At Wheeler Homes Chapter 12

                                  Chapter 12

          Jessica’s step-father had to work this Sunday.  He was usually off on the week-ends, but Tommy was out with the flu and he had to fill in for him.  As Jessica’s step-father left for work, the door shutting behind him must have woken up Jessica’s mother, because just a few moments after he left, she came stumbling into the kitchen.  Jessica’s mother didn’t do mornings too well.  She usually got up like a bear just getting coming out of hibernation.  Jessica didn’t say a word, but went straight for a clean coffee cup.  She knew that her mother had to have her morning coffee before anything happened.  As Jessica turned around with the clean cup, her mother was just standing in front of the coffee pot.  Jessica went over and filled the coffee cup and added a little powdered creamer.  She picked up the spoon that her Step-father had just used and stirred the coffee.  Jessica’s mother picked up the coffee cup with both hands and took a sip.

          “Mmmm,” she said.  “Good coffee.”

          “Everything was going to be all right.” Jessica thought.

          Jessica’s mother took a second sip and said, “Have you seen James yet?  He needs to be up and getting ready.”

          “No,” Jessica replied.  “I was going to let him sleep as long as I could and wake him up at the absolutely last minute.”

          “Good thinking,” Jessica’s mother agreed.  Her head was beginning to think a little more clearly.

          “Gloria said that we need to be ready about nine o’clock,” Jessica said.

          Jessica’s mother added, “I’ve seen the church bus go by Gloria’s house before.”

Jessica went over to the cabinets and looked for some breakfast.  She found some chocolate Pop tarts and got them out.  She ate one and got a glass of milk to finish it off.  Then she went upstairs to stir James.  He was usually hard to wake up, and today was no exception.  Jessica had been up bright and early, but that was because she was excited about going to church for the first time.  James, on the other hand was not excited about getting up.  Going to church was Jessica’s idea, not his.  But he finally came downstairs and ate his Pop tart.  James grumbled about wearing clean clothes, but he was actually interested in church too.  But, he couldn’t let Jessica know that he was excited.  He enjoyed Jessica helping him.  James was a little bit lazy – and he knew it.

          Jessica and James were ready, but their mother was still fussing with her hair.  Jessica helped her comb the back.  Jessica assured her mother over and over that she looked simply beautiful.

          They all marched outside to the bright sunny Sunday morning and found Gloria on her back porch.  They all commented on each other’s nice Sunday clothes.  That is everyone except James.  James was not interested in Sunday clothes.

          The bus arrived right on time.  They all got on and were greeted by friendly faces.  Jessica knew some of the kids, but some she didn’t know.  Jessica’s mother was a little nervous because there weren’t many adults on the bus.  But one of the two ladies invited her to sit beside her and they began to talk.  James went to the back of the bus and Jessica and Gloria sat behind the ladies.  After a few more stops, the bus arrived at church.  The driver let everyone off at the side door where a couple more people were waiting to direct newcomers to the right class.  Gloria told Jessica that there was a class for every age group.  James knew one of the boys, and went right with him into their class.  The two ladies took Jessica’s mother with them upstairs.  She seemed to enjoy their company.  Gloria took Jessica to their class and they were greeted at the door by their teacher.  The girls sat down beside another girl that Jessica recognized from school.  A bell rang somewhere outside and the teacher quieted everyone.

          “I’m glad to see all of you today,” she began.  “We have two visitors, so please make them feel welcomed.”

          Jessica was a little embarrassed because the teacher was talking about her.  But she felt honored to be one of the two visitors, so she looked around proudly and smiled.

          The teacher made some introductory comments and talked about the lesson from last week.  Then she handed an envelope to a boy on the front row and asked him to take up the offering.  Gloria whispered to Jessica that the offering was money that the class collected.  Jessica was a little worried, because she hadn’t brought any money, but Gloria was already on top of the situation.  While she was telling Jessica what the offering was, Gloria was putting two quarters into Jessica’s hand.  When the offering envelope was passed to the girls, Gloria put her two quarters in and then Jessica put her two quarters in.

          “Gloria is a good friend,” Jessica thought.  “I already like church.”

At Wheeler Homes Chapter 11

                                  Chapter 11

          Jessica began to wake up.  As sleep began to fade, she heard noise downstairs.  It was the same noise that must have woken her up.  It was early in the morning and Jessica tried to clear her head.  Then she remembered that it was Sunday morning!  She was going to church today!  She heard the noise again and realized what it was.  It was her step-father getting ready for work.  He had to work for one of his friends today.  Howard didn’t usually work on Sunday, but Tommy was out with the flu so Howard was filling in for Tommy.

