Deacon Monroe and Landon took turns visiting the sick and shut-in. This was Monroe’s week. “What seems to be the trouble, Deacon?” Landon asked as he stood and grabbed his hat and overcoat.
“It’s Shar Gracey.”
Landon heard the name, and it nearly knocked him over. He grabbed hold of the edge of his desk as he tried to stop his world from rocking. He’d tried desperately to get her out of his heart and mind, but truth be told, he thought about Shar all the time . . . heard the sweet sound of her voice even when he wanted to block out the sound and drown it in the laughter of another woman. “What’s happened to Shar?”
“Johnny done had a heart attack. They got him to Provident Hospital. It don’t look good. But then to top it off, the people down there told Shar that they were going to release Marlene to go home today and it was as if she lost her mind.” Deacon Monroe fidgeted with his hat as if the whole event had turned him into a nervous wreck. “The nurses don’t know whether to admit Shar or to call the police on her.”
“Let’s get down there and see what we can do to help.” Landon put on his coat and rushed out of his office without a backward glance. He hurriedly made his way down the street.
“Wait a second, Pastor. Don’t leave without me,” Monroe said as he caught up with Landon. “I ran all the way here from the hospital and wouldn’t mind some company on my way back.”
“I wasn’t thinking. I should have realized that you would be going back to the hospital. One of these days we’ll be able to get us a car. It’ll sure make visiting the sick and shut-in a lot easier.”
“Haven’t been driving nothing but these two feet all my life. Me and the missus gave up thoughts of a car and such for luxuries like food and shelter,” Deacon Monroe joked.
Even with worrying about Shar, Landon smiled at Monroe’s comment. The man was always in such good spirits. It didn’t matter to him that he and his family didn’t have much. It blessed him to just be able to serve God. The Black Belt needed more families like the Monroes. But then again, there were too many families like the Monroes when it came to poverty in their community. Landon didn’t believe that colored folk were meant to stay poor and broke, taking whatever they could get all their lives.
He believed in progress and upward mobility. He also believed that God was just and that He saw the suffering of colored folk and would bring about a change. He just didn’t know how much longer the people in that neighborhood could wait for that change to come.
Getting his mind back on the situation at hand, Landon asked Monroe. “When did Shar get back in town?”
“From what I heard, she been home about two weeks.”
Landon nodded. “And Shar has been at the hospital trying to take care of both of them, I bet.”
“You know how Ms. Shar is. Her ma and pa mean the world to her. They couldn’t have asked for a better child if they had begged the Lord God Himself for her.”
Once they reached the hospital, Landon and Monroe rushed in. Landon’s eyes darted around the entry of the hospital. When he didn’t see Shar, he turned to Deacon Monroe and asked, “Where is she?”
“When I left she was in Marlene’s room arguing with the nurses. I hope she hasn’t already been thrown out of here,” Deacon Monroe said.
Since both men had visited Marlene previously, they knew right away where to go. As they headed down the corridor where Marlene’s room was, there was no doubt that Shar was indeed still in the hospital. She could be heard shouting all the way down the hall.
“No, Mama, don’t put that on. You are not going anywhere.” Shar hollered.
As Landon and Monroe walked into the room, Shar turned to the nurse and said, “Leave us alone. She has every right to stay here a few more days.”
Landon was caught off guard by the wild-eyed look Shar was flashing at the nurse and now he understood why Monroe thought the hospital personnel might have to admit her. Shar’s hair was unkempt and going every which way as she pointed her finger in the nurse’s face and looked as if she was about to lose her mind.
Landon had never seen Shar look like that. He instantly felt her pain, and his heart went out to her. Putting his arms around her he said, “Calm down. Don’t upset yourself like this.”
Shar fell into Landon’s arms, tears gushing out. “Please, Landon, please don’t let them throw my mama out of this hospital.”
“Hush. You’ve caused enough commotion in here. Just hand me my clothes so I can get dressed and go home.” Marlene started coughing even as she reached out her hands for her clothes.
