Paradise! The happy lives of Keith and Jane Casteel
Before the loving and kind Ryland family came along, little Keith Mark Casteel, age seven, and Jane Ellen Casteel, age six were filled with cold, misery, hunger and to little Jane, sickness. They had been born to West Virginia mountaineers Luke and Sarah Casteel. Luke was a handsome but very mean man, twenty nine and his red haired wife Sarah was twenty-six. The children's mother had given birth to two other children , the first son, named Thomas Luke at the age of fourteen and two years later, Fanny Louisa. The eldest was a daughter that Luke's first wife, also fourteen had given birth to and died only five minutes after the infant was born, her name was Heaven Leigh.
Heaven and Thomas were only four months apart, because Luke and Sarah were intimate soon after he married the pretty girl from Boston Massachusetts. Her name was Leigh Tatter ton, but Luke affectionately called her "My Angel" .After the death of Leigh, Luke married Sarah and after this, his sweet demeanor turned bitter and he was mean to his wife and cruel to his children. He never held a job long and began selling illegal alcohol, his mother Annie begged him to work in the coal mines so the family could have decent food and medicines for little Jane, who was sick even as an infant.
Jane's tummy hurt from an unknown ailment that made her throw up her food almost every day. They couldn't afford a doctor for the pretty little girl with her Aqua green eyes and golden-red hair. Keith was just as handsome with his auburn hair and blue eyes. His birthday was November 5th while Jane's was one year later on December 19. As Ma and Pa, as the two called their parents always fought and argued, Keith and Jane clung to each other like two little puppies. The only ones that were kind to them were their Granny Annie and Grandpa Toby, Luke's parents that lived with them, Annie was only forty-five and Toby was forty-six, but the way they looked, they looked twenty-years older than their real ages, and of course the two small children clung to their big sister Heaven, fourteen. They affectingly called her Heavenly.
Little by little, Keith and Jane's lives were falling part, their Mother gave birth that year to a stillborn baby and upon seeing that the poor baby had no top of it's head and their were no private parts to tell what the little precious child was, their Granny died from a heart attack. The two of them clung together and sobbed as their Granny was being put into the ground, along with their baby brother or sister. The one afternoon soon after, Sarah just up and left them. Heaven and Tom were going to be their guardians because their father Luke was sick and had to be away.
The two of them were "hungry!" forever hungry, there was never enough to eat and they were so thin that at the ages of only five and six, they only weighed thirty-five and forty pounds. One afternoon, on a Sunday, they actually got to eat in a restaurant, Heaven's and Tom's pretty teacher, Miss Deale invited the family to Sunday lunch at Winnerow Family Restaurant. Keith was seated at Toms side and of course, Jane was seated at Heavenly's. They had some food they had never eaten in their whole lives, something called a tossed salad. Keith looked at his salad and almost began crying, Jane didn't even know what it was
"Look sweetheart, you pick up this fork and just put it into the lettuce and put some of it on the fork, put it in your mouth and chew."
The kind teacher Miss Deale told them, they done as she said along with a wonderful buttered roll and bit into the most wonderful thing they had tried. Then the waiters began bringing their meals to them. Roast Beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and for dessert, chocolate pudding. Grandpa Casteel hardly could get his food down because he had forgotten his false teeth that morning before they went to church.
"MMMM! That was GOOD!"
Jane said, smiling because she had never been so full in her little life, then suddenly, her mouth watered and before she could tell Heavenly, it all came back up, all over Miss Deale's beautiful dress and the floor. Jane burst into tears
"I did a bad thing! I'm sorry Miss Deale, I didn't mean to throw up on your clothes!"
The poor child sobbed and clung to Heavenly, Miss Deale was not upset or embarrassed, she just smiled and hugged Jane and reassured her the dress could be cleaned. As Miss Deale drove the family up the snowy mountain toward their home, Jane shivered and cried. She was afraid that she was going to get a spanking after she got home. But Keith reassured her he would also apologize to Miss Deale. Their father returned home and left them food on the day before Christmas. Miss Deale had told the family that she would provide them with books, food and warm clothing because Fanny had broken down in tears and told the teacher what had happened.
"Miss Deale. We're hungry! Cold, hungry and miserable! Our Ma ran away and out Pa has left us. We haven't had much to eat but some berries and biscuits and gravy that Heaven cooks. The clothes we have on are the best we have, we only have old , ugly and ragged clothes with holes in them, Jane and Keith don't even have underpants or socks. They have no coats, boots or hats, none of us do."
