by Lesley Crewe
“Sit on the bed, please. I have something to tell you.”
“Is Lila okay?”
Mom sat down beside her. “Lila is sick. Not in a physical way, like a cold or the flu, but she’s heartsick.”
“What does that mean?”
“You know that she’s not a very strong little girl.”
Annie nodded.
“Well, everything that has happened to her in the last few months has been more than she can bear. She has no father or siblings. She lost her mother and her home. She came to live with Mrs. Butts, who shouldn’t be allowed to have a dog, much less a child, and to top it all off, she’s deathly afraid of her teacher. When she tore up her book and ran blindly into the snow, that’s because she couldn’t take anymore. She broke down. She’s so tired and sad and missing her mother.”
Annie stood up. “That’s why she needs to live with us! You can be her mother and I can be her sister and Davy can be her brother. Then she’ll be happy. Oh, please!”
“I’m not finished. Sit down.”
Annie didn’t want to sit down, but she did what she was told.
“Your father and I have given this a great deal of thought. I know you’d like to have Lila live with us. We all love her. We do. But I don’t think Lila can handle going back to school here.”
“She’ll have a new teacher next year. Then it won’t be so bad.”
“Lila doesn’t have the strength to cope with it. I asked her.”
“That’s not fair! Where is she going to go? You’re not sending her back to Mrs. Butts, are you?”
“Heavens, no. Lila and I had a long talk today and she’s happy with what we’ve decided.”
“What is it?”
“You know Mr. and Mrs. Johnson in Round Island.”
“Yes.”
“Well, they’ve never been able to have children, and they’ve offered Lila a home with them. She and Boots will live with them in that wonderful bedroom at the top of the stairs and go to a very small school. That way Lila can have a new family, with her own bedroom and backyard to play in.”
Annie’s lip quivered. “But we won’t be together.”
“I know you will miss her terribly, but Lila deserves a second chance. It’s about what will make her happy, not you.”
Annie turned her head away. She sat and stewed and her mother let her. They didn’t say anything for quite a while.
“She agreed right away, Annie. I didn’t talk her into it. And remember that you and Lila will be able to spend every summer together from now on.”
She hadn’t thought of that; her best friend on the beach with her in Round Island.
“I’d like that.”
“I knew you would.”
“But what about Mrs. Butts?”
“Don’t worry about her. Your father spoke to her this morning.”
Lila went to live with the Johnsons two weeks later. It took her that long to recuperate, or so Mom said. She was probably right; Lila slept a lot. But then Annie thought maybe it was because Mom didn’t want to let her go. She ran out and bought Lila a few practical things, like underwear, socks, and pyjamas. Eunie Johnson told Mom that she’d bought enough to clothe two children and begged her not to go overboard. She said she and Joe had fixed up the bedroom and bought lots of toys. Annie wanted to see it.
In the end, they all went with Lila on the journey to her new home. They borrowed Uncle Howard’s Ford again, and Mom made a picnic lunch for some reason. Dad didn’t think that was necessary, but Mom wouldn’t be swayed, because she thought Lila might get hungry before she got there.
For the most part, it was a subdued drive. Lila held Boots and Annie rubbed the cat’s head to keep her still. David spent his time looking out the window. Annie was used to her father being quiet, but for her mother not to be gabbing away was strange.
This time, when they pulled up into the Johnson driveway, it looked like a winter wonderland. There was snow on all the trees, which made them look like Christmas trees.
“It’s beautiful,” Lila smiled.
The Johnsons were at the back door, smiling and waving in the cold. Everyone jumped out of the car and grabbed something to take in, except for Mom. She led Lila and Boots up the stairs into the warm kitchen.
It looked to Annie as if the Johnsons wanted to grab Lila right out of Mom’s hands. They hovered and didn’t stop welcoming her and the cat to their new home. It was a bit overwhelming for Lila. She leaned against Mom as if to get away.
“I think we should let Lila be for a moment,” Mom said quietly.
The Johnsons appeared to get the message, because they instantly turned their attention to everyone else.
“I have a lovely warm lunch for you,” Eunie beamed. “You can’t come all this way and not have a reward at the end of it.” She turned back to Abigail. “Perhaps you and Annie would like to take Lila up to see her new room. I’ll join you later.”
Once again, they let Lila go up the curved stairwell first. When she got to the top they heard her intake of breath.
The attic room was warm, colourful, and cozy. There were patterned quilts on the beds, hooked rugs on the floor, and toys on a white desk and chair underneath a window. There was a new bureau for all Lila’s things and a pretty lamp on the bedside table. There was even a mother-of-pearl brush and comb set with a hand-held mirror beside them.
Three large stuffed animals were at the bottom of one of the beds. Lila walked over and put Boots on the bed before picking up a large brown bear. “Look! It’s just like my little bear. This must be the mama bear.”
And then she spied the easel, with paintbrushes and paint and lots of paper. “Oh, my!”
As Lila ran from item to item, her face brightened. Even Annie could tell the difference. Lila started to talk more and laughed when she spied a new pair of fluffy slippers on the mat beside her bed. There was a note on the pillow that read, “Welcome to your new home, Lila and Boots.”
