All of Us

It was 1904 in Gulchy Gap, Kentucky. The attractive young woman holding the little girl by the hand was up to something. You could tell by the way she half-turned and gave furtive looks behind her. She seemed to be looking for something or someone and she suddenly spotted it parked in the vacant lot next to the Dry Goods Store. It was the Model T Ford that belonged to that flirty young drummer fellow selling tinware. She had been carrying on a clandestine affair with him for a week now. He had asked her to leave with him tomorrow night and she had thought about it. She was thoroughly bored with her husband, and she hated the old log cabin they lived in, but could she leave little Maybelle? Maybe she wouldn’t have to, if she played her cards right. The old men who played ‘checkies’ in front of the store every morning, had gone home to take their afternoon naps, so she sat in one of the chairs, took Maybelle on her lap and waited. She didn’t have long to wait as Aaron Summers had been watching for her out of the corner of his eye from inside Creedy’s Dry Goods. He had just sold the old man a sizable order of cooking pans.

He ignored her as he went past her and around the corner of the building, where he stopped to light a cigar. Quietly, he said, “What is it going to be?” She answered, “I can’t leave my little girl.” He came back with, “Well, bring her along then. She looks like a well-behaved little girl. Will she miss her daddy?” The woman replied, “Oh, probably, but I think you could make her forget him.” He asked, “What time does he go to bed? Does he sleep soundly?” She contemplated these questions for a moment then said, “He would be sound asleep by 10:30 and a stick of dynamite couldn’t wake him up. I will tell him I want to sew and finish a dress I have started. Really, it‘s all done but he doesn‘t need to know that.”  “Have the little girl’s things packed and be ready to go at 11 o’clock. Don’t bother to take much of your belongings. I’ve got money to buy whatever you need. Can you put what you want to take down under the bridge by your house? I will be there at 11 o’clock. Take as little as possible,” he told her.

She had married her brother’s friend when she was 18 and it didn’t take her long to know that he wasn’t going to cut the mustard. However, she didn’t plan on getting with child right away, either, and when little Maybelle was born a year later, she knew she could never give her up. She waited until she hadn’t heard the man say anything for 15 minutes and casually got out of her chair and went to find the mule and wagon down by the feed store.

It was 2 o’clock now and she had plenty to do before tonight. She had to get the old valise packed with Maybelle’s clothes and put her to bed early so she wouldn’t be cranky when Aaron came by later. She would take what she wanted and put it down under the bridge at the creek while her husband was doing the chores tonight. It excited her to think that she was going to have everything new for once in her life.

He had the feed in the wagon and was ready to go when she got there. He said, “Did ya get the supplies at Creedy‘s, Sugar Bun?” “Yes,” she said, “We have to go by and pick them up.” Maybelle was already drifting off to sleep so he took her and laid her on a quilt in the back of the wagon.

They rode the five miles home in silence. The man thought she seemed moody but that was not unusual for her. His friend Vern had two sisters and the older one was solid as a rock, but Henrietta was a bit moody and flighty. He still hadn’t figured out why she had picked him, but she had worked like a digger to get him to ask her to marry him, so he guessed she was stuck with him. He had plans to add on to the two-room house in the future. Maybe that would make her happier. He was a hard-working young man, and although he was a bit slight of build, he could put out a fair day’s work.  He adored the little girl. She was, by far, the best thing that had ever happened to him.  He had wanted to name her Agatha after his mother but the woman wouldn’t hear of it. She wanted a more modern name so he went along with it.

When he went out to milk the cow she hustled around and packed clothes for little Maybelle and took them down the road to stash them under the bridge. She wore an old dress as she was going to have all new clothes. She forgot to take the locket off with the picture of the three of them in it. As darkness came on, he said, “Are ya comin’ to bed, Sugar Bun?” and she said, “I want to finish the new dress I’ve been making. I’ll come to bed later.” She had made one for little Maybelle out of the same cloth and one for the little girl’s dolly which had slipped down behind her crib out of sight. In her excitement, she completely overlooked taking the doll with them.

After the man had gone to sleep, she picked Maybelle up and silently slipped out the door. Down by the bridge she could see the Model T waiting for her and Aaron was putting her things in the back seat. She climbed in and Aaron handed Maybelle up to her. He got in and started driving west. She didn’t even turn and look back.