Leaving the hospital was extremely painful for Marta, as she looked back at the huge building that had been her home for the past months. The cold rooms had felt warm and comforting to her during her stay. She carefully got into the taxi that the hospital had called for her, knowing it would take her far away from the familiar nurses that had taken care of her and that she had come to count on for companionship. The taxi pulled away and headed in the direction of her home. Anxious now about returning to the house with the small bundle sleeping in her arms, Marta began to clench her fists so hard her nails almost cut into her palms. She looked down at her hands and thought to herself that she would have to cut the nails, so she wouldn't take a chance of scratching the baby.Slowly, she walked outside to bring in all the things on the driveway. All the necessities to take care of the baby were in the bags and she would have to get them ready, the baby would soon wake and need nourishment from Marta.
A single car went down the street as she went up the walk, making it seem as if the street was lonely too. She was close to tears now as she walked through the door again into the darkness of the house. It was bright and sunny outside, with a slight breeze, but inside the dark closed up house was depressing at best. Marta felt weak and sat in the chair next to the sofa, looking at the child that would need her care to survive, with hopelessness. She knew that she should open the windows and let the fresh air fill the house, but Marta had no strength left as she dosed off.
Marta was startled from her sleep with the sounds of the baby screaming. She jumped to her feet and fell forward from the pain in her abdomen, from her surgery. Her stitches were not yet healed giving her a wrenching pain. She ignored the pain and picked the baby up to soothe her. Settling back into the chair she rocked the baby and then allowed her to nurse. The baby settled into a comforting feeling of being nourished while Marta stared down at her. She had not yet given her a name, much to the dismay of the nurses at the hospital. Marta smiled, knowing that a name would come to her soon. She wanted the name to suit her child, since she would have it forever. Marta was sure that this child would have a special name, one that would carve her future for her. She believed that a name could influence how your life would unfold.
Waking to the darkness falling outside, Marta laid the baby back down and went to the kitchen. Peering into the coffee container, she found there was still some coffee in it. Thankful for this, she made a small pot in order to save some for the morning. Knowing there would be nothing left in the fridg that would be safe to eat, she looked in the cabinets and found a can of soup. As she heated the soup in the microwave, Marta noticed a pile of mail on the table. How could that be? Who would have put it there? Suddenly she knew that someone had been in the house. Looking around now to see if anything else was out of place, she went down the hall and cut on all the lights. Nothing seemed to be out of order at all. But Marta was still frightened to know that someone had come into her house and left again without a sign of who they might be. Not quite dark yet, Marta ventured out the back door to look out there and see if anything had changed during her time away. It was actually too dark out there to see very much, so she came in and locked the door behind her. Looking back at the handle, she wondered if someone had a key and pushed a chair under the handle. At least it would make a noise, even if it didn't keep someone from coming in.
Marta was beginning to become frightened now. She didn't know any of her neighbors and had no friends either. Why would someone do this for her. When she realized that someone had taken the time to do something for her, the fear subsided and she felt better about the mail lying on the table. She didn't want to look at though. It would be bills and notices of late payments and she couldn't deal with those right now. Reaching over and touching the stack of mail, Marta began to cry. The reality of her situation was beginning to sink in now. She was alone with a new baby, no money and no job. The baby let out a howl and she went to change her with the diapers the hospital had sent home with her. When that was done she took the baby into the bedroom and laid her on her bed, she didn't have a crib. Cutting on the small lamp on the dresser, she stood and watched her baby breathing softly, wrapped in the blanket a nurse had given her. Marta was engulfed with the worry now, of how she would take care of her baby after the supplies ran out.
Feeling that she had to get hold of herself and get a grip on her life, she went in the bathroom to take a shower. Letting the warm water flow over her and shampooing her hair in her own shampoo seemed to lift some of the feelings of despair. Wrapping herself in a warm robe she took her soup into the living room. Placing a pillow on her lap to steady the bowl, she picked up the remote. Punching the buttons had no results, the set would not come on, the bill had not been paid. She threw the remote on the sofa and ate her soup. Still hungry when it was finished, she went back into the kitchen to look for some crackers. Just as she reached up into the cabinet, she heard the turning of the doorknob. Turning around slowly and staring at it, she saw it turn more and then the door itself was being pushed open. She grabbed the crackers to her chest, crushing them in the process. The sound of the crushing crackers pushed her into action and she went to the door. Reaching out quickly she jerked it open, shoving the chair aside!
Staring into her eyes was an older woman, with salt and pepper hair. She had no idea who the woman was and waited for her to speak.. or something. Marta really had no idea what to do, now that she had opened the door, she just stood there staring. "Hello." the woman said brightly. Marta couldn't decide whether to speak or yell, but finally managed to say, "Hello, who are you?"
The gray haired woman smiled and chuckled, "Your next door neighbor. I'm Mae Beazley. Glad to see you're home, heard you went to the hospital. So thought I would keep your mail from getting stolen. It filled up the box and started falling out in the street." She pushed the chair aside and stepped into the kitchen with the mail in her hand as if this was her normal behavior. Placing it on the table with the rest she looked at Marta, "Are you better now?" Marta nodded, still having nothing to say. "I take it your name is Marta? Is that right? I saw it on the mail." The woman asked. "Oh, I guess you are wondering how I got in?" Marta nodded. "The back door was wide open one day after a storm blew it open, so I came over to shut it. The key was hanging there on that peg, I took it so I could look after things for you. I didn't mean to frighten you dear." She explained, smiling at Marta with a smile that told her she really didn't mean any harm.
