A Sandhills Ballad by Ladette Randolph

Author:Ladette Randolph [Randolph, Ladette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Psychological
ISBN: 9780803253339
Publisher: Bison Books
Published: 2013-09-26T00:00:00+00:00

The weekend passed much too quickly. The temperature had stayed below zero, and now on Sunday afternoon as Claire went to start her car it refused to turn over. John got out the jumper cables and he and Shorty charged the battery. Later, as they all bundled into the car, Mary could see her parents were worried that they might have problems down the road.

“Maybe I ought to follow you on into town,” John said.

“We’ll be all right, Daddy.”

“This is a good old car,” Claire added. “It’ll be fine now that it’s warmed up.”

“Will you call us first thing to let us know you made it?” Fresia said, stomping her feet to keep warm, her face white with the cold.

“Yes,” Mary said out the car window. “Get inside, all of you, before you freeze.”

Cal and Shorty stood in the yard and Lydia waved from the open doorway. As Claire drove away, Fresia blew a kiss while John paced a bit before finally waving as well. Mary watched as the others headed back into the house while John headed toward the barn instead. She was sure no chore took him there, only his need to be away from the family for a few minutes. She knew he struggled with a private grief, and she guessed it probably had to do with her at least some of the time. She didn’t know how to reassure him that she was all right. She wasn’t sure she could reassure herself of that, for the truth was she felt her heart sink as they pulled onto the highway toward Custer City and the parsonage. Home was still the ranch, not the parsonage, and she felt, as she always did when leaving her family, that she had to turn off some part of herself to reenter the world where she now lived.

Halfway back to Custer City, David, who had been contented for the entire weekend visit, inexplicably started to wail in his car seat. Mary tried everything she could think of to soothe him.

“Just pick him up,” Claire said finally, clearly reaching the end of her patience with the noise. The older kids grew quiet in the back.

Deborah concurred with Claire. “Mommy, just pick him up,” she said in a commanding tone.

“I can’t, sweetie. It isn’t safe.”

Claire kept glancing away from the road toward the howling baby.

“Should I stop?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe something’s pinching him. Do you mind?”

In answer, Claire pulled abruptly onto the narrow shoulder of the highway. Mary unfastened the car seat and pulled the screaming baby out. Almost immediately he quieted in her arms. Mary checked him carefully to make sure nothing had been causing him discomfort. His diaper was dry. There was no evidence anything had been pinching him. He had been fed right before they had left so she knew he couldn’t be hungry. David was smiling and cooing at Deborah who had unfastened her seat belt and was leaning over the seat talking to him.

“Okay, little mother,” Mary said to Deborah.

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