Miss Carmelia Faye Lafayette (4 page)

“Yeah, please,” she answered.  “Help them out back.

Buford Tee and Miss Carmelia dragged the men to a fenced-in area out back that had some wooden benches placed around an in-ground grill.

“Lay them on the benches so I can lock up.  They can sleep it off out here,” she said, helping Buford with the last drunken body.  “I’ll leave the gate out back unlocked so they can head home when they wake up.”

Buford Tee and Miss Carmelia headed back inside and straightened up the last of the tables and chairs.  They walked to the front door to head outside, Buford Tee bumping into her as she stopped abruptly.  Before he could step backward, she turned and kissed him softly on the mouth.  Buford Tee was stunned but pleasantly aroused.  He slid his hands around her slim waist and gripped her tightly, pulling her body into his.  She reached up and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him more passionately. 

Then she pulled away, saying quickly, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why?” Buford Tee asked.  “I’ve been waiting for you to show me something.  And hell, was that something.”

Miss Carmelia smiled.  Buford Tee leaned into her and kissed her again.  She melted in his arms and then pulled away again.

“Look, I want you to know I ain’t that type of woman,” she said firmly.

“And what type is that?” he asked.

“Loose,” she answered quickly.

“That’s one word I wouldn’t use to describe you,” he said.  “Now, uptight, I would.”

“I know you didn’t just—,” Miss Carmelia started.

“And mouthy too,” Buford Tee added.  “You really hate for someone to tell you the truth, don’t you?”

“I think it’s time to go now before I say something you ain’t gone like,” she said, turning to head outside.

“It ain’t like you ain’t done it before,” he teased.

They walked outside, Miss Carmelia locking the door behind her.   She walked toward Buford Tee and stopped.

“Well, I guess you better head on home,” she said.

“Oh, you rushing me now?” Buford Tee asked coyly.

“Well, I am a little tired of you being in my face,” she said slyly.

“Oh, so that’s how you gone treat me now,” Buford Tee teased.  “After a kiss like that.”

“It’s late, and I got a baby to get home to,” Miss Carmelia said, wanting to kiss him again, but she dared not.

“Oh, yeah.  A baby,” he conceded.  “Well, I guess I better let you go then.”

Buford Tee leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and turned to head to his horse and wagon. 

“See you soon,” he said, watching as Miss Carmelia walked to her horse and buggy and got in.

She headed out first, followed by Buford Tee, who followed her to her home a short distance from the Hankering.  He watched as she walked to her front door and unlocked it.  She turned and waved to him.  He waved back and headed home. 

The next day Miss Carmelia woke up to her two-year-old son, Martin, crying in the next room.  One of the crib girls that babysat him the night before was asleep in the bedroom next to hers, so she tried not to wake her.  Miss Carmelia walked to Martin’s room and opened the door, the morning light illuminating the room.  She headed over to the crib and picked up the crying baby.

“Oh, you’re wet,” she said, pulling his small body close to hers.

She heard a noise behind her and turned to see the crib girl had awakened. 

“Sorry, he’s got some lungs on him,” Miss Carmelia said.

“Oh, that’s alright.  I was up anyway,” she said.  “I gotta go, but I’ll see you tonight, alright?”

“Yes, see you then,” Miss Carmelia said, laying Martin down on the bed.

Martin continued to cry until she changed his diaper.  Then he screamed even louder, a signal that he was hungry.  Miss Carmelia took him to the kitchen to fix him a bottle of milk.  She placed him in a high chair and opened the icebox, taking out a bottle of milk and pouring half the contents in a small pan.  She heated it on her porcelain Wedgewood gas stove for a couple of minutes and then allowed it to cool.  She gave Martin a bowl of Post Corn Flake cereal and let him munch on them dry.  When the milk cooled, she poured it in a milk bottle and gave it to Martin, whose mouth was full of cereal.

“Swallow, baby, before you take this,” Miss Carmelia said, Martin holding out his hands for the bottle. 

He tried to swallow, but the excess of cereal prevented him from doing so.  He pushed out most of the cereal from his mouth, the half-chewed cereal dribbling down his chin onto his nightshirt. 

“If you didn’t try to put it all in your mouth at one time…,” she said, cleaning up the cereal and giving him the bottle, his mouth thirsty for the warm liquid.

Martin was two years old and was the spitting image of his mama.  When Miss Carmelia had Martin, she and Hawk were divorced at the time.  She decided give Martin her last name.  Martin took very few qualities from his papa with the exception of his height.  He was tall for a two-year-old, towering over two of the crib girls’ children, who were of the same age. 

Miss Carmelia had started to make a pot of coffee when she heard a knock at her front door. 

“Sit right here, baby,” she said to Martin, seated contentedly in the high chair sucking on his milk bottle.

She walked to the door and opened it to see Buford Tee standing before her.

“Hello,” he said.

