Chapter 5-3

Chapter 5-3

“Now then how about some of that? Oh my look at the time, my how I rattle on child,” Mrs. Trenny said looking at the clock. Stuffing her mouth full of roast beef, cleaning her plate cleaning last bits of the crumbs on her plate. “Linda I must say you cook a fine meal,” as she quickly dawns on her jacket. “Know then I like to sleep in late, so I keep the tools locked in the shed,” pulling out a spare key handing it to EJ. “You boys can start tomorrow if you like… Linda thanks for the meal. I really must be off, Jim.” as she nods waves backing out the door “tata” heads off down the road leaving Jim and Linda standing there.

“Jim that woman,” Linda shaking her head glancing down at EJ with the key in his hand, “has always been strange and peculiar, but she does have a point,” as she slowly clears the table. “Imaging EJ helping her and those boys, what is she thinking?”  Then staring down at EJ for just a quick moment.

Jim looks at Linda as if she just lost her mind. As if she even suggest the idea of him leaving the house unsupervised. His mother taking the key out of his hand.  EJ slowly hangs his head looking at Danny in the room. “please let this make difference for him.” EJ’s mother whispers to herself.

EJ slowly excuses himself goes back to his room waits for nightfall as the clock slowly ticks by.  His mother watches him go back down the hall bringing in some desert in hopes in cheering him up as she to watched him look outside the window down the road towards the farm road that only he could see as he calculates the path in his mind from here to there and sighs….

* * *

 

Martha and the girls setting the table, its quiet tonight without the boys as everyone looks up the stairs. Not a single light on in the bedrooms as Pa finished up the chores with Aunty M out in the barn. “Wayne they’ll be alright,” she said as Wayne looks down the road where his boys are scattered from here to breakfast. One in a house he does not want to be in, two as hired hands just so they can be close to him. His family clears out here where he can’t touch them or see them.

Aunty M puts her arm around Wayne hoping it will help to cheer him up. “Wayne think of it as if they are on a cattle drive them boys of yours and they’ll be home soon waiten for you tuck them in again.”

“I am Aunty M, I am” as tears form in his eyes, “but those cattle are real mean and there in the trenches and I can’t help them.”

Aunty M tried really hard to control her feelings, “that’s because their not boys anymore isn’t it?” As he stares down at the ground. “They are young men now and have to find their own way out.” She said wiping a stubborn tear from her eye as they both look down the road.

Martha and the girls slowly set the table looking at the empty places as Pa and Aunty M walked into the house not saying a word. House is quiet except for the two little ones wondering where their brothers are as they looked up the stairs out the windows. Ma, sisters lie to them, “they have gone camping for the weekend with their friends and will be back on Monday,” as they looked at each other with worried faces.

Nobody was in the mood for light conversation as they put the children to bed as they sat in their rooms watching the clock as it ticked by hour after hour, Ma and Pa pacing the floor. The farm was a tomb of death sitting on needles, waiting for word what was going on as Wayne and Martha waited by the phone.

Finally, it rang as she sprang for it, for life on the other end. “Martha he’s alright” …. Martha breaths with a sigh of relief whispering to everyone in the room the news…. “The boys were with him most of the day… and I delivered the packages and the bait….now it's up to your boys…” Mrs. Trenny said on the other end of the phone.

“Thanks, Mrs. Trenny” Martha replied. Martha hung up the phone sighed with relief, “alright Wayne it’s up to them now.”

 

“Martha trusts them, they got us this far,” Wayne said.

“I know, I know it’s just a lot to ask,” as they prepare for bed themselves.

* * *

 

Are you sure you and your husband will be ok dear?” Mrs. Trenny asked as Rena and Kollie looking at one the smaller rooms for themselves.

“Yes Mrs. Trenny will be just fine, the boys are just down the hall we will be just fine. Thanks for asking Mrs. Trenny,” Rena said.

“Oh please call me Rose dear, all my friends do.”

“All right Rose we’ll be just fine and you call me Rena and course my husband Kollie.”

