The Struggle To Escape
"Are you up, Opal?", her mother yelled. "Get yourself outside and gather the eggs." she added. Opal pulled on her sweater over her thin dress and her thick socks that were too big. The heel was pulled up to her skinny calf but couldn't be seen as she laced up her old brown high top boots. She ran out the back door with the screen door slamming behind her.
There was frost on the grass and a haze over the bare field that surrounded the small house. She hovered over the hole in the outhouse, grabbed a sheet of paper from an old newspaper and wiped. She wondered when they would ever get an indoor toilet like her friends in Echo had. She then went across the side yard to nuzzle with Chestnut who was grazing at the edge of the fence. Fine droplets of moisture glistened on the hairs of Chestnut's nostrils as she chewed the blades of weed along the edge of the post. "Hey, girl,
how's my baby this morning?", Opal whispered. Chestnut lifted her head and allowed Opal the kiss her and pat her neck. The mare swished her blond tail and mane. They had been
in love with each other forever and both came to life around each other.
"Opal, hurry up breakfast is almost ready and I need those eggs!" "I'm coming, Mama!", she yelled toward the house. She ran to the barn and swung open the door. Quickly she gathered half a dozen eggs and put them in the flour sack she kept on a nail. Just then she heard movement but didn't see who or what it was by the time she got to the door.
Looking both ways at the door, she closed it behind her and ran inside to the kitchen out of breathe. "What's the matter with you, Opal? You look scared to death!" Momma, there was somebody or something in the barn and whatever it was ran out when I was getting the eggs. I think I even heard him outside last night!" "Opal, I'm going to whip you if you keep up your lies!" Now wash up and sit down before this gets cold!" her mother snapped. "I ain't telling a lie, Momma!"
Her mother cut her a stern look and pointed her finger at her.
Opal finished up her breakfast in silence. In her head she plotted to booby trap the barn door so she would hear if it was being opened during the night or when she had it closed and couldn't see it when at the coops. She cleared the table and did the dishes. The plates were chipped and did not match. Cracks in the saucer were brown from the coffee momma poured in it from her cup to allow it to cool. The old aluminum percolator with the glass knob on top had made many gallons of black coffee. Opal hated cleaning out the grounds from the basket. The aroma of the coffee was the only good part and she wondered why anyone liked to drink it. It was way too bitter. She dumped the grounds and the crushed egg shells out in the flower bed. Momma said flowers loved the fertilizer and it was good for them. Every week she would hand till the mixture into the dirt. The flowers in the spring always sprung to vibrant life just like momma predicted they would.
Opal gathered her few things for school and headed out on the dirt road to walk into town.
Occasionally Mr. Roberts would pass in his old green pick up and let her hitch a ride in the back with her legs dangling over the edge of the tailgate. At Sylvan Grove church, he made a right turn and headed into Midland City. The water tower with the name painted on the side greeted them. Opal jumped off at the intersection when he came to a stop. "Thanks, Mr. Roberts!" "Any time, Child.", he would say and waved from the window.
Opal got to school and was seated next to her best friend, Alma. She leaned across the isle and passed her a note. Alma quickly unfolded the crumpled paper and read it then shoved it into her pocked of her jacket. At lunch the girls walked to the far side of the playground and sat on the short wall. "Are you serious? You heard and saw him? What did your momma say?", Alma said in astonishment. "She thinks I'm making it up! Please come over and stay with me. I'm scared to death to be there alone when Momma has to go to work at night. She'll never let me come to your house and I doubt your daddy would let me stay over with you. Please!", Opal pleaded. "I'll see what I can do, Opal. In the meantime sleep with a knife ! Also, you need a big old dog to protect you." "Momma won't let me. She says Chestnut is enough and we don't even feed her like a horse is supposed to be fed. I'd love a dog but I know Momma."
Opal volunteered to clean up the school rooms after class for extra money. She swept the floors and washed the chalk boards. New chalk was placed on the lip and the erasers were clapped together outside to dispel their dust. She loved to read and the teacher allowed to borrow a book from her library to read for an hour before having to head home. Each week the teacher gave her a dollar. She hid the money in a canning jar out in the barn under the hay. She had been saving for awhile and the last time she counted she had fifty dollars.
