Blackbird Fly

The Basket

It's a Monday evening on May 24, 1965. It was slightly chilly with a light breeze blowing. A young lady wearing a long overcoat with her face covered by a scarf walked up to the Fire Department in Anaheim, CA on Ball Road carrying a small basket with a blanket covering the top. It was around 7:00 pm and the activity in the area was light. She walked up the sidewalk to the entrance of the fire station and she left a small basket near the door then quickly walked away around the corner to her car and drove away.

Inside the firehouse Sheryl Amsbury the Administrative Services Manager was finishing up her day after several meetings with corporate officials and the department Fire Chief. As she was walking past the lounge, she yelled out to the night crew, "See you tomorrow. I left a German chocolate cheesecake in the refrigerator. Help yourselves."

At 7:12 pm she signed out on the ledger and opened the door to leave. As she stepped out the door Sheryl found the basket. Thinking it was probably some baked goods or fresh fruit, she was surprised when she felt some movement in the basket. Now, with a smile on her face she thought, "It's a puppy." She pulled the blanket aside and stood there stunned. Sheryl opened the door and walked back in and yelled out, "Chief, come here right away."

The chief and a few firefighters came running out to the lobby.

"What is it Mrs. Amsbury?" The Chief asked. The firefighters stood in the background watching.

With the basket held out in her hands, "Somebody left this outside the door."

Without paying much attention to the basket the sleep deprived Chief said, "Leave it in the lounge. I'm sure the team will enjoy it."

"Chief," Mrs. Amsbury sternly said, "Chief Michaels come here and look at the basket."

Rubbing his eyes, the chief walked over and investigated the basket. His jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Charlie," the Chief yelled out to the captain, "Call the APD. Somebody left a baby on our doorstep."

Two officers from The Anaheim Police Department showed up in less than seven minutes.

Officer Mark Johnston looked into the basket and blurted out, "It's a black baby with an Afro, a short Afro."

Firefighter Jimmy O'Toole commented, "I bet the baby's a Muslim just like that Malcolm X."

"Hold on, hold on," Mrs. Amsbury demanded in an unyielding tone of voice, "This baby is an innocent victim and deserves our respect. We need to find out what happened and where this baby comes from."

Mrs. Amsbury took the baby back to the lounge as she could smell a bowel movement. When she removed the diaper she mentioned to the staff in the room, "He's a boy. He's a handsome little baby boy." There were a few extra diapers in the basket, so Mrs. Amsbury cleaned him up and changed him. After she finished, she gave the little boy a kiss on the forehead. This made the little boy smile. "Ohhh, he has a twinkle in his eyes when he smiles," Mrs. Amsbury said in a soft and sentimental voice.

45 minutes after discovering the baby a worker from the local Department of Health office arrived.

As he walked in he showed his credentials, "Hello, I am Thomas Rainier from the Department of Health. I'd like to take a look at the baby."

Chief Michaels escorted the agent, "He's back here in the lounge."

When they entered the room Mrs. Amsbury was holding the baby gently comforting him. "He seems so comfortable," she said.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Rainier from the Department of Health." He reached out for the baby.

Mrs. Amsbury handed the baby to him, "Nice to meet you, I'm Sheryl Amsbury, the Administrative Services Manager."

"He's a healthy-looking boy." Mr. Rainier assessed, "Feels like he's about 22 pounds. His arms and legs are properly formed. His eyes are responsive to movement and light. He's moving his toes and fingers properly. I am going to assume he is about 13 to 14 months old."

Mr. Rainier addressed Mrs. Amsbury, "Has he made any sounds or said anything?"

"He said, ba, ba a few times. I'm guessing he must be asking for his bottle."

Mr. Rainier responded, "I have a few bottles and formula in the car. Let me go get that so we can feed him." Mr. Rainier handed the baby back to Mrs. Amsbury as he exited the building to retrieve the baby supplies.

