Bent Creek (20 page)

Jesse pulled the truck up in front of Mabry’s store. “This here is Bent Creek. Ya’ll kin git out now.”

“Mighty grateful fer the ride,” Cooter said.  He leaned his elbows on the window, his face just a few inches from Jesse. “Maybe I’ll be seein’ you agin’ sometime.  You take care of yerself, yah heer?” He sauntered away from the truck with Nor
velle trailing behind him.

Once at home, Jesse ran into the house and told everyone what had happened. “Yep, he’s a lookin’ fer his brother and he’s a mean sumbitch, I kin tell you that right now.  He done stunk like two wet skunks in a gunny sack and I seed a big ole knife stickin’ outta his pocket.”

“You don’t worry about them, Jesse.  They ain’t gonna find Rooster so they’ll probably move along in a couply days,” Rachael said.

“I sure hope yer right, Rachael, I surely do. They wuz askin’ about Nevers.  They jest might show up out here.  They done scared the hell outta me.”

Rachael pulled her coat close to her body. Her hand shook as she put the key into the ignition and listened to the grinding sound of the truck. On the third try it started. Still shivering from the cold morning she honked the horn and waited. Jesse finally appeared in the doorway and waved to her. She had to wait on him again. Ever since he had encoun
tered Cooter and Norvelle he was hesitant about going into Lynch.

When he finally came outside and got into the truck, Rachael was fuming. “I swear, Jesse, if you don’t start gettin’ ready sooner I’m jest gonna leave without you. I’m sittin’ out here freezin’ tah death.”

“Well you jest go ahead and go.  If’n you think you kin get this load tah Lynch on yer own, do it.”

“You sure are grouchy this morning,” Rachael remarked.

“I got good reason tah be.  I’m still scart about runnin’ into them men in Lynch and tah top it all off, Ben done told me last night that he and Lily have feelins’ fer each other. Bad enuf that Ben’s a cripple and now he’s takin’ my woman from me. Jest taint fair,” Jesse grumbled.

“She’s not yer woman, Jesse.  People have a right tah make their own choices and Lily chose Ben.  I’m jest hopin’ she’s jest not feelin’ sorry fer him or thankful cause he paid fer Violet. She says not.”

“I done seed her first and then he comes along and takes her away from me. If’n he wuz standin’ on two legs I’d knock them right out from under him. And I’m gonna tell you right now, Rachael, I ain’t plannin’ on stickin’ around much longer. We got plenty of money. I’m gonna take my share and hit the road. I’m gonna buy me a truck and head up tah Lexington tah find me a new life. Alls we do here is work, work, work and then some more. It’s time fer me tah call it quits.”

“I know y
er tired of all this,” Rachael said, trying to calm him, “but it will only be a few more weeks and then we’ll all be leavin’. I promise, Jesse.  Just stick it out a few more weeks for me. We’ll be outta here before the first icicle hits the rain barrel.”

“Few more weeks and that’s it.  Ah don’t like this and I ain’t gonna do it no more.” he said. He sunk down in the seat and sulked the rest of the way to town.

Jesse helped Clyde put the bags of sugar and corn into the truck and hurriedly covered them with the tarps. Clyde went inside and handed Rachael an envelope. “I gotta tell you, Rachael, I hear tell that there are some revenuers lurkin’ about these parts. I ain’t seen them around here yet, but maybe it would be better if you come on Friday next week stead of Saturday. You know, jest in case they’re awatchin’.”

“I ain’t gonna worry about no rumor.  We’ll be comin’ on Saturday like usual. Now we gotta get.  It’s startin’ to rain.” As she started toward the truck, Billy Tate jumped out from behind the front bumper. She let out a scream.  “I swear, Billy Tate, you don’t have the sense you were born with.  Why’d you go and scare me like that?”

“Yer awful jumpy, Rachael.  You got somethin’ hidin’ in that truck.  Whar’s Nevers? Why ain’t he around anymore?” Billy asked.

