by Ruby Jackson
“Oh, well, you can still come out if you want to trust the weather. The moon is turned over and there are rings around it. You know that means more bad weather coming our way. I just didn’t want you to get caught out here without anything easy to fix.”
“We’ll go out and get the groceries,” Cecil said as he moved toward the kitchen. “Danny, I’ll get your coat.”
Sammie moved from the door. Standing by the stove, she watched Cecil cross the room and grab two coats.
He never looked in her direction.
Linda watched as Cecil and Danny brought the two boxes in from the back seat of her car. She hurried to the side door ahead of them. Opening the door, she moved out of the way so they could go through the door into the kitchen.
Suddenly Linda’s eyes rested on Sammie.
“Aren’t you Lydia’s cousin?” she blurted out. “What are you doing here? How long have you been here?”
“I….” Sammie started. Her face turned deep red.
“Sammie is our housekeeper,” Danny told his aunt. “She came to stay with us and help us through the winter. She cooks good and does our wash. I like her here.”
“I’m sure you do,” Linda answered looking from Sammie to Cecil. “Cecil, can I talk to you alone?”
Cecil looked at the floor and sighed. Grimacing, he turned to Sammie.
“Would you keep Danny in the kitchen and get him ready for dinner?” he quietly said.
Sammie nodded and motioned for Danny to join her. She watched as brother and sister went through the door to the living room. She wanted to race to the door and open it a smidgen, but refrained.
Linda turned on her brother.
“What are you doing?” she lamented. “That girl should be in Wichita Falls or wherever she came from. What were you thinking when you let her stay?”
“She just showed up. I had just had the run in with you about me needing someone to take care of the place. She was here so---.” Cecil shrugged.
“Are you sure it’s not because she looks like Lydia?”
Cecil became angry. His face reddened. His teeth gritted. His stomach ached.
“I let her stay because it was cold and she had nowhere else to go. She was broke and needed a place to stay. Danny and I needed help with the wash and cooking,” Cecil told her through slit eyes. “There’s nothing more. Besides, she doesn’t look like Lydia.”
Linda took a step back. Her brother’s anger surprised her.
“I’m sorry, Cecil, I didn’t mean…I only…please understand…it’s just---.”
“Don’t worry, Linda,” Cecil piped in. “She’s just taking care of Danny and the house. I’m paying her to do that. By late spring, she should have enough money saved to go back home.”
“I believe you, but remember she’s just a girl. She can’t be very old,” Linda answered, hugging him. It was time to change the subject. “I brought a pie. I had intended to cook dinner for you two and then surprise Danny with the peach pie I brought. I guess you don’t need me to cook.”
“I think Sammie has dinner almost ready. You can eat with us. There will be plenty. Danny will like for you to visit,” Cecil said with a sigh. “And, Linda, she’s eighteen. She’s not a child.”
Linda’s mouth opened, then shut. There was so much she wanted to add but knew her brother wouldn’t listen. Looking at the floor, she nodded then looked at Cecil.
“I think that it would be nice to eat with you and Danny,” Linda answered. “The pie is in the front floorboard of the car. Would you mind getting it?”
Sammie turned as the duo came through the door. She couldn’t read anything on Cecil’s face. Fear rammed her in the chest. What if he was going to send her back to town with Linda?
“Is dinner ready?” Cecil asked, not looking at Sammie. “Linda would like to eat before going back to town.”
“Yes, yes, it’s ready. Danny, get another plate from the safe,” Sammie stammered.
Linda looked at the table, then turned around and faced Sammie.
“I brought a peach pie. I hope you don’t mind having it for dessert.”
“Not at all. In fact, I hadn’t made a dessert. I know Danny will be happy to eat it.”
Linda smiled a crooked little smile as she sat down.
“It looks nice,” she said. “I know the food must taste good. These two look like they’ve gained weight.”
Sammie smiled. So far, so good. Cecil hadn’t said she was leaving. Not yet anyway.
Cecil sat down without saying a word. He was glad Danny was animated and keeping everyone entertained.
