Ready Made Family

Mary heard the cry coming from the baby monitor and stumbled out of bed to go to Bethany. She had slept through the night for two full months, and now was back to waking up at 2:00 and again at 6:00. She was going to be thrilled when she could sleep through the night again.
She picked Bethany up and changed her diaper, talking to her in a soothing voice as she cried. She opened the top of her nightgown and sank down into the glider rocker that took up one corner of the nursery. She put Bethany to her breast and she quieted immediately.
Mary rolled her neck and rested her head against the back of the chair. She closed her eyes and thought back to how things had been for her just a year before.
She had been seven months pregnant, homeschooling her six year old and starting to teach her four year old to read. She’d done everything she could to be the perfect wife. She had dinner on the table when her husband walked in the door every night. Her house was always spotless and her boys were well-behaved. She knew she wasn’t perfect, but she tried. She’d been better at being a wife and a mother than she’d ever been at anything in her life.
It came as a huge shock to her when one evening her husband of eight years, John, had simply not come home from work. She called his cell phone repeatedly and received no answer.
Finally, the following morning, he’d called. “Pack up my things. I’m moving in with my girlfriend.”
The relief Mary felt at hearing John’s voice turned to shock. “What?”
“I’m done. I’m done being married and being a father. Pack my things. I’ll come by to get them on Saturday.”
“But….what will we do?” All she could think about was how she would be able to support herself and her children. She had married John straight out of college. She had never had a job. She was seven months pregnant.
“I guess you’ll have to get a job. I’m starting the divorce paperwork this afternoon.” His voice was colder than she’d ever heard it.
“What about Bethany?” she asked in a soft voice. Her pregnancy had been a surprise, but a welcome one they’d both been looking forward to.
“What about her? I’ll pay child support.”
Mary stared in shock at the phone as it went dead in her ear. He’d hung up on her. What was she going to do?
Now, a year later, Mary was officially divorced. She was going to be starting her first job since college in two months. Her parents had sent some money to help out, but she just couldn’t accept anymore. She was going to be a teacher’s assistant for a Pre-K class in a local elementary school. The boys would be in school at the same time she was.
There was no way she’d be able to support her family on her salary, but with the generous child support John was forced to pay each month, she was going to be able to make it on that little bit. Of course, that also meant that she was going to have to get free daycare from an older woman in her church, but that was going to be okay, too. She’d do what she could to help out when she could.
She still couldn’t figure out what she’d done to make John stray. Sure, she wasn’t perfect, but she’d tried. She’d always used a soft voice with him and the children. She’d always made sure the house was clean and dinner was cooked. She was long past sadness over the situation, but still wondered what she could have done differently.
She switched Bethany to the other breast and smiled down at her. She was half asleep as she nursed. Her little mouth was working, but her eyes were closed completely. She was going to have to start weaning her soon, so that Mrs. King could keep her during the day without trouble, but neither of them was ready yet.
Mary stood and laid Bethany down in her crib, going into her room to shower and dress for the day. The boys would be up soon. She needed to be ready to mow the lawn as soon as they were awake. That way they could listen for the baby while she slept and run out to let her know if she cried.
She dressed in old shorts and a faded green t-shirt that had seen better days, pulling her long blond hair back into a pony tail. She glanced at the clock as she walked into the kitchen to start breakfast for the boys. She quickly made scrambled eggs and toast and put it on the table, setting three plates.
Now that Bethany had been fed she should sleep for another hour or two, which would give her enough time to mow half the lawn. She’d finish it during her nap today. She just wanted to get as much as she could done before the hot Texas sun started to burn down on them.
She’d enjoyed the years she lived in Texas, but the summers were killer. The heat was just starting to get out of control in June. She was not looking forward to July and August.
Just as she finished buttering the last piece of toast, her two sleepy boys wandered out of their room and sat down at the table. She poured some orange juice and sat down to join them.
“Do you want to say the prayer, Noah?” she asked her five year old son, Noah. Micah, her seven year old, always volunteered to pray quickly, and she liked to give Noah a chance, so she’d started asking them individually to do it.
Micah looked disappointed that it wasn’t his turn, but obediently bowed his head to wait for his brother’s prayer.
