Cruel Harvest (19 page)

afraid to say too much.

I knew that Jesus was pleading,

and all he needed was one touch.

We prayed and asked for Jesus

to give him the strength and His power

and the angels rejoiced in heaven

as Jimmy was saved in that hour!

Jesus is coming back sooner

than many may understand,

And now I can rest in peace knowing

my brother will be holding His hand.

Not long after that, I spoke to Jimmy about how much he had changed.

“Sometimes change isn't for real,” he said.

I could tell he was frightened that his addiction might return.

“I know the difference,” I said.

“How do you mean?”

“Daddy acted like he was a changed man once. But I could tell it was not real.”

“How do you mean that?” he asked, so I told him what happened after my father arrived at Connie Maxwell.

Nellie and I
hid in that pantry for what felt like an hour. I am sure it was not that long, but by the time Mrs. McDonald came in and called for us, I was as panicked as Nellie.

“Girls,” our housemother said. “Your father is here and he wants to talk to you.”

I wouldn't come out. Nellie cowered deeper into the shadows. I could hear Mrs. McDonald's footsteps on the tile. She paced back and forth before leaving the room. A few minutes later one of the school's counselors came in.

“Girls, your father is here to visit with you. Don't you know how special you are? Not many of your dorm sisters have a father who cares enough to come see them. Don't you want to come out and say hello? He's not going to take you anywhere. You should come out and see him. I'll stay with you, and so will Mrs. McDonald.”

The counselor kept on talking to us, but the seed was planted. I knew she was telling the truth. Not many of my friends at Connie Maxwell had fathers. We should be thankful. Maybe things hadn't been as bad as I remembered. Maybe it would be okay.

Nellie bought in as well. Hand-in-hand we came out of the pantry, and the counselor led us to the visitors' room. Just past the beautiful grand piano, I saw Daddy sitting in one of the burgundy leather chairs. Aunt Gracie sat beside him. She smiled ear to ear when she saw Nellie and me.

“Come here and sit down, children,” she said. “Let me have a look at you.”

I did as bidden and took a seat in front of her. At first I tried not to look at Daddy. As Aunt Gracie continued to speak, gushing about how nice we looked, I shot a glance or two toward him. He sat leaning forward, smiling as well. That may have been the first time I'd seen him do that.

“You have done such an excellent job,” my daddy said to Mrs. McDonald. “The Lord's work.”

I saw Mrs. McDonald smile. Daddy turned his attention to the counselor.

“Beautiful place here,” he said. “And the children look so happy. I want to thank you for taking care of my young ones.”

He was charming the pants off the adults, but he never said anything to me or Nellie. Aunt Gracie did all the talking to us.

“Susie's been staying with us,” she said.

My eyes shot wide open. Brenda had always been a second mother to me, but Susie, with her dreams of stardom and greatness, was my idol.

“Is Susie okay?” I asked, inching to the edge of my seat.

I noticed Daddy looking at me with interest as Gracie told me that Susie was doing well. I thought nothing of it, though, because I was intent on hearing anything I could about my sister. When Gracie passed to a different subject, though, I glanced back at him. He was talking to one of the adults. His voice sounded velvety. My head tilted as I listened; I saw him almost as a stranger but also remembered that smooth way of talking. Hadn't he spoken to Mama that way after he hurt her?

At one point, Aunt Gracie looked at Daddy, and I knew the visit was coming to an end. I was not sad about that. Although I liked hearing about my sister, I wanted to go back to my life at Connie Maxwell. I had no interest in sitting there and listening to my daddy talk to the adults. I squirmed, and Mrs. McDonald noticed.

“Frances, Nellie, why don't you go on up to your room? It is almost time for dinner.”

Aunt Gracie asked for a hug. I reluctantly agreed. Daddy just smiled. Nellie and I left the room. On the way out, I could hear Daddy talking again.

“I would like to come visit again soon. It is so nice to see my children. You've done such an excellent job.”

The next week
I was busy sweeping the dining room floor when Mrs. McDonald came in to find me.

“I swept under the chairs,” I proudly said.

She smiled. “You have visitors.”

My stomach turned when she said that. “My daddy?”

“Yes, and your sister.”

“My sister? Is Susie here?”

She nodded again. I bolted out of the dining room, letting the broom fall to the floor. When I got to the visitors' room, Nellie was not there yet. I rushed over to Susie and gave her a great big hug. She looked wonderful, like a movie star. Her long blond hair curled around her beautiful face. I plopped down on the arm of her chair, close enough that I could hug her whenever I wanted.

Nellie came in soon after, and she was ecstatic to see Susie too. That's when I noticed something different about Susie. She did not seem as bubbly as usual. Instead, she sat there in silence. Daddy did the talking this time.

“Hi, girls,” he said. “Look what I brought you.”

Daddy reached out his hand. In it, he held two identical dolls. They had smooth porcelain faces with cherub cheeks and long black eyelashes. Their hair was curly and blond and combed perfectly. Each wore a long, white satin wedding dress with a veil.

“Bride dolls!” Nellie said in awe.

Nellie had wanted a bride doll forever. She was lost now. I was afraid he'd won her over. She oohed and ahhed and even smiled at him.

“It's just what I wanted,” she gushed. “It's what me and Frances always wanted. Isn't it, Frances?”

“No, it's not! I wanted a guitar,” I said.

Nellie gave me an angry look. She snatched her doll up and gave it a hug. I took mine, holding it limply by the arm, letting the dress drag on the floor. I didn't even like bride dolls. They were too fancy and frilly.