“Yes, an interesting name I must say like my own, unlike the flower. South African name of big Chiefs in the country or big man which I was named after my great grandfather; which later on Doc Hatfield brought me over to this country during the war. I went to school and became a Doctor myself. O those were the days,” Kollie replied taking Rena’s hand in his.

“You see we didn’t have much, just a small apartment with one room. Rena was with child and Frank was about maybe two… me a small time Doctor just getting my feet wet. Delivering babies here and there.  No Rose this is a palace compared to that. We thank you for your hospitality and your kindness, we will be just fine.” He said as they wished her goodnight closing the door behind them as they fell sweetly into each other's arms. The rooms may be smaller then they are back on their farm, but they don’t mind helping out a neighbor or a friend.

* * *

 

Will and Robert cross the street from EJ house waiting for the lights to go out as Robert unrolls his bedroll for the night. Robert helping Will strap his on his back as they cross the field tiptoeing across to the house? Robert carefully raised the ladder to the window wrapping the quilt around it so it makes no sound against the side of the house. Will tapped on the window. EJ checks to make sure the coast was clear. Opened the window, “alright the coast is clear.”

Will stepped through the window with his bedroll whispering to Danny to be quiet as Danny sees Will enter through the window. Linda yelled down the hall for them. “To be quiet go to bed.”

Danny yelling back. “Yes, mamma.” Giggling while Will carefully removed his shoes so he doesn’t make any more noise as he slips under EJ’s bed. EJ closed the window carefully waving at Robert as he removed the ladder putts into the field.  Then walked back to Mr. Johnson’s hay barn until its time to retrieve Will from EJ house in a few hours.

Linda walked the halls, checking the children rooms, walked into boys rooms as she done many times these past few nights, but tonight’s different as she gazed down a upon the beds of her sleeping boys, “yes boys!” Thinking, one in each bed. As she looked around the room.  “At last I have them both… I... and at home.” A soft tear in her eye as she looked upon her sleeping boy Danny then she looks at EJ she wonders he doesn’t seem all that happy “strange as if he should be, I wonder could it be. No, he’s mine, I have won.” She leaned forward just to touch him. To touch his face, seeing if it’s real or just a dream. 

As she approaches he shirks back just a little as he opens his eyes in fear as terror crosses his faces. Then melts after a few moments as he sees who it is, but the fear never leaves him as she touched his face. “It’s only me son sleep, please sleep.”

EJ mother sees the terror in his eyes, EJ heart begins to race, and his breathing hasting as she looked down the hall sees his father standing in the hallway watching her. EJ’s mother turns around seeing the shadow of her husband Jim in the hallway understands. “Alright EJ, Alright son, he won’t come in here,” EJ nods never leaving his eyes of the figure in the hallway as his mother leaves the room. Pushing his father back down the hall towards the girl’s room. “Jim!” shaking her head. “Don’t… he’s not ready for you...”

“But dear.”

“NO!” Jim, I said no and you promised.” She said as they both went down the hall.

Will underneath the bed grabbed EJ’s hand, gripping it tight whispering, “remember brother I’m here for you and I am not letting you go.” EJ relaxes as the lights return back to the darkness around him. His breathing slows as he watches the clock tick by hour by hour down the hall. Sometimes a light would come on, his eyes would flutter open seeing his sister Peggy staring right at him, glaring in the doorway as they pass by.  Other times his mother would check to make sure he was still here as he lay there motionless waiting for the shoe to drop. 

It was nearly daybreak when Robert came for Will as EJ quickly pats him on the back as he tossed Robert his things.  “Thanks, Will,” EJ replied.

“Hey, you know you do the same for me, bro.” EJ tries to smile and waves whispering back thanks.  EJ waved to them watching them go as he closed the window quickly jumping back into bed to wait to tell morning by their standards as he watches his brother sleep.  “Oh how I miss home,” he replies as glanced the hallway one more time as he yawns tries to sleep a few winks from an unrest full night.