The Funeral Dress (31 page)

“Hester, why you keep pestering this girl about where she sits?” Cora finally asked her. “She ain’t hurting no one, especially not Leona and Curtis.” Cora clutched her pocketbook, something she tended to do unless she was holding the baby. Mrs. Fulton said nothing and stepped into the kitchen, the door swinging closed behind her.

“Good. I’d had enough of that.” Cora laughed. “Don’t know what’s gotten into her. She don’t usually act like such a crazy woman, especially around a baby. Speaking of baby, bring that precious thing here to me.”

Emmalee watched in awe as Cora situated Kelly on
her chest and rocked her into a deep sleep. She wished she could handle her own baby so good. Cora promised, as she had that morning, that it would come with time. Emmalee was beginning to believe this, but she sure wished it would hurry along. She looked at Leona, resting so peaceful, and straightened the collar on her dress. “I know I could do it if you were here.”

“What’d you say?” Cora asked.

Emmalee twitched as if she was shaking off her thoughts. “I said I think it’s going to be real lonely without her.”

“Sure it will. Especially at first.”

Emmalee said nothing.

“You know Leona and me could sure go at it, but I loved her, sure did. And I’m going to miss her too. But this little one here will fill your days up. I can promise you that.” Cora laughed again and her chest jiggled. Kelly squirmed but settled quickly in Cora’s arms.

Emmalee spotted Easter and Wilma walking toward her. Easter was carrying another casserole. Wilma was carrying both their purses. Emmalee rushed toward them. “Where you two been? I was looking for you both last night. I thought for sure you’d be here.”

“Oh, sweetie, I think we were the only ones in Cullen didn’t know the wreath went up. We drove by about five in the evening and didn’t see it. So we went on home. Easter started cooking, and I started a crossword,” Wilma said, setting their purses next to Cora’s. She checked on Kelly Faye snuggled under the blanket and then looked at Emmalee. “About ten o’clock we got a telephone call from the preacher.”

“That’s right,” Easter said. “He wanted us to know he had talked to Leona’s sister Tempa and she won’t be coming. She hadn’t been well and didn’t think she could make the trip.” Easter placed the casserole on the dining room table with the other food a few feet from the casket. “Didn’t really surprise me or Wilma. Neither one of us expected her to show. Those two never got along too well, even when they were little. Tempa always thought she was a bit too good for Cullen.”

“Now, Easter, we don’t know all that. Tempa’s got a real bad knee. And Virginia’s a long ways from here. Could be just bad timing,” Wilma said and stroked Emmalee’s chin. “You feeling okay, hon?” Emmalee nodded and hugged Wilma a second time.

“Yeah, well, flying off a mountain on the way to church supper is real bad timing,” Easter said and rolled her eyes. “Preacher did say she offered to send a dress down if her sister needed one. But I told him there was no need since Leona was already wearing the prettiest dress I’d ever seen.”

Emmalee’s eyes brightened. She looked over at Kelly Faye, who was starting to squirm in Cora’s arms.

“When you feed her last, honey?” Cora asked.

Kelly fussed some more. She kicked her legs and stiffened her tiny back, but Emmalee did not let go of Wilma’s arm. Her eyes narrowed as she looked past Cora and into the next room.

“Emmalee, you hear Cora?” Wilma asked.

Emmalee nodded. “Yes, ma’am. But Mettie. She’s here.”

Mettie and Runt were speaking with the preacher. They were surrounded by a herd of other women and men
who had come to pay their respects. Emmalee watched as Mettie leaned in close to the preacher’s ear. He smiled and shook Runt’s hand.

Cora turned the baby in her lap, resting her against her own thick tummy. “Sh. Sh. Sh. There you go, baby girl. She knows people are talking about her.”

“I’m going to feed her before she starts bawling,” Emmalee said and stepped in front of Cora. She reached for the baby. “Miss Fulton don’t like to hear her crying down here.”

“That’s what I been telling you. This girl’s hungry,” Cora said.

Emmalee scooped Kelly Faye into her arms and hurried toward the kitchen door.

“Emmalee,” Runt called out. “I want to talk to you.” Runt and Mettie hurried past Wilma, Easter, and Cora and the two black caskets by the growing mound of flowers.

Emmalee turned her back to the swinging door and clutched Kelly Faye tighter against her chest. “You ain’t taking my baby from me, Mettie.”

