Chapter 5

A Chapter by Shep

Chapter 5

Wayne was right as the days soon turned into a month than two months went by as a Family services car drove up to the farm with a new employee and Mrs. Jennings knocking on the door. “Hello Martha, Wayne this Mr. Jameson Barns.” Mrs. Jennings replies as she introduces Mr. Barns.

Mr. Barns was wispy kind of a guy and short wearing a gray suit and black tie as he removed his black Durban hat his bald head glistened in the sun. His eyes were black as coal that matched his pointed beck nose he had a face similar to old crow. When he talked his voice sounded like a rough low growl, his hands felt cold as ice when you shook his hand, it made you feel dirty and cold.

“Please to meet you, Mr. Downing, Mrs. Downing,” Mr. Barns said as he picked up his little black briefcase. “I am Mr. Wells replacement and have taken over the case or should I say been assigned to the case whom he has been in your care according to these records a long time now.” Mr. Barns opening his briefcase setting it down on the coffee table. “Now then,” as Martha tries to hand him a cup of tea. “No thanks, never touch the stuff,” moved on handed them each a document to read.

“As you know it clearly states that both parties are required upon review of said child in placement and terms of such child section 23 Paragraph line 19 be submitted to the state review and found worthy on accordance to Paragraph 17 said child must and guardian must have said child on line 23 which clearly states to visitation rights statute law 1817. That said child must abide by to and to under said duration and accordance to law statue 1471. Until such child is given up by either of the guardian or by the state all rules and regulatory laws statute will be as followed.

“So you see it clear and to the point to this document Linda Stuart or should I say Mrs. Stuart is well within her rights Mrs. Mr. Downing. To see her son removed from this home if she chose to do so. Frankly sir, ma’am it is my option that she does just that and she is well within her rights,” as he sits back gleaming back at them with a stern look in his eyes.

“But Mrs. Jennings don't think that is wise,” As Mr. Barns gave her a cold hard stare leaning back on the couch with a disagreeable face. “Of course I like a little litigation. It brings things out in the open as it were, gets the blood pumping. Stop things from hiding out in the bushes, gets down to brass tacks, puts all feelings aside. None of this horseplay. Tells what's really going on in a man's game,” he replies as he looked down the road gathering his dark thoughts regarding his tasks at hand returned to the conversation.

Mrs. Jennings frowns watching Mr. Barns sighs, “pencil pushing prick,” as she turned her head mumbling under her breath “Yes, as I was saying we don't and we don't feel that it is necessary,” Mrs. Jennings patting Martha on the knee. “We feel that it would be nice if we could turn our attention to and in trying other meatheads of stabilizing the home instead tarring two apart, which would not benefit neither of us or the boy in questioned.” Martha and Wayne nod in agreement.

“Just start slow Martha and support him, he needs you, dear, you’ll be fine, but don’t rush it,” Mrs. Jennings giving Mr. Barns a cold look, “it’s the worse thing you can do in these matters, but you know that for both their sakes. She may be ready, but he’s not and I have a feeling that neither is his father….” As she paused to think of his father temper and how he despises the boy, “will ever be ready,” as she wrings her hands at the possible meeting of the minds. “No dear don’t rush it, be on the lookout for signs of trouble. Is the best thing we can do at this point,” as she quickly glanced over at Mr. Barns and his dark cold eyes.

Mrs. Jennings gave Maratha a hug before leaving another stern look at Mr. Barns as he folds his documents back up into his briefcase stare’s them down like little mice in a cage in the room, giving off a cold feeling when he walked by and out the door. That brings a shiver down their spine.

Pa went out to the barn to chop firewood while he waited for the boys to return. Ma busied herself in the kitchen watching baby Jess while Aunty M came back from town with the boys and the grocery. “All right boys help me take these into the house.” Aunty M said carrying a bag into the house.

“Yes, ma’am,” the boys replied.

Aunty M came home seeing Martha in the kitchen cooking up another storm with a gloomy face. Aunty M sets the grocery down on the table. “What’s wrong Martha?” watching her beat the bread to the inch of its life with tears in her eyes streaming down her face.

Martha wiped her tears with the back of her hand, “Oh Aunty M,” as Martha slings her arms around her, weeping. “They have done it, that’s all,” she replies.

“Done what child?” Aunty M asked.

