son apologize to Jocie, something she stood still and endured even though she didn’t want to. The words were said, but David didn’t sense a genuine feeling of sorrow in the boy over what he’d done any more than he felt any hint of forgiveness in Jocie. He wouldn’t be surprised if Ronnie was already making more trouble.
But Tabitha was shaking her head. “No, they don’t say anything outright. It’s just the way they look at me with those ‘oh poor pitiful thing’ eyes like I had leprosy or something instead of just expecting a baby. And then if I tell them I’m doing fine, they look at me like I shouldn’t be doing fine, like I should be sitting over in the corner staring at my hands and crying big crocodile tears or something.”
David tightened his arm around her shoulder and smiled a little. “We don’t always act the way other people think we should.”
Tabitha looked up at him. “Well, I mean, I know I did wrong, that I should have waited till I was married, but if I had, this baby would’ve never been. And Aunt Love helped me pray and tell the Lord I’m sorry. She said the Lord would forgive me if I did that.”
“And the Lord did. In the Bible it says if we ask for forgiveness the Lord will separate us from our sins as far as the east is from the west.”
“How far is that?” Tabitha asked.
“If you were to start walking east and never turned around, you would never go west. You would just keep walking east forever around and around the world.”
“Really? I’d never thought about that.” Tabitha looked as if a light had come on inside her head. But then she was frowning again. “But the women at church want me to be miserable instead of happy. They think I’m sinning if I smile when I feel little Stephanie Grace kicking.”
“Oh, I don’t think they’re that bad.” David had given up sticking in a word here and there to prepare Tabitha in case her baby didn’t turn out to be the girl she was so sure she was carrying. She said she was having a girl. She was naming her Stephanie Grace, and that was that.
“But why can’t they just be glad for me? I’m glad. Why can’t they be?”
“Tell them that. Tell them you’re glad about the baby and hope they will be too.”
“I couldn’t do that.” Tabitha looked half scared at the thought. “They’d really think I was awful then.”
“No, they wouldn’t. They’d think you were a mother who loved her baby just the way they loved their own babies before they were born.” David brushed Tabitha’s forehead with his lips.
“I’m not sure about that. They already think I’m half heathen because I’ve got this rose on my cheek.” Tabitha touched the small tattoo on her left cheek. “And I’m probably causing you enough problems at church without saying all the wrong things the way DeeDee used to when she went.”
“Your mother never liked being at church.”
“I remember,” Tabitha said.
“I suppose you do.” David hadn’t realized until Tabitha came home how much the girl had known about the problems between David and Adrienne. He thought he’d kept it all hidden so well. “But you’re not causing me any problems, and when your baby comes, the people at Mt. Pleasant will be won over by his or her first smile.”
“If you say so, but somebody has to stay home with Wes. It can’t be you. You have to preach. And Aunt Love likes to go to church too much to miss. I guess Jocie and me can take turns, but let my turn be first. Please.”
“Okay, if you promise to call Mr. Crutcher next door if you need help. If Wes were to fall or something, you couldn’t try to help him up.”
“Mr. Crutcher goes to church too, doesn’t he? Doesn’t everybody in Holly County go to church except Wes?”
“Well, I’m not sure the whole county is that faithful, but just in case, I’ll tell Wes not to try to walk to the bathroom till after church time,” David said.
“Maybe you’d better ask him instead of telling
But Tabitha was shaking her head. “No, they don’t say anything outright. It’s just the way they look at me with those ‘oh poor pitiful thing’ eyes like I had leprosy or something instead of just expecting a baby. And then if I tell them I’m doing fine, they look at me like I shouldn’t be doing fine, like I should be sitting over in the corner staring at my hands and crying big crocodile tears or something.”
David tightened his arm around her shoulder and smiled a little. “We don’t always act the way other people think we should.”
Tabitha looked up at him. “Well, I mean, I know I did wrong, that I should have waited till I was married, but if I had, this baby would’ve never been. And Aunt Love helped me pray and tell the Lord I’m sorry. She said the Lord would forgive me if I did that.”
“And the Lord did. In the Bible it says if we ask for forgiveness the Lord will separate us from our sins as far as the east is from the west.”
“How far is that?” Tabitha asked.
“If you were to start walking east and never turned around, you would never go west. You would just keep walking east forever around and around the world.”
“Really? I’d never thought about that.” Tabitha looked as if a light had come on inside her head. But then she was frowning again. “But the women at church want me to be miserable instead of happy. They think I’m sinning if I smile when I feel little Stephanie Grace kicking.”
“Oh, I don’t think they’re that bad.” David had given up sticking in a word here and there to prepare Tabitha in case her baby didn’t turn out to be the girl she was so sure she was carrying. She said she was having a girl. She was naming her Stephanie Grace, and that was that.
“But why can’t they just be glad for me? I’m glad. Why can’t they be?”
“Tell them that. Tell them you’re glad about the baby and hope they will be too.”
“I couldn’t do that.” Tabitha looked half scared at the thought. “They’d really think I was awful then.”
“No, they wouldn’t. They’d think you were a mother who loved her baby just the way they loved their own babies before they were born.” David brushed Tabitha’s forehead with his lips.
“I’m not sure about that. They already think I’m half heathen because I’ve got this rose on my cheek.” Tabitha touched the small tattoo on her left cheek. “And I’m probably causing you enough problems at church without saying all the wrong things the way DeeDee used to when she went.”
“Your mother never liked being at church.”
“I remember,” Tabitha said.
“I suppose you do.” David hadn’t realized until Tabitha came home how much the girl had known about the problems between David and Adrienne. He thought he’d kept it all hidden so well. “But you’re not causing me any problems, and when your baby comes, the people at Mt. Pleasant will be won over by his or her first smile.”
“If you say so, but somebody has to stay home with Wes. It can’t be you. You have to preach. And Aunt Love likes to go to church too much to miss. I guess Jocie and me can take turns, but let my turn be first. Please.”
“Okay, if you promise to call Mr. Crutcher next door if you need help. If Wes were to fall or something, you couldn’t try to help him up.”
“Mr. Crutcher goes to church too, doesn’t he? Doesn’t everybody in Holly County go to church except Wes?”
“Well, I’m not sure the whole county is that faithful, but just in case, I’ll tell Wes not to try to walk to the bathroom till after church time,” David said.
“Maybe you’d better ask him instead of telling
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