I began this story on:
Thursday, June 30, 2011
1:11 PM


Bent Twigs
A Novelette by Ora Lea Harrison


      "He's a bent twig",   Momma would say and commence to tell me how the boy I loved hadn't had a good upbringing the way that I had and wouldn't know how to be a good husband.
      "But Momma, I love him, he could change for me, I know he could,"   I would throw back at her.
      "You can love an animal but you couldn't depend on it to take care of you through thick and thin."   she would return.
      Momma had the wisdom of the years and I had on rose colored glasses, I can see that now, I thought as I drove.   It had been raining for the past two days that I had been on the road going back home to see Momma, hoping that I wasn't too late.   My sister, Kathy, had phoned that she thought Momma had had a stroke.
      Skirting Chattanooga, I wished that I could just drive through but knew that it would be foolhardy and what would it accomplish if I had some sort of break down from over exertion?
      Several people had offered to go with me or suggested that I fly but I felt that I needed this time alone to think and see if I could get a new perspective.   I was fresh out of ideas about how to keep going.
      Holding my umbrella and bag and skipping through rain drops, I looked for and found number five and put the key in and let myself in.
      I stopped at better looking motels hoping to not have the sounds coming through the walls that the cheaper one's were bound to have.   When you can't be in your own home and in your own bed, it's best to pay a little more to get as safe and comfortable of a feeling as you can get has always been my experience.
      I phoned Ben to let him know where I was, took my shower, turned on the TV and settled in for the night.   After looking at the lineup, I decided on a movie that I'd been wanting to see for a while.
      I fell asleep as soon as the movie began and awoke later and seeing the TV was still on, I knew that the disturbing dreams that I'd been having were a result of what I was hearing on the TV set.

      After the first day of driving, I felt the huge mistake that I had made in insisting on going alone.
      I wondered if I could pay someone to drive back with me and I could fly them back home.   I'd have to wait and see what my prospects were.   Maybe Ben would fly down and help me drive the car back home.

      I pulled into Momma's driveway the next afternoon and found her sitting in the living room.
      "Momma, are you supposed to be up like this?"   I asked her while I hugged her hello.
      She gave me a smile and said,   "I'm fine, how was your trip?   Did Ben come with you?"
      She did look okay, I wished that I could take her home with me.   When did she get so small?


      As it turned out, it wasn't the being alone that had changed my perspective but the being with my own kin for a while.
      It had been a good visit all around.   My brothers and sisters came for visits and I got to get reacquainted with nieces and nephews that I didn't get to see enough of.
      I stayed long enough so that Ben wouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg for a ticket.   He was happy to have a chance to take off work and visit with his in-laws for a while.   His job had kept us from being in our hometown very often.
      It was good to actually be home again and in the very house that I'd grown up in.   Momma hadn't moved away even when Daddy had died and she was left alone in the big, old house.
      While the family was deciding what should be done, my sister, Kathy, and her husband, Oliver, volunteered to go ahead and sell their home and buy Momma's from her.   That way, she wouldn't have to leave her home that she'd been in since Daddy had built it for her when they were newlyweds.
      With a nest egg in the bank from the sale of the house and still being able to live there, Momma knew how blessed she really was.   She and my sister and brother in law got along good and everything was working out for everyone concerned.
      Kathy's nursing training came in handy in helping Momma and with their own children already grown and gone, they had the time.   It gave the whole family peace of mind to know that Momma was being cared for so well.

      When Ben and I were taking our leave, Momma stood on the porch and surveyed her family, scattered on the lawn, that had come early to see us off and said proudly,   "Not a bent twig in the whole bunch!"
      We laughed, we'd all had our turn to be preached to about not going with a person that couldn't hold a candle to us.
      Ben waited until we were on our way before asking what he'd been wondering about,   "What was that about the bent twigs?"
      Laughing, I told him about how Momma would have her say whenever one of us kids would bring home a new date.
      "Did she think I was a bent twig that straightened out?"   Ben asked.
      "Oh no!   You were practically perfect, I was wondering if I was the one that wasn't good enough for you.   Remember, you came down to relieve my driving, not to drive the whole way, you hear?"
      Ben laughed,   "I'll take it for a few hours and then you can drive for a while.   Don't worry, by the time we've been driving for a day, neither of us will be hogging the wheel for too long."


