Stolen Lives

by Joy Redmond

  Ali sat patiently while Nancy used her fingers to get every strand in place. When she finally allowed Ali to look into the mirror, Ali could hardly believe her eyes.

  “Nancy, it’s beautiful,” Ali said, “but could you give me some bangs? I know Aunt July will throw a fit, but I think we should do it!”

  “Oh, dear,” Nancy sighed. “I thought the whole idea was for Aunt July not to notice!”

  “I know,” said Ali, “but you and I both know that bangs would make it perfect.”

  Nancy had to agree, so a few well-placed snips later, Ali had bangs that touched her forehead just above the eyebrows.

  “That is perfect!” Ali squealed with glee. “I look fantastic, thanks to you!”

  “When it dries completely, it’ll look fuller, but it’ll still be pretty,” Nancy said, beaming with pride.

  Toots said, “Ali Monroe, you’re the prettiest girl in town. I think I’m even more jealous than I was before! All the boys will be killing each other trying to get a date with you.”

  “I didn’t do this to get any boy’s attention,” Ali said firmly, “and anyway, Aunt July will go out of her way to make sure I don’t have any dates. I did this strictly for myself! I don’t want to look like a freak anymore.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I was looking at Jane in that mirror,” Nancy said softly. “She was a beautiful woman.” Then her eyes met Ali’s and she added, “And so are you, sweetie.”

  “I can’t thank you enough, Nancy,” Ali said, jumping out of the chair and giving her a hug. “Put the conditioner in a sack for me, please. Then I’m going to sit in the sun until my hair dries. By then it’ll be time to head for home—but I’m not going to run this time. I’m going to walk like a princess, because that’s how you’ve made me feel.”

  “I’m happy for you, sweetie,” Nancy said, her eyes glistening. Then she added with a laugh, “And you be sure to call me if your aunt suddenly leaves the house carrying a shotgun, okay?”

  “I will,” Ali said, laughing happily.

  Toots hugged Ali again before Ali opened the door and stepped out into the bright sunshine. When her hair was finally dry, she was anxious to get home so she could see what it was going to look like. Although she was nervous, she had to laugh as she pictured the look on Aunt July’s face. It would be priceless. She laughed even harder when she thought of Grandma and Grandpa’s faces when they found out.

  Chapter Twelve

  Aunt July was taking a nap on the couch when Ali tiptoed through the living room and on into the bathroom. She stood in front of the medicine cabinet above the sink and stared into the mirror. Her hair was dry and though the bangs were a tiny bit shorter, they still looked perfect.

  Mr. Puss walked into the bathroom and rubbed against Ali’s leg. She picked him up and said, “Do you recognize me? Now I don’t look like there’s a bush growing on top of my head. What do you think?”

  As if he understood, Mr. Puss raised his right paw and touched Ali’s hair just as Aunt July called from the living room, “Ali, where are you?”

  “Oh, lord, here we go,” Ali said. “Time to brace for the storm.” She set Mr. Puss on the floor and headed toward the living room, calling, “I’m here.”

  When Aunt July saw Ali, she was speechless for a moment. Then she thundered, “What on earth have you done? I should have known better than to turn you loose on your own. Every time I think I can trust you, this is how you repay me! Lord, what am I going to do with you? I try so hard.”

  Ali said hopefully, “It only took four snips to make my bangs. You know how you’re always fussing about my hair being in my eyes. Well, now you won’t have to do that anymore!”

  “It doesn’t matter how many snips it took! You disobeyed me—and you went against God’s instruction. I suppose Nancy cut your hair. Well, she’s going to get another piece of my mind, and you’re grounded from Toots again. Was it worth it?”

  Ali smiled and said, “It was definitely worth it. You can’t make my life any more miserable than you already have, so I don’t care what you do to me. I’ve taken everything you’ve dished out, but as soon as I turn eighteen, that will all be over—and that’s a promise!”

