Abiding Hope: A Novel: Healing Ruby Book 4 Page 16

  “The end of the week?” Mrs. Sawyer gasped. “But that’s so soon. You all need a chance to get your feet under you. And Hope needs some time to adjust—”

  Mr. Sawyer laid a hand on her arm, interrupting her again. “Now, Margaret, that’s none of our affair. They’re grown adults and can decide what’s best for their own family.”

  She turned her stricken gaze on me. “Grace, honey, you know you all are welcome to stay as long as you need to. We’ll make whatever adjustments are necessary. Please don’t be in such a rush.”

  I leaned toward her and put my hand over hers. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing concrete yet. I’m sure it will take longer than a week for us to get everything in order. There will be plenty of time for everyone to adjust.”

  She gazed over at Hope who, having forgotten her yolk aversion, was busy shoveling eggs into her mouth with her hand. Mrs. Sawyers’ eyes welled up, even as she forced a smile. “It’s just been so wonderful having you and Hope here. I can’t imagine my days without her.”

  I glanced at Matthew. He’d set his fork down and was staring at his plate like he wanted to hit it. Letting out a sigh, he brought his gaze up to us. “Thank you for the lovely breakfast, Mrs. Sawyer. And I appreciate your hospitality. Please don’t take my desire to leave as a sign of ingratitude. You and Mr. Sawyer have given my family a place to call home while I was away from them. And for that I will always be grateful. But I am anxious to provide them with the home they deserve. I hope you can understand.”

  “Of course we understand,” Mr. Sawyer said. “And we’ll do whatever we can to help. However, my understanding is that housing is quite difficult to come by at present. It might take longer than a week.”

  Mrs. Sawyer nodded her agreement, and we all went back to eating. Although, I noticed Matthew didn’t eat another bite. He pushed his food around his plate for another few minutes before standing and thanking Mrs. Sawyer again for the meal. Then he disappeared up the stairs without making eye contact with me.

  “I better get my things together for work,” I said, excusing myself from the table and carrying my plate to the kitchen. I hurried up the stairs to our bedroom, hoping to speak to Matthew before I had to leave. He was standing at the window.

  “Are we…all right?” I asked.

  He turned to me, looking me up and down. “I can’t get over you in that nurse’s uniform. You look so different. So grown up.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I looked down at my white skirt, white pantyhose, and white shoes.

  “I don’t know. I suppose it means we aren’t a couple of kids anymore.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I reckon that wasn’t the most romantic moment of my life.”

  “It’s all right. I want to be with you…I just…”

  “There’s no need to rehash it. I’m going to check out some jobs I saw in the paper today. There’s one for a construction company. Surely I qualify for that at least. And I’ll see what I can find out about housing as well. Are you leaving for work?”

  “Yes.”

  “Want me to walk you to the bus?”

  “That would be nice.”

  He managed the beginning of a smile. “I’ll just change my shirt and join you downstairs.”

  I took my cap off the hook beside the door and went to the bathroom mirror to make sure it was on properly, before heading downstairs to kiss Hope goodbye. Matthew came down wearing navy dress pants and a white button-down collared shirt. He’d shaved and combed his hair as well.

  “My goodness,” I said. “You clean up quick.”

  He smiled. “Military training, I suppose. It’s downright dangerous to linger anywhere too long.”

  “Do you know where you’re going? I’m sure the Sawyers have a map and bus schedule.”

  He pointed to his head. “Got everything I need up here. Studied the map and bus schedules this morning.”

  Hope and Mrs. Sawyer came out of the kitchen, where they’d been cleaning up. Hope ran over to me, and I bent down to give her a hug. I kissed her cheek and told her to mind Grandma.

  “I will,” she said, smacking her lips against my cheek.

  “You’ll be asleep when I come home tonight. I expect you to be a big girl and sleep on the cot, like I said.”

  Her lips dropped to a frown. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I kissed the top of her head as I straightened, noticing the look of concern on Matthew’s face. “Tell Daddy bye.”

  She turned to Matthew with the same big eyes and frown. “Are you leaving too?”

  “I’ll be back before you know it,” he said, kneeling down and spreading his arms. She walked into his embrace and leaned against his leg.

  “Will you wead to me and Belteen tonight?”

  “Velveteen and me,” I said.

  She let out a little sigh. “Will you wead to Belteen and me?”

  “You can count on it,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Oh, tank you, Daddy!” Hope bounced up and down as she turned back to me. “Momma, Daddy’s gonna wead to me and Bel…I mean Belteen and me!”

  “I know,” I said. “I bet Daddy’s very good at reading stories. Now you go finish helping Grandma in the kitchen.”

  “Yes, ma’am!” she called, hopping toward the kitchen door.

  Mrs. Sawyer waved goodbye, and Matthew and I headed out. When we were alone, he gave me that curious look again. “What time do you get home from work?”

  “Around 8:30.”

  We made our way down the front steps and turned onto the sidewalk toward the bus stop. I reached for one of his hands, but he’d pushed them into his pockets again.

  “That’s pretty late for a young mother to be getting home from work,” he said.

