Orphan Eleven Page 3

  They all nodded.

  “I got supper for us,” Bernadette said as Nico crept into the room. He was the quietest, his feet gliding across the floor.

  “Don’t eat too fast, don’t eat too much.” Bernadette pulled a loaf of bread out of a basket and began sawing. “Your stomachs aren’t used to real food.” She handed each of them a thick slice.

  A groan slipped out of Lucy’s mouth. They all stared at her.

  “First sound come out of you,” Eugene whispered.

  Lucy shrugged, her eyes on her bread, breathing in the sweet, yeasty smell. Stale bread hardly smelled at all. Even if Matron Mackinac found her and made her sit three days in her chair, it would be worth it for this.

  Doris gobbled hers up fast. Nico ate his slow and steady, like a gentleman. Eugene took small nibbles. Lucy tore hers into little pieces and slipped them one by one into her mouth, where they melted on her tongue.

  Bernadette poured them each a small jar of lemonade with flakes of ice from the cold chest. All of them watched in stunned silence. At the orphanage, all they got was water.

  The ice slivers melted on Lucy’s tongue. The sweetness filled her mouth.

  “How long you been at that orphanage?” Bernadette asked as she set to slicing more bread.

  Lucy held five fingers in the air.

  “Months?” Bernadette asked.

  Lucy shook her head.

  “Five years.” Bernadette sighed. “Lordy. You?” She pointed her knife at Eugene.

  “Six years.”

  “Six? How old are you?”

  “Thirteen.” Eugene held his hand over his mouth to hide his chewing. “Ran away a few times.”

  “Six years is a long time,” Bernadette said to Doris.

  “I’ve only been there two years,” Doris said.

  “How’d that happen?”

  Doris directed her thumb at Eugene. “He shared our food with the neighbor girl, so Mama sent him away. I got to stay.”

  Eugene fell silent, his arms pulled in on himself.

  “Your mama still alive?”

  Eugene and Doris nodded. A lot of the kids at the orphanage had parents who sent them away because they couldn’t afford to feed them. Lucy had heard a rumor that Eugene and Doris’s mama was in prison, but who knew if that was true.

  “I only been there one hundred and ninety-three days,” Nico offered. “But I thought about running every one of them.”

  Bernadette peered at Nico. “This Frank and Alice in Chicago, they kin?”

  Nico shook his head.

  “Do they know you’re coming?”

  “No,” Nico mumbled.

  “But they’re good folks?”

  Nico nodded. “No need to worry about that.” His leg quivered.

  “Yoo-hoo, Bernadette!” a high-pitched voice called from the stairwell.

  “Shh!” Bernadette put her finger to her mouth. They listened to the heavy footsteps that climbed the stairs and the huffing, wheezing breaths.

  “Mrs. Potts,” Bernadette called, maneuvering her big baby stomach out the door and closing it behind her.

  “Oh, honey girl, don’t you look pretty.” Mrs. Potts chattered between panting breaths. “Listen, dearie, I wouldn’t bother you, but Mother Swanson got a call from Hannah Mackinac. Said Hannah saw you pick up some runaways.”

  “Yep,” Bernadette said. “Took ’em down to Petrosky.”

  “Oh dear,” Mrs. Potts huffed. “We best not get mixed up in orphanage business. You got enough on your plate with that baby coming.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Petrosky, you say. I’ll let Mother Swanson know.”

  Lucy wondered why Mackinac was still looking for them. Grundy would go after a runaway, but no farther than Riverport. Mackinac didn’t care. When kids ran off, she said “Good riddance to bad rubbish.”

  “Want me to bring you up a plate?” Mrs. Potts asked. “Might as well eat. You won’t get one red cent off your bill if you don’t.”

  “Thank you kindly, Mrs. Potts.”

  “All righty, then. You take care of yourself, dearie.”

  Bernadette slipped back inside, her hand resting on her large stomach, steadying herself, her green eyes traveling fast across the room.

