Raney (18 page)

II

The subject of me working came up at Sunday dinner at Mama's just before I went to work on Monday. Aunt Naomi, Aunt Flossie, Norris, and Mary Faye were there, and so was Preacher Gordon. Mama invites him about twice a year. I like him a lot but Charles seems a little less certain.

Preacher Gordon asked the blessing of course
—
a right long one
—
and we started passing the food around. While he helped his plate, Preacher Gordon talked about the family that had come down during the invitation that morning. They transferred their letter and rededicated their lives to Christ
—
except for their teenage son. His hair was about dragging the floor. They were from Maryland, I think. Moved here to work at the new G.E. plant. Charles has been going to church more regular lately and was there that morning. The secret is not to ask him to go. He's also been talking to Mr. Ford and Mr. Clawson after the service about fishing in their ponds. I told him if they said okay to be sure to ask them to go with him when he went. You can tell they like the attention Charles gives them about fishing.

Aunt Naomi, while she's passing the cornbread, says, "What's this I hear about you working at the store, Raney?"

I wondered, from the tone of her voice, what she was getting at. "That's right," I said. "Part time, for a while anyway. I was getting bored at home and that store needs a woman's touch, inside at least."

"I been bored at home plenty times
myself
," says Aunt Naomi. "But you know, when you think about it, there's more than enough to do around a house
—
if it's done right I mean
—
to keep a body busy."

"It sure is," I said. "But Charles helps me."

"Well, you know, I mean stuff a woman needs to do." Aunt Naomi was salting her mashed potatoes.

Norris took Mary Faye's biscuit. She grabbed at it and Mama made him give it back.

"I think a man can do anything a woman can do in the home," said Charles. "As long as the woman will turn loose and let him." Charles looked at me and
squinted
his eyes.

"That's fine and good," says Aunt Naomi. "I agree there is a
place
for a husband in the home
—
helping out some, but...." She looked around and settled on Preacher Gordon. "I mean some of this getting out of our places is what you preached about that Sunday, Preacher Gordon
—
Charles, I don't think you were there
—
about all that's going on out in society these days."

"Well," Preacher Gordon said. He laughed. "That's right, but Raney said 'part time.' She's probably not considering leaving the home full time, especially if she and Charles decide to have some little ones."

"I have a question for you about that," says Charles.

"Sure," says Preacher Gordon.

Mama says, "Now I want us to enjoy our dinner. Maybe we ought to talk about something else."

There was a pause.

"These biscuits are delicious, Doris," said Preacher Gordon. "And everything else. MMMummm."

"He's just going to ask a question," says Aunt Flossie.

"I think it's all right to talk about it," I said.

"I just hate to talk about politics at the dinner table," says Mama.

"This ain't politics, Mama," I said.

"Well, whatever."

"What's your question?" asks Aunt Flossie.

"I was wondering," says Charles to Preacher Gordon, "suppose Raney and I had a full time job each,
and
a
baby. Not that we will, but suppose. I'm just wondering how you relate that set-up to the scriptures, Mr.
Gordon?
Or do you?"

"Well, I'll be happy to talk about that," said Preacher Gordon. "And to also give some indication of how
—
"

"You didn't get the pickle dish, did you?" says Aunt Naomi, handing the pickle dish to Preacher Gordon. She was across from him.

"Yes, I did. I don't care for any
—
well,
maybe I'll take one of these."

"They're the sweet. Do you like the sweet?"

"Oh, yes. And to, ah, give some indication, Charles, of
how
I go about answering a question like that for myself."

"Dill is my favorite," says Aunt Naomi.

I hadn't thought about Charles and me both working and having a baby all at the same time, but if something happened to Daddy.... Charles does not make a very big salary at the college. So I was interested in what Preacher Gordon had to say. I had missed that sermon too, I think. It must have been the Sunday we left after Sunday
School
to go to Williamsburg. Charles had insisted we leave after Sunday
School
.

"First I go to the Bible," says Preacher Gordon. "I have to either find a direct answer itself or a firm foundation for an answer which I would hope I could find in the life of Jesus. It's surprising how much territory the parables and the Sermon on the Mount cover. Then, of course, there are the letters of Paul and so forth."

"So how would you relate this hypothetical case I just mentioned to the scriptures?" asks
Charles.

"Doris, did you put lemon in the tea?" says Aunt Naomi.

"Naomi, let him finish," said Aunt Flossie.

"Yes, I did," said Mama. "Did you want lemon in your tea, Preacher Gordon?"

"Oh, yes. I've got some, I believe."

"I just couldn't see any," says Aunt Naomi. "Oh, there it is, under your ice. Oh my,
there's
mine too! Doris, you must have put the lemon in first,
then
the ice."

"That's the way I always do it," said Mama. "That way it gets mixed in with
—
"

"Wait a minute!" I practically shouted. "I want to hear this about working. I never thought about it being in the Bible."

"Simply put," said Preacher Gordon, and wiped his mouth, "I believe the scripture is quite clear on this. The man is the head of the household, the breadwinner so to speak, and the woman is the natural mother of course, whose principal responsibility is to the home itself: especially the raising up of the children under God's word and laws. And then too we understand, or I understand, from the Old Testament that Adam was made by God, in the image of God,
for
God, and that Eve was made by God, from the man,
for
the man."

