"Would you like me to carry him over to the table in front of the couch?" Polly asked as she reached for the car seat.
She got the kids set up and watched as Sammy began to feed his brother, stroking his head and talking to him.
"Thank you Sammy,” she said. “I appreciate it. I think you're doing a great job and your mom would be proud of you."
Polly then walked out into the kitchen and opened the cupboard, grabbing the container of food to fill Obiwan's dish. His entire body wiggled with glee as food poured out and he was munching kibble before she got the container put away.
There was a knock at her door and she assumed it was Lydia, "Come in!" Polly called.
Lydia walked in, her arms laden with bags and boxes. Polly ran over to help her. They unloaded everything onto the dining table. "What did you bring?" Polly exclaimed.
"Oh, a little bit of everything," Lydia laughed. "I have so many things at the house for my own grandkids, I thought maybe you could use some of them here today. Andy is coming over in a little bit to help us and I talked to Sylvie. She said she'll bring the boys over after school."
Polly peeked inside the two bags she had taken from Lydia and saw games and toys. However, since the kids were completely occupied with their little brother and television, she hoped they might be able to save some of these things for later. She nodded to the bedroom and Lydia followed her in. Dumping everything on the bed, they shook the bags empty and unflapped one of the smaller boxes. There were cars and dolls, stuffed animals, a small train set and a few board games.
"Wow, did you bring your entire stash?" Polly asked.
"You’d think so, but this doesn't begin to make a dent in the toy closet. My grand babies won't even know these things are missing."
Polly gave Lydia a sideways glance and said a bit sheepishly, "I don't know what I was thinking. I've never spent any time around children. When I was in high school, Dad thought it would be a good idea if I got some experience as a babysitter. He set me up on a job with one of his buddies, who was the doctor in town. That was one of the weirdest evenings I ever spent with anyone."
Lydia giggled, "What happened?"
"Well, their little baby girl had been sick and of course, the doctor had given her some kind of medicine. When it came time to change her diaper, I ran into two issues. One, I had never changed a diaper in my life. Ever!"
That made Lydia snort a little. "You're kidding!"
"When would I have done it?" Polly protested. "I was an only child."
"Anyway, the smell was so bad, I knew I had to do something. I could have called Mary, I suppose, but I found the box of diapers and lo and behold, there were directions on the back. So, I propped it up on the changing table. Then, I pulled the diaper off and holy smokes, but it was runny and I'm not kidding when I tell you it was dark blue. That was some awful stuff. I cleaned her up and all I could think was that I was so glad she was a baby and would never be able to tell anyone that I had used the directions on the box to know what to do. I managed to get a new diaper on her and then I prayed she wouldn't need to be changed again before her parents got home."
"So," Lydia chuckled, "I'm guessing you aren't much better now?"
"Yeah, no," Polly said. "The only other time I had to deal with a diaper, Mary came over to rescue me because it was cloth and the little girl had taken it off herself!"
"We're going to make sure you have help today, Polly, and maybe a few lessons, too!" Lydia walked out of the room laughing.
Polly followed her and said to the two older children, "What would you like for breakfast this morning? I have cereal or I can make oatmeal." When she said the word oatmeal, both kids curled their upper lip. "Alright, oatmeal is unacceptable. I can make pancakes. Would you like that?"
Emma's face lit up. "Can you make Mickey pancakes?" she asked.
Polly thought for a moment, saw it in her mind and replied with, "Yes! I think I can! But, only if you eat the whole thing!"
"Mickey! Mickey!" Emma chanted and jumped off the couch to wrap her arms around Polly's leg.
Polly reached down to pick the little girl up in her arms. "Would you like to keep me company while I cook?" she asked, trying not to let the tears that threatened drip past her eyelid.
"I help! I help!" Emma curled her fist in Polly's hair as she walked into the kitchen. Polly plopped her little bottom on the counter top and said, "Sit right here while I gather the ingredients, okay?"
"Okay!" Emma replied.
