Wednesday, January 30, 2013

CHANGE OF LIFE - Chapter 23


 

I was excited when I put up the phone.  I had been afraid Willard might be mad at me, or maybe had adjusted to me being gone and wouldn’t want me back in his life, or maybe even would be making plans to divorce me.  None of those fears were true. He was happy to hear from me and happy that I was coming back to him!

First, I had to make a reservation for the train. I tried calling AMTRAK, but either the office was closed or they weren’t answering the phone. I will go to the library and use the computer the first thing in the morning.

Back in the dormitory I undressed to get ready for bed. Willard won’t think I’m a fat sow now. I trimmed down some more since being in Chicago. Tomorrow I’ll look for a few pieces of nice lingerie to take with me. I want Willard to be glad to have me back. I need for him to desire me. That would put the icing on the cake of my feelings of self-worth.

The next morning I sat beside a young woman from Baltimore. She was a student at Towson University.

I said, “Baltimore is my hometown. I graduated from Dundalk High School. When I was your age, your school was Towson State Teachers’ College. In those days there were no funds to assist students who couldn’t afford college. Some would go to Towson State Teachers College because if you signed an agreement to teach for two years in Maryland, the tuition was free. You still had to pay for books and room and board.”

“I’ve never had to think about getting enough money for college or clothes or anything that I needed. All my friends come from well to do families. This summer I want to travel around the country and meet ordinary people who have to struggle to survive. The economic recession and unemployment are just newspaper articles for me. I want to meet people on the other side of life.”

“How have you been doing?”

“Not very well. While you are traveling, you are almost in a cocoon with other travelers.”

“Try traveling by bus. Talk to a passenger on the bus. Talk to people sitting on the benches in the station. Get off in a small town and stay for a couple days. Talk to the waitresses, the hotel maids, the gas station attendants. In a city, like here, find the Salvation Army, and ask if you can volunteer serving meals or something else that puts you in touch with people.”

“Thanks.”

After breakfast I hurried to the library and made a reservation on the train leaving Chicago at 2PM Monday and arriving in Little Rock at 3 AM Tuesday. I didn’t see the value of a roomette if I would have to get up at 3 AM. As for the dining car, the only meal would be supper. I could go to Union Bakery and buy a sandwich to take onto the train,

There was a walking tour that day, but I decided to go shopping. I went back to the big department stores. There is nothing to compare to them in Pine Bluff or even Little Rock. I decided to spend about $100. I wanted to buy a sexy nightgown and maybe a couple saucy panties to wear when I was with Willard in Little Rock.  When I was hungry at midday, I went to Starbucks and bought a muffin and coffee for lunch. I did more looking than shopping. I am going to miss the big city atmosphere. I had grown up in a big city.

I had almost finished shopping. I thought of a headscarf. I would want one tomorrow. I didn’t know if the one I bought before was in the box, or maybe hadn’t been packed. I hadn’t seen it in the suitcase.

Back at the hostel I put my packages on the bed with my suitcase, and went back out to buy some supper. That evening I called Willard again.

“Willard, I got a ticket on the train this Monday. I’ll be getting into Little Rock about 3AM Tuesday. Can you meet me?”

“I’ll be there with bells on.”

“I’m going to St. Stanislaus Church tomorrow. I have been going to a Methodist Church with the girls. I went to St. Stanislaus the first Sunday that I was in Chicago. It reminds me of the Catholic Church I used to attend with my girl friends who were Polish.”

“I went back to Baltimore for a visit. I took some pictures of the house where you lived when we were dating. Dundalk has really changed. Our high school is a junior high school now. I went to Harbor Place a couple times. In fact I went to a Methodist Church about six blocks from Harbor Place. That was the first time I had been in church for as long as I can remember. After I came back, I’ve been going to church every Sunday. I’m reading the Bible every day also.”

“Willard, we have so much to talk about, but I am going to cut this short. I want to save enough minutes on this phone in case I have to use it on the trip. Good-night, Willard.”

“Good-night, Dolores. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

After the call was over, I sat in the lobby for a while, then went back to my dormitory room and began laying out the clothes I would wear tomorrow, hanging the clothes for Monday in my locker, and putting the rest of the things in my suitcase.

I lay in bed thinking of what it would be like to be in bed with Willard, to have him paying attention to me, and desiring me.

The next day at breakfast the young woman from Baltimore named Brenda sat beside me. She asked me,

“What are your plans for today?”

“This will be my last Sunday in Chicago. The first Sunday that I was here I attended services at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church. It is an historic church. Chicago used to have a very large Polish population. I understand that they rerouted the John F. Kennedy Expressway to avoid disturbing it.”

“Could I come along with you?”

“Of course. Do you have a headscarf?  Women wear something on their head inside the church. I wear a headscarf. Some women even put a fancy handkerchief on their head with bobby pins.”