  “They’re still looking for you….” Bernadette peered at them. “Must have recognized me, so they knew who to call. We best change up the plan. I’ll take you to Chicago myself. We’ll go very early so that I can make my morning deliveries. But you got to promise you won’t come back here.”

  They all looked at Nico.

  “No need to,” he whispered with authority. “Frank and Alice are city people.”

  Bernadette nodded, her eyes on a photo of a handsome man in an air force uniform. Bernadette’s husband? Lucy hoped he was a good man who would take care of Bernadette and their baby.

  * * *

  —

  The plate Mrs. Potts left outside the door was piled high with boiled potatoes, chicken, and cabbage. Bernadette handed Eugene the knife and he split it five ways. They each ate their part, taking turns with the utensils. Doris went last. When they were done, Lucy’s stomach felt as full as it had ever been.

  Bernadette made them a bed on the floor with pillows that were thick and soft. If you were lucky enough to have a pillow at the orphanage, it was narrow, and tough as chewed meat. Lucy shared a pillow with Nico, but it was so large, they never touched heads.

  Lucy slept deeply, dreaming she was inside Bernadette’s tummy, with shelves of jam jars all around.

  “Time to go.” Bernadette shook her. Lucy looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was four in the morning and pitch-black outside.

  Eugene was already up, helping Bernadette pack cheese rounds and jam jars into crates and carrying them down to the truck.

  Lucy made sure Doris got up. She helped her fold her bedding. Then they snuck down after Eugene.

  “You got the address?” Bernadette asked Nico as Lucy climbed into the back.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Nico said.

  Bernadette smiled, her tense forehead relaxing. “Good.”

  The truck started up and Lucy snuggled close to the others to stay warm. When she woke, hours later, the truck was stopped and Nico was climbing into the cab to give directions.

  Lucy watched as they rolled by flashes of the lake, houses, train and trolley tracks. Finally, the truck came to a stop in front of a restaurant with a sign that read BOB AND BETTY’S.

  Nico got out of the truck. “We’re here,” he said.

  Lucy stared at him. Why weren’t they going to Frank and Alice’s house?

  “They’ll be here for breakfast. They come at nine,” Nico answered, reading Lucy’s questioning look.

  Only rich people ate in restaurants. And only really rich people ate in restaurants every day.

  Bernadette appeared behind Nico. “All righty, then. I’m not going to find anything missing, am I?” Bernadette looked at them, her eyes lingering on Bald Doris.

  They all shook their heads.

  Bernadette went down the row, shaking hands. “Good luck,” she said, but when she got to Lucy, Lucy gave her a quick hug. Bernadette smiled warm as butter on biscuits. She hurried back to the cab to get a bundle tied in a dishcloth, which she handed to Lucy.

  Through the gap by the knotted top, Lucy saw bread and cheese.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Eugene, Bald Doris, and Nico all said.

  Thank you. Lucy flashed the words on a prewritten page.

  Bernadette scrambled back in the truck. The cab door slammed. The motor started up.

  Wait!

  The word filled Lucy’s chest.

  But the truck didn’t come back. Bernadette was gone, just like Dilly.

  January 6,
1939

  Home for Friendless Children

  Riverport, Iowa

  Dear Sir,

  I am writing to inquire into the whereabouts of my sister. Her name is Lucy Simone Sauvé. She is eleven years old. She has blue eyes, red curly hair & a way of looking at you that you won’t forget real easy.

  I’m 17 & I have a job. I make enough money to take care of my sister and myself. Lucy is the only family I have left. Please could you let me know if she is there.

  Yours truly,

  Dilly Sauvé

  P.S. The envelope inside is private to Lucy Simone Sauvé. Please give it to her right away.

  January 6, 1939

  Home for Friendless Children

  Riverport, Iowa

  Dear Lucy,

  I can’t believe I’m writing words you will read. There are so many things all up in my brain I want to tell you & I don’t know where to start.

  Every day I wonder what you think about what happened. I can’t imagine how sad you must be that I haven’t ever written to you. Please know how hard I’ve tried to find you. I didn’t know where you were until today, when I came home from Mrs. LaFinestre’s shop & Mrs. Sokoloff handed me a letter from Mama. My legs stopped holding me up right then.

