The Orphans' Nine Commandments

Chapter 2

q2Q I didn’t know it at the time, but Mr. William Wheeler, the superintendent of The Oklahoma Society for the Friendless, made his living by soliciting donations and pocketing fees from brokering abandoned children into adoptive homes. His benevolence also provided guidance for state prisoners and released felons, placing their children with more stable families, again garnering income for his services. Mr. Wheeler levied a commission of several hundred dollars from each adoptive family. He usually required money down with the balance due in monthly payments spread over the year. During the Great Depression these funds provided a sizable income. A new Ford or a modest two-bedroom house could often be purchased for less. * One morning, after I had been at Tillie’s for nearly a week, I slipped through the kitchen and out the screen door. I pushed open the rear gate and trotted down an alley to a sidewalk. Within two blocks, I 14 stopped in front of a grocery displaying boxes of colorful fruit. A man wearing a white apron tossed me an apple. I sat on the curb, curled up my legs, and enjoyed my breakfast. Within a few minutes the gentleman asked me, “Where’s your mother?” I stood up and added lying to my human equation. “She’s going to meet me at the trolley stop.” He paused, looked me up and down, and told me to come along. Hand in hand, we walked inside and back to an office. I sat in a chair and looked at the calendars hanging on the wall. Contentment filled me until Tillie’s shadow loomed at the doorway. “What in God’s name are you up to?” “Looking for the trolley. Goin’ home.” She grabbed me by the arm and marched me back to the home. We entered the warm kitchen where she shoved me into a chair. “Your momma’s gone. Won’t be back. Get that in your head.” She paced back and forth thumping my hand with her hair brush. I pushed her arm aside and whacked her knee. Tillie shrieked. “You devilish brat. Your guardian is in the office today. He’ll straighten you out!” My heart filled with panic. The word guardian aroused the image of a policeman. She latched onto my left ear and led me down the hall. Opening a door, she shoved me into the office. I saw a grayhaired man sitting in a swivel chair near a long table. A whirling ceiling fan stirred the hot air. “Here’s that bratty kid. Just busted my knee.” “Well, well. So this is Roger,” Mr. Wheeler said in cheerful voice, ignoring Tillie’s complaints. With a friendly smile he stood up and shook my hand. My guardian filled the room, a clean-shaven,ruddyfaced , man. He looked like a proper gentleman, dressed in a blue suit and a tie. He held out a soft-looking hand, dropping a yellow wrapped ball of chewing gum into my palm. “Miss Tillie says you bit her.” Mr. Wheeler towered over me. “Don’t like her. She’s mean.” I stood fingering the wrapped treat. 15 Despite Mr. Wheeler’s smile and his gift, I didn’t know what to make of him. I had never seen a man wearing a red bow tie. He sat down, opened a black briefcase, and pulled out a folder of papers. “We’ll need your best behavior if the Lord is to find you a new mother. You’ll soon be adopted.” Earlier, Momma had told me the Lord brought new babies, but I didn’t believe He could bring me a new mother. It didn’t seem possible . The idea scooted around in my mind. If the Lord could provide me with a new mother, perhaps He could find my father. I scratched my head. “What is adoption anyway?” My guardian didn’t answer. Though Momma was gone and my father had never appeared, I still longed for my only love. I stood before my guardian. “I wanna go home!” I said. “Home.” His face turned red. “Your mother no longer wants you.” “Yes, she does. Momma loves me.” He reached down and twisted my arm. “Your mother’s gone. Will never return.” His threatening stance did not sway me. “She will. She will.” I pushed his hand aside. But my protector paid little heed to my plea. I longed for freedom...