CHAPTER 11
After the loss of Gert, many adjustments were reckoned with in the Leigh household; one such adjustment was in the area of cooking. Junior learned early on, from helping and watching his mother, how to prepare certain meals for the family. He was allowed, under her supervision, to prepare some of the simpler meals for the household.
During those times, Junior felt as if he were indeed second in command and, as a way of maintaining his young confidence, his mother allowed him to entertain those thoughts. As a result of his feelings of greatness in the kitchen, Junior often announced his desire to attend a cooking school after high school graduation. Of course, now his dream would have to wait.
Fred too was a well-known cook within the Leigh' household. The one thing that had always amazed Gert was his level of cooking ability. When she was alive, she often marveled at Fred’s various recipes and the time and effort he put forth to make his meals memorable. Fred wasn’t able to do much cooking during those times, but whenever he did take to the kitchen, the family knew that it was in for a festive meal.
Now that Gert was gone, Fred knew he would have to step up to the kitchen more often in order that his children maintain the well-rounded, well-prepared meals that they had become so very accustomed to having with their mother. He didn’t know how he’d carry out his new role, especially since he didn’t usually arrive home from the factory until after six o’clock, a time when dinner was always ready and waiting for him.
Weeks after Gert’s passing, Bernice and Mary were still discussing her life. It was hard to believe she was gone, although it was apparent that she was. A cloud seemed to hang over the small Tennessee town. An angel was removed from earth much too soon, many people thought.
Mary recalled standing on her porch on Sunday mornings, watching Fred and his wife and children pile into the old black Ford on their way to church. For her, it was always a wondrous sight to see: a young man and his family starting off the week in the house of the Lord. After watching Fred drive away, she would go back inside and continue her own church preparations. All of the families in that rural area attended the same small church. She was proud that her neighbors were all churchgoing people, just as she and Bernice were.