To Abide In A Time Of Trust

To Abide In A Time of Trust

By Kenword

Sound from a sterling silver spoon stirring sugar into coffee woke Miranda. She lay on her side facing east where the sun would soon rise above the green clover and alfalfa of the Mosely farm. Now the cream, she said, preparing her heart to pray. Clink, clink, clink. The hand that held the spoon was strong from the arduous labor it took to run a two hundred acre farm on the Russian River. The spoon would soon turn her husband Derrick's coffee a rich tan color. I will praise you with all my heart, Miranda thought, letting her waking thoughts form a prayer from Psalm 138. Before the gods I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and I will praise Your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for You have so exalted Your holy decree that it surpass Your fame. When I called, You answered me; You greatly emboldened me.

Before she had been confined to her bed by Dr. Weathers, she had shared this time with her husband, praying together and planning for the day when their baby would be born here on the Mosely farm. This was the place where all their dreams would be forged and it was right to bring their child into the world in this unspoiled part of Mendocino County. Boy or girl, he or she would learn to love this land from the moment they took their first breath. It was a charmed and blessed land that had produced so much quality life over its hundred years of being a farm. Miranda envisioned herself as a protector of the Mosely family legacy.

There was more to consider, but the rude noise from the weary springs of the screen door at the back of the cabin whined and sprung back as her nurse Cassie made her entrance into the kitchen.

“Hey Preacher,” Cassandra Wallace said as usual. “How's our momma-to-be today?”

“She's probably praying right now,” Derrick said. “Please fix some tea and I'll go check.”

Confined to her bed after two fainting spells, Miranda was given to pray more fervently in her third trimester of her first pregnancy, than she had ever prayed in her life. Dr. Weathers would be checking on her today. She wanted him to get over his alarm. After all she wasn't that frail and there were thousands of things left to do before the baby actually arrived. She needed to be here. She was the new Mrs. Mosely and her duties as lady of the house were confined to directing her over eager nurse. Clearly, through prayer and meditation, she had come to know that her joy and contentment was partially due to her fidelity to be a pastor-farmer's wife.“Let Your unfailing love strengthen my life,” she prayed, rolling away from the first rays of the sun beaming into her half closed eyes. “Strengthen my baby's life and increase my faith that I might stand boldly today and do your will.”

“In Jesus name,” Derrick said, kneeling beside his wife.

Her face opened up, as a bright smile added a rose color to her cheeks , nose and chin. “In Jesus name,” she said.

“Amen,” the two said together.

Derrick kissed lightly each of her eye lids and she kissed his cheek.

“I love you, Miranda,” he said.

“I'm glad, 'cause I love you too.”

“Cassie will have breakfast ready soon,” Derrick said. “Do you want to sit at the table?” He couldn't help but reflect back to his wife her look of adoration. His face, already a ruddy reddish brown from years of working in the outdoors, reddened even more with a rose tone of its own.
“I would love to carry you to the kitchen.”

Miranda laughed and pointed to the curtain that separated their sleeping alcove from the rustic big room where kitchen and living room combined to make up the whole living space of their cabin.

“All the way to the kitchen? Are you sure you can handle it?” Her eyes flashed as a blush added even more color to her face. “Well, since you are my big hunk, I'm going to insist you carry me all the way over there into the kitchen.”

Derrick laughed, nuzzled Miranda's neck with several kisses, while his hand rested lightly on her stomach. “You are my sweetest joy, Miranda,” he whispered.

She laced her fingers around his neck and pulled herself up. “You are my greatest blessing and I love you too,” Miranda said. “I'm ready for breakfast.”

Derrick's arms slipped around her slight body. He lifted her with ease. In two steps Miranda was seated at the table before her breakfast place setting. A pot of tea steamed in its bright red cozy.

“Oh my goodness, Mrs. Mosely,” Cassie said, “Let me get you something to fix the way you look.”

The young girl hired to be Miranda's nurse, cook and house keeper, twirled around the
table with imperceptible motions from her limbs. She fluttered in and shortly emerged from the sleeping alcove with a hair brush and a wet wash cloth.

Derrick sat opposite his wife and grinned, his chair leaning back towards the stove where sizzling bacon was crisping and filling the cabin with sweet smoky incense made from pork, fried apples and maple syrup.

