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CHAPTER 36
Mary noticed early on that one of Junior’s favorite hobbies was catching birds in the backyard. During summer vacation or after school, he would place a large cardboard box in the backyard. Underneath the box he’d sprinkle bread crumbs that Mary always supplied. He used a stick with a long string attached, as his control mechanism. He would prop the box upward on one side by positioning the stick underneath it. The box, in turn, stood upward with the breadcrumbs visible to the birds. Whenever a bird came near and spotted the crumbs, it would wander into the box and Junior would quickly snatch the string and the box would drop.
Most times a sparrow was caught underneath. But sometimes the bird got away too soon. During those times, Junior would direct Mary Jean to rush over to the box and reset it in preparation for another attempt, while he held his position from a distance with the long white string clutched tightly in his hand.
Junior could hardly contain his excitement whenever he trapped a bird. “I got ‘em!” he said whenever he realized his catch. Then he’d shush Mary Jean as he tipped toward the box in preparation to retrieve his catch.
Junior strategically removed the bird from underneath the box and would take it into the house, where Mary helped him kill and de-feather it prior to cooking. Oftentimes, Junior was able to catch two or three birds in one day. Always, the birds were cooked and eaten by everyone except Fred, who was always at work during those adventurous times. During one of Junior’s bird-hunting expeditions, something went array. During the process of setting up his cardboard box, he picked up something from the ground near the box. It was a flat, circular, heavy piece of steel. He tossed it and it landed in Mary Jean’s side.
The pain was evident by the look on Mary Jean’s face and the way in which she lowered herself to the ground. Junior begged her not to tell. She didn’t. She could not bear to hear Junior get another whipping from Fred. So she suffered her pain in silence. And she continued to trail after Junior as he went about his daily task of bird-hunting.
What Junior and Mary Jean didn’t know was that Mary saw the entire incident from the kitchen window. Still, Mary kept quiet.
The next day while the children were playing in the back yard, Mary Jane decided to play on an old rusty bed that Fred had placed near the side of the house. The bed was moved from an area of the house that Fred decided to clean up. And he gave strict instructions to the children to stay away from the bed because it had rusty nails standing upward from it.
His plan was to haul it away on the weekend.
As Mary Jane jumped and tumbled on the bed, Mary Jean watched in fear. She knew Mary Jane was being disobedient but she figured Fred would never know.
Then, out of nowhere, Mary Jane fell and let out a terrifying yell. Blood seemed to flow from everywhere. Her left thigh was covered with blood. And she continued to scream.
Mary was inside canning green apples, which was one of her new things to do since living at the Leigh’ household. She had done some canning of peaches and watermelon rinds at her old home, but she’d never considered canning apples until she moved into the Leigh’ home and saw how abundant green apples were. Fred seemed to bring a bushel home at least once a week. And she figured the best way to use them was to can them.
When she heard the scream, she came running with Derek in tow. As she rushed over to Mary Jane, she saw blood but she wasn’t sure where it was coming from or what caused it. Then she saw the rusty nail sticking up from the bed, covered with Mary Jane’s blood.
“Stay right there!” Mary yelled to a frightened and pained Mary Jane. “I be right back!” She put Derek on the ground and rushed back into the house. Mary Jean stood near her sister until Mary returned a few minutes later.
In her hand, Mary had a jar with thick, clear-colored grease; it looked like it had been softened, as if she had placed it on the stove. She placed Mary Jane’s leg straight on the old bed. Then she dipped some of the grease from the jar and proceeded to place it inside the visible hole in her thigh, all the time Mary Jane was bawling, which was understandable.
Junior and Mary Jean stood in awe as Mary continued to fill the gapping hole in Mary Jane’s thigh with warm grease until the hole was filled. Then Mary took Mary Jane into the house and told her to sit still for a while.
“Didn’ yo daddy tell yall don’t play on that ol’ bed?” Mary asked Mary Jane in a less-than- scornful tone. “Yall better mind yo daddy. See what happ’n when you don’t mind?”
“Yessum”, responded Mary Jane as she continued to sniffle. She remained inside the house for the remainder of the day.
When Fred arrived home, Mary told him what happened. He didn’t scold Mary Jane. He said simply, “I reckon I should’a lef’ it in the house.” Then he walked out to the old bed and called Junior to help him get it in his old truck that he used for hauling.