Loving Eliza

Chapter Nineteen

In a trip that seemed much too short to Jeremy, they arrived at a house located outside of town.  Addy pulled her buckboard to a stop and pointed to the other house further down the property.  “Brian and Lucy live there with their little girl, Charlotte.  John and Eliza adopted Brian.  They found him walking in the fields when his father abandoned him.”

From beside Jeremy, Jane gasped.  “His father abandoned him?”

Addy knocked and set the brake.  “Probably because he was blind.  Some people don’t want to take care of children with a handicap.  I don’t know the details of that one, and it’s none of my business so I don’t ask.” She shook her head and sighed.  “I’ll never forget how scared he looked.”

“That’s awful.  How is he doing now?”

“Much better, thankfully.  He and John make furniture over in that work shed.”

Jeremy noted the building Addy pointed to before he removed the blanket over their legs.  After he hopped down from the buckboard, he helped Jane and Addy down.  As Addy led the way to the front door, he looked at Jane.  “It’s silly that I should be nervous,” he softly told her.

With an understanding smile, she slipped her gloved arm through his.  “It’d be silly if you weren’t.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he whispered, not sure if she heard him or not.

When they reached the closed door, Addy said, “This is their kitchen door.  I know there’s a front door, but they rarely ever use it.” She knocked on the door and clasped her hands again.

He took a deep breath in an attempt to settle his racing heart.  Well, this was it.  Soon enough, he’d know if the trip had been worth it or not.  Jane squeezed his arm, and he silently thanked her.

The door opened, and from the way Addy described her, he knew it was Eliza.  Her hair still red, but with a few grays, was pulled back into a braid.  Her lips were turned up into a smile, and from the laughter inside the house, the people she was with were having a good conversation.  He studied her face, trying to determine if they looked alike, as Addy claimed, but he couldn’t tell if he did or not.  He glanced at Jane whose eyes had widened, and he had no idea what she was thinking.

“Afternoon, Addy,” Eliza said before her attention turned from Jane to Jeremy.  For a moment, her smile faltered.  She blinked and swallowed.  “Uh…hello.” Her smile returned, though it seemed forced.  “Will you come in?” She held the door open and moved aside.

Jeremy wasn’t sure if he wanted to go in.  Something about him unnerved her, and he wondered if Addy’s claim that Eliza would be happy was wrong.  The only reason he followed Addy and Jane into the house was because Jane squeezed his arm again.  With uncertain steps, he entered the house and stood close to Jane.

The little girl with golden wavy hair ran over to the kitchen table where a young blonde woman who was beginning to show in her pregnancy put the child in her lap.  The woman saw Jeremy and let out a slight gasp.  The blond man sitting next to her stared seemed to stare through Jeremy and Jane, though his eyebrows furrowed when the woman gasped.  Across the table from them, a man close to Eliza’s age stood and walked over to Addy and Eliza, his eyes drifting from Eliza to Jeremy.

Jeremy shifted from one foot to the other, not sure what to say.  He should have understood that thing would be awkward.  He hadn’t given anyone time to prepare for his coming, and by the way they stared at him, he knew he had to be Eliza’s son.  They kept looking from her to him, and as he accessed her face, he caught the similarities.  The only thing he didn’t have was her forehead or chin, but there was no doubt she was his real mother.

Eliza pressed her hand over her mouth and let out a startled cry that made Jeremy take a step back.  Of all his years being a preacher and having to talk people through difficult situations, he had no idea what to say.

Addy cleared her throat.  “This is Jeremy and Jane Graham.  They came all the way from Lincoln, Nebraska.  Jeremy and Jane, this is Eliza and her husband John Evans.  Over there is Lucy and Brian with their little girl, Charlotte.”

As in on cue, Lucy and Brian stood.  Lucy carried the girl in her arms.  Not knowing what else to do, Jeremy shook the men’s hands and nodded a greeting to Lucy.  He had a hard time looking at his mother since she couldn’t seem to stop staring at him with tears in her eyes.  John put his arms around her and patted her back.

Beside him, Jane took a deep breath and told Eliza, “We probably should have sent a letter before we came.  We didn’t even know Jeremy was adopted until his father joined the Lord a few months ago.  On his deathbed, he told Jeremy about you.  From there, we went to Omaha and met up with a preacher by the name Bill Peters who told us he sent you here.  We weren’t sure if you were here or still alive, but we thought we’d come anyway and…and…”

Eliza stepped up to Jeremy and brushed the tears from her eyes, but it did no good since she cried harder.  “I never thought I’d see you.  I long ago gave up on every running into her by chance, but here you are and the Grahams took such good care of you, just as I knew they would.”

She did love him.  She didn’t have to say the words.  The tenderness in her tone and care in her eyes spoke for her.  She hadn’t forgotten him.  When she hugged him, he wrapped his arms around her, swallowing the lump in his throat.  He hadn’t been sure if he would be glad he and Jane made the trip, but now he was.

Eliza pulled away and laughed even as she wiped away more tears.  “This is your wife?”

“Yes,” he replied and turned to Jane.  “She’s my better half.” As an afterthought, he added, “She’s expecting.”

“You are?” Eliza asked her as she hugged her.

Jane smiled and brushed away her own tears.  “Yes.  The baby will be here in September.”

“I can’t believe it.” Eliza looked from Jane to Jeremy and laughed again.  “I just can’t believe it.”

“I thought you’d be happy,” Addy told her.

