.

“
But then,” Alice said,
“There’s another side of Henry that most people don’t see.
Sometimes, he can be so sweet and generous. When we were first
getting started, he offered us this house to rent. He even paid for
our wedding reception and sent us on our honeymoon.”

Jack nodded. "He helped me land my job too.
I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn’t for him. So whoever he shares
a bed with is his own business, not mine."

Grace felt her cheeks flush with
embarrassment at such talk, but she didn’t shy away from it.
Actually, she felt a naughty kind of delight in hearing such adult
conversation for the first time. It made her feel as if, for the
first time, she was really being acknowledged as a grown woman.

A comfortable silence fell over the room as
they all sort of smiled and looked at each other. Then, she tried
to stifle a yawn, which Alice took immediate notice of.

"My word, look at us," she said, "Keeping
this girl up so late. We should be ashamed of ourselves, Jack." She
rose to her feet, and Jack and Grace followed.

Out of habit, Grace began to gather up the
dishes from the table, but Alice stopped her.

"Leave that where it is," she said. "Dishes
can wait until the morning. Let's get you upstairs to your room."
She gave her a little push towards the hall, and Grace smiled,
shaking her head. The three moved up the stairs, Jack bringing up
the rear and turning off lights as he went. Grace looked around,
admiring all the lovely things surrounding her, in particular the
lighted wall sconces.

"It feels funny not needing a coal-oil lamp.
All these modern things sure are nice."

"They are swell," said Jack, and as they
paused at the top of the stairs, he turned to look at her. His
expression was quite serious as he gestured a finger at her.
“Another modern convenience is the telephone. And first thing in
the morning, I want you to call down to Doctor Smith's house so he
can tell Mama and Daddy where you are, and that you're all
right."

Grace smirked at him, giving a little mock
salute. “Yes boss. Whatever you say.”

"Little Miss Smarty Pants," he said. “I
wonder where you get that from." He grinned slightly, giving her a
little peck on the forehead. "Good night, baby sister.” Then he
looked at Alice, gesturing his head towards their room. "Are you
coming to bed?"

"I'll be there in a minute," she replied.
She and Grace watched him vanish into the bedroom. After he closed
the door, Alice opened the door across the hall from theirs. She
switched on the light.

Grace took in a little breath as she looked
around. She smiled.

"Oh Alice, this is the prettiest bedroom I
ever saw. It's nearly too good for the likes of me."

Alice just shook her head.

"Silly goose. It's just another room…
nothing special. But if it makes you happy, that's fine with me.
Come on in the bathroom. I don't think you've ever seen one before,
have you?"Grace followed her into the room next door…into the white
and blue tiled bathroom. She looked around, her expression full of
wonder. Sparkling clean, shining with fine fixtures of ceramic and
brass, it seemed to be a showcase all on its own. Most impressive
was the enormous claw-footed bathtub. Alice went over to it and
turned on the faucet. Taking a small bottle from the nearby shelf,
she poured a bit of liquid under the running water.

"You've had such a day. The best way to end
it is for you to enjoy a nice, hot bubble bath. You've never had a
hot bath, have you?"

Grace shook her head. "I still can't believe
you’ve got water running right into your house, and without a pump.
That's really something.”

Alice just smiled again. "There's soap here,
and the little pitcher on the floor to rinse your hair when you
wash it.” She looked around, and then she suddenly snapped her
fingers. “Oh gosh, I just thought of something. Be right back.” She
ran out of the room, was gone for a minute, and came hurrying back
with garments in her hands. “Here, wear these. They’re Jack’s, but
he won’t mind. I wear them sometimes myself.”