On Saturdays, if not otherwise engaged, his days are busy. He washes and irons all of his clothes and then folds them neatly for the cleaners. He can’t make himself take dirty clothes down there and have people thinking he is nasty. Linda sanitizes them for him and hangs them in special plastic bags that keep the good aura in and the bad mojo out. He picks up what he left for her last week and heads for the shoe repair shop to exchange an even six pairs for six pairs of black shoes. All of the laces must be replaced and a nice spit shine put on them. He simply cannot walk around town with scuffed shoes and ragged laces flopping everywhere. From there, it is a stop at the barbershop for the trim that Wylie insists he does not need. He gets one any way. God forbid, what if he got sick or had to be away and missed a week? Then what kind of hippie-looking thing would he be? That happened to him on more than one occasion, and he was humiliated every time. Scudder was not going to let things slide anymore. He was on top of everything now and intended to keep it that way. It was not Wylie’s job to decide when to cut hair. It was his job to just be quiet and do what the customer wanted. Scudder knew that if he wanted to open a barbershop, he could put this guy right out of business but he felt sorry for him so he decided, a long time ago, not to do that. Wylie had a family to feed.
Scudder always hung around, read the paper, and visited with all of the locals for an hour or so after his trim. That was his way of finding out all of the gossip, who was doing what with whom, and gathering information that might make a good tip for his buddies down at the newspaper or the P.D. Sometimes he got ideas that helped him decide what profession to apply himself to that night.
Scudder’s income consists of a monthly SSI check. The locals call it his Crazy Check. But, Scudder calls it his payment from the CIA. He does not trust banks so he cashes his check at the corner bar, drinks a couple of beers, then goes home and locks the cash in his strongbox. The strongbox is a metal tin that he had gotten cookies in from a neighbor a few years back. It was so hard for him to open that he decided, right then and there, that anyone wanting to get in to that thing would give up after a minute or two. After counting the money in his wallet, he separates fifty dollars out and puts the rest in the tin. He puts a layer or two of cookies on top and places it in the cupboard beside the crackers. Then he is ready to drive around town and see what is going on.
On this particular day, Scudder decided to fill his gas tank and drive over to Arkansas to visit with the sisters who had raised him. He hadn’t been back there in over two years. He loved the old women and liked seeing how many new kids they had. He hoped to see little Benjamin. He was sure he would still be there. Most folks around these parts don’t choose a bi-racial child; Even if that child happened to be smart, handsome, and self-assured like little Bennie. All the little guy ever wanted was to be adopted. Just like Scudder wanted when he was a boy. Sometimes people are stupid and can’t see the value of a little kid needing a family to call his own. He was going to go and give Benjamin a big hug today.
Chance left early for his drive to Tulsa so there would be time to stop at one of the jewelry stores before going to the airport. He had looked for an engagement ring several times in the last two weeks. Nothing he saw looked like it matched Julie’s personality. He noticed that she seldom wore jewelry and could not remember seeing her wear a ring. Maybe there would be a bigger selection in Tulsa. He hoped to find the ring that jumped out at him and screamed JULIE. He had made up his mind to ask her to marry him. He thought she would say yes.
The old man at the fourth store directed Chance to a little shop on the west side of Tulsa. It was far from the airport, but if he were lucky, he could navigate through traffic and find the perfect ring before arriving to meet his one true love.
The shop was tiny and dark. Inside was a frail little woman hunched over a workbench. She looked up as Chance entered and yelled, “You will have to just give me a minute! I have to finish this piece before somebody gets here to look at it.”
Chance flashed a smile and hoped she did not take too long. He rather doubted he would find what he was looking for in this place. There were no display cases to browse through while he waited. It did not look like a jewelry store at all. It appeared to be more of a workshop for things with small motors.
Just as he was going to tell her thank you and leave, she got up from her stool and smiled. She held something in her fingers, but he could not see what it was. Her hands and the front of her apron were covered with a polishing substance.
