Chapter Sixteen
The following morning Miriam was watching Newsworld at Jerry's while he was getting Michelle dressed. The plan for the day was to go into Halifax to buy a computer and arrange for an Internet account.
While she studied the images from Lebanon, she heard an insistent knock on the front door. Puzzled, she looked out the window of the living room to try to see who was at the door but she could only see part of a woman's back.
Walking to the front door, she opened it and said, “How can I help you?”
The woman at the door was several inches taller than Miriam with strawberry blonde hair and too much makeup. She sneered at Miriam and said, “Who the hell are you?”
Miriam fought her rising temper. “I'm Miriam Nadif, a friend of Jerry's. You must be Annabelle.”
Annabelle looked Miriam up and down. “Well, you can go tell Jerry to pack Michelle's things. I'm taking her home with me.”
Jerry had heard voices and came down the stairs, carrying Michelle. His face closed as he saw the tableau in front of him. “Annabelle,” he acknowledged.
“Jerry, I'm here to get my daughter. Please go pack a suitcase. I'd like to have her come with me on a trip.” Michelle looked suspiciously at her mother but eventually went to her for a hug.
Seeing the look of fierce protectiveness on Miriam's face, Jerry asked, “Miriam, would you please take Mitchie and get her some breakfast? I'd like to have a talk with Annabelle.”
Miriam gave Annabelle a withering look then took Michelle's hand and led her to the kitchen. Jerry moved closer to Annabelle and lowered his voice. “You assigned me primary custody. I don't think it's in Michelle's best interests to go on an extended trip with you until she's older. If you want to spend time with her you can pick her up first thing in the morning and bring her back for her bedtime. Except Sunday when you can pick her up after church. Or you can arrange for different hours if you want. She still needs some routine in her life and I think it would be best if she sleeps in her own bed.”
Annabelle was surprised at Jerry's firm tone. “She's my daughter, not yours.”
“It's my name on the birth certificate as the father. The only way that would change would be for you to find the real father and have a paternity test done. But you admitted to me that you didn't know who the father really was and Michelle is my daughter, legally. I'm not willing to change the custody arrangements without a fight. So you can't take her home with you.”
Annabelle looked like she wanted to fight, too. “I can prove you aren't her father.” Jerry just stood impassively. Annabelle fidgeted then huffed. “Okay. You win. But I still want to spend as much time as I can with her while I'm here.”
“That's fine with me. My lawyer said that I should cooperate with you because Michelle should have the chance to spend time with her mother. This is supposed to be about what's best for her, not what's best for you or for me.”
Annabelle chewed on her lower lip and let out a big sigh. “All right. Day trips it is, but she'd better be ready every morning at eight.”
Jerry nodded. “By the way, Annabelle, I'm not your enemy in this. I want Michelle and you to have as good a relationship as you can. I still pray for you every day because I don't want to badmouth you in front of her. It's harder to do that when you pray for someone. Rose and Miriam have been making sure that they don't gossip about you in Mitchie's hearing, although I'm sure that some of our neighbours aren't as scrupulous.”
Jerry paused and said a quick silent prayer. “I'm asking you to extend us the same courtesy, please. I'd also like you to clear it with me before you buy anything big ticket for Michelle.”
Annabelle was not used to dealing with Jerry being firm with her. She took a step back and gave a quick nod. “I suppose that's fair. Now, may I speak with my daughter?”
Jerry sighed and shrugged. “Yes. I'll go get a day pack and make sure you've got things for the beach and an extra change of clothes or two. You're welcome to stay for coffee while I get everything ready.”
Annabelle shook her head. “I think I'll wait on the porch. By the way, I have a booster seat, so you won't have to transfer the one from your car.”
“Okay. Give me ten minutes.”
Annabelle left to sit on the porch swing. Jerry went into the kitchen and sat next to Michelle. “Sweetie, your mother is here for her vacation and wants to spend some time with you. Are you up for that?”
Michelle asked, “Did she bring her boyfriend?”
Jerry said, “I don't think so.”
“Then it's okay.”
“I'll go get your bag packed, then.” Jerry looked at Miriam who had her 'I hate surprises' look on her face. “Annabelle wants to visit as much as possible with Mitchie. So I agreed that she could pick Michelle up at eight and drop her off at eight in the evening.”
Rose came bustling in the side door. “I see Annabelle is back in town again.”
Michelle gave a nervous smile. “Mommy is going to the beach with me.”
“That should be fun.” Rose pasted a smile on. Miriam was trying to look neutral.
Jerry called Michelle from the front hall. “Time to go, Mitchie.”