“Dear God. Thank you for this food. Thank you for Mom and Micah and Bethany. Please forgive us for our sins. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” Noah tended to mumble his prayers, but that one had come out clearly.
“Amen,” Micah echoed along with Mary.
“That was a great prayer, Noah. You didn’t mumble at all,” she praised.
Noah’s face lit up. “Thanks, Mom.”
As they all started to eat, she talked about the day to come. “I need to mow the lawn today. Micah, you’ll be in charge. I’ll need you to listen for your sister, and come get me if you hear her cry. Remember, being in charge does not mean you get to boss your brother around. It means that you let me know if there are problems. Is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Micah answered. He loved to be in charge, but tended to let the power go to his head.
“Noah, your brother will be in charge. You need to play quietly and let your sister sleep. If Micah tells you to get quiet, you will listen to him. Is that understood?”
Noah sighed heavily. “Yes, ma’am.”
They heard the sound of a lawn mower starting. That meant it was after seven, and she could go out and get started. She ate her last few bites and stood up. “The dishwasher is empty. You boys need to load it with breakfast dishes. I’ll run it after lunch.”
She hated leaving them unsupervised for long enough to mow, but really didn’t have the money to pay someone to do it. She had debated over whether to get a job in the field she had her degree in, marketing, which would pay better, but give her less time with her children, or education. Education won out, because she didn’t want to have to leave them for that many hours. They’d be able to make it with no help once she started working, but money would always be tight. It was worth it to her to be with her family, though.
She walked into the front yard and saw that it was already half mowed. She looked around. There he was. Her neighbor, Ken, had moved quickly. She walked out and opened the garage to get out her lawnmower. She was thankful that he had the front covered. She’d get the back, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about sneaking out during Bethany’s naptime to finish it.
The mower stopped and the silence surprised her. Ken walked up behind her. “I’m going to get the back, too. You go back in and spend the time with your kids.” Ken was the single man who lived next door. He used to have loud parties that kept her and John up half the night, but he had turned his life around a couple of years before. She was pleased that she no longer had to pick the beer bottles up from her lawn on Saturday mornings. He was even a member of Parkside Community Church now.
“I can’t let you do the whole yard without helping!” she protested automatically. She loved that he wanted to help, but she felt a need to prove, if only to herself, that she could do it on her own.
He shook his head. “I told you a year ago I’d do it for you every time I did my own. I don’t know why you’re so stubborn about this.” He wanted to help her, but she rarely let him. He got to her lawn before she did about half the time.
She sighed. She loved it when he mowed for her. How could she not? She just didn’t feel like she should let him without paying him something. “I just feel like I need to do it on my own.”
“You don’t have to do everything alone, Mary. Just because your worthless husband ran off, doesn’t mean you need to show the world how strong you are and how you can make it on your own.” Ken was muscular with dark hair and eyes.
Mary almost protested when Ken said John was worthless, but then she remembered that he was the only church member who had truly known John. The two had become good friends, and she’d found out six months ago that Ken had been aware of John’s cheating, and had given him an ultimatum. Either he admitted what he was doing to Mary, or Ken would tell her himself.
As much as Ken had been a friend to John, he was much more of a friend to Mary. He had helped her out as much as he could with repairs and home maintenance. She hated to admit it, but she’d come to count on him and the things he did for her family.
She swallowed her pride. “Thank you.”
He smiled. “Was that so hard?”
She grinned. “I guess not. I just hate not being able to handle it all by myself.”
“I know you do. I’d probably feel the same way.” He knew it would be hard to accept help if he’d been left in that kind of situation. It would be so hard to admit that he’d been cheated on.
Mary surprised herself by asking, “Why don’t you come to dinner tonight? I’ll trade you a home-cooked meal for the mowing.”
He grinned. “I’d love that. You don’t have to, of course, but I do get tired of my own company at times.”
She laughed. “You’ll be tired of my kids by the end of a meal. Bethany has just learned to throw. She keeps chucking crackers at the boys and then they yell at her to stop. Mealtimes are madness these days.”
“Sounds like fun to me. What time?”
She thought quickly about what she had in the house worth cooking for company. She’d had to be so careful with money that there just wasn’t much there. She’d figure something out. She always did. “We usually eat around six. Would that work?”