After they finished feeding the baby Mr. Rainier explained that he would have to take the baby into custody and place him in a certified foster home.

Mrs. Amsbury didn't want to let him go and offered to take him home with her. But ultimately, she understood the procedures.

As he left Mr. Rainier handed his business card to Mrs. Amsbury.

I want to see him and hold him

Over the past two weeks Mrs. Amsbury could not stop thinking about the baby. She could still see his big brown eyes staring back up at her.

She made a call to Mr. Rainier to ask about the baby.

"Hello, Mr. Rainier, this is Sheryl Amsbury from the Anaheim Fire…"

Mr. Rainier cut in, "Yes, I remember. How may I help you?" He said in a lilting tone.

"I've been thinking a lot about the baby that was dropped off here two weeks ago. How is he doing?"

"Your timing is perfect Mrs. Amsbury," Mr. Rainier commented, "I visited the foster home yesterday to do a wellness check and the boy is doing really well. He looks healthy and happy."

"Oh, that is so good to hear," Mrs. Amsbury said with a sigh in her voice. "I would like to visit him."

"Are you thinking of adopting him?" Mr. Rainier asked.

"No," Mrs. Amsbury answered, "I would just like to see him and make sure he's being treated properly."

"Why, Mrs. Amsbury, that's why I'm here. That's my job to make sure the baby is okay. I assure you he is fine."

Despondently Mrs. Amsbury responded, "Well, okay. But I still want to see him and hold him."

"I understand Mrs. Amsbury, but visits like this are against the department's policy."

Mrs. Amsbury took what Mr. Rainier said and thought about it for a few days.

She spoke with her husband about the boy, "Raymond, two and a half weeks ago a baby boy was dropped off in front of the fire department in a little basket."

"What's wrong with these people?" Raymond lashed back quickly.

"No, listen Ray," Sheryl interjected, "This little boy, a black boy, I held him for about an hour and I think I fell in love with him. His big sad brown eyes looking up at me and his cute little babbles hit me right here," She patted her chest with her right hand in the heart area.

"What are you trying to say, Sheryl?"

"I can't live without him, Ray. I want us to raise that boy."

"But what will the neighbors think?" Ray asked.

"What do you mean? Because he's black?" Sheryl sharply responded.

"We would be bringing a black person into our neighborhood," Ray uncomfortably answered back.

"Ray," Sheryl sternly and disappointedly responded, "This is not the man I married seven years ago. What about February 1960 when we flew to North Carolina to support your brother in the Charlotte lunch counter sit-in? That was your idea."

"I know honey," Ray acknowledged timidly, "But things have changed a lot for us. We've been married for seven years. Emily will be five this coming September. We both have good paying jobs. We live in this beautiful quiet neighborhood. I just don't want to rock the boat, right as things are really shaping up for us."

Sheryl abruptly left the room and locked herself into their bedroom. She was highly disturbed by Ray's response.

The next morning when Sheryl came out of the bedroom, Ray was in the kitchen brewing some coffee and cooking scrambled eggs for Emily and himself.

"Daddy, where's mommy?" Emily asked with an innocent concern.

Slightly startling Emily, Sheryl answered, "I'm right here sweetheart."

She walked over and gave her little girl a kiss on the forehead.

"Ray," Sheryl said in a wary manner as she walked past him to put a slice of bread in the toaster.

"I thought about what you said last night Sheryl," Ray motioned for peace, "You're right."

Sheryl's eyes lifted and her face expressed interest.

Ray continued speaking, "Let's talk about the little boy and how we can make this happen."

After a brief discussion that evening Ray and Sheryl agreed to call Mr. Rainier on Monday to discuss the procedure for adoption.

The following day, Monday June 7, 1965, Ray Amsbury showed up at the fire station during an extended lunch so that he and Cheryl could call Mr. Rainier and have their conversation.

"Hello Mr. Rainier, this is Sheryl Amsbury. How are you doing?"