“I think that I brought a pillbox hat.”

“I’ll meet you in the lobby about 10 AM”

I enjoyed Brenda’s company. I was overcome with emotion when I entered the church. This time I remembered to watch for people kneeling before we entered the pew. I was overwhelmed with gratitude to God for the response Willard had toward me, that I could go back, and we could try again. I was also filled with tearful nostalgia remembering my childhood. I had an understanding of my mother that had escaped me all these years. I wish that I could talk to my mother.

Brenda had been in many large churches for weddings and christenings, so the Catholic church was not strange to her. She noticed a number of distinctly Polish relics and paintings including the Black Madonna.

After church we took the el back to the area where the hostel was located. We went into a large cafeteria for our Sunday dinner.

“You know, Brenda, Chicago is the perfect city for you to become acquainted with blue collar America. For the past month or so I have been babysitting two girls ages 11 and 7 for their single mom who works as a waitress to support them. I had to leave and she is going to need someone to watch them until school starts. There was no pay, just free room and board. It is in a blue collar neighborhood. If you would be interested in being an unpaid nanny for the rest of the summer, I’ll give her a call.”

“You know that would be a perfect way to really become acquainted with people who live on the other side of life. Would you call her?”

I called Maggie’s number. She answered on the first ring.

“Maggie, this is Dolores. I am going to be leaving Chicago tomorrow. I was wondering if you have found anyone to watch your girls?”

“No, Maggie, and I’m afraid that I will get fired if I don’t find someone right away. I’ve already missed a day.”

“I met a young lady from Baltimore at the hostel where I am staying. She is a student at Towson University. She is on summer vacation, looking for a summer job. I told her about you and she seemed interested. Would you like for her to come over this afternoon and talk to you?”

“Yes, please.”

“Brenda, could you go over there now?”

“Yes.”

“She said that she would come over to see you now.”

“Thank you, Dolores, and good luck.”

I told Brenda what el line to take, what stop to get off, and drew a map on a paper napkin of how to get to Maggie’s house from the el stop.”

That evening Brenda returned to the hostel to pick up her things. She told me that Maggie wanted her to start right away.

“Their house is very plain and poor but clean and neat. My room is Spartan in every way except for that lovely futon and its comforter.”

On Monday, I left the hostel about 11AM. I took a cab to Union Station because I had a box and a suitcase. When I arrived at the Station, I had to pick up my ticket first. On a whim I upgraded to a roomette. I checked my box and then went to the Metropolitan Lounge. They took my suitcase and gave me a pass.

I left the Lounge and went outside and around the exterior of the Station to the Union Bakery. It was crowded. I ordered a bowl of soup and a sandwich on pretzel bread. I ate the soup and took the sandwich with me.

 “What a dopey thing to do. I upgraded to sleeper car. I will get my supper in the dining car.” 

Just then I saw a homeless man shuffling along away from the Station.

“Sir, would you like to have a sandwich?”

He gave me a broad smile as I handed him the bag.

At the Metropolitan Lounge I received royal treatment. When my train number was called, I went up to the door. I gave a man my suitcase claim ticket. He put the suitcase on a cart. Another man led us out to our sleeping car, gave my bag to an attendant who helped me onto the car and led me to my roomette.

Supper in the dining car was nice. The linen tablecloth, silver utensils, polite server were all touches of luxury. I did not have to sit across from snooty women. The couple who sat at my table were motorcycle enthusiasts. The man was wearing a black teeshirt with a pocket. On his arms were tattoos. The woman with him looked the part of a biker gang doll. They were both friendly and talkative. They lived in Texas and were coming back from the funeral of the man’s uncle.

I returned to my roomette and watched the scenes flash by as the sun sank into the horizon. I wondered when Willard would leave for Little Rock. When the attendant came to make up the bed, I decided to lie on top of the covers in my dress. However, it became cold and I pulled the cover over me.

I fell asleep and was awakened by the attendant rapping on my door.

“Little Rock in about thirty minutes.”

I straightened myself up, took my suitcase down and waited for the train to slow down and stop.

 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

CHANGE OF LIFE - Chapter 22


“Dolores?”

“Willard, I don’t know where to start?”

“How have you been?”

“For a while everything was going swell. I was babysitting two girls eleven and seven years old during the day while their mother was working. I had a story hour at the library and lots of kids were coming. I was going to Sunday School and church with the two girls. Everything seemed to be going fine.

“Then their father attacked me on the street – slapped me so hard it knocked me to the ground and I was still on the ground when the police arrived. His wife got a protection order against him. I thought we were safe. Then, this past weekend he broke into my room carrying a knife. He said that he was going to rape me, then cut me up until I was dog ugly.”

