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    Missing Pieces Revealed
    Missing Pieces Revealed
    Missing Pieces Revealed
    Ebook128 pages1 hour

    Missing Pieces Revealed

    By Earlene Walker

    ()

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    About this ebook

    A story that will tug at your heart.

    Authors and Readers Book Corner and   Missing Pieces Publishing

    In Missing Pieces, Connie Johnson shares her story of hurt and pain from child abuse and domestic violence.

    In Missing Pieces Revealed Connie shares more of her story by revealing the remaining pieces of her heartfelt story. Take another journey with Connie as she expresses what comes what comes after the abuse and violence.

    Earlene walker is a freelance writer and Publisher who writes to bring awareness to the treatment of children. She is a wife, mother and works in the capacity that allows her to take care of others. Earlene walker is the Author of Missing Pieces and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana Missing Pieces Revealed is her second novel and she is currently working on her next book.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEarlene Walker
    Release dateApr 30, 2016
    ISBN9781533738103
    Missing Pieces Revealed

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      Book preview

      Missing Pieces Revealed - Earlene Walker

      Earlene Walker

      Missing Pieces Publishing

      Indianapolis, Indiana

      Copyright © May 2016 by Earlene Walker

      All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher.

      Printed in the United States of America

      First Printing

      ISBN: 978-0-692-68304-0

      LCCN: 2016905633

      Publisher: Missing Pieces Publishing

      Editor: Angela McClain, AM Editing and Freelance Writing

      Printing Nova Graphics, Indianapolis, Indiana

      In loving memory of Dolores Johnson

      (September 9, 1931 – October 10, 1969)

      Gone but Never Forgotten

      Dedication

      For my children, Lakeisha M Dodson, Dewayne Dodson Jr. (United States Navy GM1-E6), and Leon L Dodson—that they always fight to put a curve on Child Abuse and Domestic Violence.

      I would also like to give special thanks to my sister Mercedes Cannon and my brothers’ Lamont Southall and Howard Southall, and Shirley Spence Witherspoon, who I found after forty-six years. I extend a special thanks to My husband Kevin Walker  and best friend Tina Gray for their willingness to challenge me and to encourage me to never give up and to keep writing

      Lastly, to all who think that past abuse will ruin any chance of a joy-filled future with God.

      Missing Pieces

      Revealed

      Chapter One

      McKeesport, PA, 1964

      ––––––––

      Dolores Johnson was determined to find Earl Southall. They met years ago after he returned home from World War II. He was a very handsome man with curly, black hair, and he returned home with medals, awards, and foreign Japanese money. Her friends and family envied Dolores; she got a military man, as they would say. Once Earl laid eyes on Dolores, he fell head over heels for her, and everyone thought he was going to marry her. Dolores and Earl had six children and moved into a huge house on Walnut Street in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. In the downstairs area of their house, there was a big living room with a nice kitchen, and upstairs, there was a huge sitting room. To the right of it, there was the bathroom and the children’s bedrooms. On the left of the sitting room was Dolores’s bedroom. 

      One day in March of 1964, Dolores put little Earl to sleep and laid him across her bed; he had cried that day for a long time. Connie did not know if he was sick or just cranky, but she remembered her mother said not to wake him up until she returned. The oldest child, Samuel, was told to look after the children. Dolores left and said she was going to see if she could find the children’s father. He was supposed to be down the street at the corner store. Samuel was his mother’s favorite. When she left, he waited by the window until she disappeared out of sight. The children ran through the house, playing with their toys and running up and down the stairs.

      It was already cold in the house, but the house was getting colder, and the children were starting to get hungry. Samuel noticed that his mother had been gone for a long time, so he stayed by the window, waiting for her to return. Connie held her baby sister, Valetta, who was eight months old, and she sat in the chair off of the upstairs’ landing. She was trying to put Valetta to asleep. Their other sister, Joyce—who was younger than Connie—was sitting quietly in a chair next to Connie. I’m cold, Vince, the younger brother, told them. When is Mommy coming back? 