Heaven was embarrassed and so was Tom, but they soon realized that Fanny was the bravest of them all to tell the truth. Miss Deale promised that she was going to bring them food, clothing and books and even some toys for Keith and Jane and Fanny and Heaven were both in bad need of bra's. Tom who was also fourteen was in need of a razor and twelve year old Fanny was in need of some larger clothes.
The day before Christmas, they waited for their things until Tom came home from town and told them it would be after Christmas before they would receive the things, Miss Deale had returned home to see that her mother, from Idaho had taken ill and she was returning home as soon as she bought the Casteel children's things. Until the delivery man told her he couldn't drive up the mountain and give them the things because she had to sign the delivery papers.
Christmas morning was just like any morning for Keith and Jane, just some fried mushrooms and eggs that Luke had brought home from town. But he got them together after Heaven had bathed Keith and Jane and dressed them in their ragged clothes.
"Get those two dressed right away! The company's here."
Luke commanded Heaven, the door opened and a couple in their thirties were in the doorway. Fifteen minutes later, Keith and Jane were being led away with this couple, both sobbing and pleading to stay with Heavenly. As the car drove down the mountain, the sobs stopped and the two just clung to one another. Later on, Jane pleaded
"I need to go pee!"
"So do I!"
Keith said. The man stopped at a gas station and the lady took Jane and the man took Keith to the restrooms at the gas station. After they went to the toilet and washed their hands, they dove a while longer , then stopped at another place it was what the lady called a hamburger place. It was called Mc Donald's. They went inside and sat down at a table, the man asked them what they wanted, Keith and Jane had never had a hamburger so they said nothing. The lady smiled and told the man
"I know what you can have. James, go and get the children each a cheeseburger, no onions, a small fry and a Coke, I'll have the Big Mac and a fry and Coke and you just get what you want."
"And how about some apple turnovers too Rita? That sounds like a winner to me."
"MMM sounds wonderful."
Three minutes later a tray full of food was brought to the table and the couple held hands with Keith and Jane, closed their eyes, Keith and Jane knew what blessings were so they closed their eyes too.
"We thank you dear Lord for giving us this bountiful blessing, and dear Lord we really are thankful for the gift that you have bestowed on this family, the gift of Keith and Jane and may they fill out home with laughter and love, Amen!"
Keith and Jane bit into their cheeseburgers and they loved it, they ate their fries and drank their Coke's, then they ate their apple turnover, then after James and Rita finished their food, they once more took the children to the toilet, then got back into their car and drove a few more hours. Then they stopped in front of a lovely home in New York city. Snow was softly falling and Keith and Jane were waking up from their naps. They had fallen asleep holding each other's hands and were rubbing their eyes and yawning as they walked to the door.
They could hardly believe their eyes as they walked into the biggest, warmest house they had ever saw. The walls were white and there was a wonderful smell wafting through the house. There was something soft on the floors that looked like rugs but weren't. Rita walked them through the downstairs part. There was what Rita called carpet on the floors, they were led into another room called a living room, in the room a Christmas tree as tall as the ceiling was filled with toys, a doll a train, some cars, a doll house, dolls furniture, some play tools, toy animals and two stocking that were filled with oranges, apples, mixed nuts, gum. chocolate candies and peppermint canes and hard candies. The a little dog walked into the room.
The dog was what James called a Dachshund. His name was Lucky, then to Keith and Jane's surprise, a red and black striped cat came into the room, meowing and rubbing against the children, his name was Tiger. Keith and Jane stood there for a few minutes, then after Rita told them they could enjoy themselves, they timidly went to the toys. Later on as they were whispering among themselves, James came into the room and told them to come on that it was time to eat dinner.
They went into what Rita called the dining room and the table was filled with scented candles and green wreaths were surrounding the windows. Rita brought out the food. A turkey, golden brown and ready to slice, a bowl full of mashed potatoes dripping butter, some stuffing, some English peas, gravy and buttermilk biscuits that Rita had fixed that were hot. And glasses of milk. Once more hands were held and a blessing was said. Keith and Jane ate and ate until they were satisfied and then they had a slice of cake.
Later on that evening, both Keith and Jane were given baths again, along with a hair washing with some shampoo that smelled heavenly, then they were dried their hair dried with a hair dryer, combed and brushed, both of them smelled of sweet baby powder, then they got into brand new underpants, pretty blue and yellow flowered panties for Jane and white and green striped boxer shorts for Keith. Then they stepped into their first pairs of pajamas.
