Stolen Lives

by Joy Redmond

  Ali looked at her aunt and said, “But they aren’t men’s clothing. They’re made for girls.”

  Aunt July countered sternly, “Pants are for men. Dresses are for women. Don’t argue with me on that!”

  “Fine,” Ali sighed, “but you’re wrong.” Not waiting for a response, she continued, “I really need to know something, and if I ask you, will you tell me the truth?”

  “I never lie, Ali. That’s one of the Ten Commandments: Thou shall not bear false witness. What do you need to know?”

  “Do you know my daddy’s name, and do you know where he is?”

  Aunt July looked stunned by the question and didn’t speak for a long moment. Then she finally said simply, “I can honestly say I know nothing about him.”

  Then she headed out of the room, but Ali followed her, saying, “Please! Mama Jane was going to tell me his name and she was trying to find a picture for me—but she didn’t find it before she died. Now it’s all burned up. Somebody has to know my real name!”

  Aunt July stopped walking, looked down at Ali, and said, “I said I don’t know anything. Now come in the kitchen and help me fix supper. I think it’s time I taught you how to cook.” Her frown turned to a smile as she held out her hand. “It’ll take time, but you’ll adjust, and I’m going to teach you so much. I do love you. Don’t ever doubt that. I may be strict at times, but it’s for your own good. Someday you’ll thank me.”

  In the kitchen, Ali said, “If you really love me, you’ll help me find out who my daddy is.”

  Aunt July’s face turned red as she said firmly, “Ali, some things are better left alone. Don’t ever bring it up again.”

  Ali studied Aunt July’s gray hair, which was pulled up in a bun. She wore no makeup and it was very hard to see any resemblance to Mama Jane. She watched as Aunt July showed her how to cut up a chicken. Aunt July then filled a bowl with flour and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. “I’m going to break two eggs into a bowl,” she instructed. “You take a fork and start beating them until they’re fluffy. Then I’ll show you how to dip the chicken into the egg batter before you roll them in the flower and drop them into the boiling oil. You have to do it just right so the chicken will turn out nice and crispy.”

  Ali beat the eggs while Aunt July turned on the gas burner to heat the oil. As she worked, she decided that maybe cooking would be fun, and she had to admit that Aunt July was a good teacher.

  While they were eating their fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans, Ali asked, “Aunt July, how old are you?”

  Aunt July chuckled and replied, “Well, I’m a few years older than Jane. I’m forty.”

  “Forty!” Ali exclaimed. “That’s old!”

  “I suppose it seems old to you,” Aunt July said, “but once you reach my age it doesn’t seem that old. Now eat up, and always clean your plate. I won’t stand for wasting food.”

  After supper, Ali helped Aunt July clean the kitchen and then asked if she and Mr. Puss could go outside until dark. “We don’t like being shut in,” she explained. “We like the fresh air.”

  “Of course, you can,” said Aunt July. “I love the outside, too. The sun’s behind the house now, so the front porch will be cool enough to sit out there. We’ll all go out.”

  Ali liked the lawn chairs on the front porch. She and Jane had always sat on the concrete steps.

  As the stars began to come out, Ali stroked Mr. Puss and said, “Aunt July, I’ve never spent the night without Mama Jane, and I don’t have my bed and—”

  As Ali’s voice trailed off, Aunt July reached over and put her arm around Ali’s shoulder. “I know, it’s going to be hard for a while, honey, but you’ll adjust, and you’ll have Mr. Puss to snuggle with. I’ll leave a nightlight on for you, and I’ll be just down the hall if you need me. I always keep a glass of water on my nightstand, and I’ll fix one for you too.”

  Rubbing her weary eyes, Ali said, “This has been the longest and saddest day of my life. I think I’d like to take Mr. Puss and go on to bed.”

  “It’s been a long, sad day for me too, honey,” said Aunt July. “I want you to know that I loved Jane too. She was my baby sister and I always looked out for her—until she was a teenager. Then she got out of control and nobody could do anything with her—but I never stopped loving her. We were just very different.” Aunt July wiped away a tear and added softly, “I’m glad she has a gravesite now, Ali. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take flowers there myself. You know I have beautiful flowers in my yard.”

