looking at me. After Mommy made two trips down to the car that took a few minutes, she came running up the stairs, and into the kitchen. Putting the coats on, we walked past her bedroom toward the entry door.
When we passed our bedroom door, I said,
“There is a black man in there!”
She said loudly,
“There is no black man in here. You are just imagining things.”
Taking me tightly by the hand, we carefully walk down the stairs as she holds Lauren in her right arm. As we walk across the street toward the car, suddenly, a huge bad thought came into my head and I felt a surge of fear. Turning around, I pointed back toward our home, and said,
“Daddy, Daddy!”
Mom said, angrily,
“Come on, Daddy is not there.”
I started to cry. Mommy was not happy with me and she walked even faster toward the car, pulling me by the arm. I did not bring up the subject again.
A day or two later, Mommy tried to call Daddy at work.
“Louis, this is Marguerite Connolly calling, is John available,” she asked.
“Marguerite, John called in sick about two weeks ago, and I have not spoken to him since,” Louis said. He went on, “I really thought I would be hearing from him or he would just show up by now.”
“I haven’t seen him for about two weeks, either,” Mom said. I have been staying at my parents’ house in Endicott,” she said.
“Well, I sure would like to know what’s going on with him”, Louis said. This is a pretty hard place to run by myself,” he added.
“I will let you know when I find out,” Mom said.
Hanging up the phone, she stood in the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face. Elaine, her Sister, seated at the kitchen table, said,
“What is going on with John?”
“I have no idea but Louis, his partner, just told me he was not feeling well two weeks ago, and has not heard from him since,” Mom replied.
“I will check with Ernie and maybe we can stop by your house on the way home today,” Elaine said. Yelling into the next room where Ernie and Grandpa were talking, Elaine said,
“Ernie can we stop and see what John is up to on the way home?”
A gruff voice responded loudly from the living room,
“Sure we can. It is right on the way.”
Elaine said,
“Ok, Marguerite, we will stop by, see John, and then we will call you when we get home”.
“Ok, why don’t you take my keys so you can let yourself in if he is not there and leave him a note to call me? I will get them for you,” Mom said.
Mom walked into our small bedroom and came back with the keys.
“Here they are. I’ll hear back from you in an hour or so?” she said, handing the keys to Elaine. Elaine nodded.
Elaine and Ernie left in their car a few minutes later, but instead of calling on the phone, they came back to Grandma’s house a little while later with strange looks on their faces.
Elaine said,
“Marguerite, Mary should take the kids into the other room because I have to talk with you and Mom about something.”
Mary took Lauren and me into our small bedroom and sat us on the bed. I liked that because she was always my favorite and often told us stories. She was just nice and did not speak “baby talk” to us. She would always laugh at many things we did and said. She just treated us as if we were real people, and we knew she loved us. From the other room, I could hear Elaine and Ernie speaking to Mom and then both Grandma and Mom talking back loudly but Lauren and I could not understand what they were saying. When the three of us finally came out of the bedroom, Mom, Elaine and Ernie were gone. Grandma would only say,
“Your Mom, Elaine and Ernie have gone back to Marguerites’ house for something.”
This was very puzzling to Lauren and me but I feared it would have something to do with Daddy. The picture of that man with the dark face laying on one of the twin beds came back into my head and scared me again.
After a long while, they all came back to Grandma's and many unusual things started to
When we passed our bedroom door, I said,
“There is a black man in there!”
She said loudly,
“There is no black man in here. You are just imagining things.”
Taking me tightly by the hand, we carefully walk down the stairs as she holds Lauren in her right arm. As we walk across the street toward the car, suddenly, a huge bad thought came into my head and I felt a surge of fear. Turning around, I pointed back toward our home, and said,
“Daddy, Daddy!”
Mom said, angrily,
“Come on, Daddy is not there.”
I started to cry. Mommy was not happy with me and she walked even faster toward the car, pulling me by the arm. I did not bring up the subject again.
A day or two later, Mommy tried to call Daddy at work.
“Louis, this is Marguerite Connolly calling, is John available,” she asked.
“Marguerite, John called in sick about two weeks ago, and I have not spoken to him since,” Louis said. He went on, “I really thought I would be hearing from him or he would just show up by now.”
“I haven’t seen him for about two weeks, either,” Mom said. I have been staying at my parents’ house in Endicott,” she said.
“Well, I sure would like to know what’s going on with him”, Louis said. This is a pretty hard place to run by myself,” he added.
“I will let you know when I find out,” Mom said.
Hanging up the phone, she stood in the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face. Elaine, her Sister, seated at the kitchen table, said,
“What is going on with John?”
“I have no idea but Louis, his partner, just told me he was not feeling well two weeks ago, and has not heard from him since,” Mom replied.
“I will check with Ernie and maybe we can stop by your house on the way home today,” Elaine said. Yelling into the next room where Ernie and Grandpa were talking, Elaine said,
“Ernie can we stop and see what John is up to on the way home?”
A gruff voice responded loudly from the living room,
“Sure we can. It is right on the way.”
Elaine said,
“Ok, Marguerite, we will stop by, see John, and then we will call you when we get home”.
“Ok, why don’t you take my keys so you can let yourself in if he is not there and leave him a note to call me? I will get them for you,” Mom said.
Mom walked into our small bedroom and came back with the keys.
“Here they are. I’ll hear back from you in an hour or so?” she said, handing the keys to Elaine. Elaine nodded.
Elaine and Ernie left in their car a few minutes later, but instead of calling on the phone, they came back to Grandma’s house a little while later with strange looks on their faces.
Elaine said,
“Marguerite, Mary should take the kids into the other room because I have to talk with you and Mom about something.”
Mary took Lauren and me into our small bedroom and sat us on the bed. I liked that because she was always my favorite and often told us stories. She was just nice and did not speak “baby talk” to us. She would always laugh at many things we did and said. She just treated us as if we were real people, and we knew she loved us. From the other room, I could hear Elaine and Ernie speaking to Mom and then both Grandma and Mom talking back loudly but Lauren and I could not understand what they were saying. When the three of us finally came out of the bedroom, Mom, Elaine and Ernie were gone. Grandma would only say,
“Your Mom, Elaine and Ernie have gone back to Marguerites’ house for something.”
This was very puzzling to Lauren and me but I feared it would have something to do with Daddy. The picture of that man with the dark face laying on one of the twin beds came back into my head and scared me again.
After a long while, they all came back to Grandma's and many unusual things started to
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