Home Kid Chapter 1 - The Sewing Room Caper

I boarded the big green Children's Home bus after school I had made it through my first month in high school after graduation at mid-term (February) from Ebinger Elementary school in Edison Park, IL. Five of us were Home Kids and I was comforted by the thought that they were having as much trouble as me with these new lessons. My only solution was to read and re-read the lesson for the next day’s test until I could recite it verbatim. After all chores were done I read for a half hour until Miss Johnson declared lights out.

“Not fair,” I said, out loud because Miss Johnson came over and tried to console me by saying she was sure I would pass tomorrow’s test and all I really needed was a good night’s sleep.

Miss J’s cajoling didn’t cut it. I was still worried I would not remember my lessons and was determined to put in another couple of hours of reading. After most of the girls were asleep, I stole out of bed and without turning on any lights managed to find my way to the first floor to the little sewing room just off the big playroom.

I had been engrossed in my reading and didn’t hear the door open until I heard Miss Meilie call out: “So! There you are, Rosalie. I finally caught you in the act.”

“What act?” I snapped back at the scowling matron. “I am trying to study for a test tomorrow and need to learn the rest of this lesson before morning.”

I turned back to my book, which meant turning my back on the matron. BIG mistake. She grabbed me by my hair and jerked me around and shouted, “Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

Miss M went on with her lecture and accused me of more than just staying up after lights out. She said, “You remember what I told you about the women who leave a light in their window at night to let men know they are available for sex. You are down here alone with the light on.”

She was accusing me of luring men to the sewing room! Now I was really angry.

There wasn’t much room in there for a wrestling match and I had to go to the bathroom so got up and shoved past Miss M and headed for the head.

This did not sit too well with the angry matron who gave me a punch as I passed her. My arm was smarting from the blow and I reacted as I would have in a back alley brawl. I swung back and caught her on the nose, which began to spurt blood immediately. I also had fists full of her hair as I grabbed and yanked as hard as I could. We stumbled into the bathroom and Miss Meilie landed in the claw footed tub.

Some of the girls began rushing down the stairs when they heard the ruckus.

“Jeez, Rosie”, said Anna. “You’ve really done it now. I think Miss Meilie’s dead.”

At once Miss Meilie was on her feet, looking daggers at me and trying to stop the blood from flowing out of her nose.
“Not dead, girls, but this will be reported in the morning,” she hissed. “All of you go to bed now” she said to the girls who had heard the fight and came down the stairs in a mob.

I was exhausted from all the activity and felt some remorse for hitting Miss Meilie, but I was mostly scared that I would be kicked out of the Home. Under the circumstances I was the person in the wrong. I was the Home Kid and the matrons were the bosses.

I went up to bed and waited until I was sure everybody was asleep. I carefully and quietly gathered up some of my clothes and my school books and put them in the large bag under my bed and made my way down the stairs to the street.

It was a long walk down to the corner and I was worried that the buses had stopped running for the night. There were no street lights and only a few houses I passed had porch lights turned on. I felt a rush as I neared the bus stop and saw the last bus headed for the city parked at the curb with its motor running. I grabbed the quarter in my pocket and boarded the bus and quickly went to the back seat.

I was only one of two passengers that night. It wasn’t very far to Grandma’s house and I managed to stay awake for the short ride. As soon as Grandma came to the door I felt safe once again. Nobody to hit me here. No mean matrons making accusations. Just Grandma with a hug and a cup of hot cocoa ready in minutes. Grandma was never a demonstrative type and rarely sympathized with any of us kids. But I felt like in this case she understood after I explained the situation.

She had called my mother as soon as she let me inside and told her to come in the morning. “It’s late and Rosie will sleep for now.”

(The next day: decisions to be made.)