The New Hand, Part 109

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13

LINK TO PART ONE

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The whole family was together for the Sabbath meal on Friday night. Abby relished the feeling of closeness as she lit the Shabbat candles and said the blessings over them.

The feeling of closeness grew as she watched David ritually wash his hands with the special pitcher and basin and then fall silent as he passed the items along to Adam.

That’s how it worked—once you washed your hands you were silent until the Shabbat meal was served. So the lively conversation around the table died down as each family member passed the basin and pitcher along.

But the conversation started up again with the food—and this time there were no quarrels hanging over the house. David and Josephine had made their peace. Ben seemed content with both his fiancée and his step-son to be. Adam, Hoss and Little Joe were all joking together and sharing memories of some long-ago event that seem to have happened when Joe was a mere five year old.

Abby smiled as she listened to the various conversations. She hoped that the Shabbat meal would become a routine event for all of them—a time for the whole family to set aside any differences and remember what drew them all together.

But perhaps she and David would start hosting it—they would keep their cottage kosher, after all. And, ideally, a Shabbat meal should be kosher.

They would still have to serve fish though, she reminded herself. Joe’s faith didn’t allow him to eat meat on Friday nights. And Abby could certainly understand dietary restrictions.

She started thinking about how they could enlarge the cottage a bit so that they could comfortably fit everyone for Shabbat meals. Adam already had some plans for adding a room or two—perhaps she should speak with him…

But she set that thought aside. There would be more than enough time to worry about that sort of thing after Shabbat. For now it was time to enjoy the peace that seemed to envelope the house.

Especially, she thought wryly, since that peace wasn’t likely to last.

There were already several storms brewing on the horizon. Josephine’s decision to convert to Christianity was bound to cause more problems between her and David, even if they had declared a truce for the time being.

And Abby herself was likely to fight with David soon—he was insisting that she return to San Francisco to see her grandfather and the rest of her family. But she wasn’t ready to do that yet. She wasn’t ready to face or acknowledge her father’s death.

David had pointed out that if she waited too long, her grandfather might also pass on. That was a valid argument, but it hadn’t changed Abby’s feelings. She needed time.

And Ben and Josephine were likely to have a tempestuous marriage once the novelty of being newly-weds wore off. Abby just hoped that their love for one another proved stronger than any disagreements.

Well, at least the love between Adam and David seemed firm and unbreakable. As was the love between all four Cartwrights. Some things in this family were completely stable.

Abby closed her eyes for just a moment and took a deep breath. Then she whispered a prayer, thanking God for bringing them all to this moment--and asking that this whole extended family would be together for many Shabbat meals to come.

~The End~