The Secrets of Silk (11 page)

All in due time,
she told herself.

Vernon, Jr. finally dozed off and Silk decided to lie him down on Buddy's bed, since it was too wide for the baby to accidentally roll off. While in Buddy's bedroom, Silk did some more snooping, looking through his wife's bureau drawers and examining her clothes
that were hung in the closet she shared with Buddy. Silk had to hand it Mrs. Ernestine Dixon. The deceased had been a snazzy dresser with oodles of regular clothes and maternity wear. The top shelf inside the closet was stacked with hat boxes. Silk took the boxes down and peeked inside each one. The hats were glorious, a variety of shapes and colors that were decorated with feathers, flowers, and veils.

Silk had never worn a fancy hat in her life, and she couldn't resist trying on some of the hats. She was having a good time until Bruce walked into the bedroom.

He gazed at Silk with a scowl. “Why're you messing with my mother's hats?”

“I don't think your mama would mind if I admire her hats. I'll tell you one thing, your mama sho' nuff had good taste.”

Bruce grimaced. “I hate that country way you talk.”

He was an insolent child, and Silk was so infuriated by the insult, she was of a mind to turn him over her knee and whip him so hard, he wouldn't be able to sit on his backside for a week. But common sense told her she needed Buddy's boys to like her as much as Dallas did. Forcing herself to grin and bear it, she smiled at Bruce and said, “I hope I can get rid of my accent while I'm up here visiting with y'all.”

Taken off-guard by Silk's good-natured reply, Bruce simply shrugged. And without further comment, he turned around and exited his father's bedroom.

It was time to get dressed and start her babysitting duties, but she had nothing to wear except Clara's dowdy, old dress. She longed to select something from Buddy's wife's wardrobe but decided against it.
All in due time.

Bruce and Myron were playing in the neatly mowed backyard that was filled with well-kept shrubs, bushes, and flowers and in the center of it all was a swing set and a sliding board. Like their dead mother, the Dixon children were spoiled rotten. Silk watched the boys with a frown for a few moments, and then joined Dallas in the living room to watch television.

Silk was in seventh heaven as she watched cartoons with Dallas. She wasn't sure what she enjoyed more, the entertaining commercials or the actual televised programs. Turning the dial and clicking from one channel to the next was a wonderful new experience. At home, she and Big Mama didn't even have a battery-operated radio. Big Mama didn't have any interest in entertainment or current events. Her own small world was all that mattered to her.

The cartoon went off and the opening music began to play, announcing a game show called
Queen for a Day.
Silk settled into a comfortable position on the sofa. At the same time that the host asked the audience and television viewers, “Would YOU like to be queen for a day?” there were three sharp knocks on the front door.

“Aw, shoot. Somebody picked a heck of a time to drop by for a visit,” Silk complained as she rose from the sofa, aggravation creasing her brow. When she opened the front door and found Sister Beverly and a moose-faced, younger woman standing on the welcome mat holding large Tupperware containers, Silk was tempted to slam the door in their faces and return to the TV program.

“Hello, Satin,” Sister Beverly said. She wore a large hat with lots of netting and flowery ornaments dangling around the brim. “I don't see Buddy's car in the driveway, so I suppose he's out handling funeral business.”

“My name is Silk, not Satin.”

Sister Beverly placed her hand to her mouth as she chuckled in
mock embarrassment. “Excuse me, dear. I was close, though. I knew your name had something to do with a soft fabric.”

Silk wasn't amused. “Buddy and Clara are at the hospital, visiting the twins,” she said sullenly.

“Those poor little babies,” Sister Beverly said, shaking her head and clucking her tongue. “Hopefully, Buddy won't stay single too long. When the appropriate amount of time has passed, he's going to need a good woman by his side.” She nodded toward the unattractive woman standing next to her. “This is my niece, Henrietta. After she graduated high school, she started working as a clerk typist at the Bell Telephone Company. This girl is smart as a whip and she can cook up a storm.” Sister Beverly pushed her way into the living room. “Henrietta made Buddy's favorite: neck bones and beans. I made chicken and dumplings for the children. That was one of their mother's specialties and I thought it might put a smile on their faces. Where're the boys and how're they holding up?” Sister Beverly asked.

