The Shadow of Wildflowers by Alta Ione

Author:Alta Ione [Ione, Alta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: StoryBridge Publications
Published: 2021-04-05T04:00:00+00:00

* * *

Irene waited until the girl was out of hearing distance before she hissed out her annoyance. “Jayne, what’s got into you? I’ve never heard you swipe at anyone like that before.”

“What are you talking about, Irene? I’m just telling you what’s been going on over at our place.”

“You haven’t told me a thing of what’s going on. All you’ve done is nitpick that poor girl.”

“Poor girl? Poor girl? I’m the one who’s injured. I’m the one who’s been bested by life’s misfortune. That girl’s lucky to have four walls—my four walls, mind you—to live within.” Miss Jayne threw her napkin on the table. “Heaven help us all,” she mumbled, “that girl’s been traipsing all over the countryside, spying on our neighbors, living hand to mouth, plotting who knows what while stealing away our lives.”

“What are you talking about?”

“None of your nevermind.”

“Jayne Adamsen, I swear you’ve turned brittle to the core. If flinging brickbats is in your nature now, then hell’s bells, I don’t want to know you anymore.”

Irene cleared the tea service from the table. “Mourn all you want about missing your sight, but don’t go flinging fire from your misfortune just to scorch someone else.”

“That girl is taking over my life,” Miss Jayne countered. “She’s taken over my kitchen, my laundry, my egg money.”

“I thought that was Hannah’s egg money.”

“It was, now it’s back to being mine. I don’t have a say in my life anymore, Irene. That girl tells me when to eat and when to sleep. She even tells me when it’s time to use the privy, like I’m in the middle of diaper training.” Miss Jayne reached for her cane, pulled herself from her seat, and attempted to thump tap her way to the door.

“Where are you going?”

“To find my son. He’s the only one who cares about me anymore.”

“And you’re going to cane-walk two miles down the road to find him?”

At that, Miss Jayne broke. She dropped her cane, slumped to the ground, and blindstared in the general direction of the door.

Irene took off her apron and settled on the floor next to her.

“Darlin’, you know I love you. We’ve been best friends for the good part of twenty years. Together, we’ve run all over hell’s half acre taking care of moppets and mop-ups. When our menfolk’s crops failed and cash didn’t come in, it was us who funded groceries and winter shoes with pennies we earned, then saved, in a coffee can.”

She used her apron to wipe away Miss Jayne’s tears, then settled the apron into her friend’s hands.

“I never had a sister exceptin’ you. You’ve had to thump me on the head more than once when I was doing something foolish and you’ve had to step in and take over the reins when I was making poor choices. Like when you told me to give up on my moocher husband coming home. Like when you stayed with my children for five days straight while I searched the countryside for my man.

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