The Reason For Grace (Sequel to A Reason To Stay)

Chapter 19

Saturday evening was always busy. Everyone was usually getting baths and head washing for Sunday church. Payton normally was busy ironing their Sunday best, laying out clothes over the foot of beds. Joshua would pull the tub in to the kitchen. She would heat the water and he would help her wrestle the children into the warm soapy water. Tonight though Doris had stayed late to help Joshua give the children their baths. Payton was busy upstairs with a very fussy, Grace. She apparently had developed the colic. She cried and cried for hours on end. Nothing helped to calm her, she would nurse and cry, get a diaper change and cry; they rocked her, walked her, bounced her and yet she continued to wail.

Payton knew that she would have no problem getting out of going to Sunday services. She walked from one side of the room to the other; back and forth, back and forth. She bounced and sang. She shushed and even cried herself. As the evening came on the colic got worse. When Grace did drift off Payton was so afraid to move a muscle she would just stay in whatever position she was in for as long as she could. Then she would try and lay the baby down in her crib. More often than not she would wake up and the crying would start all over again.

Payton had just won the battle when she heard the door creak open. She tried to keep the irritation from her face as she turned to see WHO had opened the door. Grace squirmed in her arms just a tiny bit but settled back down. Doris stood in the doorway. He arms rested over her chest and she smiled at her with empathy. Payton watched as Doris tip-toed into the room and sat down on the bed across from Payton.

"I guess you won." she said in a whispered voice.

Payton only nodded her head, afraid that any word she spoke might wake the baby.

"I can take her so's you can go eat your supper. You done been up here over an hour and everyone else done ate. I cleaned up the kitchen and we bathed all the younguns. I left a plate setting on the stove, probably cold by now but you need something. Don't want to go drying up."

The older grandmotherly woman held her arms out waiting on Payton to hand her the baby. Payton hesitated. In the beginning Doris hadn't shown much interest in holding Grace and so in the weeks to follow Payton had been cautious of asking her to take the child. This had resulted in Doris spending very little time with Grace and even less with Grace in her arms. Payton had realized it but she was making it so that Grace was very attached and very reliant on herself and she was beginning to refuse others' arms. Even her own father's.

Payton reluctantly handed the baby over to Doris. "I'll only be a few minutes." She told the older woman.

"Nonsense." Doris said, patting the baby's bottom and rocking back and forth. She smiled down on the  child and then looked up to Payton, "Go on down and eat. Visit with your husband and kiss your other children on the heads, say a prayer over them and then you can come back. If we need you before then, You'll know it."

Payton sighed, she stood holding a small quilt in her hands. She wasn't sure what to do with it so she threw it over both Doris and the baby. "I'll be quick." she told her again. She took two steps away and turned back to check and make sure Grace hadn't started to stir. She hadn't and Doris looked happy to have her... Maybe Payton had simply dreamed up this notion that Doris didn't want to hold Grace or have anything to do with her.

Payton left the door opened a few inches and stood by the door to listen. She could hear the creaking of the bed as Doris stood and then her footsteps and the creaking of the rocker. Then she could hear Doris humming as the rocker creaked against the floorboards with the weight of Grandmother and baby.

Payton pushed open the kitchen door. Joshua stood only a few feet away, hair wet and shirt clinging to is wet chest.  He smiled at her as he combed a hand through his glistening hair. Payton realized it was time for him to get a hair cut, probably the boys to.