They are beautiful eyes, glowing islands of hope on a face of despair. Percy sighed. “It’s all right.”
“I knew it was wrong, and if I’d been on my own, just me, I mean, I wouldn’t have done it. But my mama and Sally…”
Even when she was on her own, alone, Percy had snitched food. How could she judge TJ for wanting to feed his family? “Don’t worry about it, TJ. You’ll find a way to make it right.” That’s what she had done. Percy had never been caught like TJ, but she had wanted to make things right. She rose to clear his dishes from the table and her memories from her mind.
Lacey was back soon. “Let’s go. TJ, lead the way.”
Percy was speechless at Lacey’s determination to help. No doubt her day was already full of other obligations, and what Lacey planned to do with three extra people Percy could not imagine. But she was throwing that all aside to offer solace to a family she had known for only a few months more than eight years ago.
“Are you coming?” Lacey asked Percy.
“Yes, of course,” Percy quickly answered. Somehow that seemed to be the right answer. She could hardly believe that the thief who had raided her precious tinned milk had moved her so, but she was and she could not refuse him help. How old is his sister, she wondered as she thought of her own sister, Ashley, who would be thirteen now.
They went out the back door, crossed the garden, and were soon into the woods. TJ seemed confident about where he was going. He moved skillfully and silently along a path that was invisible to Percy. He meandered such that Percy would have been hard pressed to duplicate the route. Clearly he had been determined to stay hidden until this moment. Having found Lacey Wells Gates, he was ready for revelation.
“North and a little bit west,” Lacey mused. “Are we headed to that spot with the big rocks? The three boulders that come together in a sort of triangle?”
TJ flashed a look of surprise, then relief. “I guess when you live your whole life in a place, you know all the ins and outs.”
“I’m sure you knew every hiding place in Tyler Creek,” Lacey said. “I found you in more than one, remember.”
“I remember. And yes, we’re going to the place where the boulders are. They give pretty good shelter, and we hung the canvas.”
“You’ve spent your last night there, I promise you.”
TJ looked at Lacey with more gratitude than Percy could imagine mustering. The truth was no one had ever given her reason to be that grateful. When she was sixteen and suddenly estranged from her upbringing, no one had offered her solace and shelter. How different might things have been if someone had. She would never know.
At least TJ knew where his sister was. He was doing his best to care for her and keep her safe. Percy had not been able to do that for Ashley. Ashley! her mind cried out. I’m sorry!
“Surely your father knows you’re all gone by now,” Lacey was saying. “Do you think he’ll look for you?”
TJ shrugged. “I don’t know. He’ll be right angry, I’m sure, but I don’t know if he cares enough to come looking.”
“He might not care for you,” Lacey said gently, “but he may be infuriated at having been tricked.”
“I don’t know if he can stay sober long enough to figure out where we went.”
“But he might,” said Lacey.
“Yes, ma’am, I suppose he might.”
“And there are plenty of people in Tyler Creek who know where I came from.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We’ll just have to be very careful, that’s all. We won’t let him find you.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am.”
“We’re almost there, aren’t we?”
“Yes, ma’am.” TJ paused. Percy and Lacey stood behind him.
Before them were the three boulders Lacey had described. They were perhaps eight feet tall and lopsided enough that they did indeed lean into each other. With the help of long sticks stuck in the ground, a worn piece of canvas was stretched over the opening in the midst of the boulders. Percy could see a small bundle tied to one of the makeshift poles and the evidence of a small campfire within a ring of small rocks. Three tin plates sat on the ground just outside the ring.
“I don’t see them,” Lacey said urgently.
“They probably heard us coming.”
“So they’re hiding?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“But we want to help, not hurt them!”
“Yes, ma’am. But I told them not to trust anyone, not until we found you.”
“Will they come out if you call?”
TJ formed his lips to give a low, melodic whistle. It did not last long, but it was a distinct sound. The three of them stood motionless and watched. Slowly, two thin, weary forms appeared from behind the large boulder on the left.
