Mail Order Bride

Chapter 11 - The Love

       

Janessa's bedroom door banged shut as the girl raced down the hallway, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste. She was laughing to herself, and was about to make a mad dash to the coat hanger when Emily's voice stopped her.

"Hey, Janessa?"

The girl turned to look at the young woman.

"What?" She asked, not unkindly.

"I was wondering, when you're done with whatever it is that you're about to do, can you help me mend your father's gloves and socks? I've been planning to do it for some time, but hadn't had the chance to yet."

Janessa hesitated, then shrugged. "I guess," she relented, and walked towards Emily. She plopped onto the floor next to her, and, grabbing two socks and a needle and thread, began working. "Oh, you didn't have to do it right now," Emily said, somewhat surprised that the girl had been so agreeable.

"That's okay," Janessa responded, not looking up from her work. "I wasn't really doing anything anyway. Just going outside to play in the snow." The snow had finally slowed to halt, and Janessa loved building snow forts and "magical realms"outside. She would come indoors after about an hour, rosy-cheeked and chilled to the bone, and Emily would have her sit by the fireplace, wrapped in a thick blanket, sipping hot cocoa. She had to wait a while for her coat and gloves to dry, but as soon as they were warm and toasty, she'd throw them back on and race into the snow to play for another hour or so. Many times, she'd come back into the house and fall asleep in front of the crackling fire. "The snow tires her out," Patrick would say to Emily, smiling at his young daughter.

"I have to go back to school in a few weeks, after Christmas break," Janessa mused, glancing up at Emily. "I'm supposed to go into the fourth grade next year but I don't know if I'll pass the third grade."

"Why is that?" Emily asked non-concernedly, reaching for a new sock to mend.

"Because I still can't read," Janessa replied matter-of-factly.

"Why is that?" Emily asked, still using the same, almost uninterested tone of voice as before. 

"Because I forgot how to when my mother died. I was a little girl and she was teaching me how to read. When she died I got so scared that I forgot how to."

Emily looked down at the child in shock. She had never once mentioned her mother, aside from the book mishap that had occurred the day that Emily had arrived.

"Can't you try to learn again?" Emily asked, pulling the needle through the sock material.

"I don't know," Janessa replied, her brow furrowing. "My Pa has tried to teach me but I just can't do it for some reason. Maybe there's no hope for me. Maybe I'll be ill....ill....ill-ligitimate my whole life."

"Illiterate," Emily corrected, hiding a smile. Since she had begun reading to Janessa, Janessa had been learning four and five syllable words that she would often confuse in her sentences. "And don't say that," Emily continued earnestly, finally looking directly at the girl. 'There's always hope, and there's always second chances. Maybe if you give it another go, you'll be able to really understand and learn how to read."

Janessa shrugged. "Maybe," she said. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try again." She sighed, and turned to look up at Emily. "Emily," she asked.

"Yes, honey?"

"Have you ever been angry with someone?"

"Of course!" Emily said, putting down her work. 'Why do you ask?"

The child hesitated. She brushed her blond hair out of her eyes and began again. "Have you ever been angry with someone and it really wasn't fair that you were angry with them?"