Lightning and Lace

chapter 15

Bonnie realized nearly four weeks had gone by since Zack had gone to live with Brother Travis, and finally tonight the two were coming to dinner. She’d given Juanita the afternoon and evening free so she herself could prepare chicken and dumplings. From what Bonnie had seen, Juanita and Thomas planned a picnic. Wedding bells would be ringing soon. Bonnie was sure of it.

A hot apple pie sat cooling in the pie safe, and fresh cream brimmed a pitcher, ready to be poured over the dessert. Bonnie wanted everything to be perfect. She’d been told her son had been practicing good manners, and Brother Travis said his schoolwork was exceptional.

But what about Zack’s relationship with her and his brother and sister? She’d love to see the three of them laughing and teasing like they used to—before Ben left them. The closer the time came for their arrival, the more nervous she became. Her stomach felt like a band of crickets had taken residence.

Stop it. Dinner will be fine. Surely she’d see progress with Zack this evening. He’d spoken to her at church and thanked her for the pie last week.

“They’re here,” Michael Paul called. “Looks like they borrowed Grandpa’s buggy.”

Bonnie took a deep breath and untied her apron. All the food had been prepared to Zack’s liking, and the table was set. If only she’d stop shaking.

Zack spoke little during dinner, but what he said displayed pleasant conversation. She’d always be grateful to Brother Travis.

“Are you coming home soon?” Lydia Anne said.

Bonnie cringed. She should have instructed the little girl not to question her brother about an uncomfortable situation.

“I don’t think so.” Zack peered up at his mother. “Brother Travis says I have lots of bothersome things inside me, and I reckon he’s right. I’m mad most of the time.”

“At me?” Lydia Anne said in her sweet little voice. “Michael Paul?”

“Hush,” Bonnie said. “Be glad your brother is with us tonight.” Heat engulfed her face. She understood his anger was aimed at her. How could she blame him?

A heavy pause separated every person at the table. Bonnie longed to bring her family back together, to see Zack the carefree boy she remembered before Ben died. She gazed into the face of her troubled son. “I’d like to send back a couple of fishing poles with you tonight.”

He said nothing.

“Fine idea,” Travis said. “We’ve been talking a lot about fishing, and I could use a couple of poles.”

“Living with Brother Whitworth must be fun,” Michael Paul said. “Going fishin’ and not having to sit in school all day long.”

Zack scowled, and Bonnie sensed the rebellion from a few weeks prior about to spring on them all like a cat upon a mouse.

“I don’t think the amount of school work I give Zack is enjoyable,” Travis said. “The reading and math are harder, plus we’ve started Latin. His geography lessons are for students two to three years older.”

Thank you, Brother Travis.

“I can speak for myself.” Zack tossed his napkin on the table. “I don’t know what is worse, abidin’ by the preacher’s rules or being sent off to military school.”

“We could find out, but I’d rather not.” In the past, Bonnie would have done anything to keep peace and not confront Zack with his rudeness.

“I think you’re looking for an excuse to get rid of me for good.”

She moistened her lips and placed her trembling hands in her lap. “Whatever made you say such a thing?”

“’Cause I look like Papa, and you wouldn’t be reminded of him.”

“That sounds like an excuse to have you stay,” she said.

Zack glared into her face, and she battled wits with her gaze. She dared not let him overpower her in an argument. He must learn to respect her and other adults. She smiled at him, then at Brother Travis. Somehow the brief focus on the man’s kind face momentarily settled her uneasiness. Please stop, Zack. Can’t you see I love you?

She placed her napkin beside her plate. “I believe we’re ready for warm pie and cream.”

“Would you like some help?” Brother Travis said.

“She doesn’t need any. That’s what Juanita is for,” Zack said.

“Juanita is not here this evening. I cooked dinner. How about helping me serve pie, Zack?” Her heart thumped against her chest until it hurt. How far had she sunk to fear her own son?

“Grand idea,” Brother Travis said.

“I can help you,” Michael Paul said.

Bonnie turned to her middle son. “Thank you, but I’d like Zack’s help.”

He must have wanted the pie more than he wanted to release anger and rebellion toward her, because Zack scooted his chair legs back across the wooden floor. Inside the kitchen, she pulled out plates from the cupboard.

“How about I cut the pie and you ladle on the cream?”

“Why?”

“Cream is excellent with apple pie.”

“You know what I mean. Why did you ask me to come in here?”

She drew a knife through the pie. “We could use clean forks and spoons, please.”

He opened the drawer and drew out the silverware. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“I asked for your help because I miss you—not the angry son who gets into trouble but the son who can be a joy.”

“That’s Michael Paul—the do-gooder.”

She bit back a remark as ugly as she’d heard from him. Instead she handed him a piece of pie ready for cream. “After you top this, kindly take it to Brother Travis. And I do know the difference between you and Michael Paul.”

