His Rainbow After the Rain – Extended Epilogue

It had been three years since Mary and Philip got married. He was just putting the finishing touches on their new home. He’d had one built specifically because of their growing family. Mary was ready to have their first child and they needed more space than his house allowed.

He wanted to do something for her anyway.

He glanced at her when the buggy jostled from side to side and Mary had to catch herself and hold herself upright.

“Are you okay?”

Mary looked at him with a bit of irritation on her face. “Oh, will you stop asking me that, Philip Jenkins? I’m fine.”

Philip grinned. She was always irritable when he tried to take care of her. He had to admit; he could be a bit overboard unless he restrained himself.

“I’m not going to fall out of the buggy, for Heaven’s sake,” she said.

“I know, sweetheart,” he replied. “I just worry about you. I can’t help it. I’m not used to you being big. You’re a very small woman. So I feel like you’re going to break or something.”

Mary stared at him for a moment before taking on a very serious expression and saying, “I might break something if someone doesn’t stop bugging me to be careful when all I’m doing is rocking with the motion of the buggy. What do you do? Stay stock still so you can get bruised up?”

Philip pressed his lips together. She amused him when she got moody. She was never too harsh and could be a bit sarcastic but he knew she loved him with all her heart. And she was usually the sweet woman he married.

“You’ve really got to think about not working as much,” Philip said. “The ladies will substitute for you. I know both Emma and Annette have offered. And maybe Mrs. Edwards can handle them on her own for a while.”

Mary shook her head. She sighed and said, “I know you’re worried, dear, and you only want me to be safe. But I’ll be fine. When I’m not ready to work anymore, I’ll know it. I promise. You’ll be the second person to know.”

Philip frowned. “Who will you tell before me?” he asked.

She giggled, her mood suddenly changing. She gave him an affectionate look. “I’m the first one to know,” she clarified. “You’re the first one I’ll tell.”

Philip pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at her. “Semantics.”

She nodded. “Yes, it was. And you know full well why I’m not staying home from work until I absolutely can’t go anymore.”

Philip did know. But it didn’t stop him from working. It made him upset that Mary would be expected to stay home with her child until he or she was old enough to go to the schoolhouse with her. She would have to sacrifice several years of teaching because she’d chosen to have a child. She might not ever be able to return, if the teaching jobs were full by the time she was ready to go back.

“I know,” he replied, suddenly grumpy because of his own thoughts. “I wish I could talk you out of it. I know you love your kids and all but this is our kid and you…” He stopped. She was planning on giving up her life as a teacher. How could he complain that she wanted to work as long as she could?

“You’re so sweet for being so concerned,” Mary said, softly. “You really are. But you’ve got to stop being that way. Soon enough I’ll be at home all the time, or hanging around the newspaper, bugging you for a new assignment. I’m not going back to teaching. But I will be working with and for the man of my dreams, right? I won’t be sacrificing. I’ll be taking a step up.”

His heart rejoiced at her words. She always knew exactly what to say to keep him quiet.

“Yes, you’re right. You will be. And I’ll happily give you an assignment; maybe even two at once. You can tackle them by priority and interest.”

Mary nodded. She made to get out of the buggy but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“Do you want me to pick you up for lunch or will you be spending it here?”

“You can pick me up if you want. If you get busy, don’t worry about it. I’ll make do here and see you after work.”

“I’ll be here at noon, barring unforeseen circumstances. If I’m not here, you know I’ll be here this afternoon to fetch you. All right?”

“Sounds good yes, thank you.”

Philip watched her climb carefully out of the buggy, chiding himself silently for not getting down and helping her like a true gentleman would. But she was quite determined to do things on her own and that was one of the things that had gotten him yelled at in the past, ever since she got pregnant. She had just always seemed like a fragile woman to him, something that needed to be handled with great care.

He waited to leave until he saw her go inside the schoolhouse.

Then he snapped the reins and went on his way. He almost felt like he was leaving half of himself behind him. They had grown only closer over the years and were now best friends as well as husband and wife. Their personalities meshed completely. They had a solid group of friends in Glenwood and regularly attended church to thank God for their blessings.

The print shop was bustling when he got there. To meet the growing number of people in town and the new shops opening up all the time, Philip had added an entire page to his paper. The ad money he was collecting went well beyond what he could have dreamed of in the past. He was able to buy a new building and expand it, and hire two new employees and a new apprentice. Matthew had gone into politics and on his twentieth birthday, he would be heading to Washington to meet the president.

Matthew was a smart young man and now everyone would know it.