Martha filled her in of the little visit while she was gone with the boys. “No?” Aunty M frowns as she listened to Martha, “so soon?” She asked.

Martha nodded her head wiped tears with the back of her hand. Aunty M sits with Martha tries to comfort her the best she can as she sighs looking out the window. “Martha, you knew sooner or later he was going have to face it.”

“I know, but they promised.”

“Yes dear and so did you and they kept their word,…… I’d say,” as they watched EJ outside the window with his brothers. “You still have him by the look of things,” as Aunty M points to EJ messing around with his brothers carrying in the supplies.

Martha wiped her tears, “but for how long?” She asked.

Aunty M shrugged her shoulder, “nobody knows the real answer dear,” tries to smile back, “but it sounds like if you don’t do something soon dear, it not going to matter. After all, those darn papers aren’t here yet and you need time to stall tell you have them. Betty’s working on them as fast as she can. You have to do your part remember ….. Or there is one lost boy in the wrong place, in the wrong home if you wait much longer.”

Aunty M helping Martha off the chair, Martha watched EJ play with his brothers. “Your right I can’t give him up now, I come to far,” wiping the last of her tears. “Thanks, Aunty M. I needed that,” went about making dinner.

Pa seeing EJ from outside the barn called him over. “Yes, Pa?” EJ replied.

“EJ, me and you need to talk for a while,” Pa looked at all the firewood that he has been chopping and closed the door behind them so they could be alone, leaving Will and Robert to carry the rest of the supplies into the house themselves.

EJ looked at Pa’s worried sadden and tired face, “EJ, we have a problem you and me,” he said sitting the ax down against the firewood where he was chopping.

“What kind of problem Pa?” EJ asked.

“The only kind that doesn’t have a solution son,” looking towards window down the road as his eyes fill with tears. “The kind we have to face whether we want to or not. You see son its time we both must give a little,” as Pa puts his arm around his son, “and face what we don’t want to face.”

Pa filled EJ in about the visit of family service. EJ slowly nods his head with tears slowly streaming down his cheeks. “But... Pa I don’t want to leave home... I can’t, I just can’t.”

Pa whispered, “I know son, I don’t want you to either, but we promised son. We all did and now its time,” as he held him close to him with his head against his shoulder. “It's not that you are leaving us really son, we just need to buy time that’s all.”

Pa tries to look into his tearful eyes holding him close with his arms around his son. “Remember son this where you belong, we haven’t forgotten. Oh no,” as Pa squeezed his shoulders, “we still want you to be part of our family… this is your family,” as he wiped his tears and his own, holding his boy close to him.

“You always will be my son, no matter what, remember that.” EJ and Pa chopped firewood until supper time alone in the barn talking of things that matter most to them as they left together. With arms around them as they walked down the hall to wash up for dinner as Ma watched them with a tear in her eye.

“Ma this looks great,” EJ said as he walked by her sits at the table in his usual spot next to her. Dinner was quiet except for the cooing of the baby every once in a while.

“Ma?” EJ asked. “Would mind sitting with me for a while?” as she tucked him into bed. Ma sits on the bed next to him wrapping her arms around her little boy. “Thanks, Ma,” as EJ tries to wipe the tears from his eyes. “I know we promised and all, but why does it have to be so hard?” as he looks at his Ma with hard tears in his eyes, “because I do not want to go Ma…. Of all the homes I have been in. This one is the hardest one to leave for a simple visit. I would know," EJ said as he wiped tears from his eyes.

EJ tries to control his choked up voice as he tries to remember what it was like before “I have had seven that I can remember Ma, but this one was the best ever, this was home to me and always will be. I thought you should know that and that I love you,” as he gave his Ma a hug around her neck and a kissed on the cheek. “And if I had a choice. I would never, never ever leave ya,” EJ cries into her shoulder until there’s was nothing left, but dry tears as he sobs.

Ma held him as close not daring to let him go. For her, this was her son as she stroked EJ hair gently as the tears fall softly down her wet cheeks. She kissed his head as they both lay talking what was important to them until he fells asleep in her arms.

* * *

After breakfast Mrs. Jennings came by for EJ, “he’ll be back by 2 o’clock I promise,” as Downing family paced the floor of the farm of the living room all day, Pa and the boys out in the barn working on projects to kill the time as they watched the road for his return.