“That’d be great.”
“I’ll see you then,” she said with a smile.
She walked back into the house and started digging through her freezer and cabinets trying to find something that would be worth feeding company. Finally she came up with everything she’d need to fix a nice Italian meal. There was no garlic bread, but she could bake a loaf of French bread and turn it into garlic bread. That would work.
She walked back into the living room where the boys were sprawled on the floor watching cartoons. She sat down on the couch, thinking of all the things she had to do. She felt like she was running a race against time every minute of every day. Trying to keep everything cleaned and the laundry done and still have time to just think was slowly robbing her of her sanity.
“Boys, Mr. Ken from next door is coming for dinner tonight.”
Both boys looked at her with wide eyes. They’d only had a couple of people visit their home since their daddy had left. Their grandmother came to stay from Indiana for a couple of weeks every six months or so, but that was different. Usually only Miss Anna and her mom Mrs. King came to visit them. They knew it had something to do with their daddy leaving, but they weren’t exactly sure what.
As usual, Micah spoke up for both of them. “Why? No one ever comes to see us anymore. Mr. Ken only comes over to fix things.”
Mary sighed and closed her eyes. She hated that the boys had been made pariahs along with her. As soon as John had left, and word had gotten around the church that she was getting a divorce, people had started treating her much differently. No one bothered asking what had happened, and she wasn’t sure if she’d have told them if they had, but she knew that somehow it had gotten around that she’d gotten sick of her husband and kicked him out.
Only Anna and her mother had truly stood by her. She didn’t want to run around talking badly about John, because she knew that he’d been friends with a lot of the men at the church, but she so badly wanted to tell people the truth and make them stop talking about her. She hadn’t though. She’d held her head high and simply gone on.
You’d think, after a year, the gossips would have noticed that John hadn’t set foot in the church in all that time, and she was there, with her children, faithfully on Sundays and Wednesdays. John hadn’t asked for visitation and hadn’t seen the children in all that time. He’d never held or seen his daughter. When he’d come to pick up his things, he’d come after nine at night, knowing they’d be in bed.
She’d done her best to explain to the kids that it wasn’t their fault that Daddy left. How do you tell kids that Daddy doesn’t want to be married anymore?
“He’s mowing our lawn for us again, and I wanted to make him a nice dinner to pay him back for helping us out so much. You guys like Mr. Ken, don’t you?” She knew they did, so wasn’t afraid to ask.
Both boys nodded. “He’s nice. He took you to the hospital when Bethany was born,” Noah said.
Mary nodded. Her mother had been due to arrive on Thursday, and she’d gone into labor on Wednesday evening. She’d quickly called her friend, Anna, who came to spend the night with the boys, but she’d had no way to get to the hospital. Anna had said that she should call her mom to come and take her, when Ken had come by. He’d been checking on her every day as she’d gotten closer to her due date. He’d immediately driven her to the hospital, and had even waited there until after Bethany was born to make sure she was okay.
He’d come back the next day with a beautiful bouquet of roses. “Every woman deserves roses after giving birth,” he’d said as he set them on the table next to her bed.
After he’d left, she’d cried and cried. John had brought her flowers after each of the boys were born. How could he ignore the fact that he now had a daughter?
Mary nodded at the boys. “He did. He’s been a really good neighbor and friend, and he’s going to have supper with us. Okay?”
“Okay,” Micah said, returning to his TV show.
She wished the boys would be more open with how they were feeling now that John was gone, but they’d withdrawn. She knew they talked to each other, though, and that was good.
She got up and started on the laundry wanting to get as much done as she could before Bethany woke up and started crawling like a mad child all over the house. She was a handful and had to be watched every minute. Mary was always amazed at how different her personality was than the boys. The boys had been so laid back and easy to deal with. Bethany was like a crazed child determined to destroy everything she touched.
By noon, Mary had stopped Bethany from tearing up six books, kept her from trying to get into the boys room, and refolded eight towels that she had thrown across the room. Mary put her in her high chair with a couple of crackers while she fixed the boys the grilled cheese sandwiches they’d requested for lunch.
Micah said their lunch prayer and she shoveled baby food into Bethany’s waiting mouth while she did her best to eat bites of her own sandwich in between.