Glancing at Sammie, his heart jumped. Was there a resemblance he couldn’t see? He knew their voices were the same, but looks? He didn’t see it.
Staring at the table he thought about the girl putting food on the table. He knew nothing about her, yet he had defended her. He had changed his mind about her leaving. She was staying. At least until late spring anyway. He had told Linda that. He couldn’t change his mind.
Suddenly Cecil felt confused. Did he want her to go?
“Cecil, are you going to say the blessing?” Linda was asking.
Cecil looked up. Everyone was staring at him. He felt his cheeks warm.
“Pa can’t say the blessing until Sammie sits down,” Danny said loudly. “Sammie, you can sit in that chair.”
“I---.”
“You always eat with us. Come on, Pa is ready to say the prayer.”
Sammie wet her lips and swallowed. Linda’s eyes drilled into her then dropped to the table.
“Danny’s right. Sammie, you can sit down at the other end of the table,” Cecil squeaked out softly.
Nodding, Sammie obeyed.
Cecil took Danny’s and Linda’s hands and bowed his head. He felt relief he wasn’t holding Sammie’s. Sammie held Danny’s free hand and reached for Linda’s. She didn’t respond. Sammie placed her hand in her lap and bowed her head.
“You fried that chicken just right,” Linda was saying as she dried the dishes and put them away. “I guess you’ve had lots of experience.”
“Thank you. I didn’t know how to cook until I found Lydia’s cookbook. It was a Godsend. I’m glad I can help Danny…and Cecil by cooking and cleaning.”
“They needed help. Two men alone are almost helpless when it comes to doing laundry and cleaning. I imagine you have your hands full.”
Sammie laughed. “It will get worse when school is out for Christmas. Both of them will be underfoot. With all their wrestling and running through the house, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand it.”
Linda carefully looked at Sammie. The gleam in her eye was very visible. She was attached to the family. Too attached. Shaking her head she put the last plate in the safe.
“Well, spring will be here soon enough and you can go back home,” she said placing the dishtowel on the rack to dry. “It’s a good job, but you must remember it’s just a temporary one. Cecil’s doing this out of the goodness of his heart. It was sly of you to come on out here after the funeral. I can’t imagine such gall. I would never be able to do such a thing.”
“I…I didn’t just come out here,” Sammie stammered. “It was an accident that I wound up here. It….”
“Well, just the same, you did show up here. How convenient could that be?” Linda shot back. With a twist of her head, she raised an eyebrow.
Sammie’s back stiffened. Swallowing hard, she picked up the dishpan and took it out the back door to empty.
Sitting on a hay bale, Sammie bit her lip. Cecil had told Linda he was sending her away in the spring.
“She thinks I’m conniving and I planned all of this,” Sammie mumbled. “If only she had listened to me, she would have learned the truth. I’m not like that. I’m not!
Straightening herself, Sammie brushed the hay from her dress. The cold air had seeped into her and she could feel the chill numbing her fingers. Picking up the dishpan, she made her way back inside the house. Linda wasn’t in the kitchen whe
n she returned.
Sammie wondered if she should join the family in the living room. Sitting down at the table, she decided to stay in the kitchen for awhile. No reason to cause anymore problems. Laying her head on the table, she closed her eyes.
“Aren’t you going to fix something to eat?” Danny asked.
Looking up, Sammie realized the light in the kitchen was off and the room had darkened.
“I didn’t realize it was so late,” she answered. Reaching up, she pulled the chain on the light.
“It’s almost five o’clock.”
“Already? When…when did Linda leave?” Sammie asked, looking at the clock on the safe.
“Hours ago,” Danny answered.
“Oh, well, I guess you fellows are hungry. How about cold chicken and potatoes?”
“I thought that’s what you’d fix. I want some of that peach pie, too.” Danny pulled a chair out and sat down.
“I think you need to get your father if it’s time to eat. You know we all eat together.”