“Sally!” Lacey called out as she began to move forward.
The smaller form lurched into a trot and headed directly for Lacey. “Miss Wells, is that really you?” Sally said as she threw herself into Lacey’s arms.
“It’s me, it’s me.” Lacey stroked the girl’s head pressed against her shoulder.
Tears sprang to Percy’s eyes. She judged the girl to be only a couple of years younger than TJ. She was small, but had the roundedness of young womanhood. Her long brown hair was matted and needed a serious cleaning and brushing. Her dress was patched in at least a half-dozen places and was clearly too short and too tight across the shoulders. The toes on her left foot showed through the flap that resulted from torn stitching. But seeing Sally Richards in Lacey’s arms was a beautiful sight.
Percy’s own arms ached to hold Ashley just that way. Would she ever be able to?
Lacey now opened her arms to Alvira Richards.
“I’m so sorry I wouldn’t let you help us all those years ago,” Alvira said, sobbing softly. “I know you meant only the best for us.”
“Yes, I did,” murmured Lacey, “and I still do. You’re coming home with me, all of you. This time I’m going to do exactly what I wanted to do eight years ago. I don’t always understand God’s timing, but I’m glad he’s given me another chance to care for you.”
TJ smiled. “So you still think God made us your business?”
“More than ever. He brought you right to me! How could I think any differently?”
“I’m right grateful for your help,” Alvira said, “but I’m mindful that the three of us can be a handful of trouble.”
Lacey shook her head. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. My boys can bunk in with their uncle, and you and Sally can have their room for the time being. We’ll get TJ a job. I happen to have some influence with the man who does the hiring! You’ll be on your feet before you know it.”
Lacey turned her attention to the makeshift shelter and Percy took up the cue. “Let’s get your things together,” Percy said. “What can I carry?”
TJ looked at her sheepishly. “Well, ma’am, there are a few jars of green beans and a sack of potatoes. Perhaps you’d be interested in them.”
Percy smiled broadly. “Yes, I would. And I would be especially interested in any tinned milk you might have lying around.”
“Yes, ma’am, we have that, too.”
Chapter 19
After breakfast the following day, Percy rushed through her cleanup routine, anxious to go back to Lacey’s house and see what the next step would be for Alvira and her children. She wrapped a batch of fresh cinnamon rolls in a napkin, tucked them in a basket, and set off down the street.
“The lady from the street is here,” Adam announced. “I think she wants to see the lady from the woods.” Lacey, Alvira, TJ, and Sally were gathered around the kitchen table enjoying midmorning coffee.
Percy narrowed her eyes and glared playfully at Adam. To Adam she would always be the lady from the street.
“I’m glad you came over,” Lacey said warmly as she pulled another chair up to the table for Percy. Caleb crawled up onto his mother’s lap as she sat down again. “Y
ou can help us make a plan for how we’re going to take care of our new friends.”
Lacey spoke so easily of friendship. After trekking back to Lacey’s house with the meager belongings of the Richards family, Percy had heard more of the story of Lacey’s connection with TJ and his sister. Her stomach wrenched as she listened to the stories of drunkenness and beatings and how Bert Richards behaved in public as if he were the model father. The account reminded Percy of another father who was far different than he led people to think.
Percy turned to Alvira. “I hope you enjoyed sleeping in a real bed,” she said, remembering the four luxurious nights she had under the Gateses’ roof. She herself had spent the night wrestling with her memories and now hoped that her sleeplessness did not show in her face.
“I was afraid I wouldn’t sleep a wink,” Alvira said hesitantly, “what with all the excitement yesterday. I haven’t been sleepin’ all that well lately, ever since…. But I slept like a well-fed baby.”
“That’s good to hear,” Lacey said. “I intend for you to be fed well and to sleep well every night from now on.”
“Perhaps these will help,” Percy said, placing her basket of cinnamon rolls in the center of the table.
“You made these?” Sally said, her eyes wide. “Mama, these look just as good as yours.”
