Violetta Craft's Arc

Chapter 24 of 65

Elowen was one month old, and the feedings still came every three hours. Violetta had stopped counting the days she had lost. The purple bodice sat half-stitched on the form. She had ten months until the showcase, but at this rate the dress would fall behind before summer. She could not sew in six-minute pieces. She needed a stretch of clear hours, and there were none in this house. She called her mother. Lymber picked up on the second ring. Violetta said she needed help, and she needed it today. Lymber said to pack a bag for the baby and come over. Bring the bassinet. Bring the pump. Bring Jordie. Paul was home. Missy and the boys were home. They would take the baby for the afternoon and Violetta could sew in the office with the lock. Jordie loaded the car. Violetta buckled Elowen into the seat and watched her the whole drive. The house on the hill had the sharp roofline and the wide front windows she had grown up with. Paul met them at the door and took the diaper bag off Jordie's shoulder without a word. Lymber lifted Elowen out of the carrier and pressed her cheek to the baby's head. Missy hovered at Lymber's elbow, already asking to hold her. Jordie set up the bassinet in the living room. Paul carried Violetta's sewing case down the hall to Lymber's office and set it on the desk. Violetta closed the door. She could hear Elowen fuss once and then stop. She heard Lymber's voice, low and steady, and then Missy laughing. She spread the bodice on the desk and threaded the needle. She sewed the shoulder seam first, then the side seam, then set the sleeve. Her hands did not shake. She did not check the clock. When Lymber knocked two hours later and said Elowen was hungry, Violetta had finished the bodice and pinned the skirt to the waistline. She fed Elowen on the couch with Missy pressed against her arm. Paul brought her a sandwich. Jordie took the baby back after the feeding and Violetta returned to the office for another hour. By dinner the dress had a bodice, a joined skirt, and a hemline marked in chalk. Violetta packed the pieces in tissue and carried them to the car. Lymber said to come back Saturday. Paul said to come back any day. Violetta buckled Elowen in and drove home with Jordie. She had ten months and a plan now: three afternoons a week at her mother's house, sewing behind a locked door while her family held the baby. The dress would not fall behind. It had moved forward today for the first time since Elowen came home.