Lena Jones 02 - Desert Wives

recalcitrant puppy on a leash.
    “But I want to help her,” I complained.
    “Sister Hanna’s problems are none of your business!” he yelled at me. When this outburst attracted the disapproval of a knot of men standing on a nearby porch, he lowered his voice. “A curious mind is the Devil’s mind, Sister Lena.”
    With that, he half-shoved me up the steps where Saul, just back from his grocery run in Zion City, had come out to watch our progress across the dirt circle.
    “Your wife is sadly in need of instruction,” Meade said, as he handed me over.
    “I’ve noticed that,” Saul said, hooking his arm around mine, much as Meade had done. “Come inside, wife. It’s time for you to prepare supper.”
    Relieved to escape from Meade’s clutches, I did as I was told. Soon a nuked bowl of Ramen noodles sat before each of us. After we’d slurped the noodles down I handed around some bananas and apples for dessert.
    “This is it?” Ruby asked. Her face couldn’t have been more aghast if Brigham Young himself had crawled out of his tomb and pinched her scrawny ass.
    “Healthier than those chicken-fat sandwiches you made for us earlier,” I shot back, my reserve of meekness depleted.
    She flushed, whether in rage or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell. Shifting in her chair, she turned to Saul and whined, “Husband, my dear sister wife must learn to cook or we will all starve.” As if she did not have her own shortcomings in that department.
    To my horror, Saul nodded. “I’ve been worried about that very thing, Sister Ruby, and I believe I’ve found a solution.”
    Not liking the direction in which we were headed, I said, “Hey, wait a minute…”
    Saul raised his hand. “Silence, woman!”
    It’s a good thing no flies inhabited the room because one of them would have flown into my open mouth. While I gaped at him, Saul shoved his chair back and stood.
    “Ruby, you see to the dishes, such as they are, and Sister Lena, you follow me.”
    That’ll be a clean day on a pig’s behind, I wanted to snap, but didn’t. Leaving Ruby behind to her smirks, I followed him out onto the porch. Once we were out of earshot of curious ears, I let fly.
    “Listen here,
husband
. Speak to me like that again and I’ll shove a firecracker up your ass and light it with a blowtorch.”
    He winced, then gestured to the porch swing, which swayed slightly to a breeze drifting down from the canyon. “Have a seat, Miss Big Mouth, and let me tell you the arrangements I’ve made.”
    “I don’t care what arrangements you’ve made,” I huffed. Settling myself next to him on the porch swing, I added, “I didn’t come to Purity to learn to how to cook.”
    His face assumed that smug look I’d seen on so many men in the compound, and it unsettled me even more. But with his next words my apprehension disappeared.
    “You came here hoping to get Esther out of jail, and to do that, you’ll have to do more than spend your time annoying Ruby and Meade. You need to talk to people.”
    His criticism stung because it was so on target. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do, but it’s harder than I thought it would be. These people are pretty tight-lipped, even with each other.” In my ignorance, I had believed I could overcome the polygamists’ reticence, and given enough time I might still be able to get some to open up. But that was the problem. I didn’t have enough time. In a few days, Esther would be extradited to Utah.
    Saul leaned toward me, a grin on his face. “So now, little Miss Sass, are you ready to hear what I’ve fixed up for you?”
    “Lay it on me, brother.” My voice sounded glum.
    When he told me, I startled one elderly gentleman crossing Prophet’s Park by jumping up and crowing in delight.

Chapter 11
    Saul had arranged for me to be apprenticed to Sister Ermaline, one of Solomon Royal’s widows, and reputedly the best cook in Purity.
    “There’s still a pile of women and something like fifty or sixty kids in that house, so if you pay attention, I’m sure you’ll hear something that can help Esther.”
    I nodded and leaned back into the swing, my spirits rising for the first time since I’d arrived in Purity.
    Saul’s mouth assumed the grump position but his eyes smiled. “Play dumb. Watch your mouth.”
    I smiled back. “Me?”
    “Yeah, you. They expect you there an hour before each meal.”
    “How’d you manage that? I thought everyone hated you around here.”
    “Correction, Lena.