Letters for Sally

Chapter 13

Chapter 13
Sally woke up early and she had to get the assignments done for school.  She had done a few over the last two weeks but she was behind. She had less than three months left of classes and then she would graduate.  She was behind and she needed to make a plan.  She worked on several assignments before breakfast and felt good about her accomplishments.  She decided she would work early mornings and leave the day open to help Maggie and Harry with their chores.  She had always cleaned her own room.  They could afford a maid but her mother always wanted her to keep her area clean on her own to teach her responsibility.  So Sally was always ready to jump in and help.  Her friends from her private school always had maids and butlers but Sally and her mom only wanted a cook.  Cooking was her dad's art and her mother hired Roger when Sally was little right after her father died.  So naturally Sally always had a cook.  Roger was so important to her and he even taught Sally a few dishes and let her help in the kitchen so Sally had some basic life skills. She wanted to be helpful.  She had been there for a couple weeks now and she saw the hard work they did.  She wanted to jump in and help now that she had a plan for school and had read several of her mom's notebooks from her teen years.  She enjoyed reading about her mom and realized her and her mother were a lot alike.  She liked being like her mom.

"Sally girl!", Maggie yelled from the kitchen, "come eat child!"  Sally smiled ear to ear, she adored Maggie. She was smart, sensitive, fun, loud, and a wonderful cook.  Maggie was one of those people who knew things before you told her.  She had some sort of intuition and was always reading a book.  Sally had grown to enjoy their talks and Maggie's fun-loving silly attitude was beginning to rub off on Sally too.  Sally was sad and struggled with anger still, mostly toward God, but she was enjoying life little by little.  "I'm coming Mrs. Maggie, just gotta brush my teeth!" Sally yelled from the bathroom.  Maggie giggled and then yelled, "This food might walk-off and feed itself to the chickens if we don't eat it Sally!"  Sally laughed and yelled back, "We can't have that craziness!"  Sally shook her head and laughted while finishing her teeth.  Maggie was silly when it was appropriate and serious when needed.  She was always making life more interesting.  She could see why Harry adored her so much.  Her and Henry showed a lot of affection and were always laughing and smiling at each other.  If Sally didn't know they had been together for 14 years she might have thought they were newlyweds the way they kissed and hugged and hung on each other's every word all the time.  Sally felt like she was constantly in a romantic movie or novel but she liked it.  The stories about her parents' love and these two made her feel like she was starting to really wrap her mind around what a God-centered marriage looked like.  She missed that directly not having her father around growing up.  She knew her mother loved him but she didn't get to see the love expressed like she is now.

Sally and Maggie are alone today.  Harry was mending fences on the south side of the property.  They are quickly because chores would not do themselves.  Sally had been taught to collect eggs but other than that she hadn't done too much.  She had been reading her mom's notebooks in order and doing school assignments.  But, today, she was caught up and doing well mentally.  Yes, she was sad but she felt better than she had in a long time and she wanted to help these people she was growing very fond of.  "Maggie, I want to make myself a bigger chore list.  I am caught up on my school assignments and I have a plan to stay that way.  That gives me more time in the day to help you and Harry.  I want to be more helpful." Maggie looked at her deep in the eyes and smiled, "we are gonna make you a farm girl yet", she laughed and then proceeded, "well sally you have seen the ranch and what we do enough, let's start with what interests you most."  Sally already knew what she wanted to do more of.  She wanted to eventually ride a horse like her dad did.  "Could I help with horses?" Maggie sat back in her chair and smiled, looked up and said, "The Lord always provides, always, thank you Jesus."  Sally looked at Maggie, "um, is that a yes?"  Maggie looked back into Sally's eyes, "Yes, we had two stable boys who cleaned the stalls, worked the horses, fed and watered and kept the horse barn clean.  One has had to quit, two days ago actually, his mom got sick and he had to do more at home.  I need another stable... Well, girl maybe." Sally's eyes widened, "If someone will teach me I can learn and I will do my very best."  Maggie said, "Sounds like a deal breakfast and room and board for some help on this ol' ranch."  Sally smiled and looked at her with her head tilted, "Yes, your money isn't worth anything here I only take my pay in your breakfast and fun-loving silliness."  Both ladies laughed and then after cleaning up the kitchen Maggie took her out to the barn.