CHAPTER 7
Ned lived in Silver Springs, Maryland, where he’d been a high school basketball coach for three years. He was also a carpenter and helped build a beautiful home for himself soon after moving to Maryland. Seven years earlier, he traveled to Leesville to get his mother and take her back to live with him. She’d been ill and she lived alone; Ned felt she needed more care than she was getting because there was no one to care for her on a full-time, daily basis in Leesville.
The other Leigh’ siblings seemed to have been doing whatever they could for their mother but for Ned, it was not enough. And since he was without any huge responsibilities, unlike his siblings, he felt a huge responsibility to care for his mother. After moving her into his home, Ned hired a nurse to care for her whenever he was away.
Then his mother took sick after living in Maryland for five years and she never recovered.
She passed away quietly in a hospital bed with Ned beside her.
When he got the news of Gert’s passing, Ned left Maryland immediately. He was known for his high-classed, womanizing ways, but he was also a dependable man. His family needed only to call him and he never disappointed them. This day his family needed him again, especially Ned and the children.
As the two brothers sat on the porch together, Ned placed his arm around Fred’s shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, brother. God knows I’m sorry. This is just a big shock for me.” His voice trailed off into silence, his arm still resting on Fred’s shoulder as Mary Jean wiggled her small frame between Fred and Ned, making a sitting place for herself.
“We all shocked, Ned, but ain’t nothin’ nobody could’a did. The good Lord called my wife home. It was her time ta go. We all shocked.” Fred was staring out into nowhere in particular as he continued to talk. “I’m just glad ya here. Thank ya for comin’, brother.” Since Ned’s arrival, Fred had spoken about his wife more than he had spoken about her since her passing away, and without being overcome with tears. Without a doubt, Ned brought a sense of comfort to Fred that he hadn’t felt before. Ned brought a kind of light to Fred’s darkened world.
Back in the kitchen, Mary rolled up her sleeves and joined in the food preparation. She was making Kool-Aid for the children. Bernice, on the other hand, was trying to hold little Derek but he had other ideas, so she started small talk with Mary Jane and Junior.