Mrs. March smiled. “I should do yours for a month after you teach me then. Just to thank you for all the help you’re giving me.”
“No, you shouldn’t. You’re giving me friendship and someone to be with while my husband is working.”
By lunchtime, when Mr. March came back, there was bread in the oven, and soup on the stove. “I know soup isn’t the most refreshing thing in the summer,” Trudie told him, “but it was the easiest thing to teach her to make right off.”
“I will never complain as long as the food I’m being served is cooked well.” He took a bite and smiled. “This is really good, Marion.”
“Thank you,” Mrs. March said as she took a bite of her own soup, a look of surprise on her face. “This really is good!”
Trudie laughed. “Of course, it is. Don’t act so surprised. And it was easy enough that you could make it again without help, right?”
Mrs. March nodded. “I’m sure you’re a sorceress to be able to make me able to cook so quickly.”
Trudie laughed. “Not a sorceress, but I do love to cook. Hopefully that love is showing through.” She felt a little out of place eating with her friend and her husband, but it was the best way to teach her. Halfway through the meal, she got up to check the bread, and then apologized. “I really do need your wife for a moment,” she told Mr. March.
Mrs. March joined her at the oven, and Trudie pointed out the color of the bread. “That’s how we know when it’s done. When it’s that color of golden brown.” Then she reached into the oven, using her apron to shield her hand from the heat, and pulled the loaves out of the oven. “We want to topple the loaves onto a clean cloth to cool.”
Mr. March stared at the bread. “That looks wonderful.”
Mrs. March frowned at him. “Well, I made it, so don’t be so sure, but I hope it’s as good as it looks. I can’t believe I made something that smells so good!”
After lunch, the two women hung the clothes together, and they got dinner on the stove. “Chicken and dumplings is a favorite of mine. It’s hearty and easy to make, so that’s the first supper I’m teaching you to make. We’re making more than the two of you will eat for supper, so you’ll have lunch waiting for you in the ice box tomorrow.”
“So really I only have to cook two meals a day?” Mrs. March asked, seeming excited at the prospect.
“Most days, that will be enough,” Trudie told her. “Now, I want you to keep stirring this every few minutes until suppertime. I need to get home and start our supper, or I’d stay and help you.”
“You’ve already done so much!” Mrs. March said.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to show you how to dust and clean your windows. And you’ll learn a couple more meals, and maybe how to bake a pie, if you’d like.” Trudie had a good day teaching her new friend, and she was glad she’d spent time with her. Getting to know her was making her feel less lonely for her sisters.
“I’d love that.” Mrs. March smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Charleston.”
“If we’re going to spend this much time together, we need to be on a first name basis,” Trudie said. “I’m Trudie.”
“I’m Marion, and I can’t tell you how pleased I am by your friendship. I think you may have saved my marriage.”
Trudie left the March’s house that afternoon, feeling good about what she’d accomplished that day. Her friend had a lot more to learn, but at least she had some confidence after making a few meals that hadn’t burned.
When Trudie got home, the house was quiet, and she hurried in and started supper. She’d had beans soaking all day, and she added a touch of ginger to help cut down on the effects of the beans before putting them on to boil. She wasn’t sure if the ginger really helped, but she felt like it did.
She carefully fried up strips of bacon, and she added the bacon to the pot with the beans in it, washing the extra dishes she used as she went.
By the time Doug returned from his day of work, the beans were ready to serve, and she poured them over the rice she’d made in a separate pot.
While he washed his hands, she set the food on the table.
Looking around, he couldn’t see what had been neglected in his house. “When did you get back?” he asked.
“About an hour and a half ago. She didn’t know how to do laundry or how to even sweep her house. I showed her so much, and I plan to go back tomorrow, if that’s all right with you.” Trudie asked, but she would go either way. He didn’t need her there during the day.
He frowned, but nodded. “That’s fine.”
“Do you not like me going to help her?” she asked.
“I feel like my wife should be doing things for me and my home. Not off running around with a friend.”
Trudie wanted to get angry with him for his answer, but she’d asked the question. “If I’m ever injured or sick and can’t work, I’m sure she’ll be the first one to come over and help us. She’ll have to use the skills I’m teaching her to help. Or what if I have a baby and I’m sick while I’m with child? She’ll help. It’s what neighbors do for each other.”
He sighed. “I guess it is. I just want my wife in my home.”
“I’ll be in your home as soon as she’s able to cook well. I taught her to make chicken and dumplings today.”
“That’s probably good. Your chicken and
