Page 7 of Mail Order Mockery

George looked at her with a disgusted look on his face, but he put his fork down and bowed his head, waiting for Jessica to pray over their meal.

After the prayer, he and the children filled their plates as if they expected the food to disappear. “I didn’t get here early enough to bake bread today, but I’ll make sure to get that done tomorrow.”

George merely grunted, and the children ignored her entirely.

She fed the baby tiny bites of the potatoes and the carrots while Sally pounded her fists and made noises that told Jessica that even if no one else was enjoying the meal, Sally was.

When Jessica looked at the bowls of food, she realized they were mostly empty. The whole family had enjoyed the meal, whether they admitted it or not. While Jessica was spooning a bite of carrots into the baby’s mouth, Nancy said, “Pa, the person you sent for to do our housework made me set the table.”

George looked at Jessica for the first time, and then he looked at his daughter. “Doesn’t hurt you to set the table.”

Nancy frowned. “You said she was here to do the womanly work. Isn’t setting the table womanly work?”

“It is. And you need to learn to do womanly work, so when asked to set the table, you’ll do it.”

Jessica was surprised to hear George stand up for her. She’d half expected to be scolded for not setting the table herself.

“What time do you want breakfast ready?” Jessica asked.

He shrugged. “We get up at sunup. As soon as you can after that. I do the milking before breakfast, but I’m ready to eat pretty early.”

“I can do that.” Jessica thought about the breakfast meals she’d grown up eating. “Would eggs and fried potatoes be all right for tomorrow? Maybe some of the leftover ham?”

“That’d be fine.” George was not a man of many words. He’d answer a direct question but didn’t seem to care to talk otherwise.

Jessica suddenly saw the real future she’d signed up for, and it made a mockery of her daydreams and fantasies. She would be married to a man who never spoke to her, and she would need to clean his home, cook for his family, and raise his children. In return, she would get…well, nothing. She’d signed up to be a servant and not a wife.

She wanted to start throwing dishes, but it would do no good. She wasn’t there to be an equal or a helper. She was there to do all the work while everyone else watched. What a lovely life she had ahead of her.

After supper, she cleared the table, changed the baby, then did the dishes and wiped them by herself. Nancy didn’t look like it even occurred to her she should be helping.

Once the dishes were wiped and put away, she took the baby into the kitchen and gave her a bath in the sink. Sally giggled and splashed water everywhere, causing Jessica to smile. Maybe everyone else resented her presence there, but the baby…she only knew someone was caring for her. Maybe soon, Jessica would have someone good to her. She would make sure to raise the baby to be kind.

After taking the baby from her bath, she diapered her and dressed her in a gown for sleep. “Tomorrow, we’ll do all the laundry, and everything will be clean. Won’t that be nice?”

The baby cooed and patted Jessica’s cheek.

Jessica warmed a bottle from the jar of milk labeled, “goat’s milk” that was in the refrigerator. She took the baby straight outside to swing with her as she fed her the bottle.

Little Sally slept in her arms, trusting her as if she knew her. The trust of babies was something that always astounded Jessica. She could be the worst person in the world, but the baby would trust her as she cared for her.

Jessica carried the baby inside and up the stairs to her crib, laying the baby down gently. Sally’s fist went straight to her mouth and she sucked on it as she slept the peaceful sleep that only a child could sleep.

Afterward, Jessica went down to the parlor to find the family there. Everyone was involved in their own task, and no one was speaking to anyone else. Jessica’s home had always been filled with loud, happy voices. This home was nothing like her own, and it bothered her to see all the unhappy faces.

“Was a kitchen garden put in this year that I need to harvest?” Jessica asked.

George shook his head but didn’t bother to look up from his farmer’s almanac.

“What will I do for fresh fruits and vegetables?” she asked. She knew he didn’t want to talk to her, but it would be so much easier if she simply knew the basics.

“All of my brothers’ wives set aside a portion of their gardens for us. They’ll start delivering our share tomorrow, now that you’re here to put things away.”

“Oh, that’s good. What do I do if I run out?”

He shrugged. “Two general stores in town. Gustafson’s and Gunderson’s. Across the street from each other. Let someone know you need a ride.”

Someone. Let someone know.She had to assume he didn’t want her to lethimknow.

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