Edith and the Mysterious Stranger (10 page)

“I didn’t say you were. I only said that you
probably expect lavish compliments. I never once accused you of
being a prima donna.”

Edith was stunned. She loved singing but was
she actually expecting lavish compliments? Was this really true?
Had she forgotten to be humble and grateful for her God-given
talent? Instantly she remembered what her father had often quoted
to her: “They loved the praise of men more than the praise of
God.”

Then it dawned on her. Joseph
was right. She had been offended the other night simply because he
had not lavished her with praises. He was not comparing her to a
prima donna at all, and she knew it. She was touchy because of what
had
happened to her years ago, and she was taking it out on
Joseph. It was not his fault that she fell in the ditch, but she
acted as if it were. Then he helped her up and wiped off her face.
Were these the actions of a callous man? No, they were not.

Edith felt ashamed of her behavior and lack of
humility. Was it pride that was standing in her way? How had she
allowed it to happen, caring more for the praise of man than of
God? Edith slowly shook her head and looked down at her feet. She
was still standing in the ditch, dripping wet. She looked up at
Joseph, smiled, and realized the humor in her situation. That was
all it took for her to burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter,
releasing every tension and stress that had built up during the
past few months.

Joseph was amused at her sudden change of
attitude and chuckled, his shoulders and chest shook with laughter.
He held out his hand to her and helped her out of the ditch.

“My, you’re a sight! I sure hope you haven’t
ruined your dress.”

He picked a piece of mud from her hair and
tossed it into the ditch with a grin. She looked down at her
soaking, muddy dress and laughed once again. She had not laughed
like this for months. What had happened to her sense of humor? Had
she been so wrapped up in her duties that she forgot to laugh? Why
had she become so serious lately? Why had she allowed pride to
sneak into her life?

Joseph took Edith’s arm and said, “I’ll walk you
to your buggy, Miss Edith.”

“Thank you. I’d like that.”

As they walked, Edith said, “Thanks for the
chamomile. It’s too bad it landed in the water.”

“I’ll pick you some more and send it to your
house.”

“Thanks. I didn’t know farmers knew so much
about herbs.”

“Did you think we were an uneducated lot?”
he said with humor in his voice.

Edith refrained from answering that question
because inside she had thought that very thing. She had been too
judgmental, and she knew it.

Joseph was able to perceive her thoughts,
perhaps by her actions. But he let it lie.

Edith lifted her heavy wet skirt and
petticoats, and stepped into the buggy.

As she took the reins in hand, she turned
toward him and smiled. “I hope you have a nice day, Joseph.”

He gave a curt nod. “Thank you.”

“I needed a good laugh today,” she said with
a smile. “I’ve been much too serious.”

“Me, too, Miss Edith. Me, too.”

Edith sat at Aunt Sarah’s Café, chatting
with Henry. He had made a point to make the evening extra special.
He had given her some flowers and taken her to a nice restaurant.
He had been treating her with great respect, and that impressed her
greatly. It was as if he was trying to make up for his boldness and
outspoken ways the first two times they met.

They had discussed music and teaching, and agreed on
every subject. In fact, he was so congenial that she felt sorry for
being so hard on him. She knew the man of her “dreams” would have
many things in common with her, but would Henry support her in her
decisions as a companion?

When Henry noticed the cheerfulness in Edith’s
countenance, he smiled. “I bet it’s wonderful to perform for people
and bring joy into their lives, traveling around and meeting
people, meeting the great musicians.”

“In a way, yes. In another, no. That’s why I
quit.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I enjoyed meeting people, but there were too
many politics. A lot of the musicians were temperamental. I had had
enough and decided it wasn’t the life for me. I would just sing in
my own hometown and take care of people.”

“Temperamental? What happened?”

“Well, a few years ago someone once accused me of
being a prima donna, simply because I refused his intentions. I
wouldn’t allow him to call on me. He was a demanding person, a
director of an orchestra, with a reputation I didn’t want to be
associated with.”

