Lessons Learned

Sitting on the top step of the front the porch Madelyn basked in the sun's rays. The warmth seemed to penetrate her flesh warming her very bones. Indian summer settled in comfortably on this late October day. She was perfectly relaxed, luxuriating in the warmth, listening to the birds and enjoying the fact that she was outside instead of cooped up in the house. Richard and Dennis were at school as they always were this time of year. Each morning the bus came before she awakened and carried her brothers to town. Someday she would be on that bus headed for school. She was certain she wouldn’t like it. She didn’t like strangers. There would be a lot of strangers at school. You had to stay all day and couldn’t come home when you wanted. She didn't like to think about leaving Momma all day.

Madelyn wasn't sure what they did at school but when Richard came home, he had to sit at the kitchen table and work. It sounded like hard ugly work where sometimes even when you were right you were wrong. She puzzled over how that could be. It didn't make sense, but a lot of things didn't make sense to her. After all, she was only four. But there Richard sat each evening.

“What is three times seven?” Daddy asked.

“Twenty-one?” Richard answered cautiously.

“What’s three times seven?” Daddy asked louder.

“Twenty-one?” Richard answered less certain.

“What’s three times seven?” Daddy asked again.

“Twenty-two?” Richard changed his answer.

That’s when the yelling and name calling would begin. Madelyn was not sure what it all meant. She just knew it was multiplication and she never wanted to do that because it meant you were called stupid and yelled at and told you were never going to be good at anything.

She was wearing her favorite red blouse with the little yellow flowers. She was quickly outgrowing it. A good thing about Indian summer; you could still wear summer clothes. This might be her last chance to wear the red blouse. She decided when she couldn’t wear it anymore, she was going use it to dress her doll. Her shorts were just an old pair of Dennis’ jeans that Momma cut off to be shorts. They hung below her knees and were cinched in the waste with a belt. Her shoes from last year pinched her feet a little but not too much. She could still wear them. Soon it would be time to order a new pair from the catalog. When you were four your feet grew fast.

The screen door banged loudly as Daddy stepped out on the porch. He was carrying his 30-06. It was a big gun. He looked down at her. “I’m going to go check the trap lines I set on Monday. Come walk with me?” Daddy was trapping for a bobcat that was killing his goats.

Momma appeared in the doorway behind him. “She’ll just slow you down. That’s a long walk for short legs.”

“I’m won’t go fast. Besides, I might need some bait if that bobcat is in one of my traps.” He grinned thinking it a great joke, but Momma didn’t look amused and Madelyn certainly wasn’t.

“You wouldn’t let a bobcat eat me, would you Daddy?” She stared up at him from under the dark curls, her brown eyes wide.

“You wouldn’t be hardly a mouthful for a bobcat.” He chuckled at her uncertainty. “That’s why he keeps taking my goats. But I’m going to put a stop to that. Come on, get up. The walk will do you good. You’re going to get fat lying around all winter.”

There was no arguing with him, so she trotted after Daddy across the wide meadow to the edge of the woods. At times she had to run to catch up even though he was just casually strolling. Halfway across the meadow she looked back and saw Momma standing at the fence looking their way. She waved. Almost hesitantly Momma waved back. At the top of the slope they entered the trees.

Most of the leaves had fallen with only a few still clinging to the branches. They crunched loudly beneath her feet. When she looked up, she saw squirrels scampering quickly through the branches. They carried hickory nuts and acorns from foraging on the ground. Daddy walked ahead following a familiar path.

Madelyn alternately watched the ground and his back, always looking for snakes and other pitfalls in the woods. She stepped high to avoid getting her feet hooked in the tree roots or underbrush. She didn't want to fall. She learned early never to step down without seeing where your feet were going to land.

Suddenly Daddy stopped short and Madelyn ran face first into the back of his legs. His hand sliced the air sharply signaling silence. Her heart racing, she peeked cautiously around him. To her surprise instead of a bobcat she saw a small black animal with a white stripe that split at the neck then ran down both sides the length of its back. One paw was caught in the sharp wicked teeth of the steel trap. It pulled at the chain that was staked to the ground. It made no sound but watched them closely with tiny black beady eyes. It was a pretty. It made Madelyn sad to see its foot mangled by trap. Blood was drying on its paw. How were they going to get it out of the trap without being bitten?

“It’s a skunk,” Daddy whispered. For a moment he quietly considered the animal. Reaching a decision, he pointed, directing Madelyn around to his left, “Walk around that way, give it a wide berth. Whatever you do don’t get within reach of that chain. When you get to the other side get its attention. Don’t scare it just talk quietly and see if it will turn towards you. I’ll sneak up behind it and bash its head in.”

She was terrified. She didn’t know what the skunk could do. And she didn’t want to see it die. But she had to do what Daddy said. Walking in a wide circle around the skunk softly she spoke to the animal. “Hey skunk, hi skunk.” It watched her suspiciously turning its body to follow her as she slowly shuffled sideways in a wide circle. When she stood opposite from Daddy be began to lightly tiptoe towards the skunk, the rifle butt raised. She rocked from foot to foot nervously. She didn’t want to watch but she couldn’t look away.

