“Wait a minute,” Turner said. “That wasn’t unanimous.”
“Shut up and sit down!” Fred Wiskowski yelled. “You been kicked out!”
“I say we make Clara president,” Barb Harris suggested.
Several cheers echoed throughout the room.
Turner stood up again. “This is not proper procedure!” Before he could finish explaining how people had to be nominated first, a chorus of boos forced him to sit back down.
“Anybody got any other suggestions?”
“Maybe Seth Porter?” a voice said.
Clara looked over. “What about it Seth? You wanna be president?”
Seth shook his head. “Nope. Too busy.”
“Anybody else?” Clara asked.
When there were no further suggestions, a show of hands went up and Clara declared herself president. “My first act as president is to abolish the bylaws.”
There was a round of applause along with a number of folks making comments like “Good!” and “About time!”
When Clara asked if there were any objections to doing away with the bylaws altogether, three hands went up: Jim Turner, Eloise Fromm, and a man from the ninth floor who nobody knew by name. Clara shot an angry glare at Eloise.
“What is your problem?” she asked. Eloise’s hand went down as did the hand of the man from the ninth floor. Only Jim Turner’s hand was still raised.
“We cannot have a building without bylaws,” he said emphatically. “It’s against the law.”
“There’s no such law!” Jack Schumann yelled.
“Jack ought to know.” Clara nodded. “He used to be a lawyer!”
Turner’s hand remained up. Fred Wiskowski, an ex-wrestler and a man with shoulders as wide as a doorway, inched his way through the crowd. When he got to where Turner was standing, Fred leaned in and whispered something in Turner’s ear. There was a moment of hesitation; then Turner lowered his hand and sat down. That was the last objection he made for the remainder of the evening.
By ten o’clock the meeting was over, and most everyone went home happy.
A number of things had been decided. There was no longer a set of bylaws that residents had to adhere to. The building would be open to all residents, including children, young adults, dogs, cats, and any domesticated animal other than pigs. Everyone agreed pet pigs were not a good idea. They also decided that residents would no longer have to put in quarters to use the community laundry machines, nor would they be required in park in assigned spots.
Clara Bowman, they declared, was by far the best president they’d ever had.
Finding Family
Once Carmella got started on why Anita had not taken responsibility for the children, she refused to let go. “Here you are, turning your back on these sweet things, when you ought to be gathering them to your bosom!”
Anita’s bottom lip began quivering.
Olivia nervously twisted her beautiful linen napkin into a knot and then plopped it on top of the butter dish. “Perhaps we should change the subject,” she said.
Paying no attention whatsoever to the comment, Carmella continued. “Why, if these kids were related to me, I’d be praising God with every breath I draw!”
“It isn’t that I don’t care about the kids,” Anita said. “I do, but there’s extenuating circumstances.” Her eyes narrowed, and her voice sounded brittle as a dried twig.
Sidney turned to Anita. “I apologize for Carmella’s actions. She gets very emotional when it comes to children.”
“And rightfully so!” Carmella answered. “All my life I’ve prayed for a child. A boy, a girl, that didn’t matter. All I wanted was a child to care for, a child to love!” She turned back to Anita. “Now here you have two wonderful children and care nothing for them.”
Anita stood up so quickly that her chair toppled backward. “I don’t have to listen to you tell me what I care about! It so happens I do love these kids, love them the same way I loved my sister!”
Sidney rose from his chair and wrapped his arm around Anita’s shoulders. “Now, now,” he said and squeezed her arm. “We’re all friends, family almost, so let’s put an end to this conversation and have some of that delicious chocolate cake Olivia’s been talking about.”
“Yes,” Olivia agreed fervently, “that’s a good idea.” Before she could rise from her seat, Anita grabbed hold of the conversation.
“I haven’t seen these kids because that’s the way Ruth wanted it!”
Jubilee’s mouth dropped open, and Paul’s eyes shifted from Anita to Carmella then back again to Anita. Neither of the children spoke. Even Ethan Allen had nothing to say, which was somewhat unusual.
“Your sister didn’t want you to see the children?” Carmella asked, her voice now softer, the words without undertones of accusation or anger.
Anita nodded, her eyes filled with tears. When she spoke it was in a small, fragile voice.
“It wasn’t Ruth’s fault,” she said. “She was doing what she thought best for the children.”
“Why?” Carmella asked. “Why would your sister do such a cruel thing?”
“Because she knew what it was like to live with me.” Anita heaved a great sigh, one that came from the depth of her soul, one that carried years of sadness and regret.
No one else spoke. For a long moment there was only silence, a silence that was deafening and painful as it shadowed the table.
Anita twisted her hands together and looked down at them. Without raising her eyes she began to speak again. “Ruth was only nine when it started. I was twelve. At first it seemed like just the ordinary ups and downs of life; then it got worse. I’d have days when the world seemed black as a tar pit, and other days when for no reason at all I’d be crazy happy.”
Everyone’s eyes focused on Anita. Sidney reached across and covered her hands with his. That’s when she lifted her eyes and looked at Carmella.
“I was seventeen when they finally diagnosed me with a schizophrenic disorder.”
