Chapter 10-3

Chapter 10-3

 

Rena takes Mr. Parker and her three boys leaving the rest to search the area. Rena knocks on the door looking around the place outside of the house she noticed the barred windows in the back of the house not surprised, the reports are true Jim put those up a couple of days ago in the middle of the night.  Before he left for safer parts of town, she was told, not surprising really, he’s done worse. 

Linda quickly opens the door with a smile on her face with dirt smudges as she wiped the sweat off her face. “Come in, please. Sorry about the mess, just rearranging a few things.” Rena looked around the room seeing the girl’s clothes, bedding stacked in piles in a corner of the living room as they bring more stuff down from one room placing it another pile with frowning faces.

“I have decided to change rooms, giving Danny the smaller room closer to me and the girls the bigger one for them since EJ will be spending most of his time with the Downing’s and will be here only for short visits when we find him. Plus that room always gives off a bad feeling for both of us. This was the best way I could think of besides moving,” she said.

Rena nods looking at the barred windows and the bits of boards laying still on the floor.  In the corner of the room lays the doors with the chain hanging lose with the broken door with busted hinges. “I see,” walking Linda back down the hall, “you have really thought this out. Does Jim know yet?” She asked.

“No.” Linda tries to smile watching the girls, Linda picking through some more boxes of old clothes tossing them into a pile. “I think he’ll come around after he sits and stews about it, realizing there’s nothing he can do about it. We all need a change I think including him, he just refuses to admit. In time he’ll change I think for Danny sake, but for EJ there’s a lot hate for him, he’s never liked him from the start. We always thought he reminded him of some else at first, I was hoping he might grow out of it, but as time went on as I changed, soon I realized that person was not a bad person at all. In fact, I could admire a person like that.” Linda said with a long sigh as she wiped her brow.

“Well that’s last of it mother,” Peggy said staring down at the floor frowning.

 

Linda just smiles as she stands, “Alright boys I guess we are ready. Jim has all the tools you need in the shed to disassemble the beds, and I just need you to trade places swapping the rooms. The girls and I can take it from there. If you boys wouldn’t mind taking that horrible door and the busted plywood out of the room I would be so grateful.”

“Yes, ma’am.” They replied grabbing the busted up door and splinters of wood in the room.

“I’ll have Jim remove those bars when he gets home. It’s not fit for ladies.” Rena helps Linda with sorting of the old clothes as they go back into the closet, things they haven’t worn in years, they either outgrown or worn out.

The boy’s clothes were easy as Linda tries to smile. EJ was never home that much so she never had to buy for him as she folds a couple pairs of new jeans in the dresser drawer and hangs some shirts in a closet and placed couple shoe-boxes of new shoes for him. Danny had a little bit more, but not many as she folds them, place them in the dresser with his shirts next to EJ’s.

They had very few decorations in the room which was odd considering his hobbies. Linda just shrugged her shoulders not saying much regarding them because she wasn’t all that sure anymore what he liked or disliked. He hasn’t been home long enough to build interest that she would know or they never paid any attention to. He spent more time away from home than actually living at home as a child.

Rena slowly nods her head while making the beds as she listened to Linda. Her own thoughts of her own children could not compare, she would be so lost without them. Not seeing them every day watching them grow, play and bond becoming a family, but here looking at this family it is so empty and cold it has been that way for years. It has no heart or soul just coldness.

Morgan must have known this, that is why it was easy pickings. It was just a matter of time before things were about to change. He could not afford it. EJ found what he was looking for all his life a home, a family that loves him endlessly. Morgan could not allow that from happening so he stirs up trouble here forcing the other hand here before things were beginning to change.

Morgan makes his desperate move in stealing the boy hoping they will forget all about him in time. Rena carefully watched Linda, “so Linda. How much do you know about EJ?” Placing some dresses in the girl's closets.

“Not a lot, I believe his grandmother knows more than I do. He was in the scouts once I heard was really good, had lots of badges of different kinds, and I never did get to see any of them. He likes to read, very quiet most of the time, he doesn’t have many friends that I know of, he prefers to be left alone. At least that’s the EJ I knew. But lately, he’s like a whole different person, he has grown in so many ways as if the old EJ was suffocating him.

“He seems happier when he’s down there than with us. I can see it in his face and in his eyes tormenting him, tarring him apart inside. I doubt I will or ever could be able to make him that happy or even come close, not after this. So I have decided to leave things alone when we find him for now.

“Stay with short visit once in a while if he can tolerate them. If not I will visit him myself with Danny. Now that’s better,” Linda said looking around the room. “Danny has his own room which he can share with his bother from time to time. Girls can spread out change the feeling of this nasty room.” She said with a tired sigh.

The boys loaded the old clothing and rags in back of the pickup to haul to the junkyard and Linda put the tools back in the shed looks up the road, “Rena I believe that’s your husband.”

Rena squints her eyes placing her hand over her face to block the sun out of her eyes. “And yours to Linda, neither one looks too happy.”

“Well, that’s Jim for you, his never happy. Yours just looks worried that’s all.”

Kollie walked a little quicker seeing his wife and his three boys and waves to them as they wave back. “Everything all right dear?” Rena asked.

Kollie looks towards New Downing pausing then looks at Linda and the boys …“Yes. Aunty M just had the flu that’s all, felt a little run down need some bed rest. She’ll be fine in a few days,” as he looked across the horizon.

“Linda says she tried to call down there but nobody would answer the phone.”

“Oh yes the phones were all down, we had a heck of a storm after you left, hail as big as your fist, broken glass everywhere, it was a mess. In fact, that’s why I had to come back so fast where the phones are working right so I can call Doc Hatfield to come to help me down there with some of the nurses to help with the wounded. The phone line snapped could be at least a good hour before they are repaired or longer who’s to say.”

Rena could tell there was more to this story then he was telling as she watched his eyes drift across the valley. He seemed shaken, nervous like a cat walking on thin ice as if was cracking, but now is not the time to drag it out of him looking at Linda and Jim just a few feet away.

Jim slowly walking down the hill to where everyone’s at, doesn’t say a word just goes into the house looks down the hall and sighs mumbles looking at what his wife has done.  “Why couldn’t she just left things alone?” Closing the bedroom door waits for everyone to leave……