“Holy cow, what happened?”

“I kicked him in the groin, then I poked two fingers into his eyes, finally I hit him over the head with several books and knocked him out. Then I called the police.”

Willard roared in laughter, laughing until he was crying.

“Oh Dolores, I wish I could have seen that!”

“I wish you had been there to protect me. After the police left and I was back in my room, I sat there with a blanket around me and wishing that your arms were around me.”

“O Dolores!”

“Willard, I had to leave that home. The police are charging him with some felonies. I will probably have to testify. That is his old neighborhood. His wife told me that it wouldn’t be safe for me in that neighborhood now. Willard, I am in a motel right now. Could I come back to Little Rock, meet you there and maybe we could just walk around some place and talk over our problems. Maybe you would take me back, but it couldn’t be like it was before?”

“Dolores, yes you can come back. I have so much to talk to you about. I’ve been working with children also. In fact I am head of the Early Intervention Task Force of the police department. We are going to try to reach children at risk before they get in trouble with the law. Oh, and wait until you see our house. I painted the outside white with dark blue trim. It is the nicest looking house on the block, if I do say so myself.”

“Okay, I will try to get a reservation on the train that leaves here about noon on Monday and arrives in Little Rock about 3 AM Tuesday. If for any reason I can’t get a reservation on that train, I’ll call you back tomorrow evening.”

“I’ll ask for a couple days off and I’ll book us a room in a hotel in Little Rock. Call tomorrow evening even if you do get the reservation you want. Hearing your voice is like music to my ears.”

 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

CHANGE OF LIFE - Chapter 21

    Monday was my day off. I just wanted to get away from the house, the neighborhood, and all the reminders of early Sunday morning. I went to the bank and withdrew $450. That only left me with $1500. I decided to go shopping. They say nothing makes a woman feel better than a day of shopping. I had never gone out shopping as a recreation, but I was willing to try it. I needed underwear and a new pair of shoes. That should keep me busy all day if I do a lot of looking-shopping and only a little bit of buying-shopping. I went to the midtown area and concentrated on the big department stores. I spent about $150 including my lunch at Starbucks.

When I came back home, I put my purchases away, ate supper with Maggie and the girls, and went back to my room. I didn’t know if Maggie understood the implications of what had happened. However, I could see what was down the road, and it will all come to a head in the next couple days.

On Tuesday morning I took the girls to the Aquarium. I knew that would take up all day and that is what I wanted. When we returned, there was an envelope which a policeman had left in the mail slot. It was addressed to Dolores Kosciuszko asking me to call the precinct desk. When I called, the desk sergeant said,

“Ms. Kosciuszko, we need you to come to the precinct house at your earliest convenience to be interviewed by a detective.”

“My job is babysitting two children all day while their mother is at work. Monday is my day off. Could I wait until then?”

“When does the mother come home?”

“Usually about 4:00 PM.”

“I’ll send a detective there today at 4:00PM to pick you up.”

The detective arrived just as Maggie was coming home. He was driving an unmarked car but it was obvious to anyone who lives in the city that he was a policeman.

“Which one of you ladies is Ms. Dolores Kosciuszko?”

“I am Sergeant Charles Bailey. Would you come with me please?”

The girls looked puzzled and frightened. Maggie took them by the hand and led them into the house.

I had to ride in the back seat where people who have been arrested ride. There is no upholstery. It is some kind of molded fiberglass seat that is easy to clean and in which suspects cannot hide weapons or evidence like they could in the pleats and separations of an upholstered seat. We rode in silence. At the precinct the sergeant had to open my door from the outside.

Inside the precinct building I followed the sergeant to a room with a table, chairs on either side, a huge mirror on the wall behind me, a video camera and microphone mounted on a tripod on the table, and a light shining on me.

The detective read off, almost in a monologue, a case file number, his name and badge number, the precinct number and Chicago Police Department.

“State your name and address.”

“Dolores Kosciuszko, 390 Armitage, Chicago, Illinois.”

“In your own words describe the events of the evening of July 3 and the morning of July 4 of this year.”

“I am a live-in babysitter for two daughters of Mrs. Maggie O’Toole. We decided to take the girls to the Navy Yard to see the fireworks. As soon as Maggie came home from work, we got ready and left – probably about 5PM. When we arrived at the Navy Yard we let the girls go on some of the rides and we all went on the ferris wheel. We walked around the midway for a while and then went to a grassy slope where we were going to watch the fireworks. We had brought sandwiches. I went back to the midway and bought two lemonades.

“When we were finished eating, I took the trash and went looking for a trash barrel. I saw Sean O’Toole in the crowd. I was frightened. He had previously attacked me. I kept my head down and walked to the trash barrel. While I was throwing the trash away, he came up behind me and said,’I see you b****. I know where to find you. When I come that protective order won’t be worth s***.’

