Leech Hoose, part seven

October dragged into November with Leta and her children continuing to struggle economically. She and Leech had already agreed that they would marry as soon as she was free from Ora Freeman, but her soon-to-be former husband was stalling their divorce proceedings. Twice he had visited her and offered to welcome her and the children back into his life. He told her he had a new house. He was working steadily. He missed them. His offers were conflicting to Leta, but not for very long.

Certainly, she wanted to be married. She had wanted her marriage to Ora to be successful and last for the rest of her lives. After all, she had already been married twice, first to the father of her children. That marriage was fraught with frustration and uncertainty. Her husband Ralph had trouble maintaining steady work. He was slovenly in his personal habits. He neglected her and their children. What aggravated Leta most was how he expected her to behave like his mother—to cook like her, keep house like her, even dress in a similar fashion. But she would not comply. She would not be managed; she demanded respect for who she was. Her second husband Albert was everything she could have hoped for in a husband, as well as father to her children. He was a good provider, loving, devoted, helpful, and he made their lives enjoyable. She thrived with him, and so did the children. But alas, his life was cut short, and his horrible death left her bereft, emotionally and financially.

Ora fulfilled her immediate needs. He was helpful, compassionate and brought her children treats. She misunderstood her appreciation of him and all that he was doing for them as love and the cornerstone of a good marriage. However, once they were married, she learned that Ora was unstable, untrustworthy, and financially and emotionally incapable of heading a family. He worked far less than necessary to support her and her children, and squandered what little money they had on his own amusements. He drank too much and, although she could never prove it, was a gambler. How else could she explain the sudden appearances of cash without any noticeable effort to earn it?

She recognized that it was better for her and her children to be poor on their own than under the jurisdiction of an unreliable man. She also had personal needs that Ora was unable or uninterested in satisfying. He wasn’t even a good conversationalist. And, she told herself, someone who was attentive, talked to her and provided for her and her children was what she needed in her life. This was exactly what she had with Albert.

So far in their friendship, Leech Hoose was exemplary at being an adult companion for her. They could talk for hours. Even though they did not always agree, they respected and honored each other. They laughed together. He was courteous and considerate. He was employed.

All she needed to do was secure her divorce from Ora, and they would marry. That was their plan. One night at their favorite speakeasy, they agreed to the plan. Leta was thrilled and relieved. It was early November. Her poverty was becoming more apparent, and she knew she had little time before she needed to change her life. She knew that when the divorce was settled, she would receive a little money from her soon-to-be ex-husband, but it would not be enough to sustain her and her children. While she was able to clothe Dale in hand-me-downs from his older cousins, Vivian needed a winter coat. Currently, mother and daughter were sharing, but this was proving to be complicated. More than once during a chilly day, Leta found herself shivering on the street as she performed duties that took her out of the house. The Farmer’s Almanac guaranteed an early winter, and already the temperature had dropped below freezing several times.

Also, her heating bills would increase, and they were already as bundled up in their small apartment as they could be. Her little family needed a financial provider, and she, a healthy and vivacious 34-year-old woman, needed a man.

The night they decided to marry as soon as it was legal to do so was the first time she saw Leech’s house. They stayed at the speakeasy until it closed, and he drove them there. It was very late and dark, and because she had other things on her mind, she did not pay much attention to the location. She noted that the bed was unmade and the sheets not frequently washed, but that was about it.

Because of the time of year, it was still dark in the morning when she rose, kissed her sleeping beau on the forehead, dressed and headed for the trolley.

When she arrived home, her fourteen-year-old daughter Vivian was awake and sipping coffee at the kitchen table.

“Vivian?” Leta questioned quietly, as if not to disturb the early morning silence that permeated the air of their apartment. “What are you doing up so early?”

To be continued.