Polly glanced back at Sammy. Lydia looked up and smiled as if to say, "I've got this." The two were talking quietly while Sammy fed the baby.
"Sammy, would you like some Mickey pancakes as well?" Polly asked.
"Regular pancakes would be fine," he quietly said.
"What do you think, Emma," Polly said to the little girl who was trying hard not to stick her fingers in the batter. "Shall I make them all Mickey pancakes?"
"Sammy's sad." Emma said. "We're both sad. Mommy didn't do anything wrong and that policeman took her away. Will we ever see her again?"
Lydia stood up and walked toward the dining area. "My husband is the sheriff who took your mommy away. I've told him that he has to do everything he can to make sure your mommy comes back as soon as possible. He's a good man and I love him. You don't need to worry."
"Why did he take her away, then?" Sammy asked.
"Because they found something bad in the car, Sammy. Something that shouldn't be there. However, they're going to check everything out and they will do the right thing," Lydia replied.
"I still don't get it," he whimpered.
"I know you don't," Lydia said. "And I'm sorry about that. But, for now, you get to eat pancakes and watch television and play with a big puppy! How's that?"
"I wish my mom were here."
"Yes, you do. You should keep wishing and praying until she gets back, alright? Then you can tell her how much you were thinking about her and you can tell her everything about your day with us."
Polly had been flipping pancakes while they talked and after plating the first two, set them down on the table. She picked Emma up and looked around. There was no way this child was going to be able to sit at the table and Polly didn't have a big Boston telephone book to put under her bottom. Lydia took in the situation and gathered up the pillows from the sofa. Polly moved the two chairs with arms together and draped a dish towel over the pillows and the kids were set. She turned away and went back to the stove to make some more pancakes.
"I can't eat this!" Emma said.
"Why not, honey?" Lydia asked.
"Mommy always cuts up my pancake."
Lydia giggled at Polly who stood poised at the stove with a scoop of batter.
"What do you want to do, girlfriend? Cook or feed?"
"Uh, Uh ...” Polly said, which made Lydia giggle even more. At that moment, there was another knock on the door. Sammy spun around in his chair.
"Do you want to go answer the door, Sammy? It is probably our friend Andy."
He jumped down from the chair and ran to open it. "It's a lady!" he said.
"Hello!" Andy called out. "Hi there," she said to the little boy.
"But, they said it was Andy. You're a lady!" Sammy replied.
She bustled in with a couple of bags and said, "Both of those things are right. Andrea is my name, but everyone calls me Andy."
"Oh," he responded, then announced. "The sheriff took my mommy away."
"I heard," Andy said. "I'm sure they are going to work everything out. You shouldn't worry." She reached down for his hand, which he willingly gave to her and the two walked to the table. Andy placed her bags on the floor, then helped him crawl back up on top of the pillows. She took her coat off, dropped it on top of her bags, put some butter and syrup on Emma's pancake and began cutting it into pieces. Emma's eyes got big as she watched it all happen! Andy sat down beside her and handed Emma the fork. "Do you want help eating this or do you have it?" she asked.
Emma took the fork, her eyes still big and scooped up a piece of pancake.
"Wow," said Lydia. "I didn't see that one coming."
"Bill has kids this size. You don't want to let them get too far out ahead of you!" Andy laughed.
Polly shook her head and continued to flip pancakes. "Emma and I made a big batch of batter. I hope everyone is hungry," she said.
Lydia brought the baby in from the living room and set his seat on the table so she could sit beside Sammy. "I'm ready for pancakes," she said and stood her knife and fork up in her hands. Sammy looked at her and Polly saw a smile try to lift the corners of his little mouth.
"Andy?" she asked.
"Sure, I'll have a couple. It smells great in here."
Polly served up pancakes and everyone settled into eat.
