Tender Graces (11 page)

When the chicken was ready, she opened the screen door to call in Uncle Arville and Micah to supper. They didn’t answer and Aunt Ruby’s mouth straightened out as far as it could with those turned up ends. She said, “Stupider’n my big toe.”

Just like Momma, she had changing moods. In her happy times, Aunt Ruby showed me how to sew on her Singer. She said she sewed all her clothes, ever since she was a schoolgirl. And when we’d get the clothes off the line, she taught me how to fold towels just right. She’d snap the towels and jabber about beauty secrets. How she rubbed egg white on her face, slooped mayonnaise and raw egg in her hair. I liked listening to her when she wasn’t drunk-mean, except when she talked about Momma, like she started on right then.

She covered the chicken and put on her girls-have-secrets look. “Men don’t know jack-flat shit, girl. You rememorize what I tell you.”

I nodded.

“Yep, and they’s stupider than worms. Don’t you be letting men get at you, you hear? Aunt Ruby knows all about men.” She stared at me with one eyebrow raised up so high I thought it had crawled up in her hair. “That momma of your’n could tell you a thing or two about nasty men. They’s been on her since she was your age.”

I looked out the screen door for Micah.

“Just like your momma, you’ll end up flat on your back humping men from now ‘til Kingdom Damn Comes. Whether you ask for it or not.” She reached over and pinched my cheek. “I almost feel a mite sorry for you.” Then her mood topsy-flopped again. “Now, go get your wild brother and that sorry husband of mine in t’supper. I been working my ass off, so git!”

I headed to the door.

“Don’t you be dwaddling ’round either.”

I went by the woods and hollered for Micah. I didn’t want him missing supper again. Aunt Ruby’s food made everybody sleepy and quiet, even Aunt Ruby. I opened my mouth to yell again, but Micah’s whisper pulled me up in a knot.

“Vee, I’m up here.”

“Where?”

“Up in the crab apple tree.” Branches rattled.

I looked up to see his legs hanging from a limb.

“What’re you doing up there?”

“I’m hiding.”

“Come down, Aunt Ruby’ll get mad.”

“I’m coming.”

When he came down, I asked, “Why’re you hiding?”

“Can’t tell you.”

“Well, Aunt Ruby wants us right now. Come on.” I grabbed his hand and pulled. Micah stopped, so I rolled my eyes and pulled. “Come
on
, Micah.”

I’d never seen him look so woogly. “I feel sick, Vee. I think I gotta vomit.” He pushed his hand in his hair. “I don’t want to eat.”

“Aunt Ruby said to come.” I pulled him again. “Aunt Ruby said to get you and Uncle Arville to supper. She said
now
.”

He looked at the shed. “Can’t get him.”

“We can bang on the door, stupid idiot.”

“He can’t hear you.”

“Are we in trouble again?” My lower lip shook so I bit it.

Micah whispered. “We might be.”

“What’d we do, Micah? What?” I bit my lip harder and tasted blood.

“Go tell Aunt Ruby you can’t find Uncle Arville, ’kay?”

“But, I don’t—”

“—go do it!” Micah pushed me, then ran to the edge of the woods and leaned over.

A stream of vomit came out of Micah’s mouth, and I felt cold cold inside. I stepped to go to him, then I stepped to go to Aunt Ruby, then I stepped to the shed where the radio played loud country and western. I pushed the door, but it was locked. I had a weird whispery feeling come over me. The shed grew brighter and brighter. My head filled up with Grandma’s voice saying, “Get Away From There! Now!” I turned to Micah to see if he heard, but he was coming at me with his hair stuck up on end, his mouth going “No, Vee, no, no.”

I ran to the back door like Micah told me to in the first place, and said through the screen, “Uncle Arville won’t come to supper and the door’s locked.”

She flew out cussing up a black storm and ran to the shed. Micah looked at me with Rambler hubcap eyes.

Aunt Ruby reached under a rock, grabbed the key, unlocked the door, and went inside.

The whisper in my head said, “It’s going to be okay. It’s all going to be okay,” and it was a sweet lullaby. My whole body felt warm. I grabbed Micah’s hand so he could feel it, too.

Aunt Ruby ran out with blood all over her hands and the front of her dress. She screamed, “He’s dead! He’s dead! Lord God Almighty, help me.” She fell to the ground.

Micah said, “Don’t go in there, Vee. You hear?”

I nodded, and I meant it.

