The House of Eve (68)
When everything was tidy, Bubbles whispered to me, “Brace yourself. Next up is nightly devotion.”
We all filed into the parlor. It had large windows with mahogany wooden beams on the ceiling. There were two stuffed sofas, which I headed for, but Loretta grabbed my arm.
“We sit over there,” she said, pointing to the metal folding chairs set against the wide window.
“The sofa is for the porcelain girls.” Bubbles tapped the inside of her palm.
I looked at her quizzically.
“It’s what I call them ofays.”
As the white girls crammed into the seats of the sofa, I caught her meaning. Mother Margaret walked in holding her Bible to her chest. Two medium-bellied girls distributed the stack of Bibles that were on the coffee table. Only two worn Bibles were handed to us, so I leaned over and shared mine with Georgia Mae.
Mother Margaret dropped the needle on the phonograph and a song played. Georgia Mae opened the hymn book that was under her seat and showed me where we were. I moved my lips over the words as the other girls piped out, “Be not afraid, I go before you always. Come follow me, and I will give you rest.”
After two verses, Mother Margaret turned the music off and fixed her eyes on us.
“Will God forgive me for fornicating before marriage? How can I repent of my sins? Those are the questions you must ask yourself each morning, girls.”
The room fell silent. I looked around to see what the other girls were doing, but their faces were like stone.
Mother Margaret opened her Bible. “Please turn to 1 Corinthians 6:18. Viola, would you read?”
Viola, a girl with blue eyes and dark hair, cleared her throat. “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”
“That means you, girls. You have committed the ultimate sin by giving into the temptation of fornication.” She looked us over and I dropped my eyes. I had spent very little time in church, so I was ill prepared for the religious lecture from Mother Margaret that seemed to go on for ages. When she was satisfied that we had received her message, we were each given two sugar cookies and a glass of warm milk, then sent to bed.
When the lights went out, I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself. I was ashamed and scared. What had I gotten myself into? This home was not the girls’ retreat I had read about in the brochure. Still, it was better than ruining my life. I just needed to keep my head down and get this over with.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX TIGER MAMA
Eleanor
Eleanor stood at the sink drying the last of the breakfast dishes with her thoughts on her mother, Lorraine. It had been three weeks since she spoke to her last, and she knew she couldn’t put it off much longer. Even though Eleanor was set on keeping the adoption a secret, lying to her mother about the baby wouldn’t prove easy. But Eleanor reminded herself it was her mother who had taught her the importance of clandestineness for a fresh start. Plus, at least she and William were in this one together.
She had placed the last of the plates in the cupboard and was bracing herself to make the call when she heard a car door close. She looked out the window to see Rose Pride walking up the driveway. Before Eleanor could compose herself, Rose was tapping on the window of their back door.
“Good morning. I wasn’t expecting you today,” Eleanor offered as a greeting, but Rose ignored the formality and breezed past her and into the kitchen.
In one manicured hand, Rose gripped a shopping bag, and in the other a file folder. The peplum jacket and matching skirt suggested she had business to attend to today, and Eleanor felt shabby in her nondescript housedress, with no bra on underneath. Her hair was still fastened in rollers and tucked under a turban.
“William’s already left for the hospital,” she said, with the hope of discouraging a long visit. The kettle was already heated, and she had planned to sip lavender tea, while chatting with her mom. Then she had a few chapters to read on ancient civilization for her history course.
If Rose caught the hint of dismissal, she didn’t show it. Instead, she placed her bag on the kitchen table and opened up the file folder, spreading out papers with diagrams and dates.
“Now, if we are going to pull this off, then we have to be smart about every step you make going forward.”
“Excuse me?” Eleanor’s hand flew to her throat. What was Rose talking about? Surely, she couldn’t be referring to the…
“Since the baby arrives in January, let’s work backwards.”
“William told you?”
“Of course he did. You couldn’t pull this off without me.” She looked at Eleanor pointedly. “I had to jump on cleanup duty immediately. Thank goodness Dr. Avery was your attending doctor, and our families go back three generations.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her reading glasses.
“Oh, and I’m sorry for your unfortunate loss. My William is positively devastated. That’s why I’m here.”
Eleanor was speechless.
“But as my mother used to say, when life gives you lemons you had better learn to juggle. And that’s exactly what Prides do. So, come sit down so I can get you on board.” She gestured for Eleanor to join her at the kitchen table.
William had told his mother when she had explicitly said that she didn’t want anyone to know. What happened to it being the two of them against the world?