“Baby Faith, I love you. I know you won’t remember me, but I will never forget you. Dear God in Heaven, please, watch over our baby girl and give her the blessing of good loving parents.”
She then, went to Scudder and said, “You know I have always loved you. Please God, watch over my eldest son and guide him to safety with the young ones. Please allow me to see them again soon. Amen.” She hugged Scudder and told him to be careful and to call her when he got to McAlester. She walked into the house and broke down in full sorrowful tears. Her life as she knew it was over, and poor little Elizabeth had gone to meet the Lord.
The Sheriff and the coroner came and took the body, and not one word was mentioned about the children. They asked Mary Margaret a few questions and took notes then left. She called Elizabeth’s brother to let him know the sad news then tried to call Chance, again. Still, no answer so she went upstairs and walked through all the rooms and hated the silence. Then, slowly entered her own room and began packing her things into the trunk that she brought with her so many years ago. As she packed, she reminisced about the times she spent here with Elizabeth and the children. She tried to recount all of the little ones who came to them over these fifty-two years. She cried until she had no tears left to shed. Things were not supposed to end this way. God would have to intervene and help those five helpless souls that were her children. She just had to have faith. Always, before when her faith faltered, Elizabeth would prop her up on the magnitude of her own faith. Elizabeth was gone now so Mary Margaret had to just trust in God without a pep talk from her dearest friend. Oh, how she would miss her.
Chance leaned across the table and took Julie’s hand. “I love you, and I want you to be my wife. I want us to have our happily ever after. Please, Julie, will you accept this ring as a token of my undying love for you?” He took the ring from his pocket, and she held out her left hand for him to place it on her finger.
“Yes, I will. I love you too, and I thought you would never ask.” Chance kissed her and Julie promptly put her hand onto the same candle fire she had the first time they were here at Marco’s. “Damn, Chance Lightening, your kisses still pack a punch!” She put her hand into his water glass and held it there while she took a closer look at the ring. “This ring is beautiful and just perfect for me! Thank you for knowing I would love this. I will never take it off, Chance, never.”
“Your hand is in my water so I guess we have to get married now. I have girl cooties.” They laughed and stood up to hold each other and kissed again.
“I love you, Chance Lightening.”
“So, can we get married soon, or do you want a long engagement. I’d marry you tomorrow if we didn’t have to get blood tests and apply for a license first. That takes at least a day or two.”
“Maybe we should plan for next week so I have time to tell Mom and get a dress. We have a few close friends we could invite. How about we apply for the license on Monday and send out invitations when we get the legal stuff out of the way. How does a small ceremony at my house sound to you?”
“That sounds great. Are you sure you don’t want a big wedding in a church? This will be your only chance because once you marry me you are stuck with me as a husband for the rest of your life.”
Scudder drove as carefully as he knew how. He thought about his precious cargo and hoped with everything he had to hope with that he could find Chance when he got to McAlester. He could not, under any circumstances, let Sister Mary Margaret down. He thought about all of the times he had gone back to Arkansas for visits. The voices never seemed to talk to him when he was there. He never had crazy thoughts or worries and had no desire to be concerned about perfection during his stays. The only thing he felt while in his childhood home was peace, comfort, and the love from the sisters. His issues only came to the surface when he spent too much time away.
Sarah sat in the seat next to baby Faith and made sure she was comfortable. She sang little songs very softly and checked the car seat straps every so often.
She had never gone anywhere without Sister Mary Margaret or Elizabeth. She hoped Scudder was a good driver. He was a kind and gentle big brother, but she had no clue as to his driving ability; and it was after dark so she knew they were going on a very long adventure. She had never gone somewhere so far from home that they had to stop for lunch and supper. Something just didn’t seem right.
Grace sat next to Bennie and kept saying, “We going Bye-Bye.” Bennie patted her on the head and smoothed the curls away from her face. “Yes, little Gracie, we are going on a big adventure with our big brother, and the best part is, we don’t know where that is, yet.”
Julie and Chance had been home from Dinner at Marco’s for only a few minutes when the doorbell rang. Chance went to the door and was surprised to see Scudder standing on the porch wringing his hands and looking a bit rumpled.
“What’s up, Scudder? Come in.”
“I have a huge problem, Chance. Sister Mary Margaret has been trying to call you all day. I went to your office and then your house but didn’t think to come over here till just now. Sister Elizabeth passed away this morning, and we still have four children to find families to adopt them. They are in the van right now, and I think we need a diaper change and I don’t know what to do.”
“Where is Sister Mary Margaret?”
“She had to stay until after the Coroner came for Elizabeth, and I had to help her get the kids out before they came. She was afraid they would be put in foster care if they found out that it was just her trying to care for them.”
“Chance, what are you two talking about?” asked Julie.
“Oh, Honey, we are talking about the two sweet ladies that raised Scudder and many other children. I have been finding adoptive parents for the sisters for years. They operated an orphanage in Arkansas but, one of them just passed away and Scudder has brought the four remaining children here.”
“Where are they? Please bring them in. The poor little things must be very upset.”