“Cause he
’s sick, that’s why.” She tried to pass him by.

“What you got in that truck?” he asked again.  “Ya’ll sure do buy a lot of supplies.” Walking backward he began to lift the corner of the tarp. Rachael smacked it down with her hand. “Ain’t none of yer concern what’s in my truck.  Now move out of the way.”

Billy stood his ground and grabbed Rachael by the arm. “Don’t be so mean with me, Rachael.  Come on across the street to the drugstore. I’ll buy you a sodee.”

“I don’t want a sodee. I have tah get home a fore it starts raining harder. We got a hole in the floorboards and the water comes in the truck.” She looked around for Jesse.

Still holding on to her, Billy whined, “Aw, come on Rachael. Have a sodee with me.”

Rachael tried to pry his hand loose.  “I said…I don’t want a sodee. Let go of my arm!”

His grip grew tighter and as she struggled to free herself. She hadn’t heard someone comin’ up behind her. “The lady said to let go of her, I suggest you do so or I might have to knock out the few teeth you got left in yer head.”  Billy dropped his hands to his sides and stared into the face of the dark haired man standing in front of him.  “I know you, yer Sammy Montgomery. Yeah, that’s who you are. I’ll be damn, I ain’t seen you since we wuz in school.”

“That’s me. And here you are, still picking on the ladies. Same old Billy Tate.”

Billy threw his head back and laughed.  “As I recollect you did yer share of teasin,” he said, pointing at Rachael. “This ain’t no lady, this here is Rachael Riley.  You remember her? You used tah call her names all the time.”

“I sure do remember her,” he replied, grinning.

Rachael tried to tuck her hair behind her ears.  She knew she must look a fright in torn overalls and a coat with no buttons. She lowered her head. “Hello, Sammy, how are you?”

He turned to Billy Tate. “Are you going to keep your hands to yourself or do I have to come after you?”

Billy grinned. “I wuz jest havin’ some fun with Rachael. She never gives me the time of day.  I got to git.” He trotted off down the street.

“It’s good to see you again, Rachael.  How have you been?”

“I’m okay. What are you doin’ here in Lynch?  Thought you moved to Ohio.”

“I did. I’m back here doing some work for my com
pany. You have time for that soda, Rachael?” Sam asked.

“No, thanks, I got tah git home.  I’m jest waitin’ for Jesse. We come in town tah git some supplies, sides I look a mess. Maybe some other time, that is, if yer going to be here for a while.”

“Yeah, I’m back for a month or two.  I don’t think you’ve grown an inch since sixth grade,” he said, putting his hand above her head.

Rachael laughed. “I sure have. It’s jest that yer so tall. I see you grew into yer monkey ears.”

“Yeah, it took a while, but my head finally grew.  How about I meet you back here next Saturday afternoon and I’ll buy you something to eat to go along with that soda. We can talk about old times. Say one o’clock?” Sam asked.

She stuttered for a moment. “Yes, I’d like that.  Here comes Jesse. I’ll see you on Saturday.”

She turned her head around to watch Sam walk across the street and let out a low whistle. “Wow, he sure looks nice.”

“Who wuz that you wuz talkin’ tah?” Jesse asked.

“Sammy Montgomery. Do you remember him? He went to school with us, but he left after his father wuz kilt in the mine. His mom and him left and went somewheres in Ohio tah live with his grandparents. I’m gonna meet him next week. He’s gonna buy me a sodee and something tah eat. Kin you believe that? I think I have a date.”

“You better be careful who yer talkin’ tah, Rachael. What’s he doin’ back here anyway?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out next Saturday,” Rachael replied. She smiled all the way home.  It wasn’t until she pulled into the yard that she realized it would be impossible for her to go anywhere with Sammy. She didn’t even own a dress.  It was Lily who came to her rescue.

