Madeline Helps Out

Madeline Helps Out

 

“Madeline! Make yourself decent. Mr. Benjamin’s coming up the road.”

 

Madeline rolled her eyes at her mother and lazily pushed herself back from the table. She walked slowly from the room.

 

“Make myself decent, indeed” she said loudly enough for her mother to hear her on the other side of the curtain that separated the little kitchen from the bedroom Madeline shared with her four younger brothers. “Make myself scarce. That’s what I need to do. That man looks at me like I ain’t even wearing no clothes.”

 

“Hush, Madeline, and just be grateful. If it wasn’t for that man we wouldn’t even have a roof over our heads.”

 

Madeline came out of the bedroom wearing a yellow and blue plaid housedress. The dress was too small for her. It was stretched taut across her hips and breasts.

 

“You call that decent?” her mother complained.

 

“Well it ain’t like I’ve got a whole hell of a lot to pick from, Ma. It’s this or the nightgown you just told me to take off.”

 

“Well button your top button and go fix your hair – and pull on a sweater.”

 

“Sweater? Ma, it’s ninety degrees in here.”

 

There was a knock and Benjamin entered without waiting for them to answer.

 

“Morning, Mr. Benjamin. Willie ain’t here, I’m afraid.”

 

“Actually, Mrs. Modlin, it’s Madeline I’ve come to see. I expect that was her I just saw ducking behind that curtain.”

 

“Yes, sir. It was. You caught us by surprise. Madeline is just…”

 

Madeline came back into the kitchen, without a sweater and without buttoning her top buttons.

 

“I was just making myself decent” she said arching her eyebrow at her mother.

 

“Madeline, I came to speak to you about you helping out my mama. I’ve talked to your father. The arrangement was…”

 

“I’m aware of the arrangement, sir.  My daddy has traded me for a milk cow.”

 

“Madeline! Mind you manners.”

 

“That’s quite alright, Mrs. Modlin. Madeline is correct. I have given you the use of one of our milk cows – and a few laying hens – in exchange for your daughter’s services. I’d like you to begin this morning.” He said turning back to Madeline.

 

“She’ll be right over.”

 

“Fine. Well goodbye Mrs. Modlin, Madeline.” He said, closing the door behind him.

 

“Well ain’t he full of himself?” Madeline said as she sat back down at the kitchen table.

 

“Don’t get too comfortable. You get ready and get going. And you watch your tongue. I mean it. You ain’t too big for a good spanking.

* * *

When Pearl and Rose got home from school Madeline was in the kitchen.

 

“Madeline. Hello. Didn’t expect to see you. Where’s Mama?”

 

“She’s lying down for a bit. She looked mighty tired. I told her to lie down, Pearl.”

 

Rose watched as Madeline moved around their kitchen getting supper ready. She was uncomfortable standing idle in her own kitchen. “Let me help you, Madeline. I can cut up the chicken.”

 

Pearl dropped her books on the table. “I think I’ll go check on Mama.”

 

Madeline pointed to the books. “Don’t you have homework to do, Rose?”

 

“I can do that later. Let me help.” Without waiting for a response Rose tied on her apron.

They worked together silently for a while then Madeline asked “What’s it like going to school, Rose?”

 

“You’ve never been to school?”

 

“Nope. Never did. Can’t say I’m sorry neither, but I’ve always been curious what it was like.”

 

“Why didn’t you go to school?”

 

“I had to look after the babies so Mama could work the fields with Pa.” She noticed that Rose looked surprised. “Well she couldn’t very well leave them by themselves could she? I watched them and when they got hungry I carried them out to her so she could nurse them then I brought them back to the house. Not much time for school now, was there?”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What are you sorry about? Ain’t your fault. Besides, your family’s helping out now. Pa is real happy to be working for your brother. And I guess I don’t mind being traded for a milk cow.” She laughed. “That’s a joke, Rose. Don’t look so serious.”

 

When they were finished Madeline took off her apron and hung it by the drain board. “I’ll be going home now.”

 

Rose saw her eyeing the platter of fried chicken on the sideboard. “Why don’t you carry some home with you, Madeline. That’s way too much for us to eat.”

 

“That ain’t enough to make a dent in my brothers’ appetites but maybe I will take this for the walk home.” She smiled and took a chicken wing from the platter.

 

Rose watched from the door as Madeline walked slowly up the lane nibbling her chicken wing. When she had almost reached the end of the lane she turned and waved to Rose – like she expected her to be watching.

 

* * *

 

“Now this is good chicken. Did that little Madeline cook this all by herself? Who figured such a scrawny thing could cook like this?”

 

Rose winked at Pearl as she passed Benjamin the gravy. “She doesn’t look so scrawny to me, Brother. In fact she looks pretty filled out. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

 

“That’s quite enough, Rose.” Irene took a bite of chicken. “The girl is a good cook. But I really don’t need any help taking care of my own house, Benjamin.”

 

Pearl reached over and touched her mother’s hand. “Mama, you’ve earned a bit of rest. I’m worried about you. You’re been looking weary lately.”

 

“Pearl’s right, Mama. It will be good for you to stay off your feet and let Madeline help out. You know, she has never been to school. We got to talking this afternoon and she told me she can’t even read.”

 

Benjamin took another piece of chicken. “What does a girl like that need school for?  I’ve been thinking about having her sleep here so she’ll be here in the morning to get the fire going and see to breakfast. I don’t want her wasting half the day lollygagging over there.” He pointed his fork in the general direction of the tenant house. “We can put a cot in the pantry. Plenty of room for a cot in there. Better than she has now – sharing a room with four brothers.”

 

Irene nodded. “What you’re saying makes some sense, Benjamin. It just isn’t proper for a girl that age to be sleeping with her brothers.”

 

Benjamin glanced at Pearl who lowered her eyes and blushed deeply.

 

“What if she doesn’t want to come, Benjamin? You can’t just go over there and toss her over your shoulder and lug her back here.”

 

“No, Rose, I can’t. I was thinking of knocking her out with my crutch and tossing her in the back of my truck.” Benjamin got up from the table and went out to the back porch to smoke his pipe.

 

“Well, Sister. Guess we had better start getting the pantry ready for Madeline.”

 

“Rose, you don’t think she’ll actually agree to sleep in our pantry do you? No nice girl would just up and leave her family like that.”

 

“Pearlie, Madeline ain’t a lady and our brother ain’t no gentlemen.”

 

“Rose! I’m surprised at you. I won’t have you speaking like in that common fashion in my kitchen.”

 

“Sorry, Mama. I didn’t mean anything by it. I like Madeline. She’s had experiences.”

 

Irene fixed her eyes on her daughter. “What kind of experiences?”

 

“She doesn’t have to waste her time going to school. She acts like an adult.”

 

“Rose, school certainly is not a waste of time and acting like an adult doesn’t make her one.”

 

Irene could not know the effect that one “scrawny little girl” was about to have on her family.

 

Author's Note

I am adding chapters pretty much at random rather than trying to post the entire novel. That may account for what appear to be gaps in the story.

Reviews

[justjenn_2u]

I am enjoying every bit of this story. I like to try and figure out what will happen next. I wonder if there is going to be a horrible incident between Ben and Madeline? Hmmm, guess I should keep reading.