“Wow!” exclaimed Henry.

“I didn’t want to be compromised. Well, he was used
to having his way. When I wasn’t interested, he saw to it that I
didn’t get a part in Handel’s
Messiah
. He made life
miserable for me and called me a prima donna. ”

Henry groaned. “That’s terrible. You know he was
just saying that out of spite. He must have been some kind of high
and mighty person to accuse you of such a thing.”

“Yes, he was.”

Henry smiled and said, “Besides, if you were
considered a prima donna, then I believe being a prima donna would
not be such a bad thing after all.”

Edith laughed. When she saw Henry grinning
from ear to ear, she smiled back and said, “You’re very sweet,
Henry, and say the nicest things. Why hasn’t some girl grabbed you
up by now?”

“Hmmm, I’m not sure. I’m quite busy as you
know. I don’t have a lot of time for courting.”

Henry was a charmer and he was sincere. He
was a kind and honest person, and she felt she had misjudged him.
She decided that it was about time to get to know him better. So…
why did she think that he was just too nice to be anything more
than a friend?

Edith looked into his eyes and said
sincerely, “Henry, I appreciate your friendship. I’ve had a great
evening and I want to thank you.”

They continued talking, enjoying one
another’s company. Edith had finally made her decision. She would
see him again if he asked. Her mother was right. He did have a good
heart.

Later that night, as she lay in bed, she
could not help but wonder why it was so difficult for her to accept
a man at face value. Why did she find fault with every man she came
upon?

Well, no matter what sort of sweetness came
from any man’s lips, she was determined not to give her heart to
anyone too easily. No matter what! Her shield was up, and she would
protect her heart. The man she chose had to endure to the end for
her. He would never give up on her.

Was she expecting too much?

“Well? Tell me what he said,” Melinda whispered.
“You’ve finally got your third letter. I can’t wait.”

Edith watched Melinda as she cleaned up the
picnic they had had in the meadow. The meadow was not too far from
their home. According to Edith, the little jaunt should not have
caused any cramping. Melinda sat near the tablecloth gathering up
the leftovers and the plates, putting them into the basket.

Gilbert lay on the grass with his hands under
his head for support. His eyes were closed, and he was resting with
his hat tipped toward his eyes for shade. John was chasing after
their mongrel dog Shep, and David had asked Jenny to take a walk
with him. So they were all alone except for the sleeping man lying
beside Melinda.

Edith looked over at Gilbert and saw his chest
rising and falling with each breath he took. He was probably asleep
and would not hear much. So, she took a chance.

With excitement rising from every fiber of
her being, she whispered, “Oh Melinda, I got the most wonderful
letter. Do you remember what I wrote to my friend?”

“Of course. I was absolutely shocked at your
letter. I felt you were being too headstrong. So how did he respond
to it?”

“I brought the letter with me. Here, let me
read it to you.”

Edith looked over at Gilbert, and he had not
budged. She pulled the letter from her pocket and smoothed it out
on her lap. Then she said softly, “My Dear Charming Friend.”

Melinda immediately held her hand up in
front of Edith. “Whoa! Stop! What did you just say?”

“Charming friend.”

“Charming? Wow, how romantic! I’d like to be
called charming.” Then with an accusatory tone, she said, “But I
thought you didn’t like gushy words.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Melinda. I love a
compliment just like any other woman. I hate flattery. There’s a
difference, you know.”

Melinda nodded. “Well, I would still like to
be called charming.”

Edith grinned, then turned to the letter and
continued:

My Dear Charming Friend,

After reading your letter, I presumed that you
wanted me to know how strong your opinions were before we continued
our friendship. This amused me quite a bit. It was as if you wanted
to make sure I still wanted to write after you told me how
strong-minded you were. For example, it would either chase me away
or I would be captivated by your personality. To let you know, I
felt it was quite refreshing. I’m glad you have definite opinions.
I get tired of flirtatious women with no opinions of their own who
hide their feelings behind a facade and never show their true
selves until after marriage.