As she approached Chance, he noticed her hands and fingers were grossly misshapen with arthritis. “Just let me put this in a quick final wash and I will be right with you.” She put it on a small hook and lowered it into a liquid bath that smelled like ammonia. “Now, what can I do for you?”
“I am looking for a ring for a very special person, but I don’t have much time.”
“Are you the young man that was at Bernie Cohen’s shop earlier? He’s over by the Woodland Hills Mall.”
“Yes, he directed me to you. I wanted to find the perfect ring. I did not think it would be so difficult. But I haven’t been able to find one that I can picture her wearing for the rest of her life.”
“I started making the one there in the wash last month. I had no idea who would want it or even why I wanted to make it. It was just something different for me to try. I always make big flashy rings with lots of diamonds, but I was just in the mood for something simple. I figured I could always melt it down and start over if no one wanted it. I don’t usually make anything ahead but do commissioned pieces. Bernie is my brother and saw the ring yesterday. He says you are looking for something in the plain but elegant category. I think this is it.” She pulled the ring from the wash vat, rinsed it, and placed it in Chance’s hand. It was a simple-looking piece with a round diamond center encircled with tiny emeralds all set in platinum.
Chance knew it was the perfect ring. “You are a master jeweler. Can you box this for me? I have a plane to meet in less than an hour.”
The woman smiled and said, “Yes, and if you want the wedding band that will match this, you need to call me a month ahead so I can get started on it. My pieces are art, and I can’t produce my art as fast as I used to.”
“You can start today. I will pay for both now and leave you my card. Just send it to me when it is finished. Thank You.”
Julie’s plane was late so Chance was still able to be there to meet them at the luggage terminal as planned. He and Julie saw each other at the same time. Both sprinted toward the other. They were oblivious to everyone else in the crowded airport. Karla grinned and walked around them to go and find the luggage. That embrace made it positive in her mind that a grandbaby was in her future.
Karla chattered all the way to McAlester. She told Chance every detail of the tour. "That little Oprah Winfrey is just the sweetest and smartest lady! Did you know that she gave every single person in her audience a copy of Julie’s book?
I watched her show the time she had Billie Letts on, and she did that same thang then, too. You know who Billie is, don’t you? She’s the teacher from Durant who wrote Where the Heart Is. That story about the baby bein’ born in Walmart. Everywhere we went, people asked us if we knew her. They thought we should know Reba McIntire and Garth Brooks too. How small do they think Oklahoma is, anyway?"
Chance laughed and said, “Well, Karla, the way you get around, I’m surprised you don’t know them.”
Sister Elizabeth finished bathing the children and tucked them into bed while Sister Mary Margaret carefully chose the story she would read them as they fell asleep. Scudder sat in an overstuffed chair by a window and listened to a June bug fight with the porch light. He was content to be in the warmth and love of these two women. The ticking of the old clock seemed to soothe him and say, “All is well in the whole world.”
Scudder glanced over at the three-month-old baby. She was sleeping soundly in the old cradle. The sisters had named the new arrival Faith. She was a pretty little t
hing with peachy skin and a head full of dark curls. She seemed to be content. Scudder hoped she would have a nice family and remain in this contented state for all of her life. He was glad that she wasn’t a half-breed, like him with one brown and one blue eye or, like Benjamin, bi-racial. No, she was a perfectly white baby with both eyes the same color. Her odds of finding a family were much better than theirs.
“Did she give you any trouble?” Sister Mary Margaret asked as she came into the living room.
“No, she slept just like she is now. Just like a real angel,” Scudder said quietly.
