Chapter 21

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Matthew’s drinking buddies at the Pub reminded him it was only early May and there was no reason to panic. However, he was getting more short tempered and frustrated as the ground preparation and actual planting was taking twice as long as he thought it would. The constant machinery breakdowns plus the gross inadequacies and inexperience of his crew, was hindering their progress. He and Mack argued daily, and Andrew, although somewhat more congenial, was not coping with the situation very well either. He longed for privacy as much as his flamboyant brother craved the all night parties. They were both waiting for summer to pass so they could return home.

Their dependence on Sonny didn’t seem to lessen as the weeks went by. It was no wonder he had insisted on his own separate living quarters. “Sonny’s shed”, as it was called, was the only place of solitude he had. He did have one companion. The burly, unsociable dog chose Sonny to befriend. “Mutt” as Sonny called her, followed him everywhere, whether it was in the yard or round after round behind the tractor in the fields. It was rumored that Mutt and her five puppies had taken up residence in Sonny’s shed after one cold, rainy night. No one knew for sure since no one was ever invited inside.

Annie began noticing that Sonny had another unlikely devotee. Every since that day in the way-side park when Sonny had bundled up Joey and taken him for that walk, the little boy’s face would light up every time Sonny walked into the room. At first glance, it appeared that the affection was non-reciprocated, but Annie caught glimpses of Sonny bending over the boy, quietly talking to him. On rare occasions he even picked up the boy and cradled him clumsily in his lap. It reminded a mystery to her why he would pay any attention to this child. She suspected it was probably because Joey never bothered him with constant problems.

Annie was thinking about this one Saturday afternoon as she labored in her garden. She was angry with Sonny because she had tried to discuss her garden with him at dinner but he had snapped at her rudely. True, they were having a particularly bad day. One of the tractors was broken and the gas truck hadn’t showed up to fill up their diesel barrel so they were running low. Plus, the gathering dark clouds in the west were threatening stormy weather.

Annie was still very determined to put in her garden. Danny and Peter were her only available draftees in this enterprise. She was angry with everyone’s attitude, especially Sonny. It seemed to her that her garden should be a high priority, too.

She just began making some headway when word was dispatched from the house that Joey had messed himself and Thomas refused to change him. Annie had no choice but to throw down her hoe and stomp off toward the house. “Don’t stop working,” she called. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Since the boys were less than enthusiastic about doing battle with the bumper crop of weeds, they chose a more entertaining sport. From her upstairs window Annie could see them sword fighting with the sharp hoes, jabbing and lunging at each other. She was just going to yell at them to stop when she heard Peter scream, and both boys came running toward the house. She could see blood dripping from his hand even at this distance. As she reached for a towel to wrap the wound, she dispatched the frightened Danny down the hill to fetch Sonny.

Just a few minutes later, the tractor came roaring up the hill full throttle. Sonny tore into the kitchen just as Annie was applying a dressing. Sonny stood motionless in the doorway, staring “You sent Danny to get me for this? A little band-aid cut?” he demanded, his face turning a darker shade of purple.

“It was bleeding very badly! How was I supposed to know it wasn’t deep?” she sputtered, trying to vindicate herself.

Again, he stood for a long moment, just glaring at them. “What the hell do you think I am – your goddamn nursemaid?” He was yelling now.” “Do I have to wipe everybody’s butts around here? And you two. What in the hell were you doing out there? These are tools!” He shook a hoe in their faces. “You’ve been warned about this kind of shit before. Here, take these and get to work!” He thrust the hoe back into the boy’s hand and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Moments later, the tractor was heard heading back down the hill.

Left in the wake of the sudden triad, the boys looked as though they were going to cry, but trudged back to work. Annie sat a while longer, shocked at first, but then angry. No one had ever talked to her or any member of the family like that before. How dare he use that tone and language with them! How was she supposed to know the boy wasn’t going to bleed to death? She intended to speak to her father about this, but she doubted he’d do anything. They all knew that their father was convinced that without Sonny, they didn’t have a chance of making it. However, it was also true that without this family, Sonny would still be pushing a broom instead of driving $75,000 tractors.

