Deliver Us from Evil, Ch. 6 "Lillie Mae"

Kitty woke to the morning sunshine warming her face and a pair of pale green eyes peeping over the foot of the bed at her.  Startled at first, she peered more closely and the small pair of eyes slowly dropped lower until they disappeared completely out of sight behind the bed. 

“Good morning…” Kitty called in a soft voice, sitting up in bed, and the eyes made an unhurried reappearance.  This time, she noticed an unruly strawberry blonde mop atop the green eyes and an additional head, this one of the tiny feline variety, alongside.  Kitty’s eyebrow rose slightly at the timid child and she stretched out her arms invitingly.  “Come sit beside me, Lillie Mae?”

The small green eyes widened a bit.

“That is your name, isn’t it?”  Kitty rubbed the sleep from her eyes and patted the bed beside her.  “Come on, little one, come sit by me.”

Ever so slowly, the child stood, calico kitten in hand.  Kitty was taken aback at Lillie Mae’s appearance.  Hair uncombed, face and hands dirty, feet bare.  But Kitty didn’t let on.  She just held out her hands again, beckoning to the little wild child.  Clutching her kitten under her arm, the little girl, who looked to be about six, took hesitant steps closer and closer until she stood silently at Kitty’s side. 

Kitty lifted the little ragamuffin onto the bed beside her while the kitten let out a tiny cross mew.  Lillie Mae appeared to be quite practiced at quieting the little beast.  She plopped it over, pink belly-up, into her petite arms like a baby and scratched its furry head until it purred contentedly.

Kitty asked tentatively, “What’s its name?”

Small, pale, strawberry blonde eyebrows raised at her wordlessly.

“The kitten?  What’s its name?”

A voice no louder than a whisper.  “I think it’s Petunia.”

“Petunia?”

“She told me so.”

“The kitten?”

“Yes, the kitten told me her name was Petunia.”

“Oh, that’s a pretty name.”  Kitty said softly, gently tucking the child’s frizzy hair behind her ear.  “And you’ve got a pretty name, too, Lillie Mae.”

Again, the small, inquisitive eyebrows.

“Yes, it is a pretty name.  For a very pretty little girl.”

The strawberry blonde eyebrows nearly reached her fuzzy little hairline.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you that you’re pretty before?”

A solemn shake of a small head.  A smaller whisper.  “You’re real pretty though.”

Kitty smiled.  “Why, thank you.  And I assure you, you haven’t caught me at my finest.”  She laughed a merry laugh and the little face looked up at her in utter delight.  Kitty continued, “I’ve been traveling a long ways on horseback…” 

A small nod of the head.

Kitty continued with a frown, “…and then there were some complications…”

Lillie Mae’s face frowned too.  “Com-puh-…”

“Complications…that means ‘bad things happened on the way.’”

“Oh…bad things…”  Lillie Mae frowned again and shook her head sympathetically.

Kitty continued“…so then I came back here with Virgil…”

“Daddy!”

Kitty’s eyebrows lifted this time in surprise, but she continued without a hitch.  “…so I came back here with your daddy…”  Kitty touched Lillie Mae’s freckled nose.  “…and I fell asleep right away because I was so tuckered out.”  Kitty beamed at the small child and the little girl’s laugh rang out like a tiny, delicate silver bell.  Kitty’s heart ached at the sound, it was so sweet and so pure.

The small voice questioned, “What is your name?”

“Kitty.”

More tiny raised brows and a quick glance down at the kitten now sleeping in her arms. 

“Yes, like your kitten.”  Kitty leaned down to whisper in Lillie Mae’s ear.  “I have a very dear friend who sometimes even calls me “Kitten” when we’re alone.  But don’t tell anyone.  It’s a secret.”

Lillie Mae grinned from ear to ear and placed her index finger to her lips.  “It’s a secret,” she repeated. 

 

Kitty pulled the dirty-faced little girl into her lap and hugged her.  “So, Lillie Mae, tell me…where is your daddy right now?”

“I’m right here,” a soft-spoken, deep voice answered from the doorway. 

“Oh!” Kitty’s hand flew to her mouth and she tugged the quilt up to cover herself.  “Virgil Ware, didn’t you ever hear of knocking?”

Virgil’s southern accent drawled out especially long when he was teasing Kitty.  “Why, Miss Kitty, the door was wide open.”

Lillie Mae grinned.  “I opened it.”  A silver peal of tiny giggles soon followed.

Kitty gave a big grin and gave Lillie Mae’s daddy a big questioning look. 

Virgil cleared his throat noisily.  “Lillie Mae, go see what Isom’s doin’ in the kitchen.  He told me he wanted you to go with him to gather eggs this mornin’.”

“Aw, Daddy, I just met Miss Kitty.”  Lillie Mae put a dirty hand on Kitty’s cheek.  “Can’t I stay here with her?  Just for a little while?  Please?”

“You heard me now.  Go on with Isom.  Miss Kitty has to get dressed and then you can visit with her some more, alright?”

“Alright…”  Lillie Mae slid off Kitty’s lap in slow motion and dragged her feet across the floor, carrying her sleepy kitten under her arm.  She looked up at her daddy with a pout as she sulked out the door.

 Virgil waited until the child was out of earshot.  “Well, I’ll let you attend to your morning ablutions, Kitty…”

“Oh no, Mr. Ware.  You and me have some talkin’ to do.”  Kitty propped her back up against the pillows and pulled her quilt up to her chin.  “Damn propriety.  Come over her and sit on this chair and explain to me what’s goin’ on.”

Virgil sighed.  “Yes, ma’am.”  He tugged at his trouser legs as he sat down on the chaise lounge by the window.  “What would you like to know?”

“What would I like to know?  I want to know everything about your charming little Lillie Mae.  Go ahead, Virgil.  Out with it…”

Virgil took a deep breath and glanced out the window behind him, then began to tell his daughter’s story.

tbc

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