When the clock stuck nine, the children were taken upstairs, Keith insisted he bring the new teddy bear he received and Jane the pretty doll she received to the what James called the bedrooms.
"Now I'm going to leave the bedroom doors open so I can hear you if you need me or James in the night, you have your very own bathrooms right in your rooms and your very own nightlights too. Now we will hear your prayers, but wait, I want you to go to the bathroom, brush your teeth and then go again."
After doing what Rita asked them to, they got into their individual beds and both Rita and James hugged and kissed them, tucked them into bed and turned out the ceiling light. The curtains were left open and a streetlight was shining through Keith's window and the lights from the next-door house shown through Jane's window. Jane and Keith both began crying for each other. Then they were surprised when Rita came back into their rooms.
"I will let you sleep in the same bed for tonight, then tomorrow you can sleep in your own beds okay?"
The two slept in Keith's bed, in each others arms. The next morning, they dressed in brand new clothes and walked downstairs to the dining room again, where James was reading the morning newspaper. He greeted them both with a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the shoulders.
"Well! Good morning Keith! Jane! I hope you slept well last night. Mommy will be in here in a few minutes with breakfast."
Rita came in with individual plates and bowls filled with food, then a most wonderful thing, two pitchers , one filled with orange juice, the other with milk. They held hands once again and said the blessing, then eggs, bacon, pancakes, shredded potatoes and more biscuits were being passed around. Keith ate everything on his plate and Jane devoured two glasses of juice. After breakfast, they brushed their teeth again and then James or as he wanted them to call him Daddy told then that he and Mommy as he wanted them to call Rita were going to take them shopping for more clothes and some more toys too.
In the car, James turned on the radio, the car was filled with Christmas music, they told the listeners they would play it all day long. They arrived at a huge department store and parked in something Rita called a parking deck. Then they walked to a door that opened up, they stepped inside and James pushed a button and to Keith and Jane's surprise, the floor went down.
"What's THIS! Why is the room moving?"
Keith asked and Jane began to cry
"It's okay sweetheart, it's an elevator and it takes you from one place to another."
Rita reassured the worried children, they got out of the elevator and stepped into what looked like a huge magazine picture they had only saw in a magazine that Heavenly had. They walked through several places they called stores. In one store, they bought brand new winter coats, hats, gloves and boots for both children then some scarves to wrap around their necks. Then another store and bought Jane beautiful dresses and socks, tights and some black Mary Jane's, then for Keith, they bought jeans, slacks, corduroys and some shoes that fit his feet, then bought Jane some warm pants for cold days and some nice long sleeved shirts and more underpants and undershirts for both children.
Then it was a trip to the toy store. Jane began turning shy until Rita whispered in her ear that she could have any toy in the place. She picked out a doll that you could feed, and bathe. Keith picked out a ball, bat, and some puzzles and the children both picked out crayons, coloring books and Keith wanted paints and paper and some colored pencils. They loaded all the treasures into the car and headed back home. When they got back, Rita fixed lunch for them, leftover turkey sandwiches with mayonnaise and some potato pancakes along with some stuffing, gravy and some apple pie for dessert.
As Jane and Keith were about to go upstairs to help put up their new clothes and toys, they entered a room they had saw James go into. It was he called a family room. They saw something that they had never saw in their entire lives. The thing was a box, it sat on the floor on legs with buttons and a funny looking glass square thing in the middle, and another was a piano. They both knew what a piano was since they had attended church their whole lives. Jane went to it and put her fingers on some of the keys.
"Mommy? Can I play this piano? I want to learn to play this piano please."
Rita entered the room. And smiled sweetly at the little girl who had began tenderly striking the keys.
"Yes Jane dear, you can learn to play the piano, Keith you may also learn I think boys should also learn to play an instrument."
Keith nodded his head at the suggestion, and asked her what the funny thing over in the corner was
"Why that's a television son. Turn it on and see what you can see."
Keith turned on the button and all of a sudden, a picture came on the glass. It was men playing football. Keith was startled at the television. After they went upstairs to put up their new things, they went back downstairs to watch the television with their new parents. That evening, they sat down to dinner. This time, it was something Rita called turkey pot pie. It had a pie crust and inside, it had turkey, a white gravy, some mushrooms, peas, carrots, potatoes and they had another salad. And for dessert they had ice cream.
