Life with Lily Read online

  A man opened the door. Lily stared in amazement. The man’s skin was chocolate brown. She had never seen anyone with such dark skin. Mama didn’t seem at all shocked. Cheerfully, just like at the other houses, she told the man she was selling baked goods.

  The man was interested. A little girl peeked around the man. Her skin was just as chocolatey brown as her father’s. She had two long shiny black braids with bright pink beads at the end. She looked curiously at Lily. “I’m Larry Smith and this is my daughter, Trisha,” the man said. “Would you mind if she comes out to see your horse?”

  Mama smiled at Trisha. “I think Jim would like to meet you.”

  They crossed the street and Trisha reached up to pet Jim’s nose. He blew softly through his nostrils into her hand. She quickly drew her hand back and stepped back.

  “Jim won’t hurt you,” Lily said. “He likes children.”

  Cautiously, Trisha touched Jim’s nose and he nickered at her. “His nose feels so soft. Almost like velvet.” She smiled at Lily.

  Lily smiled back. She liked Trisha.

  Larry Smith bought one of every baked good in the buggy. Mama told him they would return next week. “We’ll be watching for the horse and buggy, won’t we, Trisha?” he said. They smiled and waved as Mama drove the buggy past their house to another street.

  “Why is their skin so dark?” Lily whispered to Mama.

  “That’s the way God made them, Lily,” Mama said. “He made people in many different colors, but inside everyone is the same. God loves everyone, whether they are big or small, black or white. The color of skin makes no difference at all to God.”

  Lily sat and thought about Mama’s words. “So people are like God’s coloring book, aren’t they? He makes hair, eyes, and skin different colors.”

  Mama laughed. “I guess you could say that.” They spent the rest of the morning going door to door, until the shelves in the back of the buggy were empty. Mama had sold everything!

  Soon, Saturdays became Lily’s favorite day of the week. The best part of the day was when Trisha would come out of her house with her father or mother. They always bought items from Mama, and Lily and Trisha could have a few minutes to visit. Trisha liked to stroke Jim’s velvet nose.

  One morning, Trisha’s parents lingered. “Our babysitter is going on vacation for two weeks,” Larry Smith said to Mama. “We haven’t found anyone to watch Trisha while we’re at work. We wondered if you might consider taking care of her.”

  “I’ll have to talk to my husband,” Mama said, “but I can’t see a reason why it couldn’t work out.”

  Larry Smith scribbled his phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Mama. “We’d really appreciate it if you could let us know your decision by tonight.”

  Lily was excited to think that Trisha might be staying with them for a while. She was sure that Papa wouldn’t mind and he didn’t. He didn’t mind a bit. Later that day, Papa called Larry Smith and told him Mama and Lily would be happy to have Trisha come stay with them. He gave him directions to Singing Tree Farm.

  On Monday morning, a tan station wagon drove up the driveway. Trisha hopped out and walked around in a circle with an amazed look on her face. Lily ran outside to meet her while Mama talked to Trisha’s father. After he left to go to work, Trisha followed Lily into the house. Lily had made so many plans for Trisha’s visit, but now that she was here, she couldn’t think of anything to say or do. Her mind was blank!

  Mama sensed the girls’ awkwardness. She handed a little pail to Lily. “Take Trisha and go gather eggs for me.”

  Trisha and Lily crossed the yard to the chicken coop. Lily showed Trisha how to check all the nests for eggs and to reach under the hens to see if they were hiding any eggs. After all the nests were checked, Lily handed the pail to Trisha. She unhinged the ramp to the coop to let the chickens out. The chickens scurried down the ramp to peck at the grass and dirt. Another chicken sat down to make a dust bath. She flapped her wings to settle deeper into the dust. Trisha laughed at the silly hen. Lily laughed too. The awkwardness disappeared. It would be fun to have Trisha to play and work with all day.

  Mama came outside to join them. “We need to take some milk to Grandpa Miller’s. Run inside and wash up while I get the buggy ready.”

  Trisha’s face lit up. “I get to go on a buggy ride!”