Danny turned and looked at Sammie curiously. “Pa is gathering the eggs. I guess you forgot. He said he’ll lock the chickens up for the night. Why didn’t you come in and talk when Aunt Linda was here? And, why didn’t you turn on the light? Aren’t you feeling okay?”
“Oh, Danny, if only you could understand,” Sammie answered. Smiling, she cupped Danny’s face. “Of course I’m all right. I just thought you’d like to spend time with your aunt, that’s all.”
Sammie hurried and put the chicken and potatoes on the table. Just as she poured Danny’s milk, Cecil came through the back door. Without a word, he hung his coat and hat on the peg next to the door. After washing his hands, he sat down and bowed his head. Sammie hurried and joined them at the table.
“Lord,” he started, “it’s been a cold fall and beginning of winter. Thank you for the bounty we have and the extra groceries Linda brought today. Bless this food, oh Lord, amen.”
“Are you going with us to Granny’s on Thanksgiving?” Danny asked as he stuffed chicken into his mouth.
Sammie quickly looked at Cecil. It hadn’t dawned on her the family wouldn’t be home for the holiday.
How stupid, she thought. Of course, they will go to be with family.
“Granny fixes chicken and dressing. There will be sweet potatoes and pie, too,” Danny rambled on. “Granny always fixes a coconut pie for the men to eat when they play forty-two. One of these days I’m going to learn and be Pa’s partner.”
“Forty-two?” Sammie asked with raised eyebrows.
“It’s a game using dominoes. Four people play. The people facing each other are partners. Murrell and I are always partners,” Cecil said over his fork.
“Oh, I see. And, who is Murrell?”
“Murrell is my younger brother,” Cecil answered. Getting up he wiped his mouth. “I need to check on the animals before it gets too dark.”
Sammie opened her mouth to remind him that he had already checked on them, but the strange look on his face stopped her. Turning her head sideways, she watched as he grabbed his hat and coat and went out the back door.
“Is Pa sick?” Danny asked, fork poised to go into his mouth. “He hasn’t said much since Aunt Linda left.”
“No, Danny, he isn’t sick. He must have a lot of things on his mind, that’s all,” Sammie said reassuringly. But she wasn’t sure. Cecil was aloof. Aloof more than usual.
Chapter 12
Wind howling through the rafters awakened Sammie. Startled, she sat up. Sleet pounded the window. Cold crept through the room and into the bed.
Grabbing a quilt, she quickly slung it around her slender shoulders, then ran to the living room to put more wood into the stove. Cecil was already there.
“Storm’s come in. We’ll not be able to leave for Granny’s right now. If it lets up, we might be able to go later.”
Sammie nodded.
“I’ll make coffee and breakfast.”
“Oatmeal will be fine. Might need the warmth to keep us going.”
Again Sammie nodded. Opening the door to the kitchen, a blast of cold hit her in the face. Pulling the quilt tighter, she hurried to the stove and raised the lever at the end. Stirring embers, she got them glowing red. She then added more wood and closed the lever.
Hurrying back to her room, Sammie put her clothes on. Closing the door behind her, she passed through the living room and back into the kitchen. She could hear Cecil changing the radio knob.
Soon, there was the wonderful smell of coffee filling the air. The oatmeal was bubbling and ready to add butter, cream, and sugar.
“Do you have anything to fix for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?” Cecil asked as he appeared in the kitchen.
Sammie handed him a cup of coffee and motioned that breakfast was ready. She placed the last piece of toast on a plate as Cecil sat down.
“I can kill a chicken and make dressing. We have sweet potatoes and green beans. Yes, I can make dinner. Are you…are you not going to Granny’s”
I listened to the radio before I came in here. The roads are bad. Iced over. Snow is expected to hit anytime. I don’t want to take a chance on getting stranded. Linda was right about the weather. We’ll be staying here.”
Sammie nodded and poured herself coffee. Sitting down beside Cecil, she took a sip.
“You need to eat while it’s hot. I can help with the animals this morning. That way you won’t have to be out too long.”
“Thanks, but I can manage.”
Cecil bowed his head and prayed. Sammie noticed he didn’t take her hand as he usually did when Danny was at the table.