Whether the skunk simply tired of watching her or whether Daddy made a noise as he came up from behind, Madelyn never knew. Suddenly the skunk whirled with its tail up spraying a horrible liquid into her face. She dropped to the ground coughing and gagging. Seeing Daddy, it whirled back around spraying him too. Her eyes and nose burned as if they were filled with the bleach Momma used to clean the bathroom. She could hear the rifle butt coming down over and over! Daddy cursing violently mixed with the sound of the animal’s skull crunching beneath the blows. Madelyn didn’t know how long she kneeled in the leaves retching before she was able to catch her breath and sit up. When she looked again Daddy was carrying the skunk at arm's length by its tail, its crushed bloody misshapen head swinging at the end of its lifeless body. He threw it into the woods and calmly returned to reset the trap, his rage concluded. Brain matter and blood were spattered across his shirt and the stock of the rifle. It was as though the act of destroying the animal was enough to satisfy his need for revenge.

Once the trap was reset and covered in leaves, he hoisted his rifle back onto his shoulder. Without a word he started back the way they had come. Madelyn followed her vision still blurry, eyes red and puffy. Her face was dirty, and tear streaked. She plodded along silently towards the farm hoping when they reached the meadow the wind would blow the suffocating stench away. As they left the trees, she could see Momma standing at the fence her hand shading her eyes as she searched the tree line. Had she been there the whole time they were gone? Looking at Madelyn Daddy laughed.

“I bet your momma is going to make you sleep on the porch. I know she won’t let you in the house the way you smell. I sure hope that bobcat doesn’t get you. Maybe I should set some traps around the porch. You might turn out to be good bait after all.”

Terror welled up inside as she thought of sleeping on the porch, outside all alone in the dark. More tears came to her eyes, but she was silent hoping Daddy would think it was from the skunk spray. She was sure Momma wouldn’t leave her in the dark, alone, with no one to protect her. Momma knew she was afraid of the dark. There were monsters in the dark. Sometimes she would wake to find them hovering over her. When they came, she lay perfectly still, her eyes open only a crack, just enough to see when they left. Her heart pounding in her chest, she fought to keep from trembling. Madelyn was sure monsters couldn’t see you if you didn’t move.

As they neared the yard Momma hauled out the big metal wash tub. A dozen jars of home canned tomato juice, a washcloth, and a towel lay in the grass. Momma filled the tub with the tomato juice then she stripped Madelyn naked right there in the yard. Making her stand in the tub, Momma poured more juice on her head. She scrubbed Madelyn without a word. Her face was still and angry. Madelyn didn’t know if Momma was angry with her or maybe the skunk. The cold slimy juice felt nasty running down Madelyn's back and squishing through her hair. Madelyn cried quietly and shivered as she sat dejectedly in the tub. At last Momma carried her into the house where she placed her in a hot soapy bath. Momma scrubbed her some more before giving up and leaving her to soak. At least the bath water was warm. Finally, she toweled Madelyn dry and dressed her in clean clothes.

“Why don’t you sit on the porch in the sunshine until supper,” Momma suggested.

“You wouldn’t make me sleep outside on the porch, would you Momma?” She asked as she stood in the doorway hesitant to go outside for fear she might not be allowed back in “Daddy said you would.”

“Well if I was going to make you sleep out there, I guess your daddy would be right there with you since he doesn’t smell any better than you do,” Momma said emphatically. “And since I would expect him to know better than to mess with a skunk, he might deserve to sleep outside for a few nights.”

“Can you wash my red blouse?” Madelyn asked without much hope.

“You are too big for that blouse anyway Madelyn.” Momma cupped her chin with her hand and turned her face up so she could see the big brown eyes. “I’m sorry, but we have to burn the clothes you were wearing. They will never be free of that smell.”

Madelyn could hear Daddy in the backyard complaining as he used the cold tomato juice to wash. Then he too got into a hot bath. It really didn’t seem to improve the smell that much. Madelyn sat on the porch chin in hand wondering how a day could go from being so wonderful to this, sitting on the porch with a stink so horrible she could hardly stand herself.

The school bus rumbled up the road stopping just outside the front gate. Richard and Dennis jumped down the steps of the bus and ran to open the gate. They charged towards the house. When they came within smelling distance of Madelyn, they both stopped short.

Dennis scowled at her, his upper lip curled as he yelled, “Is that you I smell?”

She sat head down, no reply. Both boys made a wide circle around her. Richard gave her a sympathetic look before disappearing into the house to sit at the kitchen table. He was in third grade now and having a terrible time with multiplication. Every night he studied, reciting his multiplication over and over until it sounded all the same to Madelyn. She hated multiplication. It caused trouble for her brother. She wished the people at school would stop making multiplication.

Momma came to the front door and called her in. To her surprise the television was on and there were two dinner plates on the coffee table. Momma and the boys sat at the kitchen table as usual while she and Daddy ate in the living room. Although it was only the news, to eat in front of the television was very special. Maybe there was some good in everything, maybe it all balanced out in the end. At least she hoped so. As Madelyn adjusted to the smell, she began to think it might not be so bad. For two weeks the monster did not come.