He ran off around the house and was gone. My feet stayed stuck as I stared at Aunt Ruby on the ground shaking her head back and forth. I listened for Grandma’s whisper again, but all I heard was the knocking of a sapsucker.

Micah came back with a big round man. He went to Aunt Ruby, and Micah stood by me again. Our arms touched; his was cold. Aunt Ruby pointed to the shed, her mouth opening and closing. When he helped her up, there was a spot of blood on the grass I couldn’t keep my eyes from. The man helped Aunt Ruby into the house, came back out and went into the shed. From inside, I heard, “Oh shit and mercy!” He came running out, wet up with sweat. “Don’t go in there, kids. Christ Jesus.” The round man closed the door and leaned against it while talking to himself.

Micah said something low, but all I heard was, “ . . . an accident.”

I looked at him.

There were ghosts in his eyes.

The man came over to us, scrubbing at his face. “Both of you come inside with me.”

Micah looked as if all the blood went right out of his body and into the ground. He bent over and vomited right on the man’s shoes. He straightened and wiped his mouth, said, “I’m sorry, Mister.”

“It’s okay, son.” He handed Micah a handkerchief.

We trudged into the kitchen while my stomach loop-de-loo’ed with thinking how Aunt Ruby would surely blame us for whatever happened. She was wailing up a river in the living room.

With a grunt, the man got on his knees in front of us. He touched Micah’s eye. He looked at my hair. His mouth made a straight line that he pushed the words through. “What in Lord’s name?” Looking towards the living room, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then said, “We’ll get your parents here.”

My heart flew up to the sky like a bird.

Micah said, “Yes, please.”

The man stood up and talked to himself again. “I knew things was wrong over here.”

“We could stay with you, if you can’t find Momma and Daddy.” I put on my best face.

“My God. Lord above.” He grabbed the phone and dialed, said, “It’s me, honey.” He wrapped the cord around his hand. “Call them boys, then come over quick.” He hung up and we followed behind him to the living room where Aunt Ruby lay on her couch, drinking straight from the bottle. The man stood over her with his arms crossed over his chest. “What happened here?”

She glugged from the bottle, burped, then said, “I sent my sister’s girl out to fetch him so his food wouldn’t get cold. Oh my lord, Boyd.”

Boyd said, “I got the po-lice called over to this crazy house.”

Micah made a mouse-squeak sound.

The door opened before Aunt Ruby could spew cusses—I saw the way the corners of her mouth turned, saw her eyes shoot x-ray beams on Boyd, then on us. A woman with brown eyes and spit curls walked in. I thought she looked like the best grandma, one where all the kids sat on her lap and ate her homemade sugar cookies. Like Grandma Faith would be, except my grandma was prettier, even if she was a ghost.

The woman looked over at us. “What in the world’s happened here?”

Boyd went to her and whispered in her ear while she stood with her mouth part-a-ways open.

He turned to Aunt Ruby, “Ruby? You going to explain?”

Ruby curled her lip like a cur dog.

Boyd came over and touched Micah and me on the shoulders. “Go on with Helen, wee ones, and let her fix you up a plate of food.” His hands were big and scratchety. I pictured him cutting wood for the fire while Helen cooked good food. I pictured them eating it together, holding their forks with one hand and each other’s hands with the other. “And call their parents.”

Helen led us to the kitchen, tsk-tsking under her breath. She didn’t call at first; she was listening to Aunt Ruby carry on, same as me.

The bottle thudded on the table. “Dead! Up and dead on me! He was drunk on that damned Old Crow.”

Boyd said something I couldn’t hear. Micah stared out of the back door at the shed. Sirens screamed up the road.

Aunt Ruby was saying, “ . . . and he must-a fell off’n the second level. He landed on that old rusted-out pole. Weren’t any tires on it to stop it from going right through his belly. I could see his guts, oh lord help me! His eyes was bulgy and blood coming out his mouth and nose and ears! Oh, what will I tell Pooter-Boy?”

The sirens were right outside. The police only needed to look for the ugliest house with broken-down cars in the front.

Helen turned around and asked, “Micah, that’s your name isn’t it?”

The sirens stopped.

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Do you know your phone number? And tell me your last name.”

Micah told her and she dialed.

My breath stayed inside, filling up my head until it was light. Momma or Daddy had to answer.

Someone was knocking at the door.

Helen said, “Mrs. Carey?”

I let out all my breath. Momma had answered the phone. She was at home.

