The Wall People

by AnneMarie Dapp

  The mass continued with the readings. Father Peter announced the Gospel of Mathew, Chapter 18.1-5,10. He read aloud in a clear, gentle voice:

  The disciples approached Jesus and said,

  “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”

  He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,

  “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,

  you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

  Whoever humbles himself like this child

  Is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

  And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones,

  for I say to you that their angels in heaven

  always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

  The elderly priest focused his homily on the life of Jesus and his great love of children. He encouraged his parish community to treat all young people with kindness, compassion, and understanding as Jesus had instructed. He explained the importance of opening one’s heart and soul like a child in order to draw closer to God.

  Katie was impressed with the Father’s gentleness of spirit. After Mass, the family made their way outside and introduced Katie to Father Peter Deane. The elderly priest smiled. Taking her hand in his, he regarded her with a certain gracefulness.

  “Do I detect a touch of the Irish in those green eyes?”

  “You do indeed,” she laughed.

  He inquired about her Irish heritage and enthusiastically acknowledged that he was indeed familiar with several members of the O’Brien clan of Galway. His baby blue eyes softened as he remembered his beloved country. After introductions, the family said their goodbyes to their friends in the parish and slowly made their way over to the van.

  Katie noticed that Lizzie continued to look back over her shoulder in the direction of the church. Her attention seemed to be directed at the young altar server that had carried the processional cross during Mass. The boy waved to Lizzie and she waved back. Her mother witnessed the flirtation and pretended not to notice. Camellia’s eldest daughter could not stop smiling during the entire ride back to the house.

  CHAPTER 14

  They arrived at the Sanchez’s home at noon. The ladies headed over to the kitchen to get their meal started. Bennie and his father hurried back to the bedrooms to change into their 49ers shirts. The little boy ran back to the kitchen after getting dressed to show off his red and gold jersey.

  “Me and daddy are going to watch the Forty Niners, Katie!”

  “Bennie, would you do me a big favor? Will you let me know if they make a touchdown?”

  His eyes grew large with excitement. “Yes, I will tells you when they make their touchdowns. They are going to win today.”

  Steven walked up and put a hand on his small shoulder. He looked proudly at his son.

  “That’s good to hear. He gets it right every time. I think I may let him choose my football picks this year.”

  “Oh no he won’t,” Camellia interrupted. “I don’t want my son gambling before kindergarten.”

  “Yes dear,” he smiled mischievously at her.

  Lizzie turned on the kitchen radio and found her station. The top ten hits of the week were being counted down. Taylor Swift was next. Katie had to admit that her new song was catchy. Camellia patiently let the girls in on the secrets of creating the perfect marinara sauce. One of Katie’s jobs was to cut up the fresh herbs for the sauce. Camellia retrieved several ceramic bowls containing fresh herbs. As Katie cut up the sage, basil, thyme, and fresh scallion, she had an overwhelming feeling of Déjà vu.

  Soon, the delicious aroma of fresh garlic, sage, olive oil, and tomato sauce filled the beautiful home. Camellia poured a generous glass of Cabernet for herself and Katie.

  “Cooking is always more enjoyable with wine,” she laughed.

  “If I had know that was the secret, I’d have tried to learned to cook years ago,” Katie replied.

  After simmering the sauce, making a generous salad, and baking the garlic bread, the daughters set the table while the women took turns bringing the dishes out to the formal dining room. Steven and his son cheered and hollered from the living room. Bennie suddenly burst into the kitchen yelling,

  “The Niners made a touchdown, Katie!! Woo Hoo!!”

  Katie cheered with excitement. She gave Bennie a quick high five.

  Camellia called her husband to the table for lunch. They took their seats in the formal dining room. A framed painting of The Last Supper hung on the wall behind Steven. The family joined hands with one another and bowed their heads. Little Bennie smiled down at his plate as he shyly held Katie’s hand.

  “Would you say grace, my love?” Camellia asked of her husband.

  “Of course.”

  After the prayer, Camellia looked up at her husband as he took her hand and gently kissed it. The family passed around the bowls of pasta, bread, and salad. Conversation died, and everyone began eating. Steven broke the silence by raising his glass to toast. “To the amazing chefs that prepared this wonderful feast, you’ve outdone yourselves today!”

  The women thanked him and the family took turns toasting. Bennie giggled as he clinked his glass of milk against Katie’s wine glass. She smiled at him warmly. The little boy was just about the cutest thing she had ever seen. Bugsy, the Golden Retriever, thumped his tail against the marble floor every time Bennie dropped a piece of his lunch on the floor.

  As the family continued to make light conversation with one another, Katie noticed that Lizzie kept looking down at her phone on her lap. Her little sister quickly caught on and started giggling with her hands over her mouth.

  “Lizzie has a boyfriend,” she squealed.

  Her big sister shot her a cold look, and told her to mind her own business, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, little brat!”

  Lizzie blushed and stared down at her plate.

