His Perfect Love

Chapter 6

The day was sunny and bright. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The wind blew the grass in great big swirls, the leaves rustled a musical chime. There was hard-packed earth beneath Allison, where green sprigs of grass once grew. Many feet had traversed this ground, making it smooth.

Allison couldn't count the number of times she had been here before. Her family's graves. She had been here nearly every week that the weather would permit ever since she was fourteen. She came here when she wanted to be alone, or to think, or to simply remember. A multitude of memories flitted through her head. Happy times, sad moments, secretive smiles. Her little sister Darynn running through the meadow, picking wildflowers. Her parents, tucking her in at night. Her mother, reading to her and teaching her how to cook and to sew. Her father, coming home from working all day, giving her a hug and swinging her into the air. She had been without all of them for five years. More than what any person should have to deal with.

She and Clayton would have to spend the rest of their lives not knowing what it would feel like to have them alive and well again. When she and Clayton left, they didn't know that that was the last time they would ever see them again. Their Aunt Beverly and Uncle Luke were having some financial problems, and needed some help. Being the oldest, Clayton and Allison had agreed to help out. Clayton was going to work in the fields and Allison was going to help around the house and with the kids. They were only supposed to stay for a month at most, but it soon turned into two months. The post service wasn't nearly as good as theirs, as it was a smaller town, so when they didn't get any letters from home, they weren't surprised.

By the time they got home, Ma, Pa and Darynn were all dead. Scarlet fever. Later they learned that while visiting a friend with sick children, Ma had contracted the disease and had passed it on to their sister and Pa. Thankfully no one else they knew had caught scarlet fever. When they stepped off the train, they were orphans.

Thankfully Clayton was old enough at nineteen to resume full responsibility of himself and her. Otherwise, they would have had to go back to their aunt and uncle. It was so hard, the first few weeks. They were alone. She didn't know what to do with herself. If it wasn't for the strength of God and kind neighbors, Allison didn't know what would have happened.

She sighed and looked to the sky as tears streamed down her face. I can get through this. I will get through this. Every day she had to deal with this, and every day she kept on going. Yes, bad things happen to good people, but God wants you to have faith in Him, and know that everything will turn out right. This is something else she thought of every day too. She reached up a hand to swipe away the tears on her cheeks. She looked again at the sun, and guessed the time, based on its position. She should be heading back soon.

Clayton had left for work earlier and Riley was taking a nap. She should start making some dinner for herself and Riley. Then she could worry about her other chores. Allison began the trek back to the house. Once she got there, she stepped into Riley's room and saw that she was sleeping. Sewing materials were settled on her lap. She was working hard on those dresses. With pretty much nothing else to do, Riley sure went to extremes to make them look nice. She was already finished with the indigo dress and a pair of underthings and was working on her lavender Sunday dress. It was going to look so pretty.

Allison went to the kitchen to prepare their meal. She could get out leftover ham from the icebox and some bread she had baked yesterday. Some ham sandwiches would do us nicely, she thought. She got out her jar of honey and a few other ingredients to make a sauce for the ham. She chopped up some carrots and put them in a little pot on the stove. I think that would make a nice addition. Allison also put on the kettle for tea. Soon the sauce was ready so she put the bread on the plates, added the ham, and topped it with the sauce and another slice of bread. She removed the steaming carrots from the pot, and added those to the plate as well.