Chapter 18
A s they went through the first few days of married life they settled into a bit of a rhythm, with Cash getting up and Ada eating the breakfast with him that Aunt Karen made. He knew that Ada would make breakfast herself, but Aunt Karen was used to doing it for him, and he appreciated the fact that Ada continued to allow her.
He supposed that there might come a point where Ada would insist that she needed to make his breakfast herself, but maybe not. Maybe she understood that Aunt Karen needed something to do. Although, it was very considerate of Ada, who perhaps needed something to do as well. If the separation from her family was hard, she didn’t let on.
Instead, every time he came home, there was some kind of new chaos going on in the house. He was pretty sure Aunt Karen had Ada cleaning it from top to bottom. Aunt Karen was helping too, of course, but she wasn’t young anymore, and he was guessing that she did more dictating than she did helping. Not that it was in a bad way. Aunt Karen was super sweet, and Ada was smiling at the end of the day, not casting vengeful glances at Aunt Karen.
They had totally cleaned out the attic, wiped it down from top to bottom, went through every single thing that was stored up there, and took loads of stuff away to donate and almost as much stuff to throw away. Then, after the attic was done, he saw Ada out on a ladder washing the outsides of the windows. Maybe he should think about trying to have the windows replaced to the new kind that opened up inside to make them easy to wash. However, Ada seemed like she was perfectly at home on the ladder, and he remembered how comfortable she’d been with the charging cow. He figured if she could handle a cow, she could probably handle a ladder as well.
And Karen was exceptionally happy that her windows were now sparkling, every curtain in the house had been washed, and all the walls and baseboards and trim had been completely wiped down.
Ada started to look a little tired in the evenings when he came home, but she still had a happy glow about her.
There were seven closets in the big old house, his aunt informed him one day, and she and Ada were going to go through every one of them.
More loads of things went out to be donated, and more loads of things went out to the trash. Closets were completely redone, cleaned inside and out, and his aunt said that hadn’t been done in years and years. His aunt glowed with a happiness that he hadn’t seen since before his uncle died. Ada looked even more tired, but she also looked happy as well.
After the closets came the kitchen, and after the kitchen came the basement. By then, his aunt had grand plans for the yard, and he came home one day to find trees leaning against the porch, along with several boxes of plants and flowers.
Apparently, Ada knew something about landscaping, and she and Aunt Karen were on their way to the local landscaping store to buy pavers which Ada was going to put down.
Cash nodded, did what he needed to do in the house, and went back to the car dealership, which had been thriving even more than he could have imagined.
Four weeks had gone by. John had called him three more times asking him to go out, and the yard and the house looked like professionals had cleaned it and revamped it. Cash was a little concerned when his aunt said that the roof needed to be replaced and wondered if she was going to have Ada do that too. But, in the next breath, he realized he needn’t have been worried, because his aunt said that their elderly neighbor, two doors down, had been watching what she and Ada were doing, and had asked if it would be possible if Ada would be able to help her do a little summer cleaning in her house, and possibly clean out a few rooms and closets and maybe even the attic and basement.
Cash sighed and listened, and noticed that Ada did not seem to mind at all.
They had been taking walks in the evening, when Ada had enough energy, or when Aunt Karen didn’t have something for her to do.
He decided that he was going to talk to her about it. He didn’t mind that she was working, and he loved that she was staying busy and she seemed happy, but it was his job to take care of his wife, and he wanted to make sure that she wasn’t doing it just to keep his aunt happy, or because there was something going on that he was unaware of and she was afraid of Aunt Karen getting upset.
One evening after they’d been married for a month, and after they cleaned off the table, he set the last dish in the dishwasher and turned to his wife.
“Would you have time to take a walk this evening?”
“I’d love to,” Ada said, and then lifted her brows at Aunt Karen.
“Well she can go, but I was expecting her to go over to Evie’s house this evening and take a look at the things that need to be done. We're going to get started bright and early in the morning.”
