me, Mom.”
Moving close to her, Adrienne said, “I couldn’t leave you alone. I wanted to be here if you needed me.”
Linda’s second smile of the day was a little wider. She rose from the chair, opened her arms to embrace her mother, and said, “You’re the best mom in the whole world.”
Adrienne kissed her cheek. “I don’t know about that, but you’re the best daughter in the whole world.”
Linda turned and looked out the window. “Sure. The best daughter. You mean the one who couldn’t keep her fiancé and make him her groom?”
“Honey, don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”
“How did my sister do it, Mom? What does Lewis see in her? Why did he dump me for her?”
“Linda, all I can say is that if Lewis was the Christian he led us tobelieve he was, he would never have chosen your sister over you. Now, how about some breakfast, honey? Or, I guess maybe it would be lunch now.”
“Maybe I’m a little hungry. How about just some toast and tea like last night?”
Adrienne sat across the table from her haggard-looking daughter and watched her eat all of her toast. When she had finished her first cup of tea, Adrienne quickly said, “How about a second cup?”
“All right.”
Just as she rose from the table to pick up the teakettle from the stove, the family carriage passed by the window. Nolan was at the reins, and Aunt Beth was beside him.
Linda jumped up. “I don’t want to see anybody today except you and Daddy,” she said, hurrying from the kitchen.
“Honey, it’s only Aunt Beth!” Adrienne called after her.
There was no reply. Seconds later, the sound of Linda’s bedroom door slamming echoed through the house.
Nolan and Beth entered the kitchen from the back porch, and as Beth preceded her brother-in-law, she said, “Hello, Adrienne. How’s our girl doing?”
“She got up about eleven. When I checked on her at eleven-thirty, she was dressed, had her hair brushed, and was sitting in her chair. I was able to get some tea and toast down her. She’s in her room now.”
“May I see her?”
Adrienne’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure she wants to see anyone right now, but let me go ask her.”
Beth and Nolan waited in the kitchen.
In less than three minutes, Adrienne returned and said, “Beth, Linda’s in a low state of mind, as you know.”
“Of course.”
“She said to thank you for coming, and to tell you she loves you, but she really needs some privacy right now.”
“Is she in a lower state of mind than last night?”
“I think so. When she was having the tea and toast, she kept talkingabout Lewis and Janet, saying she hates them because they’ve destroyed her life and taken away her reason to want to go on.”
Beth’s features paled. “Adrienne, Linda said yesterday that she wants to die. You don’t think—”
“No. She isn’t going to take her own life. She’s still in a state of shock, and hurting miserably, but she’s not suicidal.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I know my own daughter.” To her husband Adrienne said, “Nolan, you don’t have any concern along that line, do you?”
“No, honey. Linda is suffering like she’s never suffered in her life, but she’s not going to do anything like that. It would be totally out of character.”
“But that is the very thing that shocks people when someone commits suicide,” Beth said. “Most of the time it’s done by a person nobody thought would do it. I wouldn’t worry so much, except that she’s stated that she wants to die.”
“That’s just the hurt talking, Beth,” Nolan said. “Like Adrienne said, she knows her daughter. And so do I. Linda’s not going to do a drastic thing like that.”
Beth’s face puckered with sympathy. “Bless her precious little heart. I wish I could take the hurt for her.”
“We’d do that, too, if we could,” Adrienne said.
“Well, I’d better get on home. Maybe my sweet niece will let me see her tomorrow.”
Linda could
Moving close to her, Adrienne said, “I couldn’t leave you alone. I wanted to be here if you needed me.”
Linda’s second smile of the day was a little wider. She rose from the chair, opened her arms to embrace her mother, and said, “You’re the best mom in the whole world.”
Adrienne kissed her cheek. “I don’t know about that, but you’re the best daughter in the whole world.”
Linda turned and looked out the window. “Sure. The best daughter. You mean the one who couldn’t keep her fiancé and make him her groom?”
“Honey, don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”
“How did my sister do it, Mom? What does Lewis see in her? Why did he dump me for her?”
“Linda, all I can say is that if Lewis was the Christian he led us tobelieve he was, he would never have chosen your sister over you. Now, how about some breakfast, honey? Or, I guess maybe it would be lunch now.”
“Maybe I’m a little hungry. How about just some toast and tea like last night?”
Adrienne sat across the table from her haggard-looking daughter and watched her eat all of her toast. When she had finished her first cup of tea, Adrienne quickly said, “How about a second cup?”
“All right.”
Just as she rose from the table to pick up the teakettle from the stove, the family carriage passed by the window. Nolan was at the reins, and Aunt Beth was beside him.
Linda jumped up. “I don’t want to see anybody today except you and Daddy,” she said, hurrying from the kitchen.
“Honey, it’s only Aunt Beth!” Adrienne called after her.
There was no reply. Seconds later, the sound of Linda’s bedroom door slamming echoed through the house.
Nolan and Beth entered the kitchen from the back porch, and as Beth preceded her brother-in-law, she said, “Hello, Adrienne. How’s our girl doing?”
“She got up about eleven. When I checked on her at eleven-thirty, she was dressed, had her hair brushed, and was sitting in her chair. I was able to get some tea and toast down her. She’s in her room now.”
“May I see her?”
Adrienne’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure she wants to see anyone right now, but let me go ask her.”
Beth and Nolan waited in the kitchen.
In less than three minutes, Adrienne returned and said, “Beth, Linda’s in a low state of mind, as you know.”
“Of course.”
“She said to thank you for coming, and to tell you she loves you, but she really needs some privacy right now.”
“Is she in a lower state of mind than last night?”
“I think so. When she was having the tea and toast, she kept talkingabout Lewis and Janet, saying she hates them because they’ve destroyed her life and taken away her reason to want to go on.”
Beth’s features paled. “Adrienne, Linda said yesterday that she wants to die. You don’t think—”
“No. She isn’t going to take her own life. She’s still in a state of shock, and hurting miserably, but she’s not suicidal.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I know my own daughter.” To her husband Adrienne said, “Nolan, you don’t have any concern along that line, do you?”
“No, honey. Linda is suffering like she’s never suffered in her life, but she’s not going to do anything like that. It would be totally out of character.”
“But that is the very thing that shocks people when someone commits suicide,” Beth said. “Most of the time it’s done by a person nobody thought would do it. I wouldn’t worry so much, except that she’s stated that she wants to die.”
“That’s just the hurt talking, Beth,” Nolan said. “Like Adrienne said, she knows her daughter. And so do I. Linda’s not going to do a drastic thing like that.”
Beth’s face puckered with sympathy. “Bless her precious little heart. I wish I could take the hurt for her.”
“We’d do that, too, if we could,” Adrienne said.
“Well, I’d better get on home. Maybe my sweet niece will let me see her tomorrow.”
Linda could