“I was nervous after it was dark and the fireworks started. I didn’t see him again and I didn’t have a chance to tell Maggie without the girls hearing me. It was after midnight when we returned to the house. I was exhausted; Maggie and the girls were using the bathroom upstairs so I took a sponge bath in the sink at the back of my ground floor apartment.

“I got in bed and fell asleep. Sometime during the night a man with a black hood on his head woke me by pulling me upright in bed by my hair. He said that he had been watching me bathe from out in the back yard. He said that he was going to rape me “rough and hard” and then he was going to cut up my face and body so that I would be “dog ugly”. He yanked the covers off of me and was climbing onto my futon to straddle me. I saw an opening and kicked him in the groin as hard as I could. He grabbed at himself and fell toward me. I poked two fingers through the holes in his mask and into his eyes. Then I jumped up and hit him on the head as hard as I could with some books. It knocked him out. I pulled the mask off, picked up the knife with it, called the police, ran out onto the sidewalk and called for Maggie. The police came in several minutes and went into my apartment and took him out.”

“You said that he had previously attacked you?”

“I don’t remember the date. It was several weeks ago. It was on a Friday. I had taken the girls to the library and we were walking home. A half block from the house I saw a man get out of a car and stand in front of the house. I asked the older girl, Karen, if she knew the man. She said, ‘It’s Daddy and I’m scared. Mommy said that he might come and take us away.’  I gave her the house key and told her to get her sister, Kaitlynn, into the house, lock the door, run upstairs and not to open the door again until she saw the man drive away.

“I got between the man and the girls. When they were inside he started raging at me that they were his girls and that he had a legal right to see them or to take them with him. I could tell that he had been drinking. I told him that the police were the ones who made sure the laws were obeyed. I was calling them and he could make his case to them or to a judge. When I completed the call he slapped me so hard that my knees buckled. I may have been unconscious. The next thing I knew the police were there and Karen was kneeling over me crying. The policeman told me that unless the mother had a custody order, the father indeed could see the girls or take them with him.

“I explained all this to Maggie. She went to the police with me, where I signed and received a copy of the officer’s report. She then went to the Child Protection department of DHS. They obtained a protection order, went to court and had her awarded full custody temporarily, started the process to have her awarded child support. I don’t know the details but Mr. O’Toole must think that I am the one to blame.”

“Ms. Kosciuszko, this is going to be one or more felony charges against Mr. O’Toole. You are going to have to be interviewed by an Assistant District Attorney and you are, most likely, going to have to testify in a trial.”

“That is the Gordian knot that I am caught in. I came to Chicago to start a new life. I was looking for a room to rent and a job. A woman referred me to Maggie O’Toole. Maggie had a first floor room for rent and she needed a babysitter for her girls until school starts. She offered me free room and board if I would babysit her girls this summer. Her husband had left her the previous year the day before Thanksgiving. She had not heard from him. She filed a missing persons report. The police found him but wouldn’t give her the address.

“My problem is this – I am going to have to leave that home in the next couple days. My relationship with the girls and even with Maggie will be destroyed when they find out that the father/husband might go to prison and that it is my testimony that will send him there. Blood is thicker than water. I will have to leave. I may even have to return to that little town in Arkansas that I was trying to escape.”

“I will try to set up an appointment with an Assistant District Attorney tomorrow or Thursday at 4:00PM. Do you have a cell phone?  Good. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know when I will pick you up.”

He drove me back to the house. This time he had opened the front door on the passenger side and let me ride up front.

Maggie and the girls were already eating when I came in. I quickly washed and sat down at the table. They were all quiet. After supper I helped Maggie gather the dishes and wash them. After the girls were in the living room watching television, I said quietly,

“Maggie, I am going to have to leave, probably in the next few days.”

“I know, Dolores, you are not the one at fault – Sean is to blame. But when the word gets out that Sean is in jail, and if there is a trial, the whole neighborhood will be against you. That is just the way it is. He is from the neighborhood and you are an outsider. Then they will start saying things to the girls. I don’t know what I am going to do, but I know you will have to leave.”

“Let’s say Friday when you get home from work.”

We hugged and I went downstairs to my room.

I had forgotten about Linda Halstead. I would have to go there either tomorrow evening or Thursday evening and tell them that I would not be able to tutor Linda any more.

I tried to read but couldn’t concentrate. I put my cell phone on the charger so that it would be ready for Sergeant Bailey’s call tomorrow. I took the underwear I bought Monday out of the packages, washed them in the sink, rinsed them, and hung them up in different places to dry. I got my new shoes out of the box and decided to wear them tomorrow.

