Child of the Mountains (18 page)

When I finally got done a-spitting it all out, Aunt Ethel Mae said, “Oh, Lydia, how could you—”

“Hush up, woman,” Uncle William said. “Lydia, this
lawyer-woman—she really thinks she can help your mother?”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

“Then we’ll listen to what she has to say,” Uncle William said as he got up from his chair and headed for the bedroom. Aunt Ethel Mae started to follow him.

“Wait, there’s one more thing,” I said.

Uncle William turned around. “What is it now?” he asked.

“Because of what I done and all, iffen you don’t want to get me a new coat, it don’t make me no never mind,” I said.

“Don’t you need a coat?” Uncle William asked.

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“Well, it’s done settled, then.” He yawned and stretched. “I’m heading to bed.”

I couldn’t hold back no more. I runned and gived each of them a hug. “Thank you so very much,” I said. When I hugged Uncle William, I felt like I hugged a statue. He patted me real quick on the back and then pulled away.

When I hugged Aunt Ethel Mae, she grinned. “Be careful, child,” she said. “You’re going to squeeze a body to death!” But she squeezed me back.

Aunt Ethel Mae and me went by bus to Charleston this afternoon. We stopped in Kresge’s, and I had a barbecue with lots of coleslaw on it. I also got my steamy cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and a cherry. Aunt Ethel
Mae ordered the blue plate special—a bowl of pinto beans with onions, fried taters, and a order of coleslaw. She got corn bread and coffee for free.

I tried to find a coat at the Diamond, but they cost way too much money. I had me some fun looking around in that fancy store, though. We tried J. C. Penney’s, but O. J. Morrison’s had the coat I liked best that didn’t cost too much. It’s blue—the color of BJ’s and Mama’s eyes, just what I wanted.

When I tried the coat on, Aunt Ethel Mae got tears in her eyes. “Oh, honey, you look so pretty and growed up in that coat. I didn’t realize how much you be developing. I think we best pick you up a couple of brassieres while we’s here. A young woman has to keep them little titties pushed up or they’s going to be a-dragging on the floor afore she’s marrying age.” I know I turned mater red. It sure was embarrassing having to try them things on with Aunt Ethel Mae and the saleslady watching to make sure they fit right. But like Aunt Ethel Mae said, “We’s all women.”

Aunt Ethel Mae picked up a few things, too. Then we went to the big library to wait for Uncle William to meet us after work. I love that library. They’s books on everthing you could ever think of. They even had a whole bunch of books about Anne of Green Gables. Aunt Ethel Mae let me get a library card and check out three books. She checked out a couple herself on gardening. I asked her how we would return them. “Well, I guess that means your uncle’s just going to have to let me and you come to
Charleston again next month,” she said. Then Aunt Ethel Mae winked at me. She really and truly did.

Uncle William parked close to the library. By the time we met him, the sky was dark and snow was a-falling. Them stores all stayed open late for Christmas, so we walked around downtown, looking at the lights and the windows all decorated up. We even seen the Salvation Army band. I still didn’t have enough money to call Mama, but I figured I’d get to talk to her real soon anyways. I dropped a quarter in the bucket.

M
ONDAY
, J
ANUARY 4, 1954

Ever day after school, I give Ears some of my lunch sandwich I save for him. He’s a good dog, that one. When he sees me, his bushy tail starts going round and round like the electric fan Mr. Hinkle has at school. His tongue hangs out one side of his mouth, and his eyes light up like kerosene lamps. Of course, I ain’t figured out for sure whether he’s gladdest to see me or my lunch pail. He is kind of skinny.

He come a-bounding up to me today when he seen me walk down the road. “Sit!” I ordered him when he got close to me. And sit he did, just like a little soldier. I learned him to do that so’s he wouldn’t jump up on my new coat and get it all dirty. He learned to sit mighty fast.
Ears is a real smart dog. I showed him how to lie down, roll over, and shake hands. He does all them things for me, just ’cause I ask him. And on account of giving him pieces of my sandwich.