"Thank you so much for your help... I have been.. ill." Marta told her. The baby let out another wail at that moment and Marta smiled and glanced down the hallway. "Oh my, you had a little one while you were gone." Mae smiled. "May I see the baby?"
Marta smiled and nodded, leading the way down the hall. "Oh.. look at that sweet little thing." Mae said as she leaned over and picked her up, swaying her back and fourth calming her cries. It worked and the baby was soon fast asleep again. Marta was beginning to see that Mae's gruff manor was a ruse as she laid the baby back on the bed and turned to Marta. "You sure are holding on to that package of crackers! Are you hungry?" she asked with a laugh. Marta shook her head and said no. "Hmmm, is that your dinner? I guess there wouldn't be much here left to eat after all this time. Just you wait, I'll be back in a minute!" Mae told her as she quickly went back out the door. Marta stood watching her almost run out the door she had so recently entered, scaring Marta to death. A smile began to curl her lip as she thought about the short gray haired woman full of energy that seemed to know everything without being told.
Realizing that she had been standing for quite some time now, Marta sat in the chair that she had placed in front of the door and laughed to herself. After a few minutes Mae came back with a tray. "Now, this ought to keep your strength up. I made it today." she told Marta as she reached up to a cabinet to get a plate. Marta smiled watching her. Mae had looked in every nook and cranny while Marta was in the hospital. She didn't mind at all she found, as Mae busied around Marta's kitchen to make sure she had everything she needed. "I'll bring you some milk for your coffee if that's the way you like it." Mae said, ready to run home again. "Oh no, black is fine. Please Mae, sit down with me." Marta told her. "You really shouldn't have done this, it's too much." Marta said as a tear started to form in the corner of her eye. Marta hadn't had anyone care about her this way in along time.
Mae patted her hand, "Why not? I can if I want to you know." Marta looked up to see Mae smiling at her. "Go ahead honey, eat. Now, do you have family Marta?" Mae asked her, not in an intrusive way, but caring and kind. Marta shook her head as she tasted the wonderful casserole. "Mae, this is wonderful..." Mae looked please, "Good, I don't have my son to cook for anymore, but I just can't seem to make anything decent if it's just for me, so I keep cooking like I have a family to feed." Mae told her laughing and throwing her hands in the air.
"Tell me dear, do you not have..anyone to help you?" Mae asked kindly. Marta stopped eating and shook her head, "No, there's no one left." Knowing that Mae wanted to know about the father of the baby she said, "He died." Mae smiled at her, "I'm truly sorry, dear. All of your family gone too?" Marta nodded. Mae stood up and poured Marta more coffee, "Do you have a job?" Marta laughed, "Mae, I don't have much right now, just that little girl in there. I don't have a clue whether I have a job or not. I had to stay in the hospital for so long..no one ever came or called from my work, so I assume I do not have a job." Mae jumped up, "Don't ever assume dear, do!" She went to the phone and listened for a dial tone. "Nope, that doesn't work, guess it got cut off." She said matter-of-factly. "Well, I guess it's too late now anyway. In the morning I will bring over my cell phone and you can call and find out the status of your job."
Marta was beginning to like this little ball of fire that had taken over her kitchen and from the looks of it, her health too. She smiled, "Do you think I could still have one?" Mae looked at her, "Well, how do you know if you don't ask? There is just as good a chance you do, as you don't!" Marta laughed and nodded. "Do you live alone Mae? No husband?" Mae smiled, "Alone. He's been gone a long time. My son lives across the country and has his own family. I saw you here you know. I'm nosey..but I'm a good neighbor!" Mae laughed. "You were gone most of the time, long hours. Where did you work?" Marta looked sad, "Downtown at an Ad agency. I thought I was on top of the world with my dream job and new husband when we bought this house. He only slept here once, then he was sent overseas. He didn't come back."
Mae looked sad for a moment as she listened to Marta and then she smiled, "He isn't all gone though, is he?" Marta raised her head and looked into Mae's sparkling blue eyes. She began to smile and nodded to Mae. "Oh Mae! I think you just gave my daughter a name, Jo. Her father's name was Joe." Marta reached out to hold onto Mae. "What about about a middle name?" Mae asked.
"I think it will have to be Beth, after my mother. She never got to see her granddaughter either. You know, I think I feel better now that she has a name." Marta smiled at Mae, "Of course this food helped too. Thank you so much. You have been so kind. I guess I needed..someone to care. I was feeling pretty low and sorry for myself coming into this lonely empty house."
"You reminded me of someone I once knew, a long time ago. At first I didn't see the resemblance, but now the memories are just as fresh as the day I kissed him goodbye." Mae told her as she folded her hands on her lap and smiled. Marta looked at her in amazement, realizing that Mae's husband had gone to war too, and not come home. Somehow, the two women, one young and one not so young, formed a bond that day that would last for many years. Together they raised Jo Beth, as she grew far mor quickly than they had planned.
The years flew by and Jo had grown into a young woman as she went with her mother to the nursing home, to visit Mae one last time. Mae no longer spoke and her breathing was heavy and labored and her eyes were closed. Marta kissed her on the cheek and thanked her one more time for the love and the treasured friendship they had shared. Mae, filling the needs of a young mother and Marta filling the needs of being a mother, for the older woman. They had become each other's shoulder to lean on and smile to count on. Marta would miss her dear friend everyday and wished that Jo could have had her with her on her wedding day that was soon to take place. Marta's life had been filled with blessings since the day that Mae had come into it, she would strive to follow the footsteps that Mae had left behind, a giving heart and helping hand to those in need. Especially to the soldiers wives that she had come to know, with Mae's help.
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