Some day she hoped to have enough to run away. She wanted to get a real job and get away from the farm and her momma.
Momma smoked, drank coffee, whiskey and loved men.
One time her mother was crying and sounded like she was in pain. Opal got out of bed and gently opened her Momma's bedroom door. "Momma, are you ok?" She saw he mother writhing back and forth on the bed holding her stomach. Her left eye was bruised and swollen and her lip was cut and bleeding. "Momma, who did this to you? I'm gonna shoot em when I find out!" She ran into the kitchen and got the dish rag wet and returned to her side. Gently she wiped the blood from her Momma's lip. Then she crawled into bed bedside her and held her close. " Shh, it's gonna be ok.", she whispered.
In the morning she woke up thinking something was terribly wrong. She pulled back the covers and saw a pool of blood and clots on the mattress between her Momma's legs.
Her stomach was bruised and she looked very pale. "I'll be right back, Momma! I'm going to go get some help." She quickly dressed and ran down the dirt road toward Mr. Robert's farm. "Help me!", she yelled as she got to he front door. Ethel Roberts swung open the door and let Opal in. "I gotta get Momma to the hospital. Somebody has beat her up and she is bleeding bad!", Opal gasped out of breathe. "Charles, get the truck quick! Barbara Jo's been hurt and she needs to get to the hospital now!" Ethel, Charles and Opal sped toward the house. Charles lifted Barbara Jo wrapped in quilts into the back of the truck.
Opal had her rest her head on her lap. They went directly to Moody Hospital.
The doctor came out of the partition after examining her. "Who's with this woman?", he asked. "Me", Opal said. Is she gonna be ok?", Opal asked. "She's lost blood and needs surgery to stop the internal bleeding. She was pregnant and lost the baby.", he stated.
Opal hung her head and nodded permission. Mr. and Mrs Roberts left the hospital and told Opal to have them call when she needed to go back home and they would help. They also vowed to keep a look out on their place.
Barbara Jo opened her eyes and saw Opal sitting next to her bed. "What happened?",
she asked. "Well, whoever was with you the other night beat the life out of you. You were pregnant and lost the baby!"
The doctor came into the room and checked on how she was doing. "You'll be alright, but it was a close call. If you get pregnant again I doubt you will carry to full term. You have had too many miscarriages and too much damage inside. I'll let you go home tomorrow. Come to the free clinic next week for me to recheck you.", he said and left the room.
Opal helped her into the truck and Mr. Roberts took it slow on the way home. When they got here, Ethel had made supper for them and had cleaned and fixed the bed. Barbara Jo had a hard time thanking anyone for their generosity but she did say she was grateful for their help. She was well aware that people talked badly about her. She was shunned in town for being an unwed mother. At night when she worked at the hosiery mill, she kept to herself. She didn't know what else to do to keep herself and Opal fed and with a roof over their head. The extra money men gave her made ends meet and she was willing to take the risk.
A few months passed and Opal kept her one eye open at night as she tried to rest. She had rigged up a system out in the barn that would make a cow bell ring whenever the door was opened. It helped her feel reassured that she was safe and would scare off any one trying to sneak in at night. She started feeding a stray puppy she found out in the woods. He followed her home and she let him stay out in the enclosure with the horse. Many mornings he was waiting at the barn for her to get the eggs. One time she saw him chase a
rat and catch it. That was the fastest meanest dog she had ever seen. Her Momma told her it was ok to keep him so long as he stayed outside. Ever since she got beat up, she thought it was the only way to help keep Opal safe when she had to work.
One warm night in May, Opal decided to stay out on the side porch. There was an old couch out there and she could look out the window at the stars. It started to rain and the sound on the old tin roof lulled her to sleep. A crack of thunder and a flash of lightening
woke her. She made her way back to her bedroom on the other side of the house and crawled under the covers and went back to sleep.
During the violent thunderstorm she did not hear the barn door bell. A crack of lightening hit very close to the house and the lightening illuminated the room in a blue flash of light.
