Broken glass. Sirens blaring incessantly. Her
momma lying quietly beside her like she was
sleeping. The hospital room. White walls with
cartoon characters in the children’s ward of the
hospital. Betty lying in the bed day after day,
looking pale and lifeless. These memories clung to
Homer like a wet shirt. A shirt that you couldn’t
take off…
Most of the time he did not let those memories
get to him. He would get up, work on his small farm
and go to bed. There were cows that needed tending
to, hay to be harvested and a small patch of cotton
along with the chickens that brought in a little
money. There was also the small disability check
that Betty received from the government that helped,
although he would have taken care of her, money or
not. His daughter, Elizabeth, was gone and her
sorry ex-husband, Betty’s father lived in another
state. It was left to him and Martha to make sure
Betty was taken care of. He prayed every day that
he would live just long enough to do that.
“Hey, Papaw,” Betty called out. “Could you come
help me a minute?”
“Coming,” he said as he rushed into the
kitchen.
Betty sat looking tiny in the wheelchair, for
she was petite like her mother. Standing, she would
only be a little more than five feet tall with
shoulder length, brown hair and green eyes. The
accident that had claimed the life of her mother and
almost taken hers had left her paralyzed from the
waist down, but her will was intact and strong. He
was so proud of the way she looked at life, not
feeling sorry for herself but doing all she could.
“Can you put these glasses up? I got the
dishes washed and put away.”
She had insisted he put in a low sink for her
so she could reach it and help Martha with the
housework. Every day she did the dishes and with
most of the dishes going in the large wooden hutch
in the corner Betty put away what she could. She
also had a long-handled duster and did a fair job
making the beds.
“I have to stay active and learn how to do
this stuff if I am to marry and have my own house
one day.”
Betty was only twelve years old when she first
told Martha and Homer this.
“Of course, I will want to work for a while
before I have children.”
She would always state this last part
emphatically, every detail thought out in her young
mind.
The doctor had not completely ruled out the
possibility of children but whenever she mentioned
it, Homer would quietly leave the room. He was
unable to handle the emotion of his Betty being
disappointed. Half of him wanted her to be able to
see dreams realized, but the other half did not want
her to get her hopes up in case they weren’t.
“Papaw, you’re doing it again,” she said,
sweetly. “Staring into space that is.”
“I’m just getting old, girl, you know that.
This is what we old people do. Is there anything
else before I go check for eggs?”
“No, that is all. Thanks.”
Walking out to the barn, he spied the freshly
scraped spot of land on the far corner of their
25-acre farm and instantly his load felt lighter.
His mind went to Matt, the son of Benjamin and
Louise Jansen, their neighbors. Since he was a
young child, he had been a friend to Betty. Homer
and Martha were appreciative to him. He could have
easily hung around the other kids at school, but he
was always there to help Betty to stay involved. If
for some reason, the activity of the day was
something she could not do, he stayed with her.
Homer shook his head in amazement as he poured up a
ration of corn for the chickens.
Not many kids were like Matt, Homer thought.
He would pick her up, literally and take her to the
movies and the mall, carefully loading her and her
chair into his beat up pick-up truck. Betty
probably didn’t weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet
and he easily and gently lifted her to the seat and
fastened her in. He was tall and lanky, with dark
unruly hair and brown eyes. Nothing special to
most, but everything in Betty’s eyes. Homer had
worried that she would be hurt if Matt decided to
date other young women, but he never did.
One Saturday Matt arrived for lunch and Martha
cooked his favorite: Pork chops and fried potatoes
with turnip greens and cornbread. Homer noticed he
seemed nervous and out of sorts but figured it was
the way of kids nowadays.
“Is something wrong, Matt?” Martha asked. “Was
lunch all right?”
“It was wonderful as always Mrs. Smith,” he replied
politely.
He cleared his throat, “I just want to tell you
that I think the world of you and Mr. Smith and Betty.”
He stopped and smiled at Betty. Homer noticed how
beautiful she was then. Her eyes gleamed and she wore a
big grin on her face.
“I would like to ask your permission to marry
Betty.”
He let that sink in as Homer and Martha sat in
stunned silence.
“I know we are young but we are graduating and when
school is out I will start working full time at the
machine shop near the Riverview Café. With the welding
I took in school, they said I would do well and I
believe I could support her and take care of her, Mr.
Smith.”
“And with my office skills I learned at the trade
school, I know I can pick up something.” Betty added.
“Riverview Elementary School said they could probably
use me to answer the phone and stuff.”
Saying this, Betty reached over and took Matt’s
hand in hers.
“This is just wonderful, children,” Martha replied,
beginning to cry. “I am so happy for you both. I know
you can take care of our Betty, Matt.”
“And you can live right here.” Homer spoke up
slowly, still trying to take it all in. “I can clean off
that patch of tall weeds at the corner of this place and
we can fix you a nice trailer spot. That way we can
help you if you need something. Our place will one day
be Betty’s anyway so you might as well get used to
living on it.”
Betty wheeled her chair over to Homer’s seat and
she hugged him.
“We wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, Papaw.
Isn’t that right, Matt?”
“I would love to live here by ya’ll with my parents
just down the road. I could help you on the farm when
I’m not working,” Matt grinned, thinking of the
possibilities.
Homer finished feeding the chickens and put up the
bucket. In two weeks, Matt and Betty would be
graduating. The wedding was set for August and would
be held right here on the farm near that patch of woods
behind the house. Betty always loved the woods and
wanted them as a backdrop for the wedding. She and
Martha were doing their best to try and stretch their
money for the ceremony. They were also facing the
challenge of finding a dress.
Homer reached into his overall pocket and pulled
out the address of the shop in Central City that the
lady at Bentley’s had given it to him. He told Martha
he would go Monday to Central City for her, since she
was busy helping Betty get ready for graduation.
Sighing he put the address back in his pocket and said a
silent prayer that they could find Betty the dress she
wanted.
Stay Tuned for CHAPTER 3.
© 2009 Jennifer Hallmark. All Rights Reserved.