“Well we didn't hire Casandra for her sweet bedside manner,” Derrick said, stifling a laugh as his wife crossed her eyes, sucked in her cheeks and stuck out her tongue.


“I've a sweet side,” Cassie said, “I just want Mrs. Mosely to look her best when the doctor comes by to see her. And you know. Your mama could be coming by soon as well.”

“What do you mean?” Miranda jerked around to confront Cassie.

“I saw her in town this morning. She was saying to the checker at the store that she was coming out to make sure you were okay. I'm sure she meant this morning.”

Miranda's sigh was dramatic. She held her face in her hands. “Didn't I just pray for peace and strength for this day? O Lord, didn't I pray? Derrick please tell me you can stay for a bit?”

“Now there is nothing to worry about, Mrs. Mosley, your mamma just wants to be a help and a blessing. She's afraid you'll get bored or try to do something you shouldn't do is all.”

“Cassie's right Miranda,” Derrick said. “You know how excited your mom is about our baby. I won't be gone long. I'll work on my sermon for Sunday here today. I just need to go by the church and pick up my materials and get my messages. I won't be but an hour.”

“I don't want to be in the cabin when she comes. You know how she looks when she comes inside. I want to be looking across the river when she comes.” Miranda pulled herself up from the chair, arching her back and pushing her swollen midsection up over her breakfast place setting. The crystal glass of orange juice toppled over with a delicate clink and splashed the golden liquid into the dove white dish. “I think that completes breakfast,” she said dropping her damp wash cloth onto the orange puddle in her plate. She hobbled through the curtains into her bedroom alcove.

Derrick jumped up to comfort his troubled wife nearly pushing Cassie onto the table. “Just keep everything warm for later Cassie. We'll need some nourishment after Miranda's mother leaves.”

Cassie twirled away from Derrick's path and lifted plates and silver quickly from the table. Breakfast would indeed wait.

After helping her into a green and white maternity smock, Derrick once again lifted Miranda into his arms and carried her to the redwood deck that was built to surrounded the cabin. He placed her on to the canopied swing that faced the Russian river and the building that was under construction on the other side of the river. Miranda kept her fingers laced around her husband's neck smiling into his gray eyes. “Thank you superman,” she said, giving him a soulful kiss on his lips.

Darren Mosely, who had been laboring on the roof of the building across the river, looked up from his work of nailing down the last of the shingles and waved to his brother and sister-in-law.

“You always make me feel like superman,” Derrick said. “I like it. I'll fly down to metropolis now and get my study materials and be back before the day begins, or better yet maybe I'll use my super vision and just read my books from here. What do you think?”

Miranda enjoyed her husband's playful tone. She bit her lip and wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I honestly wish you would do it all with the speed of a bullet Superman.”

“I'll work on it with all my powers,” he said. “In the meantime wave to Darren to let him know we appreciate the work he is doing on the roof today. You know how sensitive he is.”

Miranda released her husband's neck and kissed the palm of her hand and blew Darren, a kiss. “Love you Darren,” she said by moving her lips with a silent-movie exaggeration. As she did, two more men joined Darren on the roof. The older man she recognized as her father, Victor Knolls, the other was unknown to her. She continued to wave as Darren's new crew waved back at her.

Cassie flitted to the swing with a hair brush and make-up bag in hand. Without waiting for permission she began brushing Miranda's hair, handing her a mirror. “We'll having you looking like your pretty self in just a few minutes. Do you want to have your breakfast out here?”

“We better wait. Look.” Derrick pointed to the bridge that crossed the river, a quarter mile from the cabin. “It looks like your mom and Dr. Weathers are here. I got to go. And listen sweetie. just so you know, I agreed with everything the doctor and your mom are going to tell you. Have a blessed time. I'll be back in an hour. ” He kissed her goodbye and sauntered to his pick-up truck.

Cassie sighed as she held out the make-up for Miranda. “Your husband is just so handsome Mrs. Mosely. I can't believe how lucky you are. The way he looks at you and treats you.” She sighed again, gathering the make-up, hair brush and mirror. She stood a moment admiring her work as if she had created Miranda herself from the tools in her hands. “And look at you so fresh and looking like an angel, a sweet baby on the way, and a new home being built for you. You are just so lucky.”

Miranda squirmed in the stream of Cassie's envy for a moment and then uncharacteristically let it wash away without another thought. She knew she was blessed. There was no way to prevent Cassie's stream of envy to become a bath of contentment as joy swept over her whole being. But as go so many tributary streams, there was a sudden rise in the water level, as though waters were feeding her stream with something other than contentment and from somewhere forbidding and unseen.

