Sweet Saturday

 

Welcome back! I have another scene from Sunlight and Shadows, my work-in-progress:

The shop was closed for the evening, so she could work on her project without being interrupted by customers. A knock on the door startled her. She looked up to see a familiar little face looking in and smiling. Her lips curved in an answering smile and she walked over to open the door.

"Hello, Jennie. What brings you here this evening?"

"Hi, Sophie. Daddy and I got a pizza for supper."

"Where is your Daddy?"

"He's right there." Jennie pointed to the car parked in front of the pizzeria. Brad stood next to the car, talking to another man. "He's talking to one of the band parents, and I saw your store's light was on and I wanted to say hi."

“That’s very nice of you. But does he know you came down here?”

"Jennie? Where are you?" Brad's anxious voice rang out. That answered her question.

"I'm right here, Daddy. I made sure I could always see you."

“I’m glad you did, Princess. I got really worried when I didn’t see you.”

Sophie's heart warmed to hear the exchange. Brad didn't sound angry, but his concern when he didn't see his daughter was evident, as well as his relief at finding her. As much as she grieved over the daughter she had lost, in a way it was probably better that the child had never been born. If she had, she would have been doomed to a life of constant criticism, and fear of not measuring up. She wouldn't have known what it was like to have friends, to express herself freely, play happily, and explore. She would have been as miserable as her mother had been. Maybe it was for the best the baby had never lived to experience such pain and suffering.

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Sweet Saturday

Welcome back! Here's another short clip from Sunlight and Shadows, my current work-in-progress.


A young woman entered The Quilting Bee leading a little boy. She wore the look of a harried young mother, yet she seemed happy. At Sophie’s greeting, she nodded and headed to the quilted fabrics with juvenile prints. She paused in front of the selections, still holding on to her son and rubbing her rounded tummy with her free hand. Sophie's hand traveled to her own flat tummy, mirroring the woman's motions. 

In her mind's eye her body had the same curves as the young woman's. She stood at the window of the nursery, gazing at the antique baby furniture her in-laws' servants had brought out of storage and had dusted to a fine sheen. Her baby would live in luxury like she had never known. She could put up with their condescending manner as long as her child had all the privileges and comfort. 

"Excuse me, miss." The young woman called to her, holding her squirming toddler with one hand. "My son needs to use the restroom. Do you have one here?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sophie directed the lucky mom to the restroom at the back corner. She sighed and went back to her work. It did no good to remember the past. Perhaps things had worked out for the best. She had a new life to live and it was best if she forgot the old.

And each night she prayed the old life never caught up with her.

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Sweet Saturday

Welcome back! Last week we got a glimpse of Sophie's world in Sunlight and Shadows, and saw Sophie faint away at the mention of an escaped convict. Let's see what happens now:

She opened her eyes to see five faces staring down at her, their faces lined with anxiety.

“Sophie, what happened? Have you been feeling sick? Maybe we shouldn’t have come tonight.”

“She looked a little flush when I came in. I thought it was that handsome band director, but maybe she’s sick.”

“Here, I got you some water. Have something to drink.” A paper cup was thrust into her hand.

Sophie drank and did her best to smile. “I’m fine, really. I guess I forgot to eat something tonight. I’ll just run over to the pizzeria later and get some cheesy breadsticks. That’ll keep me going for a while.”

“You stay where you are. I’ll get the breadsticks.” Sylvia grabbed her purse and dashed outside. The rest of the women helped her sit up and led her to a comfortable chair in the corner of the shop designated as the “Husband Area.” They continued to fuss over her while she insisted she was fine.

“Really, I’m okay. I just forgot to eat and it got to me. I’ll be fine as soon as I eat.”

“What have you got to eat? I can run upstairs and get it for you.” They knew Sophie lived in the apartment above the shop.

“Umm…” She wrinkled her brow as she tried to think. Did she have anything? Crackers? The bread was moldy. Was there anything in her refrigerator?

“That’s what I thought,” Lila declared. “Let’s put it this way. When was the last time you ate?”

Sophie opened her mouth, but no words came out. She couldn’t remember. Was it yesterday when she’d opened that last can of soup?

The ladies hovered until Sylvia returned with not only the breadsticks but a small pan of lasagna. “When I told Mario why I needed the breadsticks he wouldn’t take my money and he insisted on sending this lasagna over for you. I think he’s sweet on you.” She smiled as she handed over the package.

“You just sit here and eat. Don’t worry about us. We’ll just finish up our projects and clean up when we leave.”

Sophie ate, thankful the ladies didn’t question her further. As soon as they left, she’d get on the computer and do some checking on that prison escapee. All she needed was the name. If she was lucky, it wouldn’t be the one person who had turned her life upside down.

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Sweet Saturday

Welcome back! I have the next part of my work-in-progress. This week I have a little insight into my heroine, Sophie:

The ladies in the quilting group kept up a lively conversation, but Sophie remained silent as she cut the pieces for her own quilt. She loved the weekly meetings because she could live vicariously through their stories. All of them had families, and she enjoyed listening as they shared their trials and joys.

Sophie loved children and had wanted to become a teacher, but there had been no money for college. Her grandparents lived simply in rural Indiana and couldn't afford extras. Jeffrey had promised she could go to college as soon as he finished his own degree. But as soon as the wedding license had been signed, he began to groom her into what he felt a successful businessman’s wife should be. She needed to wear the right clothes, and wasn’t allowed to leave the house without her hair and makeup in perfect order. She had to eat right to keep her weight down and her complexion clear. She had to watch her speech and not use that “hillbilly language” as he had called it.

At first she had been flattered that Jeffrey wanted her to look and act her best. She absorbed everything she could from magazines and books, and observed the wives of Jeffrey’s colleagues to learn about style and deportment. But it seemed nothing she did was ever good enough. She always fell short of his expectations.

“Sophie, I can’t get these pieces to line up correctly. I know the squares are cut correctly because I double-checked. But every time I sew them together they shift or something and the corners don’t match up. What am I doing wrong?”

She quickly put her thoughts away and turned a smile toward Sylvia. “Let's take a look. Did you pin your pieces together?"

Helping her customers with their questions kept her occupied for the next hour. The ladies were at various levels of expertise and some needed more help than others. Sylvia’s problems stemmed from the fact that she had recently purchased her machine and wasn’t totally familiar with it. Sophie had helped her select the machine and felt responsible for helping her use it.

“Did you hear about the convict who escaped from the prison in Indianapolis?”

Kirstie’s question sparked a lively conversation among the other ladies, but Sophie didn't hear any of it. Her blood ran cold and she froze, her heart beating furiously. And then her world went black.

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