This one is a little longer than the others, I believe, but I like it better. It’s based on true story form my family before my great-grandmother, Nellie, came from Ireland to America. It isn’t done yet (I mean, the day is only half way through), but I’m hopeful for it. Even though I don;t have the setting down quite yet.
The Day 3 Generations Died
There was a cool chill to the air when Nellie woke up, the sun peeking through the window and touching her face. Suppressing a shiver, she got out of bed, dressed quickly, and scurried out of the little room she shared with her two younger sisters, Mary and Bridget. Since her older sister Katherine had married last spring, it was Nellie’s job to help her mother take care of the family.
Once in the kitchen, Nellie found the various pots her mother had pulled out for her start breakfast in. Every morning her mother was the first one up. She got what Nellie would need to start breakfast, and then she would go for a quick walk around the block, stopping at the market for anything they might need. Even now that her mother was eight months pregnant, she never wavered from her daily routine.
Setting the pots of water to boil for the porridge, Nellie heard her father stirring upstairs as he got ready for work. Taking care of their large family was a lot of work, and she knew her father was tired of his job doing construction. He would come back at night, tired and grumpy. And especially now that their mother was pregnant, he was often worried, and he was easily upset. He was a big man and could be intimidating if he wanted to, so all the children would try to stay out of his way. If you got him angry, you were on your own. Not that he was ever mean to them, they knew he loved them, but he could be so gruff, and had a way of cutting you to the core with a look. But when he was relaxed he made everyone joyful.
Nellie left the kitchen and went back to her room to wake her sisters. Mary was ten and was in charge of helping little Bridget, the baby of the family, at least until the new one came, get dressed and ready for school. As soon as they moving around and rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, Nellie went to make sure her brothers were up.
Three of her four brothers shared a room not much bigger than hers. It was worse when her older brother John slept in there, too, but after Katherine moved out, he got her little closet room in the back of the house because he was the oldest. Eventually when he left Nellie would get the room, though she thought she would miss listening to her sisters’ calm breathing at night. It was one of the few times they didn’t bother her. But here her little brothers were curled up in little sleeping balls. William had his own cot on one side, while Paddy and Kevin, the twins, shared the bigger bed on the other side. It took more cajoling from Nellie to rouse them. They were much more stubborn than her sisters in the morning, and by the time they had stopped whining and actually gotten up, she could hear the sounds of everyone moving around.
She went back to the kitchen to stir the porridge just as her mother was coming through the door.
“Good morning, Nellie dear,” said her mother, a little out of breath and shutting the door. “Are you brothers and sisters awake yet?”
Nellie told her they were, but noticed that her mother’s cheeks were a little paler than their usual rosy red. Her mother continued on doing her work in the kitchen. Putting things where they belonged and cleaning things, but she did seemed slower. Nellie assumed that being pregnant was finally catching up to her mother, who hated having to be still when she could be doing some work.
“Has your father come down yet, dear?” her mother asked.
“No not yet, but I heard him moving around.”
“Well I’ll just go check on him so he won’t be late for work.” And she huffed her way out of the room.
After she left, Nellie’s brothers and sisters started coming in to get their food and do their chores. John was the first one, saying good morning and getting his food so he too could be ready to join his father at work, where he had just started. As the oldest boy, he was typically their father’s favorite. Mary and Bridget came down next looking a little messy, but not too bad. Then came the other boys, pushing and shoving to get their place at the table. They were all talking and making noise now, but Nellie thought she heard a cry come from upstairs in her parent’s room. She thought she was making it up, till she caught John’s eye across from the table. He had a little frown on his face, but didn’t make a motion as if to leave.
It was as Nellie and John were trying to get the kids to clean up that their father came rushing into the room. He looked slightly frantic and nodded to John, who put down the bowls in his hands and left the house without saying a word or even grabbing his coat.
“Hey, where’s he goin’,” asked one of the boys.
“Oh nowhere, don’t you worry,” said their father, forcing a smile on his face. “But I have a treat for you kids. How about today for lunch, you go to your grandmother’s house?”
The kids all exclaimed and smiled at the idea of visiting their grandmother. The mother of their mother, she lived in the city with them, but on the other side of where they went to school. Although they saw her often, for she liked to visit them, it was still fun to go to her house, especially for something like lunch. Only William, the next oldest after Nellie, looked as concerned as she did about this sudden new plan, but their father was trying to hustle all the talking kids into leaving for school, and she had to help so she would be ready, too.
