At Wheeler Homes Chapter 4

                                   Chapter 4

Jessica just had to figure out a way to get her mother to agree to go to church next Sunday.  But today – today Jessica determined to be the perfect daughter.  She would do everything that she could do to please her mother.  She wouldn’t give her mother any reason not let her go to church.  Jessica was focused and she was on a mission.  She was determined to make it happen.  They were all three going to church this coming Sunday if Jessica had anything to do with it! 

          Jessica said, “James, are you ready to go to the bus stop?”

          James was frustrated and whined, “I can’t get these shoes tied.”

          Jessica said, “Here, let me tie them for you.”  And she knelt down and began to tie the shoelaces on her brother’s red shoes.

          James sat there real still glad to have his sister doing his work.  He hated tying shoes.  He knew he was taking advantage of his older sister, but she like to help him.  And he liked to let her help him.

          Jessica’s mother was pouring her coffee and glanced out of the back window above the sink.  She suddenly exclaimed, “There’s the bus! Hurry up!”

          Jessica and James grabbed what was left of their peanut butter and jelly sandwich and ran for the back door.  Their mother opened the door as they snatched up their book bags.  She smooched an air kiss in their direction as they ran for the bus.    Gloria was standing at the bus door motioning them to hurry up.  She had one foot in the bus door and the other one firmly on the ground.

          “Gloria is a good friend,” Jessica thought.  “She’s holding up the bus for us.”  As Jessica and James neared the bus, Gloria slowly stepped up into the bus.  Her friends had made it.  Gloria sat down on the bus seat and slid over to make room for Jessica.  James sat down beside one of his friends towards the back.  For some reason, the little boys always went to the back of the bus.

          As the bus took off, Jessica said to Gloria, “I think I’ll be able to go to church with you this Sunday.”

          Gloria looked surprised but pleased.  Both girls smiled as the bus pulled away from the bus stop and headed off to school.

At Wheeler Homes Chapter 3

                                   Chapter 3

          “Hurry up and get down here or you’ll be late for school!” Jessica’s mother called.

Jessica only half-way heard her as she turned over in bed.  She had been in the middle of a good dream, but her mother’s voice had pushed the dream right out of her head.  Jessica tried to remember the dream, but couldn’t.  Oh well, it wasn’t important anyway.  She let out a big yawn and then threw back the covers.  Her feet touched the cold floor and she was suddenly wide awake.  The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day outside.  Jessica got dressed, made her bed, and came down the stairs and into the kitchen. 

          Jessica’s mother was all in a tizzy.  She had gotten up late and was rushing to get her children out the door.  “Where is James?” she demanded.

          “I don’t know,” Jessica replied.

          Just then James came into the kitchen and whined, “Have you seen my red sneakers?

          Jessica’s mother answered, “Where did you have them last?  Did you leave them out on the back porch?  I hope the neighbor’s dog didn’t carry them off.  Those are expensive shoes, James.  You should keep up with them.

          Jessica offered, “I think I saw them by the front door.”

          James said, “Thanks!” and was off into the front hallway.

          Jessica made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast.  She looked into the refrigerator for some milk, but there wasn’t any.  A glass of water would have to do.  Her mother had just finished starting the coffee pot.  The smell of coffee filled the kitchen.  Jessica started another peanut butter and jelly sandwich for James.  Jessica always looked out for James.  It was as if James had two mothers.

          Jessica had a thought.  She considered her words carefully and then spoke to her mother, “Mother, can James and me go to church next Sunday with Gloria?”

          Jessica’s mother was washing out a coffee cup at the sink and paused.  She turned around with a puzzled look on her face and asked, “Jessica, what made you think of church all of the sudden?”

          Jessica pretended that it was not a big deal and said, “Oh, Gloria just said that she was going to church now, and she asked me if I would like to go.  I said that I would – that is, if you think it would be OK.”  Jessica didn’t want to be too pushy.

          Jessica’s mother thought for a minute.  “I remember going to church with my mother.” She said.  “I used to love those songs that they sang and the stories that the Sunday school teacher told.  I used to love the warm feeling I felt at that church with all of those old people.  They would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it!” she said.  Jessica’s mother paused a moment lost in her memories.  But then she suddenly turned back to the sink and began to wash her coffee cup again.  She said, “But that was so long ago.  So much has changed.”

