Leona thanked Carole for her time when she dropped her back off at the Langdon’s. When Ralph got home, she told him what she wanted to do and asked him to draw up a quick claim deed that would release the property to her. Of course, Jake would have to sign it, but under the circumstances, she didn’t see where he had much choice. Neither did Ralph.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MIRIAM WAS WAITING for Lara and Prissy the next day. She had only told her girls that she had a surprise for them. Lara watched in amazement as Prissy ran from cell to cell visiting with her friends. She had so much to tell them. Her new friends wore pretty shirts and they cleaned houses, Prissy explained, as she tossed out the names of Doc, Jimmy, Colonel, Tyree, Beth, and, of course LaLa. “Praised be the Easter Bunny.” And there was a chariot “with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed.” And her doll had a new dress. And LaLa had a garden, too. “You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”
Lara stayed longer than she had intended, but she didn’t have the heart to take Prissy away. With lunch time drawing near, though, she let Prissy say good-bye. “I’ll bring her back soon,” she promised.
“That was remarkable,” Lara told Miriam in the car as they headed for Mrs. Tilden’s house.
“I know. Believe me, I know. Unless you actually see it – the interaction between Prissy and the girls – you can’t possibly understand.” Miriam held Prissy on her lap and stroked her hair. This little girl has done more good for those women in her short life than anything I could ever do. She’s a part of us. And yet, I feel she belongs to no one. It is like she is a gift from God, and she is here on loan to accomplish something that is yet to be determined. That’s why I would hate to see her taken completely away. In some unexplained way, I think the inmates at Braden help Prissy, too. And they are somehow part of what Prissy needs to accomplish.”
Lara was just beginning to understand the responsibility she had taken on. She had seen Prissy in action, preaching her gospel, and spreading the love and joy that only a small child is capable of doing. Prissy’s gospel was filled with hope, so contrary to the scripture she had heard Bulah Tilden quote. She reached over and patted Miriam on the hand to reassure her as well as herself.
Lara had called Mrs. Tilden earlier so she would be expecting them. Miriam remembered to bring the bouquet of pink roses and the snuff to give to the elderly woman. She accepted them with a smile and kissed Prissy. Then she looked at Lara. “The Lord had one last thing for me to do before calling me home, and that was to take care of the child until her new mamma could be found. The good Lord found you. You are her mamma now.”
“For as long as she needs me,” answered Lara, not sure she understood what Mrs. Tilden meant.
Mrs. Tilden nodded. “She will let you know. She has the gift of prophesy. ‘The children of God are heirs of heaven.’”
Mrs. Tilden led the three of them into the back part of the house that apparently Prissy had used as her room. The small, single window didn’t allow for much light, and there was the over-all appearance of clutter. But it looked clean, and Prissy knew exactly where to find the things she was searching for. Following Prissy’s lead, the women started collecting clothes, a few toys, and a well-worn Bible. It was the Bible that Prissy hugged and insisted on carrying herself.
The two women thanked Mrs. Tilden. “Do you need anything?” asked Lara as they were leaving.
“The Lord will provide,” the old woman answered. Lara noticed she was still holding the tin of Copenhagen.
“Believe in Santa, and you will be saved – you and your household,” said Prissy as she reached up to hug the old woman.
On their way back to the Braden facility Lara suggested it might be helpful all the way around if they could work out a schedule for Prissy’s visits to see the inmates. “Would that be all right with you, Miriam?”
Miriam was so happy she thought she was going to cry, and she hadn’t done that since – well – forever.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
PRISSY WAS SUCH a happy child. Everything seemed to be a pleasant experience for her. Of course, she had her own “cleaning equipment” which consisted of a small plastic sand bucket in which she carried around her own dust cloth. Because she loved to ride, she was perfectly content to sit in Doc’s lap as he wheeled around in what she perceived to be a chariot, performing his tasks of dusting and emptying trash cans. Other times she was content to sit and color, playing with the things that Lara always kept available for Prissy’s entertainment whenever they were on a job. Rather than a hindrance, Prissy was a special joy and the Maids soon settled into a new routine that included a five-year-old child. All the while, new jobs continued to come in.
Back at Lara’s house at the end of each day, everyone pitched in there as well doing whatever needed to be done. Between taking care of Prissy, returning phone calls from new clients, and taking care of any bookkeeping that needed to be done, Lara had her hands full. There was always a load of clothes that needed to washed and dried. Doc and Jimmy usually took care of that, while Randall did most of the cooking. Tyree took care of making sure they had everything they needed for the jobs that were scheduled for next day as far as supplies and equipment. And Beth helped wherever she was needed. After eating and cleaning up, everyone went home to get ready for the next day.
This was the time – the quiet special time she had Prissy all to herself – that Lara loved the most. It was when she could simply sit back and watch this special little girl as she discovered new things. It was a sharing time when the two of them could get to know one another.