  The date on the envelope postmark was January 2, 1939, but the date on the letter was March 3, 1934! I found a note on the back of the envelope from the maid at the Riverport house where Mama had worked. She said Mama’s letter had slipped behind an old dresser and nobody knew it was there.

  The letter was sent to the address where the Sokoloffs used to live. Remember the bachelors who lived below us? The tall bachelor saw it and brought it to Mrs. Sokoloff.

  The letter said where you were at! I’m so excited that my handwriting has gone wobbly and I don’t think I will sleep at all tonight.

  I will send $$ for a train ticket & you will come to live with me and the Sokoloffs. I have put an envelope with stamps on it addressed to us. Please write as soon as you can!!! I can’t wait to hear!

  Love,

  Dilly

  P.S. I forgot to say, I live in the Sokoloffs’ daughter’s home with Mr. and Mrs. Sokoloff, their daughter, and her husband and three children. They have been good to me, but it isn’t home. Home is you and Mama and me. Now it is just you and me.

  They sat down on the cold curb to wait for Frank and Alice.

  Lucy brought out her paper and wrote, My sister lives in Chicago.

  Doris peered over Lucy’s shoulder. “She’s lying. She doesn’t have anyone.”

  “Shut up, Doris,” Eugene said.

  Nico’s eyes softened. “Do you know where she lives?”

  Lucy shook her head.

  “Did she send you letters?”

  Lucy cast her eyes down.

  Nico nodded. “Once we get settled in with Frank and Alice, we’ll look for her,” he said.

  First move in to Frank and Alice’s, then find Dilly. Nico’s answer was sensible. It felt right.

  Lucy settled back to watch the waitresses in pink uniforms carry stacks of pancakes and pots of hot coffee. The smell of frying bacon wafted out the door.

  After a while, Lucy untied the dish towel and handed out Bernadette’s food. It was less than Lucy had expected. She grew hungrier after they ate, knowing there was nothing more.

  Every few minutes, someone would check the time on a nearby bank building. It was seven, seven-thirty, eight, nine, then nine-thirty.

  Nico’s foot had begun to fidget like crazy. “Stay here! I’ll be back,” he said, sauntering into the diner, where he turned a corner by the booths and disappeared.

  Why had he gone in? Had he seen Frank and Alice?

  They pressed their faces to the window, waiting.

  Lucy tried to calm herself by thinking of things Frank and Alice would like about her. She was a great reader. She was good at math. She was a good speller. She took her list of vocabulary words out and tested herself. She knew them all.

  “Nobody’s going to give you a vocabulary test now!” Bald Doris barked.

  Lucy folded up the list and put it in her pocket.

  Bald Doris stalked the windows.

  Eugene returned to the curb. He pulled a ball of rubber bands out of his pocket and began tossing it in the air while keeping one eye on the door. Lucy sat down next to him. When she looked back, Doris had disappeared.

  Lucy tapped Eugene’s arm and pointed to where Doris had been.

  Eugene nodded, but didn’t get up.

  Lucy wiggled her paper out of her pocket and wrote, Should we go in? But before Eugene could answer, Nico, Bald Doris, a tall man with dark hair and a fancy suit, a beautiful blond woman in blue, and a little boy of five or six all dressed up like a man came walking toward the register.

  It was Frank and Alice. It had to be.

  Lucy and Eugene jumped up and rushed the door.

  Bald Doris gripped one of Frank’s hands. The young boy in the grown-up clothes held the other. The little boy let go when Frank got to the register to pay. Bald Doris did not.

  Alice wore a cinched-waist suit and a hat with a feather. Lucy smiled at her like the kind of girl you would want to have around, but Alice didn’t notice her.

  Lucy tried to read Nico’s face. His expression was calm, but one hand was gripping the other so tightly it was white around his fingers, and his leg was jiggling.

  Frank was laughing with the man behind the register. He bought a pack of cigarettes and gave them to Alice. They all came outside, blinking in the bright sunshine.

