Page 32 of Hitched

I shake Gretchen’s hand and Peg sticks out her hand for me to shake, ever so polite. The bairn is so sweet it’s like looking at an oil painting of the most perfect child in the world. “Nice to meet you, miss Laney.” She says, in the cutest little bairn voice. “Do you like to play puppies?”

“I’d love to play puppies, but I need to talk to your mama just for one second, okay?”

She nods emphatically, unscathed. Hell, when I was growing up, kids would scream if they were told no for anything. That’s part of the reason why I hate kids and don’t want to have any.

“Come inside and I’ll make you some tea.” Gretchen says, in a welcoming voice. “I can watch her from the kitchen.” She assures.

We go inside to the quaint little cottage, and she starts making the tea. “Thank you so much for coming out here. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

“No, not at all. I was coming out for business, anyway.”

“Are you partnered with Caleb?” she asks conversationally.

“You could say that, aye.” I half lie.

“Caleb has been so kind to me. I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for me and Peg. I’ve got a lead on another job, and my water heater just broke. I’d used my savings to pay for groceries already, and I nearly scalded Peg the other night, heating up water for her bath on the stove.”

“Oh, that’s nonsense. Did you call someone to come and replace the water heater?”

“Aye, I did. He should be here soon. Caleb wants me to move from here, to buy me a house, but I just can’t accept it.”

“Well, Gretchen, if he wants to do it, you should let him. He’s happy to help you, and he has the money.”

“But I feel like a charity case. And it doesn’t set the best example for Peg.” She says kindly. For a former drug abuser, she seems very polite and polished. One would never know. We hear Peg come in, but she’s careful not to interrupt. She simply slips by, almost on tiptoe, grabs some paper and colored pencils from a drawer in the kitchen, smiles at me, gives her mama a kiss on the cheek, and leaves.

“As long as you’re being a good mama to Peg, I don’t see how it’s wrong, Gretchen. Caleb is happy to do it.”

“He is so kind.” She says again, and it’s like we’re talking about two different people. I pull the bills out of my purse, in the envelope, and hand it to her. As she reluctantly takes it from me, her chin starts to quiver. I grab her and hold her in my arms.

“Gretchen, my heart bleeds for you, love. You are so strong.” She cries softly, holding me weakly, as if not wanting to take too much, but I can feel that she needs it. This poor woman is probably so alone. “God, I wish you would come out to the states. We could do so much for you out there. Scotland is a beautiful country, but Caleb and I, most of our business is done out there.”

“I’m not sure, Laney. I’ve never been anywhere else but here. Caleb made me get my passport. Peg’s too. But I’m so scared.”

I pull back and look at her. She matches my height. Her straight dark hair is tidy and short on her shoulders, and her brown eyes are soft and warm. The tanned complexion suggests she takes Peg outdoors a lot. But then Caleb mentioned that she’s waitressing. It could be at a restaurant that has outdoor seating, too. “What are you so scared of?”

“I go to sponsor meetings. For the drugs. I’ve gotten quite close to those people. They’re my friends. I’m scared of losing touch and, well, you know.”

I nod. “I understand. Maybe later on. When you feel stronger.”

She nods. “I’ll think about it.”

I look over at Peg, who I can see through the half window in the door, and through the café-style window over the sink in the kitchen. She’s drawing something. “Did the man that attacked you ever get convicted?”

Her eyes widen. “Oh, no, ma’am. He’s dead. Long time ago. Right after it happened, he was killed. I don’t think I’ll ever know who did it, but I’m sure I wasn’t the only person he attacked.”

My hand goes to my heart. “Good God, Gretchen.”

She shakes her head feverishly. “Oh, no, I’m not sorry he’s dead. He was vicious. He nearly killed me that night. I was lucky to have carried the bairn to term. She was a miracle baby.” Gretchen looks over at her. “If it weren’t for her, I’d be dead, too. I cleaned up when I found out about her. I never knew I wanted a bairn until I found out I was pregnant. My mama thought I was crazy, to have the bairn of a rapist, but, I don’t know, something inside me said that she’s an angel, not a devil. And you can see so for yourself, that it’s true.”

“There is no doubt. She is so beautiful.” I look over her way.

Gretchen smiles. “She is. I am so blessed to have her.” Then her face sobers. “I just…I don’t know what to tell her…you know…when she’s old enough to ask. I’ve told her that her daddy’s gone. That he’s in heaven, but I don’t dare tell her how she came to the world.”

“Gretchen, you don’t ever have to tell her that, if you don’t want to.”

“But if she asks…you know…what was he like. I have no idea what to tell her. It keeps me up at night sometimes, wondering, you know, what the right thing to do is.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that right now, Gretchen. She’s much too young.”

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