He was special excited to see me today. He wiggled from head to toe and whimpered and barked like he was a-trying his best to talk to me. He probably asked me, “Where in blazes have you been at, Lydia?” During Christmas break, I had to stay inside a lot with Aunt Ethel Mae. Today was my first day back to school in 1954.

When I went to the company store over the break for Aunt Ethel Mae, I bought Ears some Christmas presents with the money I had saved up. In my left pocket I had me a rubber ball. In my right pocket I had me a new comb. In my lunch pail, I had me a small poke filled with dog biscuits.

I could hear Ears’ stomach growl. His eyes was like the eyes on one of them store-bought baby dolls, staring wide and straight at my lunch pail, never blinking at all. I opened it, and Ears started up licking his chops. I throwed him my leftover sandwich, and he gulped it down in one bite. “Good catch,” I told him, and gived him a pat on the head.

He wagged his tail.

“Look what else I brung you. A surprise!” I pulled out a dog biscuit.

His tail wagged even faster. And some drool dropped on my shoe. I had him sit up for his treat.

Then I pulled out the rubber ball. His eyes glued onto
it like it was his ticket to Heaven! I wiggled it back and forth and up and down. Ain’t no way his eyes would let it out of his sight. Finally, I pulled the ball behind me and throwed it as hard as I could. “Go get it, boy!” I said.

He shot off and brung the ball back all slobbery. Dogs is great, but they sure be messy sometimes. I throwed it a few more times. Then I used the hankie to wipe the ball and put it back in my pocket.

Ears turned his head to one side and looked at me all sad-like.

“That’s it for today,” I told him as I gived his head a quick pat. Then I pulled out the comb. I’m glad he’s a big dog so I can comb him standing up and not mess up my clothes. He shivered like it felt good.

I combed and combed his coat and talked and talked. Ears listened real good to what I had to say. I told him about everthing that happened over Christmas. How Aunt Ethel Mae and Uncle William and me had fun shopping for my coat. And how on Christmas, Uncle William went straight out and put my dice on his car mirror. He said he liked them much better than store-bought ones. Aunt Ethel Mae loved her hankies with flowers so much that she got all tearful and used one of them to dab her eyes.

The best thing, I told Ears, was that Uncle William and Miss Parker spent a lot of time talking. She said it was important that him and me didn’t talk to Mama afore the trial—something about influencing our testimony, whatever that means. Mama told her to tell me that she loved me. Mama said what I done about getting her a appeal
was the best Christmas present I ever could of got her. Ears gived me a big doggy smile and spun his electric fan tail. He was right happy about them good things that had happened, too!

He turned his head sideways and shut his mouth when I told him about what I done today. I think Ears was real surprised. I thought a lot about what Mama told BJ to do when people is mean—that it’s best to laugh at yourself. So I took the Sears and Roebuck catalog to school, the one that comed to Uncle William in the mail.

Mr. Hinkle weren’t in class yet, so I walked over to Cora Lee’s desk with the catalog open. Real loud so them other kids could hear, I said, “Cora Lee, you want me to have a new dress, so I picked out this one that you can buy me. See? It’s right pretty. I picked out some shoes you can buy me, too.”

Them kids all started up laughing. Cora Lee’s mouth hung open so wide you could put a fist in it. “I’m just joshing you, Cora Lee,” I said. “It was right nice that you wanted to help me. Thanks.” Them kids clapped their hands, and Cora Lee grinned. I had me a big smile plastered on my face when I walked back to my seat. I told Ears that Maggie leaned over and asked me iffen she could sit with me at lunch. I told her, “Sure.” Ears wagged his tail and barked when I finished the story. I think that’s as close to doggy laughing as he could get.

After Ears was all combed out, I knowed I had to leave him behind again. I let out a long sigh. I cleaned the hair out of the comb the best I could and wrapped it in my
hankie. Then I put it in my pocket. “It’s time for me to go, Ears.”

His eyes got all sad and droopy when he looked at me.