“They're playing in the backyard, and they're doing as well as can be expected,” Silk replied.

“What about Dallas?” Sister Beverly nudged her head in Dallas' direction and beckoned Henrietta and Silk to follow her into the kitchen. “It's a good thing you're looking after Dallas for now, but after you go back down South that child is going to need the company of a woman. Being the only girl in the family, she's going to need a mother much more so than the boys do.”

“I thought her mama gave birth to twin girls,” the moose-faced niece chimed in.

“Nobody expects those babies to make it, God bless their little souls. They only weigh a couple pounds each.” Sister Beverly shook her head and then motioned for Henrietta. “Get moving, Henrietta.
Put the neck bones in the Frigidaire. Grab an apron and start heating up the chicken and dumplings for the children's lunch.” Sister Beverly pointed to a row of hooks on the wall, one of which held a red-and-white apron.

Silk had hoped the women would drop the food off and skedaddle, and she was none too pleased with them sticking around.

Glimpsing Silk's resentful expression, Henrietta began to awkwardly fuss with the lid of the plastic container. “Sorry to barge in on you like this, and I hope you don't mind us poking around in the kitchen,” she said apologetically.

“Why would she mind?” Sister Beverly butted in. “These kids will starve if we Christian folk don't pitch in and help keep food on the table. I want you to start getting comfortable in this kitchen because after Buddy's sister and Silk leave town, he's going to need all the help he can get with feeding those poor, motherless children of his. Buddy's a widower now, and he'll fall out of the Lord's favor if he stays single too long.”

Both Henrietta and Silk shot Sister Beverly puzzled glances.

“It's in the Bible. Proverbs 18:22 says,
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. I
t's my Christian duty to help Buddy find a suitable wife, and my niece, Henrietta has all the qualifications.”

Silk could feel her anger rising. She'd staked her claim on Buddy and had already put down a deposit last night. Sister Beverly, with her big-hat-wearing, sanctimonious self was intruding on Silk's territory, and Silk was too high-spirited to simply stand back and take it.

Choosing her words carefully, Silk spoke in a calm tone. “Buddy's worried sick about those little babies, and he's grieving something terrible over the sudden loss of his wife. Finding a new wife is the
last thing on his mind right now. I'm sure your niece understands,” Silk said, glancing from Sister Beverly to Henrietta.

“Yes, indeed. I understand,” Henrietta readily agreed. “I heard a man should mourn his wife for a full year before he takes a new bride.”

“That's ridiculous. Where the devil did you hear that crap, Henrietta?” Perturbed, Sister Beverly set the chicken and dumplings on the countertop with a bang.

Silk eased the Tupperware from Henrietta's hands. “On Buddy's behalf, thank you for your kindness, but I think it's best if you two run along. His wife isn't even in the ground yet; it's much too soon for him to even think about getting hitched.”

Sister Beverly snorted. “Young lady, you're overstepping your boundaries. What gives you the right to tell us what to do when you 're nothing more than a charity case. You're staying here because you don't have a pot to piss in nor a window to throw it out.”

Hearing Sister Beverly's voice rise, Dallas meandered into the kitchen and leaned against Silk. Silk put a comforting arm around the child as she addressed Sister Beverly. “It's true, I suffered a terrible misfortune, and I intend to repay Buddy for his wonderful hospitality. After I return to Louisiana, my life will return to normal when my beau and I announce our engagement. He's training to be a doctor,” Silk said to impress Henrietta.

“A doctor!” Henrietta's voice was filled with awe.