"Mrs. Amsbury," Mr. Rainier said with zeal, "Nice to hear from you. How may I help you?"

"Mr. Rainier, my husband and I spoke about looking into adopting the little boy."

"Oh okay," Mr. Rainier responded.

"Before we move forward," Mrs. Amsbury asked, "How is the boy?"

"He's doing great. I saw him on Friday. He was bubbly and said the word 'toy' as he was playing with some stacking cups."

"Oh, that is so precious," Mrs. Amsbury said with emotion in her voice. So, what do we need to do to visit the possibility of adoption?"

"The first step would be a background check which includes a credit check as well as checking for any criminal records. We can schedule a meeting for this Friday."

"Well, that's a bit intrusive," Ray looked at his wife after she made that comment.

"Excuse me a minute Mr. Rainier." Sheryl cupped her hand over the phone then spoke with her husband, "They want to do a background check for credit and criminal records."

"Sheryl" Ray assured her, "We will be adopting a child. That's a big responsibility."

Sheryl looked at Ray for a few seconds, "You're right." She put the phone back up to her ear, "Mr. Rainier, Friday will be fine."

The background check was filed on Friday and the results came back on Tuesday June 22nd.

That coming Saturday June 26, 1965, Sheryl and Ray drove to the foster home where the boy was staying, near downtown Garden Grove. It had been a full month since Sheryl held him in her arms.

The second she saw him she could feel her eyes welling up with tears.

Her emotions took over her as the foster mother handed the baby to Sheryl.

Now in her arms she kissed the little boy on his forehead and then on his tiny button nose. "You are such a precious baby. I don't ever want to let you go."

Ray was standing beside his wife looking on as she cuddled the baby boy.

Ray reached out to the boy and with his little hand he latched on to Ray's index finger and held tightly. Ray was filled with a gush of emotions. He could feel the little boy's need for security in his snug grasp.

Ray looked Sheryl in the eyes and they both knew. Ray called out, "Mr. Rainier, we're ready to start the paperwork."

"Okay," Mr. Rainier said with a bit of surprise in his voice. He looked at his watch, "It's 12:45 why don't we meet at Cortina's Deli on West Orange Avenue. We can grab a bite, get to know each other a bit, and discuss the breadth of the overall adoption process."

Sheryl nods yes and Ray says, "Okay, let's do it."

After the 45-minute lunch at the deli Ray and Sheryl made arrangements to meet up with Mr. Rainier at his office to fill out the paperwork and get the ball rolling.

The paperwork was signed and over the next month several interviews happened including a Child Placement preparation, naming the child and assigning an estimated birthdate. Mr. Rainier had suggested March 25, 1964, as a good approximation. Ray and Sheryl chose the name Jack Robinson Amsbury. Naming him after Jackie Robinson the baseball player.

The Homecoming

Finally on Monday August 30, 1965, Ray and Sheryl brought Jack home.

Emily was waiting at home with the babysitter eager to meet her new brother.

When Sheryl and Ray walked through the door with Jack, Emily quickly jumped up and ran toward them. "I want to see. I want to see him," Emily yelled out.

Sheryl directed Emily back to the living room, "Okay, Emily let's go back and we can sit down on the sofa so you can meet baby Jack."

Emily ran to the living room and sat on the edge of the sofa. Sheryl sat next to Emily and lowered Jack's face to her.

Emily sat there speechless for a minute. She looked at him and bent her neck to take a closer look.

Sheryl asked, "What's wrong Emily?"

"Well mom Jack needs a bath right away. He is dirty. Look at all that dirt on his face."

"Oh no Emily," Sheryl said gently, "His face is not dirty. That is the beautiful color of his skin."

Emily sat there with her eyes somewhat squinted and lips tightly sealed.

"He's beautiful just the way he is," Sheryl continued to try and enlighten Emily.

