by Leisha Kelly
“You have a brother?” Rorey asked from behind me. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“That your baby Sarah?” Edward asked.
“I’m not a baby,” Sarah answered immediately. “But that’s Rorey.”
In two shakes, Kirk and Joe and Harry had climbed down behind me, and Willy and Sam were out of the front seat and standing next to Robert.
“Who are all these?” Edward asked. “Them orphans Mother told me about?”
Why did he have to be so blunt? I’d written my mother, several times, telling her all the things that were happening here. Maybe I shouldn’t have. She and Edward weren’t likely to understand. “They’re our neighbor friends,” I explained. “We’ve been to the Independence Day celebration in town.”
“Good for you,” Edward said, with something odd in his voice.
“We’re not orphans,” Rorey spoke up. “We got Pa over t’ home.”
“Rorey, shhh,” Lizbeth scolded. “You all get back in the truck. We’re going home.”
“But I’m stayin’,” Willy started to protest.
“No, you’re not,” Lizbeth insisted. “They got comp’ny, so it’s not right. You can meet up with Robert in the mornin’. Mr. Wortham, is it all right that we take the truck on home?”
“I wanted to stay too,” Rorey complained.
But I knew Lizbeth was right. I had to talk to Edward first, without the distraction of having them all sleep over. “That’s fine, Lizbeth,” I said quickly. “You all have a pleasant night.”
“You want I take the truck to Mr. Post in the morning for you, then?” young Sam asked.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Robert lifted Sarah down, but the rest of the kids got back in, much to the disappointment of some.
“Is it coffee you want?” Julia was asking my brother timidly. “Or would you rather have tea, or even milk? I’m afraid we haven’t any lemonade. Or ice.”
“Bye!” Harry called to us from the truck.
“Boys,” I called quickly, “tell your father I’m still planning to help him work field tomorrow if I get the chance.”
“Yes, sir,” young Sam answered. And then they drove away.
“I don’t like soured milk,” Edward was telling Julia. “If you ain’t got ice in this heat, how do you know it ain’t soured?”
“I’m sure George milked fresh tonight,” she answered. “And he’d have put it down the well for us.”
“Who’s George?”
“The father of all those children who just left,” I told him.
“You got you a strange arrangement here, Sammy.”
“It might look that way.”
“I’ll take the coffee.”
It meant lighting the cookstove in this weather to heat the water, but Julia didn’t seem to mind. Rather, she seemed to appreciate something quick at hand to do.
“Come with me, Sarah,” she said. “We’ve got some cookies we can set out for our guest. You can help me.”
“Go see that the cows have water, Robert,” I added. “And the chickens too.”
He did so without complaint, though George had probably taken care of it already. Robert knew so little about his uncle, and I knew he was curious. He’d have plenty of questions later.
“Quite a farm you got hold of, Sammy!” Edward exclaimed as his eyes followed Robert to the barn. “And animals to boot. How much you figure it’s all worth?”
“Not much in today’s market.”
“You know what I mean!” he answered impatiently. “If you were to hold on here, you’d be worth a pretty penny, wouldn’t you? Pretty slick, getting into an old lady’s graces. Wish I could find me a deal like that.”
Juli was more than halfway to the house, but she stopped. Nobody breathed a word for a moment. Feelings that were years old jumbled inside of me next to this new affront. How dare he speak of Emma that way? Of the way things were? There and then, I wanted to hit him.
“We’ve been blessed,” Juli said gently. “It’s not been easy, but God always makes a way.”
“When did you get out?” I asked abruptly.
“March.”
Mother hadn’t told me. But unless I could reach her building in Albany by telephone, I never heard anything from her. She didn’t answer my letters. It made me wonder sometimes why I bothered writing them at all.
“Looks like you found some kind of a deal yourself,” I said. “How’d you get a car? And the money for the trip?” Jobs were so scarce, and he had come all the way to Illinois. Few men I knew could afford the gas.
“That’s not especially your business, is it? What do you think, that I’m stealing again already?”
