Kin (2 page)

“Are you the girl whose mother died?”

Lila's smile disappeared and she lowered her head and looked at the ground. Mom and Davy arrived on the scene just as Mrs. Butts came out of her back door.

“Good morning, Bertha,” Abigail said.

“Morning. Lila, say hello to Mrs. Macdonald, please.”

Lila kept her head down. “Good morning.”

Mrs. Butts frowned. “Stand up and say hello properly.”

“That's all right,” Abigail smiled. “I'm sure it's very confusing to meet everyone at once. It looks like you've met Annie. This is her brother David.”

David looked uncomfortable in his ironed shirt and tie. His hair was wet and combed to the side. He nodded but didn't say anything. Lila glanced at him and then looked away.

Mrs. Butts reached for Lila. “We're off to church. We'll make a good Catholic out of her yet.”

“No!” Lila refused to take her hand.

Mrs. Butts looked mortified. “What on earth is the matter?”

“I don't want you to get a hold of me.”

“Make sense, girl.”

Lila burst into tears. “I'm not Catholic. I'm Protestant. Mama's with God and I have to pray in a Protestant church.”

Annie went over and put her arm around Lila's shoulder. “That's okay, Lila. You can come with us. We're Baptists, right, Mom?”

Her mother hesitated. “It's certainly fine with me if Lila would like to come to church with the children. We'll keep an eye on her.”

“This is nonsense. If she's going to live with me, she's going to a Catholic church and that's that.” Mrs. Butts grabbed Lila by the arm and marched her down the driveway.

Annie felt sick.

“Bertha!” Mom walked over to Mrs. Butts and talked to her quietly. At first it didn't look like her mom was winning, but after a few more minutes, Mrs. Butts took her hand off Lila's arm and bent down to look at her in the face.

“I want you to behave yourself. And if you ever embarrass me again like that, you'll see what happens to you.”

Mrs. Butts walked down the street grumbling.

Mom cupped Lila's chin with her gloved hand. “It's all right now.” She looked back at her children. “We'd best go. We don't want to be late.”

Mom held Lila's hand all the way to church. Annie ran circles around them the entire time, telling Lila everything she'd need to know about the neighbourhood. About how you had to be careful and not pick apples off Mr. Ferguson's tree because he'd set the dog on you and how you could get three honeymoons for one cent instead of two if you said thank you to the store owner. Then there was the rule that if you wanted to jump the brook, you had to take five running steps. Not four or six. Finally David told her to hush.

Annie was enthralled by Lila, who sat on the pew beside her and didn't move a muscle. She kept her head down and prayed the entire time the minister spoke from the pulpit. She was so still that Annie poked her, but Lila would not look or speak to her.

To be so devout was impressive. Annie tried to close her eyes and think about God without moving, but it didn't go well. She had to open her eyes and look at the sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows. Then she had to count how many people coughed and how many times the minister licked his fingers as he turned the pages of his Bible.

To her great relief the number of the hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” was announced. Annie jumped up and sang with great gusto. Normally David didn't open his mouth, but he liked this one because it was about soldiers. He and Annie would try and out-sing each other.

When Lila didn't move, Annie bent down and whispered in her ear. “You have to stand up and sing.”

“I can't sing ever again. My mother is dead.”

Annie sat down beside her. “Then I'm not singing either.” She reached for Lila's hand and held it in her own.

At that moment the church organist sprang from her bench and ran down the church aisle in a panic. Five minutes later she ran back in. “Sorry, everyone, I left a pie in the oven.” She went back to the organ and continued.

After Sunday school, Annie and David showed Lila the rock pile in the middle of the field.

“No one is sure why it's here,” David informed Lila. “Dad said something about the property being owned by a farmer once, but that's as much as he knows. The thing is, if you stand on the top of it, you can see the ocean to the right, the baseball field to the left, and the tops of the buildings on Commercial Street in front of you. You can also see your friends' houses at the back and if you whistle, they can hear you.”

“And this is where you come if you need to be alone,” Annie said. “If you hide behind it, no one can see you from the kitchen window.”

“I like it,” Lila said. “It's a secret spot. Don't you just love secret spots?”

“I never thought about it,” Annie admitted.

David was tapping the rocks with a stick when he quickly bent down and held up a toad. “Bet you don't like this.”