Standing over her bed was a man. He lunged at her and she screamed as he pinned her to the bed. She bit, scratched and screamed to no avail as he ripped her clothes and underwear. He held his heavy hand over her mouth then hit her so hard she blacked out.
In the morning Barbara Jo walked up to the front door of the house and found the dog dead
at the door bleeding from it's side. It looked as though he had been stabbed. She ran into the kitchen screaming for Opal and found her in her bed unconscious and sprawled over the bed face down with her face in the pillow. She was still breathing but she knew she had been raped and severely hurt. She lifted her legs up onto the bed and covered her. She then ran to the Robert's for help again to get o the hospital.
The same doctor saw them. He told Barbara Jo that he had to contact the police and that Opal would not be allowed to go home with her when she was well. Barbara Jo walked out to the curb sat down and lit a cigarette then started the long walk home.
On the way, she tried to come up with a way of getting people behind her to help bring justice for Opal. She went to the bar at the only hotel in town and sat on a stool. "Whiskey", she told the bartender. The jukebox was playing Hank and a man asked her to dance. "What ya doing here, Barbara Jo?" Ray said. He was an old school friend. They danced slowly and she didn't answer him right away. "I want ya to know, I don't believe everybody in town when they say bad things about you. I know you're doing the best ya can. How old is your girl now?", he asked. "She's twelve." Barbara Jo said quietly. "She's in the hospital right now cause somebody raped and beat her up real bad when I was at work last night. Now they say she can't come home with me when she gets better. I think it was somebody she said she saw out in our barn." she cried on his shoulder. She left alone and made her way back home.
Ray stood there dumbfounded. He had heard there had been trouble around on some of the other farms with a man stealing food and hiding out in their barns. But, he hadn't heard of any rapes. Barbara Jo had a bad reputation for sure. But he knew her from school days and didn't figure she would put her girl in obvious harms way. What choice did she have without a man to help keep them safe? He figured he would come up with a way to help her out. What it would be he wasn't sure of yet.
Opal woke up to the sound of a squeaking cart in the hallway. Looking around her she saw a curtain that surrounded her bed. The other beds in the room were empty. She looked at her arm. No wonder it was hurting! It was all bruised and there was an intravenous going into her hand. With her good hand she felt her head. There was a large lump over the right side of her forehead and she couldn't open her eye. She moved both her legs. They were stiff and sore. She reached over and pushed the bell to call the nurse. "What happened to me?", Opal asked when the nurse arrived. "You were brought in two days ago all banged up, honey. Are you in pain?", she inquired. "Not bad, I'm just stiff. Can I get up?", Opal asked. "Sure, here let me help you out of bed." She sat on the edge of the bed with the nurse assisting her. " Where is my mom?", she asked. "I don't know. I have not seen her since you got here. Do you want me to call her?", the nurse asked. "Yes, but we don't have a phone. You'll have to call our neighbors the Robert's."
That afternoon Barbara Jo and the Roberts came to see her. "Honey, they say you can't go home with me when you get out. But the Robert's said you can go stay with them if that is ok. Since it's just down the road, you can come over all the time and I won't have to worry about you at night when I have to go to work. Ok?", her mother said. "Ok, if that is what you want Momma. Can we go today? I'm fine.", Opal added. "I'll tell the doctor and see if it is ok."
Dr. Clark approved the discharge and Opal, her mother and the Robert's left the hospital together. "I'll bring over your things later, Opal. Mind the Roberts, ok?", Barbara Jo said.
"Here is your room, dear." Mrs. Robert said. She opened the door to the small room with a pink coverlet on the twin bed. "It was our girl's room.", she told her. "I didn't know you had a girl. Where is she?", Opal asked. "In heaven. She got run over when she was just a little girl. Ran right out in front of a car!", Mrs. Robert's said sadly. "It'll be nice to have you stay here, Opal." Opal hugged her and then sat down on the bed. "I think I need a nap.", she announced. "That will be good for you. When you get up, I'll have something for you to eat.",
Mrs. Robert's said and closed the door.