“I just asked.”
He didn’t say anything, and it was Julia who broke the moment’s uncomfortable silence. “You might as well come on inside. Pleasant evening, but it’s almost bedtime for the children.”
Edward ignored her. “I never imagined you a farmer,” he said with a touch of amusement in his voice. “How many cows you got?”
“Just two, and a calf. One’s giving good milk. But Lula Bell’s getting old. We stand to lose her before winter, I have a feeling.”
“Ought to shoot her and be done with it,” he remarked. “Or is that too hard for you?”
I didn’t answer. He hadn’t said why he’d come, but if it was only to give me a hard time, I didn’t need it and he could just go back where he’d come from. I started for the house.
Edward went to his car for a minute; I expected him to lift a big suitcase or something, but he just turned around again with nothing and followed me inside. Juli had the lamp lit and was lighting the stove.
“You need fresh water?” I asked her.
“If you don’t mind.”
Sarah sat at the table with her doll in hand and her wide eyes looking droopy. Edward stood in the doorway, looking the place over. Suddenly I hated to leave my family alone with him. “Come on with me,” I told him. “We can talk while I draw the water.”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “I believe I’ll sit. We can talk when you get back in.”
I looked at Juli. She gave me a nod. Maybe I was just being foolish. It was only two minutes out to the well and back. And Edward wasn’t violent. I picked up the bucket and went. But I could feel the deep uncomfortable churning inside me, so I took the time to pray.
Father in heaven, what’s the matter with me? I don’t want him here. I don’t like that he’s come. For so long, I’ve claimed I wanted my family to be closer, but here is my brother, and I don’t want him. Not till he’s changed.
I hurried to the well, praying for God’s mercy. And for Edward, that if he had some ungodly scheme, it would fail and there would be some way to soften his heart. He’d been a burglar. An armed robber. Lord, help him find you!
I drew the water quickly and was about to march back to the house when I heard a sound I didn’t recognize. Robert was in the barn, but the sound wasn’t coming from there. Or from the dog, who was prancing around at my side. It seemed to be coming from Edward’s car. Teeny, whimpery noises.
At first I didn’t see anything at all in the shadows. But then behind the driver’s seat, a shape. A child. Huddled on the floorboards and curled up alone in the dark.
“Hello,” I said softly. “I’m Mr. Wortham, Edward’s brother. Who are you?” Edward didn’t have a wife or children that I knew of. What was this about?
The child raised its head, just a little, and I could see the long, dark curls. A little girl. Why hadn’t Edward said something? Why didn’t he bring her inside?
“Are you hungry?” I asked her.
She just sat there watching me. I reached my hand toward her, and she drew back. Once again, I felt that churning inside me. I could have hit him, whatever he meant by this. Whoever this child was, how dare he just leave her in the car? And had he given her reason to be afraid?
I set the bucket down. “Why don’t you come inside?” I suggested. “My wife woul
d be happy to pour you some milk and get you a bite to eat.”
She shook her head, just enough for me to see it in the darkness.
“Did he tell you to stay put?”
She was quiet for a moment. Then in a tiny, timid voice she answered me. “Yes, sir.”
“Well. This is my home. Not his. And what I say goes here. You’re coming in for a meal if you need one and a soft bed for the night. And if he doesn’t like it, then he and I will have to settle matters and it won’t be your fault. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Come on. Okay? Don’t be afraid.”
Slowly she crawled toward me, never taking her eyes off me as she moved. So small. Barely Sarah’s size. Where in the world had he gotten a child? Why? A heat was growing inside me, fierce and awful. Scarcely was I ever angry. Not since long-gone days when I had been so much younger and Eddie had been such a torment. Now he was back.
“Samuel Wortham?” she whispered.
“Yes. That’s right. Edward’s brother. But I promise you we’re not much alike.”
She stood on the seat and took hold of my arms. She was a skinny thing; I could carry her easily, and the bucket too. She clung to my neck on the way to the house, resting her head against my shoulder. She sniffed once or twice, and I wanted to ask her name. I wanted to know plenty. But from Edward first.