“I love toads.” Lila reached out and stroked its bumpy head. “He's beautiful.”

“He's going to pee on you,” Annie cried.

“I don't care,” Davy said.

“I think he's frightened,” Lila said. “You should let him go. He needs to go home.”

David put down the toad. It was gone in a flash.

“Who are they?” Lila pointed to the two tall, thin women in flowered hats being greeted at the door by their mother.

“Those are the MacKenzie sisters, Minnie and Sadie. They're related to Dad. They always come for tea on Sunday. ” Annie reached into a paper bag and took out three oranges and passed them around. The trio was quiet as they peeled them open. Annie ate the white of the peel first.

“You shouldn't do that,” David said.

“Why?”

“You'll get worms.”

“You're lying.”

“Don't believe me, then.”

Annie spit out her mouthful. “You're annoying. Do you have an annoying brother?”

Lila shook her head.

“Do you have any kin?” David asked.

Lila looked away. “No.”

“That's okay, Lila,” Annie said. “We'll be your kin.”

Annie lay snuggled in her wrought-iron bed. Although the frame creaked when she turned over, it was still comfortable, with its stuffed mattress, handmade quilts, and flannel sheets. It was beside the window, and sometimes if the window was open, she'd get a fine misting of rain on her feather pillow. She could get on her knees in bed and look through the blinds and spy on the people next door, but they didn't do anything exciting, so she usually flopped back in bed and listened to the wonderful sounds of her hometown.

Her favourite was the song of the spring peepers around Copper's Brook, but in the summer it was waking up to the
putt, putt, putt
of the single cylinder engines as the fishing fleet left the harbour at dawn. Her dad told her that in the summer, Glace Bay Harbour was so blocked with fishing boats that you could cross it by leaping from deck to deck.

The whistles of the busy S&L Railway announcing their approaches to crossings, the ringing of crossing bells, and even the distant sounds of trains shunting boxcars in the yard made up the background noise of Annie's day. That and the noon Caledonia Colliery whistle that signalled it was time to go home for lunch.

The loneliest sound was the mournful double-toned
BEE-OOH
of the foghorn in the distance, and the nicest was the music from the circus grounds in the summer or the skating music in the winter from the open-air rink on South Street.

Hands behind her head, she dreamed of what she was going to do that day. The possibilities were endless. She'd take her new friend Lila to feed her uncle's pony. Or they could jump rope or climb a few trees.

Her mother's voice drifted up the stairs. “David! Annie! It's time to get up for school.”

Annie groaned and covered her head. She'd forgotten about school. She had to wear a new dress and new shoes today, which meant her feet would be sore and her neck itchy. But then she remembered Lila would be walking to Central School with her today, so she bounced out of bed and slipped into the bathroom ahead of David.

On the coal stove every morning was a big pot of thick, creamy porridge that had simmered in a double boiler all night. Annie always put lots of brown sugar and cream over it. Her mother would serve ham and eggs, toast with butter and homemade jam, along with milk and hot tea. Annie and David were always stuffed to the gills going out the door every morning.

When they came home for lunch, it was just as wonderful, with thick lobster, chicken, or egg salad sandwiches on homemade bread, a large piece of pie or gingerbread, an apple, and more milk.

No, David and Annie didn't know what it was to be hungry.

David came downstairs in his new duds—breeches with leather patches on the knees, a flannel shirt, knee-length stockings, and boots. His mother turned from the stove and saw him standing in the doorway.

“David! You look very grown up. You'll soon be as tall as your father.”

David seemed pleased with the compliment. He sat at the table and grinned when his mom put a big plate of food in front of him. “Dad says I have a hollow leg.”

“I wish
I
was going into grade five,” Annie said with her mouth full. “That way I could miss grades two, three, and four.”

Her mother sat the table. “Annie, you can't start off the school year with that attitude. Think of the fun you'll have with your friends and all the things you'll learn about the world.”

“The only fun I have is at lunchtime and the only thing I learn is the boring alphabet and sums.”

“It comes in handy if you want to read and count your money,” Mom laughed.

“Davy can do it for me. He's smarter than me.”

David nodded. “You're right.”

“You are just as smart as your brother. You can do anything you put your mind to.”

“My mind is out to lunch.”