“I’ll tell you what, how about I go with Ada, and we’ll stop at Evie’s house, and then once we’re done talking to her, Ada and I can continue on with our walk?”
“I suppose that would be okay,” Aunt Karen said. “I was going to go along too, but I guess I don’t need to. Unless you want me?” She seemed to be asking hopefully.
“We definitely want you, but... I think I’d like a little time with my wife. She’s been pretty busy since we got married.”
Ada’s face showed concern immediately. “Have I been too busy? I didn’t want to neglect you, but I also didn’t want you to feel like you had to entertain me.”
“I suppose it’s a fine line we’ll get used to. But no. You haven’t been neglecting me. Not at all.”
She sighed with relief, and he put a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. Just let me finish up these dishes.”
“You go on ahead. I can finish the dishes,” Aunt Karen said.
Ada looked at her, and she seemed to be running through her mind whether or not she wanted to cut out with work still to do. He was starting to understand that if there was something to do, Ada had a hard time letting it go. Maybe that was one of her faults, although it could also be a huge asset as well. As long as it was managed.
“Come on. Let’s go,” he said, tugging on her hand, and gratified when she allowed him to pull her out of the kitchen.
She had a tendency to walk around in her bare feet, and she stopped at the door to put a pair of sandals on.
It was a beautiful evening, although if they didn’t go quickly, darkness would descend, and it would get cool fast.
“If you don’t mind, Aunt Karen, would you let Evie know that Ada and I are going to take a walk first? It would be nicer to walk before dark, and then we’ll visit with Evie.”
“I’ll call her right away, as soon as I’m done with the dishes.”
“Thanks,” he said, and then taking Ada’s hand, feeling her slender, but worked roughened fingers slipping to his, he opened the door and allowed her to go first, closing it behind them.
He had a lot of things he wanted to talk to his wife about, and he wondered where he should start. Probably with the thing that was on the top of his mind.
“Are you okay with everything you’ve been doing?” he asked, not knowing how else to phrase it. They walked by Evie’s house on their way out of town, and he noticed Ada looking over the front porch, and noting that the house was slightly larger than Aunt Karen’s.
If that bothered her, she didn’t say.
“I’m thrilled to stay busy. I think Aunt Karen has been very happy getting all of the things done that we’ve been doing. I know she said over and over that she just hasn’t had the energy or the ability to do this for years, and it’s been piling up and bothering her. So, it makes me feel good to know that I’m helping her.”
“But is it too much?”
“Oh goodness. This is easy compared to some springs and falls on the farm. I mean, we have seasons of rest too, which are nice, or seasons of partial rest, because with a big family, there’s always work to do.”
“You’re used to working as hard as you’ve been working for the last four weeks?”
“Yeah. I’m just used to doing whatever needs to be done. And honestly, it’s not the same kind of work, so it’s hard to judge. I mean, I’ve never cleaned the house from top to bottom the way we have Aunt Karen’s house, but I’ve spent lots of days working from dawn to dusk. And beyond.” She smiled, and turned her head to his. “Is something bothering you?”
“You just looked tired, that’s all. And I want to make sure that Aunt Karen wasn’t turning into some kind of ogre or taskmaster after I left. And, if you were exhausted and feeling like you were working too hard, I was going to put my foot down before we go to see Miss Evie. I would tell her that you were only going to work one or two days a week or whatever you want. I just...wanted to protect you. I feel like that’s my job.”
“Thank you. I feel like that’s your job too, and I like being protected.” She smiled sweetly, and he felt like she truly did appreciate the fact that she knew that there was someone looking after her. It made him glad that he said something.
“But no. Aunt Karen is just as sweet and kind while you’re gone as she is while you’re there. She doesn’t change at all. And, I suppose I could tell her that I was tired of cleaning and I wanted a day off or something. I mean, we do take Sundays off.”
They’d gone to church, but he hadn’t said anything to Pastor Stone about knowing that he had candidated at the church that Cash had started. Pastor Stone had been upright with the congregation about the possibility of him leaving. But, nothing had been said for the last couple of Sundays.