Michelle ran to Rose for a hug then climbed into Miriam's lap for a small cuddle before yelling “Coming.”
Miriam gently set her on the floor with a kiss on the cheek. “You have fun with your mother. We'll see you around bed time.”
Jerry led Michelle to Annabelle's car and gave her a kiss before handing her over to Annabelle. “You two have fun. We'll see you tonight.”
Annabelle gave Michelle a tentative smile. She relaxed when Michelle walked into a hug. Jerry noticed a tear trickling down one side of her face as she picked up her daughter. He said a prayer of thanks and a prayer asking for God's protection on both of them.
Michelle waved as they drove away in the direction of Chester. Jerry returned the wave and stood watching until the car disappeared around a curve. Miriam came out to join him and wrapped an arm around him.
“So that's Annabelle.” Miriam gave Jerry a squeeze. “She's different from what I expected.”
Jerry looked down. “I think the divorce papers gave her a bit of a shock. There was a look on her face when Michelle gave her a hug that I've never seen before from her. Maybe she's finally regretting not keeping in closer contact.”
“Perhaps. But I don't trust her very much. Her first words to me were that she was taking Michelle home with her.”
Jerry frowned. “She'd need my permission for that and I told her that there were no overnight trips until Michelle is older.”
“I still don't trust her.” Miriam folded her arms across her chest.
“The law says I have to until she proves me wrong. Lorne said I should call him if Annabelle tries anything. But she agreed, if reluctantly, with my restrictions.”
“Does this change our plans for the day?”
“Only a little. I was planning on a picnic lunch at Mitchie's favourite park in Halifax, but I think I'd rather just shop for the computer and come home early.” Jerry gave Miriam a kiss on the top of her head. “I think I'll pick up a cell phone, too. That way Rose or Annabelle can call if there's an emergency.”
Rose, who had quietly joined them, said, “That's a good idea. If you can wait until I go get my book, I'll man the phones here while you're shopping. You might want to think about which of your renovation projects you want to tackle over the next two weeks while you're out.” She waved as she headed to her house.
Miriam looked up quizzically. “Renovation projects?”
Jerry got a sheepish look on his face. “The first time Annabelle came down I found out that I needed to stick around the house while she had Michelle. That first year Michelle decided she needed her dolly, which was in my car. I'd gone shopping and Annabelle was subjected to a full blown tantrum for almost an hour before I got back. So I decided to wallpaper the parlour and dining room and last year I got my brothers to help me replace the s
econd floor windows.”
“What about this year?”
“How about we talk about that on the way into Halifax? After all, this affects you, too.”
Miriam wiggled her left hand in front of Jerry's face and smiled. “No ring, remember?”
Jerry pulled her into a hug and bent his head down. “I'll bet I could make you forget.”
She looked into his blue eyes and said, “I bet you could,” as their lips met.
Jerry looked up to see Rose returning. “You two. Carrying on like that on the front lawn. What will the neighbours think?”
Miriam looked over Rose's shoulder and called to Jan Schwartz, who was weeding her flowers. “Jan, Rose wants to know what the neighbours think about us carrying on in front of the house.”
Jan sauntered over and said, “Pretty tame for carrying on, if you ask me. Now, I remember when Jack Carson and his pretty bride bought the house next door. I tell you, I would have put a much higher priority on curtains than they did.”
Rose stared in shock at her old friend. “You aren't supposed to look in the neighbour's windows.”
“Well, there were these odd noises. We had to make sure that you were all right.” Jan teased.
Rose blushed bright red and said, “So that's why Sid had that little talk with Jack.”
“He was way more embarrassed than I was.” Jan turned to Jerry. “As I said, a few kisses on the front lawn is pretty tame.”
Jerry shook his head to try and clear the mental images Jan was hinting at. “We should be going.”
They found a computer store and bought a basic system that could handle some learning games for Michelle on top of the Internet, email and word processing that Jerry wanted for himself. The cell phone store also had Internet access packages at a discount if the two services were bundled. He was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a high speed service point close enough to his house that he could use it. That was good because he wouldn't have to tie up the phone to use the Internet. Then they made a quick stop at the grocery store before returning home.
Miriam started to fix lunch while Jerry brought an old writing table down from the attic to tuck into a corner of the living room near the phone jack. He unpacked the computer and began to work his way through the setup. By the time Miriam called him for lunch, he had gotten the computer hooked up and confirmed that the Internet was working. Then he went to install the filters on the other phones.
Miriam almost ran to the living room to sign on to her email account, but she restrained herself. However, she did not dawdle over her lunch and Jerry wisely offered to clean up.
