DAY 8 – ADVENT 2023

AN APRON FOR SHIRLEY

Then I’ve got her going on a surprise . . . – Ina,1932

 

When the morning chores were done, Shirley went to Aunt’s to bake gingersnaps with her cousins. She would be out of the house for most of the day. Ina watched while she walked through the gate and trudged up the hill. Then she set to work on the apron she was making as a surprise for Shirley. “She’ll never think of it,” Ina said to herself, stifling a chuckle. She was making it out of the fabric left over from the quilt top she had made for Pearl.

The clock was striking 3:00 when Jack called anxiously, “Shirley’s coming through the gate.” Luckily, Ina had just finished the apron. Quickly, she ran to the bedroom and thrust it into the bottom drawer, hoping she’d remember where she put it. Jack helped her stash the fabric scraps and sewing notions under the runner that covered the sewing machine. And there they were – standing awkwardly in the middle of the room when Shirley entered.

But Shirley knew that the days before Christmas hold many secrets. She greeted them cheerfully and went on to hang her coat as if nothing were amiss. KW