Opal went right to sleep. But her mind was not at rest. She woke up in a panic crying. "Help, he's killing me!", she screamed. Mrs. Roberts ran to the room. She quickly embraced Opal and got her calmed down. "You are safe. I'm here.", she reassured her.
"I'm going to pull up a chair right here next to your bed and you can go back to sleep.", she told her in a hushed tone. Opal closed her eyes and held out her hand for Mrs. Roberts to hold. Together they bonded.
Ray sat at the bar. He had a plan figured out but needed some help getting the task done. He knew he could rely on only one person to pull it off. Marcus was his half brother but he trusted him more than a full blood relative. Together they had done some things around town only they knew of and covered each other's back from the law. They were red neck to the core. Didn't put up with any bullshit from anyone and hated it when someone they considered a friend was hurt . Barbara Jo was a friend. She had let them both sleep with her a few times. She needed the help now so they were all too willing to have their own kind of justice served for what happened to her and her daughter. They would find out who did it and put a stop to it right then and there.
They sat in the cab of the old rusted pickup truck out on some abandoned property a few miles out of town. Fishing poles hung over the bed of the truck
waiting for them. "The way I see it, Marcus we can capture the guy in the barn outside of Barbara Jo's one night when she's at work. The girl is safe at the Robert's. Nobody will know." Marcus just listened and nodded. They planned to stake out the barn over the next few nights and watch. Then they got out and grabbed their fishing poles and sat along the bank of the pond.
That night when Barbara Jo left for work, Ray and Marcus parked the truck along the far end of the field that ran behind the barn. Close enough they could get to it quickly but out of sight. They walked up to the edge of the rows of corn so they could sit and wait unobserved and had a good line of vision to the barn door.
Three hours into their vigil they heard the cow bell chime when the door was opened. Quickly they sprang from their position and waited outside the doors one on each side. Slowly the door opened and out stepped Otis. He weighed at least 250 and was 6'3". Ray and Marcus each pointed their shotguns at him and yelled for him to turn around and face the wall. They tied his hands and ankles with rope and put a blindfold over his eyes. Then they led him the short distance to the truck with the barrel of the shot gun in his back to guide the way. They shoved him into the bed of the truck and took off towards the ravine.
At the edge of the ravine was a huge old oak tree. Marcus stood on top of the cab of the truck and tied the rope around the limb then put the noose around Otis' neck and tightened it. He jumped down and Ray floored the truck. Otis went flying off the tailgate and swinging into the air by his neck. When they were sure he was dead they cut the rope and hauled his body back into the truck bed and took off to another location. There was an old dry well on that property they knew of. Once there, they shoved him off the truck and down the shaft of the deep well. Then they shoveled in dirt and threw in old rusted out oil drums and other discarded equipment they found that had been hauled there over the years. No one would find him there.
Ray and Marcus went back into town getting to the bar at about the same time they usually did. No one thought anything was unusual.
As the days went by, Ray and Marcus kept a low profile as the local police questioned people on their knowledge of Otis. He was known to be a loner and not well liked but had never been arrested or in any kind of legal trouble other than when he was caught stealing when he was a kid. He came from a large family who lived in "the bottom". Most of the families there were good people and kept to themselves and worked for the local richer folks. They accepted election bribes easily and sold their votes for a fifth of rot gut cheap whiskey. They worked when they felt like it and collected a fraction of minimum wage just to not have to declare any income and still qualify for government housing and welfare. The last time anyone had seen Otis was night before last walking along the road in the direction of Barbara Jo's place. Barbara Jo's alibi held tight. Her boss vouched for her being at work. Of course she was, she spent her break in his office letting him fondle her.
Opal healed and resumed going to school. She liked living at the Robert's place and felt safe there. Momma hardly ever came by to ask about her ad she wondered if she even cared anymore. One afternoon she felt sick walking home and stopped to throw up in the ditch alongside the road. She had felt awful all day and thought maybe she had the flu. When she got back she went straight to bed. All night and every day after she was sick. Mrs. Roberts took her in to see the doctor. "She's pregnant.", he told her. "Oh, no!, what are we going to do? We can't afford to keep her and a baby and her mother can't either!", Mrs. Roberts exclaimed. "She'll have to go to the home for unwed mothers and give her baby up for adoption.", the doctor said. "I'll get her set up right away. You tell her mother to come sign the forms tomorrow.", he said.