She turned to slice another piece, and he disappeared into the dining room. A moment later, Michael Paul took Zack’s place in the kitchen.

Would the situation between her and Zack ever improve? She prayed night and day for it to be so. She refused to give up. Their relationship had to get better.

*****

Travis had to chew on his words to keep from laying into Zack. He deserved a trip to the woodshed, but that wasn’t Travis’s position. Neither was he convinced that type of punishment would soften Zack’s heart. The troubled boy acted as though he wanted to be left alone, yet Travis sensed a deep need for reconciliation with his mother. In the beginning, he had thought Zack blamed himself for his father’s untimely death. Many children did. Tonight he realized Zack’s pain and anger came from another source. Something deeper that he hadn’t been able to reveal.

“Why are you so angry with your mother?”

“You don’t want to know. Everyone thinks Bonnie Kahler is this pretty sweet lady who never does anything wrong. Oh, feel sorry for the Widow Kahler. She’s all alone since her husband died.” He blew out an exasperated sigh.

“I’d like to hear. Maybe I can help.”

Silence. The mare moved toward Kahlerville, pulling against the leather harness, each step rhythmic with the night sounds.

“Zack, I’m your friend, and I’m not going to think any less of you or your mother with what you’re upset about.”

“It’s about my father.”

“I figured as much. Go on with it.”

In the shadows of the lanterns lit on both sides of the buggy, Zack’s shoulders lifted and fell. “I heard Uncle Morgan and Uncle Grant talking before Papa died. Uncle Grant said if Papa moved to Arizona, his lungs would get better. Uncle Morgan asked why he didn’t go.” Zack picked at the knee of his overalls. “Uncle Grant said Papa refused. Said he wouldn’t drag my mama away from her family. That she couldn’t handle life alone.”

“I see.”

“So Papa died because Mama is too selfish to think of anyone but herself.”

“Do you mind if I tell her about this?”

“No. I nearly did tonight in the kitchen.”

Travis picked up the mare’s pace. He hoped this could be explained away. If not, it might take years for Zack to forgive his mother.

*****

Travis knocked on the door of Grant and Jenny Andrews’s home, a stately, well-kept house. He particularly admired the huge oaks shading its bricked walls like soldiers guarding a fortress. Unlike the trees near his Tennessee home, these trees still held on to their leaves. The reverend had told him winters were much milder and the number of frosts could be counted on his fingers.

Glancing at Zack, who’d wanted to stay at home, he resisted the urge to clap a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“I know what you’re going to talk to Uncle Grant about, and I’d rather not be around,” Zack had said earlier.

“I understand, but if you heard wrong, then we need to get this straightened out between you and your mama.”

Zack shook his head. “Nothing will change. I know what I heard. Uncle Grant may lie to protect her. I’ll never shelter Lydia Anne the way my uncles and my real grandpa did to Mama.”

“Are you sure they did?”

“I heard my uncles say so, but Uncle Grant didn’t. Just Uncle Morgan and my other grandpa.”

“Zack, sometimes when folks love someone, they want to protect them from all that could harm them. Your mama looks frail with her small stature, and she appears to be much younger than other women her age.”

Now, as they waited for Grant to open the door, Zack eyed Travis curiously and started to speak, but at that moment the door opened.

The Andrews’s housekeeper, Miss Mimi, a round woman with a smile and a warm hug for everyone, greeted them at the door and ushered them inside to the parlor. The elegance of the room in rich emerald green and gold furnishings made Travis want to leave his shoes at the door.

“Good morning, Brother Whitworth and Zack. How can I help you today?”

“We’re here to see Grant if he’s not too busy,” Travis said.

“Is one of you feelin’ poorly?” Miss Mimi leaned toward them as if she could offer ready sympathy.

“No, ma’am. God’s blessed both of us with good health.”

She nodded at Zack. “And how are you?”

“Very well, thank you.”

Thank you for your manners. Travis had too much on his mind to discipline the boy. Bonnie Kahler’s family and problems had settled on him of late, and he longed for her and the children to be happy.

“Grant is with a patient, but he shouldn’t be long. Jenny and the girls are at the parsonage. May I get you something?”

“No, thank you. We’ll simply wait for Grant to be free.” Travis realized it was best that the other members of the household were absent. He’d been told that Grant hadn’t been very happy with Zack’s previous behavior in the presence of his daughters.

Miss Mimi disappeared, and the two waited for Grant. Travis studied Zack. He looked tired, and corn rows appeared to be embedded across his forehead. But his facial features were not those of a boy who’d lied. Only weary. Perhaps he carried more than his share of worry—and anger.

“Mornin’, Brother Travis, Zack. How can I help you?” Grant sounded pleasant enough at the sight of his wayward nephew and the new preacher.

“Just a brief word with you is all. Do you have a few moments to talk about a matter? Zack shared some concerns with me that I was hoping you could help us sort through.”

