Providence (17 page)

The next week flew by. I woke up at five on the morning of the christening, fed Georgia, and put her back down for another couple of hours of sleep. I was too wound up to sleep myself, so I slipped on my jeans and a T-shirt and tiptoed past Rosie’s room into the kitchen. I was about to put the kettle on when something caught my eye outside the window. I leaned over the sink and looked into the yard. Green and white striped fabric was stretched across four poles. Underneath the canopy, John was setting up folding tables and chairs.

I slipped out the back door, trying to not wake anyone inside. I hadn’t taken the time to put on shoes, and the grass was wet with the morning dew. I forgot my discomfort as soon as John turned and flashed me a smile.

“You sure are here early,” I said.

John shrugged. “I wanted to get this done before Rosie woke up. Otherwise, she would give me more directions than I would want to hear. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, I was up with the baby. She’s asleep again, but I decided to stay up. Can I help you?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound too eager.

John smiled again. “I don’t know if Rosie would like that,” he said.

“Rosie is asleep,” I said. “Besides, if you want this all done before she wakes up, the work will go a lot quicker with two of us doing it.”

I didn’t wait for an answer. I picked up a pair of chairs and set them up at a table. We worked in silence for a while. When all of the tables and chairs were up, John said, “I’ll be right back.”

He returned carrying a sack full of tablecloths. As we spread the cloths open on the tables, I asked, “Is working for Rosie your only job?”

“No,” he answered. “Remember, I work for Miss Lily, too. And I go to college part-time.”

“You go to college?” I asked. “Is there a college in Watson’s Grove?”

John laughed. “This little town doesn’t have a college. Heck, it doesn’t even have a high school. I drive forty-five minutes out to Barton every Tuesday and Thursday for classes. I even take one class at home on my computer. I’m studying to be an engineer,” he answered. “How about you? The only thing I see in your hands more often than a book is your baby. Are you planning to go to college when she gets a little bigger? Heck, if you can talk Rosie into getting a computer, you can take a class online now when the baby is sleeping.”

I could feel myself turning red, so I looked down and studied my toes. Taking a college course would require two things of me: a high school diploma and time. I still had another year of high school to finish, and if there was one thing lacking in my new life, it was free time.

“How old are you?” John asked.

“I’m sixteen. I’ll be seventeen next Tuesday,” I said. As soon as the words passed through my lips I was full of regrets for saying them. The less that people knew about Georgia and me, the safer we were. But like I said before, I have a real weakness for goodlooking boys, and I don’t always act with reason around them.

“Then you probably haven’t even finished high school yet,” John said.

I raised my eyes to table level and scanned the yard. “It looks like we’re done here,” I said, trying to end the conversation.

“Not quite,” John said. “I’ll get the rest from my truck.”

I thought of taking this as my chance to escape. I looked at the back door, but before I could act on my thoughts John was back with a carton full of heavy glass bowls filled with pink and white carnations. He took the bowls out one at a time, wiped away any spilled water with a small towel, and handed the bowl to me. I placed the centerpieces on the tables. When we were finished, I stood by the kitchen door and looked at what we’d created. It took my breath away. I don’t think I’d ever seen anything so perfect.

“I’ll be going now,” John said. “You have a great day.”

“Thanks,” I said. I sat on the concrete steps leading up to the door and peeled wet blades of grass from my feet. I wasn’t about to traipse grass onto Rosie’s clean floor.

John smiled, bowed, and said, “Allow me.” He pulled the towel out of his back pocket and wiped off my feet. When he was finished, he gave my foot a little squeeze and said, “All done.”

I felt like my insides were exploding. I sat on the step with my hand wrapped round my foot where John had held it and watched him walk out of the yard. I closed my eyes and listened to his truck engine roar and fade as he pulled away from the front of the house. I was in the exact same place and position when Rosie opened the door.

“There you are,” she said. “I peeked in your room and saw an empty bed. I wondered what you were up to.”

My behind was numb from the concrete, so I stood up slowly. “Doesn’t it look like something out of the movies?” I asked.

Rosie smiled. “It looks like a slice of heaven,” she said. “But we better start getting ready. Georgia will be up soon, so why don’t you take your shower first.”

