Chapter Ten

We drove so long and there was nothing to look at different out my window and soon my eyes shut. My brother and I both napped and were both awoken by slams of the car doors. I opened my eyes and looked at my brother and then the two people standing outside the car.

We were in front of a house and I sure didn’t recognize it. The house was kind of small. I saw a couple windows on the bottom and a smaller one at the top. There were shutters that at one time must have been painted yellow but most of the color was worn off by now. The white paint on the house looked the same way.

I saw people running out from the front door and I noticed they all looked just like George, but I saw some kids too. They run up to George and they were hugging him like they loved him or something. I have to admit right here that I wish I could be hugged like that.

They didn’t pay much attention to mama, who had been moving her feet in a scribbling motion in the dirt. After all that hugging was done, I heard George say,”And over here, well this is my woman, and if you look in the car, you’ll see her two kids.” I saw those people sort of nod up and down and wondered if they all had a crook in their necks, lol, and then one big man stuck his head clear in the back window and I am pretty sure he was looking brother and me over.

“Well for land’s sake Selma, let’s get those two little ones out of this hot car. Get them something to drink Theo. They look mighty hot and thirsty.” No one offered mama a cold drink. I am not sure if they liked her or not.The big man reached for my car door and opened it and then he went to the other side and opened that door and lifted my brother out. My brother was two and I guess that man knew how old he was, so he placed him standing on the ground, but my brother fell immediately.

I guess no one told any of them that my brother couldn’t walk yet. I over heard my mama talking to a neighbor lady once and she was saying that my brother had some kind of disease. I think it was called Rickets or something. I didn’t know for sure because that’s all I heard. I didn’t want to hide behind the chair too long in fear my mama might catch me eavesdropping.

The man looked at George kind of funny but he picked up my brother and carried him into the house.

To be continued…

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rickets/symptoms-causes/syc-20351943