“I’m not certain.” He looked weary and harassed. “We only rent the place and the lease is up the first of May.”
“I’ll wager you can rent a good farm up home for what you pay here, Tom—house, barns, pasture, hay fields, wood lots and all,” said Rebecca thoughtfully. “It’s a nice place here, but the cost of living is so high.” She looked out at the clean park-like territory around the large modern house. Winding drives swept in and out. Each residence stood in its own spacious grounds. There was an artificial pond where the children skated in winter, and the country club crowned the hill with a golf course sloping away to the shore on the north.
Down in the ravine stood the gray stone railroad station matching the real estate office over the way, and farther along were the village stores, the new high school of brick and concrete, and the two churches. Back and forth along the smooth highway slipped a never-ending line of cars and trucks coming and going like ants over an ant hill.
Becky turned her head toward the bed once more and asked, “Would you rather stay here than go up home with me?”
“It isn’t what I’d rather do. It’s what we may have to do unless I gain my old strength.”
“You’ll never get a bit better lying there worrying over unpaid bills and new ones stacking up. I’m going to talk to Margie.”
He shook his head with a little smile of doubt.
“But it would never be fair to take them away from this sort of thing, Becky. You don’t understand. Their friends are all here. And Jean has been taking up a course in applied design and ceramics, and Doris has her music. Kit’s deep in schoolwork and belongs to about five clubs outside of that. Even Tommy has a swimming class keeping him busy after school two days a week. Margie’s on more committees and things than I can count, and she believes we owe it to the children to give them the best social environment that we can. Perhaps we can get along in some way. There’s a little left at the bank.”
“How much?” demanded Rebecca uncompromisingly. “I mean, after you’ve paid up everything. I’ll bet there isn’t five thousand left.”
“Five thousand! I doubt much whether there is one thousand. Don’t tell Margie that. I still have a few securities I might sell and realize something on.”