“Good thing. She has some strong lungs on her and knows how to put them to use when she wants something. I sent Elizabeth on to bed. She has been feeling light-headed for the last few days. God sure needs to look down on us and send a heap of loving couples to take these children. I’m not sure how long we can go on. My nephew is calling almost every day wanting me to go back home and live out the rest of my days. Elizabeth is failing fast. I look in her eyes and the light gets dimmer every day. Lord, we have had a rich life with all of you children. Oh, you, Scudder, you were just a joy and a pain all at once! I wish we could have found you a family but, truth be told, I don’t know if I could have stood to see you go. Your smile always lighting up the room; even when you were up to no good and in trouble. I always told you the truth when I said I loved you. And I’m telling you now, Scudder Brown, I love you with all my heart.”
“That light-headedness you said Sister Elizabeth has is called Vertigo. It means she is dizzy which probably means that her blood pressure is up. Does she take medication for that?”
“Yes, she does. But, the doctor says that her heart and veins are all give out. We are just old, Scudder. We can’t keep on with the children. I see her failing and know that we don’t have long to stay here. I can’t do this without her. We need homes, and we need them yesterday. That’s all there is to it. We pray and fast and what do we get for it? Another little soul needing love and attention dropped on the doorstep.”
“I hope they all get homes tomorrow. Bennie might be a problem, though. I wish I could take him, but you know they won’t let me. I have a record from that time I got drunk, acted stupid, and did things I knew better than to do. And I have to go to the hospital sometimes, when I can’t get the voices to shut up. No, I would be no good for little Bennie, and it makes me want to cry.”
“It will be okay. We have Chance working on getting homes. He will do the right thing and find Benjamin a home full of love. I just hope it’s soon.”
“Why do the other kids all have nice Bible names and mine is Scudder?”
“Your mother chose your given name, and we gave you your last name of Brown, just like all of the other boys we raised. All of the girls were Smith and the boys were Brown.”
“Did you meet my mother?”
“Yes, she came here and stayed two months before you were born. She told her folks she was going to work at a scout camp for the summer. She could not tell them she was having a baby. She planned to get married to your daddy but it did not work out. She was just a little wisp of a girl. Barely sixteen and didn’t know what to do. She was the prettiest little Choctaw with blue-black hair that hung all the way to her waist. She was full of every superstition ever heard. When you were a week or two old, she noticed that your eyes were different colors. She thought it was a curse on her for having sex before marriage. From that day until her folks came to get her, she shunned you. She did not mean any harm to you, Scudder. She just had tribal ways and all of the folklore that had been passed down from generation to generation. She was a sweet little girl in a very bad situation. She loved you but was fearful of what she had done. She walked out the front door, got into her folk’s car, and never looked back. I doubt if she ever told them what her summer had really been like.”
“Do you know where she is now? What is her name?”
“No, honey, I don’t. I never asked for her last name, and she didn’t offer it. She went by the name of Sissy while she was with us. It would do no good for anybody to look for her now. She knew where you were for eighteen years. If she had wanted to see you, she knew where we were. She walked away, not us. We loved and cherished you. It could have been different if she had taken you home with her. I think she knew that all too well. Old ways are hard to replace.”
“I know I was loved here. I guess my old ways are hard to replace, too. I’m almost fifty years old and still feel that longing to have my own mama and daddy.”
“Go to bed now. Your bed is ready for you in your old room. That little one will be waking up any minute for a bottle. I’ll keep her in my room tonight so I’ll sleep easier. Good night, Scudder, I love you.”
“Good night, I love you too.”
Scudder went to his room, undressed down to his underwear, and laid down in his old bed. It felt good to be home again. He decided to change his plans and stay here until he could find homes for all of the little ones. He had faith and confidence that he could finally be of help to the sisters. They had always been there for him, and now it was his turn to return the favor. He wasn’t sure about finding a home for Bennie, but he had to try harder than he had ever tried to do anything before.