“Yes, and I have a teaching degree. Since things didn't work out here, I've decided to accept the position I was offered back home. Buddy understands that my current financial straits are only temporary. My future doctor husband and I will pay him back for his generosity.” It was difficult for Silk to use good grammar when she was on the verge of cursing Sister Beverly out.

“Oh, you're going to pay Buddy back, huh. I'll believe it when I see it,” Sister Beverly said with her lips screwed to one side. “Come on, Henrietta; let's go. We don't stick around ill-mannered folks.” She glanced down at Dallas. “Honey, make sure you let your daddy know that Sister Beverly and her niece, Henrietta, stopped by with lunch and dinner for the family.”

“Okay,” Dallas said meekly.

With her niece in tow, Sister Beverly left in a huff.

Peeking through the curtains, Silk could hear Sister Beverly grumbling as she stood on the front porch adjusting her hat and straightening her clothes. “I feel like I've been battling with the daughter of Satan,” Sister Beverly said to Henrietta.

“She seemed nice,” Henrietta replied. “She's real pretty, too.”

“Don't be fooled by her pretty face. That girl is sneaky and up to no good. I can feel it in my bones.”

“You shouldn't say things like that, Auntie. She was as sweet as pie, and she did have a point about giving Buddy time to grieve.”

“Don't be so naïve, Henrietta. Buddy earns good money. He's the only colored supervisor at the shipbuilding plant. I plan to make it my business to see to it that you get your hooks into him before other folks start parading their sisters, cousins, and daughters in front of him.”

Buddy's already taken; I beat everybody to the punch,
Silk thought as she discreetly closed the curtains. Smiling in satisfaction, she patted Dallas on the shoulder. “I heard you like chicken and dumplings, is that right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, I got some for you. Have a seat at the table while I heat up some lunch for us. I'll call your devilish brothers in after we finish eating.” Silk smiled at Dallas and whispered conspiratorially,
“This is our special time. We don't like spending it with noisy, bad boys, do we?”

Crinkling her nose as she smiled, Dallas shook her head in agreement.

Silk took the red-and-white apron off the hook and tied it around her waist. The kitchen appliances sparkled like new, and the linoleum floor held a high-shine. Like the other rooms in the house, the kitchen was modern and decorated tastefully, reminding Silk of the white folks' kitchens she'd stood in while delivering Big Mama's potions.

Humming, Silk transferred the chicken and dumplings into a pot, and turned the burner on the stove. “Hot dog!” Silk exclaimed when the flame popped up. The indoor plumbing and electricity she was enjoying at Buddy's house was a dream come true, and the gas stove she was cooking on was a luxury she hadn't even considered back when she was making plans to run off to a better life with Nathan Lee.

Happily, she rummaged around in the refrigerator, looking for a vegetable to go with the main dish. She selected a sealed bowl that some church member had thoughtfully labeled with a strip of masking tape that read: “mustard greens.”
This is my kitchen now, and I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I learned a thing or two about cooking, but in the meantime, I'm content to stir the pots filled with other folks' cooking.

O
n the back porch, Clara and Silk sat on the metal glider drinking lemonade while the children ran around the yard, trying to catch lightning bugs. For the kind of person who enjoyed a peaceful lifestyle, tonight would be considered a lovely evening. But Silk was bored. She'd never been too fond of tranquility; she'd always gotten a kick out of stirring up trouble and shaking things up.

Inside the house, Buddy and three men from his job were gathered in the dining room. The guys had come over to help Buddy forget his troubles, and they were all laughing and talking as they drank hard liquor. The low rumble sound of their deep voices seemed to beckon Silk.

She'd much rather be inside with the menfolk, flirting, throwing down drinks, and causing a ruckus. It wasn't uncommon for men to come to blows when they were vying for her affection. She wondered how Buddy would react if one of his friends tried to make time with her. He was such an even-tempered man, it was hard to imagine him puffed up and enraged. The idea of it tickled her.