by CamRose
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program
"Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and
have been used without permission. No
copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.
Victoria Barkley sat on the wooden bench that her husband
Tom had fashioned for the outside of their home. He had placed the bench under a spreading oak tree that bordered
their home, so she could sit comfortably in the shade of the tree, shielded
from the rays of the northern California sun. From where she sat, Victoria
could see the vegetable garden that she had planted behind and to the side of
their small but comfortable house.
Soon, she would need to tend to the new shoots that were making their
way up through the soil. But for now,
she had other matters to attend to.
The seeds that she had sown around the simple dwelling and
near the tree had germinated as she had hoped.
Her mother had collected the seeds from her own garden and given them to
her youngest daughter, to bring with her as she and her husband journeyed to
California. Since East Coast weather
was cooler, Victoria hadn’t known if the seeds would take root and grow in the
climate of northern California. But
here she now sat, surrounded by the sweet scent and beauty of sweet alyssum,
morning glories and honeysuckle. She
inhaled deeply, enjoying the memories of home the scents evoked. Her upbringing had been one of privilege,
compared to her husband’s, but that hadn’t stopped Victoria from sharing his
dream of a new life out West. For a
year and a half, she and Tom toiled side by side, carving a home for themselves
out of the California wilderness. Two
weeks ago, their hard work came to fruition; she had given birth to her first
child, a healthy baby boy. Today, after staying inside for two weeks to
recover, she decided to venture outside with her infant son for the first time.
Victoria leaned back against the home-made pillow that she
had fashioned one night out of rags and an old dress of hers, grateful for the
support it provided to her back. As she
settled into a comfortable position, the movement jostled her infant son awake
as she held him cradled in her arms. Instinctively, the infant turned his head,
searching for his mother’s breast, mewling in hunger. With care, Victoria pulled her shirt open, exposing her left
breast to the cool spring air. Stroking
her finger gently against her baby’s cheek, she guided his mouth to her,
holding her breath against the momentary discomfort as his mouth found her
nipple and he began to suckle in earnest.
Even though she had given birth two weeks ago, her nipples were still
exquisitely tender. Her breasts were
heavy on her slender frame and filled with mother’s milk.
As her baby suckled, she sung to him softly, all the while
studying the miracle she held in her arms.
She marveled anew at the shock of jet black hair that covered the tiny
head, hair that was so long she could run her fingers through it. With care, her fingers traced the shape of
her son’s ear, memorizing the shape and feel of it. His ear was so tiny! From
there, her fingers crossed to caress his cheek, feeling the softness of the
skin; her fingers paused as she felt his cheek tighten below the skin with each
tug of his mouth on her nipple. Then,
shifting the baby slightly in her arms, she brought the loose end of the
brightly covered knitted blanket back up over him, letting the edge fall back
over her arm, but keeping her baby securely covered.
As he continued to suckle, she turned her thoughts again
to the question that had plagued her and her husband for the past two
weeks…….what name to give to their son?
They had both agreed on Thomas as his middle name, but the first name
eluded them both. Both she and Tom agreed that the name of their firstborn son
should be distinctive, as their son represented the hopes they both shared for
a new and prosperous life. So this morning, Victoria had turned to the family
Bible, hoping to find a name.
She started at the beginning, reading the Old Testament,
and decided she didn’t like either Adam, Cain or Abel as a first name for her
child, for obvious reasons. Continuing on, she came across a list of Adam’s
descendants. As she read, one name
struck her in particular…Jared. She
sounded it out….Jared Thomas Barkley.
She liked the sound of it, but somehow, when she wrote it out on paper,
it seemed to have too few letters for the imposing names that followed it. In a moment of inspiration, she decided to
change the spelling to Jarrod instead, and was instantly pleased with the
result. Looking down at the now
sleeping infant that rested against her bosom, she spoke the name out loud to
her son for the first time.
“Jarrod Thomas Barkley…what do you think of that name,
sweet boy of mine?” To her surprise,
her baby’s eyes fluttered open; his eyes met hers briefly, and even though she
knew that he was not able to focus on her face at so young an age, she imagined
for a moment that she saw acknowledgement in his blue eyes. As his eyes slowly drifted closed, she
smiled at him and whispered, “Jarrod ….”
Later on, she would learn that she and Tom had named him
well, for Jarrod meant ‘strong,’ as
well as ‘descendent’ and her son would live up to both meanings of his name as
Thomas and Victoria Barkley’s oldest son.
THE END