A Story for Sunday-Part 3

Martha.

Martha was the oldest of five children. Her mother relied heavily on her. Her mother was young enough that she often seemed to Martha to be her older sister. Her father was a big man. He would go out and work, but he would drink all his earnings before they got much of it. When he would come home drunk, he would come home mean. Martha didn’t like to think about the things he did. She never talked about it to anybody. But it made her mad. Why didn’t her mom stand up to her dad? Why didn’t she make him stop it all? They couldn’t afford for her to go to school, so she had to go to work. She worked cleaning for a rich lady and babysitting her children. They were often cross with Martha. Why hadn’t she swept better? Why did she let the baby get into things? What was wrong with her? Once she got the chance to try riding a bike. She couldn’t figure out how to keep her balance. It was fun anyways.
Then she was let go. She had to work at a handkerchief factory. After a while, she got sick and had to go to the hospital. When she got better, she had to take care of the house and her little sisters and brother while her mom worked. She never got to play or go to school. She had to take care of the little kids so they could study. When would it be her turn? When would she get to do what she wanted to do?
Martha grew up and got married. She swore she wouldn’t marry anyone who drank, but her husband drank. He promised he would stop for her. He was so persistent, she finally gave in. It didn't take long for him to start drinking again. Martha wanted children. She helped out her neighbor who had lots of kids. She had her neighbor’s girl over so often, her neighbor got jealous and wouldn’t let Martha take care of her child any more. She wondered, “When will I have a baby of my own?” The babies never came.
Ten years went by. Her husband drank more. Maybe if they had a child, he would change and stop drinking. One day a friend who worked at a clinic approached her and told her she could arrange for her to adopt a little 3 month old boy. She was so happy. Finally, something in her life had gone right. Soon she had a new baby boy in her arms. He was a beautiful baby boy with big brown eyes. She had a baby of her own! The baby was the center of her universe. She showered him with attention. He was her hope for the future. He was everything she ever wanted. She felt complete. Now her life would be better. Her husband adored his little “mangy doggy”. He was so proud. He loved playing with his little boy. He was so thrilled that he went out to the bar to celebrate with his buddies every night...

Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.
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