      Dear Ben, I thought.   It hadn't been easy holding on for you.
      I had never even told him of some of the things that had tried to come between us.
      There was the time when his sisters had come to the dress shop where I was working and told me that their family didn't want me to date Ben.   They'd rather that he'd date somebody like Sandy, a family friend.   I hadn't said anything in return, what in the world could I have said but I did cry myself to sleep that night.
      Then there was the time that we were doubling with my sister and her boyfriend at the movies and a girl had come up and sat on the other side of Ben even though the theater was only half full.   My sister got upset and later said,   "What's wrong with you, why didn't you make her move?!"
      "What was I supposed to do?"   I'd asked.
      To be frank, I never could figure out what he saw in me, to start with.   I sure didn't want to rock the boat.   In spite of Momma's 'bent twig' rule, it was hard for me to think of myself as being better than other's.   Of course, I knew it wasn't that, it was just that she wanted to not have to worry about us.   She'd seen too many people marry for infatuation and when the chips were down, it didn't work and all for what?
      I was glad that I had actually listened to her even if I was smarter than she was at that time in my life.   If I had of had my own way, I may not have been free to marry Ben and then where would I be today?   We really were 'made for each other', it seemed.

      There was a sign by the road advertising Dolly Parton's theme park and Ben suggested that we go there.   I was glad that I agreed, it was worth the side trip and extra time on the road.

      By the time we arrived home, I realized that I'd been gone for about a month.   It was good to be home.   'Be it ever so humble', I thought.
      It was already dark when Ben rolled into the driveway.   We'd pressed on, needing to be in our own beds.
      We were whispering while we unloaded the car and opened the house.
      Even though he'd been alone for a couple of weeks, the house looked okay.   He'd probably tidied up before leaving.   He wasn't much on housework what with his job and all.


      That night, we were both awakened by the sound of the hot water tank as it rumbled to life.
      Turning to Ben, I said,   "We're not using the hot water, why is the tank heating up?   I don't remember it doing that."
      "The water probably just got cold,"   he started but then we heard what sounded like rain and realized that we had probably heard thunder and began going back to sleep.
      The sound of a baby crying caused us both to look in the other's direction in the dark room.
      "Ben, does that sound like a baby inside the house or could it be a cat close by?"
      Ben got out of bed and went to the window.   "It's not raining outside and I've never heard a cat sound like that,"   he reported.
      He walked to the bedroom door and I got up to follow him.
      Flipping on lights as we went through the house, we finally came to the cellar door where the sound was coming from.
      We both became still and heard muffled sounds coming from below.
      Ben opened the door and called down to where we saw a light,   "Who's down there?"
      The creaking of a rocking chair stopped as the baby continued to cry.
      Turning to me, Ben said,   "You stay here, if it looks like trouble, call the police."
      Taking the steps one at the time, Ben went into the basement.
      He stood at the foot of the steps without saying anything.
      I decided to join him and started down.
      I was astounded at what we were looking at.
      The basement had been converted into an apartment with a whole family living there.
      The old furniture and appliances that we'd stored there over the years had been arranged into a living area.

      The young Mother was standing in front of the rocker that I'd rocked my own babies in, looking frightened.
      A young man sat up in one of the beds, while the two older children slept on the bunk beds that had been set up.
      I took Ben's arm and stood close to him, not quite comprehending what the scene before us revealed.
      I didn't recognize the family and wondered momentarily how they had wandered into this neighborhood.
      Ben took my arm and starting back up the stairs, looked in the man's direction and said,   "Would you get dressed and join us upstairs?"
      Ben and I went to our bedroom and put our robes on and went back to the kitchen where the young man was coming up from the basement.
      We sat around the kitchen table and discussed what had been going on in our home in our absence.
      Not wanting to make their already burdensome situation worse, we decided not to call the police unless it was deemed absolutely necessary.
      It turned out that a woman that helped around our home with the cleaning sometimes and had been recommended by a neighbor through her own maid knew of their situation.   She had been helping someone else in the neighborhood recently and realizing that we weren't home, she remembered about the basement with the outside door and let the information get to this little family for a temporary place to stay until other arrangements could be made.
      The people who worked in our small community came highly recommended and thus, we were surprised that this woman had done this.
      This was really too bad for her as she wouldn't be hired to work in this area again.
      The young woman joined her husband in the kitchen where we were talking as soon as the baby went to sleep and we continued our conversation.
      They obviously had been given false information about our arrival back home date and so weren't expecting us so soon.
      When they had heard us coming in, they tried to be quiet until morning when they had planned on leaving.   Having the children made it hard to move around, especially in the middle of the night.
      The man was looking for a job during the day while she kept the children in the basement so they wouldn't be seen by the neighbors.
      He'd been leaving early while it was still dark and coming back after nightfall.   That's why we'd heard the shower coming from the little bathroom that we'd had installed years ago when we used the downstairs for our own kids recreation room and sometimes slumber parties.
      They weren't going hungry nor were the children being neglected.   The woman who told them about the place was doing what she could along with her other friends.
      Other than living in our basement unbeknownst to us, the young people didn't seem to be dishonest.   We were still extremely tired from our long day on the road and told the young man to not go out the next day so when we were rested up we could reconcile the situation.
      They had access to the small, old refrigerator downstairs and didn't need the upstairs so when they had gone back down, we locked the door to the basement and the door to our bedroom and went back to bed.
      Knowing that Ben would figure something out, I snuggled close to him and lay quietly until I went back to sleep.