Opal cried all the way home. "It ain't my fault! That's not fair! I don't know anything about having a baby! Please, let me stay with you. I swear I won't be any trouble!", she sobbed. Mrs. Roberts just shook her head and said it was out of her hands and up to her momma and the court.
Barbara Jo signed the papers and Opal was driven away to Mobile, Al to the group home for teen mothers the next afternoon. "I'll come see you.", momma said. Opal just sat there crying silently and knowing she would never see her again.
Ray pulled up alongside Barbara Jo as she walked back to her house. "Need a ride?", he asked leaning out the window. "Sure, thanks!", She said getting in on the passenger side. Ray sped off in a cloud of dust and squealed as he turned off the road and on to the dirt drive that led to the property where they hung Otis. "Where are you taking me? Let me out of here!" Barbara Jo shouted.
"Don't worry, you're safe. I ain't gonna hurt you! I want to show you something." Slowly he stopped in front of the big oak. "It's pretty here don't ya think? We could live here if ya want. I can buy it cheap and it will be safer than where you're at right now. You can sell and then we can pay it off here.
Let's get married. If ya do, then maybe they will let ya have Opal back after she has the baby." Barbara Jo sat there dumbfounded. There must be more to this than what she just heard. It sounded too easy. But she needed the help.
"Ok!" , she said and leaned over to kiss him. "Let's go get a license right now and we can get married in three days from now.", she told him before she chickened out. "First, let's get down to business.", Ray said as he pulled her out of the truck and into the truck bed. Shoving old beer cans and rope and other trash to the side he made sure she wouldn't change her mind. "What are you hiding from me Ray?", Barbara Jo asked. "Nothing, I just wanted to see you in the daylight instead of hiding in the dark watching you through the window. I seen you with Otis and I'll bet he's the same one who bedded your little girl, Opal, too!" Ray teased. "You know that ain't true, Ray, take it back! What do you know about Otis? He's just a simple person who never went to school and some say he was slow. I never heard him talk or do anything bad. Now he's missing. I know his family is out of their mind with worry. He don't know how to take care of himself.", Barbara Jo said. They got back in the truck and drove back to the highway passing rusted out cars and a pile of various discarded farm equipment. At the bend of the dirt road under some trees was an old still and along the other side was a line of chicken coops with fighting cocks pacing back and forth. A few horses grazed on the distant pasture as they turned on to the main road. A cop car passed them with his lights on. "I wonder what's the big hurry in this old sleepy hollow", Barbara Jo said.
When they got closer to town they saw fire trucks and a few other cop cars at the big old white house on the square. Flames devouring the front porch licked their way up the side walls and burst out the windows. Paint turned brown and blistered then black before disappearing under the flames. The fire trucks pumped water in huge sprays to try to contain the fire and keep it from igniting the huge oaks and pecan trees in the yard. The porch swing flailed in the fury. It was a total loss. No one was home and they said it was a bad electric circuit. Others knew the truth.
"Wow, I sure hate seeing that!", Barbara Jo gasped. "That was one of the prettiest places in town. I got to go there once. It had a huge staircase and really pretty wood floors that shined like old honey and molasses. It had three bathrooms with itty bitty white and black tiles and bathtubs with feet. A family lived there but when their daughter got married she and her husband lived in it. I know her momma and they live in that little house by the railroad track crossing. I heard some things about their son-in-law. Now, I wonder if it ain't true after all.", Barbara Jo muttered. "What in tarnation are you talking about?", Barbara Jo?, I know Bud and he's a great guy. He wouldn't burn down his own house for the insurance money.", Ray said. Barbara Jo shot him a look that made her wonder if that wasn't the truth. How is it that Ray was so outspoken about Otis and Bud? She felt like Ray was going to be trouble but she couldn't seem to distance herself from him. He was nice and could sweet talk her into anything and she had always found him to be very influential even when she knew something was wrong. Why did she seem to attract those kind of men?