  Aunt July bristled as she said firmly, “Maybe by the time you’re eighteen you’ll come to your senses and realize that everything I did was for your own good. You’re just a rebellious teenager now, but the day will come when—”

  Ali interrupted, “The day will come when I’ll be free of you—and of Grandma and Grandpa too—and it’ll be the happiest day of my life.” In defiance, Ali flipped the back of her hair, and then headed for the front door, Mr. Puss close at her heels. Once outside, Ali sat on the front porch, taking delight in hearing her aunt’s sobbing from the living room.

  “She could never shed as many tears as I have because of her,” Ali whispered as she stroked Mr. Puss who was curled up in her lap. “I don’t think God gives a whip about me getting my hair cut. I think God is love, not the mean old man that Aunt July and my grandparents make him out to be.”

  As Ali sat and pondered, she wondered why God didn’t smack some sense into misguided people like her family. It even made her wonder if there were two gods—one who loved unconditionally and accepted people for who they were, and another one who was always angry and ready to strike down anyone who made the slightest mistake. None of it made any sense.

  Aunt July called Ali inside when supper was ready. They held hands as Aunt July said the blessing. Ali was prepared to eat in silence, but to her surprise, Aunt July reached out and patted her hand as Ali reached for her fork.

  “I’m sorry I fussed at you,” Aunt July said softly. “I was taught not to believe in cutting hair, but I have to admit that your bangs look cute.” She raised her left hand and touched Ali’s hair. “Your hair looks prettier than I’ve ever seen it. How did Nancy get it to lay down so nice?”

  Ali looked at her aunt in astonishment. “Well, she used a special shampoo and conditioner, for one thing,” she said. “I bought a bottle of it so I can keep it looking nice.”

  “Well, I’m glad,” said Aunt July with a smile. “That hair has always been a nightmare to me, and I know it’s been one for you too, so let’s be happy about that and try to get along, okay?”

  “That would be nice,” Ali said, nodding her head, “but it just doesn’t seem possible for us to get along. I’m not trying to be a rebellious teenager. I’m just trying to be a normal teenager.”

  Aunt July wiped a tear from her cheek. “Ali, I’m doing the best I can, and maybe I’m a little too hard on you, but you have to understand that Ma and Pa are all over me about what I should allow and what I shouldn’t. I get confused myself at times, but I can tell you this. I have no idea what they’re going to say tomorrow when they see your hair. I suspect we’re both going to catch it.”

  “I’m ready for whatever they hand out,” Ali said firmly. “Grandma and Grandpa are a bigger thorn in my side than you are, and I hate that they make your life miserable too.” When Aunt July only sighed in response, Ali continued, “And please don’t jump all over Nancy. She only did what I asked her to do.”

  Aunt July held up her hand and said, “I agree. There’s no point in saying anything to Nancy. She didn’t force you to cut your hair. That’s how she makes her living, though I think it’s wrong, and what’s done is done.”

  “Thank you,” Ali said with relief. “Nancy really is a good person and she and Toots are the only friends I have.”

  Aunt July paused for a long moment, then plunged forward, speaking quickly as if to get the words out before her courage failed. “Ali, you don’t understand how it ripped my heart when I read your diary. I know you say none of it actually happened, but the thoughts were in your heart, and the Bible says that if we lust in our hearts, we’ve already committed the sin. And I thought I’d drop dead when you walked into the principal’s office wearing those clothes and that face paint.”

  As Aunt July’s vo
ice trailed off, Ali said, “Look, you’ve been unmerciful about punishing me for over a year, so can we please put it behind us? How much longer will I have to pay?”

  Aunt July stood and started gathering up the dishes. “It’ll never be forgotten, but I’ll try not to bring it up again. I’ll have enough to worry about when we face Ma and Pa tomorrow.”

  The next morning, Aunt July woke Ali up early and told her to pull her bangs back and put barrettes on both sides. “I sure hope that your grandma and grandpa won’t notice.”

  Ali noticed that Aunt July seemed to be a nervous wreck as she made breakfast and Ali found herself feeling sorry for her—a little.

  During the church service, Ali noticed that Grandpa gave her several hard glares, but Grandma kept her eyes straight forward as Aunt July squirmed nervously in the pew.

