Chapter Twenty-One
Two months after the disaster, my life changed drastically. World War II ended, and the U. S. Army drafted Ethan. My protector was leaving me, and I couldn't understand why he had to leave the farm...and me.
Ethan and I stood in the barnyard saying good-bye and waiting for the car that would carry him away. The barnyard sounds of cows mooing, chickens clucking, hogs grunting, and pigeons cooing surrounded me. There sat a rusty tractor we had driven in the field during the cotton picking season. Ethan's old car sat parked by a weathered shed; I wondered who'd be driving them.
Momma, in her flower-print dress and apron sat inside the small house, crying. Poppa, in his suspender-trousers and white shirt sat quietly, thinking about his son leaving. Ethan had already told them good-bye.
Even at the adolescent age of almost-nine, I felt the hurt developing...my God, how I cried. It was a terrible morning in my life—one I'll not forget. Why did Ethan have to go?
"You're my protector...my big brother...my best friend; why do you have to leave?" I wanted to leave with him, but he said I couldn't go.
Putting his arms around this coverall-clad boy, he said, "Johnny, some day you'll understand all of this. Until then...keep your ears open, your nose clean, and your mouth shut, and you'll be alright."
Ethan left that morning dressed in his pressed khaki trousers and short-sleeve plaid shirt. He walked to the official's car waiting on the gravel road at the end of our driveway. Ethan had a sorrowful look on his face as he opened the passenger door and waved good-bye.
"I'll send you some Milky Way candy bars, Johnny," he said, trying to make me feel better. He slid into the front seat, slammed door, and it drove away—leaving a dust-cloud behind. I stood, unable to move, watching the car until it drove out of view.
Brokenhearted and alone, I ran behind the barn, hiding and crying until my eyes were blood-shot. Feeling miserable and sad, I clung to my dog. Brownie, looking for comfort as I struggled with the deep grief inside. Leaving me behind hurt deeply and I didn't understand it, nor did I like it. I felt abandoned. Something within me felt I'd experienced this before. (Read more in the book.)