Boyd went outside. Micah and I sat with our hands in our laps, waiting.

Helen said, “You need to come quick. Arville’s been in a horrible accident.” She looked at us. “Yes, so to speak.” Then she hung up.

While Boyd was outside talking to the police, Micah shook like I’d never seen him, even when Momma and Daddy were in the worst fights. Helen went over and hugged him hard. She said, “You precious things look like you’ve been in a heap of hurt.”

I nodded. I wanted Fionadala to hold on to.

She sighed and held on to Micah.

“We’re okay,” Micah said, but he didn’t push Helen away.

Boyd came back in the kitchen. “Bob and his boys are here.”

Helen smiled at us and I saw how crooked her teeth were, but I didn’t care. She said, “Well, I’ll get some supper warmed.”

Another siren screamed, and then the noise stopped outside. Aunt Ruby gabbered to nobody and burped some more. Boyd went outside again, and I went to peek out of the screen door. Policemen and other men went in and out of the shed.

“Sweet girl, you come help me,” Helen said.

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

I grabbed a spoon and stirred the potatoes until they were steamy again. I picked up the pie and set it on the table. Micah stuck his finger in the cherry filling, looked at it, and then wiped it on his jeans. There was a pot of green beans getting hot and bubbly, so I put butter in, like I’d seen Aunt Ruby do. I sliced up the bread. Helen made sure I didn’t cut myself. Boyd came in and told Aunt Ruby to go outside with him.

She said, “I ain’t got nothing to say. I’m tired. Want to stay on the couch.”

Boyd said with a crunchy gravel voice, “Get up, woman.”

Aunt Ruby whooshed out her air, said, “I’m coming; you ain’t got to be such a sonuvabitch.”

I took the beans to the table and when I turned, I saw men come out of the shed with a covered lump. Helen closed the door, even though it would get hot with no air coming inside. She said, “Let’s get this table filled up.” While I put the plates on the table, I heard Aunt Ruby outside, hollering. “You taking him now? Taking him away?” She bawled like a banshee.

Boyd came back, washed his hands in the sink, and sat back at the table without saying a word. Soon as the sirens headed away, Aunt Ruby was back inside in a flash; bumping around a bit before she was finally quiet.

We were busy with food, hands and plates going everywhere. I hoped Aunt Ruby stayed in the living room so we could be with Boyd and Helen. I had my hope. None of us hardly touched the food, but we tried. Micah sat and stared at the grease soaking into the potatoes. All I cared about was Momma and Daddy coming. Everything would be good since Momma and Daddy had their vacation to fix what was broken.

I was a stupid little hick girl with no good sense.

Chapter 10

I’ll be waiting

Boyd and Helen waited with us until Daddy came, alone. He looked itchy standing in Aunt Ruby’s living room. Aunt Ruby didn’t stir at all while Daddy, Boyd, and Helen all whispered by the door.

Daddy finally turned to take a look at us, and his eyes went round. “What in the hell happened here?”

“What I said.” Boyd stuck his hands in his pockets. “We’re leaving. Let us know if you need anything.”

All a sudden, I wanted to go home with Helen and Boyd forever. Helen came over to hug us hard before leaving. As the door closed us in, I heard her say, “Oh, those poor babies . . . ”

Aunt Ruby almost fell off the couch trying to get up. She gave up and stayed partly flopped over. “My husband’s dead. Horrible dead. Blood ever-where. See! It’s still on my shirt. Guts ever-where.”

Daddy stood over her. “What did you do to my children?”

“I ain’t got time for them young’uns now. I got a funeral to see after.”

Daddy bunched up his fists. “What did you do to them, you crazy bitch?”

Aunt Ruby snarled back like a dog. “My husband got hisself gutted, that’s all I got to worry over.”

“You hell hound! Look at them, look at my children.” Daddy pointed to us while we stood trying not to look back at the big lump of Aunt Ruby sprawled on the couch.

“You want to start up with that when you and my sister dumped them brats on me? I don’t have time for this shit. I got the life-insurance people to call.” She stared back at Daddy and burped long and nasty.

I wanted Daddy to scream at Aunt Ruby. I even wanted him to hit the dog snot out of her.

Instead, he huffed out his air, and said to us, “Come on. Let’s get out of this dump. Leave your stuff here.”

“You better get out. And I’ll be throwing all that shit away soon as you leave.”  Aunt Ruby wobbly-stepped down the hall.

Daddy turned fast and hard and walked out the front door.