I, too, have definite opinions. My personality is
not domineering, though. In fact, quite the opposite. I allow
others to have their opinions and usually try to respect them. In
fact, I believe that respect is very important in a relationship,
especially between a man and a woman.

From now on, I will call you my “Charming Friend”
for that is what you are. You fascinate me with your opinions and I
would enjoy continuing our friendship.

Sincerely,

Your Friend

Melinda swallowed before talking. She was in awe.
Then she whispered, “You fascinate me with your opinions? Oh, my. I
like him already. I didn’t know that a man could talk so
romantic.”

A deep, low chuckle startled the two of them.
Gilbert lay with a grin on his face, tipping his hat back with his
fingers so he could look at Melinda.

“That note sounds like he’s sweet-talking her, if
you ask me. I wouldn’t trust a sweet-talking man. He’s got too much
honey in his letter. I say, dump him and I’ll introduce you to a
real man, someone that’s mighty fine, a down-to-earth man.”

Melinda looked at Gilbert with feigned disgust. “Ha!
You don’t understand. Women like sweet talk.”

Gilbert chuckled once again. “Melinda, do you really
like sweet talk?”

“Of course, Gilbert. What woman doesn’t?”

“Hmmm, how would you react if I told you that you
bewitch me? That you have me under your spell? Would you swoon?”
His eyes had a bit of mischief in them as he looked up into her
eyes. “What would you say if I told you that you had the ‘bear’s
ethereal grace’ or the ‘bland hyena’s laugh’ or the ‘neck of the
giraffe’? By the way, those aren’t my words. They’re Lewis
Carroll’s. But I think they’re quite romantic. Don’t you?”

Melinda narrowed her eyes at Gilbert. He was making
fun of her, and she knew it. She quickly reached under the shrub
next to her and gathered a bunch of grass and leaves. With both
hands filled, she leaned over and dropped them on Gilbert’s face.
He was ready for her and immediately grabbed her arms and carefully
pulled her on top of his chest, chuckling the whole time. Then he
wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as he shook the
leaves off his head.

“Hey, woman! What are you trying to do to me? Didn’t
my sweet talking work?”

Melinda tried to get loose, but his hold was too
strong. She laughed as she struggled for freedom. “Let go of me,
you old sweet talker, you!”

“I will if you tell me something.”

Melinda gradually relaxed in his arms and asked,
“What?”

“Would you like me better if I sweet-talked you?
Tell me honestly now.”

Melinda thought for a moment. “I guess not. I love
you just the way you are. I wouldn’t want you to change.”

Gilbert grinned. “I thought so.”

“But a little sweet talk wouldn’t hurt.”

Gilbert slid one hand up to her neck and pulled her
close to him. Raising his head up, he kissed her firmly on the lips
and said, “I love you, Sweetheart.” He grinned. “That’s all the
sweet talk I have inside of me. Sorry.”

Melinda looked into his eyes and smiled. “That’s
all I need, Gilbert. No more, no less.”

He smiled as he enfolded her in his arms, but
this time he kissed her gently and lovingly with a lingering kiss.
Then he allowed her to roll out of his arms and lie down beside
him. Melinda gazed at the delicate puffy clouds floating in the
sky. Unconsciously, she placed her hand upon the roundness of her
belly and sighed.

The sound of the rooster in the background
awoke Gilbert from his sleep, but Melinda did not stir. She was
breathing evenly and was in a deep sleep. He rolled over on his
side and watched her as she slept. As he gazed upon her, marveling
at her beauty, he thought how lucky he was to have her. His eyes
studied every curve of her face.

He thought of the love he had for his wife
and tried to put it into words, but found it difficult to describe
his deepest feelings for her. Irresistible? That was it. She was
overwhelmingly irresistible to him.

With an impulse of tenderness, he touched
her cheek with the tips of his fingers. As he traced his finger
across her cheek and over the curves of her chin, he told her of
his love.

Melinda sighed and stretched her arms and
legs. Then she opened her eyes and smiled. “Were you talking to
me?”