“What’s going on? Is something wrong?” said Mary Polk as Frank and Cilla joined them.
“Daddy paid me a visit today.”
“Oh, no. What happened?”
Charlie walked to the rear of the wagon and untied the rope that had secured Bill to the back of the seat. “Gonna need help carrying him in.”
“He’s tied up,” said Mary stepping aside as Frank and Charlie pulled Bill from the wagon bed.
“He tried to kill Charlie,” said Cilla following the procession to the front door.
“Oh, my Lord. Are you alright, Charlie?” asked Mary, who rushed ahead to pull the covers off the bed.
Aside from occasional snoring Bill didn’t make a sound as they laid him on his bed and removed the restraints.
“Daddy said that you were behind on the farm payments.”
“Suppose so.”
“What happened to that money you hid from him?”
“He found it. It’s long gone. Have no idea what he did with it.”
Charlie reached into his coat pocket and retrieved a wad of cash.
“What is this?”
“This should tide you over for a while.”
“No. Can’t bear the thought of taking your hard-earned money.”
“And I can’t bear the thought of my family losing the farm. Take it.”
Mary Polk hugged her son tightly and wept as Myrtle took Charlie’s hand. “Love you, big brother.”
“Love you, too, little sis. How’s our project coming along?”
“Just fine.”
“Glad to hear it.”
As Charlie, Frank, and Cilla walked to the car, Frank said, “You’re one fine man, Charlie Polk. Someday something good is going to come your way.”
Before they got in the car, Cilla hugged Charlie. “Frank’s right. They don’t make them any better than you.”
The Proposal – April 15, 1919
Along Miller Creek, there stands a grove of cedar trees and a giant moss covered rock where Charlie often escaped for much-needed rest and meditation. In the serenity of that place he tried to make sense of his troubled past and considered how he might put it all behind him.
His greatest struggle was not with his father’s physical abuse or reasons for it. He wrestled with the negative and destructive thoughts planted in his mind. Sadly, nobody influenced Charlie’s opinion of himself more than Bill Polk. Charlie could not escape that demonic voice that kept telling him, “You’re stupid, ignorant, useless, and ugly, and you will never amount to anything.” His father even taught him that the compliments people gave him were just a bunch of lies. “Don’t believe a word they say. You will always be the scum of the earth.”
There were glimmers of hope in Charlie’s darkness, the greatest of which was his relationship to Mable. Even then, her parents’ strict rules about dating were a further reminder that he didn’t measure up.
A red bird landed on the rock beside of him and merrily chirped as if trying to talk to him. “Came here to cheer me up, did you? My name’s Charlie. What’s yours?”
Charlie learned early in life that animals and birds were his best friends. He could tell them anything and they would listen without judgment or criticism. He began to wonder if animals had problems too. And if they did have concerns then maybe they would benefit from somebody who was willing to listen with a sympathetic ear.
Suddenly the red bird flew away and Charlie turned to investigate what sounded like footsteps coming toward him.
“Thought I might find you here,” said Cilla pushing aside a branch then climbing onto the rock. “Beautiful day.”
“That it is.”
“Brought you some lunch.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Reckon not.”
“Something on your mind?” said Charlie reaching into the basket to check its contents.
“Has Frank told you anything about what he might be up to?”
“Last I heard he was going to Richmond on business with his mother.”
“What kind of business would involve his mother?”
“Darned if I know,” said Charlie.
“Do you always eat dessert first?”
“Yep. Why save the best till last?”
“Anyway, before he left he invited me to a dinner party at Strathmore.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Thought you might know.”
Charlie was doing his best to avoid telling a lie, but Frank made him swear to keep a secret. “Don’t have the foggiest.”
“I think he may be planning to ask me to be his wife.
“What do you think about that?”
“Truth be told, I’m not in love with him.”
“Really?”
“Can I be honest with you?”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I’m in love with somebody else?”
What Cilla said next just about caused Charlie to choke on his sandwich. “I’m in love with you, Charlie. You’re all I think about. You’re the one I want to be with.” Cilla looked at him hoping for a reaction. “It would help if you said something right about now. Look, I know you’re in love with Mable and she’s in love with you but if you would just give me a chance. Did you ever think that it wasn’t an accident that you ended up here, that maybe we were meant to be together? I’m not ugly or anything like that am I? I act a little crazy once in a while, but it’s all just because I like to have fun.”
Charlie glanced at Cilla and wiped a tear from her face.
“Why do you think I hang around so much?” asked Cilla growing more emotional with every word.
“Figured you liked me a lot. A whole lot.”
“You knew?”
“Pretty much?”
“Then how do you feel about me? Is there anything there or is it all me?”
“I’ve noticed you alright and I’ve thought about you and me getting together but…”
“But what?”
“I’m going to tell you a secret and I want you to promise me that you will never tell anybody.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“My daddy has another family.”
“What do you mean?”
Charlie explained that Bill Polk had a girlfriend by whom he had fathered some children, but he didn’t know how many. When money disappeared from the house, it didn’t all go to bootleg whiskey. Most of it went to the other family.
“Does your mother know?”