He recognized Paul’s horse in front of the shop and hurried to greet his old friend, who was still mayor and expected to remain in that position for some years to come. He was still well-liked and had righted every wrong Hanover had perpetrated on the people of Glenwood.

He stepped inside the large lobby, which was now outfitted with a receptionist’s desk, who took in all the new articles people were submitting for publication, as well as greeting any guests or visitors to the printing facility.

“Howdy, boss!” His receptionist, a bright young woman named Penny, spoke up, smiling as soon as she saw him.

“Howdy, Penny. How’s everything with you?”

“I can’t complain,” she said. “You have a visitor in your office. Before you ask, no I didn’t leave him in there alone. John is with him, keeping him company.”

Philip grinned wide. “You’re a good woman, Penny. Great job.”

“Thank you, boss!”

Philip moved past her and walked to the hallway that would take him to his office. He had a solid wooden door with his name printed on a plaque hanging on the front. He opened the door, which was actually already cracked slightly, to see John and Paul sitting on the couch, both leaning forward, gazing at some charts and papers on the coffee table in front of them.

Both men looked up at him when he went in and Paul beckoned him. “Good to see you, Philip. Come look at these ideas for the garden and park area I want to add to Glenwood. With the help of donors like you and the Marrows, I’ve got an excess in the coffers and I want to spend it on something fun.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Philip asked. “What if there’s a weather event and we need that money?”

He was a little surprised by the narrow looks both Paul and John gave him.

“What did I say?” he asked.

“Since when were you not willing to take risks? Are you saying this is the last time you’ll ever give generously to the city?”

Philip pulled his eyebrows together. “Of course I’m not saying that.”

“Then let’s have some fun with your money!” Paul grinned, sending a feeling of affection for his friend coursing through Philip. He went to them, made Paul sit back and plopped himself down right between his friends. He thanked God he wasn’t a big man and could do that without hurting anyone.

“Now I’m thinking this would be an excellent place to put it.” Paul pointed at a place on the small map spread out on one side of the charts and graphs. Philip scanned the papers while the other two men talked.

It sounded like a conceivable idea to him and not only that, the people of Glenwood would absolutely love it.

By the end of their conversation, even though Philip didn’t get involved, he understood why the building would be very beneficial to Glenwood.

His business was booming. He wouldn’t mind donating a little more if he needed to. And Paul was right. He wouldn’t let anyone suffer during a weather crisis, even if the city had no money to spare. He did. The Marrows did. Several other families in Glenwood had successful histories and full bank accounts. They might not give as much, but anything would help out during an emergency.

He didn’t know why he was thinking of an emergency anyway. No one had said the weather would turn on them. But it was springtime, which often brought crazy weather with it.

“Hey, I wanted to compliment you on that article last week about women’s rights to vote.”

Philip was pleased that Paul noticed.

“I was thinking how much easier it would have been for me to stay mayor last time around if the women had a chance.”

Philip laughed. “Glad you enjoyed it. Mary did, too.”

“I’ll bet she’s pleased as punch that the movement is coming here to Glenwood. She’s going to be an honorary member, isn’t she?”

Philip nodded. “I’m sure she will be. She’s really an advocate of getting the women’s issues out there. I’ve dedicated one whole side just to her. She might write three articles and publish them. Or she might delegate the space to others who have something interesting to say.”

“Wow – you gave her power over an entire page?”

Paul sounded astounded. Philip wondered if he really knew what he was talking about or if he was just reacting that way because he figured that’s what they expected.

“Yeah. Eventually, I’ll get everyone to do the walking and talking. I’ll sit back and work on the typeset. That’s not for a while, though. I gotta stay doing what I’m doing until I’m at that point.”

“You’re a lot happier now that you have free rein over the business, though,” John said. “So even if it is a while before you started backing off the actual work, you’re well on your way.”

Philip nodded. “Oh yeah, I’m not complaining, mind you. I am happy to do all the work I have to do. I’m hoping soon as Mary has the baby, she’ll come down here and work, too. More often than usual. And not immediately after, of course.” He chuckled with his friends. “I mean, she is such a good writer. She could practically carry the whole newspaper herself.”

“I don’t know about that,” Paul said, giving Philip a big grin. “Not every article should be about women’s issues. That would be the same as before when it was only about what Hanover was interested in. I feel like your paper has gotten more positive, just a brighter spirit than it was before. Before I came into office.”

“Of course it is,” Philip said. “It’s because you gave me freedom that I am able to make it that way. I’m a positive person. I want to make people’s lives easier, happier, more comfortable. I want them to be more informed, more educated. That’s my goal with this. Always has been.”