“Well, that’s just the thing, Julie, said Scudder. They think they are just out on an adventure with me. They don’t know that Sister Elizabeth passed away. Sister Mary Margaret thought it would make for a harder trip if they knew. She will be here tonight or tomorrow, and she will tell them then. Can they stay here, Julie? I promise, they are the best little kids you have ever seen; Just until Chance finds them families of their own. It would be a huge help right now.”
“Chance, you and Scudder go and bring those little ones in here right now. If I can’t handle them, I’ll call Mom and Peg. The three of us can conquer anything.”
Scudder lifted Faith from the car seat and gently carried her up the walk. Chance helped Gracie out of her booster seat and told Benjamin and Sarah to unbuckle and come in and meet his best friend, Julie. He told them they were going to have a sleepover there tonight.
Sarah said, “Good, Scudder has driven us all over creation since early this morning and the little ones are very tired.”
“Yes,” said Benjamin, “we stopped and played putt putt golf and went to a park and played on swings and slides, then, we ate junk food at McDonalds and ice cream at Braums.”
“Which is actually more junk food?” said Sarah with a giggle.
“Is this your house, Chance?” asked Benjamin.
“No, this is my friend Julie’s house. Do you remember Essie Grogan? She used to come and bring you books and clothes.”
“Yes, she was a nice lady, but she passed away.”
“This used to be her home, but she left it to Julie, her granddaughter. And Julie and I are planning to marry so I don’t know if we will live here or at my house.”
Julie introduced herself to all of the children and had Scudder bring in their bags. With baby Faith in one arm and the diaper bag in the other, Julie headed for the guest room to see if she knew how to change a diaper. Thankfully, Sarah and Gracie were right behind her. She gently laid Faith on the bed and removed the diaper just as Faith decided to pee. Sh
e laughed as Sarah and Gracie reached into the bag and both came out with diapers.
“We find it easier if we have the next one ready before we remove the first,” said little Gracie. They all laughed, and baby Faith grinned and kicked. Julie realized she had never changed a diaper before. Sarah showed her how to position it under Faith so the tapes were in the correct position to make it fit.
“Today is Faith’s sort of birthday…she’s three months old today. That means she will be rolling over and trying to sit up soon. After that, she will be going all over the house. She will be a handful for Sisters Elizabeth and Mary Margaret. Gracie, we will have to help out more.”
“Okay, she can be my baby Faith. I will dopt her, and she will be my sponsibility, and I will give her love and tell her to be nice,” said Gracie with a big happy smile.
“Well, Gracie, you are very nice to want to take on such a big job. How old are you?” asked Julie.
“I am two, but I will be big girl three in one month. Then I will need to get married so I can dopt Faith. Sisters said we can’t be dopted unless we have a daddy and a mommy or two mommies, or two daddies. So, I have to get married.”
Julie’s eyes filled with tears. She bent down, pulled Gracie into her arms, and held her there. “Gracie, you are such a sweet and innocent child.”
“And a silly one, too,” said Sarah. “Grace, you can’t get married when you are three. You don’t even know how to read yet. Chance will find parents for all of us as soon as he can. He has been working very hard to do just that. Now, we need to get our pajamas on and get some sleep. It has been a long day.”
“I’m hungry, Sarah.”
“Come on girls, let’s go out to the kitchen and have some scrambled eggs and toast before we go to bed,” said Julie.
Julie picked up baby Faith and with the others following close behind headed for the kitchen. Scudder and Benjamin were already sitting in the breakfast nook talking to Chance as he stood over the stove cooking a big skillet of eggs.
“Scudder, can you keep an eye on these while I put the baby in the cradle and have a word with Julie?”
“Sure, Chance, I’m glad I thought to throw that cradle in the van before we left. I’d be up a creek if we didn’t have that thing. She screams like a banshee without it to sleep in.”
Chance lead Julie to the library. “Honey, I am so sorry for all of this. You have been so sweet to let them stay tonight. I have wanted you to meet the sisters and the kids for a long time but things have been too busy. I just got off the phone with Sister Mary Margaret. She can’t see to drive at night so she will be here tomorrow. She will talk to the children and let them know about Sister Elizabeth. Her nephew will come here to pick her up when she gets the legalities out of the way. That may take a while but once it’s done, she will be living in Texas. I can call Peggy tomorrow and see if she can help with the kids until we find a place for them.”
“Honey, they can stay here as long as it takes. Those two girls are little dolls and so very smart and sweet. They helped me change the baby. I guess I have never changed a diaper before. The kids I used to baby sit were older.” Julie said with a giggle.
“You are a trooper!”
“Well, we talked about filling this house with kids. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”
“I promise, I will try even harder to get them placed in good homes as soon as I can.”
“For tonight, let’s just feed them and put them to bed.”
“So much for planning our wedding and honeymoon,” said Chance.
“Well, real life is what happens while we are making other plans.”
Chance took her in his arms and kissed her, “I love you Julie.”
They went back to the kitchen to find Scudder warming a bottle for Faith while the older kids ate eggs and toast. Julie sat down beside Benjamin and smiled. He returned the smile and said, “Miss Julie, you look exactly like Mrs. Grogan. Has anyone ever told you that before?”