“Nevers bought me this green material tah make curtains for the sittin’ room, but I didn’t get round tah it.  It’s real purty, Rachael and feel how soft it is.  It’ll make a real nice dress. I even got some white lace I can use tah trim it and I’ll pull some buttons off of somewhere and fix yer coat.  Here, stand on this chair so I kin measure you.”

Jesse had walked in on the middle of their conversation. “I can’t believe you two. Why’d you have to make a dress outta curtain material when we got enuf money hidden some
wheres tah choke a horse. Rachael should go buy herself a dress.”

“Not yet, I ain’t buyin’ any dresses yet. You go on and git so we can get started. Take the truck and go down and give daddy our five dollars for the week.”

“And that’s another thang, Rachael.  Momma and daddy need more money than five dollars tah live on.”

Rachael jumped down from the chair.  “You look here, Jesse Riley, if they would get off of their behinds they could have it better. Daddy jest sits around all day doing nothin’ and so does momma. They act like they jest gave up on life.  Alls they do is wait around fer us tah help them out. He coulda set some traps or go
ne fishin’ and built a pen for them animals we gave them instead of lettin’ half of them wander off.  He coulda cut some boards tah fix the house and momma coulda had a nice little garden this year.  But no, they did nothin’. They ain’t crippled. People shouldn’t sit around and expect other people tah take care of them, even if we are their kids.”

The room was silent. Even little Violet stopped cooing as she sat on Ben’s lap. Rachael folded her arms across her chest. “Well, somebody go on and say it.  Say that I don’t have no right to talk about them like that.  Anybody here want to go back and live with them?” Lily pretended to be busy measuring the material, while Ben took Violet and wheeled himself into the bedroom. Jesse took the five dollars off the table and headed for the door. “Okay now, Lily
, let’s make that dress.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Saturday couldn’t come soon enough for Rachael.  One minute she was nervous as a cat just thinking about it
; the next minute she was laughing and enduring the teasing from the others. In her whole eighteen years no one except Billie Tate had ever taken a second look at her.  Sure the boys picked on her at school, but they did that to all the girls.

Sammy was at least four years older than her.  He had stayed in school longer than all the boys, but when his father died in a mining accident he dropped out of school and a few months later he moved away.  She still wondered why he wanted to buy her a soda. She wasn’t anyone special.

When Rachael decided to drive the truck into Lynch by herself on Saturday, she was met with a lot of grief from the others. No one thought it was a good idea, especially Ben. “What if’n the truck breaks down or what if’n somebody stops you?”

“Wouldn’t be much different if Jesse wuz with me,” she replied. “I really need tah do this.  I don’t want Jesse takin’ up my time with Sammy. I ain’t been out of this house by myself not one time since we moved here.”  She stood her ground and Ben finally relented. He looked at his little sister in her new green dress, Lily’s white sweater and polished shoes.  She wasn’t a kid anymore, but a full-grown woman.  “You be reel careful, ya heer and you be sure not to tell Sammy anythang he don’t need tah know. Now go on and git.”

Clyde was surprised when Rachael arrived early.  He was even more surprised to see her in a dress.  “You sure do look nice, Rachael. You clean up real good,” he said, grinning.

“You jest shut up old man and get this stuff off the truck. I’ll give you a dollar if you load up my supplies and let me leave the truck here fer a few hours. I got somethin’ tah do.”

“Suppose I kin do that fer you.  Looks like you brought me a good load.”

Rachael walked through the store and came out the front door just as Sammy came around the corner.  She smoothed her hair and tried to look calm, while her insides were shaking so hard she had to put her hand on her stomach to stop them.

“Hi, Rachael. Glad you could make it.  I’m real hungry. Instead of a soda at the drugstore let’s go get something to eat. Is that all right with you?”

She nodded. She had no idea if she could eat a bite, but he took her arm and began leading her down the sidewalk.  “I thought we could go to Ruth’s Café.  I’ve eaten there several times since I’ve been back. They have pretty good food.”  Once again he asked if that was okay and once again she nodded.