Carmella gave an audible gasp. “You poor thing. Isn’t there some medication, something that—”
“Yes.” Anita nodded. “And I take it most of the time. But it makes me feel like I’m wearing heavy boots. The off-and-on times of happiness I had are gone.”
Paul was the one to speak. “Is that why Mama never brought us to see you?”
“Actually,” Anita said, “she did bring you to Norfolk for a visit. You were just a tiny baby, and Ruth was so proud of you. I was having one of my good times, so I grabbed you up and started dancing across the room. At first it was harmless enough, but then it got crazy, frenzied almost. I threw my hands up into the air and let go of you. Ruth screamed like someone had stuck a knife in her heart. She scooped you off the floor, and when you finally stopped crying she said coming to see me had been a mistake. That same afternoon she took the train back home to West Virginia.”
“But wasn’t it just an accident?”
Anita shook her head. “No, that’s the way I get. Sometimes I’ll be mean enough to kill a person, and five minutes later I’ll be crazy happy. Ruth knew what it was like to live with me. That’s why she never wanted you kids to suffer what she’d gone through.”
Jubilee climbed out of her chair and ran to Olivia. “I don’t want to live with Aunt Anita!” she sobbed.
“You won’t have to.” Anita eyes looked like a river of sadness as the tears streamed down her cheeks. “That’s what I came here to tell Miss Olivia.”
Up until now Olivia had thought it would be just the opposite, and she smiled. “I’d be more than happy to take care of the children for you.”
“In this little bitty apartment?” Carmella gasped.
“For a while,” Olivia answered. “I’ve started looking for another place. Unfortunately, this building just isn’t—”
Before she could finish, Sidney asked, “What’s wrong with this building?”
“Nothing is wrong with it,” Olivia replied. “It’s a wonderful
place to live.” A thread of nostalgia and sadness crept into her words.
“But this apartment isn’t large enough for three children,” Carmella added.
“No, it isn’t,” Olivia said. “That’s why I’m looking for a larger place, an apartment with three, maybe four…” she sniffed back the sadness creeping into her words, “bedrooms.”
“An apartment?” Carmella said. “Why, an apartment is no place for children. They need to be in a house, with their own bedrooms, friends, a yard to play in…”
Feeling the need to defend Olivia’s position, Ethan Allen said, “It so happens I like it here. Me and Grandma’s real happy.”
“Maybe so, but children need friends—”
“I got plenty of friends. I got friends what chipped in to buy me a brand new bicycle!”
“But your grandmother—”
“Grandma got plenty of friends too. She got so many friends they said I was allowed, even if no dogs and kids ain’t supposed to be here!”
Carmella, now engaging in a conversation with Ethan Allen, smiled. “Well, then why do you and your grandma want to move away?”
“We don’t! Grandma’s willing to do it ‘cause she cares about kids.”
Carmella nodded. “I can see that.” She turned and looked Olivia square in the face. “What if there was another way?”
“Another way?”
“Yes.” Carmella reached across and took Olivia’s hand in hers. “You have a life here, but the apartment is too small for three children. Sidney and I have a big house with rooms closed off because there’s no one to occupy them. It’s a house that needs to have children running through the halls, laughing and playing.”
“Wait a minute,” Anita said. “I’m not giving Ruth’s children to some stranger! I was okay with letting them stay here with Olivia because she’s shown she cares about them, but you?” Anita shook her head doubtfully.
Carmella looked at Anita. “I’m not asking you to give us the children. They’re your niece and nephew, and that will never change. I’m just asking if maybe you’d consider letting them live with us for a while.” She went on to explain how Paul had saved Sidney’s life and how that was a debt she could never repay.
Sidney, who’d been rather quiet during the exchange, spoke up. “Carmella’s right. Our house is sadly lacking in the sound of children, and the worst of it is that Carmella’s got a heart full of love to give.” He paused for a moment, then reached inside his jacket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Paul. Paul pulled the letter from the envelope and unfolded it. The letterhead bore the same crest as the baseball cap he’d been given. He looked at the letter and silently let the words settle in his head. After a long while he looked up with tears in his eyes. “Is this for real?”
Sidney nodded. “Yes. When you are ready for college, the College of William and Mary has a fully-paid scholarship waiting for you.”
A smile bigger than any Jubilee had ever seen spread across Paul’s face, but then it grew sheepish. “I haven’t yet graduated high school.”
“That’s okay,” Sidney said. “We’ll see that you do.” He pushed back his chair far enough that he could address both Olivia and Anita at the same time. “I know it’s asking a lot, but having the kids live with us would mean the world to me and Carmella.”
A swirl of emotions raced through Olivia’s heart, some pushing her toward such a solution and some pulling her back. She looked across and gave Anita a helpless shrug.
Before anyone had the chance to make a decision Carmella said, “The doors to our house would be flung open! You’d be welcome to come anytime. You could come to visit the children and stay for a day or a week or a month! Every Sunday we could have dinner together, all of us!” She lifted her arms and opened them in a sweeping motion that encompassed all those at the table. “We’d be a family!”