They parked the truck at the courthouse and went inside. "We want to get a marriage license", Ray told the clerk. "Ok, that's twenty-five dollars and you can get hitched in three days by the J.P right here if ya want.", the man told them. "Ok, let's go honey!", Ray said.
They linked arms and went outside. The road was all wet from the water. The smoldering black carcass of the house stood like a skeleton.
Barbara Jo managed to get into a dress that a lady was giving away in the church needy
box. It was white and had some daisies on the full skirt and a yellow belt. She brushed her hair up and pinned it into a bun. Outside her house she picked some daisies and made a little bouquet. Ray came by to pick her up and they headed to the court house.
Ray lifted her up and carried her over the threshold of the hotel room. The bed was lumpy
and squeaked loudly with their lovemaking. He leaned over and took a swig of whiskey from the bottle and lit a cigarette. Barbara Jo got up and went into the tiny bathroom and straightened her hair. She leaned up against the door frame naked. For the rough life she had led, she still was a beautiful woman to Ray. He patted the mattress for her to come sit by him. "We're gonna get that property soon and by the time Opal gets back from Mobile we can have a cute little place built for us."
Opal gave birth on a Tuesday. The child was still born. She had planned on giving up the baby for adoption but knowing it had died made her sad. It wasn't her fault nor the baby's.
She went into a depression she had trouble explaining. She didn't want to go home because she didn't want to be around Ray. He gave her the creeps. On the day of her release, she met with the judge and pleaded not to be sent home to her mother and Ray. Her wish was granted. That night she wrote a letter to them explaining what had happened and told them she was going to be placed in a foster home until she turned eighteen.
Her new family was a couple with no other children. The man was a minister of a small Baptist church in Mobile. Her new mother was a teacher and taught Opal many things she needed to know to excel in school. She loved them immediately and eventually graduated with high honors. She got a full scholarship to the University of Alabama.
Before leaving Mobile, Opal went to visit her mother. Ray and Barbara Jo had divorced
after he threatened to kill her after he told her that it was he who had killed Otis and where the body was located. He had bragged to her one night in a drunken state that it was his plan. It scared her to death and she never reported him.
Barbara Jo had aged beyond her years. Her arthritis payed a toll on her and she had trouble walking and had to use a cane. She helped at the local grocery store in exchange for food and enough money to rent a small boarding room.
Opal knocked on her door nervously. "Come in." Opal slowly opened the door and stepped inside. "What are you doing here, Opal?", her mother asked as she put out her cigarette butt in the ashtray. "I was on my way to Tuscaloosa, momma. I got a scholarship to the University of Alabama!" "We'll, that's great, but why tell me when you didn't want to live with me any more?" Opal sat in the chair by the window and cracked it open to allow some fresh air into the smokey room. "Momma, I was really depressed after the baby died. I didn't want him to die. He was just an innocent baby. I didn't think anyone could ever love me again around here and I was afraid I would never amount to anything if I came home."
"Like me?", Barbara Jo started to cry realizing she was right. She herself had not accomplished anything except to be used and abused. She knew she did not want that for Opal. "Come here, Opal.", she said quietly. She reached under the pillow and pulled out a handful of bills.
"This here is three hundred dollars, Opal. It's all I have and I want you to get up there to college and make something of yourself for both of us, ok?" Opal had tears in her eyes as she accepted the gift and hugged her mother and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I will, momma, you'll see. I love you!"
Barbara Jo died before Opal could finish college. At the commencement ceremony she stood at the podium and addressed the graduates and guests. She thanked her foster parents for their love, faith and support. Then she dedicated her speech to her mother
as a testament that through hard work and love and no matter how bad your past had been, you could make your way to a better future.
Opal visits the grave of her mother each year with fresh flowers. The town shows it's age. Buildings that once were picturesque, now stand unoccupied and decaying. Residents have moved away. The cemetery is overgrown with weeds. She makes a pledge to continue to help unfortunate unwed mothers as a Psychologist and as a foster parent.
She cleans up the plot and puts her garden tools into the trunk of the car. There are no other graves with flowers. The gravel crunches under the tires and a soft rain begins to fall.
Cathy Windham
8/12/13