Alvira laughed. “I don’t suppose a body gets a job as a cook unless she can cook. If we eat those, we’ll be headed for sweet dreams again tonight.” She reached out to pinch off a piece of cinnamon roll.
“I don’t remember the last time I slept as well as I did last night,” Sally said, helping herself to an entire roll. “Maybe not in my whole life.”
You slept because you felt safe, Percy thought. I remember the weeks of not sleeping, of wondering how long I could stay where I was, the hungry, exhausting days.
“It was right kind of your boys to give Sally and me their room,” Alvira said to Lacey.
“Oh, it was nothing. I’m sure they thought it was great fun to bunk in with Uncle Josh. They’ve been talking about it all morning. The sofa may have been a bit uncomfortable for TJ, though.”
“It’s a whole might better than a mattress of pine needles,” TJ responded brightly. Then he sobered. “But I know I can’t sleep on your sofa permanently. I aim to get us a place to live as soon as possible.”
“Around here that means building a place,” Lacey informed him seriously. “There aren’t any empty houses or abandoned farms like there might be down south.”
“What did Travis say?” Percy asked, knowing that Lacey must have used her influence on her husband to try to better the lot of the Richards family.
“He promised to give TJ a job,” Lacey said brightly. Then she laughed. “He wanted to assign TJ to work with you in the kitchen, but TJ wasn’t sure he wanted to do that.”
Percy glanced at the sheepish TJ. “No offense, ma’am. I ain’t proud of what I did and I reckon I have some debt to work off in your kitchen. But I’m the man in the family now, and I aim to do a man’s work.”
“Am I really so frightening?” Percy teased. “I promise not to chase you with a broomstick again.”
TJ blushed. “No, ma’am. It’s just that I hiked all the way up here from Tyler Creek because I had my mind set on being a lumberjack.”
“Then you should be a lumberjack,” Percy agreed. If only I had believed in myself that much when I was sixteen.
Alvira said, “I’m proud to see my boy doing a man’s work.”
“From what I see, you have every reason to be proud of your boy,” Percy said softly. Had anyone ever been proud of her? It seemed that every word spoken stirred up memories she thought she had long buried.
“Josh was about TJ’s age when he started working in the camp,” Lacey commented. “You might be sore for a while, TJ, while you build up your muscles, but I know you can do the job.”
“TJ’s right, though,” Alvira said somberly. “We can’t impose on your hospitality. Your boys may think it’s fun to sleep with their uncle, but he might think different. A man deserves to have his home just the way he likes it.”
Percy sighed. Her father certainly always had his home just the way he liked it. She hoped that Josh was somehow more congenial in the face of last night’s invasion.
“Once TJ starts working,” Lacey explained, “he can stay in the bunkhouse with the other men. You and Sally are welcome to stay here as long as you need to.”
Alvira shook her head adamantly. “No, ma’am. You have a very big heart. I understand why my boy wanted to come all this way to find you. But we have to stand on our own feet.”
“But there are no houses,” Lacey protested.
“We have our canvas,” Alvira said. “We’ll find a place closer into town that we can pitch a tent.”
Lacey chuckled “My husband would be pleased to hear you call this place a town.”
“I remember when Tyler Creek wasn’t much more than this.”
“Mama,” TJ said, “Tyler Creek is still just a speck of dirt on the map.”
“Town or no town, I don’t want you living under a piece of canvas,” Lacey said insistently.
“Beggin’ your pardon, ma’am, but we can’t stay here,” Alvira said, just as insistently. “It wouldn’t be right.”
“What about the shed?” Percy suggested.
“The shed?” Lacey echoed.
“Yes, the one behind the mess hall. It’s got a few old tools in it and scraps of lumber. I never see anyone go in there.”
“I’d almost forgotten it was there!” Lacey exclaimed. “But you’re right. We could clean that place up and there would be plenty of room for a couple of cots.”
“I’m going to build a real house,” TJ said, “but it might be that this is the best we can do for now.”