“You know Mrs. Mosely, I am just too hot to do much more right this moment. Maybe Mr. Moseley will give me a ride to the swimming hole. You don't mind do you? Your mamma will be here shortly.” Without waiting for an answer, Cassie dropped her handful of sundries and broadly waved with a shout. “Yoohoo! Mr. Mosely!” Derrick turned slightly as not to slow down his walk to his truck. “Would you please give me a ride to the swimming hole? I just need to get a towel.” Cassie swirled into the house causing the weary springs on the weathered screen door to screech and snap, slamming with disrespect against its jam and frame. “I'll just be a minute. Thank you!”

Derrick stopped long enough to give Miranda a confused look and to shake his head violently. He mouthed the words “no way,” but he waited just the same.

“I've got my towel and bathing suit!”

When Cassie came out she had disrobed down to a pair of cut off jeans and a yellow halter top. Bare feet pranced on the decking and with five quick skips she bounded down the steps, past Derrick and into the back of the pick-up. She raised her arms to wave at the crew who admired her from the highest pinnacle of the building site across the river. The three hard working men took a moment to wave back with what seemed like too much admiration. Dr. Weathers, bouncing his twenty year old Cadillac past the Mosely family truck, parked next to the cabin's deck. He took a moment to smile at Cassie and wave with his own style of admiration.

Derrick seemed to avert his eyes away from the scantily clad girl putting on a show from the back of his truck, but Miranda's stream of peace and contentment was infused with new waters. They seemed polluted from tributaries unknown to her soul. She was not given to jealousy. “Please give me the strength to be bold and strong in my own home, Lord,” she prayed out loud. “Defend my cause O Lord my Savior.”

Mrs. Knolls, her mother, kissed Miranda on the cheek while watching Derrick pull away slowly towards the river. Dr. Weathers waved one more time from the deck.

“What a nice, sweet, charming girl,” he said, pulling up a chair for himself and Mrs. Knolls.

“That can't be the same girl from Dr. Jone's church that I hired for you?” Mrs. Knolls asked, What's her name?”

“Casandra,” Miranda said, closing her eyes and rubbing at her temples with her fingers. “She goes by Cassie. And yes mom, she is the same girl you hired.”

“She seems to be a nice, sweet charming girl,” said Dr. Weathers.

“Not from what I've seen,” said Mrs. Knolls. “I am so sorry Miranda. I should have been more careful about who I hired. You do not want a lose woman like that flaunting herself in front of your husband.”

“Derrick doesn't think of her that way,” Miranda said, “Besides he did not look at her, and I know he would never be tempted by Cassie. We are not sure sometimes what she may say or do, but we are not afraid of her. Besides mom, Cassie is a Christian. You said so yourself. Remember? At the very least I can pray for her and help her to know how much she is loved and valued. Don't you think?”

“I think we've all had a close up view of what she is Miranda. Christianity obviously has only a meager role. As for helping her, that's not why I hired her. She's suppose to make your life easier and not bring in more complications. Not at a time like this.”

“And as much as I don't like how much Derrick leaves you here alone, especially when you are in such poor health, its probably just as well he is not here to be led astray by that Jezebel.”

“O really, mother,” Miranda said. “She's not like that at all. Not usually.”

Dr. Weather proceeded to check Miranda's condition. “How would you say you're doing Miranda? I always trust my patient's assessment of things.”

“I've been a lot less tired the last few days and I really want to go through with having our baby here. Just like Mrs. Mosely did with Darren and Derrick. ”

“Hmm,” Dr. Weathers said, casting a quick look at Mrs. Knolls. “Your heart seems to be stronger, and the baby's heartbeat is particularly strong.”

Some of the pollution washed over the banks and for a moment she gathered some new hope as the stream within her soul became peaceful again. “So we can go ahead and bring in a midwife and have the baby here as we originally planned?” Miranda asked.

Mrs. Knolls winced and without so much as a blink she eyed her daughter with grave concern. “Didn't Derrick talk to you about what we...? That is, what Dr. Weather's thinks is best.?”

“No. He just said something about agreeing with the plans you and Dr. Weathers had made.”

Mrs. Knolls nodded towards Dr. Weathers arching her eyebrows. He cleared his throat before speaking.