  Ali smiled and said, “No kidding sure enough?”

  “No kidding sure enough,” Aunt July replied with a smile of her own, “but let’s not mention it to Ma and Pa, okay?”

  “Okay,” Ali agreed. “I learned a long time ago not to mention Mama Jane to them, and I couldn’t mention them to her either. It’s all pretty stupid if you ask me!”

  “I suppose it is,” Aunt July said. “I’ve always gone along with my parents, even if I didn’t agree with them. Pa has a terrible temper and Ma says I can’t buck him. They both told me a long time ago that if I didn’t do what they expected of me, I’d be cut out of their will, just like Jane. I’m their only child now and I’m not going to see everything they own go to the church. I’ve earned everything!”

  Aunt July quit talking as if she’d already said too much, but Ali jumped in, adding, “Well, I just hope it’s all worth it. Mama Jane didn’t give a fart blossom’s ass what Grandpa and Grandma wanted.”

  Aunt July gave Ali a stern look. “You be careful about your language. I know you’ve heard your mother use foul language all your life, but if I ever hear a bad word come out of you, I’ll wash your mouth out with soap. Understood?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Ali said, but she was thinking that she could get all the bad words out of her system when she visited Toots.

  Back in the house, Ali brushed her teeth, pulled on the nightgown her grandparents had bought and headed for bed. As Aunt July tucked her in, she said, “Now we’ll say our prayers.”

  A tear rolled down Ali’s cheek as she said, “I like to pray alone.”

  “Well, that’s fine,” said Aunt July. “I didn’t know if you’d been taught to pray—”

  Ali interrupted, “I’ve been praying for a long time. Mama Jane said that all I had to do was talk to God just like I would a regular person.”

  “Well, okay,” said Aunt July. Then she walked across the room, turned on the nightlight, switched off the overhead light, and said goodnight.

  When Ali heard Aunt July close her bedroom door, she closed her eyes and said, “Dear Mr. God, Thank you for helping me find Mama Jane’s ashes and for Toots and Nancy helping give her a nice funeral. Thank you for the nice home that me and Mr. Puss have to live in and for this nice bed. If I can ask for a few things, I ask for your help getting used to Aunt July and being able to live with her. As for Grandma and Grandpa—well, I don’t know what to ask for about them. I’ll just let you work that all out for me. Yours truly, Ali Monroe. And amen.”

  She took a deep breath and added, “Oh, and P.S. Will you please send that angel to me again so I won’t cry because Mama Jane isn’t in the next room? I guess that’s all. Amen again.”

  Then she drifted off, comforted by Mr. Puss who was purring contentedly.

  Chapter Six

  The next thing Ali knew, Mr. Puss was pawing her head and meowing. As Ali rubbed her eyes, she said, “I think the angel must have sprinkled us with sleeping dust. I slept all night and I didn’t wake up and cry. I hope I can find us something for breakfast.”

  Ali carried Mr. Puss into the kitchen and was startled when she saw Aunt July already standing at the stove. “Well good morning, young lady,” Aunt July said. Then she looked down and added, “And good morning to you too, young man. What would you two like for breakfast?”

  Ali said, “Whatever you want to fix us. I usually get up and fix me and Mr. Puss a bowl of Cheerios while Mama Jane sleeps it off—or sleeps in.
We like Cheerios.”

  “Well, I’m sorry but I don’t have Cheerios,” said Aunt July. “How about if I fix you some scrambled eggs with toast, topped with some of my homemade apple jelly?”

  “That sounds delicious,” Ali said happily. “We’d like some bacon too, if it’s alright with you.”

  Aunt July said, “Ali, you know that bacon is pork, and we don’t eat pork!”

  “But why can’t we eat pork?”

  “Because the Bible tells us that it’s unclean meat,” Aunt July answered a bit too sharply.

  Ali’s eyes narrowed. “But I eat bacon when I go to Toots’ house and it looks clean to me. Nancy takes it right out of a clean package from the store.”

  Aunt July sighed and said, “I don’t mean that kind of clean. I’ll read the passage from the Bible to you—which reminds me, I want you to read a chapter a day from the Bible. You can start with the book of Matthew, which is the beginning of the New Testament. And during the summer, I want you to read a book a week. During school, I won’t require that much. If you have trouble with words, I’ll help you.”

