Prologue #2
Wendy had been learning to pray with her since she’d started to speak, but in recent weeks she’d begun to ask for prayers more and more, which was one of her favorite things Naomi loved to share with her precious child.
It was most important to her to instill a deep faith in God in her, and by the looks of it, Wendy seemed to enjoy praying.
“Speak after me,” she said as enthusiastically as she could when she took her daughter’s hands, and both lowered their heads.
“God is great, God is good,” Naomi began.
“God is great, God is good,” Wendy repeated solemnly.
“Let us thank Him for our food,” Naomi said, which Wendy also repeated.
“The Lord will keep us all well fed…God gives us our daily bread. Amen,” Naomi continued, and Wendy followed after each pause, but then she clamped her fingers tighter around Naomi’s hands, so she couldn’t pull them away.
“God gives us our daily bread…” Wendy repeated, but then she kept going. “Can you give more? Mummy always gives me all the food. But she doesn’t eat. I think she’s hungry. So, God? If you can hear me? Please give more for my mummy. Thank you. Amen.”
Naomi had to turn her head, so Wendy wouldn’t see the deeply emotional expression she couldn’t suppress. Her daughter had seen too much already, and Naomi didn’t want her to know that she was skipping meals to feed her. Apparently, Wendy was smarter than she’d thought.
Wiping a pesky tear trying to escape from the corner of her eye, Naomi looked back at her with a smile.
“Thank you, that was very sweet of you,” she said with a croaky voice.
“Can He hear us?” Wendy asked, looking at her with curious eyes. Naomi nodded and finally managed to swallow the lump in her throat.
“Yes, He can,” she confirmed with absolute conviction. “He can hear us, see us, He knows what we feel, what we think…He even knows our most secret dreams,” Naomi explained, trying to sound more cheerful. “And He loves us even more than we love Him.”
“Then He will give you more food,” Wendy concluded with a nod, as if she was satisfied with Naomi’s answer. Looking at the bowl of porridge, she hesitated for a second, but then she took the spoon and slowly started to eat.
Naomi’s heart broke for her because Wendy had learned the hard way that she’d go hungry if she didn’t eat whatever was given to her.
Her father had thrown her dinner outside in the dirt, if she’d just looked at it the wrong way—regardless of whether it was their only meal.
They’d often been forced to eat the same beans for weeks, because that’s all Harrison would get them, while he mostly ate at the ranch.
While Wendy ate, Naomi went outside and around the house to get some firewood, because the chill inside started to creep into their bones.
Given the late hour, the sun was already disappearing behind the rolling western hills, and this time of the year, the lack of its warmth could be felt instantly.
Not surprisingly, there weren’t many logs left, but they should be enough for tonight. Tomorrow didn’t matter anymore.
Rushing back inside the house with an arm full of logs, Naomi started the fire in the stove, instead of the fireplace, which she hadn’t lit in months.
The cast iron stove didn’t burn as much wood and held the heat much longer, which was sufficient to heat the tiny house.
It was also closer to their bedroom, radiating more heat in there.
While the fire began heating up the stove, Naomi filled the kettle with water to make some tea.
One thing Harrison had never been able to take away from Naomi were her smarts and knowledge about local herbs and plants growing wild in the area.
Before her parents’ deaths, Naomi had been able to read and learn about many things—one of which was making teas, which were not only aromatic but medicinal and nourishing for the body.
So, for tonight, Naomi was looking forward to a lovely cup of wild nettle and mint tea, which had the added benefit of calming her growly stomach.
Meanwhile, Naomi kept wracking her brain about how she could best explain to her daughter what would happen to them the next day.
That they would have to take all of their belongings and leave their home forever.
Naomi wondered if Wendy would miss this place—as rundown as it was—since it was the only home she’d ever known.
But more importantly, Naomi didn’t even know where they would go. She didn’t know anybody in town who would take them in. She had no family left, and since she’d been married to Harrison, she’d lived so isolated that she’d lost all of her friends from a previous, happier life.
For a moment, as she held out her hands over the heat radiating from the stove, Naomi was utterly lost and scared for the both of them.
She tried not to fear for their future, but with no money, no job, no roof over their head, and no food or supplies for the upcoming winter—it looked bleak.
God, help us! she prayed. What are we supposed to do? Please tell me where to go!
A short while later, both of them sat snuggled up in a blanket on the only rocking chair close to the stove. Even though they had to pack up their belongings to leave tomorrow, Naomi wasn’t in a rush. Apart from their clothes, they didn’t have many things to pack. To go where?
An image of an old cabin near the woods appeared in her mind.
She had completely forgotten about it. Walking into town, on their way past the huge ranch, Naomi had noticed it along the tree line on the way there and on their way back, and both times it had looked unoccupied.
Could this be something to consider? It had looked completely abandoned, but she couldn’t be sure if it was indeed empty.
The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a viable option, and it wasn’t too far.
It was worth a try.
Hope bloomed in Naomi’s heart.
Now she just had to prepare her sweet little girl about their impending move.
“How about we go on an adventure?”