"Oh okay, I see," Emily responded, then continued in her concerned little girl's voice, "I'll get the washcloth and soap so we can scrub the dirt off his face."

"Oh no Emily," Sheryl began to say. But Ray tugged at her shoulder, "Just let it be for now Sheryl. She'll learn as she gets older."

Bumbo the Clown

As the weeks went by the Amsbury's experienced milestone after milestone with Jack. His first steps, his first sentence, which was, "Me want ball." The biggest was when he transitioned from diapers to children's underwear. Jack made a big deal. Everywhere he went he had to pull his pants down and show people. Including during a church service.

For Jack's second birthday Sheryl hired Bumbo the Clown. Bumbo the Clown was the most popular clown in Orange County, CA due mostly to the fact that he had a Merry Go Round in a truck. But Jack was afraid of Bumbo and refused to get on the Merry Go Round.

The Mommy Sweater

"I can't believe how quick the time goes," Sheryl was saying to Ray, "We've had Jack for more than a year now and he is such a well-behaved kid."

A six-and-a-half-year-old Emily came running down the stairs, "I can't find my red sweater. I can't find it."

"Sweety, that sweater is dirty. I'm going to wash it tomorrow."

"No, I need it now. Jack and I are playing house and that red sweater is my mommy sweater."

"Well, I know a little something about being a mommy," Sheryl kneeled down so she could be eye to eye with her daughter, "I'm a mommy and I wear different color sweaters. I have a red sweater, a blue sweater, a green sweater, and a pink sweater."

"I'll wear my pink sweater."

Emily ran back upstairs to her room and got her pink sweater out of the drawer.

"Jack," she commanded, "Get over here right now!"

Little three-year-old Jack walked over to Emily.

"I'm your mommy and I'm mad at you. Look at your dirty face and arms."

Jack looked at his arms with a sad look on his face, "Me, no dirty mommy."

In a mad voice Emily demanded, "Yes, you are, sit down on your chair. I'm going to scrub you clean"

"No mommy, no, me no dirty."

Emily sat down next to Jack with a wet face cloth and began scrubbing.

"That's it Jack. I've scrubbed and scrubbed and you're still dirty."

"Stop crying," Emily shouted, "You're a bad boy. Look at those dirty arms."

Jack had tears in his eyes as he looked at his arms.

"You go sit in that corner until you learn your lesson."

A few minutes later Sheryl walked into the room to check up on the children.

"Emily," Sheryl asked, "Why is Jack sitting in the corner?"

"He's been a bad boy mommy. Look at his dirty face and arms.

"Listen Emily," Sheryl sternly said, "Jack has not been a bad boy and he is not dirty. That is the color of his skin. He has dark skin."

Emily looked puzzled as her mom scolded her.

"And also, I don't want you punishing Jack. He is a good boy."

Peer Pressure

As the next few years went by Emily stopped playing house with Jack. But she continued to torment him by telling him he needed to take a bath because he was dirty. Even at the age of nine Emily was unable to grasp the reality that Jack's skin was dark and not dirty.

Jack's normal reaction to Emily's demands was to pout and try his best to clean his face and arms. This five-and-a-half-year-old boy just could not understand why he could not clean himself. Emily had him convinced he was dirty.

September 1971 found the seven-year-old Jack going into second grade. Emily was beginning sixth. Jack was excited about school starting again. He was a bright and intelligent student. Whenever the teacher asked him a question, he always had the right answer.

The school was close to the house, so Emily and Jack walked to school together each morning. By now Emily understood that Jack was born with dark skin, and he was not dirty. But she still had issues with him, mostly due to peer pressure.

It's 7:30 am and Jack and Emily are walking to school. They're waiting to cross the street. After the light turns green Jack reaches out for Emily's hand as they step into the street.

"No, don't Jack," Emily commands as she pushes his small hand away.

"But mom always holds my hand when we cross the street," Jack says.