Chapter Three
After a fun night playing with more kids than she could ever remember having around, Polly woke the next morning to a bed filled with two of those kids and a dog. She smiled to herself and slid out from under the covers. Walking to the bedroom door, she peeked into the living room where Sylvie's boys were camped out on the couch and a small cot Lydia had brought over. Those boys had been a godsend with Sammy. He thought Jason was pretty wonderful and Andrew quickly became his very best friend. Little Emma hadn't gotten too far from Polly, but that was alright.
Sylvie had brought her boys over after school and they had spent the rest of the day playing, taking the dog out to run and showing Sammy all over the school as if they were part owners. When Sylvie came to pick them up after she was finished working, they begged to spend the night. After a short conversation, she agreed to allow them to stay, as long as they were a help to Miss Polly and not a problem. They promised to be helpful and had ended up being everything Polly needed in order to keep Sammy from spending too much time thinking about his mom. The evening had ended up being a fun party, with everyone in pajamas in front of the television watching Christmas shows.
Andy had borrowed a travel bed from her son for the baby which allowed Polly to keep an eye on him. Sammy was fairly attuned to Tyler’s needs and they made it through the night with him only waking up a couple of times, fussing until Polly changed his diaper. She'd made Lydia watch her do it twice and finally felt comfortable enough to manage on her own.
Aaron and a woman from Child Protective Services had stopped by in the afternoon in order to get the children processed. Polly was fairly certain Aaron and Lydia had both been involved in allowing the children to stay at Sycamore House until something settled out with their parents. She discovered that Bruce was not the father of Sammy and Emma; he had married their mom a few years ago, but had been caring for them as if he were. When Marian Tally from CPS asked about their real father, Sammy simply said, "He died," and hung his head. Emma had obviously never known the man because, pointing to Aaron, she told the woman "that man over there took him away last night."
After spending time in the school, asking questions of the kids and of Polly, she seemed satisfied the children were safe.
Polly asked the sheriff, "How long do you think this is going to take? Do you really believe those two were transporting drugs?"
He replied, "I don't know how I could believe anything else, Polly! The back of that vehicle had nearly $80,000 in cocaine packed in there."
"But, that doesn't make sense?” She pressed. “Why would they be coming out here to beg for a job with his dad if he was carrying that?"
Aaron shrugged, "I know. There are some inconsistencies, but for now, we have to keep them until we can uncover the truth."
"Does Bruce's father know they're in Iowa? Do they have a lawyer? Can they get out on bail? Who is helping them through this?" Polly asked.
"Bruce didn't want us to call his father. At least not yet. And yes, they have a court appointed lawyer who is doing everything possible for them," Aaron replied.
"So, Bruce is fine with sitting in jail while I have his children? Is he nuts?" Polly lowered her voice to a whisper and guided Aaron into the kitchen.
"He's upset about the kids, but I assured him you had everything in hand and they would stay with you until things were settled." Aaron shook his head. "Bruce has no money, so he can't pay his own bail. He won't let us call his father for help. I don't want to keep them until this is all over, but right now, I don't have a choice."
Polly thought for a moment, then said, "I'll pay to get them out. They shouldn't have to be away from their kids."
"Polly no,” Aaron said. “It's enough that you're taking care of these little ones. I won’t let you become financially responsible for those two. If they are transporting these drugs, you’d lose your money if they bolted."
"Aaron, you know full well they wouldn't put these little ones in danger …" Polly began, but Aaron interrupted her.
"Stop it! They've already put them in danger, just by putting them in the same vehicle! No, I'm not going to let you set yourself up like this. You can't." Aaron said.
"Bet me!" she announced. "Now, are you going to tell me who their lawyer is or do I have to call your wife and get her involved?"
Aaron looked at her, rolled his eyes, then pulled his telephone out and made a call. Within a few moments, her phone beeped and she saw that a man's name and phone number had been texted to her.
"Thank you," she smiled.
"I don't know if I like it when you're not the one in trouble. You used to be much more amenable," Aaron muttered.