The next morning, after breakfast Jane and Keith both had doctors appointments. The doctor examined Jane and told Rita and James that the child had what they called a hernia on the diaphragm. That's why she threw up often. They were going to schedule surgery on her. Then he examined Keith and told them he was very underweight, as a matter of fact, both children were, plus they both had worms inside their intestines and he gave them medicines to get rid of them. This would put weight on both children, They were then taken to dentists where the dentist told them both children had good teeth, despite the poor diet they had endured their entire lives.
That night after baths the children played with their new toys and then watched a little television with their parents. Then it was time for bed. Jane reluctantly went in her bed cuddling her doll she named Suzie and Keith went to his room and lay down with his teddy bear he named Sam. Rita turned on the nightlights and then turned on the radios in their rooms to soft music that played tunes that soon put them both to sleep. At about twelve AM they were startled awake by crying
"Heavenly! I want Heavenly! Get my sister please!"
It was Keith. He was having a nightmare. He told them he was lost and couldn't find anyone and the only one he wanted was his Heavenly. Rita rocked him to sleep and then put him back in his bed. The next morning, after breakfast, both children were dressed and Rita took them outside, Daddy went to work and Mommy was going to show them something new. They went outside, dressed in new jackets, hats, gloves and warm boots and saw something else they had never saw before. It was called a swing set. It had two swings, a slide, two seats that went back and forth and two more seats that was called a glider.
They began swinging and then they went back inside later to get warm.
"When warmer weather gets here, you can play outside all weekend, after the first of the year, school starts again and you'll go to the school we picked out, it's called a private school and you'll love your teachers. But tomorrow Jane dear, you're going to get the operation that will fix your tummy."
The next morning, Jane went to the hospital, her Mommy and Daddy took her, along with Keith, they sat for an hour in a room and the doctor came out and told them all.
"The operation was a success, Jane won't even be unable to eat after tomorrow. I want her to stay here today and tonight so we can watch her. She'll get some Jell-O and some oatmeal later on and tomorrow afternoon she can go back home."
After she woke up, Jane was sore but Mommy told her she would stay with her until it was time for bed, she watched cartoons on TV and when the tray of food was brought into her room, she ate a bowl of oatmeal, some toast and a bowl of cherry Jell-O and some ginger ale. She kept it down, much to he doctors delight. At home, Keith cried because his sister wasn't in the next room and daddy reassured him Jane was okay. The next afternoon, which was a Sunday Jane came home. For dinner that night, Jane ate a bowl of soup, a ham sandwich and some crackers. And for a dessert, some applesauce.
The next morning at breakfast Keith accidentally spilled a glass of orange juice onto the floor, he shivered because he was sure he was going to get whipped. The terror of Pa Casteel always screaming at him, along with Ma Casteel sent both he and Jane into tears of terror.
"Keith darling, you'll never be punished for spilling things, you either Jane."
Reassured Mommy. The children slowly got used to being treated properly. Then on January fifth, they were driven to their new school. Daddy held Jane's hand tight and Mommy held Keith's as they walked into the school, the halls were filled with excited children, all in uniforms and they went inside the principal's office. The principal, a young man with brown hair and blue eyes shook James and Rita's hands, then the children's hands.
"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Ryland. I'm Jason Newton, I'm the principal of Hayden Elementary School, I just know Keith and Jane are going to love it here."
As the school year went on Jane and Keith did enjoy school. They were the smartest children in their classes. And they both loved their piano lessons. Their piano teacher Mrs. Ballantine gave them beginners lessons and they both practiced an hour every day. By the time it was recital time, they both were doing well. Little Jane played Beethoven's Fur Elise and Keith played Born Free. That spring, the family got on a plane. They traveled to Florida and went to Miami Keith and Jane loved their first trip to the ocean, they played in the pretty white sand and built a sand castle, with the help of Daddy and Mommy. By then they were calling James and Rita Mommy and Daddy without hesitation, their lives were so happy now. No more hunger or misery.
Rita had promised that she would send letters and pictures of the two children to their sister Heaven, she sent her pictures of Keith and Jane in their best clothes in some professional photographs and some more of them in their beds sound asleep with their night lights. And wrote to tell her that Jane had gotten fully recovered from her operation. And both Keith and Jane were gaining weight and were eating all the nutritious food they had craved all those years. And little Jane was singing in the children's choir at church and Keith drew lovely pictures.
The children didn't know this of course because they didn't want them to know because they would be frightened that they would be sent back to their father and would starve again. They didn't know that Heaven was no longer at home anymore, that she had been adopted by two people from Atlanta Georgia and the man was nice, but the woman was crazy and mean to Heaven. Two years finally passed and Keith was now ten and Jane nine.