Lila looked up and smiled. “I have my very own room.”
“It’s beautiful,” Mom said.
“Yeah, it’s really nice. Boots sure likes it.”
Boots was purring, kneading the soft pillow of the bed.
After another spectacular meal in front of the fire that included fish cakes and beans with cucumber relish and brown bread, it was time to go. Dad put his hand on the top of Lila’s head. “Goodbye, dear. We’re always here if you need us.”
“Thank you, Mr. Macdonald.”
“See ya.” David waved at her and turned to go, but Lila ran up and hugged him. “I’ll miss you.”
“You too.” David, his face flaming red, left to go outside with his father.
Mom knelt down and held on to Lila’s shoulders. “Be a good girl. You’re going to be very happy here. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are fine people, and that you certainly deserve.”
Lila wrapped her arms around Mom’s neck. “Promise you won’t forget me.”
“I promise. Never ever.” Mom kissed her cheek and then hugged Eunie and Joe and rushed out of the house, dabbing her eyes with tissues.
That left Annie. “I’ll see you, then.”
Lila started to cry.
Eunie quickly tried to shush her. “Oh dear heart, you’ll see each other a lot. We’ll come for visits and any time you’d like to come here for the weekend, Annie, you’re more than welcome. And before you know it, summer will be here and you’ll have two whole months together.”
Annie hated crying. She grabbed Lila and hugged her with all her might.
“I love you, Annie.”
“I’ll write you a letter tonight.” Annie ran out the door and into the car. As they pulled away, they saw Eunie, Joe, and Lila at the dining room window, waving goodbye. They waved back.
Annie saw Dad reach over and hold Mom’s hand for a few mom
ents. Then they drove back to Glace Bay in complete silence.
It was hard without Lila for the first few days. Annie moped around the house, but her parents didn’t say anything to her. They let her be. The first weekend she went to the Savoy with David to watch the movie Tarzan the Ape Man. The movie was great, but a boy in the balcony deliberately dropped a piece of chewed gum on her head. She stood up and yelled, “You idiot!” but everyone told her to be quiet because the movie wasn’t over. It took a lot of yanking to get the gum out. That was it for Annie and movies for a while.
Mostly she and her cousins Dorothy and Joyce ran wild outside, coasting and making forts before heading to the pond to skate.
The best time was when they skated at night under the stars. It made Annie feel grown up to accompany her brother out for an hour after dinner. If she got too cold, she ran back home and sat on a kitchen chair in front of the open coal stove in her coat and skates, listening to the hiss of water dripping on the door of the oven. The smell of wet wool permeated the kitchen. Mom would hand her some cocoa and she’d sip it slowly, letting the warmth comfort her insides, then out she’d stomp to rejoin her friends.
Bedtime always came too early.
Soon the excitement of Christmas approached. Mom took Annie to do some shopping on a Saturday. There was no bigger thrill than walking down Commercial Street with everyone in a festive mood. The sidewalks were packed with people doing last-minute errands. It sometimes took them an hour to walk the length of the main street because Mom knew so many people.
They went to Woolworth’s to get some stockings. Annie had a habit of knocking her knees together and she wore stockings out faster than anyone. Mom let her sit on a stool at the lunch counter and order an ice cream soda, and then it was on to Eaton’s, where pretty girls worked selling gloves and scarves. The last stop was the grocer’s to pick up a few treats for Christmas—chocolates, ribbon candy, and gumdrops.
Annie’s mother had started her Christmas baking at the first of the month. She made white and dark fruitcake to feed those who came visiting between Christmas and New Year’s. When the cakes cooled she put halved walnuts and red and green cherries on top, but not the homemade almond paste and white butter frosting that some recipes called for. Mom liked it better plain.
Then she put the pork pies, tarts filled with dates and maple fudge icing, away in tins. Annie thought that was a silly name for tarts. Shortbreads topped with almond frosting and cherries were stacked between layers of wax paper. The gumdrop cake was a favourite with Annie and David, as well as almond cookies, doughnuts, and mince pies.
But of course the best part of all was the night before Christmas. Annie and David walked in front of their parents on their way to church. There was something about Christmas Eve that was magic every year, and Annie’s stomach was tight with excitement knowing what was ahead.
Soft snow was falling. Everything was hushed and peaceful, except for the bursts of laughter coming from other children on their way to church. It was cold, with air so crisp and clean that just breathing it in was delicious. There were candles in people’s windows and lights decorating some of the houses on the streets.
By the time they got to church, Annie’s nose and cheeks were bright red. Walking into the vestibule was a welcome relief, but soon the warmth was too much and Annie took off her hat and scarf. The church pews were filled to overflowing. All the children were dressed in their best, and their faces were happy and expectant. Annie sat next to David and her parents.
She happened to look across the aisle during a hymn and there was a little girl with long curls of reddish gold hair. For a moment she thought it was Lila. She sat back down on the pew and didn’t finish the hymn. What was Lila doing tonight? What would it be like for her on this first Christmas Eve without her mother?
When the carol was over, David sat down and leaned in. “What’s wrong?”
“I wonder if Lila misses us.”