After she’d finished and hosed Bethany off, she had the boys load the dishwasher. She had just started it when the phone rang.
“What are your plans for Monday?” Anna King’s voice came across the line.
“Oh, I thought I’d go out and conquer the world, one diaper at a time. Why?”
Anna laughed. “Well, I was hoping that we could leave the kids with my mom, and you and I could go wedding dress shopping.”
“Wedding dress? Pastor Dan proposed?” Mary was so excited that she was practically jumping up and down. Pastor Dan had come to their church a month before and had very recently started seeing her friend Anna. She’d had a strong feeling there would be an engagement announcement soon, but not this soon.
“Yeah. Are you going to help me shop?”
“I don’t want to put your mom out. I’m sure she wants to shop with you.”
Anna laughed. “Mom hates shopping. She said she’d happily watch the kids if you’d help me with the dress. You have such a good eye for those things. Please?”
“I’d love to! When’s the wedding?”
“July twelfth.”
“Of this year? How does he think you can plan a wedding that quickly?” Mary was astounded. That was only three weeks away.
“Mom is planning most of it. You know what a general she turns into. She finds something on the internet and calls. She never even leaves the house for it. The dress is a different story. And I need to find bridesmaid dresses, too. You will be my matron of honor, won’t you?”
Mary held her breath for a moment. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea. You know what everyone is saying about me.”
Anna’s voice became stern. “I don’t care what people are saying about you. I don’t believe a word of it. I’ve talked to Dan, and he’s fine with it. Everyone else can live with it. You’re my best friend, and I want you to be my matron of honor.”
Mary debated for a moment. If she did it, there would be more talk. But if she didn’t, she’d be letting down her best friend. Anna and her family were the only people who had stood by her through this whole mess with John. She wasn’t going to let Anna down because someone might say something about her. She couldn’t. “Yeah, I’ll do it.”
“You will?” Anna’s voice was almost a squeal. “I’m so glad, Mary. Thank you. We’ll need to pick out patterns and fabric for the bridesmaid dresses, too. Mom’s going to make them, but we need to find something just right.”
“Your mom is going to be busy for the next three weeks!”
Anna laughed. “I said I’d hire someone to do it, and she was offended. You know Mom.”
“I do. Okay, what time on Monday?” Anna’s mother loved to sew and take charge of huge projects. She thrived on the chaos caused by impossible deadlines. Watching her work at something like this made Mary tired.
“Will you meet me at Mom’s around ten? That way I can take you to lunch for helping me, and we can shop until we drop.”
Mary grinned. She hadn’t had a chance to do something fun without the kids in so long, she couldn’t remember the last time. “That sounds great. I’ll be there.”
“Thanks so much! I’ll see you at church tomorrow! Oh, and Mom is going to do my nursery duty. Dan is going to announce our engagement, and he feels that I should be in the sanctuary for a change.”
“Let me do the nursery duty. Your mom needs to be there for that announcement.”
Anna was silent for a moment and then said, “That would be great if you don’t mind. Mom does want to be there for it.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. I’m happy to do it.”
“Great! I’ll see you when you drop Noah off for Sunday school then.”
Anna had been teaching the kindergarten class for Sunday school as well as being with the babies during the service. It was time for someone else to step up to help with her burden.
Mary rescued the boys from their time watching little Bethany and took her back into the nursery to nurse her to sleep. Nap time was always good because she got so much done. Of course, with the way Bethany had been getting up during the night she wished she had time for a nap herself.
When Ken arrived for dinner that evening, Mary smiled to let him in. She’d made a salad, lasagna, and the garlic bread. She’d always loved to cook and entertain, but it was much harder now than it used to be.
Ken handed her a bouquet of flowers. “A woman as beautiful as you are needs to have someone bring her flowers on a regular basis.”
Mary blushed. “Thank you.”
The boys came running in to see him. “Hi, Mr. Ken. Do you wanna see our room? We have bunk beds!” Noah invited.
“Sure, I’d love to,” Ken answered with a smile.
“You go with the boys while I get dinner on the table.” Bethany was diligently banging her spoon onto the tray of her high chair. Mary had Bethany belted into her chair so that she could deal with dinner without worrying about tripping over her or finding out she’d tried to destroy the world.
