by Terry Hayden
The boys got up and filed out of the Principal’s office. Their heads were bowed and the only sound that they made was the shuffle of their feet. They walked down the hallway and out the front door of the old schoolhouse. They looked like four doomed souls on their way to the hangman’s gallows. Once they stepped outside the door, they hurried off in different directions.
Once he was out of sight of the school, William slowed his pace almost to a crawl. He knew that he had some big decisions to make. One thing for certain, he was not going to tell his daddy what had just happened. He felt bad enough already without seeing the look of disappointment on his daddy’s face. He was not going to humiliate his family because of his mistakes. In that split second he made a life changing decision. He was going to leave home.
William timed himself to be home at the usual time. His daddy would think that it was a typical school day. He had several hours before bedtime, and that would give him plenty of time to plan his departure. He knew that if he left at night, that he could be miles away by morning. He would leave a goodbye note, but he would never tell his daddy why he was leaving. As much as he hated to be outdoors at night, he would just have to be strong.
Meanwhile back at Mountain School Mr. Rosenbaum was beaming at his discovery. He would play it cool for the time being. The boys were suspended from school property,
Angie was completely unaware of the peephole, and he might as well enjoy the show for a while.
**********
William packed a few supplies and hid them under the old bed next to the silver colored box that contained the family’s Bible. He suddenly felt sentimental about his family and he knew that he was going to miss them. He could not think of any alternatives except to leave under a cloud of shame. He hoped that his daddy would never find out about the incident at school because William knew that he would never understand. As soon as Josh and his daddy were asleep, he planned on being on his way. North or South, East or West, he had no idea which way to go, or where he might end up on his journey. He wanted to start over and make something of himself like his brothers. He was not going to be a disappointment to anyone, anymore. He would follow the railroad tracks as far as he could, and then hitch a ride, or walk, or run, or crawl to destinations unknown. He just wanted to get away.
He wrote a short note for his daddy to find in the morning. He explained that it was time for him to make something of himself in another place. He said that he was tired of going to school and that as soon as he got settled and found a job, that he would write to them. He told them not to worry and that he would be fine. He did not tell his daddy that he was terrified of the dark, or how miserable he felt down deep in his soul. He would keep that secret between himself and the old man from his dreams.
The other boys who were caught by Mr. Rosenbaum thought that their suspensions from school was an unexpected vacation. Bobby’s daddy laughed after Bobby explained the peephole story to him. The other two boys got off with a mild scolding, and a ‘You should be ashamed of yourselves’ lecture. Everyone was sure that the whole issue would blow over in a day or two. The boys were convinced that old man Rosenbaum would eventually let them come back to school.
The Hills went to bed early as usual. It was no timebefore Josh was snoring and Tom was sound asleep. William got out of the old bad and gathered his meager supplies together. It was cool outside so he dressed warmly, even bothering to take his heavy coat. He was not sure whether he was going to a warmer place or a cooler place, so he was going to be prepared for either. A tear formed in the corner of his eye as he closed the door behind him. It could be a long time before he saw his family again, and it was altogether possible that he might not ever see them again. For a boy who had barely turned twelve years old, his life had been filled with tragedy and turmoil. He desperately wanted his condition to change.
William was undecided whether to go down the track in one direction, or go up the track in the other. He had been as far as Abingdon one time to see his brother’s home, but he had never been any further than the schoolhouse in the other direction. He made up his mind quickly and headed toward the school.
When he reached the trestle, a cool breeze was blowing. He pulled the coat’s collar up around his ears and put his hands inside his pockets. He was so sure of his step that he could cross the open ties of the trestle practically with his eyes closed. After he rounded the next turn in the tracks, the elevation climbed and the extra effort warmed him back up again. He unbuttoned his coat and let the front of it swing open. The moonlight was bright enough to see the tracks far ahead, and the only sounds were the shuffle of his feet in the gravel that almost covered the track.
Hours passed as he walked in the cool night air. It seemed to William that his family was already a great distance away. He never realized that they lived so close to North Carolina until he reached the small sign designating that he had just entered the Tarheel State. He felt like patting himself on the back because he had already achieved his first major accomplishment. Instead he marked the spot and the occasion another way. After he finished, he zipped up and continued on his journey.
All of a sudden he became overwhelmed with therealization that he was all alone and what seemed like a long, long ways from home. He wanted to stop and rest for a little while but he could not find a spot that looked hospitable. He knew that he could not rest unless he felt safe. It was hard enough to sleep in a secure place like his own bed without the dreaded nightmares. Right then he wished that he was in his own bed, but he knew that he had gone to far to turn back. He walked on in the darkness, not daring to stop or to even look back. He had no idea that the railroad line continued for such a long distance.
