"Foster homes? You mean they would break the children up?"
"Well, yeah. Not like anyone can take in dozens of kids."
"Oh my."
"What's wrong, Miss-"
"Molly," she said. She looked down at her feet. "The children have never been separated before. I don't know if they'll be able to cope. I don't know if I'll be able to cope."
Her heart leaped when he reached up to take her hand. "I'm sure a pretty young girl like you can find something to do with herself. You'll probably have men lining up to take you out."
"You really think so?"
"Of course. I'll be first in line."
Miss Brigham's face turned so warm, she thought she would pass out. "Thank you, Hector."
"No problem, Molly."
She leaned under the railing, drawn to him by some unseen force. Their lips had just touched when she heard footsteps approaching. Miss Brigham pulled away from Hector and then began trying to compose herself. She hoped her face didn't look too red or too guilty.
"I got the water, Miss Brigham," Rebecca announced. She carried the gold bowl they used for communion.
"Very good, Rebecca." Miss Brigham got to her feet and then hurried down the steps. She rushed over to take the bowl from Rebecca, though she was careful not to spill any of the water. The last thing she wanted was to inadvertently make herself younger. She carried the bowl over to Hector and then knelt down in front of him.
"That's great, but I'm not really thirsty," he said.
"No, no, this isn't to drink. Well, you could drink it but you don't really need to-"
"It's medicine," Rebecca said. "For your leg."
"I don't think washing my foot is going to do much good."
"Just relax, Hector. Trust in the Lord."
"Oh, I see. This is that faith healing stuff. You going to say a prayer and whatnot and then God will magically heal me?"
"You shouldn't mock the Lord. He has provided this water for us, to keep us here for many years."
"Many years? Can't be too long. That one girl couldn't have been more than five."
"We've been here over three hundred years, Hector."
"That's impossible."
"Not with the power of the Lord on our side. His power is in this holy water."
"Uh-huh. Holy water."
"It's the Fountain of Youth," Rebecca said.
"Oh, sure, that makes sense."
"You don't believe us. That's perfectly understandable. I shouldn't think I would believe such a cockamamie story either if I were you. It took a bit of explaining for Samantha to finally convince me it was real. Like Thomas, I finally had to see the proof for myself before I truly believed in the water's power."