          Jessica hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen where Howard was rummaging around.  “Do we have any coffee filters?” he asked. 

          Jessica could tell that he wasn’t in a good mood.  She heard toast pop up in the toaster.  Jessica said, “I know where the filters are.  Why don’t you butter your toast and I’ll make the coffee?”

          Jessica’s father seemed relieved.  He was like Jessica’s mother: neither one of them functioned very well in the morning.  Howard went over to the toaster and retrieved his toast.  He opened the refrigerator door and began looking for the butter.

          Jessica came over to the refrigerator to get the coffee and saw him searching for the butter in the back of the third shelf.  She reached above him and got the butter down from the top shelf in the refrigerator door.  “Here it is, Daddy,” she said, and handed the butter to her step-father.

          “Thanks,” he said.  “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

          “You’d probably eat hard toast,” Jessica said.  And they both had a chuckle.

          Jessica put the coffee filter into the basket and measured out the coffee.  She heard her step-father scraping butter over his toast.  She was sorry that he had to work today.  She wished that he was going to church with the rest of the family.  But her step-father wasn’t the church-going type.  He worked hard and he drank hard.  He was a hard man.  But Jessica knew that he loved her.  He just had a hard time showing his love.

          “We’ll have supper ready for you when you get home.” she said.

          Howard look satisfied.  At least supper would be better than breakfast.  He took another bite of his toast and chewed and thought.  Then he said, “So you are going to church today?”

          Jessica wondered what he was getting at.  She didn’t know if her step-father was picking a fight or not.  She didn’t know how to answer, but, after a brief pause she said, “Sure.  And I wish you were going with us.”  And she did.  She knew that her step-father didn’t want to go to church, but she wanted him to know that she wanted him to go.  Jessica wanted her step-father to feel included.  She wanted him to know that she wanted him to be part of their family. 

          “Well may be next time,” he said.  “That is if there is a next time,” Howard added.  He wanted to make sure that Jessica knew that this church going thing was a one-time event.  He didn’t want Jessica to think that she was going to church every week.  That would be too much. 

          Howard changed the subject.  “How about you make me a sandwich while I start the car?

          “Sure,” Jessica said.  And she went to the refrigerator and got some cheese and lunchmeat.  Jessica remembered her step-father liked mustard, so she got the mustard out too.  She got out two slices of bread, made Howard’s sandwich, and put the sandwich into a baggie.  She got out the big bag of pretzel sticks and put a few of them into another baggie and put both baggies into a brown paper bag.  Jessica had a thought.  She got a yellow post it note from the counter and wrote “I love you, Daddy” on it and stuck it to her step-father’s sandwich baggie.  As she rolled the top of the brown paper bag, Howard came back into the kitchen.  He took the bag that Jessica offered to him, gave her a little kiss, and turned and left.

          “Have a good day,” Jessica called out after him.

          “I will,” he said as he walked out of the door.

          Jessica just knew it was going to be a great day for her too!

At Wheeler Homes Chapter 10

                                  Chapter 10

          It was Saturday evening and Jessica was getting her clothes ready for Sunday. She just couldn’t decide on which dress to wear.  Should she wear her green dress or the purple one with the ribbon around the waist?  She looked in her top drawer to see what kind of hair bows she had.  She had several, but she wanted just the right one.  Some were too small and some were too big.  Jessica wasn’t a show off type of a girl - she just liked to look right.  Her friend, Gloria understood.  Gloria called it appropriate.  Jessica found a lavender hair bow that was just right.  It would look good with her purple dress.  So it was decided.  Now the shoes.  That wouldn’t be a hard choice, since she didn’t have but four pair of shoes.  Her white sandals would look fine.  Her mind drifted to tomorrow.  What was church and Sunday school going to be like?  She had gone over the ideas in her head so many times.  It was like waiting for Christmas.  She had ideas about what church was going to be like, but she really didn’t know.  With all of Jessica’s planning and preparations, would church be a let-down?  Had she thought too much about it?

          Jessica heard noise downstairs and was brought back to reality.  James was playing one of his games.  He either stayed outside or was in front of the television playing a game.  Jessica wondered if James would ever grow up.  She wondered if James would like church or would he be bored.  When James was bored, he usually made life difficult for everyone else around him.

