Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (8 page)

“
Justin,
”
Vivianna began,
“
Andersonville
!
I can
’
t hardly think on it!
”

“
Don
’
t,
”
Justin told her.
“
The war is over
.
Andersonville
is no more.
I
’
m home…home with you and Mama,
”
he said.
He leaned forward and kissed his mother
’
s cheek.
“
The past is the past
. L
et
’
s just leave it there.
”

“
But
,
Justin
,
”
Savannah
began,
“
my poor baby
—”

“
I
’
m home, Mama,
”
Justin interrupted.
“
That
’
s what matters now.
I
’
m home.
”

Savannah
nodded.
Vivianna too understood.
No doubt Justin
’
s time at
Andersonville
had seemed a sentence served in
h
ell.
He didn
’
t want to remember it—didn
’
t want talking of it to cause the pain to return.
Maybe someday he would want to or need to tell them more about it
. B
ut for now—for now, he wanted only to leave it behind.

“
Well, then,
”
Savannah
began, reaching out and running a tender hand over Justin
’
s head,
“
I will say I do miss those raven locks of yours
. B
ut it will grow back…now won
’
t it, Justin?
”

Justin chuckled and nodded.
“
Yes
,
it will.
We shaved up when we were let go.
”

“
As a symbol?
A ritual of ridding yourself of the horror you boys endured?
”
Savannah
asked
,
looking to Mr. Tabor.

Mr. Tabor shook his head.
“
No, ma
’
am,
”
he answered.
“
We shaved up so we wouldn
’
t carry the lice home to you folks.
”

“
Oh my!
”
Mrs. Turner gasped.

Vivianna brushed a tear from her cheek as Mr. Tabor glanced to her.

“
Thank you, miss,
”
he said, nodding toward the now empty bowl.
“
I do feel better.
”

“
Let me ladle you some more,
”
Vivianna said, taking his bowl and standing.

“
Just a bit…if ya wouldn
’
t mind, miss,
”
Mr. Tabor said.

“
But you
’
ve eaten hardly enough to fill a kitten,
”
Vivianna noted.

“
Johnny can
’
t handle much more than that yet, Viv,
”
Justin explained.
“
I
’
m ashamed to say it…but he gave me most of his food these past two months.
It
’
s probably why the sickness didn
’
t get me.
He
’
ll have to go slow on eatin
’
for a while yet.
”

“
Oh,
”
Vivianna said, returning the now only half-full bowl of broth on the table before Mr. Tabor.

“
But I think I could use another whole bowlful, Viv,
”
Justin said.
He smiled and lifted his bowl. Vivianna returned his smile, accepting his bowl.

“
And…um…and where are you from, Mr. Tabor?
”
Vivianna heard
Savannah
ask.

“
Texas
, ma
’
am,
”
Mr. Tabor said.
“
And if ya don
’
t mind, Mrs. Turner…my father
’
s Mr. Tabor
.
I
’
m just Johnny.
”

“
Of course, Johnny,
”
Savannah
said, smiling.

Vivianna placed the second bowl of broth on the table before Justin.
She sighed as she sat down across from him.
He was there!
He was really there—there at the table!
Her beloved Justin had returned from the war!
She silently thanked God for the blessed miracle.

“
Andersonville
!
”
Savannah
breathed, shaking her head and wiping more tears from her cheeks.

“
It
’
s over, Mama,
”
Justin said.
“
Let
’
s talk about somethin
’
happy.
”
Justin smiled—chuckled.
“
Nate and Willy sure have grown,
”
he said, slurping his broth.

“
Oh my
,
yes!
”
Savannah
exclaimed, still choking back tears.
“
Like weeds those two…growin
’
and growin
’
and always into mischief where they ought not to be.
”

“
And Caleb?
”
he asked.

Savannah
quickly glanced to Vivianna
and
then back to Justin.
Vivianna willed the blush to cool from her cheeks.
Suddenly she didn
’
t want Justin to know she
’
d accepted he had been lost
;
she didn
’
t want him to know that only an hour before, she
’
d been trying to convince herself she could marry his brother—learn to love him.

“
Caleb
’
s well,
”
Savannah
said.
“
And he
’
ll be much better now that he has his brother back.
”

“
He
’
s a good man…Caleb Turner,
”
Johnny Tabor mumbled.

Vivianna looked to the stranger and was startled to find he was staring at her.

“
You knew Caleb?
”
she asked
,
though she was rather unsettled at the way he was looking at her—as if he somehow knew what Vivianna
’
s recent thoughts of Caleb had been.

“
Sure,
”
Johnny Tabor said.
“
He scouted with me once in a
while…until he was wounded.
”
He looked back to his bowl of broth and mumbled,
“
He
’
s a good man.
”

“
I can
’
t hardly believe I
’
m here, Mama,
”
Justin said.

Vivianna looked to Justin
,
sighing with a blissful feel of hope renewed.

“
Oh, Justin!
”
Savannah
sighed.
“
My darlin
’
!
”

Vivianna brushed fresh tears from her cheeks.
It was wonderful—nearly too wonderful to be true!
But as Justin looked to her
,
smiled
,
and winked
,
she knew it was true—that she was full awake
,
not merely dreaming
.

“
Would ya mind if I rested a bit out in your barn, Mrs. Turner?
”
Johnny Tabor inquired.

“
In the barn?
”
Savannah
exclaimed.
“
Nonsense, boy!
Vivianna can stay with me in my room now, and you can have her room.
She won
’
t mind a breath…will ya, Viv?
”

“
Of course not,
”
Vivianna answered.
And she didn
’
t mind a breath.
The fact was she
’
d always felt rather too pampered having her own room.
After her parents had been killed and
Savannah
had taken her in, she
’
d been nearly overwhelmed with guilt at being treated so very like a member of the family.
Still,
Savannah
had explained how important it was for a young woman to have her own space and insisted Vivianna move into the spare bedroom.
Thus, she was more than ready and willing to give up her privacy in order that a weary soldier might find respite and a space to heal.

But Johnny Tabor was shaking his head.
“
I just won
’
t do that, ma
’
am,
”
he said.
“
I don
’
t need anythin
’
so fancy as a room.
I just need a loft or
—”

“
You will stay in the house, Mr. Tabor,
”
Savannah
interrupted.
“
I
’
ll have Caleb drag you in there if ya won
’
t go just
’
cause I say ya will.
”

“
Mrs. Turner, I
—”
Johnny Tabor began.

“
One thing you will learn, Johnny,
”
Justin chuckled,
“
and that is ya won
’
t win if ya choose to argue with my mama.
If she tells you to go get your rest in Viv
’
s room…then you best get to it, boy!
”

“
But…but I…
”
Johnny Tabor stammered.

“
Come along, Mr. Tabor,
”
Vivianna said, standing.
“
I
’
ll take ya to your room so ya can rest awhile.
”
Vivianna was more than willing to give up her room—and to escort Johnny Tabor to it.
She wanted to sit and stare at Justin
,
listen to his voice
,
simply linger in his presence.
She knew with Mr. Tabor resting comfortably, Justin would not be so worried about his convalescing friend—which in turn might offer him a respite of his own.

“
Justin?
”
Johnny Tabor growled.

Vivianna knew he was irritated.
No doubt he was not accustomed to being told what to do—at least not by anybody other than a prison guard.

“
You better do what they say, Johnny,
”
Justin said, nodding to his friend.
“
Neither one of us is in any fair condition to fight the will of women with a mind about
’
em.
”

Vivianna saw Johnny
’
s jaw cl
e
nch tight.
He was angry—no doubt humiliated and unhappy as well.