A Reason to Stay

Chapter Six

Payton was so busy cleaning the house the first week that she had little to no time to think about Thomas or her life. She just pushed through the days. During the first week she washed the sheets and beat the beds. Joshua turned the mattress for her. She scrubbed the floors and walls until they shined. She cleaned the windows until they were gleaming. She cleaned the porch floor; got rid of all the cobwebs; washed the dingy, moth eaten curtains and then decided to make new ones. She took an inventory of the larder and smoke house. There was plenty of meat in the smoke house but the root cellar was empty except for the few jars she had brought with her. Joshua had told her to make a list and they would ride into town on Saturday. He was going to put an add in the local papers for her farm, too.

So late Friday afternoon he brought the tub into the living area and Payton heated water for everyone to bathe. The children were bathed first and Joshua was nice enough to let Payton go next. She was completely embarrassed by the amount of dirt swimming in the water when she had finished cleaning her body and washing her hair. She offered to heat new water but Joshua had already went down to the creek about half a mile south of the house and bathed there while she and the children took their baths. It was a very sweet gesture. Not only did he give them the warm bath but he also gave them complete privacy.

Saturday morning Payton cooked a breakfast of biscuits and fried eggs. They drank the milk from the goat. “I think I'm starting to get used to the taste of this stuff.” he told her, “But I would prefer coffee. Are we out?” Payton sat across from him in one of the chairs he had repaired. She watched him for a moment enjoying his food. She couldn't get over how much he ate and with such gusto, too. Just like that day at the Smith's. Then suddenly she wondered if it had only been a week ago.

“I've been meaning to speak to you about that.” she said.

“The coffee?” he asked, “Do you not like it?”

Payton laughed, “No, I do like it, its just that you don't seem to have much. I brought what little I have and it's still not much. I'm afraid were going to need a lot of things. It could be rather expensive. I know you said for me to just get everything I need but I'm afraid it'll be too much.”

Joshua stopped eating and looked soberly at her across the table, “Payton, I want you to buy everything we need. I also want you to get the seeds you want for your garden. I know it'll be a late one but at least we'll have one. And I noticed you took the curtains down but never put them back up. Do you need new ones? Were they not satisfactory?”

“No-no. They were just.... Well, I got them clean but they were so moth eaten that they were about gone. I could make some, but I can always just put the old ones back up if you prefer.” She was trying to make it sound better than it was.

Joshua laughed, “I know you have a list around here somewhere. I saw you scribbling on it. I'll wager it's pretty long, too?” he smiled and Payton giggled.

“I don't know if long is the appropriate word.” she joked.

Joshua rubbed his head, “I tried to warn you.”

Payton smiled at him, “I'm sure I can dig the plants up from my garden at the farm, if they're still alive. It's been a whole week since they've been watered and hoed.”

“We'll go by there on our way to town and see what we can salvage. I'm sorry I didn't think of that earlier. I should of taken care of that. I know you worked hard to keep what you had alive.”

Payton swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat. She wasn't sure she could handle going by there again. Not without stopping and seeing Thomas. She wasn't sure that it would be appropriate to ask something like that of her new husband.