"Ruin and Redemption"

The Sorrow and Uncertainty of Parting

Mindy looked down, not wanting to answer. Josiah had not threatened her, nor laid a hand on her. Nevertheless, she had been frightened in the barn today. The anger coming from Josiah had been so intense, she had been afraid he would become violent towards her. She hadn’t thought it mattered between them, but she was more conscious now than before of her former slave status.

“Come on, Mindy. You aren’t a slave anyway. I freed you as soon as I could 'ford to, an’ I offered you a horse."

“Yes, you did, Josiah. An’ I didn’t want to leave you,” she remembered. But she had not thought at the time that Josiah had it in him to kill anyone. Now that she’d seen that side, it frightened her. Perhaps it was good that he was going away for awhile, so she could come to terms with this other side to her beloved husband.

Why did it have to be today? Josiah wondered. He had obviously frightened Mindy badly, and now there was no time to make things right before he left for the War. He sighed heavily. How was he going to fight with this on his mind?

Mindy could see the pain in her husband’s eyes. He looked so lost and alone. She hesitantly walked towards him, and slowly wrapped her arms around him . She kissed him on the cheek. He felt good and warm like he always did, not like someone who wanted to kill her.“It’s going to be alright, Josiah,” she soothed, stroking his hair. She felt him relax and sigh into her. He brought her close and stroked her hair and rubbed her back over and over, until she felt much better. She pulled back enough to smile up at him.

“I think we can go now, Josiah. I’ll be happy to have you back after the war. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, Mindy,” he said, holding onto her hands and kissing them. After a time, they walked out of the barn together and  rejoined Izzie. They began their walk towards the woods, where two of the men from the regiment were meeting Josiah to escort him to the camp.

He felt much better now, knowing Mindy would be waiting on him while he was away. She still loved and wanted him. There would be many good years ahead for the two of them once he got back from doing what he had to do for the world. It was a good feeling.

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Lizzie was trotting her horse. Derrick rushed to keep up. He had not been eager to come today, but then he had decided he didn’t want Lizzie going alone to say good-bye to Josiah. Who knew what might happen?

What time of the day was he leaving? Lizzie worried. She hoped she would not be too late. She could not believe Josiah was abandoning her. What was she going to do without him? How was she going to make it without her friend and protector? She would practically be alone here. Who would look out for her?

Lizzie was in a panic by the time she made it to the house. There was nobody on the front porch waiting for her. Not even Izzie. She jumped off her horse before it had even stopped, causing the horse to stumble. She made a quick loose knot at the post, and pulled her skirt up an inch above her ankles, so there would be no chance of tripping; She was in no mood for modesty today. Not if it kept her from Josiah. She was going to run as far and as fast as her corset would let her to get to Josiah.