Free Free as a Bird by Gina McMurchy-Barber Page A

“societal risk.” An Mrs. Gentry talked bout “nurturing environment” an “freedom to grow.”
    Millie jus kept sayin, “It’ll never work. It’ll never work.”
    All that talkin was jus makin me sleepy gain. The only thing I knowed for sure was Mrs. Gentry was tellin em all I should leave Woodlands an live in a house. Not Millie. She said, “Ridiculous.”
    â€œThank you, Ruby Jean, for your patience,” Dr. Lennox said. “And thank you everyone else for contributing to this meeting. Dr. Martin and I will take some time to review everything we’ve learned here today and come up with our recommendation.”
    When Dr. Lennox was finished talkin, Millie took my hand an we started to leave the room.
    â€œOh, Nurse, before you go, can you tell us why this girl is mute?” Dr. Lennox asked Millie.
    â€œNobody knows why, Doctor. She just stopped talking soon after coming here.”
    â€œI see. Well, if she’s going to cope in the community, she’ll need a way to communicate her needs. This might be a problem.”
    â€œThat’s something I intend to work on with her, Dr. Lennox,” Mrs. Gentry said. “From what her previous life-skills worker reported, she was just beginning to speak again. I believe it’s an issue of trust.”
    Millie huffed loud an rolled her eyes at Mrs. Gentry. “Ruby Jean hasn’t spoken a word in all the years I’ve known her. And I wouldn’t believe a thing the previous worker had to say. After all, she was fired. If you ask me, the chances Ruby Jean will ever talk are about as likely as a bunch of monkeys learning to sing.”
    I looked up at Mrs. Gentry. She jus smiled an winked at me. “We’ll see,” she whispered in my ear.

chapter 6

    â€œTime to get up, Ruby Jean. Today’s the big day.” I wondered why Bernice was wakin us up an not Millie. That morning the room was so full of sunshine we dint even need the big ceilin light. “Come on, everyone. Shirley, you too. Time to get up.”
    Shirley rubbed her eyes an sat up an looked at me. “Poor, Ruby Jean. Poor, poor Ruby Jean. First Paulina went dead, and lost her head and couldn’t get up in the morning. Now poor Ruby Jean going away today. Shirley is sad, so, so sad. Poor Shirley.”
    â€œOh, hush, Shirley,” Bernice said. “Paulina didn’t lose her head. And besides, Ruby Jean might not like living out there — away from Woodlands and all her friends. She might come back — right, Ruby Jean?”
    I dint answer Bernice, an she dint spect me to. But if I did talk I think I would’ve told her I’m gunna try real hard to never come back to this place — nope, never.

    Three sleeps ago, Dr. Lennox came to Ward 33. He sat with me an Millie at the long table in the meetin room. He told us the doctors said it was okay for me to move oudda Woodlands on a try basis — that’s if I behaved. I think he was sayin if I dint hurt myself or others I wouldn’t have to come back. Millie told him he was makin a mistake.
    â€œWe have patients much more capable than Ruby Jean.” I guess Millie said that on account of me not bein so smart. “Besides, Ruby Jean is much too unpredictable.”
    â€œWell, it was you who chose Ruby Jean for the independent living program,” Dr. Lennox said. “Were you just trying to sabotage it?”
    â€œOf course not. I just didn’t think they were actually going to put one of my kids out there.”
    â€œIt sounds like you not only underestimated the goals of the program, but you underestimated Ruby Jean,” Dr. Lennox said.
    Millie dint answer the doctor, but her face got red as tomadoes.
    After Dr. Lennox left, Mrs. Gentry came to see me. She told me I would be livin with Mr. an Mrs. Williams. She said they had kids, but the kids were all growed up. They was a gramma an grampa too. I liked that —