Eleanor’s eyes opened wide as she looked at him. “Me?”
“Yes, I heard you screaming in your room,” he replied in a low voice. “I knew you were having those nightmares again.”
“I’m sorry I woke you up.” Eleanor covered her mouth with her hand. “I was so hoping that I didn’t wake you or Mama Pearl.”
“I know we have been asking you this since you came to live with us, but do you want to talk about it?” Omar asked kindly. “I won’t say a word to anyone if you don’t want me to. I promise.”
Eleanor looked at him silently. Maybe it would help if I have someone I can talk to about all this. But then I would have to tell him of my scandalous behavior with Officer Gregg, and he might not look at me the same again.
“I won’t judge you,” Omar said as if he had read her mind. “Only one person can judge you and that’s God Almighty. I know I’m the man, but I must confess, I’m not that man,” he joked.
Eleanor gave a small laugh. “You are something else, you know that?” she smiled at him. “Thank you for offering. If and when I’m ready to talk, you will be the first person I’ll turn to.” She gave him a kind smile.
“I’ll hold you to that.” Omar returned the smile. “You are like my little, naughty sister now, you know?”
“Shut up, Omar.” Eleanor laughed. She waved her hand as if to throw the rest of the water in the glass on him.
“Hey, watch it now.” Omar laughed as he ran to the door. He paused and turned around to look at Eleanor. “With God’s help, you will be all right,” he said before he walked away.
Eleanor stared at the empty doorway for a moment, allowing Omar’s words to penetrate her soul. “Yes, I’ll be all right. Aunt Madge and the baby will be all right, also. I have to believe that.”
“Dupree, leave that cake alone,” Aunt Madge remarked with a smile from the living-room doorway as she watched Dupree trying to hook her small, chubby legs around the chair to reach the cake on the table.
Dupree giggled and took a few quick, unaided, wobbly steps toward Aunt Madge.
“Wow, be careful now,” Aunt Madge said as she quickly reached down and lifted the baby in her arms. “Look at you, trying to run.” She kissed Dupree on her cheek. “Happy birthday to you,” Aunt Madge sang and tickled Dupree’s side.
Dupree giggled and wiggled happily in her grandaunt’s arms.
“We are waiting for Mother Sassy and her grandkids to come, then we’re going to have a little party for you.” She kissed the baby all over her face. “Who is one-year-old today? Dupree!” Aunt Madge placed her hands under Dupree’s stomach and held her up in the air. Dupree squealed as she waved and kicked her legs contentedly.
“Sister Madge? Sister Madge, we’re here,” came Mother Sassy’s low voice from outside.
Aunt Madge walked to the door with Dupree and saw Mother Sassy and her five grandchildren coming down the narrow dirt track that led to the house. The noise level went up as the kids ran ahead of their grandmother, laughing and talking as they hurried toward the house.
Dupree began twisting and turning excitedly in Aunt Madge’s arms.
“Oh, so now you have company you want to get down, huh?” Aunt Madge said as she carefully walked down the steps into the yard. She put Dupree down on the ground and soon the baby was engulfed in other arms as the kids passed her from one hand to the other, kissing and tickling her. Dupree laughed and giggled uncontrollably.
Aunt Madge and Mother Sassy carried the small kitchen table out to the yard, positioning a chair in front of it for the birthday girl. They placed the birthday cake that Aunt Madge bought from the bakery in town, in the middle. Tasty fried chicken, corn beef sandwiches, slices of hard dough bread, and lemonade decorated the table.
The kids gathered around Dupree, who stood on the chair, staring excitedly at the cake. A few times she reached out to grab it but Aunt Madge caught her hand. The other kids laughed in amusement.
“Well, let us bless this food and the birthday girl so we can eat,” Mother Sassy said as she joined hands with her grandchildren who stood on both sides of her. The other kids and Aunt Madge did the same.
