The ornate Victorian-style house held court in the center of the block, its lush lawns and tasteful landscaping beckoning passersby to take ease on its plush lawn or deep porches.  Under its peaceful exterior, a tiger crouched.

After a night of raging against those who loved her most, Ellen lay in a drugged sleep until nearly noon.  She awoke dry-mouthed and groggy, remembering only that she had been treated unjustly by her mother and husband.  She seethed with anger, particularly at that “hateful brat.”  That little beast wasn’t going to get the best of her.  And if her witch of a mother thought she could separate her from her baby, she’d find out who she was dealing with soon enough!  Charles had always been a fool, but easily handled, a whiff of perfume and a twitch of her behind always brought him around.

Cora brought her lunch tray up around noon, only to find her coffee tray untouched.  Ellen was cold and high-handed most days.  Cora expected a storm of before the day was over.  Miss Jessie showed up around one, staggering under a mountain of boxes.

“I don’t know if Miss Ellen’s gonna see you.  She didn’t feel good last night.” Cora warned her.

“Would you please tell her I’m here with a load of precious things for her little girls ?  She made me promise to bring them today.”  Miss Jessie asked.

“I’ll tell her, but I ain’t promisin’ nothin’.”   Cora warned.

“I’ve been bringing things by to Miss Ellen for years.”  Miss Jessie laughed.  “I’ll be fine.”

They were interrupted by Ellen calling down the stairs. “Did Jessie finally get here?  I’ve been waiting for hours!”

Geneva joined them at an early dinner, their first as a family.  Since Ginny was so thoroughly bonded, it was easier to let Geneva feed her.  “Tomorrow we’re going to throw away those ragged overalls away and get you some decent clothes.”  Ellen told Charley.  “”We can’t have you running around looking like a little ragamuffin, can we?”

“No! Don’t throw my ragamuffin overalls away!  My overalls are good! Bessie gave ’em to me!  I don’t want decent clothes!” Charley protested.

“”Don’t dispute me, young lady.  Those overalls are going in the trash after your bath, tonight!”  Ellen announced coldly.  “Mother, I can’t believe you let my daughter wear hand-me-downs from Cousin Jean’s maid.  That’s humiliating.  I hope no one saw her!  What were you thinking?  Don’t you care about my feelings at all?”  Ellen was shouting at her mother now.  This was the mother Charley remembered and feared.    She burst out crying and ran to her grandmother.

“Ellen, I will not be spoken to this way.  I have cared for you children when you weren’t able to.  There is no shame in hand-me-downs.  Bessie was kind enough to share with us for which I am grateful.  I won’t have you treating Charley this way!”  Geneva was clearly furious as she tried to calm the crying children.

“Ellen, control yourself.  Miss Geneva has been a Godsend caring for the children these last months. You should be down on your knees thanking her for all she’s done!  You will NOT burn Charley’s overalls!”  He turned to Geneva.

“Miss Geneva, could I impose on you to keep the children?  I know I have already asked far to much, but Ellen and I have things to talk about.”  His wife’s eyes burned with rage at her husband’s words.

“That crazy bitch is not taking my baby, anywhere!  Give her to me!  You’re not stealing my baby again.”  She rushed at her mother, shoving Charley to the floor and scratching her mother’s face in the process.  “Give her to me! Give her to me!” Ellen was screaming now, trying to wrestle the terrified baby from Geneva.  Charles restrained his furious wife while Cora and Josie helped Geneva.

“Geneva, I am so ashamed and sorry.” He turned to his oldest son George. “George, please drive your grandmother and the girls home.  Michael, I need you to help me get your mother to her room.  Josie, Cora.  My apologies to you for my wife’s appalling behavior  She wouldn’t want you to see her like this if she were herself.”

Charles and his son Michael carried Ellen screaming to her room, where Charles sedated her.  He was devastated at the disaster his and Ellen’s lives had become.

 

 

As they entered the kitchen, Charley threw herself in Cora’s open arms like she’d never let her go.  In contrast, Charley and Ellen were reserved at their reunion, especially when Ellen saw her overalls.  “Oh my, Charlotte!  Pretty little girls don’t wear overalls.  We have to get you some dresses!”  Geneva cringed.  With the confusion surrounding Cousin Jean’s death, she’d forgotten how Ellen would react to  tattered overalls.  At the criticism, Charley was shy and held herself straight as a stick when her mother hugged her.  “Don’t you even have a hug for me?” She demanded.  Ellen had never been an understanding mother at best.  Eight months is a lifetime to a five-year-old.  At seeing Baby Ginny for the first time in memory, Ellen was enchanted with her reddish curls and bright blue eyes.  “”Oh, you little angel!  Look at those precious pink cheeks!”  Though Ginny was bashful, she ducked her head to her father’s shoulder and flirted with her mother.  Ellen couldn’t have been more pleased.

“She looks just like you, doesn’t she, My Love?” said Charles.  “She’s the image of Charley at that age, and she and Charley just dote on each other!  They are so sweet together.” Charles tried to redirect the conversation to the wide-eyed little girl.

“Oh yes, no mother could ask for a prettier baby, but I don’t think she looks a bit like Charlotte.  Don’t you remember Charlotte looked like a fat bald-headed man till her hair finally came in.?”  Charley’s lip quivered.

“Boys, maybe Charley would like to go out back.  I seem to remember a big surprise waiting for her next to the birdbath.”  Charles tried to protect her feelings with a distraction.

“Hey, Charley!  I’ll race you.  First one there gets the surprise!”  Thrilled, Charley sped out the back door.” She’d never gotten enough of her brothers.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Charles spoke.  “Ellen, Charley didn’t need to hear you praise Ginny and say ugly things about her.  Don’t forget her tender little feelings.  I’m surprised at you!”  Cora stood with her back to them, her face stiff with fury.

“Of course, Dear.  How thoughtless of me.”  Ellen answered, but her eyes were black with fury at his reproach.

Life at Cousin Jean’s with doting family was all a child could have asked.   Charley tagged along behind Robert and Bobby at their work, milking, plowing, riding the tractor, and working the crops.  Should she tire of them, she had a sweet baby sister to cuddle and Josie and Birdie to keep her busy.  The dog had found a litter of speckled pups and was happy to share them after a few weeks,  The chickens and cats came running when she called.  What more could a child ask?

She was there long enough that she’d outgrown all the clothes packed for her, so she wore hand-me-down overalls and simple popover dresses Geneva had constructed by hand, her first attempts at sewing.  Mimicking her hero, Robert, Charley never went anywhere without her straw hat.  She’d not worn a shoe all summer.

Charley’s father and brothers visited her every couple of weeks on Charles’s Wednesday off while Cora was with Ellen.  She loved her brothers’ rough games and wrestling with them.  She was no shrinking violet and gave as good as she got.  She’d always held a special spot in her father’s heart, maybe since he’d had early concerns about her.  He’d not had a real chance to bond with Ginny since she’d been with Geneva practically since birth.  He looked forward to having his family together.

After Cousin Jean’s death, Charles fetched Geneva, Charley, Ginny, and Josie home.  All four were crying as they left the farm.  Geneva grieved her loss. Charley, because Geneva wept, and she hadn’t been allowed to bring a puppy, and Josie at leaving her sweetheart.  Ginny cried because at eight months, she was good at it.

He stooped in at his office for a few minutes and took Cora’s call before heading home to prepare Ellen for the girl’s homecoming.