  As the girls washed their hands from handling the chickens, Lily wondered what could possibly seem exciting about a buggy ride. As they climbed into the back seat of the buggy, Lily noticed that Mama had brought along a loaf of bread and a few freshly baked cookies. “Are those for Grandma?” Lily said.

  “No, I thought we would stop at Harold Young’s house and give them to him,” Mama said. “I’ll let you take them up to his porch while I watch Jim.”

  As they drove into Harold Young’s driveway, Lily admired the gravel on his driveway—the little rocks were smooth and white and looked like miniature marshmallows. Mama reined Jim to a stop. Lily hopped out of the buggy and Mama leaned out the window to hand her the bread and cookies.

  “Can I help carry them to the house?” Trisha said.

  “Of course,” Mama said.

  Together, Lily and Trisha walked up to the house. Lily carried the bread and Trisha carried the cookies. A big brown dog barked furiously, scaring them. Lily was glad the dog was tied to his doghouse. Harold Young opened the door before they reached the porch. Lily’s heart was thumping so loudly she was sure Trisha could hear it. She handed the loaf of bread to him. “Mama made this for you.”

  Harold Young took it from her.

  Trisha held out the cookies but Harold Young shook his head. “I’m not taking anything from a colored girl.” He shut the door firmly.

  How mean! How cruel. Harold Young was hateful. A tear ran down Trisha’s cheek. Lily felt so bad. She took Trisha’s hand in hers to comfort her. “He’s a crabby old man, Trisha. He pointed a shotgun at my papa once. Don’t pay any attention to him.”

  As they climbed into the buggy, Mama knew something was wrong. Lily told her what Harold Young had said to Trisha. “Oh Trisha, I’m so sorry,” Mama said. “Some people are so concerned about the color of skin that they forget what color their heart is. Dark skin is beautiful to God, but dark hearts make Him sad.”

  One afternoon, Papa blew into the kitchen like a warm breeze. His eyes were twinkling bright. “Come see what I brought home from the sale barn today.”

  Lily had been standing on a chair to help Mama wash dishes. She hopped right down.

  Papa held up the palm of his hand. “You can finish the dishes first, Lily. My surprise can wait.” He winked at her. “And waiting will give me a chance to eat some of Mama’s good chocolate chip cookies.”

  Lily picked up the towel and got back on the chair to dry the dishes, but all she could think about was Papa’s surprise. Soon the last dish was dried and placed into the cupboard. Lily followed Papa out to the chicken coop. Strutting around the chicken yard was a big brown rooster. He had a proud red comb and a long red dangly beard hanging at his throat. His tail had red and greenish feathers. Lily thought he was the most beautiful rooster she had ever seen.

  Mama was thrilled. “I had just been thinking how nice it would be to have a rooster. Daniel, you must have read my mind.”

  Papa grinned. “No farm is complete without a rooster.” He pointed to the barn. “I’ve got something else too.”

  Inside the barn was a wide-eyed calf, standing in a pen. “A baby cow!” Lily said.

  “No, you don’t call it a baby cow,” Papa said with a laugh. “It’s a calf. Actually it’s a young steer. I thought we could put him out to pasture and fatten him up until winter.”

  The calf lifted his head and let out a loud, strange sound. It didn’t sound like Jenny’s soft moos. Lily had never heard such a strange sound from an animal. She clasped her hands over her ears. “I think we should call him Bellow!”

  Papa burst out laughing. “Bellow, it is! I can’t think of
a better name.”

  Trisha’s father dropped her off early in the morning. Lily had plans to spend every minute doing something they both liked. First on the list today was to show Trisha the new rooster and Bellow, the new calf.

  The two girls ran out to the barn to see the calf, but Papa had already put Bellow out to pasture in the fenced-off woods. They climbed over the fence, and walked along a creek bank looking for a place to cross. Lily still couldn’t see any sign of Bellow, even in the middle of the woods.

  Trisha pointed to a tree. “Do you see that squirrel?”

  Lily looked up and saw a squirrel dart into a hole high in the tree. “I wonder if it has babies in that hole.”

  “I could climb up and look,” Trisha said. She started to climb the tree.