“A real house could take years to afford,” Lacey said. “The shed will keep your mother and your sister out of the elements in the meantime. That was a good idea, Percy. And I have another one. Why not have Alvira work for you in the kitchen?”
Percy perked up. “Really?”
Lacey turned to Alvira. “What do you think? Sally says you can make cinnamon rolls as good as these. I’ll bet you have a whole book of recipes in your head.”
“Well,” Alvira said reluctantly, “I reckon I do know how to cook. But I can’t imagine getting paid to do it. I’ve never had no job.”
“I’ve never had a job,” Sally said, correcting her mother’s grammar. “Miss Wells, I mean Mrs. Gates was our teacher. We should speak right.”
“I’m glad you said that, Sally,” Lacey said, “because that’s the rest of my idea. Sally, I want you to finish your schooling. You’re fourteen now, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What grade were you in when you were last in school?”
“The sixth grade, ma’am.”
Lacey pressed her lips together thoughtfully. “We’ll have some catching up to do then. But we’ll work on it. I want to see you get your eighth-grade certificate.”
Sally’s eyes lit up. “Really? You’d be my teacher again?”
“Absolutely. We’ll start tomorrow, if you like. I’ll listen to you read and see how your arithmetic is, and we’ll make our plans from there.”
Sally jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around Lacey, who was still holding Caleb.
“Hey!” Caleb protested the confinement of so many arms entangled around him.
Sally stepped back, laughing. “When we left home, I thought that was the end of school for me. I’ll study hard, I promise. I’ll be the best student you ever had.”
Percy stood up awkwardly and moved toward the stove, acting as if she wanted a cup of coffee. She didn’t, really, but she did not want anyone to see her face just then. How different the story would be for TJ and his family, compared to her own. She had longed for someone to merely speak a kind word to her, much less offer her housing and a job. But no one had. Week after week she heard only harsh words, b
laming words, a tone that urged her to stop being such a bother as quickly as she could. She admired TJ’s independence and fierceness because she understood it, and she knew exactly what would compel him to clear a path for his mother and sister.
Coffee cup in hand, she turned around and observed TJ from behind. If only she had been as successful in her own quest. If only someone had reached out to her with just one kind gesture when she was sixteen. Maybe things could have been different.
Ashley, her heart cried out, I’m so sorry.
Chapter 20
Having Alvira’s help changed Percy’s life. The after-meal cleanup was done in a snap with Alvira, and sometimes Sally, too, helping. The garden, which had sprouted very nicely but now needed frequent weeding, was not so intimidating. Alvira seemed to know just what to do to keep the birds and insects away. Clearly she was experienced at raising her own vegetables and squeezing every ounce possible from the harvest. She hauled water for the wash, scrubbed the kitchen floor, gathered eggs. Every afternoon after her lessons were finished, Sally appeared to work beside her mother. Percy had to say very little in the way of instructions. Alvira proved to be a proficient cook, even with making fifty servings at a time. More than once in the two weeks since Alvira began working, Percy had awakened to find that Alvira had breakfast nearly ready and that Percy was free to doze for another thirty minutes. She hardly knew what to do with such a luxury. In more than eight years she had not truly been free to sleep as late as she wanted.
Two weeks and three days after finding Alvira in the woods, Percy woke to the smell of brewing coffee and sizzling bacon. She turned over and buried her face in the pillow once again, tempted to let Alvira handle the entire breakfast. She pictured the flapjacks Alvira would make, fluffier than her own. After weeks of being perpetually tired, Percy could almost rationalize sleeping later and letting Alvira take the brunt of the early morning work, but the thought was fleeting. Meals for the men were her responsibility and Alvira was there to assist her, not to coddle her. Without any further self-pity, Percy rose, freshened up with the water that had stood in the basin on her dresser overnight, and dressed in the soft gray dress that had become her favorite work dress. By the time she entered the kitchen, Alvira was mixing flapjack batter.
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