Chapter XXVII
MAE brEATHED DEEP as the chilly February air cleared away the stuffiness of the Children’s Home.
Before she could take another step, she turned and embraced Simon again.
She couldn’t believe he was with her. Winona was ahead of her and had already made it to the streetcar stop before she hollered back, “C’mon, Mae, the car is comin’! ”
“I missed you so much…” Mae whispered into Simon's ear.
“I missed you too, Mama.”
The rattle of the streetcar became more pronounced as Mae separated from Simon. He quickly reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. She tugged gently at his hand, and they sprinted together toward the car.
Upon entering the streetcar, Mae recognized the man from the first day they were here, when Mae had restricted Winona from seeing Lily in order to get to the courthouse.
Mae remembered the despair in Winona’s face as she had followed Mae's dictates, even though they had gone against her instincts. Mae regretted that moment still, but watching Lily bouncing up and down on Winona’s lap salved the small break in her heart just a bit.
The conductor watched them for a moment after they had boarded.
A look of puzzlement brushed across his face.
Once they had sat down, Mae turned to Simon.
His eyes were darting around the streetcar.
He perched on the edge of the seat with his hand still lying flat on her thigh.
“Are you alright? Were you treated well?” The questions tumbled out.
She had so many questions. She paused to breathe, then waited to hear what Simon had to say.
“I was all right.” He shrugged. “I was one of the older boys.”
Mae looked past Simon's shoulder and saw two older ladies leaning toward each other. The first whispered something into the other’s ear while trying to hide their gawking. “Were there a lot of older boys?”
“No, just me and three others.” He looked out at the passing flat land, growing quiet. Mae reached out her hand and covered his on her thigh.
“Were the other boys…” Mae hesitated. She needed to know, but didn’t know how to ask him. “Were they okay to you?”
“Kip—he was a year older than me—we stuck together. He was from Hell’s Kitchen and said he was happy to get out of there.” Simon’s expression wrinkled, the confused look staring out at the thinning buildings. Simon's eyes moved down toward his hand, which was still clasped in Mae’s.
“And the other two?” Mae prodded.
“They didn’t talk much. Mostly, they just spoke their own language and sat by themselves.”
Mae sat silently as she thought about this for a moment. She wondered if the boys had been unfairly removed from their mothers, too.
“Did they feed you enough?”
“We ate, but it wasn’t very good.” Simon turned to her then and made a face, sticking out his tongue. “Nothing like your toast and jam.” He smiled at her and her soul sang. She pulled him close again, pressing her cheek to his hair. She needed to feel his solid presence in her arms.
They sat in silence for the next several stops. The rattle of the streetcar announced their approach every time they slowed. “Mama…” Simon's voice suddenly turned serious as he blurted, “I’m sorry I skipped school. If I hadn’t done it, none of this would’ve happened.”
His solemn tone pulled her back to the reality of their situation.
The thought of explaining how he ended up in the Children’s Home was almost more than she could bear.
She considered how much of the story she should divulge.
He was twelve now—soon to be thirteen. She wanted to protect him, to keep him as close to her as he was at this moment for the rest of their lives.
But she knew that wasn’t realistic. She had to tell him something.
Right now, he thought it was his fault. She couldn’t let him think that.
The ladies across the streetcar stood after the car came to a stop in front of the department store.
She overheard one of the ladies utter, “Imagine… allowing a single woman to adopt a young boy.” She tutted to herself as she exited the car.
Mae looked around the car. Winona was enthralled with Lily and took no notice of the other riders looking in their direction.
Suddenly, Mae felt self-conscious. She shouldn’t be having this conversation with Simon here.
It would have to wait until they boarded the train back to New York.
New York—what did they have back in New York anymore?
Mae's happiness tempered with sadness as the thought occurred to her that she’d never attended Henry's burial.
She still owed the funeral parlor the balance.
Her hand automatically went to her purse.
Gripping the coins through the fabric, she calculated how much money she had left.
