Once in Every Life

Tess winced. What had Jack and Amarylis done to these girls to make them so damned afraid? Smiling softly, she said, "You can leave your books and lunch pails here. That's the first rule of having fun. You need your hands free."

They went to the porch and plunked their lard tins and books down on the bottom step. Then, slowly, they turned around.

Tess smiled with a new sense of confidence. "Okay, let's go."

She tried to keep up a steady stream of banter as she led the girls through the sheep pasture. The indigo rays of a late afternoon sun glanced off the grass hillside, illuminating dozens of multicolored flowers. A soft breeze came up from the Straits, ruffling the tall grass.

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"That's a wild rose," she said, pointing to a scraggly little bush that was just beginning to bud. "I'll have to pull that up and plant it by the house. That way we'll be able to see the flowers when we sit on the porch at night."

"We ain't never sat on the porch at night," Savannah said matter-of-factly.

"Well, that's about to change. Oh! Look!" Tess clutched Caleb more tightly and hurried toward the small cluster of maple trees up ahead. "What?"

"Come on." Tess bent down and found a few maple seedcases. The girls closed ranks around her. Frowning, they watched as she picked through the winged seedcases for just the right ones and then stood. Shifting Caleb to her left arm, she flicked a seedcase

into the air. The boomerang-shaped seed whirled and danced in the night breeze like a helicopter before it floated slowly to the grass.

"Here." She placed some in the girls' hands.

Savannah stared down at the seeds in her palm. "You want me to throw them in the air? Why?"

"It's fun."

Savannah frowned. "Oh."

Tess took another seedcase and flicked it hard to the right. It twirled around and hit Tess in the eye. "Aagh!" She clamped a hand over her eye and slumped dramatically to the ground.

Savannah and Katie rushed to her side. "Mama! Are you all right?"

Tess grinned up at them. "Of course I am." There was a moment of stunned quiet before the girls burst into laughter. Tess felt a surge of happiness at the sound. She knew then why the sound had always stayed with her, even in the muted darkness of her deafness.

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Grinning, she got to her feet. "Okay, see that tree down there? Let's see who can hit it."

Savannah and Katie giggled and sidled beside Tess. And the Seed-twirling Olympics began in earnest.

Later, Tess smoothed out the beautifully embroidered tablecloth and carefully set the blue earthenware plates and silverware in just the right spots. A lightning jar full of purple and pink wildflowers sat in the exact center of the table. Dented tin containers of salt and pepper flanked the jar.

Everything was perfect.

Whistling softly, she turned and went into the bedroom. Opening the armoire, she stared at the clothing lined up so neatly inside.

She wanted to find something special to wear. After the wonderful time she'd had with the girls, she felt unexpectedly hopeful about this life. She was fitting in, and she was beginning to make a difference. Tonight would be their first family dinner, and she wanted to look her best.

The first thing she pulled out was a pair of ankle-length muslin pants with a drawstring waist and no crotch.

"Pretty racy," she muttered, dropping them on the floor.

Next came an hourglass-shaped, boned corset just the right size for a Barbie doll. The corset hit the floor next to the pants. She would not be squeezing her postpartum body into that thing.

As she pulled out garment after garment, Tess became increasingly aware of two things: One, none of the dresses would fit her unless she wore the corset, and two, women in 1873 were supposed to be uncomfortable.

She stripped out of the flour-dusted gingham gown and tossed it in a heap at the bottom of the armoire. Then she yanked on the muslin crotchless pants and covered them with a floor-length white muslin skirt with pretty lace

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