Memories of her spacious bedroom in the house on Briar Drive in Georgetown flooded Addie’s mind. She forced herself to smile. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
Miss Collins patted Addie’s arm. “Anything’s better than a cot at the YWCA, hmm?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And as for calling me ma’am, for the duration of your stay, I’d prefer you use my given name, which is Griselda Ann.” The woman’s dark eyebrows lowered. “When we’re not at work, of course.”
“Of course.” Addie wouldn’t have guessed the plain woman living in a plain house would have such a lovely name. “Thank you, Griselda.”
“Griselda Ann.”
“Griselda Ann,” Addie repeated, commanding herself not to chortle. The only time anyone used her own full name was when she’d been up to mischief, which wasn’t often. She was willing to wager Griselda Ann never got up to mischief.
“Well, come along now, Addie.” Griselda Ann entered the dark hallway and turned right. Addie trailed her to a closed door. Her hostess opened the door, revealing a shadowed space. She reached inside, a click sounded, and the room lit up. Griselda Ann plastered herself to the wall and held her hand in invitation for Addie to enter the bedroom-turned-sewing room.
Addie inched sideways to the doorway, suitcases bouncing against her legs, then stopped. Her mouth fell open, and she gawked, hardly able to believe her eyes. Color—every color imaginable—exploded from all corners of the room. She took a stumbling step forward, gaze darting from ceiling-high stacks of what seemed to be articles of clothing to the sewing machine, which held a partially completed quilt, to a basket overflowing with fabric pieces, to a table wedged in the corner at the foot of the bed and weighted down with…something. Curiosity coiling through her, Addie placed her suitcases on the multicolored patchwork quilt covering the bed and edged her way around to the table. Quilt tops. Dozens of them, all folded and stacked like a tower of pancakes.
She turned an astounded look on Griselda Ann. “You made these?”
Pride glimmered in the woman’s tawny-brown eyes. “Indeed, I did.” She crossed the threshold but remained just inside the door. “Folks from my church, and some others in town who want to be helpful, bring clothes that are too worn to wear. I cut the clothes into pieces, then sew the pieces together again. About once a month, I take the tops to church, and a group of women put batting between pairs of them, bind them, and tie them together. Then we hand them out to people in need.”
Addie ran her hand down the stack of tops, silently counting. “You made all of these in a month?”
“I did.”
Addie would never ask, but she couldn’t help wondering how someone who moved so slowly at work had accomplished such a feat. Her expression must have communicated her confusion, though.
A grin lifted the corners of Griselda Ann’s thin lips. “I live alone, Addie. Nobody needs my attention, so I spend nearly every waking minute that I’m not at the library sitting right there”—she pointed at the round stool in front of the sewing machine—“putting pieces together.”
Addie gaped at the stack. Griselda Ann must stay awake most of the night. Suddenly, the woman’s sloth-like behavior at the library made sense.
Griselda Ann sighed. “Oh, none of these quilts are works of art, not like the pretty one on the bed here that my mama made before I was born, but a person who needs a blanket to ward off the winter chill doesn’t much care what it looks like.”
“But they are pretty.” Addie lifted the top one, unfolded it, and held it in front of her, admiring the perfectly matched squares of various fabrics. “They remind me of Joseph’s coat of many colors.”
“Why, that’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” Tears winked in Griselda Ann’s eyes.
If she’d never heard anything kinder than Addie’s simple comment, this woman truly needed encouragement. Addie impulsively scurried across the narrow slice of open floor and gave her hostess a hug. A worry tiptoed through her heart, and she pulled back. “Will my being here interfere with your blanket making?”
“Well, it might. Because I won’t intrude upon your privacy.” Griselda Ann sucked in her lips, brow furrowing. She peered in the direction of the sewing machine, and Addie believed she witnessed longing in the woman’s expression.
“Maybe…” Should she offer? Addie had never used a sewing machine nor done any kind of stitchwork. She might do more harm than good. But perhaps Griselda Ann could teach her. Daddy always said the wise person grasped opportunities for learning. She touched the woman’s arm. “If you show me how, I could cut the clothes into pieces for you. I could…help.”
Griselda Ann’s face lit. “Oh, if I had fabric squares ready to go, I could double the number of tops produced in a week.” She grabbed Addie in a hug so tight it stole her breath. “Thank you.”
Addie laughed, wriggling. Griselda Ann released her hold, and Addie smiled. “It’s the least I can do to repay you for your kindness. Truly, I don’t know what I’d do if you hadn’t offered me a place to stay.” What a wonderful feeling, to know she was secure. For now. But Mother always advised against overstaying one’s welcome. “I want you to know, I won’t take advantage of your kindness. I intend to keep seeking employment, and as soon as I have a job, I will find a room to let.”
Would her wages be enough to cover rent, meals, and the outstanding bill at the college? Daddy didn’t have money to pay the remaining balance, which left the debt up to her. An ache formed in her belly.
Griselda Ann chuckled softly. “You might tire of me before I tire of you. I haven’t had anyone else living under this roof since my mama graduated to Glory seven years ago. I’ve become rather set in my ways.”
“You tell me right away if I do something that disturbs you.”
Griselda Ann glanced at Addie’s suitcases. A slight frown creased her face. “Perhaps you’d like to put your clothing in the closet? There are shelves and hooks available. Then tuck your cases under the bed. I’ll start our supper, and you can assist with that when you have the room tidy again.”
Addie could hardly call this room tidy, given its mountains of clothes and cluttered appearance. But her suitcases didn’t belong on the quilt pieced by Griselda Ann’s mother. She reached for the smaller suitcase. “I’ll be out quick as a wink.”
Griselda Ann nodded. “And after supper, I’ll show you how to cut usable squares from the clothes. You can cut some more tomorrow when your shift at the library is done.”
Mrs. Hunt had granted Addie permission to attend the college graduation ceremony instead of coming to the library for her final Saturday shift, but Addie declined. She needed those wages. Addie smiled. “I’ll cut patches clear past bedtime if you’d like me to.”