“I was just wondering if the money came?” Ada said casually as they continued to go down the street. “Not that I care exactly, it’s just...that’s why we got married in such a rush, and it seemed so urgent at the time, but then I haven’t heard anything about it.”
“I guess we talked about it for the first week or so, and I checked the bank account every day, and it didn’t show up and didn’t show up and I just kinda forgot. I think both of us are aware that there was a possibility it might not be true. And, I don’t think either one of us would be devastated if it didn’t show.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and pulled his other hand away from Ada’s. He hated to do that, because he felt like he had such a small amount of time with her, and he wanted to make the most of every second he had. But, in order to check his phone, he needed both hands.
He pulled up his bank app, while speaking. “I haven’t checked it for a week. I usually pay my bills on the first of the month, and then I know approximately how much is in there. I’ve already planned out enough to buy gas and groceries and I haven’t looked at it. I suppose I should have.”
They took a few more steps as the app spun and then his account came into view.
“Wow. That looks like a mistake, but the money has definitely shown up.”
He held the phone out so Ada could see.
“Oh my goodness. Wow. I’ve never seen those kinds of numbers before. That’s pretty neat.”
“It sure is. I guess we’ll need to talk to an accountant or something. We’ll have to take taxes out and put them in a separate account right away. There’s no point in messing around about that. Uncle Sam is going to want his share.”
“Yeah. Very good idea,” Ada said. He took one last look at his bank account, which had never come even close to containing that kind of money, and then turned his phone off and shoved it back in his pocket. Immediately he took Ada’s hand again. She gave him a soft smile, which he loved, and which he assumed meant that she liked holding his hand as well.
They walked on, enjoying the cool evening air, and the peaceful calmness of the town.
“How are things going at the dealership?” Ada asked.
Normally he and Aunt Karen would talk a little bit about it at the supper table, but Aunt Karen had been talking a good bit about all the work she and Ada had been doing, and he supposed he hadn’t been keeping her abreast about the dealership.
“It’s been going really well. So well, in fact, then I think perhaps we could head to Virginia next week, maybe Monday morning?”
“That would be lovely,” Ada said. She seemed calm and serene, and not the slightest bit upset about going. Or about the fact that they had to push back their honeymoon.
“I’m sorry you had to wait so long.”
“No problem. I understood when you couldn’t leave at the time. The farm’s like that. In fact, it’s probably worse. Because anything could go wrong at any time, and there aren’t people you can pick up anywhere that can help you.”
“Yeah. Animals have to be fed every day and taken care of and whoever does it has to know how.”
“Yeah. It really ties you down, although I wouldn’t trade that life for anything. It’s a beautiful life.”
Her voice got a little wistful, like she wished she was still in that life.
“Do you miss it?” he asked. A little sense of panic had started in his soul. The more he thought about it, the more he thought about moving back to Virginia. Aunt Karen was taken care of as well as they could. The car dealership was in good shape, and if she decided to sell it, she would get good money. And now that the billion dollars had come, he would know that she would be taken care of in whatever style she chose.
He missed Virginia and the church that he had started and he had been thinking that perhaps God had closed the door for a bit so that he could marry Ada, and then, opened it back up so that he could head back to Virginia.
He didn’t understand that necessarily, since Ada really wasn’t the kind of wife that the pastor of a mega church might want. She was spiritual and sweet, but not...classy or uppercrust the way Abby was. Still, sometimes God worked in mysterious ways, and this might have been one of those ways.
“I suppose I might as well say that I’ve been thinking seriously about accepting John’s offer. That’s part of the reason I’ve been putting off going to Virginia.”
Originally he had figured that he would get a few things together at the car dealership and they would leave in a couple of days after their wedding. But, one thing turned into another and he ended up putting it off and putting it off until four weeks had gone by and he hadn’t really realized.
“Oh. I didn’t realize you were considering that,” Ada said. There was definitely surprise in her voice, but acceptance as well.
