Peregrine White

As Susanna sat in her room watching the clock she kept smoothing down her billowy skirts and taking deep breaths. The Cuckoo Clock struck three in the afternoon, a little wooden door popped open, and out came two alpine dancers. They spun around, then quickly went back inside and the small door closed behind them. Normally, the amusing clock would bring a smile to her face but today she bit her lower lip, closed her eyes and waited for William to come back. She needed to have a serious talk with him. 

At last the door to the stateroom swung open and an exuberant, well-dressed man waltzed inside with so much gusto it blew air across the room and puffed Susanna’s skirts. Their five year old son, Resolved, was lifted up and held in his father’s strong arms. It was their tradition every time his father came home.

Once back on the ground he asked, “May I go next door to play?” 

His mother replied, “Be sure to knock first and ask permission.”  

“I will” Resolved shouted as he ran out the door.

“William, we need to talk about this journey. Last night was utterly terrifying. Every time we hit a large wave, the ship would shake and shudder. I didn’t sleep a wink. Elizabeth Winslow told me the ship has been leaking down below. How can we possibly take this across the Atlantic ocean? Surely, we will all perish!”

William took off his cloak, smoothed his hair with the palm of his hand and sat in the chair next to his wife. “You have every right to be concerned. The Speedwell is not holding up. From what we have determined, the captain had a larger mast and bigger sails installed to try to make the ship go faster. The sailboat is overpowered causing too much stress on the hull and now it is beginning to split at the seams. We will make it to England but no farther on this vessel.”

Susanna wrung her fingers, exhaled a breath she had been holding, and replied in a strained voice, “Then what will we do? You will be executed if you stay in England. You are a known Separatist and they will not tolerate us living there.”

“Just now, we held a council meeting and we discussed the option of going on board the Mayflower. It’s a merchant ship that is planning on traveling to the new world soon. Our captain believes the ship will be able to transport us.” 

William continued as he scratched his beard gently and tilted his face to look out the porthole, “Unfortunately, it will delay our arrival. Additionally, we will be a mixed community of merchants and believers. I’m disappointed that we will not be alone with our community of Puritans but it seems to be our only hope.”

Susanna got up and paced quickly around the small stateroom. Her voice was elevated to a shouting whisper, “Let’s pray we can all get onboard the Mayflower. I do not want our family separated!”

“Trust me, Susanna. We will not allow another ship to leave women and children behind; as what happened when we fled to Holland years ago.”

Susanna stood at a service tray and poured herself a glass of water. She thought to herself, “In the beginning, being with a man with big ideas was exciting but now it is rather aggravating. Does he even think about how dangerous this is for me and our young family?” 

She spun around and faced him. Her mouth was dry and her heart was beating rapidly. As she raised her glass she noticed she was shaking badly. She took a sip and felt the coolness of the water make its way down her throat. 

Apprehensively, she stated, “William, I have some news. From my calculations, I’m about four or five months pregnant.”

William’s reaction was unexpectedly delightful, “My dear! That is so wonderful!” He instantly beamed with pride. 

“I waited to tell you because it was so hard for both of us after losing the last two pregnancies. I hope I am now past the risk of another miscarriage. I was worried we may not be able to have more children but, this timing is… precarious… it’s not ideal… in fact it probably couldn’t be worse!”

“Susanna, it is a blessing! Now you will be glad to know that I packed our baby cradle. You told me to leave it in Holland but I found room in the crate. I was hopeful God would bless us one day with another child. I had no idea it would be this fast!”

“Bless you, my disobedient darling!” Susanna said as she smiled. It felt good to smile as she hadn’t done so in days. 

William looked into her eyes and said, “You are so beautiful when you are pregnant. You have a healthy glow about you. I should have known!”

A boldness returned to Susanna as she squared her shoulders and confidently stated, “Since you are putting me through all this difficulty, I feel I should have a say in the name.”  

She raised her chin and said, “If we have a boy, I’d like to name him Peregrine.” 

“Not many women would be willing to go along with me on such a dangerous journey like this. You may choose whatever name you like; no matter how peculiar.”

“I don’t believe Shakespeare when he said, ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Susanna said as she placed her empty glass on the tray. “I believe names shape a person. It’s important to me to select meaningful names for our children.”

She continued, “I chose Resolved because at the time we were resolved to practice our faith even when it meant risking our lives and going against the King of England. Now I choose Peregrine because it means foreigner or pilgrim. It is fitting because we will be foreigners in the new world and there’s a good chance our baby will be the first Pilgrim born in America.”

“Makes perfect sense, my beloved! You have my full support,” William said as he took her hand and kissed her ring. He smiled and playfully curtsied to her as if she was a queen.

Susanna relaxed and cheerfully set about tidying up the cabin of the Speedwell. As she worked, she sweetly sang a familiar hymn,

“Jehovah feedeth me, I shall not lack; 

In grassy folds He down dooth make me lye;

He gently leads me quiet waters by.

He dooth return my soul; for His name sake.

In paths of justice leads me quietly.”

She began packing up her family's belongings with a new sense of hopefulness about the journey ahead.