  “I work twelve-hour shifts. Eight to eight. It’s either work all day, or work all night.”

  “So when do you spend time with Hope?” There was a hint of an accusation in his voice that touched on my own guilt I’d felt at leaving her.

  “I work four days a week. The other three I spend all day and evening with her. We go to the park, or the library, or for long walks. And the Sawyers have been wonderful with her.”

  “I’m sure they have. But you know you can’t keep this up once we move.”

  My hackles went up before I could catch them. “Yes, you’ve made it perfectly clear that I have to stop working and stay home with Hope.”

  “I didn’t realize it was such an inconvenience for you to be with our daughter.”

  I stopped walking and faced him. “What should I have done? You were gone, remember? You ran into the jungle instead of getting on that plane. The army told me you were dead, and it was up to me to provide for our daughter. I only did the best I knew how to do.”

  “Don’t raise your voice at me,” he commanded. “I won’t stand here in the middle of the street and be disrespected by own wife. I was merely trying to have a civil conversation with you.”

  “No, you were reminding me of my place. You were reminding me that I belong at home with our daughter—”

  “That is where you belong!”

  The sudden intensity of the anger in his voice and face silenced me, and I took a step back from him. His chest heaved for a moment as he stared down at me like I was an insubordinate soldier.

  “You are my husband,” I said, deliberately softening my tone. “I love you, and I respect you. But you are not my commanding officer, and we are not in the army. I won’t be ordered around. If you want to speak to me about my job, I suggest you cool off and try again tonight. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a bus to catch.”

  I turned on my heels and headed for the bus stop without looking back.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Matthew

  July 16, 1945

  Houston, Texas

  As I watched Ruby walk away, my frustration and anger only grew. How could she refuse to see the danger in continuing to work? Didn’t she realize that e
very day she worked at that hospital, she was exposing herself to being discovered? How could she take that risk so lightly?

  Sure, I was half-starved and being hunted like an animal, but at least when I was in the jungles of the Philippines, I could identify a threat, make a decision, and have my orders followed. It was maddening to be opposed by the very person I was supposed to protect.

  I spent another hour walking around before I boarded a bus. The crowd and noise of a busy city did nothing to settle my raw nerves. I already hated Houston, and I had no desire to find a job in the city. But for the time being, that seemed to be my best option.

  I spent the morning visiting construction companies, filling out applications and speaking with management. A couple seemed promising. So when I returned to the Sawyers’ house for lunch, my mood had improved considerably, and I was looking forward to spending a little time with Hope before heading back out.

  But when I walked into the living room, I found Ruby seated on the sofa, her eyes bloodshot and damp.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Is Hope all right?”

  “She’s fine,” she said. “Mrs. Sawyer takes her to the park for a picnic on Mondays.”

  I went over to the sofa beside Ruby, afraid something terrible had happened. “Then what’s going on?”

  She sniffled into a handkerchief. “Well, you got what you wanted. The hospital told me today that they were letting me go. Apparently, everyone else shares your belief about where I belong.”

  “You were fired? I don’t understand. Why?”

  “Hospital policy. Nurses aren’t allowed to be married. They allowed me to work there because technically I was a widow, but my supervisor told me this morning that since my husband was home, I should devote myself to taking care of my family.”

  I had no idea what to say. I had to admit, there was a large part of me that was relieved. But I hated seeing her so upset. “I’m sorry this happened.”

  She huffed and shook her head. “No, you’re not. This is exactly what you wanted.”

  “That’s not true. I didn’t want this for you. Believe it or not, I want you to be happy.”

  She leaned her head back against the sofa, staring at the ceiling. “You know, I actually do want to spend more time with Hope. I love taking care of her. I love being her mother. Maybe I would have quit when you got a job. I just wanted it to be my choice. I wanted it to be because it was right for our family, not because someone else was telling me I had to do it.”

  “Especially if that someone was me.”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “But it’s true. You’ve never listened to me. In all the years I’ve known you, it’s been one dismissal of me after another.”

  “Well, that’s definitely not true.” She glanced over at me and managed a small smile. “I agreed to marry you.”

  I slid over beside her and kissed her forehead. “Okay, so once.”

  “I let you pay my bond.” She raised her hands and began ticking off her list on her fingers. “I got on the plane on Mindanao. I went to Australia—”

  “Okay, okay. So you’ve listened to me all of about three times in your entire life.”

  She let out a short laugh. “I believe it was four.”

  I shook my head and kissed her lips. “And every single time it took all I had in me to convince you. You are so much trouble.”

  She placed her hand on my cheek. “Matthew, when it has truly mattered, when our lives depended on it, I have trusted you. I do trust you.”

  I kissed her again, this time lingering long enough for my chest to warm and my heart to speed up. “Did you say Hope and Mrs. Sawyer are at the park?”

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  “What about the rest of the family?”

  “Jillian takes the baby to the park with them.”

  “And Mr. Sawyer?”

  She shrugged and smiled.

  “So we’re alone?”

  “Mmm hmm,” she said, kissing me again.

  “Then what are we doing down here?” I took her hands and pulled her up from the couch, taking another moment to kiss her more before I led her up the stairs to our bedroom.

