The road seemed longer than normal. Sadie Miller walked along it, kicking at the dust with her broken shoes. The lonely farmhouse in the distance looked deserted, yet it was Sadie's home. Her father and mother, along with her brothers Michael and Bradley, still lived there. Recently, her sister Margot returned with her husband, Willie, and their newborn baby Kezzie.

Kezzie was weak and small, a preemie baby from the beginning. The infant wailed all day and all night long. Sadie wished they had stayed away, but Margot and Willie had nowhere to go. Willie lost his family farm six miles on the other side of Wilmont. They arrived unexpectedly and moved in without asking.

Sadie looked down at her faded dress. Once, it was a bright blue with red roses scattered amongst the flounces. When it was new, Sadie was proud of it. It was her Sunday dress. Now, it wasn't good enough for an everyday dress. The rose dress and a gingham were all she had left. They couldn't afford new clothing or new shoes. They couldn't afford to feed themselves in the barren Oklahoma land. They definitely couldn't afford to feed Margot, Willie, or a half-dead infant.

Sadie couldn't understand why her sister had to have a baby. Margot was married for less than a year, and times were tough in Oklahoma. Nothing grew because of the dust. The land lay farrow, and speculators were buying up all the land. Father wanted to stay. He was born and bred in Oklahoma, like the rest of them. His stubborn pride kept him from selling out and moving to California.

The Yanks from up the road were gone. They disappeared without saying goodbye. Sadie had walked to their farm to see Millie that morning but found their farmhouse deserted. They could have stopped no matter what time. Without a goodbye, Sadie felt empty. Millie was her best friend. They knew each other long before they went to school. A day never passed when they weren't together. Now the Yanks were gone.

The empty farmhouse felt cold inside. A few broken pieces of pottery scattered the floors and kitchen counters. A pair of curtains hung at a slant in the open window, their tails blowing in the slight wind. Sadie wandered around, righting tipped-over chairs and walking around an old sprung mattress in the upstairs bedroom. Discarded mementos of a happier time lay scattered about the floors. A time before the dust took over everything and destroyed the crops.

The Yanks went to California along with the rest of the Sooners. The Millers would go too as soon as Papa made up his mind. They would have to sell, pack their belongings onto the old truck, and go to California, too. Sadie hoped to see Millie there, but she doubted it.

Willie talked about grapes. Sadie grew tired of grapes. It was a long time since she had tasted a grape. Since Willie started talking about them, she thought she never wanted to see one again. Margot and Willie dreamed of growing grapes in California. Day after day, they tried to convince Papa with their complaints.

Mama looked worn out. Her faded dress didn't help her dour looks. Her rich black hair disappeared practically overnight. It was now dishwater gray. Sadie hoped her hair wouldn't fade and crackle beneath her fingertips like Mama's. Although she knew she wasn't, she wanted to think she was still pretty.

Bobby Crown thought she was pretty. He told her in the schoolyard after school closed for the year. They held hands on the way home and kissed on the road. Two days later, Bobby was gone. His family moved away. Another friend gone without a goodbye. There was no one left other than the Cramps. Old man Cramp refused to leave. A speculator offered him money for his worn-out farm. He declined with a shotgun pointed at the speculator's gut. Sadie thought he could die on his dusty old land. No one liked the Cramps. The old man and woman kept to themselves even before the dust. Their mean old hound, Butch, bit her once while she passed. She was not on their land but in the middle of the road when the dog appeared. He hunkered down and growled at her. Sadie threw a rock at him, catching him in the shoulder.

She ran but not fast enough. Butch sunk his teeth into her butt, tearing her red dress. Sadie drove her fist into his cheek until he let go. She cried all the way home, not because of the bite. Sadie cried because she could never wear the red dress again. Her three dresses were reduced to two. And the red was the best one she had.

Sadie sat on the front step in the silent, dusty morning. Long ago and far away, she enjoyed the morning smells. Bacon and eggs frying in the kitchen and fresh milk from the cows. The cows were gone along with the crops. Michael butchered the last one so they could have meat. The scrawny beast didn't provide much, but it was good to taste beef again.

Willie assured them there was beef in California. The streets were lined with gold, according to Willie. California was paradise, according to Willie. Oklahoma was hell—a dust-covered hell.