“What do you think?”
“I guess I might have a better idea after we visit. But, I think whatever you do, I’m with you.”
“I knew you would be. But I want to know what you think, apart from what I want. What do you personally think?” He paused for a moment and then said, “What would you like?” That was a dangerous question, because he couldn’t guarantee that he could give her what she wanted.
He knew that she was as close to the Lord as anyone else he knew, and that she would not lead him wrong. Although he wasn’t asking for advice, or even what she felt God wanted them to do, he was just asking about her preference. For some reason, he thought that might help them decide what he was supposed to do.
“I’d like to stay here,” she said simply. “But I’ve never been to Virginia. So maybe once I get there, it will feel right. But, I love helping your aunt and being close to my family, although I haven’t been on the ranch this entire month. I’ve seen them at church. I would miss that. I would be sad about that. But, if God leads you to Virginia, I wouldn’t want you to not go because you think I’m going to be sad or upset. Because I’m not. I’m going to choose to be happy.”
She said that with such emphaticness that he absolutely did not doubt it. His wife would choose to be happy wherever he was.
Lord, I didn’t deserve a woman like this. But I thank you so much for giving her to me.
And that was what it had to have been. God giving him Ada, because he really hadn’t even wooed her or earned her love at all. He’d just proposed marriage, she prayed about it, and said yes. If that wasn’t God working, he didn’t know what was. He certainly wouldn’t have taken one look at himself and said yes to a marriage proposal from someone like him. Especially someone who had been kicked out of their church, and accused of heinous crimes.
“All right. I’ll keep that in mind. But, I know that you agree, we’ll do whatever we're sure God wants us to do.”
“Yes. It’s agreed.”
He figured they had walked far enough, so they turned around, and when they got to Miss Evie’s house, they stopped.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll come in with you?” He thought that was understood at the table, but he didn’t want to push in where he wasn’t wanted.
“Of course. Ms. Evie has such sweet things to say about you. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you. She always says it’s been too long.”
He didn’t know that, and he didn’t realize that Ada had been talking to her, but he nodded as they went up the front porch steps and knocked on the door.
“My goodness. I didn’t think you were ever going to come. Your aunt said you were going to be late, but I’ve been excited about this for three days!” Miss Evie opened the door wider. “Please come in. Oh! And you brought your husband with you.” Miss Evie gave him a crinkly smile. Her dark eyes glittered, her posture indicated that she truly was excited to see him.
“It’s been a long time.” Miss Evie looked him up and down. “You’ve gone and gotten big, you surely have. I remember you coming to see your aunt and uncle when you were just a young thing. Now, look at you, turning that car dealership around, like no one’s business. Your aunt Karen brags on you all the time. And, I must say, you have yourself a really nice wife.” She said the last almost like she was talking under her breath, although Ada was standing right there and could hear her.
“I have to agree with you. It was the Lord’s doing, and it’s marvelous in my eyes.” It was a little paraphrase on a verse in Psalms, but it was true. It was the Lord’s doing, and marvelous probably wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how he felt about it.
Ada smiled and shook her head.
“We’re here to check out your house, and to see what all you’re thinking you’d like to have done,” she said to Ms. Evie.
“Well, I can show you around, but I wanted to thank you for the cookies you hand out on your porch every day. I’ve gotten to know some of the neighborhood kids because of that, and... It’s really given me a new purpose in life. So thank you.”
“I’ve enjoyed that a lot, myself,” Ada said. “I got to meet so many of the kids in the neighborhood.”
“I believe we’re seeing a few new faces in church every Sunday because of it as well,” Ms. Evie said, and Cash furrowed his brow. He had no idea what the world these ladies were talking about. He thought Ada was working herself to the bone cleaning his aunt’s house, and no one had said any differently. She had been doing cleaning, because he’d seen the results himself.