I had taped newspapers over the windows in the kitchen after the break in. I took a sponge bath at the sink and crawled into my futon bed. It had cost me $550 plus $20 to the deliveryman plus about $100 for the sheets and comforter. I was not going to get very many nights sleep for almost $700. I decided that I was going to enjoy tonight’s sleep.

On Wednesday I took the girls along with me while I ran some errands. I went to the bank and withdrew another $500. I went to the post office and filled out a form for the Post Office to hold all my mail until I sent a new address to which to forward it. Then I went to the library, returned all my books (including the ones I had used to hit Sean). I told the Librarian that I would not be able to hold the Story Hour any longer.

On our way home, Sergeant Bailey called to say that he would pick me up at 4:00 PM that day.

The interview with the Assistant District Attorney covered the same material as my interview with Sergeant Bailey.

“What is this about you moving?  Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. I can’t stay in that house. I am not safe. He has relatives that live in the same block. I am an outsider. His wife told me that I will have to leave. I won’t be effective as a babysitter when neighbors start telling the girls, ‘That is the woman who is going to send your Daddy to prison.’  I don’t have any other job here. I’m running out of money. I’m moving out of her house Friday evening. I will go to a motel for a few days and then I will either go back to Arkansas or I will go to Baltimore. I am afraid of Sean O’Toole. That is why I want to leave Chicago.”

“Will you keep us informed of your whereabouts?  Here is my card.”

“Yes, I will keep you informed of my new address.”

The next day I returned to the library and made a reservation on the computer at Hostels International for Friday- Monday.

I found a cardboard box to pack the extra items I had accumulated that wouldn’t fit in my suitcase. I put my best clothes in the suitcase so that I could put the box in storage as soon as I registered at the hostel.

Thursday evening I went to the Halstead’s. Mr. Halstead came to the door and glowered at me. “V-I-C-T-O-R-I-A!”

Mrs. Halstead came to the door. “I didn’t think you would be coming back.”

“Actually, I came to tell you that I cannot continue tutoring Linda.”

“Yes, I heard that you were caught getting it on with Mr. O’Toole.”

My chin dropped. I started to reply, then turned and left.

That day and the next went in a whirl and soon I was saying good-bye to Maggie and the girls. I called a taxi to take me and my bags to the hostel.

After checking in and getting settled, I went out for supper. When I returned, I went to a quiet place in the lobby and called Willard.

 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

CHANGE OF LIFE - Chapter 20


On Thursday Willard and Ginger were on patrol on Main Street. It had been a dull week so far. Willard had stopped at the donut shop intending to get some coffee to shake the drowsiness that he was feeling. Suddenly, a newer model Cadillac came screeching around a corner onto Main Street. The driver had difficulty recovering from the turn. Then he was weaving back and forth. As the car passed them they saw that the driver, a well dressed older man, had a look of stupor on his face. Before Willard could pull away from the curb, the Cadillac swerved and hit a parking meter before jumping the curb and hitting a concrete wall.

Ginger said, “Just what we need a drunken driver in midafternoon.”

Willard ran over to the car and rapped on the window with his stick.

“ Open the window or the door.”

The man gave him a crazy look but opened the window. Willard smelled a fruity odor. He saw that the man’s complexion was ashen and he felt clammy to the touch.

“Ginger, go get me orange juice, chocolate milk, jelly – something with sugar . This man has low blood sugar.”

“How can you tell?  You aren’t a doctor, a nurse, or EMT.

“Just do what I told you and move it!!”

She ran across the street into a restaurant and came back with some orange juice. Willard held the foam cup of orange juice to the man and he drank it all down. In a few minutes the man said,

“I have been hurrying around all day. I knew that I needed to stop and get some lunch, but then they told me to go out and look at something on a house that was foreclosed. As I was driving I became dizzy, then there was a bright light in the center of my vision. I couldn’t see where I was going.”

The man was a Vice-President of one of the local banks. When it was all over Ginger asked, “How did you know that he wasn’t drunk, but was sick?  You saved his life.”

“I’ve been around a lot of drunks. He didn’t look drunk, he looked sick.”

After he had finished writing up the incident, Lieutenant Hageman said,

“Sergeant O’Reilly, Captain Castor would like to see you in his office.”

“O boy, what have I done now?”

In his office, Captain Castor said,

“Stand at ease, Sergeant. I have heard from different sources what you have been doing with those two boys, Trey Mulcahey and Lance Simpson. Locking them up in a jail cell without booking them and then taking their mothers back to lock up to see them there was unorthodox to say the least. Nor was it by the book. I understand that you made the boys AND THEIR MOTHERS apologize to the woman whose house was vandalized. That was hardly by the book.

“Then I heard that you were seen at Lake Husted with the mothers and their boys at the fireworks display. Finally, an anonymous caller said that you paid $360 with your personal check for the boys to join a program at the YMCA. The caller said that you might be a child molester trying to get close to these two boys.”

