Like Gold Refined Read Free Page A

up, and offered him the spoons again, jingling them temptingly so he would reach for them.
    “He is growing so quickly,” Belinda remarked from in front of the cupboard where she was arranging cookies from the jar on an old-fashioned flowered china plate. She smiled at her daughter and the small baby.
    “Isn’t he? And he’s been such a good baby. Well … when he’s not teething, he’s good. He’s been a little bear over the last few weeks. The tooth finally came through yesterday. I hope it means we’ll get more sleep. But I noticed the gum on the other side is swollen. I suppose we’ll go through the whole thing all over again.”
    Belinda nodded and set the cookie plate on the table. “When they are little it’s one worry. When they are old it’s another.”
    Virginia’s stomach churned. Her mother’s attention had not been distracted for long.
    “ They shouldn’t be alone. It’s too risky. Having family members drop in is not good enough anymore.”
    “What about the neighbor lady you made arrangements with?”
    “She comes only twice a week to do the washing and cleaning. That’s not enough. Anything could happen in between times.”
    “But Clare’s family—”
    “They drop by. Check in fairly often. But Mama and Papa need someone with them all the time now. There’s simply no one to just move in with them. It’s unreasonable to even think of it. Each one of us has our own responsibilities—”
    “So what are you suggesting?”
    “They need to move. Leave the farm. It’s the only thing that can be done.”
    “But you know how … ” Virginia couldn’t even say the words. Her whole quivering insides were making her feel ill. “It’s not what they want,” she finally finished lamely.
    “It’s not what I want, either,” Belinda reminded her.
    Virginia accepted the teacup from her mother. She wondered if she would be able to drink it.
    “Can’t you wait, Mama? Just … wait … and see? They … they take care of one another. They—”
    “That’s just it. They can’t take care of one another anymore. Pa is so shaky he spills his soup down his shirt front. And Mama has lost her sense of balance. It’s the blind leading the blind now, Virginia. We can’t take the chance.”
    “Just … just give them a little more time … please, Mama. They … they’ve had that flu that’s been going around. They’ll … Grandma will soon get her strength back again. Just give them a little more time. Please.” Tears had gathered in Virginia’s eyes as she pleaded for her grandparents. “If we … if we make them move, they might just … just decide that … that their days of usefulness are … over. They might … ” But she couldn’t finish that thought, either. It was far too painful.
    Belinda reached for her hand and squeezed it. For a few moments neither spoke. It was Belinda who broke the silence. “I don’t want to be the one with the heavy hand, Virginia. Believe me … this is one of the hardest decisions I have ever faced. But no one else wants to make the decision, either. I’m afraid we might wait too long and be sorry for it.”
    Virginia swallowed hard. She reached in her pocket for her hankie and dabbed at her tear-filled eyes. Surely it wouldn’t come to that. Surely. She’d pray harder. “Please, Mama,” was all she could manage.
    Belinda squeezed her hand again, her own cheeks moist with tears. “We’ll see,” was all she could promise.

CHAPTER 2
    J onathan agreed that he could spare some time to watch the children while Virginia made a quick trip to her grandparents’ farm under the guise of delivering fresh strawberry jam. James and Olivia were down for afternoon naps, and Martha was more than happy to have her papa all to herself. Virginia was tempted to protest as she watched Jonathan drag some tack into her kitchen and set up to oil a bridle at her kitchen table. But she bit her lip and packaged up the jars of jam in a basket.
    “I won’t be