Polly laughed. "I always try to play by the rules, but I'm not much of a pushover." She dialed the phone number for the McKenzie's lawyer and after he spoke with the sheriff, he promised her he would do everything possible to get them out on bail the next day. As long as they could get in to see a judge, he thought they would be free to leave and be with their children. She told him to call her and she would arrange for their transportation and a place to stay.
When she got off the phone, she wondered what in the world she had done and those feelings must have shown up on her face. Aaron chuckled and put his hand on her arm, leading her to the table where she sat down.
"It's not so easy taking on the weight of the world, is it Polly girl?" he said.
"Oh shut up, you old grinch," she said. "Now, help me figure out what I'm going to do!"
"First, Polly, you have to get Bruce and his father together. He will need a lot more support through this than you can give him."
"Aaron, I remember them in high school. Bruce was like the prodigal son. His older brother, Kevin, was always the star. He played football, had girls hanging on him, and he played up to all the teachers. Kevin chose to be a farmer. He loved working with his dad and he loved working on that farm. Bruce hated it. He wanted to do so many different things. He loved racing cars and fixing them. When Kevin and his Dad were in the fields, Bruce was at Phil's Shop in town, rebuilding cars. His dad thought both boys would be there to help him out as he got older and Bruce couldn't stand even thinking about it. As soon as he graduated, he took all the money he had saved and left town.
"He was always a good guy. I think he spent too much time in the shop to get into trouble. But, he was so obsessed with all of that, he didn't do well in school. Teachers would find him daydreaming and sketching away. He was drawing engines and cars. None of them cared about it, so they tried to flush him out. He pulled enough grades to graduate, but spent any extra time in school, down in the Industrial Arts room. It was there he got great grades. Oh, and in Art Class too, I guess.
"His dad was furious when he left. They had a big public fight at graduation. It was awful. He was supposed to have a graduation party like the rest of us, but he went home, packed his clothes and left. His mom cried and cried, Kevin tried to find him, but he was gone. My dad was good friends with Lyle McKenzie and he just quit talking about Bruce. If anyone asked, he ignored them. Mary said she saw his mom several times in the grocery store and around town. She asked about him and I guess Bruce called her several times a year, to let her know he
was fine, but Lyle never did ask or seem to care. It was like Bruce had disappeared from the face of the earth."
Aaron processed all of that and said, "Well, this little fiasco isn't going to help Bruce's father feel good about letting him come home."
"I know," Polly said. "This breaks my heart."
Aaron had also brought the children's bags to Sycamore House. She was glad they had their pajamas and a change of clothing. The rest of the day had passed in a blur and Polly felt as if no day in her life had been more exhausting. Four kids and a baby were nearly too much for her to manage, but with some help, she finally landed in bed with the two youngest and got a little bit of sleep once everyone else had sacked out.
She took one more look at the children in her big bed, grateful for its size. Emma and Sammy were snuggled together, with Obiwan at their feet and the baby was still asleep in the travel bed. Jason opened one eye and waved at her when she peeked out. She waved him back to bed and as quietly as possible, pulled clothes out and went into the bathroom. After a quick shower, she dressed and tiptoed back to her bedroom. Obiwan raised his head and looked up at her. Then, as if he knew he shouldn’t wake the kids, slithered to her side of the bed and off onto the floor.
When they walked into the living room, Jason was up and dressed. "I'll take him for a walk, if you'd like, Miss Polly," he said. That way you don't have to leave the kids alone.”
"Jason, thank you!” She said. “That would be great." He picked up the leash, Obiwan ran to him and the two went out the door. Polly watched them leave the front door from her kitchen window and started her coffee brewing. She had a feeling the day would be long.
Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. It was Jeff Lyndsay. Whoops, she'd forgotten completely about the Christmas party. He was planning to be in today to start decorating the auditorium for the party which was in three days. “Oh no!” her mind screamed. “What in the world was she going to do?” She shook her head to get rid of her fuzziness and answered the phone, "Hello?"
"Hi Polly! Are you ready for today?" Jeff’s voice was much too chipper for that hour of the morning.
All Roads Lead Home (Bellingwood) Page 30