"Well, I'm not mom and I don't want people seeing me holding your hand."

With this Jack became heavy-hearted and did not say another word during the rest of the walk to school.

The Happy Walk

At lunchtime Jack walked gleefully through the playground toward the lunch benches where he saw Emily sitting with two of her friends.

Emily's friend Marjorie points out, "Look at that black boy with the gold star on his forehead. He's walking like he's so proud."

Emily turns around and sees Jack walking toward them.

"Look at his big ears," Marjorie pushes her blonde hair behind her ears and tugs on them and makes a squealing sound, "He looks like a monkey."

"Come on," Emily says, "Let's walk over to the baseball field and watch the boys play. Jim Gilmour is out there, and I have such a crush on him."

The three girls got up and left before Jack could reach them. He was so proud of his gold star and wanted to tell Emily that his teacher gave it to him for being the only kid in the class to get 100% on the spelling test.

Jack sat there alone on the bench where Emily was with her friends. The sadness manifested on Jack's face as he twisted his lunch bag and pushed it away from him. He thought to himself, "Why doesn't anybody like me? Why do I have to be different?"

At that moment a Blackbird landed on the table where Jack was sitting and began eating the food crumbs left behind by Emily and her friends. Jack became fascinated with the bird, and he started whistling at him in hopes of getting his attention.

The bird looked over at Jack and then flew on up into the sky as if he wanted Jack to follow him. Jack stared in awe as the bird flew up on high and joined a flock of birds that looked just like him. This gave Jack a good feeling inside.

Then Jack began to think, "I wish that I could fly away from all of this like the birdy in the sky. I wish that I could fly with the birds."

Jack sat there dreaming of flying with the birds and how nice it would be. He sat there staring into the sky.

Before he knew it Jack was in the clouds gliding through the sky with the other birds. Jack had turned himself into a Blackbird soaring in the upper atmosphere of blue. He was so happy singing his bird song.

Fly on / Fly away / With a soothing song / In my soul

Fly on / Fly away / Into my castle / In the sky

Sailing through the clouds / Where I am King / Nothing hurts me / I get to sing

Sing a song / Where I am love / Up in the sky / With the dove

Blackbird / Sail away / Back home / Where I'm safe

Fly on home / Fly on home / Fly on... Home

After his flight was done Jack woke up in bed at home as if he had been dreaming. He felt so comfortable and satisfied that he just stayed in his bed and fell asleep.

The Search

In the meantime, Jack did not return to class after lunch. The principle assigned both custodians, the vice principal, and the school nurse to walk the school grounds and look for Jack. But they couldn't find him. Immediately after the 30-minute search Jack's mom showed up at the school along with two firemen who did another search. Again, Jack was nowhere.

Sheryl tried to remain reserved, but she began shaking at the prospect of losing her special Jack. Immediately both the local Anaheim Fire department and police department were on the search for Jack. The neighboring precincts joined in on the search. In total there were 40 trained men and women searching for Jack.

Sheryl had Emily pulled out of her class, "Emily, did you see Jack during lunch? That's the last time his teacher saw him."

"No mom," Emily squirmed as she answered, "Me and Marjorie and Eve were at the baseball field watching the boys play.

Sheryl and Emily drove back home. The house was all locked up and quiet. They sat in the living room waiting by the phone for a phone call from the search team.

20 minutes went by, and Sheryl grew more and more nervous about the outcome. She had a few light tears streaming from her eyes, but she tried to hide it from Emily. She was trying to be hopeful and strong.

Then a few minutes later Jack woke up from his comforting nap and walked out to the living room.

Sheryl flipped when she saw Jack. She didn't know whether to get mad at him or give him a big kiss.

"Jack! Where have you been?" Sheryl asked with concern.

Emily tried to stay out of view, kind of hiding behind Sheryl. Then she quickly ran up to her room to completely remove herself from the situation.

"I was in my room sleeping," Jack answered.

