Sharing Corrie

Chapter Nine

 Corrie sighed over the piece of paper spread across her small writing desk. The only words inscribed so far were "Dear Edwin." Though she'd been in Irvington for a few weeks and she'd written Edwin five or six letters, she'd only received one in return. It was brief, and in it he neither inquired about Christina's welfare nor responded to anything Corrie had said in her previous missives. She penned a few lines, describing how their regular ventures out of doors had improved Christina's constitution and how she appeared to be gaining strength. While she told him of her newfound friendships, she didn't tell him that she'd been forcing herself to write a poem every day. Edwin rarely read her poetry and he probably wouldn't unless it were published in a journal somewhere and gained fame or prestige. Corrie closed the letter with best wishes, her signature, and a sigh.

She'd known that distance would prove a challenge to her and Edwin's relationship, but she hadn't expected to feel like the relationship had ended when she left New York City. The effort that Edwin put forth in the next few months would determine whether they would really last, but Corrie wouldn't let the space between them develop because of her own negligence. She owed it to him to at least try to make their courtship work.

When Corrie passed the letter on to Mr. Bricker, her mother called from the drawing room, "Cornelia? Is that you?"

"Yes, Mother," she answered.

"Come here a moment, darling," Oliver called.

Inside the drawing room, her parents were happily stationed in their upholstered chairs. Anita was sewing a sampler while Oliver flipped through the Irvington Times. Corrie suppressed a smile at the thought of his reaction if he knew the paper was being run by the sister of the town doctor and an educated black man. Oliver Walker wasn't one to hide his prejudices or his dislike of anyone who was at all different from him. Somehow, this qualified him to be mayor.

"Cornelia, since your sister has shown remarkable improvement," Oliver said, emphasizing the word remarkable which Corrie found too strong a term, "we would like to have a family dinner this evening. It will be the first time all four of us have eaten together since before Christina's injury."

Corrie waited for her father to add some condition, but his suggestion seemed to be uncharacteristically good hearted. "That sounds like an excellent idea. Do you want Mr. Bricker and I to fetch her this evening?"

"Yes, if you don't mind."

With a slight curtsey and bow of her head, Corrie acquiesced and left the room quickly, departing to join Christina for the rest of the day. When evening fell, Hannah and Corrie helped Christina into a soft lilac colored dress and she and Corrie drove to the mayor's mansion for their family dinner.

Anita Walker had always loved family dinners, Corrie remembered. When they were growing up, no matter how busy they were she always made it a point that they have dinner together as a family several nights a week. Despite the conflict that sometimes arose, family dinners had been the one reliable routine in the Walker household. It seemed strange to Corrie that after all these years of living apart, they were now returning to old traditions.

When Mr. Bricker pulled the automobile in front of the mansion, Christina sighed at the sight of her old home.

"How long has it been since you were home?" Corrie asked.

"Since the beginning of April when David joined the army," Christina answered softly, eyes scanning the stone front of the house.

Anita met Corrie and Mr. Bricker at the door and escorted them to the dining room where the table was set with fine china and an ornate lace tablecloth. As Anita bustled out of the dining room, Christina and Corrie seated themselves, admiring the delicacies the cook had prepared.