      A short time later, all of the children had settled down to take naps. Dolores had a stove you had to light with paper. Vincent had seen his mom light the stove on several occasions. When Connie woke up, Vincent had taken a piece of paper and lit it; the paper began to burn fast. Connie shouted at him to put it on the floor and stomp on it, then she jumped up and ran to help him stomp the fire out. Connie thought all of the kids were safe, but fear still filled her. She wondered why it was taking her mother so long to return home. Connie did not want the rest of the children to start crying for their mother. Surprisingly, Connie noticed that Samuel had moved away from the windowsill and was now sitting upstairs with them.

      All of a sudden, there was a terrifying yell. Then, there was crying, and a loud scream that put the fear into all of them. Connie thought it was little Earl and ran into the room to check on him, but he was still asleep. She shut the door and turned around; it was Vincent. He had blood dripping from his hands, and there were blisters forming on the skin of his hands. The only thing Connie could remember about a burn was to run cold water over it. She ran into the bathroom, with Vincent screaming, and she put his hands under the faucet, turning the water on, as he yelled out in pain. She then took a towel for each hand, wrapped them around Vincent’s hands, and laid Vincent down on his bed.

      Samuel jumped up, put his coat on, and said he was going to look for their mother. Vincent continued to scream and holler as he lied in his bed. He then started moaning loudly. Connie tried to keep the rest of the kids settled down each time Vincent moaned; it shook every bone in her body, and her heart ached for him. All she wanted was for her mother to come home. Comforting Vincent, she promised him that Samuel would come back with their mother, and he would be okay.

      Connie went to check on the rest of the kids when she suddenly smelled smoke coming from her mother’s room. She checked on little Earl, who was still asleep. She tried to open her mother’s bedroom closet door, but it was too heavy for her and it would not open all of the way. She pushed and pushed, and when the door finally opened, she saw little sparks of fire on the clothes lying on the floor inside of the closet. Connie braced her hands on the wall and using her left foot, she stomped as hard as she could, but the door slammed on her leg, and her foot caught on fire.

      While she screamed in pain, she forced herself to open the closet door just enough to get her foot out. Connie ran into the bathroom, bleeding and crying. Vincent also came into the bathroom, screaming in pain. By then, both of his hands were severely burnt. Connie went back into the room where little Earl was still asleep, and she opened the door to pour a cup of water onto the floor. Using her foot again, she stomped as hard as she could, but soon her other foot caught fire, and she was back in the bathroom, yelling and screaming once more.

      Later, Samuel returned and said he walked all through the store and did not see his mother or his father. Connie knew she had to get little Earl out of the room. She opened the door and fire filled the whole doorframe. She could not get through. Then she heard the fire trucks, and she went running down the stairs to the firefighters.

      My brother! she cried, I can’t get him out of my mother’s bedroom! 

      The firefighter told her to get out of the house. Just then, Connie went to reach for Valetta, but the firefighter yelled, Don’t touch her! She was already dead from smoke inhalation. The other firefighter grabbed Connie and took her to the ambulance with Vincent. The firefighter came back outside and said he could not get too little Earl; the fire was a blaze. Silence filled the street on Walnut as every neighbor, storeowner, and the firefighters stood and listened as little Earl screamed and yelled. His little feet could be heard running through the bedroom, falling and pounding on the floors until he took his last breath. It was the most devastating and horrific fire in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, causing some firefighters to quit their jobs.

      Chapter Two

      Dolores was arrested and taken to jail for leaving her children in the house. After two weeks in jail, the police department felt sorry for her because she was severely stricken with grief, and they let her go, returning her four other children to her. Donations, toys, and help came from the community as a show of support. For many days, Connie could hear her mother’s cries throughout the night. One day, Connie sat on the floor by her mother’s bedroom door until she stopped crying over her children who were killed in the fire. Connie kept a watchful eye on her mother from then on. Samuel would cling to his mother every day, as if he was terrified of losing her, and Vincent crawled into himself. Joyce was cherished, loved, and protected by everyone; she was beautiful and so timid, she would not kick a leaf. Every now and then, Connie could see the hurt in her mother’s eyes, and she could still hear the cries from the fire. For many nights, Connie was unable to sleep. 

      Dolores was filled with grief, she was hurt and scared that people would say that she was a bad mother, and she thought about moving. Her family had disowned her a long time ago. When she was

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