Family

Chapter 6

It been a few days since Pa and Ma sent us to the creek. Nothin different happen. We work, eat, read and sleep. Megan, Sam and Claire play. Ma make food. And Pa tell us what to do. Mack ne'er ask me 'bout Pa's plan. He ne'er mention it anymore. E'ery night I think 'bout it 'fore going to bed. I wonder why Pa ne'er done nothin' yet. No new child come. Mack don't lose his bed. We jus' do the same thing e'eryday with the same people. I don't know what Ma and Pa planning that night. I afraid I ne'er will. But I also think I happy I ne'er will. I don't know if I wanna know. What if they planning something bad? Another child ain't too bad, but it make Mack sad. I don't like Mack sad. He afraid his life change. I try and tell him it won't, but he don't listen. Megan, Sam and Claire don't know what Mack afraid o'. Megan ask me one night. I didn't tell the truth. "He afraid his book end bad." She believe me 'cause she hate bad endings.

I been helping Ma with breakfast lately. We whisper when cooking. Try not to wake Pa. We made eggs, waffles, and oatmeal. Ma ask me if I wanna cook dinner with her tonight. I tell her "no" 'cause Pa not going to the market today. The harvest ending soon. I won't have as much work to do. But it mean I get to read more. Ma and Pa give us more books and magazines when the harvest gone. I happy to get more magazines. But today we gotta do the same we do when there a harvest. Me and Mack help with the horses. Today we gotta help Pa pull a few vegetables from the fields. He need 'em to sell tomorrow. It won't take long for us to pull the crops. There ain't a lot today. It almost the end, so the harvest get smaller. Pa worry by the end of the harvest. Without harvest, we don't have work except the horses. But people don't pay for our horses. We just let 'em free in their field. But they ain't really free 'cause there's a fence 'round it. Pa say if we take down the fence they run away. I guess he right. I ne'er wanna lose 'em. I think they happy here though.

Me and Mack finish with the horses early. Pa ain't outside yet to work in the field, so we sit on a stack o' hay and talk. Not 'bout somethin particular. Jus' talk.

"Maybe when the harvest done, we play in the field more," Mack say.

"I hope so. I just wanna run 'round like Chance."

"When Pa coming out?"

"When he wanna."

"When that?"
"I don't know, Mack. Why ya care?"

"'Cause I wanna finish work and go play with Sam, Claire, and Megan. They think o' playing tag. They ask me to join 'cause they say three ain't fun for tag." They didn't ask me. But they know work come first for me. Yet, if work done, then I wanna play.

"Can I join," I ask him.

"Sure. They won't mind. Tag fun with five."

"Sure is." We jus' sit in silence. Thinking o' our own thoughts. Not sharing 'em. But Mack look at me with concern.

"Nothin happen yet," he say. He think o' it again. I jus' look blankly at him. Not knowing what to say. He look sad 'cause he scare of what Pa want. He alway scare of what Pa want. I ne'er know how to help him with his fear o' Pa. We all scare o' Pa sometimes. Maybe not all at once, but we got our chances. Sam alway sharing his fears. But he ne'er share 'em 'bout Pa. None o' us do. We keep it to us. I try to show it don't bother me that we all scare. It hard to hide though. When Pa raise his voice I shake, e'en when it ain't at me. I know too much 'bout Pa's voice. He get mad fast sometimes. "Nothin, Annie. Why has nothin happen?"

"I don't know, Mack."

"It ne'er take this long for 'em to do what they plan. I jus' wanna get it o'er with. I don't care if it a brother or a sister. I jus' want this child come so we can change our life faster. Don't ya?"

"I guess I do. I mean, I change my life enough it don't bother me no more. I change for ya, Megan, Sam, and Claire. I don't care no more. Another child is jus' that. Ma and Pa just want another child. They love all us. When 'em bring another child it jus' like it was for all us. We wake up and we meet a child they want us to love. If they get another child, we will love 'em and care for 'em like they ask. They are growing or family. Shouldn't ya be happy?"

He jus' stare at me. He don't say nothin except "Ya don't get it, do ya?" I guess I don't. I done this four time now. Why does his fourth time bother him. He ain't gon' lose his bed. Ma and Pa won't do that. He ain't gon' lose food. Me and Ma make more. Life won't be different, but he don't believe me. I guess he just gonna have to learn when it happen. He gonna see his life not different jus' 'cause Ma and Pa get another sibling for us.

"If we get another sibling I want you know I will alway love ya, Mack. No new child change that. Ya my first sibling and alway be my closest. We been together fore'er. I won't let no one change that. Ya hear me, Mack?"

"Yea, I hear ya."

"It jus' gon' be another sibling we gotta help understand how to live with us. They will follow us and the way we live. It how all o' us got here."

"Ya think they gon' be sent in the small room a lot?"

"I hope not. It ne'er nice in there. I don't want no one in there. Which is why you mus' promise me ya won't fight with Pa when he set up for this new child."

"I don't know what ya talking about."

"Yea, ya do."

"I jus' got mad 'cause I like where my bed was. It at the perfect spot. And he try and move it."

"And he locked ya in for a few days. I couldn't save ya. Jus' don't fight with him this time. For me. Okay?"

"Alright. I try." We sit there silent again. But this time happier 'cause he worry less. I know he still scare a little. But he know I watch out for him. I alway watch out for him.