Randall had put up a rope swing in the backyard that Prissy loved to play on when they were at home. Other times she would help Lara dig in the flower beds or bake cookies to share with the others. Of course, she had her favorite books, and Beth had given her some puzzles that she enjoyed putting together. Most of the time Prissy behaved like any other five-year-old child, or at least the way Lara thought a five year old would behave. But on those occasions when Prissy felt there was a need, she unfalteringly displayed her gift of prophesy to anyone she felt would benefit.
One of the things that Lara found amusing about Prissy was how she would relate the food she ate with what she had learned that day. When she learned about circles, she wanted to only eat foods that were round: grapes, peas, Cheerios, and round crackers. When she learned the new color “magenta,” she wanted to eat only foods that were purplish in color. Randall somehow managed to come up with ingenious ways to produce broiled magenta fish and mashed magenta potatoes. “I ain’t goin’ to get food poisoning from eatin’ purple spuds, am I?” Tyree teased. But no one complained. Each day was a new challenge; each day brought a new reward. Unfailing through it all was Prissy’s love for the gospel. Her brief recitations from the Bible brought laughter from the Maids on more than one occasion while at the same time her intuition for understanding a situation was truly remarkable.
Lara had been taking care of Prissy for almost a week when Darnell called late in the evening as Lara was giving Prissy her bath.
“Can you come over tomorrow?”
“I am planning to bring Prissy and your grandmother tomorrow during lunch,” said Lara. “Do you need anything?”
“No.” Then after a moment. “How’s the child?”
“She’s growing like a piece of dryer lint,” joked Lara. “And she is going through the green food stage. She only wants to eat green foods.” She heard Darnell laugh. “Do you want to talk to her? She’s covered in bubbles, and her rubber duck appears to have sprung a leak, but I’m sure she can manage.”
“I’ll talk to her another time. Lara, don’t bring Prissy or Grams tomorrow. Come alone.”
Lara felt a stab of fear course through her body. Maybe Darnell had changed her mind and now wanted someone else to take care of Prissy. “I’ll be there at twelve o’clock sharp.”
The Maids
had three private residences scheduled that day and one office that evening. It was strange for Darnell to call and even more strange for her to ask Lara not to bring Prissy or her grandmother. Darnell had enjoyed seeing them on their previous visits.
Lara had noticed that Darnell looked tired when she had gone to visit the day before, and it continued to disturb her that Darnell didn’t talk about the trial or her future after the trial was over. Even if she was found guilty, it would be good for her to start thinking what she wanted to do when she got out of prison. As far as Lara knew, Darnell hadn’t been any trouble while in detention. If the lawyer couldn’t work out a plea deal, and if she was found guilty, maybe she could be allowed to go to the Braden facility where she could be put in the early release program. In fact, Bob had confided to her that Darnell’s attorney, the “Dukey,” was already working on it – just in case.
The next day when Lara got to the detention center, there was a message for her to go to the infirmary. Darnell had been admitted during the night.
Lara couldn’t believe the change in Darnell in just a week.
Darnell looked at Lara with her dark brown eyes. The nurses had moved her from the bed to a chair, but she was hooked up to oxygen; she was having difficulty breathing.
“You once promised me you’d do anything you could to help me.”
“That’s right, Darnell. I meant it then, and I mean it now.”
“You heard the trial’s been delayed again.”
“Yes, but I’m sure it was for a good reason and…”
“I ain’t gonna get out of this place.”
“Of course you are,” interrupted Lara. “Your attorney is already working on it. And it will be just as . . .”
“I got AIDS.”
Lara felt like she had been slapped in the face. “AIDS!”
“I’m dying. Just like my sister did. Don’t you see? I gave it to her. She died because of me.” Darnell started sobbing. “I didn’t even know I had it.”
Lara couldn’t speak. Of all the things she had thought might be worrying Darnell, it never occurred to her that she had AIDS.
“I want to give you my sister’s baby. I want to give you Prissy. She loves you. You’re a good person. I want her to grow up to be a good person, too.” Darnell was struggling to talk. She looked down grimacing, obviously in a great deal of pain -- emotional as well as physical. “Grams can’t take care of her. Get Beth’s dad to draw up the papers. Make it legal and all.”
Lara nodded, too stunned to say anything. She had only thought of taking care of Prissy as a temporary thing until Darnell’s situation got resolved. She understood Darnell’s concern, though. If Prissy were to fall into the wrong hands, or be taken by someone who didn’t understand… but it was more than that. She loved Prissy with all her heart.
Darnell leaned forward and grabbed Lara’s hand. “You want that child, don’t you? You want Prissy?”
“Of course I do. I love Prissy. I’ll take care of her – I want to be a mother to her. You mustn’t worry about…”
“There’s something’ else you gotta know. Only you. Then you tell the child when you think she’s ready to know. No one else. Just Prissy. I don’t care who knows after. But she has to know first.”
It was barely a whisper, but Lara heard her. It all made sense. Now Lara understood why it had all happened.
Lara nodded. “You can trust me.”
Darnell nodded and closed her eyes. “A child deserves to know who its father is,” she said softly.
Darnell, satisfied, slumped in her chair.
Quietly, Lara started to cry. It was all so unnecessary – the murder, and a horrible disease that had already claimed the life of one sister and now possibly the other.
