the waves of the wind

"So how are you... really?" Rachel asked her sister after dinner while they were cleaning up. Sam was playing with the kids. It was just the two of them. Of course, Ruthie's kitchen was spotless. Rachel didn't know how her sister did it, but she wasn't going to dare ask her secret.

"I'm fine." Ruthie was pale though and she'd lost weight. As it was Rachel didn't think Ruthie ate much of the Shepperd's pie she brought. Rachel noticed Ruthie moving her food around her plate and trying to keep the kids in line during the whole meal. "Elliot and Asa's cousin has been checking up on me."

"I thought he went back home?" Rachel winced. She vaguely knew who she was talking about.

"Oh, he's helping out with the church. Seems someone is planning on retiring and he's helping out until then." She shrugged.

"But its not permanent?" It was good to have someone looking in on her this winter. She supposed. Still, she wondered if Ruthie would pick up where she left off. It would be so easy to be that perfect wife in the church. Especially, if she married a preacher. Rachel wasn't going to hold it against her if she did, but at the moment she seemed content to have someone to talk to.

"I don't think so." She sounded as if he wouldn't be here long. She'd started helping at the church. "I might be a full fledged secretary soon."

Rachel could see the church was helping her. They were letting her young son and daughter go to the pre-school for free.

"Well, that's great." Rachel was happy for her. There wasn't a trace of Matt anywhere in the house. Rachel hadn't said a thing about that. She might never know if Ruthie completely hated him or if she did forgive him. But it definitely seemed like the past now.