“Do you girls want to come visit? I can bring you to our house. You can see Susie and Jimmy. It'll be fun. I can pick you up right after the Fourth of July. What do you think?”

I did not want to go. In spite of the idea of seeing Susie, my instincts told me to stay away.

“What a great idea,” the counselor said. “Don't you think, Frances? Think of how much one of your sisters here at Eason would give to be able to visit with her father. What a blessing.”

Nellie agreed, all smiles now that she had her doll. I said nothing, hoping my silence would speak loud enough, but the decision was made for me. All of a sudden Daddy was making arrangements with the counselor, planning to pick us up on July 5, 1959. Before he left, he leaned in close.

“Don't forget to bring those dolls with you.”

On the morning
of July 5, I packed a small bag. I almost left that doll behind, but a part of me that had survived living with Daddy before kicked in. I picked it up, feeling that if I didn't, I'd be in trouble.

Aunt Gracie's car pulled up outside. Nellie and I were ushered out, and we climbed into the backseat. Daddy was on the passenger side. He turned around and smiled.

“You remembered your dolls,” he said.

We nodded.

Aunt Gracie drove us to her house. Jimmy was there waiting for us. He was older now, about sixteen. Susie, however, was not there; nobody told us where she had gone. Aunt Gracie put us up in a spare room, and Daddy showed us the room he was staying in. It looked clean, and I saw a pair of grey striped coveralls hanging from the door.

“I'm working up at the station as a mechanic,” he said.

Sure enough, the next morning he was off to work. Nellie and I were left to playing outside. Aunt Gracie fed us lunch. That night, when Daddy came home, he was still smiling and friendly. He washed up and changed his clothes. “How would y'all like to go out with your Daddy for the evening?” he asked. Nellie and I agreed.

“Let's go into town,” he said.

He borrowed my uncle's car and drove us to a diner. We had hamburgers and milk shakes. Afterward, he walked us to the theater.
Sleeping Beauty
was showing. To my surprise, he bought us tickets and even let us get candy. The three of us settled in seats toward the front. The movie took me away. I felt as though I'd entered one of the beautiful stories Mama used to tell me.

I remember being sad when the movie was over. It was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. Daddy was all smiles when he walked us back to the car. Once we got on the road, he talked to us.

“You know that your Mama left me,” he said. “I've been trying to find you ever since. She was mad at me and told lies about what happened. She got me in some trouble with those stories, but the police figured out they weren't true. I'm so happy I found you, but you can't trust a word she told you about me.”

We didn't say anything, but later that night after we were put to bed, I moved closer to Nellie.

“I was young when he was taken away,” I whispered.

“Me too,” she said.

“You remember how mean he was?”

Nellie paused. “Sometimes.”

“You think he's changed any?”

“I don't know. Maybe.” I felt Nellie shrug her shoulders. I did the same and then curled up and fell asleep. Oftentimes, children believe what they are told. It had been nearly three years since he had been sent to prison. The memory of the man he used to be had been suppressed. I wasn't sure what to believe now. He bribed us with gifts and candy. He didn't seem like the same man at all.

As our vacation
with Daddy continued, my doubts increased. Daddy treated me and Nellie like princesses. At the same time, I never did see Susie. When I asked Aunt Gracie where she'd gone, she just told me that Susie came and went as she wished.

I knew our visit was coming to an end soon. I'd heard the adults at Connie Maxwell say it was to last two weeks. So when July 18 came around, I figured we had one more day. I was excited to return home. I missed my dorm sisters, Mrs. McDonald, and everyone else there.

July 18 was a Saturday, but Daddy left for work early in the morning. Nellie and I were playing outside when an old gray 1952 Studebaker rattled up to the curb.

“What do you think?” Daddy asked as he got out of the driver's seat.

I took a look at the car. “What is it?”

I spoke without thinking. Nellie peeked inside and told me to come have a look. When I did, she put her head near mine.

“Tell him it's nice,” she whispered.

“Let's go for a drive,” he said. “Go get those dolls I gave you.”

I looked at Nellie. She hesitated on the sidewalk beside the car.

“Hurry on up,” he said.

Although his tone was not one of anger, it carried something that startled us and made us rush into the house. I came out carrying my doll. Daddy had the backseat door open. We jumped in and he hurried into the front. The engine roared to life, and the car rolled away from Uncle Mose's house. No one was there to see us off.

Chapter 15
Taken

Minutes turned to
endless hours, and Daddy drove on in silence. I knew that we would never be returning to Connie Maxwell, the only real home I'd ever known. At the time, I did not understand the word
kidnap
. Even if I had, I never would have dreamed that a father could kidnap his own children. It never occurred to me to run away or call the police. He was our dad, and we were his property.

As the day passed, we never stopped for food or turned back. The car moved ever westward, away from South Carolina and Connie Maxwell. At one point, I dozed off in the backseat. When I came to, the car was shaking and rattling over a dirt road. When I looked outside, I could barely make out the access road we were on in the growing darkness. Soon we slipped into a copse of trees, and the car came to a stop.

Daddy told us to stay in the backseat and lay down. He had to sleep, he said. We obeyed, and I fell back asleep. It seemed as though a heavy blanket weighed me down.

The next day passed in somewhat the same way. Several hours down the road, Daddy decided to stop at a service station that had a small grocery attached. He offered us food, but I could not eat. All I could do was shake my head in response. I got out and shuffled to a water fountain. I drank and visited the bathroom but returned straight to the car. Once in the backseat, I curled up in a ball and went back to sleep.