With her head lying on Landon’s shoulder, Shar continued to protest. “You can’t go back to that house, Mama. I haven’t had a chance to get it ready for you.”
The nurse shook her head. “I wish I could help you with this. But we have tons of sick people out there who need rooms.” She pointed toward the door. “Your mother has been here for weeks. We’ve done all we can for her.”
“But my dad said that the house isn’t safe for her. If I let her go home before I can get it ready, he might have another heart attack from worrying so much.”
“All I can tell you is that my boss has decided to call the police. So you’ve got five minutes to clear out or risk being charged with trespassing.” She started walking toward the door, but just before she walked out, she turned slightly and said, “I’m sorry about this. And I hope your mom continues to improve.”
As the nurse left the room, Marlene said, “Shar, baby, just hand me my clothes so I can get out of here and stop causing trouble.”
Shar folded over as she broke down in tears and began wailing out sorrows from way down deep, from somewhere Landon couldn’t fathom. As Landon held Shar, it seemed to him that the pain she was fighting against was an immovable thing. And he wondered what had happened to her to cause such pain?
Marlene got out of bed, took her clothes out of her daughter’s hand, and went into the bathroom to change. She walked a little slow and was still coughing, but Marlene didn’t appear to be on death’s door. So, again, Landon was puzzled by Shar’s response. He sat her down in the chair next to the bed and said, “Your mom is going to be all right. You’ve got to believe that. Everyone at the church has been praying for her, and it looks to me like she’s getting better.”
“But the house is too drafty. Daddy said that she’ll get sicker if we don’t get the draft out of that old rundown house.”
“Okay, calm down, child,” Deacon Monroe said. “We’ll figure out something.”
“I’m sorry,” Shar said as she wiped the tears from her face. “I don’t mean to be so hysterical, but I know my dad had that heart attack because of how worried he’s been over my mom’s illness. If she goes back to that house, it just might kill him.”
Landon sat down next to Shar and put her hand in his. “We have enough men at the church who can do the work on your parents’ house. I promise you, we will get the house in tip-top shape.”
Shar raised her head and stared into Landon’s eyes. He saw her need to believe in something, but he also could tell that something was hindering her. And he found himself wondering again at the pain in her eyes.
“Thank you for being so kind, Pastor Landon. But even if you all helped us fix up the house, I still don’t have anywhere for her to go while the work is being done. Winter will be here before we know it. And there’s no way that she’ll be able to endure the strong winds.”
The bathroom door opened, and Marlene stood there holding onto the doorknob, looking as if the blood had drained from her face. “Deacon Monroe, can you please help me over to the bed?”
“Sure thing, Mrs. Marlene,” he said as he hurried to grab her arm and escort her over to the bed. “You look all tuckered out.”
“Putting on my clothes zapped all the energy out of me. Lying around in this old bed has just made me lazy,” Marlene complained as she sat on the bed and took a few deep breaths.
“You don’t have a lazy bone in your body, Mama. You’re j
ust tired from being ill. That’s why I don’t want you going back to that house. You don’t have the strength to fight against the cold Chicago winds.”
Marlene turned toward her daughter, and for a moment there was sadness in her eyes. Then as if willing herself, the look instantly changed to mischief as she said, “Don’t you worry, Shar, I’ll be around to do the two-step at your wedding and to listen to one of them gospel records you plan on recording.”
At her mother’s comment, Shar lowered her eyes and bit on her lower lip. Landon wondered why Shar didn’t seem excited by her mother’s proclamation. But in truth, he was more concerned about Mrs. Marlene dancing at Shar’s wedding . . . a wedding that would not include him. Landon could still see the smug look on Nicoli’s face when he told him that he and Shar were engaged. So much for love conquering all.
Landon visibly shook himself as he made up his mind to focus on the situation at hand. He and Shar were not meant to be. That was it; that was all . . . end of story. “Did you hear your mama? She plans to get better so that she can witness all of the wonderful moments in your life that have yet to occur.”