  On the way to Grandpa and Grandma’s house after church, Aunt July’s hands were sweating so badly that she seemed to have trouble holding the steering wheel. Nothing was said during the ride, or when Aunt July parked the car and sighed deeply before opening the door.

  Grandma jumped out of their car and hurried into the house.

  Aunt July slowly walked across the yard with Ali by her side and Grandpa in the rear.

  Before they reached the front porch, Grandpa grabbed Ali’s arm and said, “Hold it right there, girl. July, you wait a minute too.” Looking at Ali, he said, “Young lady, you’ve got a lot of explaining to do. Your Grandma and I just got word about you carrying on with your teacher.”

  Then he turned his steely eyes toward Aunt July. “And you didn’t say a word about it. How did you think you could keep such a sinful thing a secret from us? If you can’t control this child, your ma and I will take her—and then she will learn how to act like a decent human being. She has dragged the Monroe name through the mud, just like Jane did. We can’t even hold our heads up around our friends anymore. I’m sorry now that we didn’t put her up for adoption when Jane died.”

  Aunt July was stunned, but she finally managed to stammer, “I…I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to upset you, but I punished Ali severely, and she knows she was wrong and has asked God to forgive her.” Straightening her back, Aunt July then looked her father squarely in the eyes and added, “You are not going to take Ali away from me! I know by law she isn’t legally mine, but she isn’t legally yours, either.”

  Ali couldn’t believe her ears. Aunt July was standing up to Grandpa!

  Grandpa’s face filled with rage as he shouted, “Well, I do have a legal right to beat the devil out of her!” Instantly, Grandpa bent down and picked up a warped old tobacco stick. As he raised it above his head, Aunt July sprang forward and stood between him and Ali.

  “Don’t you dare touch that child!” Aunt July growled. “I had to stand by and watch you beat Jane, but you will not touch Ali, do you hear me? If you need to beat somebody to make yourself feel better, go ahead and beat me!”

  For a long moment Grandpa and Aunt July stood staring at each other defiantly. Ali looked briefly toward the house, wondering if Grandma would come out and defuse the standoff, but she was nowhere in sight.

  Finally, Grandpa lowered the stick, but he beat it against his palm several times as he said contemptuously, “You two aren’t worth the trouble. July, you get that bastard off my property—and I never want to see either one of you again!”

  Ali bristled with anger at her grandpa’s remark, but Aunt July simply said, “Go get in the car, Ali. We’re leaving.” As she turned away from her father, she added, “And Pa, I can tell you that I don’t think God approves of beating a child. Maybe it was all the beatings Jane took that made her do the things she did.”

  As Grandpa watched in silent rage, Aunt July marched toward the car like a soldier returning home after winning a battle. Ali was standing by the car waiting.

  “Aunt July,” Ali said sheepishly, “maybe you won’t want me to sit in the car. I got so scared back there that I peed my panties.”

  Aunt July smiled broadly and said, “Child, I don’t think a little pee can hurt this old pile of junk. Go ahead and climb in.”

  Just as Aunt July turned the key to start the engine, Grandpa came running toward the car. Shaking his fist, he shouted, “Ali, when your mama burned up in that house, it was God giving her a preview of what was waiting for her on the other side. You think about that, girl!”

  Without saying a word, Aunt July slammed the car into gear and hit the gas petal so hard it sent gravel flying up, making her father step back to avoid being pelted. He stood motionless in the driveway as they sped away.

  “I’m sorry he said that to you,” Aunt July said. “He’s just mad. Then she pounded the steering wheel and said, “But I gotta tell you—it felt great to finally stand up to him!”

  Ali laughed and said, “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. You were great!”

  Aunt July looked over and smiled broadly. “You know, it was a sin not to honor my pa, but I think God will forgive me. And if you want to know something else, I really think that Pa needs to do some serious praying about his temper and about saying such a terrible thing to you about your mother. I don’t think God was showing Jane a piece of hell. It seems to me that she had already lived enough hell.”

  Ali reached over and patted her aunt’s arm. “I want to thank you for sticking up for me. I love you for that—I mean it. And you’re right. Mama Jane lived her hell right here on earth. She’s in heaven, and someday we’ll be with her again.”

