Season of My Enemy by Naomi Musch

Author:Naomi Musch [Musch, Naomi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781636092935
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2022-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

After dinner, Calvin excused himself to his old room to settle in. It was just as well. They needed time to absorb the news, each in their own way. No one crowded him anymore. Jerry headed outdoors without comment. Mom chased Patsy off to do the evening milking, with an added stern warning not to pester Calvin about his condition. Fannie helped her mom with supper cleanup, but they worked silently for a while.

“How did you know?” Mom finally asked, while she scoured the heavy pot. “Did he tell you, or did you guess?”

“He told me. I’d no idea.” She placed a plate on the shelf and lowered the dish towel in her hands as she turned to face her mother. “He said he wanted to tell you, but he was afraid to write it in a letter.”

Mom’s hands stilled in the sudsy water. Then she drew them out and wiped them on her apron, catching a sob. Fannie reached for her, and Mom sucked in a breath, stanching her tears. She shook her head and pushed away. “It’s going to be fine. God brought him home to us, and that’s the main thing. I just need to pray.”

“Maybe his hearing will return.”

Hope and doubt battled in Mom’s red-eyed glimpse. “We will pray for it, but it’ll be fine whether or not God heals him. Did Cal say it might be temporary?”

Fannie shook her head. She turned back to drying the rest of the dishes, removing herself into her own thoughts about Cal’s condition. Was there a chance he might regain his hearing? How had he lost it? All the blasts probably. They would likely learn more in time.

They finished the dishes in time for Patsy to come in with the milk pail and set up the strainer in the sink. Once the milk was strained and refrigerated, Mom glanced toward the doorway and then to Fannie and Patsy. “We’re not going to treat him like he’s broken, but he will need time. You just act like yourself.”

Fannie looked at Patsy. “He can understand a few things we say if it’s short and we give him time to see our lips. If we speak loudly, maybe he can hear a little.”

“Where did Jerry go?” Mom asked absently.

“I’m sure he’s processing Cal’s condition too.”

“Poor Cal,” Patsy whispered with a glance between them.

“You don’t have to whisper, Pats.” Fannie pushed away from the cupboard. “I’ll go find Jerry.”

“What about the workers? Did you mention them?” Mom’s question halted Fannie.

She shook her head. “I’ll tell him though, if you want me to. It’s something I’ll have to write down for him.”

“Let me know when you do.”

Fannie nodded and pushed out the door. She stood on the edge of the porch and glanced over the farmyard, searching for Jerry. Darkness edged the lawn. Shadows played around the buildings and bushes. She squinted across the field toward the outline of the woods. “Jer?” she called. “You out here?”

“Back here!” His voice called from behind the shed.

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