I gave the door a push, walked straight for the table, and set the bucket down in front of Edward’s face. I could feel the child’s body tense against mine when she saw him. Juli gasped. I saw with relief that Sarah was gone. Juli must have sent her on up to bed. Thank God.
Edward rose to his feet before I could say a word. And he was laughing. “Well! You found her. That didn’t take long! I was saving the surprise for later.”
“You tell me what the devil you’re doing with a scared child in your car!” I demanded. “Ed Wortham, where’d you get her? Where’s her family—”
“Now, calm down.” He was smiling, still laughing inside.
I might have set the girl down, but she was clinging to me.
“You’re looking at my good deed for the year,” he continued. “I met her mother back East. Told her I knew where the kid’s father was and that I’d take her to him. Now isn’t that a nice gesture on my part?”
“Where? Where’s her mother?”
“I have no idea where she is now. She was in Albany. On her way to Buffalo. But she’d be gone from there by now. A singer. Does a lot of traveling.”
“Why would she leave her child with you?”
“Like I said, I know her father. Look at her, Sammy. She look like anybody you know?”
I didn’t look. I didn’t see much point.
“Trudy Vale, Samuel. That name mean anything to you?”
Not a thing. Julia walked up beside me and put her hand on the child’s shoulder. “You want a cookie, sweetie? Or some bread and butter?”
The little girl didn’t answer.
“Is that the child’s name or the mother’s?” I asked Edward.
“Oh, you’re good.” He shook his head. “You’re good, Samuel. I wouldn’t have expected it.”
“Are you going to answer my question?”
“The mother’s, of course.” He looked at Julia and shook his head again. “The girl’s name is Katie.” He turned toward the child rather sternly. “Didn’t I tell you to be quiet, kid? And I’d come and get you when I was good and ready?”
“How old is she, Edward? Do you even know?”
“I expect she could tell you that herself. Six or seven, I guess. Thereabouts. Little, though, isn’t she? Kind of like her mom. Delicate. With those sweet eyes. Right?”
Whatever he meant by such words, it disgusted me. “Shut up. Did you feed her anything all this way?”
“Sure. A few times. What do you take me for? A heathen?”
I tried to set her down in a chair, but she still didn’t want to let go. “I don’t know, Edward. Right now, I really don’t.”
“Well, I can tell you I was glad to find you not so much the saint as you claim. Sly old devil, Samuel. Back in Pennsylvania. Trudy told me all about it.”
“What are you talking about?”
He looked at Julia again, his smile barely hidden. “So sorry, Missus,” he said. “But these things catch up to a man. Katie here is his. That’s exactly what I’m told. And your little girl is almost this size, isn’t she? You must have been sitting at home—”
“Shut up, Edward!” I handed the child into Julia’s arms.
“What are you gonna do, Sammy?” he taunted. “Throw me out? Throw your girl out too? Huh?”
“She’s not—” I saw the girl shiver. She was starting to cry. “Edward, we can discuss this outside. Let the poor kid—”
“You mean you don’t want your wife to hear?”
“There’s nothing I’d hide from Juli. Nothing. Our kids are the only ones I’ve got. But this is not something we need to fight over in front of a scared little girl!”
“Very good, Samuel.” He sat down, smirking up at me. “We don’t have to fight. Wouldn’t mind a bite to eat, to tell you the truth. Got any bacon?”
THREE
Julia
We didn’t have bacon, and I was glad. Samuel’s brother or not, Edward was a skunk, and I didn’t feel like giving him what he asked for. I couldn’t imagine this poor child suddenly separated from her mother and carried across five states by this crude man. Was he even telling the truth about it? What kind of a mother would allow such a thing?
He wasn’t telling the truth about Samuel, no matter what he wanted me to believe. He’d devised some sort of plan to make trouble, though I couldn’t imagine why. Didn’t he know Samuel would have welcomed him, just for a normal visit, if he’d only been decent?
