Page 40 of Timeless

“I’ll pray for that,” she replied.

The day they were saying goodbye at the train station, Deb and John David left Paul with one of Harriet’s sisters-in-law. The woman had been kind enough to take him in for the afternoon, given the circumstances. Her own husband hadn’t been drafted yet, nor had he volunteered, so he would be sticking around to take care of their own farm for as long as he could. JD had said goodbye to his son, telling him that he’d see him later, and they’d taken a family friend’s car to the train station and had all gotten out, with Harriet at her side and Jacob’s wife at his. Deb hugged John David close and told him to come home. Then, she gave Jacob a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said the same.

“Come home, Jake,” she said. “And watch out for each other, you hear me?”

“I hear you. We will,” Jacob replied.

She watched JD turn away when Delilah kissed Jacob on the lips and cried. Her own children were at home with her mother, thankfully, because they had four little ones now. Deb wanted to take Harriet’s hand, but she didn’t. Instead, she watched Harriet hug both men. Then, they got on the train, along with other men from all the nearby towns, and she watched JD walk back to a seat. He waved to her through the open window.

“Go on home! I’ll be fine,” he yelled to her.

She saw Jacob sit down next to him, waving out the window at Delilah.

“Tell the kids I love them! I’ll be home before you know it,” Jacob yelled out.

“I love you,” Delilah replied.

Jacob nodded, and maybe for the first time, Deb felt bad for Delilah. She had always thought Delilah liked Jacobenough, but her parents had chosen him for her in the same way that Deb’s parents had chosen John David for her, so she’d never even considered that Delilah had fallen in love with him. Now, though, as she watched her standing there, crying, holding one of Jacob’s handkerchiefs to her nose, she felt bad for the woman because Jacob could never love her back in the same way. Deb looked at Harriet then, who was waving at Jacob and John David.

“I am so lucky,” she said to her, causing Harriet to turn toward her.

“Weird thing to say right about now, don’t you think?”

“I have you.” Deb smiled a little. “At least, I have you.” She nodded to Delilah, who was waving at Jacob.

Harriet smiled at her as well and said, “We should talk more about what John David said he wanted us to do, Deb.”

“I know. We will. Let’s just get our boys off to war first.” She turned back to the train as it started to rumble and roll.

She waved at John David and Jacob, who continued waving back until the train started to pull away.

???

“He asleep?” Deb asked hours later as she stood at the stove, making them something for a late supper since neither of them had felt like eating earlier.

“He is. He called me Mama again, though. I told him not to, but I think it just slips out.”

Deb smiled as she looked down into the pot on the stove.

“Well, with JD gone and you and I being best friends to everyone else, I think they would understand a little boy making a mistake like that.”

“Maybe. But do we want to risk that?” Harriet asked.

“We can keep telling him not to call you that, if it bothers you.”

“It’s not about that. I love that little boy more than life. I wish I reallywashis other mama. But if people hear that, they might get the wrong idea, which is really therightideabecause I love his mama more than life, too.” Harriet walked up behind Deb, wrapped her arms around her middle, and rested her chin on her shoulder. “What’s for supper?”

“I’m reheating the stew from yesterday. Have a seat. It’s done.”

“No, I like it here more.” Harriet kissed her cheek.

“Harriet Louise, you sit down at the table right now.” Deb laughed. “We haven’t eaten all day.”

“All right. All right.” Harriet pulled away and took her usual chair at the table.

Deb spooned their meal into two bowls and placed one of them in front of Harriet and the other in front of her own seat.

“I just realized this is the first time since the wedding that JD won’t be sleeping here,” she shared as she sat down next to Harriet. “Even when he would run out with Jacob, he always had to come back and sleep here because Delilah was at Jacob’s house.”