Chapter 1
It is a hot and rainy day. I sit out on the pouch drinking my morning tea, watching the rain fall over the fields of corn, or the corn that I usually imagine will be there every morning, now it was a field of emptiness, just dirt that would go on for miles.
I hear my mama yell from inside the kitchen! “Lillian!” “Yes, mama!” I yell back. “Please come here” She replied. I sat my tea down before standing up, I pull down my dress before heading inside.
“Yes, mama?” I ask now standing in front of her. She turned around to face me with a light smile on her face. “Can you run into town and get some groceries.” She more like demanded. I nodded. “Yes, mama.” “Thank you, she caressed my cheek before turning around to grab something. I waited patiently. Finally, she turned back around here is the list of what I need. I read it. bread and water. I nodded. “I shall head right now.” She thanked me one more time before turning back to the dishes.
I head to my room to change into my outing clothes.
I walk out of my room and head downstairs. I give mama a kiss on the cheek before heading outside. I see my carriage waiting. I walk over to it and get in before the coachman hit the horse and we left for town.
I sat there reading a book. “Mam, we’re here” I heard somebody say. I look up from the book to see the town. I sigh remembering how the town used to look.
It used to be full of life with people everywhere, now you barely saw anybody and if you did it was hard to look at.
People were staring at the carriage. I put the book down before taking the coachman's hand. He let me out. I thanked him before patting down the dress. I stood straight before walking down the streets of Gary in Indiana. Looking around I see people begging for food or sitting outside abandoned buildings with their children. I walk past them with my head held up, and not looking at them. I did not care. I only cared about my family.
I see the store I think I need to go to. I grabbed the note from my purse and read it. 'Bob's bakery,' I look back up at the sign and it says it. I put the note back in my bag before gradually walking in. The bell rings when I enter. I look left then right, I see the man at the counter. "Welcome, welcome!" He says in a happy tone. You don't hear much of that right now. "I greeted him while walking up to him. "Hi, I would like a gallon of milk, and bread please." "Right away mam, he tipped his hat he had on before turning around and grabbing what I needed. He set it on the counter in front of me. "Here you go" He smiled warmly. I smiled back. "Thank you"
"That'll be 34 cents today" I nodded digging in my purse for the change. I found a dollar. I smiled thinking, 'he has been so nice, and helpful. Why not help him out today? I grabbed the dollar and placed it on the table. I then looked up to see the guy crying. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you. That'll help my family a lot. Thank you!" he cried in joy. I nodded before grabbing my stuff. I then left the building, heading back to the carriage.
I finally made it back to where it was parked and it wasn't there. I look around confused. Did I leave it somewhere else?
I see the coachman. I walk up to him. "Excuse me?" I say tapping his shoulder. He turns around with a jump, sees me, then suddenly starts to cry. I roll my eyes. "Please stop." He nods. I smile before asking "Where is the carriage? "I'm sorry, mam," He says, standing straight up, not looking me in the eyes. I continue staring. "I went to give somebody some change and when I came back it was gone. I'm sorry" He looks down before looking back up, still not looking me in the eyes. I sigh nodding, knowing how bad it was around here, leave something alone for a second it's gone, want to help somebody they usually turn on you.
"It's alright," I say. I look around thinking of ideas to get back to the farm. "Mam, we should start walking before it gets dark." He gets down on his knees" I shall give you a piggyback ride since I was the one to lose the carriage." I didn't hear him say it though I was too busy thinking.
I think of an idea. I see a horse a few stores down. I smile mischievously. I then look back at the coachman. What was he doing? "Stand up" I demand. He nods, quickly standing back up. "See that horse?" He nods once fully up again. "We are going to take it." He quivers "But, mam?" I stare at him hard. "Your mother?" He whispers the last part. "She doesn't need to know" I reply "Anyways, it's not our fault, somebody stole ours so we got to take something to get home." "Right?" I question him "Right" He replies in a whisper looking down. I nod alright.
We walk over to the horse. He unties it from the pull. He gets on first before I swiftly get on the back. I hold onto his waist. "Ye ha!" He yells hitting the horse. The horse jumps before taking off.
We head back home. It takes around 2 hours. I see mama washing the clothes outside. I jump off the horse once it slowed down. I ran over to mama with groceries in hand. "I got them" She smiled. "Thank you, Hunny" "Will you take them inside for me?" She asks I nod before bringing them into the kitchen. I set them down on the counter before heading to my room.
I go to my closet and change into my jumpsuit before jumping on my bed. I reach over to my nightstand and start to read the book that was there.
2 hours later...
I finish the book. I set it back down on the nightstand before deciding to go help mama with dinner.
I help her finish the soup she was making. Once I was done cutting the bread she asked me to set the table. I agreed before grabbing what I needed and heading over to the dining table. I set it up.
5 minutes later...
I hear mom yell. "Dinners ready!" from the kitchen. I see dad enter through the front door, and my brother enters right behind him. They take off their hats and shoes. My father walks over to mama and kisses her on the cheek while my brother sits at the dining table. "I missed you" I hear him whisper to mama. She smiles before teasingly hitting him on the shoulder. " Oh shush, go sit down" she replies. I smile at their relationship, I want one just like that. My father comes and sits down at the head of the table, while mama carefully brightens the soup over. I sit down. She sits the soup in the middle of the table before putting stuff in everybody's bowls. We all thank her before she serves herself and then sits down.
Once she is seated we hold hands and quickly pray. My mother starts "Dear heavenly father, thank you for the food you have given us, especially during this time when the great depression is going on, in Jesus's name amen.
We all opened our eyes repeating amen after her.
After we opened our eyes we started to eat our food. Mama started talking first. "So, Jake how was your day?" she asks after taking a bite into her food.
My father took a big bite into the food before responding. "Great, actually today" he put his fork down. "I got a raise" Everybody looked at him surprised. This is his second raise in 2 years since he has been working at the hospital. He use to farm but then the Great Depression hit, so he had to start something else to still keep our farmhouse, he decided to become a doctor. I smiled while my brother patted him on the back congratulating him, while my mama got up and gave him a kiss on the lips.
Once they were both done I said congratulations, papa. He smiled saying thanks before we all went back to eating and talking about random things.
10 minutes later...
My father starts talking again after 2 minutes of silence.
Everybody stops and listens. "Since I got this raise I thought it would be great for us to all go on vacation. "That's a great idea, papa" I get up and hug him before going back to sitting down. My mom and brother agree with me. He nods. "I was thinking tonight we all sit down and discuss where to go." We nod agreeing, and he continues. "But I already have a date set, for I already took time. We will be going next week for 7 days straight" "Yes papa, Jake Jr. my brother says while mama and I agree with him by nodding our heads.
"Great" He replies before we once again continue eating our dinner.
