Nothing In This World (BWWM) ✅

Chapter Twenty One

Three days on the road was more than enough time for Charlene to get over leaving everything behind. She used to never understood why her old friends did a lot of what they did when they were in heavy relationships. Now, looking at Lance from the passenger's seat of his truck, she understood it all and so much more.

He passed her a bottle of water as Vanport, Oregon's city limit sign flashed past the window. It didn't take long for her to see the rows and rows of houses along with women and children playing in their yards yet also weary to see who was driving through their neighborhood in the truck. People started scattering back in their houses while the husbands came outside to see what was causing fear. Charlene knew what they were thinking and she honestly wanted nothing more but for them to change their minds.

"You see it too," Lance spoke softly while looking at all the eyes that looked back at him. "seventeen fifty-two is the house number. We're on the street." Charlene looked away from the man staring her down and turned to Lance who turned into someone's driveway. She knew it couldn't belong to anyone other than her brother. "This it." He looked at the home and smiled. "Nice ain't it?"

Charlene nodded. "I think you should stay here and I'll go explain to him. There ain't no white people around here as you can see." Lance nodded and watched Charlene as she carefully left the truck and walked up to the front door. She smiled and waved to the man standing in his yard next door but he didn't wave back. The environment was cold and stale. She knew her people were cautious and she knew that they had every right to be. Who was she to enter their town and bring a white man with her? It was unheard of.

"You said there's a white man in our driveway?" The sound of that deep voice made Charlene jump three feet in the air as the front door flew open before she could knock. "Oh my God. Darla! Come out here!" Charlene could feel her heart stop as her brother rushed out the door and scooped his sister into his arms. "Charlene! I think I just about died!"

Darla ran out along with him and the smile on her face was so big her cheeks could break. "This Charlene! She's far from the little girl you described to me!" Darla joined in on the hug and Charlene hoped that it wouldn't end anytime soon. But Charles put her down and she finally got to take in the thick, muscly arms that once held her. "My, I heard so much about you. How you is beautiful and smart."

Just as she was to apologize about the wedding she failed to go to years ago, she witnessed the smile fall right off of Charles's face. "Who is that? What's that white boy doing on my property!?" Charles pushed Darla and Charlene back as he took large steps forward to Lance's truck. Lance's eyes popped out of his head but he opened his truck door regardless and quickly got out before Charles could block him in. "Who are you!"

"That's Lance!" Charlene cried out while grabbing her brother's forearm. "Lance is my fiance." Charles whirled around to look at Charlene as if she was insane. She quickly showed him the ring on his finger which confirmed it all. "We came here because we have nowhere else to go. It's only temporary. You can turn us away or do whatever you want but we couldn't figure out a safer place to go."

Charles's face softened as he saw the fear spread across Charlene's face as she feared his answer. "You think bringing a white boy here to my house is safe for us?" Charlene gulped. "My family is in there. Just cause you see a bunch of black folk living in peace doesn't mean we really is in peace. The police run through hair every hour on the hour. They'd kill us and him." She looked at her Lance who heard everything that was going on. "The basement is the safest place for a situation like this."

Darla quickly rushed over to give Lance a hug then a handshake. "You been taking care of Charlene. That is the only reason he ain't send you all back." Lance chuckled. "Go on inside quick before the neighbors get too comfortable." Lance and Charlene followed Darla inside the home while Charles got their belongings out the truck.

Charles set their stuff by the front door then pulled Darla aside before she got too far into the tour. "I'm gone talk to James so he can understand the situation before the meeting tonight."

"What's the meeting?" Lance asked which caused all eyes to land on him. "If you don't mind me asking."

Charles looked at Charlene who looked away. "We gather once a week to discuss neighborhood changes and gatherings. You are a part of the neighborhood change and I need to make that clear before an uproar happens." He left out the front door before Lance could respond to the information.

Darla simply grinned before motioning the two of them to continue following her. "Okay. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I cook dinner every night for when Charles gets off work. You guys came just in luck because he doesn't have to head out for another hour. Let me show you to your room." She headed over to a door across from the bathroom and just as her hand touched the doorknob, a baby started crying.

Charlene turned her head to the bedroom that was most likely where Darla and Charles rested. "There's a baby..." Charlene barely could speak.

"Yes. I wanted to introduce him last as a surprise." Darla clasped her hands together and led them to her bedroom. The little brown baby squirmed and screamed for his mother who picked him up carefully. His cried died down while she felt his pamper for any wetness. "This is Ricky. Fredrick Willson McCullough to be exact." Charlene's eyes widened when she saw how big and alert he was. His crib was filled with toys and a teddy bear. "A nice diaper change and feeding and he's good to play."

Lance rested his hand on the small of Charlene's back as she watched her nephew slowly remember that he was crying because he was hungry. "Looks just like Charles, yeah?' She nodded at Lance's comment. "You didn't know did you?"

Darla went to the bed to change Ricky while Charlene kept her eyes on them the entire time. "I had no idea."

"Really?" Darla's brows furrowed together. "We send letters all the time. Get a response every now and then. I was sure you knew you were an aunt to our beautiful baby boy. We sent a card the moment he was born."

Charlene felt sick to her stomach. She held on to a card like it was her life. She gripped on to the last thing that she thought was good in their life and she had no idea that Charles was only getting better. He was married to a beautiful woman. Moved into a beautiful house. Is the father to a beautiful baby.

"I need to just sit down." She grabbed onto Lance's wrist as her knees buckled. "I don't know what to think." Darla quickly pinned Ricky's diaper closed before picking him to tend to Charlene next. "No, no. You feed Ricky, please. Lance and I will meet you in the basement." Lance gripped onto whatever limb he could to assist Charlene to the door across the living room.

"It's so bad you had to find out like this," he whispered in her ear. "Why would your mother keep such letters from you. She knows how you feel about your brother."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't question her. She has a reason for everything."