The Baby Barter. Patty Smith Hall

tugged at the worn fingertips of her gloves and folded them over the top of her purse. No hello or how have you been. Then, Momma had never been one for social pleasantries at home. No, those were reserved for Sunday-morning church service or a meeting of one of her ladies’ clubs in town. But wouldn’t it be nice if Momma greeted her with a welcoming hello, as if she were truly glad to see her? “I went to see Ms. Adair about Eileen’s baby. Remember?”

      “Eileen’s baby?” Dull gray eyes met Thea’s in the oval hall mirror, faded blond eyebrows bunched together in confusion, a common expression on her mother’s face these days. Long moments passed before Momma’s face finally relaxed a bit. “Oh, yes. Your sister. She had a baby.”

      Thea swallowed down the slight unease she felt at her mother’s behavior. True, Momma hadn’t been at her best since Thea had returned to town, but that was hardly surprising. How could she expect her mother to go on unaffected after all the losses she’d suffered, first Daddy then Eileen? Did losing her daughter bring on this forgetfulness that seemed to have settled like a thick fog over her memories? Or maybe forgetting the past had made it easier for Momma to live in the present. “I’m meeting with Sheriff Worthington sometime this week to discuss it more.”

      “Mack Worthington?”

      Her mother’s response surprised her. Momma had never had much time for Thea or Eileen’s friends. “You remember Mack?”

      “Of course, I do, silly child. The two of you have gone to school together since you were just a little bit of a girl.” Momma studied her over the rim of her glasses, a slight smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “He’s that nice boy you have a little crush on.”

      What in the world had caused her mother to remember that particular piece of the past? And why did she talk as if Thea was still in saddle shoes and knee socks? A cold chill skated up Thea’s spine. “That was a long time ago, Momma. Back before I left home to go off to nursing school, remember?”

      “Oh, yes, that’s right.” She buried her hands in her apron pockets, her eyes fixed on a point just over Thea’s shoulder, as if she’d found something more interesting to look at than her daughter. “So what did you find out about the baby?”

      “Ms. Adair does have a baby girl who is the same age Eileen’s baby would be.”

      “Then you’ll be bringing her home soon?”

      If only it were that easy. “There are some complications, Momma.”

      “What kind of complications?” Her mother pressed her lips together in that annoyed way Thea remembered well.

      She’d never please her mother, would she? The muscles in Thea’s shoulders bunched together, a heavy weight pressing her down into the scarred oak floors. “Well, Mack would like to see the baby’s birth certificate to prove that Sarah is Eileen’s child before he drags Ms. Adair into the matter.”

      “But that baby is ours!” Momma stepped closer to Thea. “You told him that, didn’t you?”

      “Yes, Momma, but a birth certificate would go a long way to proving that the baby belongs with us.” Thea rested her hands on her mother’s shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Do you know if Eileen filed the baby’s birth certificate with the county?”

      “Your sister was too busy to spend a day down at the courthouse.” Momma fidgeted with the long strings of her apron. “She was always too busy for anything useful or important.”

      Thea ignored the implication. “What about Mrs. Williams? She delivered the baby, right? Would she have filed the paperwork?”

      “I doubt it, but then again, I didn’t ask her to. I figured we’d eventually get around to taking care of it ourselves.”

      Which meant the baby’s birth certificate likely hadn’t been filed. Thea turned and leaned back against the table, gripping the edges in her hands. How could she prove that Sarah was her niece if the only witness of her birth had left town for who knew how long? Where else would Eileen record the birth of her child? “Did Eileen have a Bible? Something she might have made a note in about the baby’s birth?”

      Momma shook her head. “Not that I know of, but you know how sneaky your sister was. Always hiding things away in her room. Secrets, she said.” Her mother’s thin lips flattened. “All she’s ever brought home is trouble. Maybe if your father had lived...”

      Thea nodded. If only Daddy had lived, Eileen wouldn’t have turned wild. Thea wouldn’t have been put in the middle of the violent arguments between her mother and sister. Maybe if Daddy had lived, Eileen wouldn’t have had that child all those years ago, and there would have been no reason for Thea to leave home at age seventeen. Maybe she would have married some local boy, had a baby or two of her own. Thea shut her eyes on those thoughts. Daddy was gone, and wondering what might have been was just a waste of time.

      This was her life. Mother, herself. Sarah. She’d best get busy living it. “I have an appointment at the hospital first thing in the morning to check on my job application but if you’d like to go, I thought maybe we could stop by the courthouse and look through some of their records just on the off chance Eileen filed a birth certificate.”

      “No!” Momma shook her head so hard, Thea worried she’d get whiplash. “I mean, that’s all right. I’ve got so much to do around here, getting Eileen’s old room ready for the baby and all.” She gave Thea an uncertain smile. “You’ve always been so good at taking care of things, I’d rather leave the birth certificate up to you.”

      At least that hadn’t changed. Momma and Eileen always left their messes for her to clean up. But her mother had never turned down a trip into town, not when the shops were open and ready for business.

      “Are you sure? You haven’t been out of this house since I got home. Wouldn’t you like to at least go into town with me? I heard Mr. Hice has some new material just perfect for the baby clothes you’ve talked about making.”

      Momma wrinkled her nose as if the thought of a trip into town disgusted her. “The square is just so crowded with all those people from over at the bomber plant wandering around.” She shook her head again. “No, I think I’d rather stay here. That’s all right with you, isn’t it?”

      Thea blinked. Momma never asked her permission for anything, had always been too busy passing out orders or barking out commands. “That’s fine, but I might be gone for most of the day. I’m going to try to catch up with Mack at his office after I spend some time looking through the county records.”

      “You should have been here to take care of your sister.” Momma turned away from Thea and started down the hall. She’d almost reached the kitchen when she turned around and gave Thea a forced smile. “If you had been here, you would have talked Eileen out of going with that boy. But you weren’t, and now your sister’s dead.”

      Thea closed her eyes, her muscles weighed down with the fatigue of the past few days as well as an equally heavy dose of guilt. The events of the afternoon had finally caught up with her, stripped her of all her energy. The practical part of Thea knew she shouldn’t take anything her mother said personally. Momma always lashed out when she was upset. She mourned the child she’d lost, the grandchild she’d never held. Her mother was grieving, that was all. Her fingers tightened around the edges of the scarred hall table until she thought they would break. Lord, please let it be nothing more than that. Don’t take Momma away from me just yet.

      Maybe losing Eileen had been too much for her mother to handle, maybe the presence of a little one in the house was what Momma needed to find some joy in living again. Recovering her sister’s baby was the answer. Then Momma would have a reason to fight, and it would give Thea a chance to right a terrible wrong. To bring her sister’s baby back home.

      This time.

      * * *

      Mack usually used his morning walks before the town came to life to meditate on the Scriptures or pray for the men and women who would soon be filling the streets