A Flicker of Hope by Ruth Reid

Author:Ruth Reid
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2017-01-23T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

November, fifteen years earlier

NOREEN FASTENED THE LAST PAIR OF PANTS ON THE clothesline. Five loads washed, wrung, and now flapping in the fall breeze. In addition to catching up on the laundry, she’d swept and mopped the floors, dusted, and cleaned the soot off the oil lamp chimneys.

They’d already had a few snow flurries and a hot cup of herbal tea sounded good, but she didn’t want to sacrifice the freedom of being outdoors just yet. It wouldn’t be long before ice and snow would keep her indoors most of the day. Besides, she’d been cooped in the house too long. Morning sickness had kept her in bed more days than she cared to count. Patty had warned her that the first trimester might be rough, but Noreen was in her fourteenth week and still was unable to eat much more than saltine crackers without getting nauseous. On top of that, the scent of brewing coffee, a favorite aroma prior to pregnancy, now caused her stomach to rebel.

Noreen inhaled deeply, letting the crisp air fill her lungs. The trees were bare, their brilliant shades of reds, oranges, and yellows gone. Now the dead leaves carpeted the brown-tinged grass. Thomas was predicting a hard winter due to the number of foggy mornings he’d counted in August. As he liked to point out, the old folktale had proven true in other years. He wanted to be prepared and have a surplus of firewood stored up. Winter didn’t matter to Noreen. Springtime was much more important—the month of May in particular, when they would welcome their first child into the world.

Noreen walked the line, patting the towels and bedding she’d hung out earlier. The towels were still damp, but the quilt was dry. Reaching for the clothespin, a fluttering tickled her middle. She placed her hand on her abdomen and waited for it to happen again.

“Hey, Noreen?” Thomas called from the woodshed a few feet away.

“Jah?”

He leaned the axe against the chopping block and jogged toward her. Concern illuminated his face as his gaze traveled to her midsection. “Everything all right?”

“Jah.” She smiled, experiencing the movement again.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think the boppli kicked.” She reached for his hand and placed it on her belly.

“I don’t feel anything,” he said.

She frowned. “Nay, I don’t either. Maybe it wasn’t anything.”

“Or maybe your body was telling you to rest.” He cupped his hand over her shoulder and turned her toward the house. “Let’s go inside. I’ll make you a bowl of soup.”

“You go ahead. I want to bring the quilt in since it’s dry.”

Thomas glanced up at the sky, but thankfully said nothing about the slim chance of sleet or snow. He unclipped the corner closest to him and helped her fold the blanket. “Do you want me to get the towels?”

“Nay, they’re still damp.”

He carried the quilt into the house, taking it straight to their bedroom.

“I already changed the sheets, if you want to spread out the blanket.” She went to the head of the bed and caught the end as it landed.

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