I gived him one more pat on the head and turned to walk away. I took a few steps toward Uncle William’s house. I knowed Ears was a-following me. He always did.

“You go on home, now. You hear?” I put my hands on my hips and gived him a teacher look. I hated to do that.

Both of Ears’ ears went down and back. He hung his head, put his tail between his legs, and headed on home. Poor Ears. I knowed what he didn’t—that I would see him again tomorrow.

Anne of Green Gables had herself a person friend for her kindred spirit. I got me a kindred dog friend instead.

I wish BJ could’ve had hisself a dog. He wanted one real bad. Mama and Gran used to talk about how they wished they could get him a dog. It just weren’t possible with us having to go up to Ohio all the time. We even had to give my cat, Hessie, away to some neighbors after we found out BJ was so sick. But BJ was bound and determined that he would have hisself a pet.

When we went up to Ohio, I looked down at BJ’s pillowcase with his stuff in it. It laid on the floor between us in the backseat.

All at once, I seen something moving around in it.

BJ stuck his hand over my mouth afore I could scream.

Mama and Gran was a-talking up a blue streak up front. They didn’t even turn around.

“What is it?” I mouthed them words to BJ but didn’t make no sound.

He put one finger to his lips to tell me to
shhhh
. Then he reached his hand down into the pillowcase and pulled out the head of a black snake.

I put my own hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. I ain’t afeared of black snakes. I know they’s good snakes. But I sure weren’t thinking about seeing one in a pillowcase on the way to Ohio!

BJ made his
shhhh
signal again. Then he shoved the snake back in his pillowcase and tied the top of it back into a knot. I just stared at him with my mouth a-hanging open.

We stopped at a service station that had a couple of picnic tables to eat the lunch Mama had packed for us. I grabbed BJ’s arm and told Mama we was going to go get the key for the restroom.

“BJ, what in the name of all that is good and righteous do you think you are doing taking a black snake to Ohio?” I said when we got out of earshot.

“I got me a pet, Lyddie. I found him in the backyard yesterday. I named him Germy.”

“Germy?”

“Yep. Anytime Jake and I start up exploring and playing in the hospital, Nurse Chapel grabs us by the ears and makes us go back to bed. ‘You’re going to get germy,’ she says. So I decided she was right. Now I got Germy.” He grinned real big.

I couldn’t help but giggle. “BJ, how in the world do you think you’re going to keep a snake in the hospital? What are you going to feed Germy?”

“I got it all figured out. Two of them books they have in that library at the hospital explain about reptiles. I read both of them three times. Germy’s going to live under the covers with me to keep him warm and feeling safe. The sheets will keep him tucked in. Snakes is supposed to eat rodents. They probably got mice in that hospital, but I can’t let Germy run around to find them. I’m going to give him mystery meat.”

“Mystery meat?”

“Yep. That’s what all us kids call the meat they serve us in the hospital. The way I figure it is this. ‘Snakes find their prey by body heat and movement.’ That’s what the books said. I’m going to roll up hot balls of mystery meat and toss them around my bed. That way, Germy will think the mystery meat is a rodent and have hisself some supper. I always have water in a pitcher beside my bed that I can share with him. When the nurse is out of the room, I’ll let him crawl around the floor and lay in the windowsill to get some sunshine. The other kids will help me.”

I had to admit, he did seem to have it all figured out.

“You won’t tell nobody, will you, Lyddie?” He gived me puppy-dog eyes.

I sighed. “Okay, I won’t tell. But you best make sure Germy stays safe.”

“I will. I be the kind of boy that always takes good care of his pets.”

I didn’t say nothing to Mama or Gran. I figured Germy would keep BJ real good company in the hospital.

We was a-sitting out on the porch three days later when Doc Smythson stopped by. He held his side and laughed all the way from his jeep to our cabin. Tears comed out of his eyes. We was all wide-eyed watching him.

“Do you know what that boy of yours did?” Doc Smythson said when he got to the porch.

“What now?” Gran asked. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.