“Dear Lord, we are here to celebrate Baby Dupree’s first birthday. We ask that you be with her today and for many, many more birthdays to come,” Mother Sassy prayed loudly. “Give her your blessings. Hallelujah, hallelujah.” By now Mother Sassy was doing a little jig, shaking the hands of her wide-eyed grandchildren rapidly as she caught the spirit. “Take her into your arms. Hallelujah, hallelujah.”
Aunt Madge took a peek out of one eye and saw all the children, including Dupree, staring at Mother Sassy. But no one made a move or said a word as that was strictly forbidden.
“You are the Almighty God. You are our Savior and there is nothing too hard for you,” Mother Sassy continued to pray. “This child will never want for anything. I said anything! Hallelujah, hallelujah.”
“Amen. Amen,” Aunt Madge said quickly and brought the prayer to a close. Had she not done that, Mother Sassy would have gone on for a long, long time. “Thanks for the prayer, my friend.” Aunt Madge walked over to Mother Sassy who was perspiring profusely and gave her a hug. The women had been friends for years, and no matter what, they were always there for each other.
“You are welcome, my dear,” Mother Sassy replied as she wiped her face with a towel that she had around her neck. “Time to cut the cake, everyone.”
The kids cheered and clapped their hands.
“No, baby. Dupree. Wait until—” Aunt Madge watched helplessly as Dupree reached over and sank her hands into the cake. She was too late to stop her this time.
Dupree giggled as she tried to stuff a heap of cake into her little mouth, the icing smearing her face, hands, and her clothes. Laughter resonated around the yard.
“I think Dupree is telling us to eat,” Aunt Madge said with a laugh. Soon everyone had a plate filled with food, eating, laughing, and having a good time.
Later as Aunt Madge watched the kids playing hide-and-seek and jump rope, she visualized Tiny when she was small and doing the same thing. Tears filled her eyes. “I may have lost one child, but I have another who needs me,” Aunt Madge whispered to herself. “I have to carry on and be strong for Dupree.”
Chapter Twenty-four
The school year went by pretty fast for Eleanor. After a few weeks, she felt as if she had never left. Eleanor decided to take five CXC exams: mathematics, English, accounting, Principles of Business, and biology. She had passed all the preparatory tests that her teacher gave her with flying colors. It was looking really good for these exams.
“I have to pass theses exams,” Eleanor played over and over in her head. “I have sacrificed and lost too much to turn back now.” And like an obsessed manic, she studied religiously. Eleanor did all her chores in the morning, despite Mama Pearl’s objection as she wanted her to concentrate on school. She went to classes in the evenings. After getting home at night, she locked herself in her room and studied until the wee hours of the morning. Soon it was time for her first exam, mathematics.
“You are going to do fine,” Mama Pearl told Eleanor as they sat on the couch in the living room that morning. “You have been preparing for this, and the Lord is going to see it through. Okay, my dear?”
Eleanor nodded reluctantly, her face etched in concern. “I’m just very nervous, Mama Pearl,” she said, shaking her legs and cracking her knuckles. “I never knew I would ever get this opportunity again. Now that it’s here, I don’t want to blow it or let you down.”
“And you won’t, Eleanor,” Mama Pearl assured her.
“I’m so grateful that you and the guys paid for my CXC exams,” Eleanor said, struggling not to cry. “You have done so much for me. I love you all.”
“And we love you,” Mama Pearl replied as tears glittered in her eyes. “Come and give me a hug.”
Eleanor reached over and hugged the woman who had changed her life.
“Now I know you had some d
ifficulties with the math, but Robert helped you with that and you aced the prep test, right?” Mama Pearl said once they pulled apart and sat facing each other again.
“Yes,” Eleanor responded softly. Math was Eleanor’s least favorite subject. She had always found it challenging since high school. Luckily for her she had a mathematics professor on call who helped her work through the kinks.
“You better get going before you’re late,” Mama Pearl said with a wide smile. “Go and make yourself proud.”
“Thank you.” Eleanor gave her a kiss on the cheek. She stood up and grabbed her book bag that was beside her, before hurrying out the door to catch the bus.
That afternoon when Eleanor got home, she noticed the cars parked in the driveway and on the street outside the house. Worried, she hurried inside to find out what was going on.