“It’s like we learn something new every week now,” John said. “And it’s all because you are able to take in articles from a variety of people, instead of just the ones who agree with the old mayor.”

Philip was amused that John didn’t want to say his father’s name in front of Paul. The two were friends and since Hanover left town right after the election that ousted him from office, no one had heard from the man.

A commotion from outside the office made the three men look up at the door expectantly. A young boy burst through the door. He reminded Philip of Matthew instantly, though he looked to be about twelve instead of sixteen.

“Mr. Jenkins!” he said, breathing hard. “Miss Ross, I mean, Mrs. Jenkins is having her baby. She’s having her baby. You have to come.”

Philip was already on his feet and dashing out the door. He hoped as he went by that he didn’t push the boy out of his way too hard. Either way, the gentle shove only made the boy laugh, spin on his heel and run after Philip.

“You can take your horse, Mr. Jenkins!” the boy called out when Philip went running toward the schoolhouse on the walkway.

Philip felt like a fool only for a moment before turning and running to his horse. He jumped up into the saddle and kicked the animal’s flanks.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!”

He sped along the dirt road, his eyes on the distance in front of him. He would spot the schoolhouse as soon as it came into sight. It wasn’t very far; Mary walked it all the time. But that one time, that one particular time, Philip could have sworn he was never going to get there. It was like his horse was trotting.

He didn’t want to push the animal too much but it felt like his heart was going to come out of his chest. She was having his baby. Right then. Right there. In the schoolhouse. Unless someone happened to come along with a buggy, he didn’t see his wife getting on a horse to ride to the clinic or home to have it.

Philip breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the schoolhouse in the distance. It looked so peaceful on the outside. He was willing to bet it was bustling with action on the inside. The closer he got, the more apprehensive he got.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he breathed. He didn’t know what good his presence would do anyway. It would probably just irritate the already-grumpy Mary.

He chuckled. He didn’t care how grumpy she was. He wanted to be by her side when their child was born.

He finally got within running distance and jumped out of the saddle before his horse came to a complete stop. He ran as hard as he could to the schoolhouse, up the steps and into the building. He dodged the wall where the children hung their clothes, noting the wall was bare. When he rounded the corner he saw why. Mrs. Edwards was kneeling on the ground. Mary was on the floor, on top of a pile of children’s coats and jackets. He could see through one of the back windows that the boys had all gathered out there and were talking excitedly.

The girls had stayed inside with Mrs. Edwards and Mary. Four of the girls surrounded Mary, two on either side. They were holding her hands.

Her face was crumpled and squeezed tight. She was holding her breath and pushing. Philip realized they were in the process of giving birth.

“Mary!” he said gently, going up to her. Two of the girls looked at him and moved away so he could take Mary’s hand. “Oh, Mary. My love. You are doing great. Let’s just get this baby out and everything will be perfect. You are strong. You can do this.”

“I… love you…”

“Don’t worry, Philip,” Mrs. Edwards said in a happy voice. “She’s going to be just fine. She’s healthy and the baby is almost ready to come out. I’m actually surprised it’s going this fast. I’ve helped the midwife before and sometimes first babies take a long time to… Here we go. Here we go!”

Mary’s breathing became rapid and she strained again.

“Here he is!” Mrs. Edwards quickly wrapped the baby in a yellow towel she had set to the side and placed the boy immediately on Mary’s stomach. “Here’s your son. Congratulations!”

Mary was crying, the tears pouring from her eyes. Philip could barely see through his own.

“Our son,” he said softly, touching the baby’s cheek. “Our son. What are we going to name him?”

“You two haven’t decided that yet?” Mrs. Edwards snorted cheerfully and shook her head as she took care of Mary’s afterbirth.

Mary and Philip gazed into each other’s eyes.

“I want to name him Nicholas Philip,” Mary said. “Is that all right with you?”

Philip grinned from ear to ear. “Of course, my love. That’s a great name. Whatever you want. I love it.”

“And I love you. I’m so happy to be your wife. We have our family. Finally we have a family.”

Philip nodded, leaning down to kiss her sweaty forehead. “We sure do,” he said in a quiet voice. “The first of our twelve children.”

Mary laughed abruptly and then grimaced from pain. “Oh, oh, that cramps and hurts,” she said. She turned her eyes to her husband. “But it is funny. And it’s not going to happen. I can tell you that right now.”

“I guess we’ll see what God has in store for us then,” Philip replied.

Mary laughed again. “I guess we will. I guess we will.”

THE END

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