Willard’s face turned red. He made a fist with his hands. He started to say something and the Captain cut him short.

“No one in this department thinks you are a child molester. You are a big hearted Irish cop who is trying to stop trouble in the lives of two boys, nip it in the bud, and try to turn them in another direction.

“What I want you to do is an additional duty. It might run into some of your off duty time and I can’t pay you overtime or comp time if it does. What I want you to do is find out how many other girls and boys in our small city are in the same situation: children with single moms, children with no account moms or dads or both, children who are raising themselves and are on the verge of trouble.

“I am appointing you to head up an Early Intervention Task Force. I am going to send a letter to the Juvenile Court judge, the Child Protection office, and to the DHS office that gives aid and assistance to mothers and children. I am going to ask them to give you any assistance that you require. I want you to identify children like Trey and Lance who are just on the verge of being a problem. Then I want you to recruit other police officers and other responsible adults to do the same sort of thing for other children that you are doing for Trey and Lance. Go to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization in one of the cities and ask them to tell you what the pitfalls are in a program like this. Will you do it?”

“I’ll have to think about how to do this, but yes, I’ll give it my best shot.”

“Thank you, Sergeant. You are dismissed.” 

 He told Ginger what the Captain had said.

Ginger said, “That is wonderful. You will do a great job. You really are a soft hearted man under your gruff exterior.”

He also told his lieutenant so he would know that he would be working on this at times while they were on patrol.

On Friday evening Willard picked up his laundry from Comet Laundry and Dry Cleaners. It was over $25. “I really have to learn to use the washer and dryer in my home. This is getting expensive.”

He didn’t feel like fixing supper so he turned onto Myrtle Street and parked at Mollie’s Restaurant. Most of the week it closed after the noon meal but on Thursday and Friday nights it served supper. As he entered the dining room, he saw Rev. Garvey from the Methodist Church sitting by himself.

“Pastor, are you eating alone, if so do you mind if I join you?”

“Yes, I’m alone. My wife and children have gone to spend a week at her mother’s since the kids are not in school. Please join me.”

The waitress came to take Willard’s order. After he ordered she said,

“Pastor, your order is just about ready.”

Willard said, “I’m glad that I met you here. There are two things I have been wanting to talk to you about – one professional, the other is personal.”

“Why don’t you start with the professional question. They are always easier to talk about.”

“I have just been appointed the head of the police department Early Intervention Task Force. We want to identify children who are not getting support and supervision at home. We would intervene by pairing them up with a responsible adult who can give them encouragement and direction. This would be before they become lawbreakers and have to be dealt with by the courts and put into detention centers. As the Task Force gets under way I am going to need responsible, caring adults. You can tell me which members of your church fit into that category.

“My personal question is this – While I was on vacation recently, I wandered into a Methodist Church on Sunday and attended Morning Worship. The minister, actually he was a lay preacher, said things that touched me very deeply. I am almost fifty years old. I have lived in this town twenty-five years and haven’t attended church. Since I have returned from vacation, I have attended church every Sunday. Your sermons answer questions that I have.

“My fundamental question is how can I know God?  I hear the expression ‘Have faith in God’. Pastor, I don’t know God, I don’t know anything about God. I sure don’t know what faith is, so I’m sure that I don’t have any of it. Is there a book that I can read, a series of talks on DVD?  How can I know God?  How can I love God?”

“Willard, the best book to read is the Bible. Go to a book store and buy a modern language Bible such as New King James Version, or English Standard Version. Most Bibles that people have in their house are the King James Version. That is written in Shakespearean language which is hard to understand. Either of those versions which I will write on this napkin are in the language that we use today. When you get a Bible, start with the New Testament. Read through the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – then go back and read through them again. Keep a notebook beside you and write down questions that come to you. Then come back to me.”

“Thank you, Pastor.”

Willard really enjoyed his meal. He felt good about his talk with the Reverend Garvey.

He drove home listening to music on the radio. He took the bundle of laundry upstairs and was untying it when the phone rang. He ran downstairs and answered it,

“Dolores?”

 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

CHANGE OF LIFE - Chapter 19


 

On Wednesday morning, as soon as breakfast was finished, I sent Karen and Kaitlyn to look for dirty clothes in their room and their mother’s room. There was a dirty clothes hamper in the bathroom beside the washer, but I suspected that there were loose items in the closet, on the floor, and even under the bed in the girls’ room. They came back downstairs with an armful each of dirty clothes.

“Now, go up to your bedroom and take the sheets and pillow cases off your beds and then the sheets and pillow cases off your mother’s bed.”

They came back down with a mountain of linens.

