Avery knows that I have to do my work whether I am pregnant or not. He seems to be cautious around me and I liked that at first. But I don't like that he seems to think I might break or something. Even in his attentions toward me. He is gentle but sometimes a little too much for me. I am not a weak woman. Mother taught me how to be strong and to be a partner to my husband. I see how important that is now that I have a husband. Like yesterday, I was outside working in the garden when he came from town. He liked to think I was plowing forty acres! Goodness, I was just doing a little bit of hoeing and raking some of the dead plants. I told him to just let me tend to my business of household chores and having children and he will see that I can do it.
Today Eliza came to visit me! I made her a special lunch. She was impressed with our house and everything about my life. She could not believe I was going to have a baby. I showed her my expanding waist. Eliza told me all the gossip about our friends. She said Kent Osbourne came to church with his grandparents. As she was leaving he asked to speak to her in private. "He asked me if I had seen you. He seemed anxious or something." she told me as walked along my path to the barn with me.
"Well, he did ask me not to marry Avery. Mother and Father had set it up with Avery and I couldn't very well not marry him."
She looked at me, "Are you glad? Glad that they arranged your marriage to Avery?"
"Oh goodness, Eliza, I am so glad they did! Avery is so good to me. He treats me special and makes me feel like I am the most important thing in the world to him."
"I thought marriage was hard." she answered back, "Like a job or something."
"I suppose it matters who you are married to. Avery is fun, but hardworking and he can fix anything. Handsome too." I answered thinking about my husband and how he had changed my life.
"I know it can be hard. I don't know if anyone will want to marry me." she said wistfully.
"Don't say that! The Lord has someone in mind for you like he did for me. What else did Kent say to you? He might want to marry you. He is nice and will be a good husband to someone."
"No, he asked about you. I told him I had only seen you once at church after your wedding. Then he rushed away," she seemed to be thinking about her encounter with him.
Later after Eliza had left, I sat with Peanut watching for Avery. He should be home very soon. I know that my parents did the right thing having me marry Avery. I have a nice home and a good husband. I will probably have several children and I can take care of them easily with Avery. Many men are not that good as husbands and fathers. Not like my own father who is a good man. A good husband and father.
Kent Osbourne is a nice boy but he was not the one for me. He didn't really like horses and hardly ever rode one. He walked most everywhere. I think he will probably marry and then live in town and maybe work at one of the businesses there. I would not have been happy living in town and not having horses be a part of my life. For me though, this is the life I would have wanted if I had thought about it before. I just never had the chance to think about it.
Suddenly I heard horse hooves coming up the road at a gallop, and there was Avery coming into sight. He was smiling at me and made me feel that excitement that always goes through my body when we have been apart and I see him again. Yes, this is the man the Lord intended for me.
Copyright © 2010 Kathleen G. Lupole
Updated 2016
Updated 2016