But, as Ada and Ms. Evie started talking about the house and the things that Miss Evie was thinking about getting done and Ada telling her that perhaps she and Cash would be going on a short honeymoon trip, and she might have to take a break in the middle, he tried to follow the conversation, thinking that he needed to talk to Ada whenever they were done.
What was this cookie thing?
They were only in the house maybe 30 minutes, but it felt like forever until they exited in the dark.
He was glad they had walked first, because it was chilly, and Ada shivered as they walked down the steps.
He put his arm around her.
“I’m sorry. It got chilly.”
“It’s okay. You’re warm,” she said, seeming to snuggle up against him. She put her arm around him, and he liked that.
But, it didn’t distract him from what he wanted to say.
“What was she talking about? The cookie thing?”
Ada laughed.
“Well, Aunt Karen and Miss Evie were talking about how much they loved to bake and cook and all that and how she didn’t do it as much anymore, with just you in the house, and she didn’t want to make a bunch of things that weren’t good for you. Even though there’s just something in a woman that enjoys cooking and seeing other people enjoy it, you know?”
He nodded. He supposed that could be true. He really didn’t know.
“Anyway,” Ada said as they got to the front porch steps of Aunt Karen’s house. He stopped, moving his arm around her, but shifting so that they faced each other. He took both of her hands in his. He didn’t want her to walk up the stairs and into the house before she was done telling him about this.
She allowed him to maneuver them however he wanted, and her hands didn’t grip his tightly, but firm enough to know that she wanted to hold on.
“Anyway, I had the idea of baking in the afternoon, and just handing out cookies to the kids who walked by on the sidewalk. It’s kind of crazy the people you see. So, the kids would drop in, we would give them cookies and I know you’re supposed to give milk with cookies, but we just handed out water, and a few times we made some lemonade or tea. Anyway, not only did kids start stopping, but their grandparents, who were often watching them, stopped. And then people like Ms. Evie, who are alone, started coming over. And pretty soon, before we knew it, from about two to four in the afternoon, our porch was full of people.”
“Wow. I had no idea.”
“No. That’s probably a busy time at work. But, anyway, Aunt Karen and I talked about it and we decided that might be a good time to tell stories, or have some kind of guided something with all the cookies and the people. So, I would take about ten or fifteen minutes to tell a quick story. Something I might have told my nieces and nephews before bed, just something to entertain and maybe encourage people with a little moral or some humor always works too. And then, I would talk about how they would hear more stories like that if they came to junior church.”
“I love it,” he said.
“Yeah. It helped that I also mentioned that there were cookies in junior church as well.”
She paused for a moment and then she said. “I can’t believe the kids who have never had a homemade cookie. Like, that just shocks me.”
“People are getting healthier.”
“That and moms aren’t baking anymore, so they buy packaged cookies. It’s...crazy.”
“Yeah.” He supposed that was probably true too, although he’d certainly never thought about it.
“Anyway. That’s what she was talking about. She is a regular, and I think that it gets the older people and the younger people involved with each other, you know? She had a couple of kids who were saying that they were bored go and rake out last year’s leaves from her yard. It made her happy, and they had fun playing with her leaf blower and rake. I’m not sure they ever used either one before.”
Ada sounded a little bit surprised about that too. He supposed growing up the way she had, it would surprise her that kids didn’t work like they used to. He’d seen that in his church.
Hearing her talk gave him the deepest desire to have a church again. To guide people spiritually, to be armpit deep in the Lord’s work. He wanted to dive right in, and he was glad that they had decided to go to Virginia. He was going to do whatever he needed to in order to get away from the car dealership and make that happen. He was ready to get back into ministry.
But didn’t say that to Ada. After all, that was the way he felt, and not something that he was sure was coming from God. A lot of times, when something came from God, his reaction was more of, “Lord? Do you really want me to do that? Because I don’t want to.”
It was almost always how he knew that something was from the Lord, whenever it went directly against whatever he wanted. Not that God always led him in the exact opposite direction he wanted to go. But, when that happened, it wasn’t hard to figure out that it was God who wanted it, not him.