"Well, that's a clear answer," says Charles. "I mean
—
let me ask you this first: if it's clear in the scriptures, you don't have to think about it very much, do you? I mean if it's there, it's there."

"Well, yes. But I can only speak for myself."

"My problem," says
Charles,
"is that it's not all that clear to me." Charles seemed very calm. "So I've had to think about it and of course that's okay: to think about it. Right?"

I didn't know Charles had been thinking about all that. I imagine Charles thinks about several things at once sometimes.

"Certainly it's okay to think about it. That's why God gave us a mind: to use. No problem there."

"The way I see it," says Charles, "Jesus said, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' That means I have to help Raney out at home because I would have her help me out if we switched positions. But if we both worked, we'd both do the same amount of work at home. It seems only fair that way, or just. And justice is what God is all about.
I
think. That's a little more general than your interpretation."

"You know," said Aunt Naomi, "on that 'do unto others as you'd have them do unto you,' you
could
say that you ought to give somebody all your money because that's what you'd want them to do to you, but then if everybody did that, there'd be nobody to
take
any money because you wouldn't want somebody to take yours, and if the Devil could talk somebody into it, that somebody would go around taking all the money and end up the richest person in the world while everybody else was poor. We talked about that in Sunday
School
one time."

"That's not exactly what I'm talking about, somehow," said Charles. "See, Mr. Gordon, I think societal expectations play a large part in all this. For example, society sees men as fulfilling about one thousand
jobs,
and women
—
about three or four: housewives, secretaries, teachers, and nurses. That doesn't seem exactly fair to me
—
or just. It seems to me that if societal expectations are unjust then the church ought to be doing, or at least saying, something about that."

"In some ways I agree about society expectations," said Preacher Gordon. "But I worry about government expectations, too. You know, the whims of society and government shift like the sands. What's in today is out tomorrow. We need to
—
"

"Build our houses on a
rock"
says Aunt Naomi.

"God's truth has been God's truth for so long," says Mama, pointing with her fork, "and I know the joy I've felt in raising my children is a joy from God and I thank God I was able to stay home and do it. And I thank God for people like you, Preacher Gordon, who have been called to interpret the Gospel."

"I guess the whole point I wanted to make," says Charles, "is that it's not all so simple and clear to me about a man's role and a woman's role. Surely the social customs of biblical times influenced the scriptures. Wouldn't you say, Preacher Gordon?"

"Perhaps," said Preacher Gordon, "but then again, divine inspiration
has
a certain timelessness about it."

"I mean slavery didn't seem to be a burning issue back then," says Charles.

I didn't want to get into all that.

"That's why tinkering with the scriptures bothers me so much," said Mama. "All those translations. I read somewhere they had computers working on one of those new translations. That takes the cake." She got up and brought the tea jug.

I could see what Charles was talking about. I'd never thought about it before.

"I'll tell you what I don't like," says Aunt
Naomi,
"is the idea of all this government day care stuff. That's pretty much like the communists, ain't it, Preacher Gordon? Seems like we're getting more like them and they're getting more like us. They're wearing dungarees all over the place. Pretty soon we'll be all the same. That's what I'm afraid of. I heard not long ago that
England
is going communist."

"You mean 'socialist,'" says Charles. "Except they've been that way a long time."

"That was it: socialist," says Aunt Naomi. "That's what I heard
—
that they're going socialist. And did you know that they have day care centers on just about every street corner in Russia?"

"Aunt Naomi," I said. "What if all the communists started wearing green shirts. It'd be all right for me to wear one, wouldn't it?"

"Well, yes, but ... if we happened to have a war and somebody started shooting all the communists, you might get shot. You wouldn't want to wear a green shirt
then.
That's another thing: the way women are dressing like men. It's unnatural."

"How about some more cabbage, Preacher Gordon?" I said.

"Oh, no thanks. Well, maybe just a little. It's all mighty good, Doris."

We all said it sure was.

The communists didn't have a thing to do with it.

"What do you think about me working and having a baby, Daddy?" I asked.

"Jimmy Pope called me a communist," said Norris.

"Be quiet," said Mary Faye.

"Well," said Daddy, "we'll have to see about all that when the time comes. You ain't pregnant, are you?"

"Oh no."

So we didn't talk about it any more. We drifted off to talking about the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Preacher Gordon ate a lot. He's not bashful about that. Mama says that's one thing she likes about him. And he shook Charles's hand when we left and said he'd like to talk to Charles some more. I think Charles likes him better now that he's got to know him over a meal and found out he is not iron clad like Mr. Brooks
—
who threatened to stop singing in the choir because Mr. Phillips, the choir director, was against the church buying a bus. Of all things.

"Charles," I said, while we were driving home, "I wish you felt like staying a little longer on Sunday afternoons. All we're doing is sitting and talking. It really
don't
hurt, does it?"

"As a matter of fact, it does hurt. I can't just sit in one place like that for a whole afternoon and talk about, about God knows what all, or who all. I do think I like talking to Mr. Gordon, better than I thought I would, better than I like his sermons. Maybe I can start talking to him about his sermons. I'll bet nobody else in that church does. I mean really talking."

"I'm talking about Mama and them, mainly. I'd like to visit more
—
sometimes other than just on Sundays, but
—
"