  Lily watched as Trisha climbed higher and higher. Lily had never seen such a brave little girl! Trisha kept climbing, but just as she reached the squirrel’s hole, she paused and looked down. “I don’t want to climb higher!” she said. She started to make her way down the tree, slowly and carefully, but then she stopped. The next tree branch was too far below her. “I’m stuck!” Her voice held an edge of panic.

  Lily wasn’t sure how to help her. If she climbed up the tree, they might both get stuck. They might never get down! They might never be heard from again. How awful! “Hold still, Trisha! Don’t move! I’ll run and get Mama.” If anything happened to Trisha, it would be Lily’s fault for taking her so far from the house. She ran back along the creek bank, climbed over the fence, and into the barnyard. She didn’t stop running until she burst into the kitchen, panting for air.

  Standing at the stove with Dannie on her hip, Mama spun around. She looked behind Lily. “Where’s Trisha?”

  “She’s . . . ,” Lily gasped, “stuck up in a tree . . . ,” she took a deep breath, “out in the pasture.”

  Mama sighed. “Papa and Joseph aren’t home. Just how am I supposed to climb that tree to help her down?”

  Lily couldn’t quite imagine Mama trying to climb a tree. “Maybe you could use our big ladder.”

  “You will have to carry Dannie while I carry the ladder.” Mama handed Dannie to Lily and went outside to get the ladder.

  Lily hoisted Dannie to her hip. He wouldn’t be able to walk in the woods very far.

  Mama pushed the big ladder under the fence, climbed through it, and lifted Dannie over while Lily climbed through. It took a long time to walk to the tree. Dannie was over a year old, and heavy. He was turning into a big little boy. Lily lifted him, then let him walk a little, then lifted him again. Lily thought she couldn’t carry him one more step, but Mama looked tired as she carried the ladder.

  When they reached the tree, Mama set up the ladder and Trisha scampered down. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Lapp,” she said as she hopped off the bottom rung of the ladder.

  “I’m glad you’re safe and sound, Trisha,” Mama said. “But I think it would be a good idea if you girls play around the house and barnyard instead of wandering off alone.”

  Lily and Trisha nodded. On the way back to the house, Trisha and Lily took turns carrying Dannie. But Mama still had to manage the ladder by herself. And they never did find Bellow.

  Lily took her favorite tan-colored dress out of her closet. It was a little worn out and getting too short, but Lily still loved it. Down the back ran a row of bright red buttons. She wished she could see the buttons while she wore the dress, but just knowing they were there always made her feel a little prettier.

  Today was the last day that Trisha would be staying at their house. Lily had everything planned. After they gathered eggs, they would play hide-and-seek in the barn. She would ask Trisha to show her how to make a chain of daisies, and then they would spend the rest of the morning in the sandbox, and help Mama whenever she needed them.

  When Trisha’s father drove up the driveway, Lily ran out to meet her. She had two empty peanut butter pails to gather eggs. Inside the chicken coop, the hens ignored the girls as they approached the nests to check for eggs. The rooster pecked at the grain in the feeder while the hens scratched at the straw and dirt on the floor or drank from the water pan.

  Lily reached into one nest and grabbed a handful of eggs. She placed the eggs carefully in the little pail. Suddenly the rooster flew onto her back! He squawked and flapped his wings. Lily fell to the floor and the rooster kept pecking at her and beating his wings. Trisha tried to shoo the rooster away, but he didn’t pay her any mind. Finally, Trisha darted out of the chicken coop and ran to get Mama.

  Lily tried to get away, but the rooster kept flying at her and knocking her down. Mama dashed into the chicken coop and scooped Lily into her arms. Out on the grass, she dried Lily’s tears. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to wear this dress when you gather the eggs. The rooster wanted to get those red buttons. He must have thought they were red berries. That is why he knocked you down.”

  Lily looked down at her dress. It was covered with dirt and smudges from the floor of the chicken coop. Mama sent her upstairs to change into another dress. Up in her bedroom, she took off her dress and looked at the buttons. The rooster had pecked them so hard that he had made scratch marks all over them. The red buttons were ruined. She would never again feel pretty and special whenever she wore that dress. Stupid, stupid rooster.