  Tears began to roll down Aunt July’s cheeks. “You know, I think you’re right about Jane. And that’s the first time you’ve ever told me that you love me.” She looked at her niece and added, “I’ve loved you since the first moment I laid eyes on you.”

  “Then why do you act like you don’t love me most of the time?” Ali said, feeling her own tears on her cheeks. “Why have you made my life so miserable?”

  Aunt July looked at Ali sadly. “Well, I’m not one to be all gushy about my emotions, and I knew in my heart that you loved me, even when you said you hated me. And I don’t do things to make your life miserable. Someday you’ll understand. I hope.”

  Ali nodded, not quite knowing what to say—but she definitely knew that she couldn’t wait to get out of her wet underwear. She also knew she was delighted that they weren’t going to have to spend the day with her grandparents.

  As they pulled into the garage, Aunt July said with a sigh, “I feel sorry for Ma right now. She must have heard what happened, and she’s caught in the middle. She’ll cry for the rest of the week, even though she won’t let Pa see it.”

  “Why does Grandma always cower when it comes to Grandpa?” Ali asked.

  “She was raised that way and Pa has browbeaten her all their married life,” Aunt July said simply. “He did the same thing to me—until today!”

  “Yeah, today is sort of like Independence Day, huh?” Ali said with a smile. “You did something today that was long overdue, and I’m so proud of you.”

  “Well, let’s go in the house,” Aunt July said. “I’m going to have to sort this all out in my mind, and it’s going to take a while.”

  Ali ran into the house and immediately headed for the bathroom, where she began filling the tub with warm water. “Mr. Puss, you won’t believe what happened today,” she told her feline friend. “I haven’t peed in my panties since I was two years old, and it felt terrible, but you would have been proud of Aunt July. She told Grandpa off—good and proper.”

  After a half hour of soaking, Ali got out of the tub, rubbed her body with lotion and went into her bedroom. She opened her closet and scanned the clothes, wondering if the day would ever come when she would be allowed to wear store-bought clothes again. How she wished that Aunt July would understand the torture of being a homemade freak. She put on a skirt and blouse and headed for the kitchen, where she found Aunt July was dragging out pots and pans. There was a chicken on the counter top.

  “
I think we’ll fry up a chicken and make some good old mashed potatoes and gravy,” Aunt July announced. “What do you say? Do you want to help?”

  “I sure do. We’ll make a special celebration Sunday dinner,” Ali said happily. “To tell the truth, I like your fried chicken better than Grandma’s. While you start the chicken, I’ll make a crust, and then I’ll use some of our canned peaches to make a pie for dessert.”

  As she worked, Ali thought about the things Grandpa had said. She was secretly glad that he had told them never to come back. She hoped he would never change his mind.

  As she stood next to her aunt at the counter, she said, “I’m glad you taught me how to cook, Aunt July. This is gonna be a fun Sunday—unless we have to go back to church tonight.”

  “I don’t like to miss church, but I think we’d better skip church tonight,” Aunt July said. “Under the circumstances, I think God will understand. We can cook all day if you want. We’re not supposed to work on the Sabbath, but since we’ll be having fun, I don’t think we can call it work, do you?”

  “I think you’re one-hundred percent right,” Ali replied, reaching up and pulling the barrettes out of her hair. “You know, I think that Grandpa was so mad about everything else that he never even noticed my hair.”

  “Trust me, he noticed,” Aunt July said matter-of-factly.

  There was a long pause before Ali summoned her courage and said, “You know, Aunt July, Mama Jane was going to show me a picture of my daddy and tell me his name, but she died in the fire before she had a chance. Won’t you please tell me who he was? If you know anything about it, it’s important for me to know who I am. She was going to meet him the night she got locked in the closet. Do you know anything about that?”

  Aunt July bit her lip for a moment, and then said, “How do you know she was going to meet your daddy that night?”

  “Because she told me. But why did she get locked in a closet if none of you knew anything about him? Something about that doesn’t make sense to me,” Ali replied.