“I'll say one thing for you,” her mother sighed. “You've got a smart mouth.”

Lila was already outside when they left for school. She didn't have on new clothes and she didn't have a school bag.

“Hi, Lila.”

“Hi, Annie.”

“You better go get your things,” David said.

“I don't have anything to bring.”

“Why not?” Annie asked.

“Never you mind,” David said. “I can lend you a pencil and notebook when we get to school.”

Lila gave them a small smile, but she was obviously nervous as she and Annie walked behind David. “I don't know anyone here.”

“You know me. That's all you need. And you've got Davy. If anyone says anything, he'll stick up for you.”

“You think someone will say something to me?”

David turned his head. “Stop worrying her. No one is going to say anything.”

Walking to school with a new friend was rather exciting. Annie couldn't wait for her classmates to meet Lila; Annie liked being the centre of attention, and a new kid in school was always a curiosity.

The day was a blustery one, with wispy clouds racing across the blue sky. Although it was early September, there was a touch of fall in the air and Annie wondered if Lila was cold in her thin sweater. She didn't want to worry Lila by bringing up the subject, so she resolved to carry an extra sweater with her at all times in case Lila needed it.

Lila did stand out from the circle of girls that swarmed around them in the schoolyard. Most of them had their hair bobbed like Annie. Lila's reddish-gold waves looked old-fashioned. A few girls tittered behind their hands, but stopped when Annie gave them a dirty look.

The boys looked at Lila too, but none of them approached her. It was as if they sensed that she was vulnerable, but it was more likely that they knew Annie would fly into them.

The first day of school was always an eternity for Annie. The outdoors beckoned through the windows and when they were cracked open she heard the birds singing in the trees, and smelled that intoxicating whiff of leaves and sunshine. How she longed to be a bird. Instead she was brought back to reality with a sharp word from the teacher to stop daydreaming.

The grade two teacher that year was Miss Coombs. She was dumpy and her ankles always looked like stuffed sausages coming out of her shoes. The students called her Miss Doom behind her back. She never smiled. It was going to be a long year.

Miss Coombs called Lila up to the front of the room. Lila got up reluctantly from her desk and did what she was told.

“Students, we have a new student this year, Lila Phillips, coming to us from Ross's Ferry, is that right?”

Lila nodded.

“Speak up, girl.”

“Yes.”

“Are you a good student?”

Lila looked terrified. She nodded again.

“In this class, Miss Phillips, we speak when we are spoken to.”

“Yes,” Lila whispered.

“I can't hear you.”

Lila trembled and bit her lip before bowing her head in disgrace.

“Don't stand there whimpering….”

“She said yes!”

Miss Coombs turned to face the class. “Who said that? Stand up this minute.”

Annie rose from her desk.

“Did I ask for your opinion, Miss Macdonald?”

“No.”

“Then do not speak unless you are spoken to.”

“But you just said to speak when you are spoken to.”

“Enough! You will stay after class today and write a hundred times,
I am a rude little girl
. I'm sure your parents will be proud to know you have detention on the very first day of school.”

Annie's heart sank.

But David and Lila were waiting for her on the steps when she emerged from the school doors thirty minutes after school ended. Lila's eyes brimmed with tears. “I'm sorry I got you in trouble.”

“That's okay. It wasn't your fault. I used two pencils at the same time so it would go faster.”

“I'm going to make you a gift,” Lila said. “It's a surprise, so don't ask me what it is.”

The three of them walked back home. Annie knew her parents would be disappointed that she was in hot water already.

The truth came out at the kitchen table over platefuls of salt cod, pork scraps, white sauce with sautéed onion, and boiled potatoes. Annie's dad asked them how the first day of school went. He looked confused when neither of them answered. Then he put down his utensils, clasped his big hands in front of him, and looked at Annie. “What happened?”

David spoke first. “She didn't do anything wrong. Lila told me Annie was sticking up for her.”

“I'm asking Annie.”

“Miss Coombs was frightening Lila so I spoke up. I had to stay in detention and write
I am a rude little girl
one hundred times. I'm really not, Dad. I didn't understand what the teacher meant about speaking when spoken to and I did speak when she spoke but then she changed her mind and said I shouldn't speak. It was very confusing.”

Her parents looked at each other from across the table. Mom held up her napkin to hide her mouth. Dad nodded his head as if thinking deeply about the situation.