She carried the food into the dining room and filled the boys’ glasses with milk. She went to the boys’ room to find them. “What would you like to drink, Ken? I have tea, water or milk.”
“Tea is fine.” He followed her into the dining room, the boys trailing along behind. She filled his glass and sat down next to Bethany. The boys took their seats, leaving Ken the chair on the end that had always been John’s. Ken had been a guest in their home frequently before John left, so it was a little strange to have him there now, but Mary was glad she’d invited him.
Micah gave Ken a strange look when he sat down in his daddy’s chair, but didn’t say anything. Mary watched him closely for a reaction, but none came.
“Would you mind saying the blessing for us, Ken?” she asked.
He prayed softly, emphasizing how thankful he was to have such wonderful neighbors willing to share their meal with him.
Throughout the meal, the boys talked nonstop about “men things”. They asked Ken if he’d play baseball with them after dinner, and he readily agreed. The meal went smoothly and was a lot less awkward than Mary had feared. The boys were so thrilled to have a man around to talk to that she never got a word in edgewise.
Even little Bethany was on her best behavior, only throwing four crackers at her brothers. She ate the bites offered to her and stared at the man in their dining room. She’d rarely been around men, except at church, so it was a strange experience for her.
After dinner, Mary did the dishes with Bethany watching from her high chair while the boys took ken out back to play baseball. She watched out the window as they played. He pitched the ball softly, and the boys swung wildly trying to hit the balls flying toward them. Mary smiled.
John had never had much time for the boys. He’d said it was because he was too tired from working all day, but she knew that Ken had put in a full day between mowing the two yards and doing some work on his car, but he still found time. Her boys’ laughter came through the closed window loud and clear. They needed this type of interaction that only a man could provide.
Mary finished up on the dishes and pulled Bethany out of her chair, taking her into the bathroom and bathing her quickly. She changed her into her pajamas and took her out back to watch the boys play. By the time they made it outside, the baseball practice was over and the three males were chasing each other around the yard. Bethany bounced up and down on Mary’s lap squealing, obviously wanting to be part of the fun.
It was starting to get dark when Mary slipped inside to nurse Bethany. She sat in the glider rocker in Bethany’s room and draped a blanket to cover up in case Ken came in. Bethany hated being nursed under a blanket, and it quickly became a game. Bethany would pull the blanket away, and Mary would cover her face back up.
Ken and the boys came in and she could hear the boys stomping around. She had just finished nursing the baby, and laid her in her crib. She told the boys to bathe together. It was easier for her that way, because then she didn’t have to clean up a sopping wet bathroom twice. They needed their baths for church on Sunday morning.
Mary sank down on the couch to talk to Ken. “Thanks again for mowing for me today and for all you do to help me out. I really don’t know what I’d have done without you this past year.”
“I like to help. I know it’s not much, but it makes me feel a little better about having been his friend.”
Mary smiled. “You don’t have to feel guilty about having been his friend, Ken. I was his wife. I chose him. It was my mistake not yours. And honestly? If I knew what I know now, I’d still go back and do it all over again, because I can’t imagine my life without my children.”
He nodded, turning toward her. “I can understand that. Your kids are pretty great.”
“I sure think so. Of course, I’m their mom and I have to think so.” She paused a moment. “They really like you a lot. Thanks so much for playing baseball with the boys. It meant a lot to them.”
“I enjoy your boys. I’m happy to play baseball with them any time they want.”
She laughed. “Don’t tell them that. You’ll start having your doorbell rung at seven every Saturday morning so they can beg for a game.”
He grinned. “I wouldn’t complain. I’d love to be more involved in their lives. And yours,” he added meaningfully. He watched her face as he said the words. He wasn’t sure if she was ready for how he felt about her, but he was ready to be honest about it. He’d loved her for years, even when she was married to his friend. He’d started going to church to be around her more. Of course, he’d become a believer after a while, but at first, it was all about Mary.
She opened her eyes wide, unsure if she understood exactly what he was saying. He didn’t really want a relationship with a mother of three, did he? What man would want to take on a ready-made family like that? What could she even say?