and sighed.
“You want some Oreos, lady?” The child held the package out to me.
“Don’t mind if I do,” I said, taking one. “But call me Mrs. Springer, not lady. That sounds like you don’t know who I am.”
“No’m. I mean, yes’m.” He nibbled a cookie all the way around, then started back at it like a mouse, taking tiny bites until he had only a little nubbin of the center left. Wesley Lloyd had had peculiar eating habits, too.
It made me nervous to watch him, so I said, “Don’t you want to play?”
“No’m, I don’t much feel like it.” He turned his head toward me when he spoke, but still wouldn’t look me in the eye.
I didn’t feel much like talking, so we ate Oreo cookies and listened to the birds in the trees.
Before long, Lillian stuck her head out the back door andcalled me in. “You got company,” she said. “Miz Conover and Mr. Sam and yo’ preacher, they all here to see ’bout you.”
I sighed and got up, telling Little Lloyd he’d be better off to stay outside. “If you haven’t already learned it,” I said, “news gets around fast in this town. I wouldn’t be surprised if the nine-one-one line wasn’t connected to the Presbyterian Women’s Prayer Chain.”
I was glad that Lillian and her girls had started with the living room, because it was straightened enough to receive company by now. They were all there: Sam, sitting at his ease in a chair, hat on his knee and a concerned look on his face; LuAnne, chirping around in her usual excited state; and Pastor Ledbetter, standing by the front window like he was daring the burglar to try it again.
Pastor Ledbetter and LuAnne started toward me, talking at once, asking how I was, what was stolen, did I know who’d done it. Sam stood up when I came into the room, but he hung back waiting, I guess, to get a word in edgewise.
“Everybody’s fine,” I assured them. “Have a seat now. I appreciate your concern, but it’s nothing. Just vandals, most likely.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Pastor Ledbetter pronounced. “There’re no morals left anymore. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better, as the Bible tells us. The closer we get to the millennium, the more of this kind of thing we can expect. It starts with the breakdown of the family, Miss Julia, which is why it’s imperative for you to get that child back with his own family. You don’t want to be standing in the way of a united family, and my counsel is to get that boy back with his kin. All this trouble dates from the time you agreed to take him from his mother.”
Sam frowned, opened his mouth, then turned away from the pastor like he had to get himself under control. I took a deep breath, not wanting to admit that I, too, had wondered if the break-in had had anything to do with Little Lloyd. But I justshook my head, realizing it was too much trouble to straighten the preacher out on the matter of me taking a child from his mother. I’d hardly had a choice.
So I just said, “I appreciate your concern, Pastor, but please remember that I wasn’t the one who had a family to break up in the first place.”
“But it’s incumbent on all of us,” he said, “to put into practice family values. Biblical family values.”
I couldn’t understand why he was blaming me for a break-in at my own house and a breakdown of all families everywhere. I’d had enough of it.
“Which biblical family would you be talking about?” I snapped, having in mind all the adultery, fratricide, incest, murder, multiple wives, envy, and downright meanness displayed by any number of families in the Bible.
“Oh, Julia,” LuAnne said, reaching for my hand and patting it. “You’re all upset.”
“Of course I am, LuAnne,” I said, snatching back my hand. “What do you expect after somebody’s been through my papers and underclothes and closets and drawers? Sam, have a seat. I don’t see anything funny about it.” I said that because he was smiling a little, even
“You want some Oreos, lady?” The child held the package out to me.
“Don’t mind if I do,” I said, taking one. “But call me Mrs. Springer, not lady. That sounds like you don’t know who I am.”
“No’m. I mean, yes’m.” He nibbled a cookie all the way around, then started back at it like a mouse, taking tiny bites until he had only a little nubbin of the center left. Wesley Lloyd had had peculiar eating habits, too.
It made me nervous to watch him, so I said, “Don’t you want to play?”
“No’m, I don’t much feel like it.” He turned his head toward me when he spoke, but still wouldn’t look me in the eye.
I didn’t feel much like talking, so we ate Oreo cookies and listened to the birds in the trees.
Before long, Lillian stuck her head out the back door andcalled me in. “You got company,” she said. “Miz Conover and Mr. Sam and yo’ preacher, they all here to see ’bout you.”
I sighed and got up, telling Little Lloyd he’d be better off to stay outside. “If you haven’t already learned it,” I said, “news gets around fast in this town. I wouldn’t be surprised if the nine-one-one line wasn’t connected to the Presbyterian Women’s Prayer Chain.”
I was glad that Lillian and her girls had started with the living room, because it was straightened enough to receive company by now. They were all there: Sam, sitting at his ease in a chair, hat on his knee and a concerned look on his face; LuAnne, chirping around in her usual excited state; and Pastor Ledbetter, standing by the front window like he was daring the burglar to try it again.
Pastor Ledbetter and LuAnne started toward me, talking at once, asking how I was, what was stolen, did I know who’d done it. Sam stood up when I came into the room, but he hung back waiting, I guess, to get a word in edgewise.
“Everybody’s fine,” I assured them. “Have a seat now. I appreciate your concern, but it’s nothing. Just vandals, most likely.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Pastor Ledbetter pronounced. “There’re no morals left anymore. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better, as the Bible tells us. The closer we get to the millennium, the more of this kind of thing we can expect. It starts with the breakdown of the family, Miss Julia, which is why it’s imperative for you to get that child back with his own family. You don’t want to be standing in the way of a united family, and my counsel is to get that boy back with his kin. All this trouble dates from the time you agreed to take him from his mother.”
Sam frowned, opened his mouth, then turned away from the pastor like he had to get himself under control. I took a deep breath, not wanting to admit that I, too, had wondered if the break-in had had anything to do with Little Lloyd. But I justshook my head, realizing it was too much trouble to straighten the preacher out on the matter of me taking a child from his mother. I’d hardly had a choice.
So I just said, “I appreciate your concern, Pastor, but please remember that I wasn’t the one who had a family to break up in the first place.”
“But it’s incumbent on all of us,” he said, “to put into practice family values. Biblical family values.”
I couldn’t understand why he was blaming me for a break-in at my own house and a breakdown of all families everywhere. I’d had enough of it.
“Which biblical family would you be talking about?” I snapped, having in mind all the adultery, fratricide, incest, murder, multiple wives, envy, and downright meanness displayed by any number of families in the Bible.
“Oh, Julia,” LuAnne said, reaching for my hand and patting it. “You’re all upset.”
“Of course I am, LuAnne,” I said, snatching back my hand. “What do you expect after somebody’s been through my papers and underclothes and closets and drawers? Sam, have a seat. I don’t see anything funny about it.” I said that because he was smiling a little, even
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