Julie laughed and said, “As a matter of fact, Chance told me that the first time I met him. Has anyone ever told you that you are a very handsome young man? How old are you?”
“I’m ten years old. Sister Mary Margaret says I look like I’m twelve. And she tells me I’m her handsome man every single day.”
“She says I’m beautiful too but if we were so high up in the looks department, why are we still orphans? That’s what I want to know,” said Sarah.
Chance looked at them and said, “Well, if you had ever gone anywhere so folks could see you it might have made a difference. It is hard to find parents when no one knows you exist. But, we are going to fix that very soon.”
Grace yawned and said, “I know that I am beautiful because I look in the mirror. I will find a mommy who looks just like me. I will find her! I saw her once but she thought I was asleep so she didn’t know I was hers.” Everyone laughed but Grace just shrugged her little shoulders and said, “I will show you someday.”
“Of course, you will,” said Sarah, “but that will have to wait until another day because we need to go to bed. We wouldn’t want you to mess up your beautiful face and curly locks by falling asleep with your face in your plate.”
Scudder hugged all of the children and said, “I love you all, and I want you to be good kids for Chance and Julie. I have to go home and get cleaned up but I will see you bright and early in the morning.” He turned to Chance, thanked him again for the help, and said if they needed him, he would be there in a flash.
They put the dishes in the sink and took all of the children upstairs to get them settled in for the night. Grace decided to sleep with Sarah and Benjamin chose a room close to the bathroom. They brushed their teeth, put their pajamas on, and got into bed. They were asleep within a few moments of each other. Chance carried the cradle into Julie’s room and decided to stay there in case Julie needed help with bottles or diaper changes during the night.
“Chance, these children are so sweet, but what about their school? Won’t the teachers wonder where they are?”
“They are home schooled. That’s why few people know about them. The sisters didn’t want them to be bullied at public school for being orphans. These kids have seldom left their home, and it is in a very remote area in the mountains. They didn’t even go to Mass after the church dismissed the sisters.”
“I hope they can adjust to city life. It can get pretty crazy around here with Mother and her busy friends dropping in.”
“You talk as if they are going to be here a long time.”
“Do you want them here?”
“I do, honey. However, this could be more than you can handle for an extended period. I’m at the office all day, and you will be here every day with all of the bumps, bruises, and squabbles. When will you find time to write?”
“I think I have fallen in love with them as fast as I fell for you. You can search for homes but take it slow and make sure they get the right parents. They are too sweet to just place any old where.”
“Good night, Julie. Get some sleep before this little one wakes up and wants another bottle and diaper change. I love you.”
“I love you too, Chance, now you go to sleep. We have a big day ahead of us.”
They awoke the next morning to complete silence. Julie thought she had dreamed the whole incident of the night before. Then she looked down beside the bed to see little Faith laying in the cradle and sucking her thumb.
“Hey, you beautiful baby, are you hungry?” Julie asked as she got out of bed and put her robe on. Chance sat up and was out of the bed in a split second. “Oh my gosh, I forgot about the kids.”
“It’s okay. They didn’t wake up all night. I need to change the baby and feed her. She is munching on her thumb so hard she might just suck it completely off.”
“While you do that, I’ll go check on the others and go down and make a bottle.”
Chance went quietly down the hall toward the girl’s bedroom. They were awake but talking softly. Sarah w
as looking out of the window and telling Grace about the houses all around them. “I wish this was my forever home, and Julie and Chance were my always parents,” she whispered.
“I like them, but Julie is not my forever mommy. I did not see her that day. My mommy has hair just like mine. All crazy curls and white and eyes like mine, too.”
“That was the lady that came with Mrs. Grogan that day last Christmas time. She brought us the dolls and new sweaters and boots. She was nice, but I don’t think she is your mommy. It is good to have hope in your heart but never good to have too much. It hurts when things don’t work out okay, Gracie. Just don’t hope till you cry. Pinkie promise.” They hooked their pinkie fingers together and pulled.
Chance felt a big lump in his throat so he went on down the hall to check on Benjamin. The bed had been made up neatly but no Benjamin in sight. He ran down the stairs and saw that the back door was open. There, he saw Benjamin standing in front of the rose bushes and picking off the dead blossoms. He turned and saw Chance and beamed with pleasure. “I love flowers! These are the prettiest I have ever seen. What are they?”
“They are roses of some kind.”
“My favorite thing to do is work in the gardens. Do you have a vegetable garden or just flowers?”
“Just flowers, I guess.”
“You really need to grow food. It is better than what you get in the store. Besides, it is more fun to grow because you can eat the fruits of your labor.”
“I know, Ben. I grew up on a farm and farm-fresh food is always the best.”
“Really, Chance? I am going to have a farm when I grow up. It will be the biggest and best you ever saw!”
“I have no doubt about that. Are you hungry?”
“Yes, but just a little bit.”
“What do you say we go in and cook up a big breakfast for all of the women folk?”
The Estate of Essie Grogan Page 8