“Go on EJ,” Mrs. Jennings pointing down the hall to his brother’s room as they walked into the house trying to scoot him through the door. EJ turned to look at his mother standing in a corner smiling.

The house felt cold as ice as if there was barely any life in it at all. “It’s all right son,” his mother beamed at him. “Your home now at last,” EJ tried to smile, but couldn’t just nods remembering what Pa said, “give a little” swallows hard as he walked through the door.

A flood of old, bad memories haunting him as he gazes about the rooms. It was like the sound of a heartbeat, beating slowly then screaming out in pain when he looked upon the walls. Then silence once more, covered in darkness. Danny ran up to EJ as he walked into the room screaming, “EJ, EJ” as he swings his little arms around him. EJ picked his little brother up carries him slowly down the hall to where his bedroom once was once upon a time as he tried to ignore the pain and coldness that screams from the shadows.

EJ realized he must be strong as his heart was breaking. He must be strong for Danny for this is his home now. Oh, how he wished he could change it as he whispers a soft payer from his heart as he takes his little brothers hand. “O why couldn’t they leave him be.”

A tear escapes from his eyes as quickly wiped it away. Remembering he must be strong, unfeeling as he watched the shadows follow him down the hallway as if shadows had hidden eyes in the darkness. The pain, the sorrow. How cold it felt against him as if it was trying to engulf him. EJ tries to forget as he plays with his brother. He repeats it in his mind, “he must be strong.”

EJ mother’s sighs, “well at least that’s a beginning,” put's on some tea for the both of them.

“So Linda where’s Jim?” Mrs. Jennings asked looking around the house.

Linda tries to smile, “out for a walk with the girls down at the park, I packed them a lunch,” she replied.

“Oh, I see...” as she looked down the hall towards the boy’s bedrooms.

“I know, I know… Just wanted to see what feels like,” as Linda quickly glanced down the hall as she pours the tea. “Didn’t want to put it all on his shoulders all at once he might….” Linda Thinking how these two got along in the past? “Best to keep things loose a bit Barbra if you know what I mean…? After all, I might have changed, doesn’t mean Jim has…” Pausing, “changed all that much, that’s all,” as she whispers sipping her tea. “If at all,” turning her head facing the boy’s bedroom so she doesn’t hear her.

Time always seems to go by slowly when you are not where your supposed be as EJ sits and watched the clock on the wall tick by. It was like being let out of jail when 2 o’clock came by as they get into the car headed back to the farm. “Now that wasn’t so bad now was it EJ?” Mrs. Jennings asked turning around to face him as she waved back to Linda standing beside Danny on the front porch.

EJ jumped out of the car running towards the farmhouse, taking a deep breath as if he’d been gone away for days. EJ rushed back into Ma, Pa, and his families’ arms, “Oh please don’t make me do that again.”

Ma and Pa of course not answering him because they knew the answer to the question wiping the tears from Ma’s eyes as she watched him leave, longer and longer as time went by.

Full days were easy compared to what they were asking in return. As EJ, Ma and Pa sat around the table with Mr. Barns and his little black briefcase. Its time for those boring reviews as they watched him flip through files of his grades and reports on home visits. Which were most of them lies according to him?

Yet the problems that were there and noted clearly in the case file seemed to be swept under the rug. Every time Mrs. Jennings brought them up, Mr. Barns would shrug them off. “Well it’s expected,” he would say or not pay any attention to them regardless of the type or the severity of the problem.

“Looks like we are doing quite well,” Mr. Barns said looking down at the file in his hand, “if I don’t say so myself. Your grades are good, high marks, attendants excellent. Well then everything in order,” checking off things, making some notes in the file. “I think we're ready to progress to the next step,” as he smiled like a cat toying with his mouse.

“Let's see spring break is coming up I believe, it’s a four day weekend looking at my chart here, yes. Mrs. Jennings will pick up the boy and drop him off at his folks for the weekend,” Mr. Barns making the last of his notes before closing his briefcase; looked up at Martha and Wayne and EJ at their white faces, “what’s wrong? Did I miss something?” he asked not really caring, but amused.

“Mr. Barns, he, he can’t?” Martha said her voice shaking.

“He can’t what, Mrs. Downing?” Mr. Barns asks as he starts to stand and head for the door.

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