  “Okay,” Ali said, pulling out a chair and sitting at the table. Instinctively, Mr. Puss started to jump into her lap, but she quickly said, “No, Mr. Puss. You can’t sit here. I’ll give you some eggs in a minute. You go over there and wait by your bowl.”

  As Mr. Puss casually strolled over to his bowl and sat patiently, Aunt July watched in amazement. “I swear,” she said, “that cat acts like he understands every word you say. It beats anything I’ve ever seen.”

  “He does understand every word,” Ali said proudly, “and I understand what he’s saying, too.”

  “It sure seems that way,” Aunt July said with a smile. “After breakfast we need to go to the store so you can pick out what you like to eat. I’ve also heard that table food isn’t good for cats, so we’ll get him some special cat food. Just don’t mention it to Ma and Pa.”

  Ali’s eyes brightened. “Why, thank you, Aunt July. He likes cat food that comes in a can—I think it’s called Friskies. Bubba used to buy it for him every once in a while.” Then she added, “And I already know not to mention anything to Grandma and Grandpa, so don’t worry about me ever repeating a word.”

  Aunt July’s voice lowered as she said, “I hate to have to teach you this, but some things are better left unsaid.” She paused a moment, then added thoughtfully, “Lord, why does life have to be so complicated?”

  “I’d like to know the answer to that myself,” Ali said as Aunt July set a plate in front of her. “These eggs look good. I’ll give Mr. Puss some of mine so we can save on eggs.”

  “Don’t worry, Ali, I’ve got plenty for the three of us,” Aunt July said. “Now you eat everything on your plate while I put some in Mr. Puss’ bowl. Maybe he’ll learn to like me after a while.”

  Ali smiled and said, “Just don’t hurt my feelings and he’ll start liking you. He gets mad when he knows I’m upset.”

  As Aunt July joined Ali at the table, Ali said, “You know, this is kinda nice. I like having family breakfast together.”

  After they had finished, Ali helped Aunt July clean the kitchen. Then they got dressed and headed to the grocery store. Ali enjoyed shopping and was overjoyed that Aunt July liked Mr. Puss enough to buy him special cat food.

  On the way home, Ali said, “Would you mind driving me by Toots’ house so I can say hi? I really miss her. I know you don’t like the neighborhood, but it’ll just take a minute, and you said you wanted to apologize to Nancy.”

  “I’m sorry, but we don’t have time today,” Aunt July responded. “I have to get these groceries put up and start making you a dress for tonight. This is Wednesday, which means it’s prayer meeting night at church, so I need to have a church dress ready for you. Did Ma and Pa buy you some knee-high socks yesterday? You have to wear them to church.”

  Ali said, “No, they didn’t. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone wear knee-high socks before.”

  Aunt July immediately turned the car around. “I’m glad I remembered. We’ll have to buy you a couple pair. We go to church on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. That’s something else you’ll have to get used to.”

  Ali was a bit sullen as Aunt July took her into Belk’s to buy the socks, and hoping she wouldn’t die of shame when she had to wear them. Mama Jane would have called it a bunch of crap, but she knew not to argue.

  When they returned home, Ali and Mr. Puss sat under the dogwood tree and gazed up at the sky while Aunt July worked on the new dress. Ali could have sworn that she saw Mama Jane’s face in a cloud before she leaned against the tree trunk and fell asleep.

  She was jolted awake by Aunt July calling her name from the back door as she stepped out into the yard. “We’re right here, Aunt July!” Ali said as she ran across the yard, Mr. Puss in her arms. “We didn’t run off, but we’re awful hungry.”

  Aunt July rubbed Mr. Puss on the head and said, “Good boy. You’re keeping Ali in line today.” Then she told Ali, “Go wash up while I fix dinner. Then you need to take a bath, and when you’re done I’ll have your new dress ready. Don’t forget to shampoo your hair. I bought some conditioner for you too.”

  “I’ve never had to take this many baths in my life. How dirty can I get by sleeping, riding in a car, and shopping?” Ali said as she walked into the house to obey her aunt’s wishes. “I don’t know what conditioner is, but I hope it gets the tangles out. I nearly pull myself baldheaded whenever I try to comb my hair.”