“Oh, yeah. But she doesn’t know that I know.”
“How did you find out?”
“He used to leave for days at a time and I wondered where he went. One night I hid under some feed sacks in the back of his wagon. He drove to a cabin not far from our place and I saw him kissing on a woman that came out to greet him. Saw him give her some money and then two kids came out and started hugging on him. Then he went inside and I walked home. Two days later he came back and I overheard him and Mama fussing about it.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“Like trash.”
“Why would you say that?”
“My daddy’s a drunk, a thief, and a womanizer. And I’m his son. How would that make you feel?”
“Awful. Plum awful.”
“Never told nobody else that story, not even by brother and sisters.”
“What about Mable?”
“Definitely not her. The Showns already think I’m good for nothing.”
“If it matters, I think you’re wonderful.” Cilla felt privileged to have Charlie share such an intimate story and wondered if it was his way of telling her that he cared for her. “So, about my question. Do you have feelings for me?”
“I’m so afraid that I’m going to turn out like my daddy. He told me over and over that I was just like him and someday I would know it.”
“You’re never going to be like him.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Cilla looked at Charlie
for a long time while he stared at a distant tree and eventually concluded that he had no intention of revealing how he really felt about her.
“Better get back to the house before Mama comes looking for me.”
Charlie wasn’t about to upset Frank’s plan to surprise Cilla with a ring. The Strathmore dinner party would involve the entire Wissler family and at just the right moment Frank would drop to his knees and request Cilla’s hand in marriage. How could she say no in such a romantic and festive setting?
Dinner Party – April 18, 1919
Carrie was putting the finishing touches on preparations for the big event at Strathmore. One of her boys was finally going to get married and, more importantly, she could finally look forward to becoming a grandmother. Frank III was her only hope since her younger son, Harold, had no interest in the opposite sex.
Ruthy the Cook was ill as a hornet due to her lack of help in the kitchen. Her assistant was a no-show for the third time that week causing the aging cook to throw a considerable temper tantrum. She slathered the icing on a cake with such fury that Carrie suspected there would be more of the buttercream coating on the floor than on the cake.
The table was ready, place settings were properly aligned, and the room was decorated with colorful spring flowers cut from the garden. Carrie stood back and admired her masterpiece creation and then retired to the parlor where Frank, Jr. was reading a newspaper.
“Are you as excited as I am?” she said taking a seat by her husband. “Our little boy is going to get married.”
“Jumping the gun a little bit aren’t you, Carrie? She hasn’t said ‘yes’ yet.”
“She will. That ring we picked out is gorgeous. The dining room will look so romantic once the candles are lit.”
Meanwhile, at the Miller farm, Frank III was picking up his date for the evening. It didn’t take long for Cilla to conclude that she was right about the impending proposal. Frank was unusually nervous and talkative, obviously excited about something out of the ordinary.
Cilla’s new pink dress drew rave reviews from her suitor. He was also quite taken with the sweet aroma of the new perfume that he had given her and he couldn’t wait to show her off to his family.
When Frank and Cilla walked out of the house, they saw Charlie talking to a visiting farmer. Frank waved proudly and smiled at his friend.
Charlie gestured with a thumbs up sign and yelled, “Have fun.”
Cilla grinned at Charlie and shrugged her shoulders as if to say that she wasn’t so sure that this would be a fun outing. Then Charlie watched as they drove away and seemed distracted when he returned to his work.
He thought a lot about Cilla’s declaration of love for him. It was a wonderful feeling to hear that she held him in such high regard. No doubt that it would be a lot easier to advance a relationship with Cilla than with Mable. The Millers were accepting and supportive while the Showns were cautious and skeptical of his worthiness to be with their daughter. He had often heard about girls playing hard-to-get which, as he understood it, made them somehow more attractive. Girls who were ‘easy’ were of questionable moral character and to be avoided, or so his mama had taught him. No question, Mable was hard-to-get and Cilla, well, she was indeed easy.
“You think this cow is going to be alright?” asked the farmer but Charlie didn’t answer. “I said, do you think…”
“Sorry,” said Charlie. “I was just thinking. Yeah, she’s going to be just fine.”
Frank III and Cilla were the last of the guests to arrive at Strathmore and Carrie was not pleased with her son’s tardiness. “What took so long? I was getting worried. Everybody’s starving.”
Cilla observed that Carrie appeared as nervous a Frank, another sign that he was about to pop the question.
Carrie directed seating arrangements as the Wissler clan filed into the dining room.
“The flowers are lovely,” said Ada inspecting every inch of Carrie’s handiwork. If a flaw existed, she would find it.
The sound of loud pounding could be heard from the kitchen.
“Reckon everything’s OK in there?” asked John as more pounding reverberated through the halls of Strathmore.
Carrie laughed. “Ruthy’s help didn’t show up.”
“Ada, you eat first and then if you don’t die then I’ll eat,” joked John.
“Little Frank, why don’t you introduce your guest to the family?” said Carrie taking her seat.