  “Stop teasing your sister. Lizzie, put your phone away and quit calling Jessie names. You know the rules,” Camellia quipped.

  Steven set his fork down on the table and placed his hands together.

  “What’s this I’m hearing about my eldest daughter having a boyfriend? It’s impossible since my little girl is way too young to be dating. Then again,” he quipped, “perhaps it’d be a nice idea to have this mystery boy over to the house.”

  “Really dad?”

  Her father answered her with a big smile.

  “Well, I was just polishing up the rifle collection this morning, it might be nice to test them out.”

  “Dad, No!” Lizzie wailed.

  Camellia shot her husband an exasperated look and quickly turned the conversation to Halloween. She asked what the children were planning to dress up as this year. Lizzie looked up at her mother in relief as Camellia cleverly steered the subject away from her love life. The children eagerly discussed costume ideas and talked over one other as they bragged about the enormous candy collection they would find.

  Katie explained that Halloween was one of her favorite holidays. The children questioned her at length about her Halloween decorations, and whether she would be dressing up. Bennie demanded that she must join them in trick- or-treating. The family agreed that it was a wonderful idea. She happily accepted their offer.

  After the table was cleared and the dishes were put away, the family gathered around the piano to sing some songs. Katie warned them all that she could not carry a tune. They took turns encouraging her to join them. Bennie looked up at her with excitement. She finally gave into their requests and the family began to sing. Everyone was asked to pick a favorite song. Steven suggested they start with Brown Eyed Girl. He gave his wife a quick wink during he chorus. They all raised their voices and sang. Bennie and Lizzie held hands and danced around the piano. Bennie did not know the words to the song and so just murmured “la la la la” while running in circles. He eventually became dizzy and collaps
ed on the floor giggling.

  Then it was Katie’s turn to choose a song. She thought of her selection nervously. “Would you by any chance know the words to Danny Boy?”

  The family looked at one another and smiled.

  “I think he has the prefect voice for this one,” Camellia replied, nodding in the direction of Steve.

  They pulled up their chairs close to the piano as Steven sang in a beautiful tenor voice.

  “Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling

  From glen to glen, and down the mountain side

  The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying

  'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.

  But come ye back when summer is in the meadow

  Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow

  ‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow

  Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so…”

  By the end of the song Katie’s eyes were brimming with tears. She collected herself when she realized everyone was staring.

  “Sorry, it gets me every time. Steven, you have a wonderful voice.”

  He gave a modest smile as the family clapped and demanded he take a bow.

  CHAPTER 15

  Katie’s neighbors dropped her at the cabin in the late afternoon. Bennie smiled and waved goodbye from the back of the van as they drove away. She decided to take a quick detour to the shed before heading into the cabin. After several minutes of searching, she located five orange and black storage containers. She picked one up and headed to the house. The white gander was sitting between the porch rocker and the new pumpkins.

  “Hello Mr. Goose, are you nice and cozy on my porch?”

  He honked loudly in response. She smiled down at the friendly goose and admired his relaxed attitude.

  “I guess it’s about time that I choose a name for you. Let me think…well, you seem like a cozy, little boy. How about we call you Cozy?”

  The goose honked eagerly back at her.

  “Alright then, Cozy it is. Now you relax, while I move these Halloween decorations,” she smiled.

  One by one, she carried the storage containers back to her cabin. A cool breeze blew against her face and hair. The warm sunshine slowly disappeared as dark clouds took its place. She brought the boxes into the living room and gently pulled out the treasures inside. Each antique was wrapped in tissue paper. Katie had a collection of vintage Halloween decorations that she’d collected over the years. As she organized the pieces, the wind began to gather strength outside the cabin. The windows shook from fierce gusts. She sorted through the black cats, witches, pumpkins, ghosts, and skeletons. Carefully, she distributed her favorite pieces throughout the cabin. A couple hours later, her rustic home was Halloween-ready. She looked forward to having the children over to enjoy her decorations.

  The cabin was particularly cold that evening. She decided to head back to her bedroom and cuddle up with a book. Katie climbed into her warm bed and snuggled under the covers. She reached for, Les Misérables, which was on top of her bedside table. As she read the beautiful passages of Victor Hugo, she discovered that Marius and Cosette were falling in love in a beautiful French garden. It was one of her favorite parts of the story. After reading for several minutes, she stretched out in bed and plumped up her pillows. Outside, the wind moaned. As she adjusted the covers, something strange caught her attention. There appeared to be several new scratch marks on the varnish of the ceiling. As she tried to make sense of the bizarre streaks, her vision blurred and then darkened. She closed her eyes and when she opened them she knew immediately that she was no longer in her bedroom.

  CHAPTER 16

  A cottage awaited her in the distance. It was nestled under an enormous oak tree. Little violets filled the flower boxes under the cottage window. A comfortable, wooden swing complimented the white porch. A milk churn sat beside the front door. There was a beautiful pewter cross, which marked the entrance to the home. A young woman approached the cottage in a pony drawn cart. The rhythmic sound of hoof beats echoed down the dirt road. Her dark red hair hung past her shoulders. She wore an old-fashioned dress. It looked homespun. Her old boots rested on the rig board. The memory was hers and it made absolutely no sense. All she could do was watch. The pony eagerly made her way over to the cottage.