Her anger began to ebb as she worked in the warm, afternoon sun. The tiny beans, peas, and cucumber seeds were carefully placed in the furrow she made along the string stretched between two stakes as Sonny had taught her. She patted the dirt over the seeds as though she was tucking a child into bed. Her hands were raw and caked with mud, but she didn’t mind. She surveyed the day’s work and felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

She went happily back to her kitchen and began making a nice supper for her family, humming and smiling as she worked. About 6:00, she noticed John and Thomas doing the chores, apparently alone, telegraphing to Annie that the men were working late in the fields. She fed the little boys and put the baby to bed. Of course by now, the salad was wilted and the meatloaf and vegetables were drying out in the warming oven. The rush of excitement and satisfaction was now giving way to the aches and pains invading her body. Dark was descending over the land and the house was quiet. She sat on the back porch, becoming angrier the longer she waited.

Two hours later, the incessant humming of the machines became nearer as they made their way up the hill. She could hear her father and the others yelling at each other over the roar of the engines. Then there was silence and they came lumbering into the kitchen. They hadn’t even noticed her sitting there and she ignored her father’s calls until he got so loud she was afraid he’d wake up the children. “I’m out here!” she called. “What do you want?”

“You got a bunch of starving, hard-working men here. How about some supper?” He was obviously in a great mood. They must have finished planting, at long last.

She didn’t budge. “There’s cold meatloaf for sandwiches. Feel free to help yourselves.”

“Damn it, girl!” Matthew blasted. “We’re tired and cold and hungry. Now, come on in here and cook us something hot. Boys, just go shower and she’ll--”

“No, ‘she’ won’t!” Annie blurted angrily, trouncing into the room. “A nice, hot supper was ready three hours ago, but you missed it! This cook clocked out a long time ago!”

“Now listen here, young lady,” started Matthew, as much surprised as he was angry. “We decided just to keep going since we were so close to being done. It’s all planted. I am so happy and so proud of your brothers. They worked their asses off!”

“Well, so did I! Got half of my garden planted and I would have done more except I thought I had to come in start supper. Maybe next time you’ll take five lousy minutes to tell me what’s going on around here!” She slammed back outside again.

It took a few moments for Matthew to recover enough to speak. “Well, boys,” he said. “Let’s go have supper in town. Get cleaned up and we’ll meet by the truck in fifteen minutes.”

Annie sat cross-legged, wrapped in a blanket in the porch swing, listening to them move around the house until they were gone. She sulked a little longer but decided it was stupid to sit out there, freezing to death. She went back inside the dimly lit kitchen and poured herself some hot coffee.

Later, Sonny came in. She could hear him in the mudroom, throwing aside his jacket and washing up at the sink. He went to the refrigerator, stared at its contents but didn’t take anything out. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he noticed her as he turned to sit down.

“Everyone else went into town for supper,” she said, sounding defensive already. “Why didn’t you go along?”

He stirred his coffee slowly and said, “I had to finish up out there. The boys were having trouble with that damn pump again.” He lit a cigarette and slumped in his chair.

Annie looked away, choosing to ignore his obvious state of exhaustion. “If you want something to eat, there’s some meatloaf in the oven,” she murmured.

“Nah, I’m not hungry.” He took his coffee and cigarette and got up from his chair slowly. “How’s the boy’s hand?” he asked as he neared the door.

She was surprised he mentioned it. Could this be an indirect apology? Probably not. “Oh, it’s fine, just fine.” She followed him to the door. “Ya’ know, Sonny, I am trying to be more self-reliant, and I think I’m doing pretty damn good!” In response, he brushed past her and reached for the handle. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” she pressed.

“I think I said enough this afternoon,” he said as he opened the door. He clearly was in no mood for any meaningful dialog.

She blocked his retreat. “Yeah, you did have a lot to say this afternoon,” she cried. “And I was pretty damned mad, too. But you’ll be glad to hear that you taught me an important lesson. Don’t worry, Mr. Jackson, I won’t be bothering you with trivial matters any more.” She was glaring at him, but his expression never changed. He disappeared into the night, leaving her angry and alone once again. If she was going to show him as well as every other egocentric male around here, she needed a plan and she had a good idea where to begin.

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As she went about her Sunday morning routine, Annie was still a little icy. Skipping down the stone steps of the church after Mass, she made a surprising announcement. “Daddy, you and boys are on your own today ‘cause Lori Bean and I have plans for the day. I have no idea when I’ll be back.”

With that the two young ladies were off, giggling as they walked toward Lori’s car. Looking equally perplexed, Charlie approached them asking for a ride home for him and his two kids. He had no idea what was going on either.

Annie came home later that evening, still grinning. She clearly had a secret but she told no one. She kissed her abandoned father on the cheek and asked how his day had been. But before he could answer, she floated dreamily upstairs.

