CHAPTER 10
Fred realized his need to return to work at the factory in the next town; he had bills to pay and the children needed to know that everything would be fine in the absence of their mother.
After all, they had lost their security blanket in their mother; naturally, they now looked to their dad and their big brother to fill the void in their young lives. They were too young to understand that their dad and big brother suffered the same voids and the same needs that they suffered.
One evening, Fred had a talk with Junior about the new role he would have to play in the household. He encouraged Junior to do the best he could; he also explained to him that he would have to leave school for a while “’til thangs git better ‘round here,” was how he explained it. Fred knew his role as a father would be much harder now and he tried to brace himself for whatever might be ahead. He prayed constantly, even more than he prayed when Gert was alive. He felt he needed God even more now and he wasn’t ashamed of that need.
When Fred received a phone call one evening, he wasn’t sure what to think of it. A woman at the other end of the line said something about him going up town “to sign up for help for your children.” After he hung up the phone, he realized that the woman wanted him to apply for government assistance. He would have nothing to do with it.
“I ain’t goin’ up there. I ain’t that pitiful,” he mumbled to himself. “I work every day. I don’t need they help.” And he never went to the office, even though the office phoned several times before finally realizing Fred would not accept any offers of help.
Two weeks after her arrival, Ginnie Mae returned home to her family and her small catering business. It was not an easy departure, but she knew her life had to go on, just as the children’s lives would have to carry on. The children had grown accustomed to having her in the home and she knew the longer she remained there, the harder it would be for them to see her go. Before leaving, she promised them to visit again real soon. She also encouraged them to phone her whenever they wanted to talk. As she drove away, she refused to look back because she could hear sniffles and she wasn’t sure if they were the children’s sniffles or her own.
Fred was getting back into the swing of day-to-day life without his partner and as a single parent for the first time. He could often be seen in his bedroom kneeling in prayer. And since he was a very religious man, he and his children continued to attended church every Sunday morning without fail. His strong belief was that God had a reason for everything, both good and bad. He also believed prayer was the thread that held the family fabric together; this belief included teaching the children how to pray every night before bed, which they’d done without fail every since before they learned how to walk.
Less than a month after Gert’s passing, the Leigh' household was clear of all relatives. Aunt Carol was back at home but she phoned the children everyday to see how things were going.
She was always concerned about their well being, understandably. She hoped that Fred would meet a nice lady to marry and bring home to help care for the family the way she felt it should be. “A man ain’t strong without a wife,” she said often.