Finally a barn appeared in the distance. The closer that William got to it, the more inviting that it looked. He had never seen a bigger or better built barn in his life. He decided that it would be a good place to rest for a little while. He climbed across the wire fence and looked for a way to get inside. A large door was on the opposite end of the huge structure, and William opened it just far enough to squeeze inside. Once inside he climbed the ladder up to the loft and settled into the soft sweet smelling hay. He was asleep before his head had made an impression in his makeshift bed.
A loud creaking sound woke him from a sound sleep. He did not know how long he had been asleep, but he was disoriented and confused. He finally realized exactly where he was, and he shuffled the hay around himself to blend into the darkness. From the bottom of the ladder came a sound that chilled him to the bone. Someone was obviously climbing up to the loft. William uncovered himself just enough for one eye to peer out. The yellow glow from a lantern cast the shadowy outline of a man’s face on the bales of hay just above William’s bed.
“Is there anybody up here?” spoke a man’s voice. “I thought I saw someone sneak in here a while ago. I don’t take kindly to hobos. I’ve already lost two barns to hobo’s fires, and I’ll shoot anybody that I catch in here.”
Poor William was afraid to breathe. He thought that surely the man would hear his heart pounding, or see the hay moving up and down. But nothing happened. Thehateful man moved back down the ladder and quickly left the barn. William was afraid to get up. He lay there trembling in fear until he finally fell back to sleep. This time he dreamed of running from dark shadows and creaking sounds, but he was warm and dry and relatively safe when he woke up to a bright and sunny day.
He had no idea what time it was, but he was hungry and thirsty, and he needed to pee like a racehorse. He eased out of the hay just enough to make sure that he was alone in the barn. When he was satisfied that he was alone, he jumped up quickly and was down the ladder before the loose hay even hit the floor. He looked for a way out besides the big sliding door, but the only windows were nailed shut from the outside. The big sliding door was his only means of escape unless he decided to jump from the loft door that was much too high off the ground. He walk
ed over to the sliding door and peeped outside through the cracks. Luckily he did not see anyone. He opened the door again barely enough to squeeze through and made a dash around the barn as fast as he could.
The hateful man was waiting for him with his shotgun raised into the air.
“Stop!” the man shouted to him. “Stop trespasser!”
William ran like his pants were on fire. He never slowed down until the hateful man and the barn were well out of sight. He forgot about being hungry and thirsty, and the trickle of pee that escaped from his bladder when he saw the hateful man with the gun, was enough to hold him for a little while longer. He was running for life and limb.
He must have ran for at least a mile before he finally stopped long enough to relieve himself behind a tree and drink some water from the jar that was in his homemade knapsack. He would need to refill the jar just as soon as came to a fast moving stream. He tore a piece of bread from the larger piece that was also in the knapsack, and chewed on it as he walked along. He felt comfortable now moving at a slower pace. The hateful old farmer would make a good story to tell his grandchildren someday.
*********
Tom Hill found the note when he got up the next morning. He immediately woke Josh, but he had slept so soundly that he had not heard William leave either. Josh got ready for work as usual, and Tom decided to look for his run away son. They left the house at the same time, but parted company at the trestle. Josh headed toward the mill, and Tom walked toward the school. He decided to wait until the school opened so that he could maybe find out just why William had left so suddenly, and where he might be going. One of William’s young friends might have some useful information.
Mr. Rosenbaum was the first person to arrive at the school. He did not act surprised when Tom told him the news about William. He showed Mr. Rosenbaum the note, but that was not a surprise to him either. Mr. Rosenbaum explained what had happened at the school the day before, and that William and three of his comrades were all suspended until further notice. He did not mention Angie Sims by name, but he said that a new girl at the school was the target of the voyeurism. Tom had heard William speak of the girl named Angie often enough to know that she was the new student that the Principal was talking about. He knew where the Sims’ lived, so he decided to apologize to her parents for his son’s actions.
Tom thought that maybe one or two of the boys might have runaway with William, and as concerned and hurt as he was that his son had committed such a shameful act, he hoped that William was not alone. He knew that William was prone to emotional outbursts and he could not bear the thoughts of him being all by himself in the cold cruel world that stretched beyond Jewel Ridge Mountain. Tom planned to visit each of the boys after he apologized to Angie and her family.
By the time that Tom had reached the Sims farm Angie had already left for school. Her parents and grandmother were at home. When he explained what hisson and the other boys had done, Mr. Sims became very angry. Tom apologized profusely for their actions and assured Mr. Sims that the guilty parties were being punished. He also showed Angie’s family the note that William had written. They were not very sympathetic toward Tom, but he understood their anger and resentment. He apologized again and began his trek to talk to each of the other boys. In the meantime Mr. Sims decided to pay a visit to the school during lunch to have a talk with Mr. Rosenbaum. He wanted to make sure that his daughter was safe at Mountain School.