As she entered the living room she saw Robert, Alwayne, Sydney, Gerald, Omar, and Mama Pearl sitting on the couches. They jumped to their feet when they saw her.
“What’s wrong?” Eleanor asked as she looked from one face to another. “Is it Mama Pearl?” She walked over to Mama Pearl looking her up from head to toe.
“I’m fine.” Mama Pearl waved off her concern. “You had your first exam today.”
“That’s why you are all here?” Eleanor asked in an incredulous voice as she looked from one smiling face to another.
“That’s right,” Alwayne replied lightly. “We are here to let you know how much we care about you.”
“And we are supporting you now and always,” Sydney added with a big grin.
Eleanor hung down her head and cried. I am the luckiest girl on earth, she thought. I really don’t deserve these people.
Over the next few days, Eleanor took her other exams and felt confident about the results. “You can only do your best, baby,” Aunt Madge had told her a few times. “And only your best is good enough.”
Eleanor had to wait to see if her best would give her the results that she wanted.
It was the summer of 1980 and Eleanor fell back into her old routine now that she had completed her classes and taken her exams. She woke up early and helped Mama Pearl with breakfast. She cleaned the house from top to bottom, did the laundry, swept the yard, and went grocery shopping as needed. Once her chores were completed, she would retire to the living room or her bedroom where she read books she borrowed from the public library or watched television. In the evening she prepared dinner when it was her turn to do so.
“Okay, this has to stop right now,” Mama Pearl said one day as she walked into Eleanor’s bedroom where she lay on the bed reading a book. “You are a seventeen-year-old girl living like a seventy-year-old woman.”
Eleanor looked up at her and smiled. “I’m fine, Mama Pearl. I’m not bored at all.”
“No, you need to meet some friends who you can hang out with and have fun with,” Mama Pearl said to her.
Eleanor winced when she heard the word “friend.” She had a friend who she had fun with, or so she thought. It was that friendship that contributed to the hell she found herself in. The same friend who later turned her back on her for a nasty, lowlife man.
“No, thank you,” Eleanor replied quickly. “I don’t need any friends. I have you and Omar here.”
“That’s not the same, and you know it.” Mama Pearl frowned. “Well, how about a little part-time job to get you out of the house from time to time?”
“Really?” Eleanor sat upright on the bed. “I would like that very much, Mama Pearl.”
“Okay, let me speak to the boys and have them look around for you,” Mama Pearl said in a beaming voice, excited that she finally had an idea that Eleanor liked. “I’ll be asking around as well.”
“Thank you, Mama Pearl.” Eleanor jumped off the bed into Mama Pearl’s arms.
The following week Eleanor started her job as a part-time cashier for a hardware store in Cross Roads. The store owner, Mr. Kennelly, was a good friend of Alwayne. Eleanor worked from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. This gave her enough time to help around the house before she left for work. She loved her job and enjoyed the different people she met on a daily basis. Her boss was also a very friendly, jovial person. Eleanor knew she was blessed.
A few days later as Eleanor walked into the house after work, she saw the entire family gathered again in the living room. “What happened this time? I didn’t get a promotion,” she joked.
“No, but you got something else,” Mama Pearl said elatedly. “You got this!” she waved an envelope in the air.
“Oh my God. Is that what I think it is?” Eleanor asked, stunned.
“Yup,” answered Gerald. “It’s your CXC results.”
“I called all of them to be here,” Mama Pearl said gently. “Whatever this piece of paper says, even though I already know deep down in my soul, we are here for you.”
“Even if I failed them all?” Eleanor asked as she walked over to Mama Pearl and took the envelope from her outstretched hand.
“You didn’t fail,” Omar said confidently. “Go on and open it.” He nodded toward the envelope.
Eleanor took a deep breath. Her knees felt like Jell-O. With trembling fingers, she ripped the envelope open and took out the piece of paper inside. Silence surrounded the room as everyone looked at one another expectantly.