Baby Girl woke up happy while I was dressing. She was content to lie in her crib studying her fingers and toes while I finished. I put my robe on over my dress while I got Georgia ready. I had enough stains on my clothes to know better than to wear a new dress while feeding her. When it was time to leave for the church, I pulled off my robe and slipped the christening dress onto Georgia.

Rosie and I took a few minutes to admire her. That was when Rosie noticed what I had added to the gown. Just above the hem, I had embroidered
Georgia Rose
and today’s date. Rosie ran her finger over it and hugged me.

As I stood in the church holding Georgia with Rosie right beside me, I thought about how it seemed like most of my life had happened in the past five months. When Reverend Thompson christened Baby Girl as Georgia Rose, it felt right.

The backyard was filled by the time we got home from church. Rosie must have invited everyone who worked on Main Street. I realized our guests were more a tribute to their affection for Rosie than for us, but I was overwhelmed by the sight of them just the same.

Dottie and Ray were busy arranging food on a couple of long tables on the far side of the yard. Lydie, who had somehow beat us home from the church, was telling everyone what a perfect angel Georgia had been. Pete Garcia was setting up a music system toward the back of the yard. I was about to point out the dancing potential to Rosie when someone popped up and shouted, “They’re here!”

In a heartbeat, we were surrounded by our guests. The commotion was too much for Georgia, so she let out a wail.

“Back up, everybody,” Rosie yelled. “You’re frightening the baby. Let’s give these ladies a little room. We’ll be here all day. Everyone will get a chance to see them.”

The crowd behaved exactly as I had come to expect whenever Rosie gave an order: they did as they were told. Rosie and Georgia and I made the rounds. At each table someone would comment on Georgia’s beautiful dress. I would tell them that Rosie was spoiling the baby with such extravagances. Rosie would follow with, “There’s nothing too good for our Georgia Rose. Did you know that we both have Rose for our middle name?”

About half the way through the tables, I suggested Rosie take a rest. She had been on her feet all day and I was worried about her. But Rosie wouldn’t hear of it, so we turned to the next table. I was surprised to see the Applewoods sitting there. “Hello, Mrs. Applewood, thank you for coming,” I said.

“Please, stop calling me Mrs. Applewood. I’m Jeanie and this is my husband, Donald. You never formally met him, did you? Donald, this is Rosie and Becky. And this little beauty is Georgia.”

Rosie interrupted, “Georgia Rose.”

Mrs. Applewood smiled and nodded. “Georgia Rose,” she repeated. “I know she and Chloe will be great friends growing up.”

Mr. Applewood looked like someone had forced his feet into a pair of too small shoes. I caught sight of the toe of Mrs. Applewood’s pump smashing into Mr. Applewood’s shin. He stood three quarters of the way up and gave us a little bow. He said, “I’m happy to meet you. My wife has been more excited about your baby’s baptism than she was about ours. I appreciate the help you gave her with Chloe’s christening gown.”

Mrs. Applewood frowned. “It’s not that I wasn’t excited about Chloe’s big day. It’s that I had too much to worry about.” She turned her attention back to me. “After you eat,” she said, “I’ll help you with your gifts. I’ll record everything as you open it along with the name of the giver, so it will be easier for you to write thank-you notes.”

It hadn’t occurred to me that folks would have brought Georgia gifts. I looked around and saw a long table overflowing with wrapped packages.

“Thank you, Jeanie. I appreciate your offer,” I said. “I’ll see you later.”

After we visited the last table, I suggested Rosie sit down and eat while I fed and changed Georgia.

I left Rosie in Dottie’s hands and went into the house to take care of Georgia. Dottie was just managing to get Rosie seated at a table when I returned. About three bites into dinner, someone suggested it was time to open the gifts and dragged a chair in front of the table. Jeanie Applewood came bouncing over to us.

“Whenever you’re ready, everything is set up for you,” she said. “Would Rosie like to hand you each gift to open?”

“I need some more lemonade,” I said, draining my cup dry. “Have you tried the lemonade yet, Jeanie? Why don’t you come over with me and try a glass?” I put Georgia in Rosie’s arms. It was the one way I knew to make Rosie stay put. “We’ll be right back,” I said.

I waved Dottie down to the lemonade and the three of us stood there with our heads together. “I need help from both of you,” I said. “Rosie has been going all day. I think she must be sorely in need of some rest. Jeanie, can you have someone put up another chair for Rosie? And Dottie, Jeanie will record everything to keep us organized. Could you bring the gifts to be unwrapped? I don’t want Rosie getting up and down so many times.”