Julie sat on her porch and sipped sweet tea as she read Essie’s journals. They were all touching. Each one revealing the struggles and the determination it took to mold Essie into the great writer she would become. A full month of just sitting around reading was something Julie had not allowed herself to do until now. She, Jolly, and Chance had fallen into a wonderfully peaceful routine. She read, and the dog slept all day, and she cooked a nice dinner for Chance every evening. They went for a walk to Karla’s house after dinner. Julie and Chance walked slowly so Jolly could keep up with them. Julie felt as anchored to this place and time as the tall oaks that lead the way to her childhood home.
“Julie, let’s go to dinner at Marco’s tomorrow night. I will leave the office early.”
“Are you getting tired of my cooking?”
“No, I want to have someone cook for you now and then. Besides, we haven’t been back there since you finished your tour. We have reason to celebrate the published author in town.”
“Do you want me to call for reservations?”
“No, I’ll take care of it from the office. You and Jolly just have a nice quiet day, and I will take care of the details for our date night.”
“Date night, is that what we are calling this dinner?”
“Yes, date night, so that means your mother is not invited this time.”
Julie laughed and put her arm around Chance’s waist. “She never goes with us, anyway.”
“I know,” Chance said as he put Jolly’s leash in his other hand so he could put his arm around Julie.
Scudder was in the garden with Benjamin when he heard Sister Mary Margaret call for him. He went inside and left Bennie to tend his small little plot of tomatoes and peppers. The sister was seated at the table in the kitchen with her head bowed and crying.
“Our beloved Sister Elizabeth has gone on to heaven without me. She slipped away sometime in the night. What are we going to do? If I call the authorities, they will come and take the children to foster care. Our plans were to find homes for them before we died and now look what Sister Elizabeth has done! She has left me for Jesus just when I needed her the most.”
Scudder sat quietly for a moment, not knowing whether to be mad or sad and not knowing what to say or do. Finally, he jumped up and said, “Chance will know what to do. I am going to load up the kids and take them to McAlester while you call the coroner. If the kids are not here when they come, you just tell them they have new homes. That won’t be lying, I will take them to somebody’s home until Chance can find real ones. Now, don’t argue and help me get them in your van, and I’ll leave my truck here for you. Come to McAlester as soon as you get Sister Elizabeth off to the funeral home.”
“Scudder, it doesn’t sound like a very good plan to just spring the c
hildren on Chance. I’ll call him and see what he says.”
She went to the phone and dialed the number. All she got was a recording and left no message.
“Well, sister, they have to go somewhere so please, just grab some of their things and help me load them up.” He went to the back door and called Bennie.
“Come on little buddy, go pack your clothes, we are going on an adventure.”
Bennie came running. He always loved a good adventure with Scudder. Sometimes it was a fishing trip and others it was hiking and camping. Once they went to be volunteers at a homeless shelter and slept in the park at night. One just never knew with Scudder.
Mary Margaret knew that Scudder was right about getting the children out of the house but wasn’t so sure of his ability to get them across the state line to McAlester and find Chance. She had to say a prayer and just trust in God to take care of all of her children until she could get Sister Elizabeth to the coroners’ office. So, she steadied herself and went about packing for all four of the remaining children. She kept trying to reach Chance every few minutes. There was no answer, and she was afraid to leave a voicemail that might come back to haunt her later.
She helped Scudder load the children, and she made sure that all were secured in their seatbelts. As she buckled each one in, she told them how much she loved them and said a little prayer. “Benjamin, I love you. Always remember that. I know you will one day have the happy home you so deserve. God, please, watch over my beautiful son. He is only ten years old, but he is a master gardener and very good young man. Amen.”
“Sarah, I love you. Always remember that. God, please watch over my pretty, red-haired daughter. She is only 8 years old, but she is a very good helper with the babies. I beg that not one freckle on her lovely nose be harmed. Amen.”
“Grace, I love you. Always remember that. God, please watch over my sweet little blonde baby doll. She is only two years old but smarter than most her age. She can talk like a grownup and could learn to read today if I had the time to teach her. Please, please, dear God, find my baby a good home filled with love and books. Amen.”
The Estate of Essie Grogan Page 7