"What? You left school? You walked home by yourself?"

"No mom, “Jack answered with a beaming smile on his face, "I flew home with a bunch of other birds that looked just like me."

"Okay, Jack, the good thing is you're home. Sit down, I want to have a talk with you."

Sheryl picked up the phone and called the fire department to let them know Jack was back home.

Sheryl sat down on the sofa next to Jack and gently took hold of his hands in a loving manner. "Jack, I love you dearly. You're my baby boy. But you cannot be leaving school early. If there's a problem like you get sick or you hurt yourself, let the teacher know so the school nurse can look at you. If you need to come home, they will call me."

"But mom, I was so happy flying in the sky with the birds. We were all singing together."

"I know, I know, son. But don't do it again."

Emily's Birthday

A week has gone by and it's Emily's 11th birthday. Sheryl and Ray planned a party for her in the park. Several of her friends were invited including Eve, Marjorie and of course Jim Gilmour (even though Sheryl and Ray feel Emily is too young to have a boyfriend).

After the birthday celebration with the cake and gifts, the kids all ran to the playground and had fun on the swings, the slide, teeter totter, monkey bars and such.

After a while Emily sat down on one of the benches with Marjorie.

"Thank you for the record, Marjorie," Emily kindly said.

"You're welcome," Marjorie responded back, "I figured you'd like the new Bobby Sherman album."

"Oh yes, he is such a heartthrob," Emily responded as the two girls giggled.

Jack was lying on the grass very close behind the girls and could hear them talking.

Marjorie decided to partake in some gossip, "Get a look at Jim Gilmour. His hair is so dreamy."

"Oh, I know and that smile puts David Cassidy to shame," Emily responded.

"Did you see that little black boy is here?" Marjorie noted, "Why is he at your birthday party?" She asked in a smug manner.

This caught Jack's attention so he sat up so he could better hear what the girls were saying.

"Oh yes, his name is Jack," Emily said, "He's staying with our next-door neighbor. He's a foster child. My mom is babysitting him today"

"Oh, well, Marjorie continued speaking, "My mom says to stay away from those black people because they're filthy."

When Jack heard this, he got up and ran off to the other side of the park. He was in tears and couldn't understand why Emily and her friend said what they said.

He sat on one of the park benches wiping the tears from his face when he noticed a Blackbird walking across the grass. He looked just like the one at school last week.

Jack began whistling his bird song and the bird looked over at Jack. He stood there for a minute. It was as if he wanted to talk with Jack. The bird then flapped his wings almost as if he was inviting Jack to come along on the journey.

Jack wanted to fly away with the bird because it felt so good to be gliding in the sky away from the mean things people say. The breeze felt so good as he soared below the clouds singing his happy song. Jack felt so free when he was a bird.

He almost did it. He almost spread his wings to escape the torment and fly free. But he remembered how scared his mom was last week and he didn't want to put her through that again.

Jack looked up to the sky and watched as the flock of Blackbirds flew off into the distance. He waved at them and yelled out, "Goodbye!!!"

Then he ran back to the party and found his mom.

"Mom," Jack ran up to her with tears in his eyes.

"Yes, Jack baby," she responded, "What's wrong?"

"Mom, Emily and her friend said some mean things about me. They said I am filthy."

"No, Jack, you are not filthy or dirty. You are the most handsome little prince in the town. You're handsome and you're smart." Then she bent down and gave Jack a little kiss on his nose. "I promise you Jack, Emily will never say another mean thing about you again."

After their talk, Jack ran off and jumped on one of the swings so he could soar through the breeze and feel free as a bird.

≈≈≈≈≈

Please enjoy the subsequent parts to this ongoing drama:

Part One: https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-xrl46g04bk

Part Two: https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-part-two-little-angel

Part Three: https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-part-three

Part Four: https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-part-four

https://vocal.media/chapters/blackbird-fly-part-two-little-angel