“It was a shock to be sure, but a good one.  Did you have any brothers or sisters while growing up?” Eliza asked Jeremy.

“No.  My parents couldn’t have any children,” he replied.

“Well, now you have a brother,” Eliza said.  “Brian is my son.  John and I adopted him when he was eight.  He’s been married to Lucy almost four years now, and their daughter just turned three and they’re expecting another child in August.  Isn’t it wonderful that you’ll be having children so close together?”

“It is,” Jane replied with a smile in Lucy’s direction.

Lucy walked over to Jane.  “Congratulations.  Do you have any names picked out?”

Jane glanced at Jeremy and smiled.  “We haven’t discussed names yet.  Part of it doesn’t seem real yet.”

“I remember that feeling,” Lucy replied.  “Would you like to sit in the parlor and talk?”

Jane looked at Jeremy, and understanding her hesitation, he nodded an encouragement for her to go.

John motioned to Eliza who said, “Oh, we should take your coats.  Then we can get settled and make up for lost time.”

As Jeremy shrugged out of his coat, his eyes happened to drift to the parlor where three pictures rested on the mantle.  Just as Addy said, a picture of him when he was a baby was there.  He liked that.

“Will you stay for supper?” Eliza asked.  “I can’t cook well, but Lucy makes a tasty roast.”

Jeremy glanced at Jane to see what her thoughts were, but instead of looking at him, she was talking to Lucy about their trip.  Smiling, he said, “We’d love to.”

He took Jane’s coat and hat and put them on the coat tree next to his before he followed John, Eliza, and Brian to the kitchen table.  Addy joined Lucy and Jane as Jeremy sat across from John and next to Brian.

Brian smiled and turned his head in Jeremy’s direction.  “I have no idea what to say around a bunch of women who fuss over children, so I thought it’d be safer to stay here.”

Jeremy chuckled.  “A group of women together can be intimidating.” He glanced at John, recalling how Addy said he was mute, and wondered how it would be best to communicate with him.

Eliza set an extra cup of coffee on the table.  “Oh come now.  There’s nothing intimidating about a group of women.  We’re harmless.”

John put his hand under Brian’s and made gestures that caused Brian to laugh.  “Pa says you don’t see women the way a man does.”

“Women should be intimidated by a group of men, but they aren’t,” Eliza said as she set sugar next to Jeremy’s cup and sat next to John.

Jeremy thought the way a mute man communicated with a blind one was fascinating, so he watched as John rolled his eyes but signed into Brian’s hand.

“Do you know sign language?” Eliza asked Jeremy.

Putting a spoonful of sugar into his coffee, Jeremy shook his head.  “I haven’t had the opportunity to learn it.”

“Be sure to tell him what your pa is saying,” she told Brian.  “Don’t give each other secret messages.” Glancing at Jeremy, she said, “They’re apt to do that, you know.  They pretend as if no one else exists at times.”

John shook his head at her.

“It is so true,” she replied.  When he waved his hand as if to dismiss her observation, she sighed.  “You’ll have to forgive them.  Sometimes they’re in a world of their own.”

With a smile, Jeremy stirred the sugar and set the spoon aside so he could take a sip of the hot drink.

“Pa said that it’s nice that Jeremy and Jane came here,” Brian said.

“It is nice,” she replied and smiled at Jeremy.  “I admit you caught me by surprise, but it was a good one.  Looking at you, I see the Grahams took good care of you.  I don’t remember the husband’s name, but I remember the wife’s name was Agatha.”

“My father’s name was Thomas,” Jeremy said.

“They were such wonderful people, but Thomas isn’t alive anymore?  What about Agatha?”

“She went passed away five years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.  I imagined that they were still alive and enjoying their grandchildren.” After a moment, she continued, “You had a happy childhood, didn’t you?”

“Yes.  I can’t complain about my upbringing.  They didn’t always give into what I wanted, but they were fair and taught me right from wrong.”

She nodded.  “That’s exactly what a boy needs.  And you grew up in Grand Island?  I haven’t been there.  Is it nice?”

“It is.  I didn’t leave until I got send to pastor a church in Lincoln.”

“You’re a preacher?”

“I spent some time working at the general store in Grand Island before I figured out God called me to be a preacher.  I received the education I needed and got sent to Lincoln.  That’s where I met Jane.  She grew up there.”

Eliza pressed her hand to her heart and looked at John.  “A preacher?  Can you imagine that?”

John signed to her.

She laughed.  “Oh, you did not.” She turned to Jeremy.  “He says he knew it when you walked through the door.  Seriously, John, you can’t tell someone’s profession just by looking at them.  Why, no one can tell you and Brian make furniture, especially since Brian can’t see.  So no, you didn’t know Jeremy was a preacher when he walked through the door.”

John signed again.

“Preachers do not have a certain way of entering a room.  You are impossible.” She sighed.  “Don’t mind him, Jeremy.  He can’t tell these things.”

Brian chuckled.  “This is normal for Ma and Pa, Jeremy.  After awhile, you learn to ignore the banter.”

“Well, it’s absurd someone would claim to know another person’s profession just by looking at them,” Eliza said before turning her attention back to Jeremy.  “You’re happy then?  Life’s treated you well?”

Jeremy glanced at Jane who laughed along with Lucy at something Addy said.  “Yes, life has treated me well.  I’ve been blessed more than I deserve.” The last of his uncertainty departing, he continued to tell them about his life.