  As I closed the door behind me, I took a long look at the beautiful woman standing beside the bed. It had been more than two months since we’d been alone together in the hotel. Every part of my body felt like it was on fire, and there was only one way to quench it.

  I did my best not to rush things, to enjoy the relief of finally having her all to myself. But we had barely gotten undressed and in the bed, when I heard footsteps on the stairs. We froze, Ruby’s eyes widening in horror as we heard Mrs. Sawyer talking to Hope.

  “Yes, you can look at a picture book for a few minutes.”

  I rolled to the side and Ruby jerked the covers up over her chest. The door opened, and Mrs. Sawyer stepped inside. Her mouth dropped open, and she stuck her hand out to stop Hope from coming through the door.

  “Oh my goodness!” Mrs. Sawyer exclaimed. “Excuse me!” She turned around and closed the door behind her.

  Beside me, Ruby covered her face. “I cannot believe that just happened,” she mumbled into her hands.

  My heart continued to pound away. “It’s all right. Bound to happen with all these people under one roof.”

  “It’s humiliating!” She dropped her hands and looked at me in disbelief. “How can you be so casual about it?”

  “This is nothing. The Filipinos out in the barrios don’t even care to hide it. They all sleep in the same room together, mother and father and all the kids. We had to stay in these tiny huts with whole families sometimes. The parents just covered themselves and went right on with their business.”

  “With you in the hut with them?”

  “Not usually, but sometimes.”

  After a moment, she laughed and rolled onto her side. “I suppose this explains why you were so eager to just drop onto the floor this morning.”

  “Maybe.” I kissed her and pulled her back beneath me. “Now where were we?”

  “Are you serious? With everyone in the house?”

  “At least it’s not the floor.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “You must be desperate.”

  “You have no idea.”

  ***

  Mrs. Sawyer couldn’t make eye contact with me that evening at supper. Ruby had explained why she was home, and most of our conversation at the table centered around the shameful policy of the hospital. Personally, I was rather happy about the incident in the bedroom. Maybe it would serve to highlight that we needed to find a place of our own as soon as possible.

  Unfortunately, Mr. Sawyer had been right about the housing situation. I’d contacted a few realtors that afternoon, and there was nothing available near the city. Of course, that didn’t bother me much. I preferred to find a place away from the masses. I’d build it myself if I needed to. But if I knew anything about Ruby, I was sure she’d want to stay close to the Sawyers. I wasn’t looking forward to convincing her to move away.

  Just as we were finishing the meal, there was a knock on the front door. Mrs. Sawyer nearly flew out of her chair. Before she even made it around the table, a male voice called from the foyer.

  “Anyone home?”

  Everyone’s eyes widened, and there was a big commotion as a man in uniform stepped into the dining room. He dropped his bags and held his arms open, and Mrs. Sawyer rushed into them. It took me a moment, but just as his mother cried out his name, I recognized Mike.

  Mr. Sawyer and Jillian hugged him next. Then Ruby stood and took her turn. Mike laughed as Mrs. Sawyer scolded him for not telling her he was coming home, before going over to Hope in her high chair and bending down in front of her. “How’s the prettiest little bunny rabbit in all the world?” he asked.

  She reached out her arms and he picked her up. “Uncle Mike, did you bwing me a pwesent?”

  “I’m sure I have something in my bag for you. We’ll find it in a little while.�
��

  Something about watching him hold my daughter while smiling at my wife sent an uneasy feeling skittering through me. I pushed my chair back from the table and stood, and he finally saw me. His eyes widened, and he set Hope back in her chair.

  “Matthew? You’re…you’re alive! And here! Well, I’ll be.” He walked around the table and stuck out his hand, so I took it and gave it a firm shake. “It’s great to see you.”

  “Good to see you too,” I said. “How long you home for?”

  “Just a few days.” He glanced between me and Ruby. “Where were you all this time? I’ve been writing everyone I could think of trying to find you.”

  “Really?” I found that a bit disconcerting for some reason. “I was on Luzon with the guerrilla forces there.”

  Mrs. Sawyer set a plate and some utensils down at the table beside Jillian. “Come eat some supper,” she said to Mike. “You’re skinnier than a stick.”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” Mike said, grinning at everyone.

  We all took our seats once more, and the others peppered him with questions. Seemed like the house was going to be even more crowded for a few days. He’d been discharged, which brought a “Hallelujah!” from Mrs. Sawyer.

  “Will you be moving back home, then?” Jillian asked.

  “Oh, well not anytime soon,” he said. “I’ll head back to San Francisco for a while. Some of the guys are getting jobs there. I’m probably too old to go back to baseball, but I still know people there.”

  I glanced at Ruby as Mike continued talking. She barely made eye contact with him. She mostly kept her gaze on her plate, but would look over at me and smile now and again. And while he was still telling the story of one of his missions, she stood and began clearing the table.

  I picked up my plate and followed her into the kitchen. “Everything all right?” I asked, stacking my plate on top of the others.

  “Of course,” she said. “Why do you ask?”

  “You seem a little uncomfortable.”