  “Whoa, Sassy,” her driver commanded.

  The dapple-gray pony obediently came to a stop in front of the home. Several geese and chickens honked and clucked as they ran by. She unhooked her lead from the buggy and gently guided the small horse to the red barn. The pony trotted alongside the young woman, anticipating its evening meal. After setting the pony in her stall, with a flake of hay and a generous portion of oats, Sassy had put in a long day; she made her way back to her carriage. More than half of her supply of potatoes, turnips, cabbages, and eggs were still in the back rig. A year ago she would have sold out by early afternoon. Today, she was lucky to be rid of a third of it. She gathered her remaining produce and brought it down to the root cellar along with several cartons of chicken and duck eggs. She placed the basket of potatoes on the back shelf. She noticed a strange odor coming from the collection of tubers. It was surprising that she had not noticed it when she had harvested them earlier. She decided to take a couple of the potatoes back to the house with her. She grabbed her basket of herbs and roots from the backboard and headed over to the family cottage.

  She found her mother resting in the modest bedroom, quietly reciting the Angelus. She held a Bible on her lap.

  “I’m home, ma. How ya feeling?”

  “As I said, growing old isn’t for sissies, my dear Katie.”

  She smiled at her mother’s quick wit, aware that she was hurting. Always trying to put on a brave face. Her green eyes glistened in the candlelight. The mother’s plump, little hands clung to her Bible. Even the slightest touch could bring on the agonies of her relentless arthritis.

  Katie quickly took her basket to the kitchen table. She placed the potatoes on a cutting board of the counter. With a sharp knife, she delved deep into the soggy skin and paired the spud in half. A puff of dust and putrid odor filled the air. To her dismay, she realized that the potato was completely black and rotted throughout. She’d noticed several dead vines in the field during the last harvest. There had been no time to investigate since she would be late to market. She had dug up a basket worth and left the rest. Rumors of a possible blight hitting some farms in the neighboring villages had been making its way around town. It would be devastating for her livelihood if the disease spread. She would have to check the crop in the morning when there was more light.

  She gathered up the potato remnants and tossed them in the fireplace. She’d have to worry about it later. It was time to get back to business. She sorted through her collection of herbs gathered on the way home from the market. Taking her pestle, she began to grind the pungent leaves into the mortar. A jar of honey was on the dining room table. It was spooned out and added to the mix. Lastly, she added some Feverfew leaves, ground willow bark, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for good measure. Once her salve was ready, Katie quickly took the remedy to the back room. He mother patiently waited for her afternoon treatment. She put a gentle hand on her mother’s shoulder and carefully lifted the back of her nightdress. Her arthritis was returning with the cold weather. Her small body appeared twisted and crippled. Katie used all of her knowledge of the local herbs to combat the aggressive disease. Firmly, she massaged the salve onto her mother’s back, legs, arms, and finally on her gnarled hands.

  “Ah darlin, that is pure Heaven. You do have the touch don’t you, my dear.”

  She smiled lovingly in response to the complement. Since her father’s death, the task of running their modest farm had fallen to Katie. Patrick O’Brien had been the rock of their family, always quick to laugh, never complaining about the hard living of tenant farming. A joke and a good story always lingered in his eyes. He was loved by his neighbors and was always ready to get his hands
dirty. His sudden heart attack shocked the family. Katie had no choice but to take the reins and attempt to run the farm herself. Her father had taught her everything he knew about planting, keeping poultry, and business management at the market. With no sons, Katie received all of his instruction and knowledge. The days were long and she often fell asleep before her head even touched her pillow.

  Because of her father’s kindness and high standing in the community, there were several young men that would come by and take turns plowing the fields and offering their muscle for some of the more difficult chores. Katie hated to take charity and always offered them fresh eggs, milk, and baked goods from the kitchen. They accepted the gifts cheerfully and continued to offer their services. With news of The Great Hunger sweeping the country, the local townspeople were slowly leaving the Village of Kinvara. Her market outings brought in smaller amounts of money each day. Rent was due at the beginning of the month. She wondered if they would have enough. The thought of this made a pain in the pit of her stomach.

  Katie stoked the fire and heated the kettle. It might be a nice idea to have a little cup and sit out on the front porch. It would be relaxing to watch the sunset before her ma woke from her nap. Soft snoring echoed from the bedroom. Her mother could enjoy a cup of nettle tea after she woke. She removed a small jar from the cupboard. Inside were several dried nettle branches and leaves. She focused intently on her tea preparation and soon became lost in her thoughts. A sudden hard pounding on the door made her jump as she was removing her iron kettle from the fire. She dried her hands on her apron and went to answer the door. To her annoyance, she realized that the landlord’s son was standing on the porch.