“But isn’t God able to overcome anything?” she had asked in return.
“He is able, Addie, but not always willing to interfere in the situations we’ve created.”
It had never made sense to Addie. She hadn’t created anything. She hadn’t asked to be sold or made a mistress. She had a dream to be Isaac’s wife and to live with him far away from the Yukon.
“They want me to trust you, God,” she said, staring into the darkness, “but they don’t tell me why I should. They just tell me to have faith—to believe that you love me.”
A sob broke from her throat. “But I don’t feel loved.”
“Why are you in such a hurry, Uncle Isaac?” Lena asked. The girls watched him rush around the dining room, grabbing breakfast from the sideboard, then racing to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.
“I’m running late. I need to get to the school, or I won’t be able to take the students to the expo.”
How he’d managed to oversleep was beyond him. He remembered his brother-in-law’s valet waking him, but then he must have fallen back to sleep.
Isaac folded some eggs into a piece of toast. He gulped down the hot coffee, ignoring the heat, and hurried for the door, sandwich in hand.
“I love you girls. See you later.”
He dashed down the steps, and despite the fact that it went against social acceptance, Isaac ran the full four blocks to school.
As he ran, he tried to eat, but finally gave up on it and tossed the makeshift sandwich to one of the local dogs who was matching him step for step. When Isaac finally reached the school, his students were assembled, thanks to one of the other teachers, and waiting to be led to their trolley.
“Sorry I’m late,” Isaac told the class. “Bad timing on my part, but we’re going to have a wonderful time today.”
The class was a group of seventh graders that Isaac didn’t really know. He recognized a couple of the boys whom he’d helped with some tutoring, but otherwise the children were strangers. It wasn’t going to be easy knowing whether or not they belonged to his group.
“Does everyone have their pass?” he asked.
The children held up their tickets, and Isaac took a count. There were only fifteen in his group. That should be manageable.
“You know, Mr. Hanson, every time I’m late for something it always seems to be the best day ever,” one of the girls told him and smiled. “Maybe today will be a really wonderful day.”
Isaac smiled. “I’m sure you’re right. It’s going to be a very good day.”
Hiram looked at the new route Riley Martin wanted them to cover. “Sorry to move you fellas after you were probably just getting used to the area you had to cover. We had a couple of folks quit on us already. I really need you to cover this area at the boat dock and park along Lake Washington.”
“Over by the model farm, eh?” Hiram studied the map. “I’m not gonna pick up manure.”
“No, I’m not asking you to do that,” Riley replied. “Just trash as you’ve been doing. Folks tend to picnic in the park and fail to use the trash receptacles. You’ll have plenty of work just in that small area.”
Hiram nodded. “Come on, Shep.”
They started on their way, but Hiram wasn’t happy about it. While working on the main thoroughfare, they were able to pick quite a few pockets and occasionally even find a dropped purse. Which, of course, they always turned in to lost and found—once they’d gotten what they wanted from the contents.
There was no way of knowing how easy or difficult it might be to pick the pockets of folks coming in from the boat dock or who had come all that way to picnic. If it failed to net them some good catches, Hiram was going to complain ... or quit. The job wasn’t exactly to his liking anyway. He wasn’t even sure why he’d said yes, but it did put him at the fair every day, and he didn’t have to pay for a ticket. It also gave them a small salary and lunch, as well as a roof over their heads. For the time being, he told himself to be patient. He told Shep the same thing.
As if on some unspoken cue, Shep began to complain. “I don’t know that I want to keep workin’ here, Hiram. I don’t like picking up trash.”
“I don’t recall askin’ you what you like or don’t like.”
“Just seems we’d make more money in town. I don’t like havin’ to get up at five every morning and get out there to work before folks come and make a mess all over again. It’s the same thing day after day.”
“We’ve had this job less than two weeks, so stop your whinin’. It’s givin’ us a place to live and a wage. It could be a lot worse, as you well know. So just mind yourself. We’ll leave when I’m good and ready to leave and not until.” He fixed Shep with a look that he’d been told was fierce enough to melt a man’s resolve.
Shep quieted immediately and didn’t offer another word.
6