          Jessica offered, “You could come too, mother.  Actually, I was thinking that all of us could go to church.

          Jessica’s mother interrupted her, “I couldn’t go this Sunday.  Howard has to work and he wouldn’t like it if his supper wasn’t ready when he got home.  You know how he can be sometimes”

          Jessica continued, “But we could leave for church after Daddy has gone to work and we would be back home well before he gets off work.  I could help you get dinner ready really, really fast.  Please, please mother!  I know all of us would like to go to church.  We could all go together.  It would be perfect.”

          Jessica could tell that her mother was thinking about it.  So she decided to quit talking about it and just give her mother time to think about the idea.  She would ask her about it again tomorrow.

At Wheeler Homes Chapter 2

                                   Chapter 2

          When her step-father called her name, Jessica tensed up inside.  She loved her step-father, but she was also afraid of him.  She was especially afraid when he came home late.  That usually meant that he had stopped by a bar for a drink after work.  Howard was a good man, but when he drank, he turned mean.  It wasn’t that Howard himself was mean; the liquor made him mean.  When Howard called Jessica’s name, she jumped to her feet and started home.  Her discussion with Gloria about church would just have to wait until their ride to school on the school bus in the morning.  Howard glared at Jessica as she walked past him and through the back door.  He pulled the door shut a little too hard.  Jessica quickened her steps to stay out of reach.

          “What were you doing out there in the dark?” he growled.

          “I was just talking to my friend Gloria,” she said.  Gloria said that she went to Sunday school last week.  Daddy, can we go to Sunday school too?”

          Jessica’s step-father was upset.  “We don’t need those uppity church people snooping into our business,” he said.  “Anyways, I have to work at the shop this Sunday.  Tommy is out with the flu and they need me to fill in for him.”

          Jessica timidly asked, “Well could James and me go to Sunday school with Gloria?  Please, please?” she begged.

          “Don’t be silly,” Howard said.  “I have to work and so do you.  You have lots of work here at home to do.”

          “But I could do all of my homework on Saturday and clean my room and get all of the clothes washed and, and…” Her voice trailed off.  “Please, please, please, Daddy,” she pleaded.

          “We’ll talk about it later,” Howard said as he put her off.  Jessica knew she had better let the discussion go.  At least she had put the idea into her step-father’s head.  Now she had something to work on.  Jessica started to think of a plan.  The wheels were turning in her head.  If she did all of her work then Howard would have no reason to forbid her to go to church.  “Church,” she thought dreamily.  “How wonderful to go to a place where everyone cares about you!  Wouldn’t it be great to hear about God and Jesus?”  Jessica tried to remember the stories that she had heard so many years ago when she had visited her grandmother’s church.  But the stories were all jumbled up in her head.  It had been too many years ago that she had heard those wonderful Bible stories.  She loved the stories that the Sunday school teacher told!  She could still remember what the Sunday school teacher looked like.  She had beautiful black hair with a pink ribbon on the side.  Her dress was pink and white and her shoes were shinny white.  Jessica even remembered how clean and crisp the teacher’s dress had smelled.

          “It’s time to go to bed, kids,” Jessica’s mother called from the kitchen.

          Jessica brushed her teeth and washed her face and then put on her pajamas.  She looked in the mirror and wiggled her lips back and forth until she giggled.  She scrunched up her nose and squinted her eyes, but she couldn’t see how funny she looked because she couldn’t see through her squinted up eyes.  She laughed to herself anyway.  She went into her bedroom and pulled back the covers on her bed, turned off the light and climbed into bed.  Jessica lay on her back with her hands behind her head and looked up at the dark ceiling.  She gave a big yawn.  As she lay there in the dark, she kept thinking about going to church.  Suddenly she had an idea.  Jessica slipped out of bed and onto her knees beside her bed.  She folded her hands, bowed her head, and prayed for the first time in a long time.

          She prayed silently, “Dear God, please help me to be able to go to church with Gloria next Sunday.  Please make my Daddy let me go.  Help me to get all of my work done and help me to have a good attitude all week.  Amen.”  As she climbed back into bed she felt much better.  She began to think about what she would wear to church the next Sunday.  Should she wear her green dress or the purple one with the ribbon around the waist?  As Jessica thought pleasant thoughts she drifted off to sleep.