There was a message waiting from Elena.
It was a great pleasure to hear that you are alive and well. Micheline sends her love. Sara couldn't say anything because our aunt was in the room but I'm sure she is happy about this, too.
The Israelis are getting closer to Manzieh and Nabatieh. We are also praying that Sara stays safe and we pray for you. I look forward to the day we can see each other again.
All my love, Elena
Miriam sent a brief reply assuring Elena of her prayers. Closing the browser, she put her head down to pray for the safety of her sisters in this time of conflict. Then she got up to help Jerry with the dishes.
They spent the afternoon examining the house in detail, eventually making a short list of projects that needed to be done. After a light supper, they narrowed the list down and came up with two one week projects that should keep them busy around the house until Annabelle went home. The first project was to put a new vapour barrier and insulation in the attic and put in new windows. The second was repainting the porch. Jerry thought that one inside project they could do on rainy days was a good idea.
Annabelle returned a very tired but happy Michelle just before eight. “How was she?”
“She is an angel, but I'd forgotten how much energy she has. I'm going to sleep well tonight.” Annabelle said as she flexed her back.
“And how are you doing?” Jerry asked.
Annabelle looked at him as if weighing whether he was actually interested or just being polite. She decided that he might be interested. “Well, I have a boyfriend who's talking about marriage, so I think I've settled down a bit in the past year. The reason I wanted Michelle to come away with me was so I could introduce her to Phil.”
“I don't think that's a good idea right now.”
Annabelle pursed her lips. “I don't agree and if she and Phil got along, I would want to change the custody arrangements.”
Jerry pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, file your position with the court and we'll see what the judge says.”
Annabelle stiffened and said, “You always were a stickler for rules. I'd hoped you'd be more reasonable.”
“I get your point, Annabelle. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Right at eight.”
“Michelle will be ready. Did you go to the beach?”
“Not today, we went to the farm museum. We'll go to the beach tomorrow unless it rains. If it rains we'll probably go to Halifax and take in a movie.”
“I'll make sure she has her swimsuit. Don't stay up too late.”
“I won't.” Annabelle gave a desultory wave goodbye and Jerry went back into the house.
Miriam was upstairs with Michelle teaching her how to say the Lord's Prayer. The three of them prayed together, and then Michelle yawned and rolled over. By the time Jerry stood up, Michelle was asleep.
Miriam stroked Michelle's hair and said, “I wish I could fall asleep that quickly.”
The rest of the week went by slowly. They measured the porch and the attic and arranged to have the building supply dealer drop off the supplies they needed. Rose and Jan pitched in to help with scraping the paint off the porch railings while Miriam cleaned the attic and piled all of the accumulated treasures in the centre. Jerry split his time between the two chores and found time to measure the small attic windows and buy replacements.
Bill and his family came down from Fredericton for the weekend so the rest of the family, except John who was working, showed up on Saturday for lunch. Miriam spent a wonderful hour with Bill's newborn daughter sleeping peacefully in her arms while she and Jerry gave each other significant looks.
The men decided that the insulation job and windows in the attic could be finished in a few hours if they all pitched in, so Jack went to get his staple gun. Richard offered to help Jerry with putting up drywall and heating ducts in the attic if he wanted to convert the space into something more usable.
Having a mostly full house was a pleasure for Jerry and Miriam. Richard's wife Janet taught Miriam how to make English trifle and Miriam taught her how to make hummus. Jerry was disappointed that Annabelle would not allow Michelle to stay for the big party, but he had promised her that she could spend the time with Michelle.
Church was sweltering because the school gym had no air conditioning but the band was in particularly fine form. John's sermon was on patience and how hard waiting on the Lord could be. Jerry drew solace from the sermon knowing that he needed to be patient for all of the things in his life to resolve.
Miriam held Jerry's hand through much of the sermon, recognizing that she needed to hear the lesson that Father John was teaching. She knew that she had found her home but she also knew they had to wait. Still she had lived five years of her life without the presence of the man she loved and waiting a few more weeks wouldn't kill her.
In retrospect, the reason she hadn't been interested in finding a husband in Lebanon had more to do with being in love with Jerry and not recognizing it than her fear of being found out as a Christian convert. While her father was alive, he could have allowed her to marry one of the Maronite farmers who seemed to be interested in her. But none of the men she met ever came close to Jerry's gentle and loving nature or made her feel alive and appreciated like he did.