“Well, it's true that in school you only speak when the teacher asks you a question, so I can see why she thought you overstepped the boundaries of classroom etiquette. On the other hand, if you were sticking up for an injustice being done to a friend, I'm proud of you. But you must also realize that it is rude to talk back to an adult, however misguided they may be. Your best course of action is to keep quiet and then come and tell us if you think a friend is being abused.”

Her dad always talked like this. It made Annie feel important. And she couldn't believe that she didn't get into trouble.

“I think you should stay in after supper and go to bed early. It sounds like you've had a tiring day. What do you think, Abbie?

“I think so too. Now, who would like some lemon meringue pie?”

That night after supper Lila knocked on their back door.

“Here Annie, I made this for you. And I made something for David too so he wouldn't be left out.”

She handed over two small pieces of paper. Annie's was a picture of herself standing in the classroom in defiance of the teacher.

“You drew this? It's so good! It looks just like me.”

David opened his picture of the toad he'd held in his hand. “That's amazing. It looks real.”

Annie hugged her. “I'll keep it forever.”

In just a few short weeks, Annie couldn't remember a time when Lila hadn't been in her life. Her new friend was still shy around others, but was very chatty when the two of them were alone. Lila didn't mind David either, but he wasn't around much; he was too busy playing baseball with his friends or building forts. Sometimes Annie got upset when the boys shooed them away, but soon the two girls made their own fun and forgot all about the boys.

Neither of them liked dolls, but Annie noticed that Lila always seemed happiest when there was an animal around. She loved every creature, be it worm, frog, snake, mouse, or rabbit. Cats and dogs followed her in droves, and the pony, Ginger, loved Lila to pat its soft nose.

Then one day Lila came screaming to their back door. Annie and her mother ran to see what was wrong. There was Lila, covered in ashes, holding two limp kittens in her arms.

“Someone threw them on their ash pile! No one wanted them. Are they dead?”

Mom took over and reached for the kittens while Annie tried to console Lila. “Mrs. Butts told me to throw them away! I can't do that. They didn't do anything wrong!”

Abigail reached for a dishtowel and wrapped up the kittens. Then she took a cloth and dipped it in warm water. The girls watched as she rubbed their tattered little bodies in the hope of some response. Gradually, the warmth of her touch worked its magic and the kittens started to mew. Annie and Lila jumped up and down and hugged each other.

“May I keep the kittens here? Then I could play with them. I'm not allowed to have a pet. Mrs. Butts said so.”

“Did she, now?” Mom's face softened when she looked at Lila. “Of course you can keep your kittens here.”

Lila's dirty face was so happy. “I'll give one to Annie and then we can both have one. Which one do you want?”

“You choose. You're the mother,” Annie said.

Lila reached for the marmalade kitten with white feet. “I saw her first, so I'll take this one.” She held the tiny kitten up to her chin. “You'll be all right, Boots.”

Annie took the orange and white one. “This is Squeak, because she's squeaking!”

“They'll be all right, won't they?” Lila asked. “They're so small.”

“I'll tell you a little story,” Mom said. “When I was born, in 1898, I weighed only two pounds.”

“Two pounds?” Annie said. “I weighed seven pounds when I was born.”

“I was so small that my arm fit inside my father's wedding ring, and he could hold me in the palm of his hand.”

Annie's and Lila's eyes got huge.

“My mother wrapped me in cotton batting and put me in the warming oven.”

Annie swivelled to look at the warming oven over the coal stove. “In there?!”

“It was warm and quiet and dark. I must have thought I was still in my mother's womb. So remember, it's not how big you are that makes you strong. Your heart is a mighty thing.” Mom rose from her chair. “Your babies are going to need feeding. I'll warm some milk and you two get a box and make a comfy bed for them. There are old towels in the porch you can use.”

After that, Lila was over all the time, but it was hard to say goodbye to her at night. Annie knew she didn't want to go home to Mrs. Butts and leave Boots behind.

And then Annie noticed that whenever Lila thought she wasn't looking, she'd sneak a cookie or a muffin from the racks of goodies cooling in the pantry. Her mother brought it up one day as she peeled apples at the kitchen sink. Annie was behind her at the table, struggling to do her homework and hating every minute of it.