The Road To Home - Page 9/21

The preachers wife arrived early to get the water on for the corn. The water was reading when the four cooks arrived at church, Little Jamie's parents both arrived directly from work and was thankful for the meal.

The preacher explained that not every Wednesday night dinner would be that big of a meal thanking Mr. and Mrs. Owens for the chicken and the vegetables from their garden. He also thanked the cooks for their excellent cooking skills. Little Jamie yelled is that me too.

When the preacher spoke he asked him how did he help. Little Jamie put up his hand in a circle movement then lowered them while saying corn. Everyone laughed then Stephanie explained that he helped her to shucle the corn. The preacher thanked him personally for doing such a good job.

After the first Wednesday Little Jamie had to help in one way or another. One of the Wednesdays he helped roll the flatware in the knapkins. He put three knives in one knakin, three forks in one knapkin, and three spoons in one knapkin,

Every one had to ask another member if they could exchange a fork for one of their spoons or knives, It was a hilarious sight to be seen. Little Jamie was given the credit for trying. Stephanie thought for a little three year old it was a good job.

From that Wednesday on Stephanie had little Jamie wrap the flatware then she would exchange them for the ones she had wrapped. When she got home she would unwrap them then would rewrap for the next week and put them in the container.

The next week Marsha was released from the state run rehab center. For awhile Marsha kept clean and followed all of the rules set by the state then one night she disappeared and when she came back there were new needle marks on her arms.

She was so incoherent she wasn't making any sense. She kept saying to Stephanie don't call me momma I'm not your mother. From that night on Stephanie even hid her car keys from her mother. One time when Marsha couldn't get a hold on Stephanie's car keys she burned down the barn that sat in the back yard.

Mr. and Mrs. Owens didn't know how the barn caught on fire but there was a storm that hit the area with lightening and a lot of very loud thunder. Their insurance agent wasn't sure what had happen but finally agreed it could have been mother nature and settled with them.

Stephanie had seen her mother do it but didn't want to turn her mother into the police because she was her mother after all and even if Marsha didn't love her she still loved her mother. Since it happened in the middle of the night no one would suspect her of lying.