~ Song Of The Sparrow ~

by

H. L. Chandler

Frank’s face darkened, the normal ruddy red deepened to an angry maroon. Then a nasty smile crawled across his lips. He clenched his huge fist. A searing flood of fear rush up my cheeks; I turned hot all over. Before I could think what I was doing, I stepped between Frank and Harley.

“Wait a minute, Frank. Harley hasn’t done anything.”

“Get out of the way, troublemaker. I imagine this whole thing was your bright idea anyway.”

I flinched at Frank coming so close to the truth. I started to answer him, but Harley leaped up and threw his arm in front of me. Then he leaned toward Frank. Their noses were inches apart.

“Shut your filthy mouth. You can’t talk to Lugene that way. Just lay off her. You don’t like what I’m doing, you settle it with me. If you can.”

“Wall, I think I already have. Come Monday you’re going to have a surprise, smart boy.”

Then Frank stomped out of the room gloating over the wreckage he left behind. Harley’s face turned poppy-red and his eyes flashed.

“Oh yeah?” Harley yelled after Frank. “We’ll just see about that.”

Then the fight went out of Harley. He deflated like a punctured tire, and he sank back on the couch. I dropped down beside him and wearily patted his shoulder. Frank’s attack came as a surprise. It left me more discouraged than angry. Sometimes the never-ending fight threatened to crush the last spark of life out of me. It was so tiresome. Yet, deep inside, a small hard kernel of determination managed to survive. I had to stay strong, for Harley’s sake as well as my own.

“Don’t give up, Harley. He can’t keep us down forever.”

Harley didn’t look as if he believed me. I knew that hanging on was the only hope we had. If we gave up, we’d never rise above Frank’s oppression. We’d never make something fine and decent of our lives. Losing both parents was terrible, but Frank taking the farm, the only thing we had left of them, was the final blow.

I watched a wide range of emotions shift across Harley’s face. I read his every thought. They were all bad. Far in the back of my mind was the idea that someday, somehow we’d get our property back. However, Harley was a more urgent problem. If Frank did cause him to lose this job, I wasn’t sure what it might do to Harley.