The Earring

Book 3 Part 2

Most mornings, I would awaken to find Josh curled up in the sleeping bag beside our bed. When he was two-and-a-half years old and Zach was one, I placed Zach's crib in Josh's room. Evidently he simply disliked being alone because after that he ceased using the sleeping bag. He didn't, however, give up his nightly drink for another year.

So, there is sleep after childbirth. But if you have several children, by the time they all reach the all-night sleeping stage, the oldest will be a pre-teen, and there will be lots of other things to occupy your mind and deprive you of sleep.

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Faith smiled as she put down the journal. She remembered the time she'd agreed to take care of a baby for a couple of weeks while the mother served as a children's camp counselor. Mama warned her of the probability of nightly interruptions. Undeterred, she told her that it would be no problem. The first night, Faith slept right through the baby's whimpers. When she was in full cry, Mama came into the room and shook Faith awake.

"Faith, get up and silence the wailing banshee," she told her. "She's your responsibility, and I'm not going to step in for you."

She did pick her up and try to comfort her while Faith got the bottle, but by that time the babe was so angry that she refused all comfort. When the bottle arrived, the baby was so mad that she refused to eat. Mama finally took her and coaxed her to eat. Faith lost several hours of sleep that night because she slept through the baby's initial demands for food. After that, she slept with an alert ear tuned to childish whimpers.

Taking out her baby book, Faith looked at the pictures of Josh holding her. He'd been 10 when she was born. There was one picture of her perched atop Josh's shoulders. Her laughing baby face and Joshua's maturing countenance were obviously cut from the same mold.

"When I have children, is this what they'll look like?" she wondered. Pain stabbed her in the heart. "How would Aaron deal with having a child after he'd aborted his first? Would the ghost of a blond baby haunt him? Would it haunt her, especially now that she knew Kyra?" Realizing she needed to talk to someone, she dialed Josh.

"Hey, bro," she said. "Can you get away for some tea and pie?"

"I'm afraid not, Sis," came the answer. "I've got an important meeting in 20 minutes. Why don't you come over for supper? Ivy's cooking."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Josh. I need to talk to you about something."

"And you have an objection to Ivy being present?" Faith and Ivy were more like sisters than sister's-in-law.

"The subject might be a little difficult for someone in her condition."

"She's just pregnant, Faith." Josh sounded amused. "Her stomach isn't even queasy. I'm sure if it's too much, she'll excuse herself."

"I could use a woman's perspective, but I'm not sure, Josh. Can you meet me somewhere for a preview? You can be the judge of whether it's a topic Ivy can handle."

"And what will I tell her about why I'm going to be late? I'll be working right up until closing time."

"Tell her I called with an emergency and that you're going to come by and lend a hand before bringing me home for supper," I said. "That's the truth. Perhaps a bit misleading, but the truth nonetheless."

"And if she asks the nature of the emergency?"

"Tell her you were heading to a meeting when I called, and we didn't have time to get into particulars, but I sounded desperate."

"Then what do we tell her if I agree with you that she is too tender in her condition to hear your problem?"

"You'll think of something, Josh."