Shar lifted her face toward Landon. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears and defeat as she said, “There’s no guarantee that any of those things will happen. I just want her to live for today, tomorrow, and the next day.”
Landon could take Shar’s despair no longer. He asked Deacon Monroe, “Do you and your wife still have that spare room for rent?”
“Well, sure we do, Pastor Landon. But as much as I’d like to help. My wife would skin me alive if I brought Mrs. Marlene into the house. She wouldn’t want to take the chance of catching this tuberculosis.”
“She’s not even contagious anymore,” Shar stood and proclaimed. “We need help. She can’t go back to that house. Please help us, Deacon Monroe.”
“Settle down,” Landon said. “I wasn’t asking for the room for Mrs. Marlene. I’m going to let you and your mom stay at my house while I rustle up some of the folks at the church to help me fix the house.” Landon turned back to Deacon Monroe. “I’ll be needing that room at your house, if you think Mrs. Lily will approve.”
Deacon Monroe laughed. “Are you kidding? Lily would be honored to tell all the townsfolk that the high and mighty Pastor Landon Norstrom was a guest in our boardinghouse.”
“Well, then it’s settled,” Landon said while clasping his hands together.
Marlene held up a hand. “Not so fast, Pastor Norstrom. Now my husband is a very proud man. He don’t like taking charity from nobody.” Before she could finish her statement, her body was racked with another coughing spell.
“Mama, be reasonable. Daddy don’t want you in that house until we can get the draft out of it.”
Marlene held up a hand silencing her daughter as the coughing subsided. “I know you mean well, Pastor, but I need to speak with my husband about this before I can accept your kindness.” She pointed toward the wheelchair that the nurse had brought into the room for her departure. “Now if someone can wheel me down to his room, I’ll just see what Mr. Johnny Gracey has to say about this, because heart attack or not, that man is still the head of this family.”
22
Shar’s father was still too ill to have visitors, so Landon and Deacon Monroe stayed behind in the waiting area while Shar wheeled her mother in to see him. Shar wasn’t prepared for how hard it would be to see her father lying there connected to tubes and machines, and for how pale and thin he looked. Her father was her rock. He’d always seemed like the strongest man in the world to her . . . like John Henry, wielding his hammer down the railroad line, matching that big old machine, nail for nail, until he won the competition and then died with that hammer in his hand.
Johnny Gracey had always been big and powerful and could do anything but fail. That’s the way Shar had seen him since she was a little girl, beaming up at her hard-working daddy. But that day, no matter how she tried, she couldn’t compare Johnny Gracey to John Henry by any stretch of the imagination. That heart attack had severely weakened her father. But if she were to measure the depths of his fall, it was probably the constant worry and care for her mother that had taken its toll and robbed him of his vigor.
His eyes lifted slightly as Shar rolled her mother’s wheelchair next to his bed and Marlene reached out to put her hand on his arm.
“Hey, you two,” Johnny said with a groggy and tired sounding voice.
“Hey yourself.” Marlene smiled at her husband then added, “I don’t take kindly to you scaring me like this.”
“Daddy, I was so worried about you. All I could do was thank God that you are still here with us.”
His voice was low and lackluster as he told Shar, “You know I wasn’t gon’ leave you and your mom.” He then turned to Marlene and added, “Baby, I didn’t mean no harm. I want you to concentrate on getting better. So, don’t you dare start worrying about me.”
Marlene gently patted her husband’s arm. “I know you didn’t. I’ll try not to worry too much about you, if you stop worrying so much about me.”
Shar stood behind her mother’s chair, watching her parents. They had weathered many storms during their twenty-five-year marriage. But one thing remained constant and that was the love they felt for each another. Watching her mother and father interact, Shar thought about how harsh Nicoli had been with her. It was at that moment that she realized she had fallen for a man who was nothing like her father.