“If I didn’t know better,” mused Mack, “I’d guess she was having an affair.” He hesitated for a moment and then said, “Nah, it couldn’t be.”

Her behavior was chalked up to a female whim and not discussed further. But when she left with Lori Bean for several hours twice more that week, she really had them wondering. When she announced she was leaving again Friday afternoon, Matthew demanded to know just where she was going. Annie just smiled and told him not to worry, that he’d understand soon. She trotted out the door when Lori pulled up in front of the house.

The boys and Matthew called after her. “Hey! What about groceries? We’re out of everything! What about the baby?” It was useless. She left.

Then about 8:30 that night, the household was aroused by a loud honking. There was an unfamiliar car coming up the driveway. “Hey!” whooped Mack. “It’s Annie! My God, my little sister is driving a car!”

“Hello, gentlemen,” she called, stepping crisply out of the car, enjoying their gaping stares. “Help me unload these groceries, will you?”

“Where did ya’ get the car. When ya’ learn to drive?” they all chorused.

“Lori Bean!” deduced Matthew. “She’s been teaching you how to drive and took you to get your license, didn’t she. But where’d get the car?”

“Isn’t it great?” she gushed, beaming. “It’s a nine passenger wagon, V-8, automatic transmission, completely rust-proofed. And they gave me a great deal cause I paid cash.”

“Cash? What cash?” demanded Matthew, envisioning her writing out a check for the total amount of the car.

“My own money from the trust fund in New York,” she explained. “Well, it was my money to spend any way I chose, right?” Then she looked pointedly at Sonny and said, “Now me and the kids won’t need anyone to cart us around any more.” Sonny didn’t acknowledge that comment was directed toward him. He simply picked up another armload of groceries. She realized she wasn’t going to get any satisfaction this round either.

It was amazing to Annie how owning something of major value could change your outlook on life. All her life she had been totally provided for, pampered and spoiled. She didn’t have to scrimp and save in order to buy it, but she felt like the car was her trophy for accomplishing and contributing. The blisters on her hands and her position in the family structure made her feel as though she was earning some measure of respect. With this car, she felt very independent and self-reliant. It was also a sign that she was one of the adults in this new coalition and a force to be reckoned with.

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It was a Friday night and Matthew wanted to take a quick run down to the bottom before supper. He cajoled Sonny, Mack, and Andrew into riding along. He still hoped that some of his enthusiasm would rub off on his oldest sons and he thought seeing the young seedlings sprouting would give them a sense of accomplishment.

They were gone longer than they intended. They hurried into the kitchen hoping that they would not receive another tongue lashing for being late. But there was no supper cooking and Thomas was there, fussing with the baby. “Hey, where’s Annie?” Andrew asked.

Matthew was standing at the sink. “Yeah, her car’s gone. Is she gonna leave all the time now?” he said, sounding annoyed.

“She had to take Danny and Peter into town,” muttered Thomas. “God, babies are so hard to feed! Anyway, you won’t believe what happened. You know how you told those boys not to play in the weeds and junk behind the barn? Well, guess what, they did anyway. The stupid Danny got into a big ol’ beehive out there. Should have seen it – Peter came screaming across the yard for Annie. And there came Danny, totally surrounded by this whole swarm of bees. Yuk!” he winced, “it was awful!”

It took an instant for what he was saying to sink in. Matthew recovered first. “Danny’s hurt?” he bellowed. “My God! Why didn’t anyone come find us? What did she do?”

“Should have seen her!” Thomas exclaimed. “She grabbed a blanket off the washer and ran out there. She wrapped it around him and smothered most of ‘em. She and Peter got some stings, but not as bad as Danny. She loaded them both in the car and told me to watch the kids. She even had me call Dr. Adams’ office to tell him what happened and that they were on their way. She took Luke with her. I haven’t heard anything since they left.”

The men stood there, staring at each other in total disbelief. “I gotta get to town,” Matthew said, heading out the door.

“I’ll go along,” insisted Andrew. And they were gone.

“I knew all that junk out there was gonna be trouble,” Sonny said. “I told them damn kids to stay away from there.” He stood up then and headed for the door with a look of purpose on his face.

“Where are you doing?” demanded Mack.