Grant seated himself in an overstuffed chair. “I’d be glad to help you two in any way I can.”

“Do you mind if I talk to Miss Mimi while you two talk?” Zack said.

Travis hesitated. Zack might not be welcome with the housekeeper, and perhaps the boy should make his claims against his mother with Grant. Against his better judgment, he elected to spare Zack another grievous moment.

“It’s up to your uncle,” Travis said.

“Go ahead, Zack. She made a cake yesterday, and I’m sure there’s plenty left. Brother Travis and I will talk in my office.”

In the next instant, the two men sat across from each other in a room that smelled of medicine and sparkled with cleanliness. Grant’s suit looked like it cost more than everything Travis owned. He wished he’d had some experience with folks who never worried about where the next meal came from or if enough wood had been chopped for winter.

He simply wanted to get by the formalities and discuss Zack’s accusations.

“I’m trying to help Zack,” Travis began. “At times I think I’m making improvement, and other times I’m afraid he might never change.”

“The family appreciates what you’re doing. Frankly, we’ve given up. Neither Morgan nor I want to send him to a military school, but the older he gets, the more dangerous he could become.”

Travis nodded. “Last night I asked him why he was so angry with his mother, and he told me. It appears he overheard a conversation between you and your brother before his father died.”

Grant glanced out a window to the front of his house then back. “What did he hear?”

“That Ben Kahler had been advised to move to Arizona for his health but he refused because Mrs. Kahler couldn’t bear to be separated from her family.”

Grant continue to stare out the window before giving Travis his attention. “That’s the truth. Are you saying Zack blames Bonnie for Ben’s death?”

“Yes. I was hoping he’d heard incorrectly.” Travis shook his head. “Mending the relationship with mother and son will be harder than I thought.”

“But that was Ben’s decision. After Bonnie learned how serious his illness was, she came to me asking what could be done for him. I told her that the dry climate in Arizona could help his lungs. She promptly found a buyer for their ranch, but Ben refused. He forced himself out of bed and paid a visit to the buyer. Canceled the whole thing. Bonnie cried for weeks.”

“Zack needs to know this.”

“I’ll tell him now. I never had any idea that he overhead the conversation. No wonder he’s had a difficult time.” Grant stood. “Would you like to go with me?”

“I’d rather wait here. I’m still an outsider, and this is family business.”

While Travis listened to the clock above the mantle tick by like the years of a man’s life, his mind drifted to the family he missed in Tennessee. Were they glad he’d left for good, or had they grown to regret their hasty words? In time, they might post a letter since he’d written them of his new church.

The silence moved him to pray for his estranged family and for the dear people of Kahlerville. He so wanted Zack and his mother to restore their relationship. A child shouldn’t have to live without his mother, especially when they both hurt so badly.

Travis remembered how Lester Hillman wanted Bonnie stopped from volunteering at Heaven’s Gate. The man was a powerful influence in the community, used to having people do what he wanted. Lester had proved his self-centeredness when he threatened to pull his money from the church. Let him take his money wherever he wanted. Travis refused to tell Bonnie she was no longer welcome at Heaven’s Gate. Lester had accused her of drinking—just as Zack had. As much as Travis refused to admit it, an ounce of truth had to be in their stories for them to make similar claims. A strange situation. Lester wanted Bonnie away from Heaven’s Gate. Zack wanted Lester away from his mother. Both had stated she had a problem with drinking.

What was the truth?

Bonnie Kahler stayed constantly on his mind, and she shouldn’t. No woman should ever occupy his thoughts like that again. It was like poison for all Travis touched.

Footsteps sounded, and he stood as Grant and Zack made their way into the office. His gaze fixed on the boy, but he couldn’t tell if the worrisome lines on his forehead were regret or the same anger.

“Zack and I had a little talk,” Grant said. “I told him all I knew about his father’s illness and resulting death.”

“I think I’d like to see Mama,” Zack said.

Travis held back a strong desire to let out a war whoop. “Do you want to talk to her now?”

Zack nodded. He turned to his uncle. “Who offered to buy our ranch?”

“Lester Hillman.”

Zack set his jaw. “I reckon he had the money to do it. Thanks, Uncle Grant, for taking the time to tell me the truth.”

“Glad to help. I hope things between you and your mama work out soon. Brother Travis, would you like to take my buggy?”

“Thanks. I’m saving for a horse, and hopefully I’ll have the money saved soon. It’s kinda hard and humiliatin’ depending on other folks for traveling.”

Travis shook Grant’s hand, and in short order, he and Zack made their way toward the Morning Star.

“I assume you want to speak to your mama alone,” he said.

“I’m not sure. I have a hard time when she cries. Makes me feel bad and usually makes me mad.”

“Most men are that way. We want to make things right for womenfolk, but when they cry, we don’t know what to do.”

Zack nodded. Today he’d been able to face and discuss one of the things weighing heavily on his heart. Praise the Lord.