My Hands Hold My Story (Rough Draft)

Chapter Eight

The skirts of my dress were full, wide enough to accommodate the hoops I'd packed separately and was still waiting to arrive. I didn't immediately feel the creature, but I knew he was there.

Simon's elbow jabbed me in the side. I must have made some kind of sound of surprise. No one else seemed to have noticed the rogue rodent. It's tail brushed against my legs and I bit my lip to hold in my amusement. My brother jabbed me again, so I must not have been successful in that endeavor.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the people in the opposite pew look over and in front of me the gentleman twisted around to see what was happening, though his wife hissed something at him that made him face the reverend again. I didn't have to look to know that I had drawn my family's attention as well.

It was hard to ignore the squirrel climbing my petticoats and there was no way for me to explain. I couldn't whisper and speaking up in the middle of the sermon would have been rude. Steadfastly, I stared at the reverend, hoping the critter would abandon its hiding place sooner rather than later. My cheeks burned with a blush of embarrassment but I managed to make it through the rest of the service.

I don't know what it was doing under my skirt, but it kept moving and climbing. While I was certain it's tiny claws were doing damage to the fabric, I couldn't blame it for wanting some peace and safety and if I lost a petticoat to the creature, so be it.

Finally, as everyone stood up for the last hymn, though I decided to remain unmoving for obvious reasons, the poor squirrel decided to make his escape. As it happened, he chose the route that took him right over the shoes of my family. I couldn't hold back laughter as panic spread through the pew.

There was nothing like seeing a grown woman scramble onto a pew. Perhaps it was cruel of me to be so amused by Cordelia's actions, which Anna imitated on the other end of the pew. Their open mouths told me they were creaming as well. I lost sight of the poor squirrel and could only hope he found some way to freedom.

I was pleased to see that I wasn't the only one laughing. My family had attracted the attention of everyone in the room. Father had his hand over his face and Simon's shoulders shook with laughter.

After several minutes, when red faced Cordelia stepped from the pew and it seemed as though the panic was over, the congregation carried on with the last hymn.

If they'd ever had a more exciting Sunday, I really wanted someone to tell me what it was because a squirrel running loose in the church had to be hard to beat.

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Cordelia and Father were quick to herd us all out as soon as the prayer was done. I suppose neither of them wanted to face the amusement of their friends and neighbors. They were fast enough for a tall young man in a suit approached us at the wagon. He took of his hat, revealing slicked back black hair.

"Hello Mr. Steele," he said. His face was not as tanned as most men I'd seen, so he must not work outside. The suit he wore also looked to be of a finer quality than my father's. It was his pale gray eyes, though, that unsettled me. They held a calculating expression I did not like. "I'm glad I caught up to—"

Sending a quick look at Cordelia, Father shook the man's hand. Since I was behind my father, I couldn't read his lips to know what he was saying. The young man kept looking at me as he nodded, agreeing to whatever Father said to him. He seemed to be friendly, however I knew better than to trust outward appearances.

I'd met many people since I became deaf, and most of the time I had a gut feeling from the start about who I could trust and who it would be better to avoid. The young man by the wagon made my skin crawl the way he looked at me, and I put him in the 'avoid' category.