          Jessica remembered the time when her mother had the candle party at their house.  The lady had brought all of those great smelling candles to their house and had arranged them all around the dining room table.  Jessica’s mother had invited her friends over to the house.  They had cake and punch.  It was an exciting evening.  Well, it was exciting for everyone but James.  It had rained that day and James couldn’t go outside.  And all the ladies were downstairs and he couldn’t play with his game.  So James was bored.  Jessica remembered him sitting at the top of the stairs with his head propped up in his hands just staring off into space.  She was old enough to mix in with the ladies and enjoy the party.  But James ... James was bored to death.  That was until he got an idea.  Jessica remembered seeing James at the top of the stairs with his army man - The army man with the parachute.  She knew what James was going to do, but she was too far away to stop him.  She saw him throw the army man up into the air.  She saw the little plastic army man’s parachute unroll as he began to fall.  And Jessica saw the army man as he gently floated down on his parachute – right into the punch bowl!  Jessica remembered the gasp from several of the ladies as the army man plopped right into the punch bowl.  Jessica also remembered that look on her mother’s face.  And Jessica remembered the look of shock on James’ face as he realized what he had done.  That look was priceless.  James ran back into his bedroom as his mother stormed up the stairs after him.  It was Jessica who had to fish the army man out of the punchbowl.  Jessica remembered thinking that the little army man looked as if he enjoyed the punch!

          Jessica’s mind flashed ahead to thoughts of James at church.  I wonder what James will do at church tomorrow?

At Wheeler Homes Chapter 9

                                  Chapter 9

          “Jessica!” her mother called from downstairs.  “It’s time for supper.”

          Jessica had been lost in her thoughts, but her mother’s call had broken the spell.  “Coming, mother,” she called out.  Jessica got up from her bed, walked down the short hallway, and down the fifteen stairs to the downstairs of their house.  Jessica counted the stairs as she walked down them.  It was just a little thing that she liked to do.  When she was almost to the bottom, she smelled the pizza that had just come out of the oven.  It smelled wonderful.  She had been so busy cleaning that she had forgotten how hungry she was.  “Where is James?” she asked.

          “Oh, who knows!” her mother mumbled.  “I can’t keep up with that boy.”

          Jessica walked out onto the back porch and yelled for James.  She looked down the road toward the playground.  There were several kids playing, but they were too far away for Jessica to make them out.  One of them looked kind of like James, but Jessica didn’t remember what James was wearing that day.  But the kid in question had a t-shirt on that looked like the favorite one that James wore almost every day.  She called again, this time adding that it was time for supper.  The kid paused and then started to run towards her.  “So it was James,” Jessica thought.  As the figure came closer Jessica could make out James.  Jessica yelled again, “Hurry James, the pizza is hot.”  At the word, pizza, James picked up his pace.  Within a few moments James was up onto the back porch and flying past Jessica into the house.  When Jessica came into the kitchen, James was already slumped onto a dining room chair completely out of breath. 

          As she came nearer, she saw James was sweating.  And then the smell hit her.  James smelled like a wet puppy dog.  “Ooh!  James you stink!  Get into the bathroom and wash your face and hands!”  Jessica could barely stand it!

          James rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, but he got up and dragged himself into the bathroom.  He knew he stank, so he didn’t offer too much resistance.  He grabbed a wash cloth as the sink filled with water.  As he was swishing his washcloth around in the sink, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.  His face was streaked with grime and sweat and his hair was sticking up all over.  Sweat was running down the back of his neck.  He hated to admit it, but Jessica was right.  The smell of pizza made him work faster.  He washed his face and neck, and then rinsed his washcloth.  It made the lavatory water muddy.  He washed his hair and the back of his neck.  James needed a complete bath, but his stomach was demanding pizza.  He rinsed his washcloth again and wiped a second time over his face.  He was done.  At least he was a little cleaner than when he had come in.  He made an excuse as he came in to the table.  “I’ll get a bath later tonight,” he offered.  He wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular, but to everyone in general.  He wasn’t concerned with cleanliness; he was concerned with pizza!

          “Where’s Dad?” James asked as he sat down at the table.

          “Oh I don’t know.” replied his mother.  “He’ll be along later.”

          “James, you need to clean up real good tonight,” Jessica said as James began stuffing pizza into his mouth.  “Remember, we’re going to church tomorrow morning.”

          How could James forget that?  Jessica had only reminded him a gazillion times a day.  He gave a disgusted look, but kept on eating.  He didn’t want to fight.  He only wanted Pizza.