The Gift of The Crows

"Mr. Lawrence!" the knocking at his door was insistent. Dick Lawrence opens his front door to see Grady Shepard, the man from the bank. "Dick, I got some bad news for you, the bank is going to foreclose on the farm.”

“What’s that?” Dick replies, not quite comprehending.

“What I got here is the official notification of Foreclosure” he said again, more loudly. “I'll need you to sign this. I hate doing this to you, but.... ". Holding a pen, he hands the old man the paperwork.

As Dick Lawrence stared down at it; a worried look came over his face

"I am 84 years old, and I have always paid my bills. I just can't get around as I use to. Come this spring I expect the Amish are going to rent my cornfields for the season so I can make payments”.

"Dick I am sorry, I know your good for it, but there is nothing more I can do.”

But I have nowhere to go Dick thought to himself and all my friends are long since in the grave or close to it. His hands shake as he signs the certified letter.

“They are giving you 60 days to make good," Grady said, “ Sorry to bring you this News."

“I got soup on the stove if you would like some." Mr. Lawrence offered, lonely.

“No thanks Dick. it's getting bad out there and I better make my way back to town”, The Banker tipped his hat and was gone.

Dick looked out the big picture window and could see snow billowing over the cornfields. He knew he owed back taxes, but he hadn't realized it was this bad.

I could call the Amish and see if they could buy some of my land. His heart sunk remembering Amos Miller, the family patriarch, was in a nursing home in Springfield. If I end up in the home with him, we could play checkers. I hear they got some pretty nurses there, too. He had long ago learned to find the silver lining , but this time seemed different.

What will happen to the old farm? He thought and made his way off the porch step toward the barn. His sciatica was bad, but he could walk short distances with his cane. Above him the crows cawed. "I hear you; I hear you!" Dick yelled back.

Inside the pole barn he fed his chickens and gave three stray cats some fresh water as their bowl had iced over. "Hello Melvin". A large longhair tomcat rubbed against his leg. He threw a large handful of cat food down on the barn floor.

Who will take care of them if they take the farm? He wasn’t one for crying but he felt his eyes welling up. He threw down some corn for the crows. They circled above him and landed on a rafter. He had long learned to love the funny loud birds and recalled how the crows had left him a marble and hairclip a few years back. He later learned this was called ‘Gifting’. His neighbors thought he was odd for liking the black birds.

Caw! Caw!” Dick looks up just in time to see two of the crows pecking at something which falls down to the floor with a thud. A small moleskin covered black book lay in the sawdust. He moves it with his cane and picking it up, placing it in his pocket. Looking out at the frozen fields stretching acres away he can barely make out the shape of a large coyote.

It stared back at him unmoving.

I am akin to that old coyote and I am not much without this land, Dick lawrence thinks He too will be displaced just as all the wildlife will lose their homes if the bank takes over my land.

Dick normally didn’t feel sorry for himself, He usually faced his problems head on, But he was beside himself and unsure of his future.

He walked back to his house to warm up.

In his easy chair, Dick remembered the Notebook the crows had knocked down from the rafters. He tries to read it … but exhausted he falls asleep listening to the crackling fireplace and the music of Benny Goodman.

He awoke to loud pounding on his door. “I am coming, I hear you!”.

He opens his door to a tall dark-haired man reaching out to shake his hand; He wears a gold ring with a shining red stone. “Do You mind if I take a look around?” Before Dick Lawrence can respond, the man was off wandering over towards the Pole barn, blabbering on his cell phone. Dick figured this must be a Bigwig developer. He thinks,I know pest critters when I see em.

A moment later he was back at Dick’s front door.

“How much Land you got here?” Shane Barber is writing in a small sketchpad. Dick thinks for a moment. “I reckon there is 420 acres but 200 of them are alfalfa fields.”

The Developer smiles “You know my niece, Lizbeth Parker works at Happy Home facility in Springfield and its some fancy place with a big, heated swimming pool, and weekly bingo. You’re going to need someplace to go, right? Tell you what, I will personally pay for your accommodations until the Bank Officially forecloses.”

“Well, that’s mighty kind of you Mr. Barber but I got critters here that depend on me and I reckon I need to make arrangements for them”

“Oh No, worries, Dick. I will personally come by every day and feed your animals myself.”

Dick looks past the man’s searing eyes into his fields. Well, beggars can’t be choosers. At least I’ll have more people to talk to at ‘Happy Home’. The Chickens, Cats and Crows are only so good for conversation. I guess I should grab some clothing and I will need my toothbrush and, must not forget my playing cards. He notices the small black book sitting on an end table and figures it would be something to read and grabs it.