“OK. Of course, you know my Mama and Daddy. Next to Daddy is Uncle John and Aunt Ada. Then there’s John, Jr. and his wife, Anna. Next to them is John III and Silas. That’s my brother, Harold and…”
Then came more clanging from the kitchen. “And that would be Ruthy the Cook,” prompting hearty laughter from the assembly. “Everybody, I would like you to meet, Priscilla Miller.”
After the exchanging of pleasantries, Carrie addressed the most important matters of pedigree and property. “Tell us about your family.”
“My daddy is Russell Miller and my mama is Hannah. I have an older sister, Bobbie, who is a school teacher and a little sister called Lisa.”
Ruthy the Cook finally emerged from the kitchen pushing a food cart.
“Best cook in the Valley,” said Frank, Jr. trying to encourage his irritable employee.
“How big is your daddy’s farm?” asked John.
“About forty acres,” said Cilla wondering when and how Frank planned to ask her to marry him.
“I suppose you could get by with forty acres,” said Ada resulting in a kick under the table from her husband. “Here at Strathmore we have more than 1,200 acres. That is right isn’t it, John?”
Seeing the stunned expression on Cilla’s face, John changed the subject. “Got some big doings happening here at Strathmore next month. Governor Morley Davis will be paying us a visit. We would be honored to have your mama and daddy come join us. The finest farmers in the Valley will be here.”
“I’ll ask them.”
“Say, isn’t that fella, Charlie Polk, working for your daddy?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Been hearing a lot of talk about how good he is with livestock. Frank, is that the same Polk boy that helped us back when the barns caught on fire?”
“Yes, sir. We’ve been friends for a long time.”
“Is he as good a doctoring animals as everybody says he is?” asked Frank, Jr.
For the remainder of the meal, the subject of conversation was Charlie Polk, much to the dismay of Cilla, who was trying her best to get Charlie out of her head.
“Frank, what do you think about inviting Charlie Polk to meet with the Governor?” asked John.
“I’ll ask him, but I doubt he would want to come. What do you think, Cilla? Cilla?”
“I’m sorry. What was the question?”
“How would Charlie react to coming here to meet the Governor?”
“He will probably decline the offer. He’s pretty shy about things like that.”
“Ask him anyway,” said John. “Tell him it’s his patriotic duty.”
Cilla failed to see how meeting Governor Davis was a patriotic duty but then again she wasn’t a Wissler, at least not yet.
Again Ruth emerged from the kitchen and this time in a better mood. “Who’s ready for dessert?”
“Ruthy, if you don’t mind, please wait a minute,” said Frank as he pushed his chair back and stood to his feet. Then he dropped to one knee beside Priscilla and pulled a diamond ring from his pocket. “Cilla Miller, you probably don’t know this, but I’ve been in love with you since our earliest days together back at Stover School. Thought you were the prettiest girl I ever did see way back then and you are even more beautiful today. I love you more than words can express and you would make me the happiest man in the world if you would be my bride. Will you please, please, please…marry me and accept this ring as a symbol of my deep love and affection for you?”
Cilla looked at the ring and then stared at Frank for what seemed like an e
ternity and then glanced at the Wissler family who was anxiously awaiting a favorable response.
“Say yes,” said Carrie, who was uncomfortable with Cilla’s silence.
“Say something,” said Frank looking into her eyes attempting to read her thoughts. “Will you marry me?”
“Yeah, say something,” said Ada. “The suspense is killing me. His knee is starting to hurt.”
Finally, Cilla mustered up the courage to speak her mind in the most diplomatic way she knew how. “Frank, you are so sweet and your words were very touching. I just would like some time to think about it. It’s a big decision and I want to do what’s best for me and you.”
Carrie took offense at Cilla’s hesitation. “I hope you realize what it means to be a Wissler.”
“It’s alright, Mama,” said Frank III as he returned to his chair, but Carrie wouldn’t leave well enough alone.
“This is your chance to be set for life. You would be the first of the Wissler wives to come from, shall we say, humble means.”
“Mama,” said Frank III raising his voice. “That was uncalled for.”
“I didn’t mean anything bad. I was just pointing out that it’s near about a sin to turn down the honor of being a Wissler wife.”
Ada didn’t make things any better when she announced, “Don’t guess I’ll be calling my friend at the paper with an engagement announcement.”
“Don’t expect you will,” said Carrie as she excused herself and hurried out of the room.
Cilla remained quiet and seemed oblivious to the assault from the ladies of Strathmore. Carrie and Ada were unaware of Cilla’s unique talent for mischief and speaking her mind and the only reason that she was holding back was out of respect for Frank’s feelings. Her delayed answer to his proposal was enough burden for him to bear. But that didn’t stop her from thinking about getting back at those two old hens.
Both driver and passenger were quiet on the return to the Miller farm and before he kissed her goodnight, Frank asked how long she would make him wait.
“Not long.”
“You’ve got me worried.”
“I’m sorry. Just need a little time.”
Frank was disheartened by her response and worried that this was a one-sided infatuation. As he drove away, Cilla stood on the back porch and thought about the one she really loved. If that had been Charlie on bended knee there would have been no hesitation and, like Frank said in his proposal speech, she would be ‘the happiest person in the world.’
In the Valley of Hope Page 21
