BABY DOLL

PROLOGUE

Julie is Jedidiah’s young widow. She gave birth to three sons and a daughter before her husband’s death. Her daughter, Grace, has bright red hair, as does the doctor/missionary in Guatemala. Admittedly Doctor Charles has loved Julie for years. Everyone knows of his love but Julie insists the baby is Jedidiah’s.

Julie and Jedidiah adopted Matthew when he was seven, and they were first married.

Matthew loves Julie with a special kind of love. He knows this is wrong. Sometimes, the feelings are mother/son but other times he fights his desire. He is now a grown man with a daughter.

Mercy is Matthew’s daughter. She is dark skinned with black curly hair. Her mother died when Mercy was two so she doesn’t remember her. She is now anxious for her father to marry so she can have a mother. She is nearing puberty.

Denny is a doctor/pilot, and a cousin of Doctor Charles. His plane is faster and bigger than Doctor Jameson’s plane, who has taken Julie several times to the States.
Denny never expected his wife Betty to kill their daughter and herself on the little girl’s sixth birthday, some years earlier. It has taken him a long time to overcome this tragedy. He is known to laugh a lot and is loved by everyone. He claims he will never marry again.

Julie feels that Denny laughs to hide his grief, which he has not been able to
eliminate completely.

CHAPTER ONE

Jedidiah and Jordan were buried beside each other. It was hard for Julie to accept the deaths of her husband and youngest son. She often went out to their graves to weep. She knew before their untimely deaths that they would not be on this earth too many more years because of the disease they both suffered. Yet to die at the hand of that madman, was almost too much to bear. The fact that Jedidiah had given his life to save her did not make his death any easier to accept. She gave up all her church activities, and was only attending Sunday morning services,

Several months passed and Julie was thinking it was time to get back into all her duties at the church. At one time, she not only was a member of the choir, but also was leader of the Women’s Group and taught a class of youngsters. She went to choir-practice expecting to be welcomed with open arms and invited to teach her class again. She hoped to be reinstated as the leader of the women’s group, but this didn’t happen either.

She received a phone call from the preacher later that week. He wanted to visit her. She hurried around, making sure she had some treats to serve and that the house wasn’t looking too untidy.

Mercy was still at school and Grace was down for her morning nap when Preacher Gibbs and his wife Nancy arrived. They seemed nervous when they first arrived so she talked about the house while serving them coffee and her homemade cookies.

The preacher cleared his throat. “I’ll come straight to the point,” he said, not looking at Julie. “The elders feel,” he cleared his throat again before starting anew. “The elders think that it’s too soon for you to be taking any leadership position.”

“That’s kind of them to be thinking of me,” Julie said, not realizing the elders wanted to reprimand not praise her. “But I’m over my grieving. Christians don’t have to grieve long and any grieving we do is purely selfish as we know we will meet again. I’m ready to start my duties again.”

“That’s very commendable but the elders don’t want you doing any work until you can - ah - repent.”

“Repent?” she repeated. She didn’t know this preacher very well as he had come to the church about a year ago when the old preacher had a stroke and could no longer
fulfill his duties. “What am I to repent from?”

“Promiscuity.” Nancy spoke up, her lips curling in disdain.

“Are you talking about the men from the church who have been asking me out?” Julie asked. She was confused and shocked that they were accusing her of sexual improprieties. “I haven’t gone out with any of them nor have they come to our home.”

“No, we are talking about that red-headed doctor and your daughter.” The preacher looked her in the eyes then, accusing her silently of adultery. “You went to Guatemala and the child was born eight and a half months later. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure that out.”

Julie stood up, her eyes flashing with anger. “You think that Charles and I - “ she couldn’t finish the sentence but Nancy started talking anyway.

“The whole church saw how he looked at you. How he touched you when he came to the funeral. You can’t deny this.” Nancy was in her element. “If you come to church and repent of this, they will forgive you,” she added, trying to make her voice sound kind. “We are a forgiving church.”

‘No,” Julie exploded. “I will not ask for forgiveness for something I didn’t do. You may leave now.” She was so angry that she could hardly be polite enough to see them to the door. She walked the floor, after they left, back and forth auguring with herself. How could they think that? It’s not true. How could they? Oh, Jedidiah. I wish I could talk to you. How can I ever go back to that church to face all those people, people I loved and thought were my friends?

She walked into Jedidiah’s study, which hadn’t been changed since his death. In this room, she had argued with Jedidiah, or discussed problems, and here she felt she would find peace. She idly looked through a stack of papers on his desk. One caught her attention. She read it over twice not believing what she saw. Jedidiah did a test to find out if Grace was his child. He had doubted her yet he had given no indication that he did. She remembered that he said he loved her and was afraid of losing her. Was he so afraid of losing her that he was willing to pretend he was the father? But he was, Julie’s thoughts screamed, he had to be.

Julie knew Jedidiah was Graces’ father. He was the only one she ever sexually slept with, but that Jedidiah doubted broke her heart. She didn’t understand the results; it was enough to know that Jedidiah doubted. She put her hands to her face. Oh, Jedidiah, you thought I was unfaithful and now I hope you know the truth. But if you doubted, then the church people have a right to do so also. I guess I should forgive them. Her mind was in torment. She didn’t want to forgive. She wanted to be angry. She needed to talk to someone.

Julie considered going to her father-in law. His wisdom was almost as good as Jedidiah’s was,. She decided not to unburden her soul to a family member, and of course, she couldn’t go to the preacher or any church member. She bowed her head in prayer, seeking advice, but Grace was waking up from her nap and wanting her. She went to Grace, doing the necessary things for her all the while making plans. She phoned the preacher of a little church in the country, hoping he could counsel her and he was available. She hurried to fix a lunch for Grace, which she put in a Styrofoam container to take with them and put the child in the car.

Anger was still foaming within her veins, which made her drive faster than she should and just before she arrived at the church building, she heard the cop’s siren and pulled over.

“Do you know how fast you were going?” he asked.

“No, officer, I’m sorry.”

Sorry is not enough,” he told her. “You were doing eighty in a thirty zone.”

“Really? That fast?” She handed the officer her driver’s license and insurance card. She knew it was useless to try to talk herself out of this one. “Is that the First Church up there?” She asked as he handed the papers back to her, including the speeding ticket. She could see the corner of a building that looked like a church up ahead.

“Yes,” he said, “Pastor Adams is there.”

“That’s where I’m headed,” she told the officer, “to talk to the preacher.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t reduce your speeding ticket, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“No,” Julie laughed for the first time. “I want to thank you for stopping me. I was so angry, I would have gone right through this place not even seeing the church building.”

He watched as she pulled onto the road and made her way to the church’s parking area.
He tooted a quick farewell as he made a U-turn and chased another car going too fast through the small community of eight houses and a church building.

“BABY DOLL“

ISBN 978-1-4535-4587-8 hard cover
ISBN 978-1-4535-4546-1 soft cover
ISBN 978-1-4535-4549-5 kindle