  24

  Off to Kentucky

  Lily could hardly keep still in her excitement. It seemed like a Saturday even though Lily knew it was just Wednesday. She had had her bath earlier that evening and Mama had washed and braided her hair. Tomorrow was going to be an exciting day. The entire family was going, by bus, to visit Grandpa and Grandma Lapp in Kentucky. Lily was happy that her grandmother would get to see Dannie. She would be surprised at how big he had grown. He could walk now. He toddled around the big kitchen with short steps, and he was starting to talk too.

  The suitcase was propped open on the couch in the living room. Lily tucked a few pretty, flowery handkerchiefs into the red satin pocket inside of the big black suitcase Mama was packing. Mama carefully placed Papa’s Sunday coat on top of everything else and closed the lid. Lily helped her fasten the clasps. Mama set it on the floor next to the door beside a smaller suitcase and her satchel. Done!

  Papa was polishing shoes: Papa’s, Mama’s, Lily’s, and Joseph’s. Each one ended up shiny black. Joseph sat on the floor with his eyes fixed on Papa. Papa set the pairs of shoes on a piece of newspaper to dry. He stretched his arms high above his head and gave a huge pretend yawn. “Time for bed. We need to wake up extra early tomorrow morning to catch that bus.”

  Lily was much too excited to sleep. She decided she would stay awake all night so they wouldn’t miss the bus. She counted the low-pitched bells of the grandfather clock down below. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight . . .

  The next thing Lily knew, Papa was calling her name. Everything was pitch dark. Then her eyes flew open. Today was the day they were going to go see Grandpa and Grandma Lapp! She hopped out of bed and quickly got her dress that Mama had hung on her bedpost last evening. She wiggled into it and then ran to find Mama to button her.

  After everyone was dressed in Sunday clothes, they sat in the kitchen to wait until the driver arrived to take them to the bus station. Papa wore his Sunday vest over his light green shirt. His straw hat rested on the table so he could quickly snatch it up as soon as the driver turned into the lane.

  Lily watched the second hand on the clock tick slowly around and around the clock. She wished the driver would hurry up and get here. She was ready to go. Hurry, hurry, hurry, she thought.

  Papa jumped up. “I think I hear his car.” He reached for his hat and plopped it on his head, then pushed the chair under the table. Through the window, Lily saw two bright lights coming up the driveway. She quickly got her heavy black bonnet and waited for Mama to tie the ribbons under her chin. She wished she didn’t have to wear the bonnet. It was so hot. Mama was busy filling a jug with cold water. She set it beside a brown paper bag fill
ed with sandwiches for their lunch on the bus. Then she turned to help Lily tie her bonnet.

  When the driver pulled up to the house, Papa opened the door and carried the suitcases out to the car. He came back to help Mama carry the rest of the things. He looked around the house to make sure all the curtains were closed tight. The last thing he did was turn down the oil lamp and blow it out. It was time to go.

  At the bus station, Papa paid the driver and got the luggage out of the car. They found a funny wire-looking bench to sit on in the station while they waited for the bus to come. Dannie slept on Papa’s lap, but Lily had too much to look at to even think of sleep. A tall, thin man stood in front of a large metal and glass box and pushed a few buttons. The man bent down, reached into a little door, and took out a candy bar.

  What a wonderful invention! She leaned over and whispered to Mama, “Can I get one too?”

  Mama shook her head. “You can’t just get free candy bars, Lily. The man put some money into the machine before it gave him the candy. We’ll be fine with the sandwiches I packed.”

  Lily wished she had some money. She wanted to see what kind of candy that machine might give to her.

  A loud voice boomed from a box in the ceiling to announce that the bus had arrived. Papa and Mama quickly herded Lily and Joseph into line. Papa’s hands were full, so he had Joseph hold one of the suitcases. Lily held on to Mama’s skirt as they made their way to the bus. The driver took their tickets and let them climb into the bus to find seats. Lily wondered where all the other people on the bus were going. She hoped they weren’t all going to Grandpa Lapp’s house. It was big, but not big enough for everyone on the bus.

  Lily settled into her seat and closed her eyes. It was still dark outside and she felt a little sleepy. But she would not sleep! She had never been on a bus before and she wanted to enjoy every moment. She would not sleep. She would not . . . sleep. She . . . would . . . not . . .