Nicoli wasn’t interested in working hard in order to take care of his family. He was always chasing sky-high dreams but was too busy drinking and gambling to fullfil any of ’em. She knew as sure as rain comes in the spring that she would have been miserable married to a man like Nicoli. How she wished she had waited for Landon. But why hadn’t Landon taken the time to write back to her when she was pouring her heart out to him?
He said that he’d written back to her, that he had responded to her letters. But why hadn’t she received any of his letters? Why didn’t she know that he still cared for her before she got herself mixed up with Nicoli? None of those questions mattered now. Shar was positive that Landon had moved on with his life and wasn’t in the least bit worried about her. She had to pick up the shards of her broken life and focus on helping her parents get well. Because as God was her witness, she was not about to let the only love she had left in this world leave her.
“Pastor Landon has invited me and Shar to stay at his house while he and some of the menfolk at the church work on our house,” Marlene said.
“Mighty nice of him,” was all Johnny said before he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
“Well, you heard him, Mama. Daddy don’t have a problem with us accepting help from Pastor Landon. So let’s get on out of here and let Daddy get some rest.”
Marlene gave her sleeping husband a lingering smile. She then looked up at her daughter. “All right, let’s go.”
Shar leaned over and kissed her father on the forehead. “I’ll come back to see you tomorrow,” she whispered in his ear and then grabbed hold of the handles on her mother’s wheelchair and headed out of his room.
Landon stood as Shar guided her mother’s chair back to the waiting room. “How is he doing?”
“He’s tired, but I think he’s going to make it. At least he promised as much,” Shar said, while putting a brave smile on her face.
“Good.” Landon clasped his hands together. “Well, let’s get your mom to my house.”
When Landon put his hands over hers, Shar felt an emotional tidal wave run through her very being. She glanced up at him. His eyes were so loving and caring that she wanted to reach out to him. But she quickly reminded herself that Landon was not her husband, and after the mistakes she’d made, he probably never would be. So she removed her hands from the wheelchair and stepped aside. “Thank you.”
“No thanks needed. Just move out of the way so I can get Mrs. Marlene situated.”
Shar did as he requested, all the while think
ing as she watched Landon handle her mother with such care and concern that this was a good man. Someone who would stick and stay even through the hard times. A man like her daddy. “But I have to thank you, Landon. There’s not a lot of men who would do what you’re doing for my mama.” Her voice broke as she continued. “I just want you to know that I’m mighty thankful and indebted to you.”
“You being back in town long enough to sing in our choir is thanks enough, as far as I’m concerned. The whole church has missed the sweet sound of your voice.”
Shar didn’t respond to that, but there was no way on God’s green earth that she was getting back in that choir, not after singing in nightclubs. She wasn’t Rosetta and could never pretend to be.
Once they were at the house, Marlene sat down on the bed and stretched out her hand to Shar. “Hand me my bag so I can change back into my nightgown.”
“I can help you, Mama. You don’t have to do this on your own.”
Marlene waved Shar away. “Hush, girl, I might be sick, but I can still dress and undress myself.”
“Okay,” Shar relented and handed her mother the bag. She then walked out of the room with Landon and Deacon Monroe.
Landon pointed to the room next door to Marlene’s. “You can sleep in there.”
Shar shook her head. “I can sleep with my mama. I don’t need my own room.”
“I have two bedrooms in this house, Shar. You can take my bedroom. I won’t be here anyway. I’m going to pack a few of my clothes and then head out of here.”
She nodded. Then said, “Take your time getting your stuff. I’m going to walk over to our house to get some of our things.”
Landon held out his hand. “If you give me the keys, I’ll pick up some things for you and your mom and bring them back tonight.”
She shook her head. “I can’t let you do all of that. You have already done so much for us. Don’t worry about doing this tonight, Pastor Landon. Just go on to Deacon Monroe’s house and get some rest. I’ll find a way to our house tomorrow and bring back the things that we need.” How could she run him all around town when she had treated him so shamelessly?
How Sweet the Sound Page 16