CHAPTER 16
“Momma, You’re going to try it, aren’t you?” Bernice exclaimed as soon as she looked into Mary’s face. Bernice had been feeling excited most of the day as she had gone about her classes, and she had had a feeling that Mary was going to make the decision to help care for the Leigh children. Before Mary could answer, Bernice rushed over and flung herself into her arms, praising the Lord as she went.
“Thank you, Jesus!” Bernice yelled loudly into Mary’s ear, causing her to break away from Bernice’s stronghold much too quickly. “Thank you, Jesus! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Bernice continued to rejoice mid-floor, her arms stretched above her head. Mary turned away briefly, hiding a grin as she went.
“Auntie Momma,” Bernice started, a bit calmer now as she perched on the edge of the nearest kitchen chair, “tell me what happened. What did Mr. Leigh say when you told him what you wanted to do? I bet you’re going to like it, too. I know you’re going to like it because you’ve always liked children. When are you goin-”
Mary interrupted Bernice mid-sentence. “You know, babe, I do like child’n but I ain’t never had ta like so many at one time. Lord! Lord!” she said, shaking her head.
Less than a week later, Mary was walking that dirt road every day. She walked early in the morning before Fred left for work, and she didn’t return home until after suppertime. She refused to allow Bernice or Fred to drive her either way. “Walkin’ ain’t never hurt nobody,“ she would say.
Every morning, Mary prepared breakfast at her home while Bernice was still asleep; in fact, the birds were still asleep when Mary started her day. After she was done at her home, she would walk down the road and up the hill to the Leigh’ home and cook a second breakfast before seeing the older children off to school.
The children had to stand on the side of the road and wait for the old school bus to pick them up. Mary made sure they were always ready and standing at attention when the bus came around. Then she would go back into the house and wait for young Derek to wake up. He was “a hand full,” she said on more than one occasion. But she resigned herself to the belief that all little boys were a hand full.