Dottie looked like she had been crowned queen for the day. I think for a moment she forgot it was me she was helping. Then a cloud crossed her face. “What will Rosie say about this? She won’t be happy having a job taken away from her.”

Dottie, of course, was right. “I’ll tell her I need her to do a much more important job. She’ll be holding the belle of the ball, so everyone can see Georgia,” I said.

Rosie was happy with my plan and settled into the center seat, holding her arms out until I deposited Baby Girl in them. Rosie reacted to every gift I opened in a similar way. “That dress will look mighty pretty on our Georgia Rose. Georgia Rose can never have too many bibs. Georgia Rose is going to love that doll.”

She said Georgia Rose so many times that I knew I had made the right decision filling in that blank on the reverend’s forms. I was surprised by how generous our guests had been. It made me feel good to know so many people went out of their way for us. The look on Rosie’s face made me feel even better.

Rosie and I stood by the gate saying goodbye to our guests. Dottie, Ray, and Pete walked up together. “We are your clean up committee,” Ray said. “Where would you like us to get started?”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Rosie said. “John is coming back to take care of everything.”

“Where was John today?” Pete asked.

“He had something to do for the reverend this afternoon,” Rosie said. “But he was at the church this morning.”

Dottie wasn’t wasting time waiting for directions or Rosie’s permission to clean. She had an armful of gifts and was heading for the kitchen door. I ran over to help her and everyone else followed me. In no time at all, the kitchen table was covered in tiny little dresses, sippy cups, and toys. Pete lugged in Baby Girl’s brand new highchair. When the chair was settled and the last of the leftovers were wrapped, the doorbell rang. I hurried to answer it, and was surprised to once again see Lily at the door.

My stomach churned at the sight. I knew Rosie had all but begged her to come to the christening, and I had seen the disappointment in her eyes when Lily didn’t show. To me, showing up after the party was like rubbing salt in the wound. Lily didn’t wait for me to invite her in; she just sailed past me and into the kitchen, scraping my ankle with her cane as she passed. My attitude toward her softened a bit when I saw Rosie’s eyes light up.

The kitchen quieted when one by one our guests noticed the new arrival. Lily handed Rosie a small wrapped box and said, “I don’t want to interrupt your party. I just wanted to drop off this gift.”

“This isn’t the party,” Rosie laughed. “This is the clean-up! I thank you for coming, but you should be giving this to Becky.”

I unwrapped the gift, a silver rattle with Georgia’s name engraved on it, and thanked her for her kindness. A hush dropped over the kitchen again, until Pete suggested we call it a night.

“Pete, thank you so much for the music today,” I said. “Everyone was tapping their toes.”

“You can’t have a party without music,” he answered. “I plan to have plenty of music at my Thanksgiving celebration. I hope your family will join us. It won’t be much of a celebration without you, Rosie, and little Georgia Rose.”

I was too busy swimming in the words “your family” to answer. Rosie didn’t waste a minute though. “Of course we’ll come. Thank you for inviting us.”

Pete turned to Lily and said, “Of course, Miss Lily, you’re welcome too.”

Lily nodded, but said nothing. The crowd started moving toward the kitchen door. Dottie paused and hugged Rosie, and then she did an amazing thing. She reached out and hugged me—a real hug, not one of those polite hugs you see on television. “Thanks for letting me be a part of things today,” she said.

When the last guest had left the yard, I left Rosie alone with Lily. Baby Girl was tuckered out from her big day, so I got her ready for bed and put her in her crib. Lily followed Rosie into our bedroom and watched as Rosie gave Baby Girl a kiss good night. For a moment, I thought Lily was going to do the same, but instead she reached into the crib and gently stroked Baby Girl’s hair and back. Rosie seemed to get real comfort from seeing Lily with Georgia, but I didn’t share those peaceful feelings.

I said my good night to Baby Girl after Rosie and Lily left the room. By the time I came out Lily was gone, and Rosie had settled into her favorite chair and turned on an old movie. I offered to make her a cup of tea. I put the kettle on and stared out the kitchen window. I wondered if John was coming back for the tables and chairs before it got too dark out there. I brought Rosie her tea, but by the time I got to the front parlor she was sound asleep in her chair. I turned down the television and covered her with an afghan.