Jack of Hearts

And he that seeketh, findeth Luke 11:10 As the sun began to appear over the horizon, the ship began to pitch to and fro. The steel gray coldness of the night began to fade with the approaching dawn. It was a peaceful time of the morning, the most peaceful time of the day, before all the hustle and bustle of daily activities took over and clouded one’s mind. “Not to worry now, Rachel, my lass. The voyage is about over, and we will be seeing the rolling green hills of the Virginia, just like the beautiful land of the old country when I was a lad and you were just a wee slip of a lass.” The sky turned a brilliant alabaster, just before turning into the dark coldness of the approaching storm. They stood arm in arm together for a while as the sun was obscured from view. Jacob, my Daddy, said this would be a special day to remember, although he could not tell exactly why. He was a tall thin man, dark brown hair and bright blue eyes that twinkled whenever he smiled. Unlike my uncles, Daddy was always clean shaved. Momma said she liked him better that way, although I did not remember ever seeing him with the beards and moustaches Uncles have. Rachel, my Momma, felt a stirring within her, and the excitement of seeing the new land. The lightening split the sky from the east to west, just as the ship began to throw her off balance. “No, too soon to endure another storm,” she thought as Jacob scooped her up and carried her toward their family cabin. The wind was blowing every way and by the following morning it was blowing straight across the deck of the ship. Daddy had allowed me to come up to the deck with him later that afternoon to see “the land, where our new home will be and where we will be living.” But all I could see was a dark line in the distance. I did not see any green grass or rolling hills, or houses with thatched roofs. Just a line of darkness in the distance, but it made Daddy happy, so it made me happy, too. “Come. Let’s get you back in with your Momma and the wee babe. It is much too cold and windy up here for you. Why, you might be blown all the way back to Ireland!” The thought of the wind blowing that hard terrified me and I gripped the railing tighter. Just at that moment, a gust swirled my dress and petticoat around my legs, and seemed to lift me up. A thousand and one thoughts raced through my mind all at once. Wind. Rain. Water. Land. Green. Thatched roofs. Granna. Momma. The wee baby. White dresses. Church. Angles. God in the Heavens. As I looked to the heavens, I saw the smiling face of my father. Then he began to laugh. As my mind began to comprehend I was in my father’s arms, I started to relax. I did not join in his laughter, though because I was still too shaken by the thought of being blown all the way back to Ireland, and away from my family. No one I knew was left back at our old home. My uncles and their families were already in the new land and their new homes. My Uncles and cousins had built a new home for Granddad and Granna. We would be staying in their house until ours was built. But for now we were all living on this ship together. Daddy and Momma, along with my four brothers and baby sister were on this ship. And Granna and Granddad were also here with us. We were the last of the Walden’s to come over from Ireland and leave our farm behind us. It had been sold last summer by Granddad to a man who planned to raise horses on it. Daddy carried me down the stairs into our cabin. He sat me down on a trunk in our room. Momma and Granna were there. Ella was asleep in Momma and Daddy’s bed. Granna and Granddad slept in a bed across from theirs, and my brothers slept two to a bed above these. Granddad called these bunked beds. We have a wash stand in one corner of the room, and three trunks piled in the other corner. I sleep on the floor between the two beds on a pad of quilts during the night, and during the day time, Granna lets me nap on her bed. The rest of our household goods are in crates in the lowest part of the ship. “Come wee lass, let Granna fix your hair.” Granddad and the lads went out to the deck after biscuits and water for breakfast. “Did you see the new land?” Granna asked as I climbed onto her bed. She began to brush my long hair. Elizabeth Walden had long golden brown hair, which hung in ringlets at the ends. Her dark blue eyes were framed by golden brown lashes. She was small for her age and thin. Her grandfather referred to her as a “wee slip of a lass.” She was a happy child and unusually thoughtful. She loved her parents and adored her brothers with just as much love and respect, but they were all much older than her, with the youngest brother, Levi, who was twelve. The Lads and Granddad came into the cabin at that time carrying a basketful of biscuits and a pitcher of water. In Luke’s hand was a small pot on a handle with steam rising around the lid. “The cook sent porridge for you and the baby, Momma,” Lance said, as he and Lewis moved the top trunk into the middle of the floor as the table for the family’s daily meal.