“I’m gonna level that son of a bitchin’ lot out there!” Mack followed him and together they put the scoop on the front of one the big tractors to bulldoze the whole mess into a giant pile several hundred feet away from the barn. Then they set it on fire. There were several small buildings and two large decaying corncribs. The weeds were so high and tangled it was a wonder even small boys could manage to penetrate it.

The flames were still leaping into the dark sky several hours later when Matthew and Annie’s cars drove onto the yard. Annie was met by an anxious reception committee.

“Oh, my God!” moaned Mack, looking at his sister’s face. It was red and puffy, her eyes nearly swollen shut. Even her arms and hands had welts from bee stings.

“Don’t look so shocked. It’s not as bad as it looks. Help Daddy with Peter. He got stung, too. Poor Danny. He has to stay overnight in the hospital. Andrew stayed with him.” John helped her walk toward the house. “There’s a bag full of medicines in Daddy’s truck. I just wanna go to bed.” Then she stopped, noticing the fire behind the barn. “What’s that?”

“Sonny bulldozed that whole mess down and torched it. He’s still out there, watching the fire.” Annie couldn’t help but smile. Leave it to Sonny to take care of the problem.

She didn’t remember how she got upstairs, undressed, and into bed. The next thing she knew she awakened to a dimly lighted room. Her clock radio said 1:52. She became aware of a hazy figure sitting in the corner. It was her father, sleeping in the chair. She felt stiff but otherwise not too bad. She threw back the blankets to get up.

Matthew stirred. “You shouldn’t be getting up, honey.”

“Oh Daddy, I just need to walk a little. I don’t feel too bad, honest. Did you call the hospital? How’s Danny?”

“He’s fine. Fever’s down and he’s sleeping. He’ll probably come home in the morning.” He hesitated then, obviously wanting to say more. “You should have stayed overnight at the hospital, too. But you kept saying, ‘I want to go home.’ ”

“Yeah, I did. Why? Does that surprise you?”

“Well. I guess I wondered if a nice clean hospital might appeal to you after a couple months in this place.” He was looking around at the unpainted, un-carpeted room as he spoke. He sank down on the edge of her bed, running his hands through his hair, looking tired and haggard.

“Maybe I was wrong to bring you all here. I was thinking of myself so much I lost sight of what’s really important.”

“Daddy, you’d better not let Mack hear you talk like that,” she teased. “You just had a bad scare, that’s all. But we’re going to be fine. Look at what we’ve accomplished since we came here. You should be very proud.” She kissed her father on the cheek and said. “Go to bed, Daddy. You’re tired. I’m gonna stay up for awhile. Don’t worry, okay?”

She walked him down the hallway to his room and kissed him again as she sent him off to bed. She looked in on Peter, who was sleeping soundly. She touched his cheeks and was relieved that they were cool and less swollen.

She went downstairs to the kitchen and found Sonny drinking coffee. There was no open hostility between them since their last run-in, but they were not on good speaking terms either. She hadn’t forgiven him for his insufferable arrogance. “Hi. Mind if I join you?”

She reached for a glass, but it slipped from her hand and shattered at her feet. He poured another glass and said, “You’d better sit down.” He cleaned up the mess, poured himself another cup of coffee, and sat down across the table from her.

“Thank you,” she said, feeling a little uneasy as she felt his dark eyes inspecting her. “I’m alright, ya know. You don’t have to nursemaid me, really.” She emphasized those last words, in obvious reference to that other conversation they’d had days before.

He took a swallow of coffee before he answered. “Well, it worked, didn’t it? Getting your license and that car was the best idea you ever had.”

“Oh, you’re taking credit for that? That was your doing?”

“No, but if I said something to rile you up, then I’m real glad.”

Annie started to get angry again, but decided she didn’t have the energy. Besides, he wasn’t sounding sarcastic or condescending.

“So, what were you trying to do today, driving in that condition?”

“I was careful. I surprised myself, even – I mean, I just reacted . There wasn’t time to get help. I didn’t even realize I was stung until everyone started fussing over me.”

“Well, you did damn good,” he said with just a hint of admiration in his voice. “But next time, send someone to find one of us. You went from one extreme to the other. Just settle in the middle somewhere, alright?”

His words and mannerisms caught Annie totally by surprise. She didn’t even know how to respond, especially when a small, half-grin stole across his face. She pushed away from the table and moved tentatively toward the stairs. He didn’t make a make a move to assist her. She wasn’t surprised. They had reached a new understanding – he’d help her if she fell flat but only long enough to put her back on her feet again and send her on her way.

Chapter 22

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