“Okay, you have to learn to sort clothes. Karen, you do it for awhile and Kaitlynn will watch. Then you will switch places. I want you both to learn AND to make sure that you don’t make a mistake. You will have three piles – white things, dark things, and things that aren’t white and aren’t dark. Besides those three piles, you might come across something that doesn’t belong in the wash – like roller skates or an old sandwich (they giggled) or something too flimsy and delicate to go into a washing machine.”

The girls worked steadily until all the clothes were in three piles. I picked up the white things and put them into the washer. I set the settings on the washer, then I picked up the box of detergent.

“Karen, read the back of this box and tell me how much detergent we should put into the washer.”

Karen told me.

“Okay, go out to the kitchen and find the dry measuring cups.”

When Karen returned with the set of dry measures, I chose the correct one.

“Always put a little bit less than what the box says to put.”

I put the detergent into the machine and started it.

“Okay, you can read a book until the machine is finished this load.”

When the first load was finished, I called the girls to watch as I took it out and put in the next load. Then I had the girls help me carry the wet laundry downstairs and out to the clotheslines.

Karen asked, “Why are you putting them on the clotheslines when you could put them into the dryer?”

“The dryer is nice to have if it is raining or if it is a cold winter day. When you can hang them outside, it is cheaper and better. Cheaper - because the dryer takes a lot of electricity. Better - because the sun not only dries the clothes but it kills mold and bacteria. When we put these sheets on your beds again, smell them when you get into bed tonight. You will smell the sunshine and fresh air.”

About 3:00PM I took the girls outside to the clotheslines. I felt the clothes to make sure they were dry. Then I sent them upstairs several times carrying armloads of dry clothes and putting them on the couch. Karen and I worked together folding the sheets. I showed Kaitlynn how to fold the pillowcases, the towels and wash cloths. When the linens were folded, I had the girls carry the sheets and pillow cases upstairs and put them on the beds where they belonged. Then I had the girls fold their own clothes and take them upstairs and put them in their chest of drawers. I folded Maggie’s clothes myself and put them on a chair in her bedroom.  When Maggie came home, I told her the washing was finished. I offered to help her make up the beds.

“We can do that after supper. I’ve had a hard day and it appears that you have had a busy day. Let’s just sit down and rest a while.” 

She sat on the couch and her girls sat on either side of her, snuggled close. I was grateful for a time to rest and quickly dozed off.

That evening at the Halstead’s, Mrs. Halstead was quite cool with me.

“Dolly, I would appreciate it if you would mind your own business concerning our daughter.”

I was nonplussed, but made no reply. I had brought a book with very large print and Linda made very good progress, just in one evening. I decided to continue with this book for awhile and let the matter of eyeglasses ride.

When I arrived back at the house that evening, I took Maggie aside.

“I’d like for you to think about something. Let’s take the girls to the Navy Yard this Saturday. We could carry a picnic supper and just buy sodas there. We all could ride on the ferris wheel. Sunday is the Fourth of July so they will be having fireworks and band music Saturday night. It would really be marvelous to see fireworks out over the water. I will be glad to pay for it. I want to go but I want you all to be with me.”

“That sounds great. I’ll try to pay part of the cost. It is really gracious of you to offer to pay for it. I’ve heard of the Navy Yard amusement park but I’ve never been there. Let’s keep it a secret from the girls.”

Thursday evening Linda continued to make progress with her reading.

“I’m so proud of you, Linda.”

Linda beamed, then whispered, “My parents had a big row over eyeglasses for me. My father shouted that he didn’t want to hear anymore.

On Friday they delivered the futon. The delivery man assembled it, took the plastic cover off the mattress and put the mattress on the futon. I gave the man $20.

“Thank you very much, ma’am. Thank you.”

“Thank you. You did an excellent job and saved me some difficult work. I appreciate it.”

“Lots of folks appreciate and thank you, but not many say it with money!”

I put the sheets and pillows and comforter I had already bought on the futon. I had a chair to sit in so I would just leave it folded out as a bed.

That night I enjoyed sleeping in my queen size futon after weeks of sleeping on a couch

Saturday, Maggie had to work. I took the girls to Story Hour with me. I felt safe taking them on the street since Maggie had obtained the protective order. There was a large crowd of children for Story Hour but I did not see Linda Halstead there. After Story Hour the Librarian told me that there were more children borrowing books than at any time that she could remember.

As soon as Maggie came home, she and I busily made sandwiches and put them in our largest purses. We folded a blanket. Then we called the girls, told them to get ready that we were going to the Navy Yard. The girls jumped up and down with joy. By five o’clock we were on the el.

Inside the Navy Yard was like the midway at a circus. We decided to explore to find a good place to watch the fireworks. Then we took the girls to some rides. The girls went on the carousel and we all went on the ferris wheel. Maggie bought cotton candy for the girls. We walked around looking and listening to the strange sights and sounds.

