Timothy J. Rogers sat quietly and stared ahead

 Animal Crackers

By Larry J. Dellinges

Timothy J. Rogers sat quietly and stared ahead watching the courtroom clock reach 4 pm. while his court appointed attorney huddled across the bench with Judge Jones who raised his eyebrows and then nodded his head in agreement. Timothy, age 14 was a shy and quiet young man with good grades in school and never in trouble with the law but now that his father was convicted of murder and presently sat on death row and his drug addicted mother was nowhere to be found. With no family or friends to take young Tim in his fate was now up to family court and it appeared his new found status would be that as a ward of the state. It was now just a few minutes after four when Judge Jones recommended Tim would spend the next four years in Madison Juvenile Home until his eightieth birthday. Judge Jones quickly left the court room and just as quickly Tim found himself sitting in a Sheriffs van at the gates of Madison a state run facility for orphans. It was remarkable that Tim ever reached this point in his short life left with only memories of mental and physical abuse from both his mother and father but Tim had a forgiving soul and his spirit was his life line to the future.

The iron gates to Madison slowly closed behind him as if Tim was being swallowed up by a fire breathing dragon and with just the clothes on his back and a five dollar bill in his pocket at tall leggy woman with grey streaked hair fashioned in a bun met him at the front steps of Madison. “Timothy I assume”, asked the woman who reached out and touched the shoulder. Tim could only shake his head finding it difficult to speak as the reality of the situation began to take hold. “I’m Miss Herbert”, the woman in her mid-fifties said, “ and I’m the director of Madison’s home of wayward children”. Tim tired to appear he was listening but he stood frozen while he gazed at the many faces that now peered at him through the windows of the three story building. “So, your impressed with this old building”, Miss Herbert continued, “it was built in 1881 by some of the same people who built our railroad back in the day”.  Miss Herbert continued with her history lesson and mentioned the building was originally a bank and then the counties first firehouse and then a  jail before its conversion to a youth home. 

Something deep inside Tim felt uneasy about Madison as well as Miss Herbert and it was more than just his current situation. Tim closed his eyes and tired to black out all the sights and sounds around him but it was useless and before he had a chance to clear his thoughts Miss Herbert grabbed his arm tightly and pulled him through the dark wooden front doors of Madison and said in a hurried tone, “ lets get you settled in”.  As they stepped inside Tim noticed a elderly man wearing a sheriffs uniform sitting at a dimly lit desk with his face buried in a newspaper. As Miss Herbert directed Tim toward the deputy Tim read the name plate on the desk as Sergeant Collins. At first Sergeant Collins was unaware that anyone had even entered the building as he continued to read with only cigarette smoke to greet them. Miss Herbert cleared her throat as Sergeant Collins slammed his newspaper down in anger and took a final drag from his cigarette before putting it out in a ashtray overflowing with butts .