* * *
When Lara left the detention center, Martha Lovejoy was waiting for her outside. She handed her a tissue and led her to a nearby bench where they could sit and talk quietly.
“I take it you have already talked to Darnell?”
“Yes,” Lara answered, not quite sure what Martha Lovejoy was doing there.
“I promised I wouldn’t say anything. She wanted to be the one to tell you first.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“Tests are done as a matter of routine on all the people who come through here. When Darnell’s results came back, we knew she had AIDS. Therefore, we needed to start making arrangements for the child. The grandmother was only a temporary answer until Darnell went through her trial. But now, with this new development, we need to make more permanent arrangements.”
“Darnell has asked me to adopt Prissy.”
“How do you feel about that? Is it something you want to do?”
“More than anything.” Taking care of Prissy the past few days had given Lara a happiness she had never known. For the first time in her life, she felt she was a complete person.
“Then as far as I am concerned, it is settled. Darnell said you have an attorney who can draw up the adoption papers?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“If you’ll give me his name, I’ll contact him so we can expedite matters. No sense in delaying something this important.” Martha put her arm around Lara. “Life holds many mysteries, and I guess we aren’t always meant to understand why things happen as they do. I just know that in all of my sixty-four years, I have never seen anything that didn’t eventually turn out for the best.”
* * *
Jake stormed out of the police station thinking only of one thing: A big glass of Wild Turkey – straight up. That stupid imbecile of a lawyer the State had given him had apparently lost his file, which was the reason for his delay – or so he said. After more delays, all owing to the lawyer’s ineptitude, Jake finally got his bail set. Another guy who had been in jail for almost as long as Jake told him about a bondsman in the town of Tarboro who would accept his credit. It took several tries, but Jake finally got hold of him. It was late in the day when the guy finally showed up at the jail dirty, unshaven and wearing shorts and a tee-shirt. He looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks – or had a bath either as far as that went.
“Are you sure you’re a bondsman?” Jake asked the guy.
“Do you really care?” he had answered.
It took forever to finish the paperwork, and then there was some screw up over the guy’s contact information. Eventually they got it straightened away, and Jake was released from jail. The guy had only one thing to say to Jake as he made his way to the exit: “You’d better show up when you’re supposed to.”
Jake had no doubt that if he didn’t show up for the hearing that had been scheduled for him, the guy would hunt him down and personally cause him serious pain. But after sharing a seven-by-nine-foot cubicle for six days with a drunk named Boakie Bob, and nothing to do but think about what a fuckin’ mess he was in, he had no choice. He wanted out of that jail.
The first place he went to was a bar about four blocks from downtown. At least he still had a credit card. He could get a cash advance with it if he needed to. Right now, all he wanted was a drink. Once his nerves got a little settled, he would be able to figure out what to do next.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
LARA DROVE INTO her driveway without being conscious of how she got there. She sat staring at the garage door as it lifted, closed, and lifted again, unaware that she was holding down the control button. After a few minutes, she drove in.
When she walked into the house she could hear Prissy laughing as Doc and Jimmy sang to her some silly little children’s song – something about a rooster under an apple tree being watched over by Santa. When Prissy saw Lara she ran to her and lifted her little arms, wanting to be picked up. Her face was covered with dark camouflage paint – Doc’s doing.
Lara picked her up and pressed her closely against her without saying anything. Doc and Jimmy watched and then went into the kitchen. A few minutes later they returned with a pot of tea and some cups on a tray. Again some of Doc’s doing. A little
pink plastic cup filled with chocolate milk for Prissy was also on the tray.
“You don’t have to work tonight if you’d rather not,” said Randall coming out of the kitchen and joining them. Apparently Doc and Jimmy had told him that Lara was upset about something when she returned from visiting Darnell.
“No, I want to work. I’m fine. Really.” She had already called Bob on the way home and told him of her plans to legally adopt Prissy. She also told him Martha Lovejoy from Social Services would be getting in touch with him so he could draw up the papers and make the necessary arrangements. Lara would tell Beth and the others about Darnell later. She just needed a little time to sort things through.
* * *
Saturday nights were reserved for cleaning the big building of the accounting firm downtown on Market Street. It was a three-story structure that contained the reception area and several secretarial and accounting offices on the first floor, more offices on the second floor, and the third floor was where all of the supplies and office machines were located.
With all six of them working, they could usually get it done in about three hours. It was a good client for the Maids of Honor, and it paid well. By now, each of them knew his or her area of responsibility. They had a routine, and in no time they were busy at their particular tasks.
Lara was busy cleaning the bathroom downstairs when she thought she heard the chime indicating the front door had opened. She paused for a moment to listen. Occasionally one of the accountants would come in to catch up on some work. When she didn’t hear anything, she went into the reception area. She walked over to the large front window facing the street. Even though it was dark outside, she could see the yellow van. Parked next to it was the dark green SUV. Terror filled Lara. She immediately turned away from the window to go find Randall when she felt a hand grab her from behind. She struggled to get away but was pushed to the floor.
Gospel According to Prissy Page 19