I sliced what was left of the bread and went quietly to the basement for the butter in the cool pit. We had eggs left in there too. I could fry them up and serve some applesauce, home-canned from the pantry. The little girl was sure to like that. At least I hoped so.
By the time I got back upstairs, Robert had come in from the barn. Samuel sent him to bed too. He didn’t seem to want the kids around Edward, and I couldn’t blame him, the way that man talked.
“Julia, you are a sight to behold,” Edward said when I was cracking the eggs. “Mother said you were something to look at, and she was right.”
Samuel was sitting at the table now with the little girl beside him. I saw how he tensed hearing a remark like that, but I didn’t say anything. And I wondered if Samuel would get any sleep tonight with his brother around.
I served the little girl first. But she looked from Edward to Samuel and then back again without touching her food.
“You can have all you want,” Samuel told her. “I expect you’re hungry from the trip, right?”
“Go ahead and eat,” Edward added. “It’s his house. You’re not in my hands anymore.”
Katie ate quickly, neatly, watching us all the while. I gave her more applesauce when she got the first of it done, and she ate that too. Edward had six eggs, three cups of coffee, and all the bread that was left. When he was done, he sat back, folded his arms, and stared at Samuel.
“So, brother—what do you want me to do? I appreciate the food. But if you don’t want nothing more to do with me, I can head on. As for this girl, if you don’t claim her, well, I guess I’ll take her too.”
“No. You’re not taking her anywhere till I know more about this.”
“You are claiming her, then?” he said with a smile.
“I didn’t say that. But I’m not sending her anywhere with a jackal like you. I want you to tell me the truth.”
I was surprised at Samuel’s words, his tone. But even more surprised by Edward’s answer.
“You can call me whatever you want, little brother. But you heard the truth, as sure as I’m alive. You can imagine what a shock it was when that beauty in the speakeasy got upset over me being a Wortham. Then she
told me you were the father. I wouldn’t have thought. But don’t worry. I didn’t tell Mother. She still thinks you’re a saint.”
“I don’t know anyone named Trudy Vale,” Samuel said sternly. “I don’t know what this is about, but it’s foolishness, and it won’t gain you anything.”
“Then I guess maybe we better go. I didn’t expect you to own to it. Trouble is, what do I do with the kid, Samuel? She thinks she’s yours. And I’ve got no way of finding her mama now, not that she’d want to be found. She said it was your turn. She couldn’t keep her no more and travel. I was just doing her a favor, you understand?”
“No. I don’t understand.” Samuel looked truly hurt. “I don’t know why you’d come all the way out here or where you got this innocent kid or why you’re doing this. Is it that important to you to cause trouble now that you’re out? You couldn’t just settle down somewhere, look for work, and be a good citizen for a change?”
Edward rose to his feet. “Sammy, you’re a devil of a liar. But you got some heart about you at least. You don’t want me to take her. You want to know she’s cared for, don’t you?”
Quiet tears were spilling down the little girl’s cheeks, and I felt sorry she’d had to hear all this. What had she already been through?
Samuel got up too, and he and his brother went outside. I was afraid, lest they might actually come to blows, though such a thing wouldn’t be like Samuel at all. I didn’t follow them out. Whatever else was said, I didn’t want this little girl to hear.
“Have you had enough to eat?” I asked her.
She nodded, just a little, biting down on her lower lip. “Do you want me to go away?”
“No, honey. Not till we know where your family is or what’s the best thing to do. You shouldn’t go with Edward. You don’t want to, do you?”
She shook her head, and I decided she was old enough to tell me at least some things.
“Was he mean?”
“A little.”
“Is Trudy Vale really your mother’s name?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“I ain’t seen her since Albany, like Mr. Eddie said.” Two giant tears spilled down her cheeks. Big dark eyes. Narrow face. Dark hair. Edward’s words stirred a chill in me. “Look at her, Samuel. She look like anybody you know?”