Would it be enough to get back to New York? For all of them?
“Mama, did you hear me?” Simon's voice grounded her back in the conversation.
“It wasn’t your fault, sweetheart. You are with me now, and that’s all that matters.”
Upon their arrival at the station, Mae panicked.
She thought about the fare required for her travel from New York to Topeka.
Granted, she had paid extra for the Pullman car, but even thinking back to the original price, a $32 ticket for each of them was more than she had in her purse.
Maybe the price would be cheaper for children?
Even then, she wasn’t sure she would have enough for all four of them.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Winona’s longing, “I can’t wait to be home in me own bed. ”
“Winona…” Mae called tentatively. “Do you have any money on you?”
Winona stopped short as if the thought had never occurred to her. Her eyes widened as she turned slowly to face Mae. “Just a few coins.” She looked down at Lily and Simon and then back at Mae. Mae saw the moment Winona recalled the cost of the ticket. Her face fell and her eyes welled with tears.
“I have just over eighty dollars left,” she whispered, trying to prevent the children from hearing her. “I don’t know if that will be enough.” She bit her lip and glanced over at the ticket agent’s long line. “There’s quite a line. Can you sit with the children while I see about tickets?”
Winona nodded and put on a cheerful face for the children. “Come, let’s sit over here and take a rest, eh?” Mae squeezed Simon’s hand quickly before encouraging him to follow Winona. His eyes searched hers as he hesitated.
“I’ll be right in line,” she murmured to Simon. “Just need to purchase our return tickets.” Mae tried to convince Simon by smiling broadly, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. He gripped her hand again for a split second before allowing himself to be seated with Winona and Lily.
Mae found the end of the line and stood behind a middle-aged woman and what looked like her father, both dressed in tailored suits.
The line snaked back and forth several times before one of the three ticket agents waited on the next lucky customer.
Mae counted the number of people before her turn would approach.
Twelve. She wanted to check in her purse to ensure that her mental math was correct and that there was indeed $83 and change left in her wallet, but she knew better than to draw out money and count it in a public place such as this.
Instead, she began looking around the station.
She saw several groups of people huddled in a semicircle and wondered at their strange formation.
Then she saw the schedule board. From this distance, she could only make out the lines above the people’s heads.
She scanned down the various destinations, hoping to see the line to New York listed.
Santa Fe. San Francisco. Boston. Ah… New York.
She squinted to bring the times into focus.
The departure times were listed, but the lettering was much smaller.
She could discern that the train connected in Chicago, but a taller man was blocking much of the information on that side of the board.
Moving forward in line, she hoped the new angle would reveal the lettering she so desperately wanted to read, but now it was even more obscured.
She glanced around for the time. It was nearing dinnertime, and her stomach rumbled.
Simon and Lily would be hungry soon. How would she feed them with no extra funds?
At the far end of the station, she saw a large clock on the wall, high enough for all passengers to see.
It was almost a quarter to five. She checked the number of people in front of her again. Eight.
Just then, a shrill whistle could be heard over the din of the station.
A commotion developed under the clock at the far end.
When a navy blue-clad officer appeared, Mae instantly froze.
As her breathing became shallow, her head jerked back to look at Winona sitting patiently on her other side.
Mae was sure that they’d heard the whistle, but they hadn’t moved.
She watched Winona play patty-cake with Lily while Simon looked on, totally unfazed by the possibility of capture.
Mae looked ahead of her. Five more people were still in line.
She tried to shrink back in line slightly.
Stepping behind the woman and her father, she wondered if she would be in his line of sight.
Maybe he would only be looking for two women with two children.
Right now, she was alone. Winona was sitting with two children, and anyone going by would assume she was waiting for her husband.
Perspiration began to collect under her collar and moisten her blouse beneath her winter coat.
Her eyes darted around the station, trying to determine where the opposite exit of the building was. She saw the ladies’ powder room and planned to hide there if the police officer continued toward their location.