Judging by the open smile on her face, it would be almost impossible for anyone to believe she had anything but the purest of motives.
It was Olivia who finally spoke, and when she did it was with weighted words addressed to Anita.
“I know we both love the children, but I think Carmella and Sidney also have the capacity to do so. If it’s okay with you, I think we should let Paul and Jubilee decide what would be best for them.”
Anita gave a solemn nod.
Olivia turned to Paul. “You’ve taken care of your sister for a number of years and shouldered more responsibility than any lad your age should have to. But we’re going to ask you to make one more decision, and whatever you decide is what we’ll do.”
Jubilee let go of Olivia’s arm and ran around the table to where Paul was sitting. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. After almost two minutes of listening to what she was planting in his head, Paul laughed and pulled her into an affectionate hug.
He whispered something back, and she gave an eager nod.
“Well,” he said, “I guess we’ve made a decision.”
And It Came To Pass…
At eleven o’clock that evening, there was a soft knock at Olivia’s door. The children were already in bed, and she was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. At first it seemed something she’d simply imagined hearing, but then it came again. When it happened the third time, Olivia rinsed her mouth and hurried to the door. Knowing that only people with a great sense of urgency came to the door at this time of night, her heart was racing when she loosened the latch and pulled open the door.
Clara stood there with a grin so wide that it took Olivia a moment to recognize her.
“It’s after eleven!” Olivia gasped. “Is there some kind of emergency?”
“Not really,” Clara answered, “but I’ve got news so good it couldn’t wait until morning.”
“Oh?” Olivia pulled back the door and Clara trotted in.
She bypassed the living room and headed for the kitchen. “Got any coffee?”
“Coffee? It’s eleven o’clock at night!”
“Don’t I know it,” Clara answered. Then she went on to say she was far too wound up to go to sleep, so there was no harm in enjoying a good cup of coffee.
As Olivia set the pot to brew, she asked what could be so important that it drove Clara to come calling at this unearthly hour.
“It’s about the building rules committee—”
“Well, they needn’t have bothered,” Olivia huffed. “Paul and Jubilee won’t be staying with me anyway.”
“That’s just it.” Clara’s face was bright as a neon streetlight. “They don’t have to go. They can stay as long as they want. They can live here!”
Olivia turned with a look of surprise. “How…what?”
“We had an association meeting tonight,” Clara said. “I wish you could have been there.”
She continued, telling Olivia how Jim Turner had been ousted as president and she had taken his place. As the words tumbled out, she went on to say that there were no longer rules as to who could or could not live there.
“Even pets are okay,” Clara added, “but not pigs.”
Olivia sat and listened to the words coming from Clara’s mouth but could scarcely believe her ears. “Are you saying it’s okay for kids to live here in the building?”
“Yes.” Clara nodded. “Jackie Lane said she’s going out tomorrow to buy a dog, maybe even two. It seems she’s been wanting a dog for some time. Already has the name picked out.”
Olivia gave a soft chuckle. “I’m glad to hear all this, but Paul and Jubilee are leaving on Saturday.”
“Oh, no!”
“It’s nothing to be sad about. It was actually the best possible solution.” She told Clara about the dinner, Anita’s arrival, and Paul’s ultimate decision.
“I suppose that is the best solution,” Clara said, “but I’ll miss having Jubilee around.”
“So will I,” Olivia replied, but there was no trace of sadness on her face.
On Saturday morning Paul and Jubilee dressed in their finest clothes, and although E
than Allen insisted there was no need for him to be gussied up he was wearing his Sunday best pants and shirt when they left the apartment. Olivia set the two shopping bags of clothes they’d accumulated during the past weeks in the trunk of the car along with the weathered tote Paul had carried off the mountain.
Olivia slid behind the wheel; then she looked in the rearview mirror.
“Everybody ready?”
Paul and Jubilee both nodded. Ethan Allen grumbled, “I suppose.”
She pulled out of the lot and headed for the highway. Remembering the road to Anita’s was easy enough. She’d observed every landmark on the day she came with Detective Mahoney. Olivia made a mental note to send Jack Mahoney a thank you note. Without him she would never have found Anita, and Paul could well be sitting behind bars instead of stepping into a new life.
When Olivia arrived at the building, Anita was standing on the front stoop. She hurried down the stairs and climbed into the front seat of the car.
“This is an exciting day, isn’t it?” Olivia said.
Anita smiled and nodded.
When they finally arrived at the Klaussners’ house, a bouquet of balloons was tied to the railing of the front porch. The house was everything Carmella had said. It had a look of happiness that stood two stories tall, three in the area where peaks rose above the tree tops.
“Where’s my room?” Jubilee asked excitedly.
“Just be patient,” Paul said. “It’s not polite to go asking for stuff the minute you walk through the door.”
“I have a feeling Carmella won’t mind her asking for anything,” Olivia said, laughing.
Anita gave a wink and a nod of agreement.
When Carmella heard the car door slam, she came running from the house with an oversized apron flapping in the breeze. “Oh!” she squealed. “I’m so glad to see you.” She gave Paul a warm hug, then swallowed Jubilee into the folds of her arms.
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