Loud voices broke the morning silence. Sadie sighed. The argument began earlier each day. Margot and Willie both tried to wear Papa down. Grapes again. They wanted to grow grapes. Sadie remembered Margot as a quiet sister. She helped Mama with the chores and farmwork when she lived at home. Willie changed her. After she married, Margot became demanding and tempestuous. Kezzie began to wail. Sadie clapped her hands over her ears and ran across the yard and into the barn. She threw herself into a hay pile and cried.

"What's the matter with you?" Bradley asked, poking her gently with the pitchfork.

"Millie's gone," Sadie sobbed. "She never said goodbye."

"There's no time for goodbye," Brad mourned, sinking into the hay beside her.

Sadie sat up. Vickie Ramsey never said goodbye to Brad, although they were engaged. The Ramsey truck drove past two weeks ago. Vickie sat in the back amongst their furniture with a steely look etched across her face. She neither smiled nor waved. Brad stood in the road watching her. When the truck disappeared, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away. He didn't return home for three days.

"Are we leaving too?"

"It seems inevitable." Brad stared into space.

"I hate California already." Sadie swiped her tears away.

"We are always and forever Sooners, Sade," Brad assured her. "Here or in California. Why, there are probably more Sooners in California than Californians."

Sadie laughed. She smiled for the first time in ages. Brad flung his arm around her and pulled her close. He knuckled her hair like he didn't when she was a little girl.

Margot came into the barnyard carrying Kezzie. Sadie and Brad watched her, although Margot didn't realize it. Their older sister paced with the baby. She offered the little girl her breast, but the baby didn't grasp on for nourishment. The new mother tried again and failed. The little bundle went limp, and Margot sighed without crying.

"Dead." Brad's statement fell like a hard rock. Sadie nodded without expression. The dust bowl claimed another young victim.

Papa appeared on the porch. He scratched his balding head and gazed at the ruined farm. Mama stood at the screen door behind him.

"Michael, Bradley!" Papa yelled, summoning his boys.

Brad squeezed Sadie's hand and left her. Michael appeared from the sideyard. They waited for instructions.

"Pack up the truck, boys. We're headed to California." Papa's mind was made up.

Margot dressed Kezzie in her white Christening gown, and Mama placed a small pillow in a packing crate. Brad dug the hole in the dusty yard. Opening the worn Bible, Papa read a verse, and they buried the baby.

"We'll leave one last Sooner in Oklahoma," Papa stated, closing his religious book. "We'll never return here."

Sadie struggled to control her sobs. Covering her face, she pivoted and ran into the house. She couldn't stand it. They couldn't stay; she didn't want to leave. Mama shouted at her to fill one carpetbag with all she could fit inside it.

The family hurried to pack the truck. They filled the bed with their old furniture and anything else that would fit. Late at night, they piled in. Michael took the wheel with Mama beside him in the front seat. Papa sat stolidly in the passenger seat. The rest clambered onto the packed truck bed. Margot and Willie curled up on the sofa; Brad and Sadie dangled their legs off the open back gate.

The truck rolled away. Sadie watched the faded farmhouse until it disappeared. She felt detached from reality. Her expression remained dull, unanimated. Her despondence held back her tears. Her sister and brother-in-law talked about California. It was what they wanted. Sadie shut her ears to their grape talk.

Exhaustion overcame Sadie. She fought against it, keeping her drooping eyes open. When she couldn't stay awake, Willie and Brad lifted her onto the sofa. She slept fitfully until dawn. Margot was sitting beside her when she finally awoke.

"We'll have new dresses in California," her sister assured her. "New clothes and clean hair. Imagine clean hair, Sadie. Nice soft hair with no dust in it. How long since we've had clean hair?"

Sadie lifted a faded strand, peering at it lackadaisically. Clean hair and new clothes didn't excite her. Maybe it would after they shook the Oklahoma dust away. The dust was embedded in her hair, clothes, and fingernails. She could barely remember a life without dust.

Slowly, Margot smiled at her. Sadie hadn't seen her older sister smile in ages. Their shoulders touched as the truck bounced along the rutted road. It felt comfortable. She returned Margot's smile.

Michael and Brad had changed places overnight. Mike stood on the truck's running board, shading his eyes, looking west. Brad turned his gaze toward his older brother. They exchanged positive expressions. Mama's head leaned against her son's shoulder. She looked at peace in her sleep. Papa stated straight ahead at the endless road. Willie sat at the open truck's back gate.

Sadie grasped Margot's hand and squeezed. The dust could chase them out of Oklahoma but couldn't separate them. The Millers stuck together through thick and thin. They were Sooners and would always remain Sooners, even in California.

!!!COMING SOON!!!

NEW MEXICO