The morning at school passed well enough, but Nellie couldn’t help be worried. Something about her father’s look made her nervous, and they never went to Grandma’s house unless their mother couldn’t cook for them, which rarely happened. She was sick once. And another time she was visiting a friend in the next town over, but other than that she was always home, there for the children. It dawned on Nellie that her mother must be having the baby. It was too soon, but there was no other reason for what was going on.
As soon as school let out for lunch, Nellie hastened to collect all her siblings, with William helping her, anxious to hear any news from home. Getting to Grandma’s house wasn’t too difficult, as the kids were excited, and she welcomed them hugs and kisses. She sent them out to play while it was still warm, asking Nellie to help her finish lunch in the kitchen. As soon as they were alone, her grandmother turned to her.
“So I’m sure you know that your mother is having the baby, right?”
“Yes, is everything okay?”
“Well it’s difficult for her. It’s early, and she’s much older than she was when Bridget was born, and you know your father was worried about that. Of course, nothing ever bothers your mother, and she just goes about her day no matter how many times you tell her to take a rest, even with you and even Mary there to help her.”
“But everything will be fine when it‘s over, right?”
“Oh I’m sure it will be, my dear. John ran for the doctor and came to let me know, and then he went to go tell your sister Katherine before he went to work. She should be there now. Now come help feed your brothers and sisters before they tear my house apart.”
Nellie helped serve everyone and took a small plate for herself. She felt better talking to her grandmother, who like her mother never stopped going, although she too seemed to be slowing down as she got older, but she really just wanted to be home, sure that her mother and the baby were safe. The kids finished lunch and Nellie helped her grandmother clean up. She hugged them all before sending them back to school.
But when they had almost reached the school and knew the bell was going to ring for them soon, Nellie came up with a plan. She was worried about home, and she wanted to be there. She knew she could help. So when they reached the school house, Nellie sent them in without her. William tried to protest, but Nellie used her best Katherine imitation.
“You hush. I’m older and I know what I’m doing. Now go back to class or you’ll get in trouble. Don’t you worry about me.”
And with that, she began to walk home. She picked up her pace as she got closer, and she was almost running by the time she got to her street. She didn’t know if her father would get mad at her for coming home, but she knew she could help. Quietly, Nellie came in through the kitchen door. The house without her mother bustling about was eerily unwelcoming, and the tension was oppressive, dangerous. Nellie could hear quiet murmurs coming from upstairs. She recognized her father’s voice talking to who she assumed was the doctor. Occasionally she thought she heard Katherine’s voice. Every once in a while there was a loud moan of pain.
Suddenly, Nellie didn’t want to be home. She was feeling sick. She wanted to be back at school with her brothers and sisters, waiting to hear about their new brother or sister, not knowing what the house felt like right now. And then the screaming started. She could hear the voices and footsteps running around, taking care of her mother, helping her, and Nellie was frozen to the middle of the kitchen floor.
It was hard to breathe as she heard the agonizing screams from of mother. There was so much pain in those cries, and Nellie couldn’t listen anymore. Not thinking, she ran across the floor to the small kitchen closet and threw herself in. She squeezed the door shut and slid to the ground, crouching among the brooms and mops, the rags and boxes, the dust and cobwebs. She was terrified. She knew she wasn’t brave or strong or loud like any of her siblings, but she didn’t think she was this much of a coward. She couldn’t even get herself off the floor to help her mother in pain.
Another scream came muffled through the door and she covered her ears, trying not to cry. Why wouldn’t it stop? Why was her mother hurting so much? She was too young to really remember her other siblings being born, so she didn’t know how bad childbirth could be, but it didn’t seem like it should cause her generally stoic mother so much pain.
She didn’t know how long the screaming lasted, but it seemed forever. Finally, when they subsided, she took her hands off her ears. Silence. Carefully, she opened the closet door and crawled out on her hands and knees. She sat on the kitchen floor, ear cocked towards the doorway for any more sounds.
Once she thought she heard a feeble baby cry, but she wasn’t sure, the silence of the house obstructing her ears. And then she heard something she never imagined. An anguished wail like no other came from her parents’ room. It barely sounded human. It was a man sobbing his heart out. Her father was crying. She had never heard her father cry before. Nellie wanted to go back in her closet forever, because she knew what it meant.