Embarrassed, she closed the door on him.  He knocked again, and she cracked the door and peered out at him.

“What are you doing here so early in the morning?” she asked.

“To see you,” he replied.

“I look a mess,” she said, still not opening the door any farther.

“You look fine to me,” Buford Tee said.  “Can I come in?”

She opened the door slowly and allowed him to enter.  She had on only a robe and pulled it tightly around her.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” she said.

“I know,” Buford Tee said.  “It’s called a surprise.”

“Well, that it is,” she replied, closing the door behind him.  “So, to what do I owe this pleasure so soon after I saw you last, say, six hours ago?”

“I want to take you somewhere,” Buford Tee said.  “How long will it take for you to get dressed?”

“I can’t go anywhere.  I got Martin,” Miss Carmelia said, pointing to him in the kitchen.

“Hello, buddy,” Buford Tee said, walking to the kitchen.  “Lay it here.”

Martin held his bottle with one hand and slapped Buford Tee’s hand with the other. 

“That boy’s got a strong punch,” Buford Tee said.  “You might have another Galveston Giant on your hands.”

“Who?” Miss Carmelia asked, unfamiliar with the name.

“Arthur Jack Johnson,” Buford Tee said.  “You ain’t never heard of him?”

“No, who is he supposed to be?” she asked.

“The first colored heavyweight champion of the world,” he said proudly. 

“No, never heard of him,” she replied.

“I can’t believe you haven’t heard of him,” he said.  “Everybody’s heard of him in these parts.”

“I ain’t everybody,” she said.

“There goes that sharp tongue again,” he remarked.

“You got a nerve smarting off at me in my house,” Miss Carmelia returned.

“Okay, okay.  I back down,” Buford Tee said.  “You going with me?”

“I can’t leave him,” she said.

“Bring him along,” he said.  “I need to get to know my competition, anyway.”

Miss Carmelia smiled. 

“So, you going?” he asked again.

“Yeah, I’ll go,” she agreed.  “Let me get him ready first.”

She picked up Martin, who had finished the bottle of milk, and took him to his room to get him washed and dressed.  A short time afterwards, she brought him back to the kitchen and put him in his high chair.

“You think you can entertain him until I get dressed?” Miss Carmelia asked.

“Sure, I can,” Buford Tee said.  “Go on.  He’ll be fine right here with me.”

Miss Carmelia walked to the doorway of the kitchen, turning back briefly to see Buford Tee holding out his hand for Martin to slap it again, Martin grinning as Buford Tee pulled his hand back causing Martin to miss it.  They played the game for a few moments before she turned and headed to her bedroom to get washed up and dressed.  Miss Carmelia returned wearing a black wrapped dress and low-heeled flats.  Buford Tee stood when she entered the kitchen, her face more lovely than the night before.

“You look…,” Buford Tee said, losing his words.

“What?” Miss Carmelia asked, waiting for the rest of his compliment.

“Nice.  You look real nice,” he said, placing emphasis on the word “real.”

“Thank you,” she said.  “So, where’re we going?”

“I told you it was a surprise,” he replied.

“Alright,” she said, picking up Martin and the three of them going out to Buford Tee’s horse and buggy, all getting inside and heading towards Jones County. 

Martin sat quietly in his mama’s lap, mesmerized by the massive animal that pulled the buggy along.  A short while later, Buford Tee pulled in front of August’s house. 

“Who lives here?” Miss Carmelia asked.

“My grandpa and his wife,” he answered, halting the horse and opening the door for Miss Carmelia and Martin to get out.

They walked to the front door, greeted by Miss Margaret, who had seen them when they turned down the path to August’s house.

“Hello, dear,” Miss Margaret said.  “I have your salmon cakes ready and hot.”

“Thanks, Miss Margaret,” Buford Tee said.

“And who do we have here?” Miss Margaret asked, noticing Miss Carmelia and Martin, who was asleep in her arms.

“This is Miss Carmelia,” Buford Tee said. 

“Oh, your lady friend,” Miss Margaret said before Buford Tee could stop her.

“She’s not my lady friend, Miss Margaret,” Buford Tee said, bashfully. 

“She’s a cute little thang.   And who is this?” Miss Margaret asked, gently touching Martin on the cheek.

“This is my son, Martin,” Miss Carmelia said. 

“Oh, can I hold him?  We haven’t had a baby in the house in a long while,” Miss Margaret asked.

“Sure,” Miss Carmelia said, handing him to Miss Margaret who tried not to wake him.

“He is just adorable,” Miss Margaret said.  “Come on in and have some breakfast.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Buford Tee said.

They walked inside and headed into the kitchen where August was seated eating his breakfast.

“August, look at this, a baby.  Ain’t he precious?” Miss Margaret said, cooing over the baby.

August gave a momentary glance at the child and nodded, and then he turned to Buford Tee and said, “Hey boy.  I was wondering when you were gone show up.  You late.”