Caught In A Bind. Gayle Roper

her go, and as I turned back to my desk, I saw Jolene watching too.

      “No more questions, Jo,” I said. “When she wants to tell us about it, she will.”

      “You’re no fun.” But when Edie finally returned red-eyed to her desk, Jo kept quiet.

      I spent the balance of the day reading about Freedom House in either our paper files or e-files or online. I learned it was established five years ago and that Stephanie Bauer had been its only director. I learned that in addition to providing counseling and comfort to abused wives, Freedom House sponsored training workshops for churches who wanted to know how to help abused women in their congregations.

      I studied the pictures of Ms. Bauer and saw a woman of about forty, very slim and attractive with great dark eyes and dark curly hair.

      “I was an abused wife,” she was quoted as saying in one article. “I know the fear and desperation of these women. I know their feelings of being powerless. I also know God can help them deal with the overwhelming helplessness. I know they can live again.”

      How did she learn to live again? What specifics marked her flight from her husband to her position at Freedom House? Or had he reformed and she was still married to him?

      I called Freedom House and got Stephanie Bauer on the line. “May I come interview you some day soon?”

      “How about tomorrow?” she asked. “I know it’s Saturday, but my schedule is crazy what with the ministry, the Easter holidays and my kids.”

      I had rehearsal with the bell choir tomorrow morning for the upcoming Easter service, and in the evening Curt was taking me to the reception that Mr. Montgomery was throwing for the News staff and his invited guests. But I was free Saturday afternoon.

      “Is two o’clock all right?” I asked Stephanie.

      “Will we be finished by three? I have an appointment with my daughter at three. We’re going shopping. She ‘needs’ some spring clothes.”

      “We’ll be finished by then,” I promised. Then thinking it might fit into the article, I asked, “How old is your daughter?”

      “Fifteen.”

      Just like Randy, I thought. Poor Stephanie.

      “A teenager at the mall,” I said, sarcasm dripping a bit too freely. “It ought to be an interesting afternoon for you.”

      “It will be interesting,” Stephanie said, ignoring my tone. “I enjoy anything I get to do with Sherrie. We’re both so busy! And Rob is no better.”

      “Rob’s your—?”

      “My son,” Stephanie said. “He’s eighteen. We’ve been filling out financial information for colleges all year, and the hardest part is finding a night when we’re both home!”

      When I hung up from my conversation with Stephanie, I glanced at Edie. Stephanie’s relationship with her children seemed the polar opposite of Edie’s with Randy. Both women had had marital hard times, but one had fun with her kids and the other cried. Interesting.

      It was almost five o’clock when Jolene said, “Hey, Merry, Edie, let’s go get dinner together.”

      “What a good idea.” I hadn’t been looking forward to a lonely Friday night. Curt was away overnight on a men’s retreat, and he’d talked Jo’s husband into going along. Apparently she wasn’t any more anxious to fritter the night away alone than I was.

      “Thanks, but I can’t,” Edie said. “I need to get home.”

      “But Tom works on Friday nights, doesn’t he?” Jolene asked.

      “Well, yes.”

      “And Randy’s certainly big enough to feed himself.”

      Jolene had obviously been thinking about this dinner for some time and had figured out all the angles, something for which she was justly famous.

      “He won’t be home for dinner,” Edie said, then realized she had thrown away her best excuse to decline. With a sigh she shrugged. “Let me call and leave a message telling him where I’m going.”

      Jolene was delighted. She’d now have Edie in close quarters for an hour. More than enough time to turn the screws.

      “Now you be good,” I managed to whisper to Jolene while Edie was talking to Astrid, the hostess at Ferretti’s, Amhearst’s one and only decent restaurant. “Edie doesn’t need you badgering her.”

      “Me? Badger?” Jolene looked aghast.

      This time I was the one who snorted.

      Within five minutes we followed Astrid to our booth.

      “Eggplant parmigiana,” Jo told Sally, our waitress. “Raspberry vinaigrette dressing on the salad. And lots of garlic bread.”

      “Spaghetti and meatballs,” I said. “Parmesan peppercorn dressing and lots of garlic bread too.” I looked at Jolene and grinned. “There’s something to be said for not seeing the guys tonight.”

      “A cup of chicken noodle soup,” Edie said. “And a roll, no garlic.”

      “A salad?” Sally asked.

      Edie shook her head. “Just the soup.”

      “You’re on a diet! How wonderful!” Jolene said with her usual diplomacy.

      “I’m just not hungry,” Edie said, tugging self-consciously at the gaping front on her shirt.

      “You can tell Tom’s coming home tonight,” I said, winking at Jo. “No garlic bread.”

      And just like that, Edie began to cry.

      TWO

      “I’m sorry.” Edie grabbed her napkin and blew her nose. “I’m all right. I am.” The tears rolled down her face.

      “Oh, Edie.” I put my arm around her shoulder. She began to cry harder.

      Jolene grabbed my arm, looked at me over Edie’s bent head and mouthed very clearly, “Fix it.”

      “How?” I mouthed back.

      Jolene made a desperate face and gave a great shrug.

      I shoved my napkin into Edie’s hands. “Here. Blow again.” I patted her shoulder some more. When in doubt, pat.

      “I’m sorry,” Edie said again. “I’m such a baby.”

      “No, you’re not. And we don’t mind the tears, do we, Jolene?”

      She mumbled something that sounded like, “Mmmphmm.”

      I rolled my eyes and said softly to Edie, “We just mind whatever is making them fall.”

      She smiled weakly at that.

      Jolene took one look at that travesty of a smile and decided Edie was well on the way to recovery. She awkwardly patted Edie’s hand. “Okay, girlfriend, that’s enough. It’s time to straighten that spine.”

      Once again I was appalled and once again Edie responded positively.

      “You’re right.” She stuffed the napkins into her purse and sat up straight. “No more.”

      Jolene nodded as if she expected nothing less. “It’s Randy, isn’t it? Has he gotten arrested? Failed a big test? Gotten kicked out of school?”

      Edie shook her head. “It’s not Randy, believe it or not.” Her eyes were full of pain.

      I frowned. “Then it’s Tom?”

      Edie looked at her clenched hands and nodded.

      I always hated it when a husband and a wife had trouble, but I especially hated it now because Curt and I were so happy.