It was recital time again and Jane was going to play Climb Every Mountain from The Sound Of Music and Keith was going to play March Of The Wooden Soldiers. As the auditorium at the school began filling up, they had no idea that someone from their old life was going to be there. They were sitting in the front row with the other children from 's classes. First Keith played his piece, then Jane played hers, the audience applauded for them both. Then after the recital was over, all the children came on the stage and took bows or curtsy's. Keith saw the person first, then Jane, they grabbed each others hands and took off of the stage. They almost made it to their parents when suddenly Heaven got to them.
"Keith! Jane! I knew I would find you"
"Who are you? We don't know who you are, you better leave us alone or we'll call our Daddy and he'll put you in jail!"
"Yes! Go away! Leave us alone lady!"
They ran away as fast as their feet carried them. They ran crying into Rita's arms , both sobbing and telling their parents a stranger tried to talk to them. James saw who they saw and went to her.
"I told you NOT to get in contact with us didn't I? If you EVER come near any of my children I will have you arrested, do you hear me? It took us almost a year to get those two children calmed down and stop screaming from nightmares and stop worrying they were going to go back to their poor mountain family."
Heaven ran away and Keith and Jane began fearing once more that they were going to be snatched away and took back to that horrible mountain and beaten and starved. They knew who that was. It was their big sister and before they left the mountain that Christmas morning, Heaven vowed to find her brother and sister when she got older, they heard her say that as they were leaving with Mommy and Daddy. But as time went by, they memories of Heaven went away. Ten more years went by and Keith was now twenty and Jane nineteen, Keith was a junior at Princeton and Jane was a sophomore there. One day, they both received letters, They read them and talked about the letters. They letters were almost the same
Dear Keith and Jane;
You are now twenty and nineteen years old, you are both considered young adults and I can now tell you that I am your older sister Heaven Leigh. I was fourteen years old when you were adopted out by our Father Lucas Casteel. You were six and seven when we separated. I know I should not have came to your school and your family and disturbed your happy life.
You were very lucky to have gotten two wonderful parents James and Rita Ryland. Rita had written to me and told me that you Jane was finally well after being sick all of your life and you Keith had finally stopped wetting the bed. I wish I had gotten as lucky as you and had loving parents. My adoptive Mother was a very mean and cruel woman, she died ten years ago and the man just used me as his girlfriend. I got out of that house and found my Mother's family and I am finally happy.
Can we please see each other for dinner this Wednesday at The Plaza Hotel? I just want to see you again. I promise I won't talk about our past in West Virginia.
Love Heaven Leigh Tarrytown.
After talking, Keith and Jane went to The Plaza Hotel that evening, They sat at a table and a beautiful woman walked toward them, she started to cry as she sat down.
"Oh you're both so beautiful and handsome! Jane you look like a doll and Keith, you are so handsome. I wish your brother Tom could see you, do you remember him?"
Jane and Keith said
"No"
Keith said he barely remembered her but hadn't forgotten how she had taken care of them after their mother Sarah left them. The Jane began crying and threw her arms around her big sister
"Oh Heavenly! I remember you. I remembered you ten years ago, I was just so scared that you were going to take us away from Mom and Dad and take us back to that terrible place where it stank and we were always cold and hungry and miserable."
Keith said the same thing, calling her Heavenly too. Heaven told them she was thinking about taking them, but their Father frightened her so badly that she ran away and went to her Mothers family and met her family and found her fiancée Neal Kerry, they were to marry the following month and Keith and Jane were both invited. They were going to see their older brother Tom there.
The wedding took place at Boston Catholic Church and Keith and Jane both attended, their big sister Heaven looked like an angel as she walked down the isle. After the wedding, they saw a very tall and handsome man coming toward them It was their older brother Tom. He talked to them, and Keith remembered his big brother a little bit. They also remembered another sister, Fanny.
"Fanny died a few years ago. She was not well for a while, plus her adoptive parents ran her off. They were not good to her at all. Your birth father is dead now and so is your birth mother. Heaven tells me you're both happy now and I'm glad, I wasn't happy where I was at either. I got away and married a nice girl and you now have three nephews."
Tom and Heaven and Keith and Jane talked a little bit, then it was time for Keith and Jane to go back to New York. Yes they were very happy, but they were also glad to be reunited with their older brother and sister. They reassured their parents that they would not go away with their older sister so they had permission to go to the wedding.