  “Isn’t Frank handsome?” Bald Doris asked.

  Lucy nodded. He and Alice were as beautiful as characters on a book cover, but she didn’t know if you were supposed to say that out loud.

  “So this must be Eugene and Lucy,” Frank said.

  Lucy smiled. Frank knew her name!

  Frank shook Eugene’s hand, then Lucy’s. Lucy liked the sure way his fingers gripped hers.

  Lucy took in Frank’s smile, the stylish hat, and the soft overcoat. He was more handsome and better dressed than Lucy had imagined. The young boy wore a tailored coat with the collar pulled up and a hat like Frank’s.

  Lucy imagined going back to the orphanage all dressed up. That would be something.

  “Nico has always had a gift for making friends.” Frank nodded to Lucy and Eugene.

  Nico nodded stiffly.

  Lucy liked Frank’s kind voice and how nice he was to Nico. He cared about him. She watched Alice sink her painted fingernails into white gloves.

  Lucy’s rapid breathing began to slow. Her stiff face relaxed.

  “We shared some good times with Nico, didn’t we, Alice?”

  Alice nodded.

  How could Lucy make Frank and Alice care about her the way they cared about Nico?

  Frank pulled a vial out of his pocket and poured a drop of clear liquid on the pad of each fingertip. He passed his fingers through his hair and set his hat back on his head, checking his reflection in the window. Then he took out his handkerchief and wiped each of his fingers.

  When he was finished, Frank turned his attention to Nico. “Thanks for looking us up, buddy.” He cuffed Nico’s head playfully.

  Lucy tried to make eye contact with Alice. But Alice was busy lighting a cigarette. Frank’s arm returned to his side and the little boy grabbed it. Lucy ached to hold Frank’s hand the way the boy did.

  But what was wrong with Nico? His lips were smiling, but his eyes looked like he was waiting to be whacked with Mackinac’s belt.

  “Nice to meet you all. Thanks for stopping by.” Frank bowed, and he and Alice and the little boy began walking away.

  What? Where were they going?

  Bald Doris planted her feet in front of Frank. �
��We didn’t stop by. We came to live with you.”

  Nico sent Bald Doris a withering look.

  Frank nodded. “And as I explained, lovely girl, that is most flattering. We only wish it could happen, don’t we, Alice?”

  “It can happen. Don’t you see?” Bald Doris pointed out.

  “We appreciate the difficulty of your situation.” Frank frowned. “But I’m afraid we are on our way to Grand Rapids for an important engagement. We bid you Godspeed in your travels, don’t we, Willy?”

  The little boy nodded, tightening his grip on Frank’s hand.

  “How about just me? Can I come along?” Doris offered.

  “We would take you if we could, my lady. But we only have three tickets.” Frank pressed his lips together and shook his head.

  “You could buy more,” Bald Doris suggested.

  “I wish.” Frank clucked. “I’m afraid we have to be going or we’ll miss our train.”

  Alice and Willy began walking again. Frank hurried to catch up.

  A lady coming out of the diner stopped to stare at Frank, Alice, and Willy. The three of them were dazzling.

  Lucy’s worn-out dress was gray from years of washing in the same basin. Doris’s dress was too small. Eugene’s pants too large. Nico’s only had one belt loop and his shirt was patched.

  They looked pathetic.

  “Like I always say, buddy,” Frank called back to Nico, “nothing lasts forever.”

  Nico took a deep, shaky breath. “It was nice to see you again, Frank, Alice,” he mumbled in a small voice.

  “There’s my boy.” Frank tipped his hat at Nico.

  “Frank! Frank!” Bald Doris ran in front of Frank and waved her hand in his face. “I know….I could take care of Willy.”

  “Oh no. We wouldn’t dream of using your talents as a mere nanny, my dear girl. You are destined for greatness,” Frank told Doris, veering around her. He, Alice, and Willy walked faster.

  Bald Doris grabbed Frank’s coat. “You don’t understand. I want to!”

  Frank froze. “Don’t touch the coat,” he growled.