“I am no longer comfortable with your arrangement here Miranda,” he said. “To be honest, I think you are just too far away from professional help should some emergency arise. Don't get me wrong, I am glad you are stronger, but frankly just one misstep and you could jeopardize your health and the life of your baby. You are an intelligent, level headed woman, and this notion to have your baby here on the farm was a reasonable option. No, let me say it this way: it was a very good and wonderful option. I am no fonder of hospitals than you and your husband are.”

Dr. Weathers took Miranda's hand and looked sadly into her tear filled eyes. “But things change, Miranda. I am alarmed at how much your pregnancy has affected your circulation, cholesterol levels, kidneys and liver. You are recovering from the anemia and I can see that. But any one of the other issues can suddenly become life threatening. I want you as near the hospital as you can get from now until the baby is born. That's what I want.”

Miranda let this new stream of outside feelings, emotions and information flood into the peaceful stream of her soul and waited for the swirling waters to rise to a point where she could no longer breathe. But everything remained at a level of peace within her. Why would she resist when to flounder in the streams would surely sweep her away.

“What do you suggest we do?” Miranda asked. “I mean, what has Derrick agreed to?”

“I have rented," said Mrs. Knolls, "a three bedroom apartment across from the hospital in Mendocino. Derrick will have a much shorter commute to his parish, Miranda. I think he liked that.”

“Let's pack you all up, dear, and move you there today. Your father and Darren will gladly come over to help. It will be more convenient for me to come by whenever Derrick has to be away. But since your church is only a few blocks away from the hospital I'm sure he can check in on you more frequently too.”

Miranda reached out to touch her mom's arm but looked at the doctor's shoes.

“I think it would be a good idea for you to spend a night in the hospital,” Dr. Weathers said. “You know, just as a precaution after the excitement of the move.”

In the distance the sound of hammers rapping on roofing nails lifted above the sound of the nearby river and the songs of the meadow larks and black birds. The words of her physician and mother released another tributary of feeling to trickle into the flood of Miranda's emotions. She wanted to cry for rescue, but to who? Please Lord, let your boldness and strength be mine now.The sound of Derrick's truck lifted her out of her thoughts. Her eyes widened and released several tears, but her voice was confident and strong as she look up into the patrician face of her mother.

“Derrick's concern for me makes me love him all the more. He wants the best for me. You all have been very kind and indulgent of my every desire since I became a Mosely. I trust you and I trust Derrick and if your plan is what he wants, then that is what I want too. But I would think that he would want one thing more for me.”

Both Mrs. Knolls and Dr. Weathers sighed and smiled, relieved that the moment of tension had so easily passed.

“What would that be dear?” Miranda's mother asked, the question nearly drowned out by the sound of Derrick's truck pulling into a parking spot next to the doctor's Cadillac.

“Casandra.”

“That Jezebel?" Mrs. Knolls cried. "I don't think so, Miranda.” Mrs. Knoll's face took on a plastic smile with a look of panic just below the mask of concern forming from the top of her brow to the sharp bone of her chin.

“It's not negotiable Mother. If I go to this apartment, Cassie goes too. She needs me as much as I need her. She's become a good friend and we help each other.”

The sound of the two doors of Derrick's pickup slamming shut broke the power of the stand off. All eyes snapped to where Cassie leaned on Derrick's shoulder. She press into him to put a lingering kiss on his cheek. Derrick grinned at his audience and flinched as Cassie waved to the men on the roof across the river.

“Derrick?” Miranda said, a shiver shaking her shoulders. She grasped the arm of the swing to steady herself from what seemed to be a shadowy fog descending on the rivers of her soul.

Miranda felt her mother's glare glance off her clouded eyes, as Mrs. Knolls aimed a bolt of contempt at the half naked girl draped in a plush towel that was part of a wedding gift set given to the Moseleys by Mr. and Mrs. Knolls.

“Oh, Mrs. Mosely,” Cassie said, dancing to the porch swing. Miranda's knuckles whitened as her grip on the swing's arm tightened. “Derrick says we are moving into town. Thank you so much for insisting I come with you.”

“We certainly could not do without you, Casandra” Mrs. Knolls said through lips that barely moved, failing to soften her contemptuous glare.

“What a nice, sweet, charming girl,” said Dr. Weathers.

Word Count = 3,662