“Calm down,” Runt said in a low voice. Cora wiggled her body out of the velvet chair and stood behind Runt and Mettie. “We ain’t here to take her. We’re here to say our good-byes to Leona and Curtis. That’s all.”

But Mettie raised her hands, her palms facing up. “Can’t her aunt hold her? Just for a minute?”

“No,” Emmalee said, her tongue sounding sharp. “No, you can’t. And you ain’t her aunt no more. Never have been.”

Mettie dropped her hands, and her arms fell rigid by
her side. “Runt, take care of this,” she said, her expression turned cross.

“Take care of what, Mettie?” Cora asked. “Lord, I’ve never seen one bitty baby cause such a fuss in all my life.”

“Excuse me,” Mrs. Fulton interrupted as she pushed her head into the living room from behind the kitchen door. “Emmalee, can I see you for a minute?” she asked, her tone sounding saccharine.

Emmalee kept her eyes on Mettie and Runt as she slipped backward into the kitchen. “Thank you, Mrs. Fulton.”

“For what?”

“For getting me out of there.”

Mrs. Fulton turned to the sink and pulled a small glass pitcher from the soapy water. “I told you I don’t want a scene in my house. Get upstairs and take that baby with you.”

L
EONA

O
LD
L
ICK

Two Weeks Ago

“Hush little baby, don’t say a word,”
Leona hummed as she stood in front of the closet in what was meant to be her son’s bedroom. In all the years of living in the trailer, Leona never thought of this room any other way.
“Mama’s going to buy you a mockingbird.”

She stepped back so she could take a better look at the baby things stored there—clothes, high chair, a couple of Little Golden books—all things intended for Curtis, Jr. Leona had never thrown out any of it, guessing other babies would come along. Then after a while, she couldn’t imagine these things not there, including the soft blue gown buttoned onto a plastic hanger resting on a hook on the back of the closet door. She had made another gown much like this but had buried Curtis, Jr., in it long ago.

Leona had driven all the way to Chattanooga to buy the fabric for the baby’s gown, determined to find more
than the inexpensive cottons and poly blends surely available in Cullen or Jasper. She had even spent a few dollars more on a pattern from the Butterick book instead of making one out of newspaper as she would have otherwise done. She wanted the baby to have a couple of special things to wear for going to church. Curtis insisted on driving her over the mountain. He didn’t want her behind the wheel of the truck then with her belly so full.

Now all these years later, Leona had worked the tiny pearl buttons set on the back of the gown between her fingers and lifted it from its hanger. She was excited to welcome a new baby into her home and pictured Kelly Faye wearing this dress, even if it was blue. Maybe she’d make a frilly new bonnet to go with it.

“Leona, what are you doing in here?” Curtis asked. He tapped lightly on the bedroom door. “You okay?”

“I think I am, Curtis,” Leona said. “But I do need to talk to you.” She sat down on the bed and patted the mattress next to her.

“You’re scaring me, Ona.”

“Don’t mean to be. Nothing bad has happened. In fact, I think it might be something good.” Curtis sat down, and Leona placed her hand on his knee. “You know Emmalee had a baby, a little girl, about six or seven weeks ago.”

“Of course, I do,” Curtis said. “Pretty dramatic entrance into the world. Think everyone in Cullen heard about it.”

“Well, Emmalee needs help, Curtis. She needs a lot of help.” Leona picked up a pillow off the bed and pulled it against her stomach. “I think she’s really struggling to care for the baby on her own. She lost her mama when she was so young, and, the thing is, I want her to come
here. I want Emmalee to come here and stay with us for a while.”

Curtis rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. “How long you talking about, Ona?”

“I don’t know. Don’t want to put a date on it.” She hugged the pillow tighter.

Curtis pulled his clenched hands underneath his chin. Leona stood and dropped the pillow on the bed. She walked to the window and looked out over the bluff. “The valley always seems so pretty from up here, don’t it? Almost perfect. Like I could see all the way to Kentucky.” She smiled and turned to find Curtis smiling sweetly back at her. “But nothing about living down there is pretty or perfect for Emmalee.”

“Have you been down there to the Bullards’ place without telling me, Ona?” Curtis asked. “Have you already asked her to come?”