      After arising the next morning, Ben called for an impromptu meeting of the neighborhood watch for ten o'clock.
      We asked the couple to come up for breakfast and in spite of not having fresh groceries in the house, we managed with food from the deep freeze.
      Billy and Erin Waters, along with the three children had their breakfast with Ben and I in our kitchen while we discussed the important things at hand.
      Billy was a recent graduate from the local university but hadn't been able to find good enough work to support his little family as of yet.   He was considering joining the service.
      Neither of them were really wanting him to do that as he would have to be away for long periods of time.   Something of which they didn't have a lot of seeing as how Erin would have to be with the little one's by herself, not an easy task.
      They had been living in married students furnished housing with help from their parents, who lived long distances from them.
      Erin had gone to college for her Freshman year but then followed her heart and married Billy.   They had the twins the first year of marriage and Cassie followed quickly after.   Having spent several years in the university town, they knew that this was where they felt at home and wanted to stay.
      They hadn't let the parents know the desperate straits that they were in, since the children weren't going without.
      The baby was squirming in her Mom's lap so I suggested that we take the children out back while we continued our discussion.
      It was decided that they would stay where they were until something better came up and Ben and I got ready to go to the meeting.

      In spite of the initial mutterings about needing to get to their weekend plans, we were all glad to see each other.   When Ben and I revealed what had happened, the group, as a whole, were aghast that this could have happened right in front of them.   We all knew how much worse it could have been.
      It was agreed that the woman who had instigated the whole thing wouldn't be hired in this area again, in spite of her good intentions.   Other measures could have been taken.
      We told them of our immediate plans to let them stay on until other arrangements could be made and the group asked to meet them in order to size them up to see if anyone would be able to come up with a solution to help them out.
      We decided on a barbeque at our house the next afternoon so the couple could be observed in a gracious manner.   The group broke up still talking amongst ourselves about the neighborhood plans.

      The people that had cared for them, didn't come back with supplies for the little family, seeing that they were found out.
      After lunching in the kitchen, Erin and I left the children with the men and went grocery shopping.
      As much as possible, we wanted to share our meals with them and just keep between meal supplies in the little refrigerator downstairs.
      It seemed practical for all concerned, for the little family to stay in the basement for the present.   We did have an extra bedroom and bathroom but they needed their privacy, especially at a time like now.
      After church the next day, we set up the barbeque, letting the couple know why we were having it so they would be able to contribute useful information to the visitors.
      Erin made several resumes on my computer in case they were necessary.
      As the get together commenced, the whole neighborhood had an unspoken agreement to make this little family our pet project, until they could get on their feet.

      Throughout the next week, everyone was on the phone, putting out feelers for jobs and houses for rent, a car, etc.
      Fred and Ethel had a rent house that hadn't been rented out in several months and said that the couple could have it free of rent until they could afford to pay.   The house was close to a church that had a daycare so that Erin could drop the children off to do her errands or have an afternoon off to get things done around the house.
      Jim and Gina had an extra car that was big enough for the children and was low on mileage.   They said that the couple could have it since they weren't using it anyhow.
      Miriam and Joshua had playground equipment that was being stored in their garage since their kids had grown up.
      Ben and I offered the downstairs furniture that they'd been using.
      The men in the neighborhood with pickup's volunteered to move them and their things to their new home, only a few streets over.
      The house already had appliances, even a washer and dryer.
      Fred kept the electricity on with electric eyes on the lights to avoid intruders so we only had to get together the money for other deposits.   We all agreed that a phone was a definite necessity with the children.
      Although we weren't a wealthy neighborhood, some were even retirees, we managed to do good by them, I thought.
      Ben, himself, was proud to be the one that supplied the job that fit Billy to a tee.   It was in a company next door to his own so we would be able to keep up with them.   If Billy needed to let Erin keep the car, he and Ben could carpool.
      Dusty, Misty and Cassie had definitely won our hearts in the short time that we knew them and I knew that we'd have to stay connected.


      It's been six weeks since I was driving home to be with Momma and my family, I thought.   So much has happened, it's unreal that such a short time has passed.   I can scarcely remember how I had felt then.
      Our own children live a good distance from us as well as from one another.   Chips off the block, I guess.   Look at Ben and myself, we're the only one's from both families that don't live close to where we were raised.
      Now, these youngsters have come into our lives, binding our neighborhood together as never before.   We never really know, do we, I continued my line of thought as I prepared beef stew for our evening dinner.
      Ben came in and washed up while I set the table. We held hands across the table and he began the first blessing and I followed with my own.
      How very rich we are, I thought.

The End



Ora Lea Harrison - Author and owner of these stories.
Thank you for reading.   I hope you're enjoying them.
I'd love your feedback on my stories.   ♥   You can email me at ora.lea @ gmail.com

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