Rowing To The Rescue Excerpt

Sudden Change  

   One Sunday in October, barely four months after moving to the Lime Rock Light, Ida heard words that took her breath away.

   “Your father’s had a stroke,” Dr. King said gravely as he tiptoed from the bedroom alongside Mother. “He’s paralyzed.”

   No! Not Father! Ida wanted to cry out. Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes. But she blinked them back to where they came from. She told herself crying wouldn’t help things one bit. She had to stay strong.

   After rowing Dr. King back to Newport, Ida huddled on the rocks with her frightened little sister and brothers, all of them staring aimlessly toward the horizon. Matey seemed to sense their broken hearts and curled close at their feet.

   “What will happen to us?” asked Rud, sniffling back tears. His rowdy, ten-year-old-boy antics were gone, as if blown out to sea in a storm.

   Hosea, taking a cue from his big brother, began to whimper, too. “Will we have to leave the lighthouse?”

   Ida was still trembling deep inside. But she forced a confident tone. “Of course not. Mother said it’s not at all unusual for wives to take over lighthouse duties if something happens to their husbands.”

   In truth, Ida knew her mother couldn’t do everything alone. It was up to her to lend a hand.

   Though she’d always loved school, Ida never returned. Her days were too full of work, helping Mother with household chores, Father’s nursing care, and tending the beacon.

   Besides all that, she had to row back and forth across the harbor every day to fetch supplies and get the young ones to the schoolhouse in town.

   Ida seldom thought about Spring Street anymore. But when she did, it seemed a very long time ago.