Leona kept her gaze fixed on the valley. “I had to, Curtis. I had to see her for myself.” She walked back to the closet, the blue gown in her hand. “But Nolan met me outside and ran me off. And I’ve been worried sick about that girl ever since. I can’t leave her there. I can’t. Not sure that baby will make it if I do. Not sure either one of them will make it.”

Curtis followed Leona across the room. She leaned into him, and he took her left hand in his, careful to avoid the fresh blister brewing on her index finger. “You’re a good woman, Leona Lane, and I know you want to help this girl.”

“I do want to help her, Curtis. I really do.”

“Well, I’m going to be honest with you.” Curtis kissed
Leona’s hand. “Runt’s been real concerned about Emmalee and the baby, but Nolan is so fiery about everything he said the only way he could help was if he made a legal claim to her. He said Mettie wanted to take the baby from the start.”

“But that ain’t their baby to take, Curtis. Emmalee loves that girl. I know she does. She just can’t do it on her own,”

“I hear you. But are you doing this for the right reason?”

Leona looked up at Curtis and pulled her hand away. “What other reason could I be doing it for?”

Curtis stared toward the hanger and then back at Leona.

“I need to know you’re doing this for Emmalee, not for you. I need to know you aren’t trying to fill that hole in your heart with someone else, even if it is a teenaged girl and her baby. So I’m going to ask you again, who you doing it for?”

Leona’s eyes grew teary, but she did not cry. She pulled Curtis’s arm across her middle. “It feels good here, Curtis. Right here. I ain’t lying to you about that.”

Curtis drew Leona deeper into his embrace and kissed her cheek. “If Abraham and Sarah could do it, I guess we can too.”

Leona laughed real soft. “We ain’t that old, Curtis Lane.” She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, still fingering one of the gown’s tiny pearl buttons.

The next morning, Curtis drove the truck to the small house at the far back of Red Chert, careful to navigate the narrow path, deeply rutted and muddy from recent rains. The trees hugged the small piece of land around the house, and it felt wetter and colder back there.
“Things ain’t changed much,” Curtis said as he pulled close to the front door.

“Wait for me here,” Leona said.

“Are you sure, Ona?”

“I’m certain of it. That old coot don’t scare me. Besides, you’ll be right here if I need you.”

Leona walked around the front of the truck, staring at the diapers and undershirts hanging on a short line. She climbed onto the runningboard and motioned for Curtis to roll down his window. She leaned in. “Thank you,” she said and kissed his cheek. She jumped down and hopped from left to right as she made her way to the door, dodging the mud and dirty pools of water.

“Emmalee, it’s Leona. I want to talk to you. Only take a minute of your time.” Leona knocked hard on the door, and the sound echoed in the holler. She touched the broken-down refrigerator, remembering it all these years later. “Emmalee, please open the door. It’s Leona, and I need to talk to you right quick.”

The door swung open, only far enough for Leona to see Emmalee’s face.

“Hey there. I come by to check on you. And the baby. Can I come in?”

Emmalee hesitated. She scanned the hills in front of the house before stepping outside. She pulled her sweater across her chest and nodded at Curtis sitting in the pickup. He nodded back. “Look. I appreciate the visit, Miss Leona, but Nolan’s real funny about people coming around here.”

“I won’t stay long. Me and Curtis, we got something we want to ask you is all,” Leona said. “I know you’re here alone. I mean raising that baby on your own, and
we got a room.” Leona pointed to Curtis. “It ain’t much, but we want you to come and live with us. You can stay as long as you want. Curtis and I done talked about it.”

Emmalee looked past Leona, setting her attention on the hillside in front of her.

“I guess it sounds crazy coming out of the blue like this,” Leona said. “But I’ve been thinking about it since the day Kelly Faye was born. I know it ain’t easy mothering on your own.” Leona paused and glanced back at Curtis. “Well, I can only imagine it ain’t easy.”

Emmalee ran her hand up and down her arm as if she were trying to warm herself against the cold. “You want me to come with you? Right now?”

Leona smiled. “As soon as you’re ready. But I was thinking soon. Today. Tomorrow maybe. Or the day after. Anytime.”

Emmalee glanced back inside the house and pulled the door closed behind her.

“You know I’ve been here before, Emmalee. Your mama stood right where you’re standing, but you was in her tummy. She needed someone. She needed help. I could see it in her eyes. I should have done more all those years ago. Let us help you and Kelly Faye. In a strange way, I’ll feel like I’m finally doing right by your mama.”