“My chair is what I use most days” Dick looks at his wheelchair near the wood burner.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, they have plenty of chairs where you’re going.” said the Developer

Happy Home Facility is large and nurses breeze about the hallways. Dick sits in an open area with couches and a large fish tank. He didn’t like the music playing on the speakers. I wish they had better music he thought to himself. He looked bored.

Dick pulled from his pocket the small black book the crows had ‘Gifted’ to him. In it, he sees a woman’s writing and a drawing of a map which looked like his farm.

The diary of B. Parker

“You don’t want to marry me honey, if you did, you’d regret it tomorrow as I am just a girl of the streets, Time I gladly would listen before I was tainted with shame. It wouldn’t be fair to you honey men laugh when they mention my name"

He studied a drawing of two little hearts with the words “Bonnie Loves Clyde”.

“Dallas was hard, but we took us some cute photographs, I posed with that gun and cigar in my mouth, but Buck shot that police officer in Joplin and we had to hideout in Shamrock Texas., I am glad we got to this old farm. Clyde hid that violin case that under an old oak tree.”

Holding a magnifying glass, he had borrowed from the nurse, he studied the map.

Who the Heck is this B. Parker and why did they bury a violin on my property? He thought.

“Mr. Lawrence, I got to move you” a nurse’s aide pushes him briskly back to his room.

“I was hoping you would play some Benny Goodman.”

The nurse looks at the old mole skin book, “What are you reading?”

Dick looked bewildered, “it’s a diary of some woman named Bonnie about her boyfriend Clyde.”

“You mean those gangsters from the thirties. They came through these parts, robbing Banks all the way to Missouri. My grandmother talked about it.” she wheeled him into a drab small room and his window overlooking the front parking lot.

“Would you mind taking me outside. I’d like some fresh air?” Dick asked the nurse.

The nurse sighs, looking annoyed. “Aright, but you’ll need your coat”.

Later. Outside, Dick is sitting in his wheelchair, while snow lightly falls on his head. He is happy to be out in the fresh air, even with the cold.

“Caw! Caw!” as Dick looks up to see two Crows fly over.

‘Those birds need poisoned; they crap all over the sidewalk”. Dick turns to see a landscaper smoking a cigarette.

“Those birds are smarter than you , you best mind your tongue”

The landscaper laughs, spits on the sidewalk.

Outside, Dick sees an Amish boy walking over to his buggy. That young man must be here to see Amos. Dick motions to the boy to come over.

“I am good friends with Amos Miller, is that who you’re coming to see?”

The Amish boy smiles “Yes, sir He is my uncle, He is sleeping now, and I best be on my way.”

“Would you mind giving me a ride to my farm? I live over on 322, I got some critters I need to make sure are being fed.”

Amish boy smiles “All right, but don’t you live here? Are you sure you can go?

Dick sneers. “No one can tell me where I can go.Aint my happy home."

The Amish buggy pulled into Dick’s farm. “I got this here map” Dick says, “and I think there is a violin buried somewhere”. The Amish boy looks perplexed.

“I will give you my prized rooster if you offer me a hand.” The Amish boy accepts.

Dick looks and sees various machines and tractor trailers in his field. That Big wig developer wants to turn my farm into a subdivision Dick thought Angrily.

The Amish Boy, holding a shovel, follows the map walks towards the pole barn and disappears behind it.

Caw! Caw! Looks up see his crow friends circling above. They seem happy that he has returned.

Struggling to walk with his cane, Dick makes it to his barn and is grateful to see the chickens and cats there.

“I found it!” The Amish boy yells carrying what looks like a violin case. “It was buried on this map under that old Oak tree near the back end of the pond”, he said excitedly “It was only three feet deep.” The Amish Boy smiles revealing a slight gapped front tooth.

“Thank you kindly”, Dick pats him on the shoulder. “You come back tomorrow, and I’ll have your Rooster caged and ready to go”

“Sure thing Mr. Lawrence” Dick watches the Amish boy pull his buggy out onto the snowy road.

Back at home, he sets the case down on his table and says a small prayer as he opens it up to find an old broken Violin. He looks disappointed. As he is about to shut the case, he notices an unusual bulk underneath the fabric. Dick rips the back material and stares at hundreds of dollars wadded in rubber bands. “There must be twenty thousand dollars!” he laughs, doing an awkward jig around his table knocking over his playing cards.

The bank teller looked kind, her green eyes sparkling. Dick is wearing his Sunday best.

“I got some old tender for you to make good on my debt” he tells the young lady. He pulls out a bag of Crinkly Old,hundred-dollar bills.

" This money all belonged to the bank, I am just bringing it back in "

He laughs mischievously.

The bank teller smiles bewildered.

Dick Lawrence tips his hat and winks and as he leaves the bank, he hears the sounds of crows and he knows without doubt, Angels fly amongst us