“Stop talking about Lila.”
Mom turned around and shushed them.
Christmas Day was filled with fun. Annie and David ran downstairs early in the morning and found their stockings hung by the fireplace, filled with small toys, candy, and an orange. There were gifts under the tree they’d decorated: new skates and a hockey stick for David and a full china tea set for Annie. She was enchanted. Soft green edged the outside, white filled the centre, and a cluster of yellow and orange roses with greenery and berries decorated one side. There was a teapot, sugar bowl with lid, creamer, teacups, saucers, and side plates.
“They were made in Japan,” Mom smiled.
That made it ten times better. Imagine coming all the way from Japan!
After their Christmas dinner—goose with all the trimmings—all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents converged as a unit under one roof. This was Abigail and Kenzie’s year, so the entire clan arrived in mid-afternoon and stayed until early evening, the children exchanging gifts and playing outside, the adults sipping tea and laughing together. A big thrill was listening to King George’s Christmas message on the radio.
When the sun had gone down and everyone went home, the Macdonalds sat in front of the fire and enjoyed a few minutes together as a family. Annie sat on the rug, carefully taking her china dishes out of the box and assembling a place setting. David was perched on a chair reading Robinson Crusoe, one of the books he got for Christmas. Dad was reading the newspaper and smoking his pipe. Annie loved his ashtray with the carved deer on it. Its big antlers held the pipe in place when he wasn’t using it. Annie used to pretend that the deer came alive and ran around the house when everyone was asleep. Whenever she heard a bump in the night she knew it was her deer.
It startled them for a moment when the telephone rang, one long and three short rings. Mom got up from her knitting to answer it, then poked her head in the door.
“Annie, you’re wanted on the phone.”
Annie jumped up. “Me?” It was never for her. She ran to the hall and got up on the chair so she could reach the speaker. She held the heavy receiver to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hi, Annie. It’s Lila.”
Annie grinned. “Hi, Lila. Did you have a nice Christmas?”
“Yes, I got a puppy!”
“A puppy! You’re so lucky!” Annie glanced at her mother who looked very pleased. “What kind?”
“Aunt Eunie says he’s a black lab.”
“What are you going to call him?”
“Freddy.”
“I can’t wait to see him.”
“Boots has been hitting him on the nose all day, but Freddy doesn’t care. I have to run to catch him. What did you get?”
“A china tea set. I can’t wait for you to visit so we can make tea.”
“That will be so much fun. Maybe we can put real tea in the cups, and we can make tiny sandwiches for the plates.”
“Good idea.”
“I really miss you, Annie. You’re my best friend.”
“You’re my best friend too. Did you get my letter?”
“Yes, did you get mine? I drew something for you.”
“Not yet, but I’ll look out for it.”
“Aunt Eunie says I should go. Merry Christmas, Annie!”
“Merry Christmas, Lila! Hug Freddy for me!”
Annie hung up the receiver. “That was Lila.”
“So I gathered,” Mom smiled.
“It sounds like she had a nice Christmas.”
“That’s the best gift I’ve had all day.
There weren’t quite as many visits between the girls as first planned. Life kept getting in the way, with school and chores, homework and church. Annie did spend a few weekends at the Johnsons’ over the winter, once when her father was going out to Mira on the train anyway, and another time when Uncle Joe had to come into town on a Friday, so he drove Annie back to Round Island with
him. Annie and Lila spent all their time outside, playing in the snow and running with the puppy. At night they curled up together in one of the beds upstairs.
“This is the best place,” Lila said. “It’s full of fairies and princesses and ballerinas.”
Annie made a face. “No it’s not.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll show you in the summer.”
“Why can’t you show me now?”
“Because they don’t want to be seen yet.”
Annie was curious but much too tired to argue. “Promise you’ll show me this summer?”
“I promise.”
They were asleep as soon as they closed their eyes.
Summer seemed a long time coming, as spring in Cape Breton was often a long, drawn-out affair, prone to sudden snow squalls and cold, windy days. It would be lovely one minute and freezing the next. Flowers could be blooming in Halifax and nowhere to be found on the island.
But then, seemingly in an instant, the first robins showed up and spring peepers started calling out in the night and it was warm enough to take off your sweater. May was, for the most part, bug-free, but it very quickly went downhill with blackflies first, then mosquitoes, then houseflies coming to life inside the window panes and finally the mighty horsefly that could take a chunk of flesh out of you in a painful hurry.
Grading day was the best day of Annie’s school year. She ran to school, got her grading certificate from Miss Doom, and happily ran home again to rejoice in the freedom that lay ahead. Two whole months was a lifetime when you were almost eight.
The neighbourhood kids gathered by the rock pile and made plans for the coming weeks. Some of them, Annie and David included, were going out to bungalows in Mira for the summer. That’s when Uncle Howard’s bakery truck came in mighty handy. The cousins would lie down on the shelves in the back of the van and Uncle Howard could take eight kids to Mira in one run. That was a hoot!
The kids who weren’t leaving town made sure to announce the great time they’d have playing and watching baseball games, going to the Savoy or the Russell theatre to watch Westerns, and eating at local diners.