  “You need a bath every day, honey,” Aunt July explained. “And you definitely need something to calm down that mop of hair.”

  Ali said, “I know. I hate my hair. Nancy’s a beautician and she could cut it for me so it wouldn’t be such a mess.”

  Aunt July said sharply, “You’ll never cut your hair! That’s something else you’ll learn when you start reading your Bible.”

  “What?” Ali said in surprise. “I can’t ever cut my hair? That’s just plain stupid!”

  Aunt July’s tone grew dark as she said, “Ali, don’t ever let me hear you say the Bible is stupid again, do you hear? It’s the written word of God. You should beg God’s forgiveness for such a statement.”

  Ali headed toward the bathroom, mumbling, “I ain’t gonna ask God to forgive me for something I didn’t do wrong.”

  As Ali walked away, she heard Aunt July say softly, “Lord, have mercy on this child, and help me help her.”

  Ali took her bath and then put on a long white petticoat along with the dress Aunt July had made. The material had tiny white flowers against a black background. It had a button-up bodice with a high collar and a sash that tied in the back. She pulled on the white knee-high socks and then slipped her feet into the black high-top shoes. Aunt July brushed Ali’s hair and pinned a large white bow in the back.

  Ali picked at her dress all the way to the country church, thinking she looked like a little girl from the nineteenth century. She was nervous as they entered the church, but the congregation gathered around her, told her how pretty she was, how happy they were that she was there, and how much they loved her grandparents and her aunt, whom they referred to as Sister July. It seemed strange to Ali that the congregation all referred to each other as Brother So-and-So or Sister So-and-So.

  She and Aunt July sat beside Grandma and Grandpa during the service which seemed to go on for hours. There was shouting, crying, raising of arms, and praying—and it was loud! Ali began squirming, which brought her a thigh-pinch from Aunt July. Finally, the service was over and she was glad it was time to go home.

  She hurried up the aisle toward the door, but Grandpa grabbed her arm and said sternly, “No running in church, young lady. Show respect when you’re in the house of the Lord!”

  Aunt July quickly took Ali’s hand and said, “Pa, she doesn’t know any better. It’s her first time. I’ll teach her, but it’s going to take a little time.”

  Ali scooted closer to Aunt July as Grandpa
said harshly, “You’re babying her too much, July. You know how her mother turned out!”

  Without thinking, Ali lashed out, “She turned out the way she did because you’re mean and Grandma is too scared to set you straight!”

  She broke loose from Aunt July’s grasp and ran outside where she quickly jumped into the car. To her relief, nobody came outside for several minutes. “I hope I didn’t get Aunt July in trouble,” she mumbled as if she were talking to Mr. Puss, who she wished was with her at the moment. “She was trying to protect me.” She figured Mr. Puss would have meowed a comforting sound as he always did.

  Finally, Ali saw her grandparents and aunt walk out of the church. She had a hard time breathing as she watched Grandpa walk to his car. Then, to her horror, she saw Grandma with Aunt July walking toward her.

  When Grandma opened the passenger door, Ali flinched, but she was surprised to hear Grandma say sweetly, “I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. You’re dressed like a proper young lady, and I’ve never seen your hair look so pretty.”

  Ali said softly, “Thank you.”

  Grandma then reached out and Ali flinched again as Grandma’s bony fingers patted her arm before closing the door and walking away. Aunt July started the car while Ali braced herself for a good tongue lashing—but to her surprise and relief, her aunt didn’t say a word all the way back to the house.

  The rest of the week went by slowly, until Saturday morning when Aunt July said after breakfast, “Ali, I’m going to take you over to see Toots today. You can visit for a couple hours while I get some shopping done and have lunch with some church sisters. I’ll also apologize to Nancy. I really don’t like you to be in that neighborhood, but I guess Nancy will look after you. After all, you did spend ten years there.”

  Ali’s face was filled with joy as she said, “Oh, thank you, Aunt July. Toots is the only friend I have, and Nancy will watch us—you’ll see. I’ll be fine, and I can put some new flowers on Mama Jane’s grave. Would it be okay if I pick some of yours?”