Tom’s visit to William’s friends was unproductive. None of the boys had any idea that William was thinking about leaving or where he might be going. They were as puzzled and concerned as Tom. Tom mentioned that he had apologized to the Sims family, and the other boys’ parents decided to do the same. The boys would also have to go along to apologize in person. They hoped that the apologies and relatively short suspensions would satisfy the Principal’s disciplinary rules and procedures.
Mr. Sims stopped farming at 11:30 a.m., so that he could pay a surprise visit to the school at noon. He wanted to talk to the Principal before he discussed the situation with Angie. Obviously she did not know what happened at the school the day before, because she did not mention anything about the sorted episode when she got home. She would have been very upset, and he did not want to upset her now if he could help it.
When Mr. Sims arrived at Mountain School the Principal was not in his office or in the classroom. Everyone appeared to be outside having lunch in the beautiful sunshine. He walked around to the back of the old building and instantly spotted the toilets off in the distance. He thought that they were too far away from the school building, and that made him unsure about his only daughter’s safety. He did not see Angie anywhere, so he decided to walk toward the toilets.
Mr. Sims walked quietly around to the back of the outbuildings, and so his surprise, a grown man was on his knees and peering through a hole in the toilet wall. Only moments later Angie exited the toilet. Mr. Sims grabbed the largest stick that he could find and immediately confronted the peeping Tom.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
“Sir, I am Mr. Rosenbaum, the Principal here.”
“What in the Hell were you doing just now on your knees?” shouted the very angry father.
“Uh, uh, I was checking out a problem with the toilet wall here.” stammered the Principal.
He knew that he had been caught.
“I should beat the mortal Hell right out of you, right here on the spot!” screamed Mr. Sims. “You were gawking at my little girl.”
“No, no I wasn’t. I did not see anyone in there Mr.
Sims.”
“Then how the Hell do you know that I am Angie’s father? You have never met me. Her mother and grandmother enrolled her in school. You were watching Angie just like those boys. I am going to report you to the Sheriff and then to the School Board. And if you are still here when I get back, I am going to beat you to within an inch of your life. I should kill you right now!”
Mr. Sims walked over to where Angie was eating and whispered something to her in a low voice. She started to cry and her father put his arm around her. They walked toward the school. Mr. Rosenbaum came out of the bushes brushing off his pants. He had only a few minutes to gather his belongings and make a run for the state line. No one at
Mountain School was ever to hear from him again.
**********
By late morning William was hungry for something more substantial than bread and water. He had been walking for hours and he did not have a clue where he was. He decided that as soon as he saw any kind of sign of activity such as a community or town, that he would leave the tracks and investigate. The Sun was well into the skybefore that happened. He recognized the name of the town because it had the same name as one of the Presidents. This was his first visit to Jefferson, North Carolina, and it seemed like a pretty nice place to be. He checked his pockets to make sure that he brought his money. He had saved three dollars and sixty cents over a period of several months. There was a group of people standing in front of a sign that spelled Diner, and it looked like the only place in the little town to eat. He had never been inside of a restaurant before, so he sat down at a table close to the door. A middle aged lady who reminded him of his teacher, Mrs. Smith, brought him a list of the things that the restaurant was selling. She called it a menu. He figured that he could get what he wanted to eat and drink for about twenty cents. He thought that was a lot of money but hell, he was hungry. He ordered the special which included his meal, a drink, and dessert. He ate everything on his plate, along with two glasses of milk. The lady was pleased that he ate it all. She said that she liked to see people not wasting food in these hard times. She asked William where he was from and he said Jewel Ridge Mountain. She said that she knew some people from there. She mentioned the family’s name but he did not know them. She did not know it but the people had been dead for years, and someone else was living i
n their old house. She began to ask William a lot of questions. Who was his family? Why was he eating all alone? Where in the world was he going?
William finally decided that she was asking way to many questions. He made up a story about being in town with his daddy. He told her that they left home early that same morning, and that his daddy was waiting for him just outside of town. She was satisfied that he was not all alone in a strange town. He paid his bill and left the diner quickly. He walked through the town and when he got to the other end, he looked for the railroad tracks. He was ready to continue on his journey, but where in the hell were the tracks? He finally figured that he would come to them eventually, and at least he would be leaving Jefferson with a full stomach.
***********
At about the same time that William was eating at the diner in Jefferson, at Mountain School the students were puzzled at old man Rosenbaum’s behavior. He was rushing about like a chicken with it’s head cut off. He was grabbing things off of the wall, and dropping books, and scattering papers everywhere. He practically ran out of the front door of the school with as many things as he could carry, and a few moments later the sound of his car starting filled the air. A few of the students ran to the door just in time to see him scatter gravels all over the school yard.
With no supervision in Mr. Rosenbaum’s classroom, the students got loud and rowdy. Finally one of the other teachers had to intervene. She split her time between the two classrooms until the School Board sent a replacement for Mr. Rosenbaum.