CHAPTER 4
Visibly shaken, Debbie held two-year-old Derek, the Leigh’s youngest child, on her lap inside the Leigh’ house. She rocked back and forth in what had been Gert’s favorite red and black rocker. “It’s ok, baby,” she repeated time and again, as if convincing herself as well as Derek of the validity of her words. “Everything will be okay.”
Back in the kitchen, Carol was keeping busy. “Anybody like some coffee,” she asked as she walked through the kitchen and into the living room carrying a steaming cup. “I got some real hot coffee on the stove in there.”
Carol was Fred’s older sister and had lived in some part of Tennessee all of her life, moving around whenever she grew restless or bored. She was divorced nearly three years earlier, and had taken to spending more of her time with Fred and his family, much to the family’s delight.
Carol had never been a bothersome person, but rather she seemed to lift spirits wherever she went. Having no children of her own, she often picked up the Leigh children for daylong outings; that allowed for some much needed private time between Fred and Gert.
However, on this most dark day, Carol’s attempts to keep everyone’s spirit up seemed all but useless; she too was suffering, yet she felt it necessary to maintain dry eyes for the sake of the children, as well as for her brother’s sake.
A few people started to stir and move toward the kitchen as Carol stepped onto the front porch. “Fred, take this coffee here. You need somethin’ in yo stomach.” Fred never turned around. Carol sat the steaming coffee at Fred’s feet and smiled at the twins lovingly before returning to the house. Someone had to take the reigns and she decided she was the only person there who was emotionally equipped to fill that role.