At Wheeler Homes Chapter 1

                                   Chapter 1

          Jessica woke up suddenly and sat straight up in bed.  After a few moments, she remembered where she was.  She was in her own bed.  She must have dozed off for a few moments.  Her mother and step-father were still fighting downstairs.  She slumped back down into her bed and pulled her pillow over her ears and tried not to listen to the angry voices that she was hearing downstairs.

          “I wish my mother would just get along with Howard” she thought.  Howard was her step-father.  It seemed he was always arguing with Jessica’s mother.  It wasn’t that Howard was a bad step-father; it was the beer and wine that made him mean.  Howard worked hard at the tire store and was a good man.  It was just when he got paid on Friday that he stopped by the bar before coming home.  Sometimes he stayed for only a couple of hours, but then often he stayed out all night.  When he came home he usually fell onto the couch or stumbled into bed.  Then he slept soundly.  That was the easy part.  The hard part came when he woke up.  When Jessica’s step-father woke up from a night of drinking, he always had a hang-over.  That is what Jessica’s mother called it.  Jessica only knew that when Howard woke up with a splitting headache, almost anything would set him off.  There was nothing that anyone could do that would please Howard when he was in one of those moods.  Anything that you said or did was wrong.  And anything that you didn’t say or do was wrong.  Oh how Jessica hated that bottle of Booze.

          Jessica thought to herself, “When I grow up, I am never going to drink.”  And she meant it.  She hated what liquor did to her family.  It made her step-father mean; it made her mother cry; it made Jessica mad; and it made her little brother afraid.  When Howard flew into one of his drunken rages, Jessica would hug her little brother James and try to calm him down.  She would stroke his hair and kiss him on the forehead.  He always calmed down in Jessica’s arms.  And when Jessica was holding little James, she seemed to feel a little better as well.

          If things got too bad in the apartment, Jessica would slip out the back door and go next door to her friend’s house.  Gloria was always glad to see Jessica.  They were best of friends.  The girls didn’t talk too much about Jessica’s home situation.  Jessica knew she couldn’t do anything about it and Gloria knew not to bring it up.  It seemed that when Jessica slipped over to Gloria’s house at night, Gloria just knew what was going on.  The girls kind of knew what the other one was thinking about without saying a word.  That is the way best friends are.

          “Jessica, I am so glad you live next door to me!” Gloria said.

          “Me too,” Jessica replied.  “I don’t know what I would do without you.  You are the best friend in the whole wide world.” Jessica said.  They sat on the back porch staring out into the darkness.  The night was cool, but not too cold.  The girls sat there for a moment lost in their thoughts. 

          Gloria spoke first.  “I went to church last week!” She said excitedly.

          “You did!” Jessica replied.  “What was it like?

          “Oh it was great!” Gloria said.  She went on, “They had two classes; the first was called Sunday school and the second was called church.  Sunday school had classes for everyone on their own level kind of like regular school.  My teacher talked all about Jesus and explained how He was actually the Son of God.  She said that you could talk to Jesus just like you and me are talking.  That is what prayer is called: talking to God.  She said that if you asked Jesus to take away your sins He would.  He would take away your sins and give you a home in heaven when you die.  Jessica, I asked Jesus to come into my heart last week … and He did!  I just know that He did!” Gloria said confidently.

          Jessica sat quiet for a moment.  Then she said, “I wish I could go to church.  I wish all of my family would go to church.  I’m sure it would help us.  I remember going to church with my grandmother years ago.  Everyone at her church was so nice to each other.  They all seemed to like each other and get along with one another.  They were all just like one big happy family!”

          The girls’ conversation was interrupted as Jessica’s step-father called out of the screen door, “Jessica!  Where are you?”  Gloria was startled and Jessica was embarrassed and scared.

          “I am just over here, Daddy.” Jessica said trying to sound normal.  But inside her stomach was turning into knots. 

          Jessica hurriedly whispered to Gloria, “See you tomorrow at school, Gloria.”  And Jessica walked quickly home.