As June turned into July, Leta's husband Leech made it clearer
and clearer that her children Vivian, age 15, and Dale, age 12, were not
welcome in his house. The punishment of taking Dale’s shoes away was only the
beginning of a series of incidents that inspired more rules and punishments to
make their lives miserable. He took the adage that children should be seen and
not heard to an extreme degree; basically, he wanted no indication that the
children even existed. By mid-July, he and Leta were eating alone, at a table
with only two place settings. After he left for his evening repast, she would
call the children downstairs for their meal. Although she always cooked enough
for four, Leech would sometimes eat all of the potatoes or meat, requiring her
to quickly whip up some eggs or feed her children bread. Sometimes Leech would
insist that Leta join him at the speakeasy, leaving the children to fend for
themselves. When she asked to feed the children first, her husband insisted
that his schedule prevented that.
Leta tried to remain patient. After all, he had never been
married, never shared his house, and over the years developed patterns in his
lifestyle that would take many months to alter. While he had invited and
seemingly accepted Leta into them, he rejected the presence and needs of
children. Having never had any of his own, he could not understand their needs
or even their participation in the household.
While Leta was grateful that they had enough to eat and a
secure roof over their heads, she was frequently distressed by the daily
dysfunction of the household. More and more she and the children endeavored to
prevent any interaction whatsoever between them and Leech. This meant that from
right before he arrived home from work until he left for his evening’s repast,
they remained in their bedrooms. This also meant that any and all of their
belongings would remain in their rooms as well. This was a challenge. For much
of the day, as it was summer, the children were in and out of the house. They
had several toys and things that were easily put down, if only for a short
period of time, and inadvertently left behind. Ensuring that all of the
children’s things were out of site by the time Leech arrived home from work in
the evening was quite a challenge.
Weekends were particularly strenuous. Leech spent much of his
time at home. This resulted in the children either remaining outside throughout
the day or caged in their bedrooms for long periods of time. For Vivian this
was inconvenient but not impossible. The 15-year-old was studious and quiet. As
long as she had a book to read and some sewing, she could remain in her room
for hours. At 12 years old, however, Dale was active and careless. Without
realizing what he was doing, he would engage in some physical activity that
could easily be heard on the first floor.
Leech would respond with hostility. “What’s that racket? It sounds
like the rats are on the warpath up there.”
One Sunday afternoon when he had been abruptly awakened from a
nap, he took the broom handle right out of Leta’s hands and poked the ceiling
hard.
“What are you doing?” Leta asked.
“Don’t think I don’t know you’re up there!” he shouted. “I
have ears in the back of my head.” When he finished poking more than a dozen
times, he turned to her. “Damn rats,” he snarled. Then he twisted away and
jammed the broom handle back into the ceiling one last time.
Leta was obviously mortified and knew that the moment she had
the chance, she would need to console her son. Leech tossed the broom aside and
grabbed her wrist.
“Let’s get a drink,” he said. “I’m thirsty.”
“But…” Leta stammered.
“We’ll take care of those pesky rodents later.”
Leech gave her a little tug, and she relaxed just enough to be
compliant, following him out of the house.
To be continued.
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