“I can’t look,” Eleanor said nervously. “Here, you read it and tell us.” She handed the piece of paper to Omar.
Omar quickly grabbed it out of her hand and looked at it. His brows knitted in a frown as he stared at it without saying a word.
“Man, what are you waiting for?” Robert asked impatiently. “World War III?”
“I’m sorry, Eleanor,” Omar began dramatically, sniffing as if he was about to cry. “You didn’t pass one—”
“What do you mean she didn’t pass?” Mama Pearl snapped. “Boy, give me that letter.”
“—You passed all of them!” Omar screamed. The room exploded in cheers. A weeping Eleanor was passed from one to the other as she hugged and kissed in congratulatory bliss.
“Girl, you really mashed up those exams.” Mama Pearl allowed the tears to flow freely down her face. “Didn’t I tell all of you that God never makes a mistake?”
Her sons nodded and grinned happily. It was truly a milestone in Eleanor’s journey to success, but redemption would take a little longer.
Chapter Twenty-five
Eleanor got accepted into Excelsior Community College the fall of 1980. Again, Robert and Sydney made some contacts and called in some favors. Even though Eleanor had passed her CXC exams, she didn’t have a copy of her birth certificate as required. She decided to take four preuniversity A-level courses: business management, English language, accounting, and principles of business in the evening school.
To accommodate her school schedule, Eleanor reduced her work hours from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Her classes were from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This left her mornings free to do her house chores, and Sunday was reserved for church.
“I think you’re doing too much,” Mama Pearl complained to Eleanor one day. “You don’t have to work now that you have started school, Eleanor.”
“I can manage, Mama Pearl,” Eleanor reassured her. “I’ve reduced my time at work, and I attend school in the evening, so I have it covered. Don’t worry, I can do this, okay?”
“All right, but if you ever feel overwhelmed I want you to let me know,” Mama Pearl said in a serious voice. “You are too young to be taking on all of this by yourself.”
But Eleanor never felt overwhelmed. It was actually the opposite. She welcomed the opportunity to be busy. The more she worked, the less time she had to think about Aunt Madge and the baby. “I don’t even deserve this chance,” she often reminded herself. “But for some reason the Lord sees fit to give it to me. Why? I’m not sure, but I have to make the most of it.” And she did.
One of the few things that Eleanor took real pleasure in, outside of school
and work, was going to church. She grew up in the church. Aunt Madge was a long-standing member of Worship and Fellowship Church of God, and as such, Eleanor spent a lot of time at church since she was a child. She attended church service every Sunday, Sunday School, Bible Study, prayer meetings, and sang in the junior choir. Her entire life revolved around church—until Dolly came along. It was then that everything started going downhill. Eleanor walked out of the presence of God into the arms of the devil.
It was different this time around. Eleanor started attending church with Mama Pearl because she wanted to make a good impression on her. However, as time went by, something got ahold of her heart and her soul. She was held captivated by the word and the power of the Lord. It makes sense what the pastor is saying about God being a merciful God, Eleanor thought as she sat in service one Sunday morning. Look at what God has done for me after everything I have done. He saved my life and gave me a wonderful family to live with. There may be hope for me after all.
So Eleanor began to read her Bible more, pray a little more, and hope for more.
Before long, after almost two years of hard work and dedication, nineteen-year-old Eleanor completed her preuniversity course at Excelsior Community College in May of 1982. She aced all four A-level exams, earning a certificate in business administration.
It was a bittersweet experience for Eleanor. The runaway, homeless teenager was elated that she was accomplishing her academic goals, but the teenage mother who abandoned her child was still held captive in despair. It was as if she was winning the battle but losing the war.
At times Eleanor’s mind was so consumed with Aunt Madge and Dupree, she was unable to eat or sleep. Her daughter was now three-years-old, and she had no idea what she looked like. She didn’t know her mannerisms or her personality. She knew nothing about Dupree. But through it all, Eleanor knew in her heart that Dupree was well taken care of. After all, Aunt Madge raised Eleanor, so she was confident that Dupree would receive the same love and nurture.
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