Chapter 1.
Cherish was feeding her dog outside when she looked up and saw Ada and Samuel approaching the house in their buggy. It was so early in the morning that she was surprised to see them. Hoping Matthew would be with them, she walked over.Ā
Ada stepped down from the buggy. Then she pulled out a box from the back.Ā
Matthew wasnāt with them. āHello. Whereās Matthew?ā
āHeās working at Markās saddlery store today.ā
āThatās right. I forgot he was doing that.āĀ
Ada smiled at the box in her hands and then looked up at Cherish. āI brought chocolate cake and those chocolate cookies you love.ā
That made up for Matthew not being there. āThank you.ā
Ada started walking to the house. āSimon left yesterday. I suppose you know that.ā
āHe left?ā
Ada nodded.Ā
āLeft for home?ā Cherish asked.
āYes.ā Ada stopped walking when Levi passed them and said hello. Then he got into the buggy and left with Samuel.Ā
Cherish just stood there, staring at Ada.
āSo he didnāt tell you?ā Ada asked.
Cherish shook her head. āNo.ā
āI thought you and Simon were closer than that. I mustāve been mistaken.ā Ada left her and walked into the house.Ā
Cherish was frozen to the spot. She had hoped Simon would come and say goodbye and then theyād plan something for when she went to her farm since he lived close by. What was the point? He clearly wasnāt interested. Now Ada knew it too. Cherish could see it in her eyes the way she'd stared at her just now.
Bliss came out of the house. āHey, Cherish, Mamm wants to knowā¦āĀ
āIāll be back later. I forgot to do something.ā Cherish ran into the orchard and when she was far enough away from the house, she slumped to the ground and allowed some tears to escape her eyes and fall down her cheeks. She hated being weak and crying was weak, but she couldnāt stop.
The orchard was so barren and lifeless in the winter. The rows of leafless, tangled branches reaching up to a cold, gray sky emanated a certain eeriness. The frozen ground also did nothing to lift her mood.Ā
It was such a shock that Simon had left without telling her. Heād said heād stayed longer than he had meant to and she thought that was for her. Maybe heād stayed for some other reason. Just when sheād started to see a future for herself, sheād fallen flat on her face. Was this a sign that nothing in her life would run smoothly?Ā
Then her mind started to wander as she looked up at the clouds. What had ever gone right for her?Ā
Dat had died and then her oldest sister, Florence, who was like a second mother, abandoned her whole family to marry an outsider. Then she got close to Aunt Dagmar and then she died too. Cherish sobbed at all the people whoād left her. It didnāt matter that Dat and Aunt Dagmar couldnāt help dying, the pain was just the same as if theyād walked out the door and kept going.
Simon leaving without a word felt just like all the other disappointments sheād suffered.Ā
āCherish, whatās wrong?ā
Cherish scrambled to her feet, wiping her eyes when she saw Bliss had found her. She didnāt want her or anyone else to see her crying on the ground. āIām okay.ā
āIt doesnāt look like it. Whatās upset you?ā
Cherish brushed down her dress with her hands. She trusted that she could tell Bliss the truth. After all, Bliss was no stranger to lifeās cruel disappointments. āIām just upset that Simon left and he didnāt even say goodbye.ā
Bliss produced a letter from beneath her black coat. āMaybe he did.ā
Cherish stared at the envelope in her stepsisterās hand. It didnāt even have a stamp. It simply said, āCherish.ā āIs that fromā¦?ā
āYes. I got it from the letter box just now. I was hoping Adam might have written a note explaining his feelings and telling me why he doesnāt want anything to do with me. There was something there, but it wasnāt for me and it wasnāt from Adam. It has Cherish written on the front and on the back itās got Simon. He must have put it in there himself. Itās not been sent through the postal service.ā
Cherish sniffed. āItās really from him?ā
āYes. I guess so, unless you know any other Simon?ā
āI wonder why he did this.ā Cherish started feeling a little better. Heād left, but he was thinking about her.Ā
āOpen the letter and find out. Iāll be back at the house if you want to talk.āĀ
āNo, stay in case itās bad news.ā Cherish couldnāt take her eyes off the envelope. āNo, go. Iāll be okay. No, stay.ā
Bliss smiled. āAm I going or staying?ā
āYou go. If itās bad news, youāll hear me screaming and you can come back.ā
āIāve got a feeling itāll be good news.ā
āReally?ā
Bliss nodded.Ā
āDid you read it already?ā Cherish asked.
The smile left Blissās face. āOf course not. Iād never do anything like that.ā
āOkay. Sorry. I didnāt mean to say you would.ā
Cherish watched Bliss walk away. She was sad for Bliss, how she checked the letter box, hoping to hear from Adam. It didnāt make sense that Adam would leave her a note, but it seemed Bliss was grasping onto any, even the smallest, hopes.