Rose hosted lunch before Bill and his family took off for Fredericton. Miriam and Jerry drove out to Peg
gy's Cove for a picnic supper to watch the waves roll in from the open ocean. Miriam felt a sense of awe similar to what she felt driving over the narrow farm roads near Mount Hermon. Despite the best efforts of His people, the world was still largely untamed. It was not only the heavens that declare His majesty – it was also declared in the wild waves of the ocean, the forbidding mountain peaks of the Golan, the vast stretches of trackless Canadian forest and the inhospitable deserts of Syria.
They finished painting the porch on Monday afternoon and celebrated their success with takeout vegetarian pizza and root beer. Jack and Rose went home early for some quiet time and to give Jerry and Miriam some time alone.
Miriam had been corresponding with Elena each day to see if there were any updates. While Jerry was cleaning up in the kitchen she went to the living room. When she opened her email this time though, there was a message from Elena saying that she hadn't heard from Sara for three days.
Miriam went over to the television and turned on Newsworld. The lead international story was a report from south Lebanon about the conflict.
The reporter intoned, in BBC Standard English, “Israeli forces are claiming that regional Hezbollah leader Rafiq Mahmoud was killed during intense fighting in and around the town of Manzieh. A cache of more than six hundred Katyushka rockets was seized and destroyed.” The video feed showed the scope of the destruction. As the camera panned, Miriam sank onto the sofa with an anguished cry.
Jerry rushed into the living room. “What's the matter, sweetheart?”
“Wait with me and I'll show you.”
They waited a very long twelve minutes until the story came back up in the rotation. This time Miriam paid more attention to the background than the story. As the images flashed through, she began to narrate as she pointed to ruined buildings. “That's the old grocery store...That's Uncle Walid's house...That's the house of Imam Hadadi...That's the Hassan farm, they must have built a bunker into the hill where they grew the potatoes...That's the girls' school...” As the story quickly came to its end, Miriam turned to Jerry and started to cry.
Jerry gathered Miriam into his arms and stroked her back as she cries. “We should pray that God is taking care of Sara and the rest of them.”
There was a knock on the door. Jerry called, “It's open.” Annabelle came into the front hall with Michelle to see Miriam on Jerry's lap.
“I'm sorry if I disturbed anything.”
Miriam sat up straight and wiped her eyes. Jerry looked at Annabelle and said, “A large portion of Miriam's home town was destroyed today in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. One of her sisters was living in a bombed out house we saw on television.”
Annabelle said, politely, “I'm sorry to hear that.” Then she shooed Michelle into the living room. “I'll see you tomorrow, Mitchie.”
Michelle climbed up onto her father's lap to get into the hug on the sofa. Annabelle's expression hardened as Michelle said, “Tomorrow, Mommy,” and buried her face in Jerry's shoulder. Annabelle spun around and stomped out of the house.
Miriam wiped her face and said, “I should go.”
Jerry stood up carefully with Michelle in his arms. “Why don't you see if there are any better reports on line? With luck, Sara is already on her way to shelter somewhere.” Looking at Michelle he said, “Say goodnight to Miriam, squirt.”
“G'nite, Miriam,” said Michelle with a big yawn.
Jerry got Michelle ready for bed and was able to read two of her favourite Boynton board books before she fell asleep. Coming softly down the stairs he could hear Miriam typing.
“Do you have any better news?”
“The Israeli news sources confirm the deaths of Rafiq and Imam Hadadi along with five other men. There are also Lebanese reports that Uncle Walid and one of the Haddad brothers were killed along with three other unidentified men and six non-combatants. The good news, if you can call it that, is that most of the non-combatants in the southern Beqaa Valley have fled the fighting. There are refugee camps near Saida and Beirut. Hopefully, Sara will be able to find Micheline in Saida, although if Uncle Walid was killed then Aunt Nadia will probably ask cousin Saleh to take them to her family in Beirut.”
“Any news from Elena?”
“Just a brief note from around midnight their time that she is as worried as I am.”
“So what do you want to do now?”
“If I sit here at the computer I'll just read variations on the same new articles over and over again.” She looked up at Jerry with tear filled eyes. “I need a hug and prayers.”
“That is something I can do.” Jerry drew her up into an enveloping hug, and then led her to the story chair. They sat for a while, not really listening to a concert special on television, until Miriam felt calm enough to pray. She prayed aloud for peace and for Sara's safety, for the strength to wait and for the wisdom to act when needed. Jerry led them in a prayer of thanksgiving to remind them that there were still blessings in their lives. Then Miriam gave Jerry an affectionate hug.
Taking that as a signal that it was time to say goodnight, Jerry gently eased her off his lap. They stood in the front hall for another long hug with Jerry silently praying that the Holy Spirit would be with Miriam tonight.