The fireworks were to start at 9:30PM. About eight o’clock we started walking toward the grassy slope where we had decided to watch the fireworks. There were already people there. We spread our blanket and sat down. I remembered that we needed drinks. I ran back to the midway and bought two lemonades. We could share and that way hopefully not have to look for restrooms.

About nine a band started playing patriotic music. I recognized some Sousa marches. We were finished our sandwiches and lemonades. I took the trash and went looking for a container. As I was walking along, I saw Maggie’s estranged husband. Inside I chilled with fear. Had he seen me?  I kept my head down and walked away from him. As I was throwing the trash away, he said,

“I see you, you b****. That protective order isn’t going to mean s*** when I decide to come after you.”

I ran through the crowd going in a large circle back to Maggie and the girls.

“Dolores, whatever is wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ll be all right. I saw something that startled me.”

As time for the fireworks drew near, it became dark around us. People were like shadows. After the fireworks started, people would appear in red or green or blue or yellow for a moment. I couldn’t tell whether Sean O’Toole was near to us or not. One good thing about the darkness is that he couldn’t see us – or could he?

After the fireworks there were mobs of people, and they all wanted to get on one of the el trains. We finally were able to find a place in one of the cars of the train. We had to stand up. The girls seemed to be sleeping standing up. When we disembarked from the train there were still five blocks to walk to our house. The girls were whining. I tried to carry Kaitlynn but wasn’t able to go very far that way. It was midnight when we walked into our home.

I was looking forward to sleeping in the queen size futon. What a change it was from sleeping on the couch. I took a sponge bath back in the laundry sink of the first floor kitchen. It was a bracing experience since there was only cold water in that sink. Crawling into bed, I snuggled under the comforter and soon was sound asleep.

Someone yanked me by the hair and sat me up. I could see by  moonlight coming into the room that it was a man with a black hood on his head and a knife in his hand.

“I sure enjoyed that show you put on in the summer kitchen. There are no blinds and I was in the back yard. I told you that when I came after you that protective order wouldn’t be worth s***. I am going to rape you rough and hard and then I am going to cut up your face and body just enough that you will be dog ugly the rest of your life. If you scream, I’ll cut your tongue out.”

He pulled the comforter off of me and was ready to climb onto the futon. In an instant I kicked him as hard as I could in the groin. He started to fall toward me and I poked my fingers through the holes in his mask into his eyes. While he was cursing and screaming in pain, I grabbed a pile of books and hit him over the head. He crumpled to the floor. I pulled his mask off. It was Sean O’Toole.

I got my cell phone and called the police.

“This is Dolores Kosciuszko at 390 Armitage. Please send someone as quickly as possible. A man broke into my apartment and tried to rape me. He had a knife. I was able to kick him in the groin, poke my fingers in his eyes, and hit him over the head with some books. He is on the floor unconscious now, but I don’t know how long he will be down. I can’t face him again. I am going to go out on the sidewalk and wait for you.”

I picked up the knife with the hood and ran out onto the sidewalk and yelled,

“MAGGIE, MAGGIE.”

Maggie came to the window (which was open to let in the night breeze) and looked down at me on the sidewalk.

“Maggie, Sean broke into my apartment and tried to rape me. I got away from him and hit him over the head with some books. He was unconscious but I don’t know how long he will be.”

By that time sleepy neighbors were looking out their windows. Not too many minutes later a patrol car arrived. The policemen went inside with their guns drawn. They came out dragging Sean with them.

“What are you doing. This is my house. You don’t have a right to drag me out of my own house. Don’t listen to what that b**** says. She is crazy.”

One of the police took the hood and knife and put them into a plastic envelope. The other policeman took my statement. I told him about the protective order because of a previous assault, about his threat to me at the Navy Yard, and then what he had said and done when he broke into my apartment that night.

“I think that he will be sorry that he tangled with you.”

When it was all over, I went back to my apartment, checked the door locks, and straightened up. Then I sat in the chair crying. It was a hot summer night but I felt chilled.

“I wish that Willard could hold me, just now.”

The next day the girls were excited talking about their trip to the Navy Yard and the fireworks. Their excitement and happiness was a balm that helped to calm my troubled spirit. I helped them to look their best getting ready for Sunday School and church. I reminded them that they had washed the clothes that they were wearing that day,

“You were right – we could smell the sunshine in our sheets.”

Mrs. Halstead did not speak or even look at me in Sunday School. I was relieved when I could sit in the sanctuary with the girls. I needed to have my faith strengthened and renewed. The attempted rape and the coolness of Mrs. Halstead had taken away the joy I had begun to feel in my new life. I was beginning to doubt the decision I had made to leave Willard and Prattsville.