The slamming of the kitchen door let her know when Cecil came in from outdoors. A few minutes later he strolled into the front room holding a cup of coffee.
“I need this to warm up,” he said through quivering lips. After a few sips, he looked around. “Where’s Danny?”
“Danny is still sleeping,” Sammie answered flatly. “I checked on him earlier. He was nestled snuggly in his blanket.”
Cecil grinned then sat down in his overstuffed chair.
“Cecil, would you tell me about…Lydia?”
Cecil stirred and fidgeted a moment. Silence was deafening.
Sammie thought for a moment Cecil hadn’t heard her. Then slowly Cecil put his cup down and let out a long breath.
“I met Lydia in Wichita Falls. I was going to Fort Worth and the bus I was riding had an hour layover there,” Cecil started. “She was sitting on a bench in the station. I think we talked the whole hour. On my return trip I had to stop over for three hours at the same station. She was still there. She had been there for three days.”
Cecil stopped and breathed deeply. He bit his lip and rubbed his neck. Time passed.
Sammie waited. She could picture the bus station. She had waited three hours in the same one when she came through. It was stark and frightening. Men stared at her. Women avoided her. Children smiled then were jerked to a bench farther away. Only an older woman sat by her and talked, a lonely widow on her way to visit her son and daughter-in-law.
Fidgeting, she waited longer. She had to hear the rest. She had to know so much more.
Suddenly, Cecil continued. “An hour into my layover, we were in a taxi going to the courthouse. It was the most impulsive and incredible thing I had ever done.”
“You married her then? But, I thought you married at the church.”
“Right then, by the justice of the peace. Later, we renewed our vows at the church.”
“I see. Please go on. You married at the courthouse….” Sammie led in.
Cecil continued. “When we got back to the bus station, I bought her a ticket and she came with me. My aunt Mary had just lost her husband and her son didn’t want this farm. Aunt Mary gave it to us; house, furniture, tractor, everything. She gave us the start we needed. Murrell took over running Granny’s farm.”
“I didn’t know you had a brother until yesterday. You never mention him,” Sammie said
, eyes widening.
“Murrell takes good care of Granny’s farm. We’ve always been close but he lives there and I live here. We don’t get to see each other as often as I’d like because we’re always busy. I see him when Danny and I go to Granny’s and when he comes out to help with hog killing.”
Hog killing! Sammie realized he was the third man who came out when the hog was killed. She didn’t know which man was which, but now she knew one was Linda’s husband, her brother-in-law, and another was Murrell. She looked down quickly. She needed to focus on another subject, not Murrell.
“Why was Lydia in the bus station?” Sammie asked. This time it was her that held her breath. Was she ready for this?
Cecil was quiet once again.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” she finally got out.
“It’s okay,” Cecil said with a nod. “Lydia was in the station because she had run away from home. She was a wreck. My heart went out to her. Her father had died a few years earlier and her mother changed after his death. She couldn’t take the change. She had to get out.”
Tears flooded Sammie. Hurt pounded in her chest. She should have been with her, but she had stayed. She had been too young to run away at that time.
“I didn’t want to make you cry. I forgot that you are…uh…her cousin. This information must hurt you to hear.”
“Cecil, I---,” Sammie shuddered. How could she explain her relationship to Lydia? How could she right the wrong?
“It’s all right. I understand. You must know a lot about her that I don’t. Will you tell me?”
Sammie took her thumb nail and put it under another nail. She bit her lip. Another tear fell.
“Lydia was the warmest and most loving person I have ever known. When I was little, she would take me in her arms and shield me from the things all around. She walked me to school and made sure I had a lunch. In the evening she would have supper ready for me even though we ate outside most of the time. I don’t know where she got the food because the cabinet was always empty, but there was always food for me to eat. She would tell me everything would work out and God would take care of me. It was her that took me to church and taught me how to have faith. I missed her when she left. I still miss her. She left me a letter and told me she would keep in touch. The letters were few and far between, but she kept her promise.” Tears fell like raindrops down her face.