Weeping Willow (10 page)

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Authors: Ruth White

BOOK: Weeping Willow

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“That was real pretty, Tiny,” he said.

“Thanks.”

“Do you have a telephone, Tiny?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I have your number?”

“Sure.”

The clusters of mourners shifted around after midnight, and the young people resettled in the main room with the body. The hours started dragging, and a few people left. The chatter among us slowed down to a near stop. Jesse was beside me, but in spite of his presence, I started to nod around 3:00 a.m.

When I opened my eyes again, I sensed that some time had passed. Everybody in this room was asleep sitting up. Silence lay over the house like a blanket.

Slowly I got up and walked over to the coffin, and looked at the corpse. She was about eighty, I reckoned, all dressed up in silk and laid out in satin. Her white hair was streaked with yellow and slicked back over her pitiful shrunken skull. Her face was nearly as white as her hair, and wrinkled skin lay in folds around her mouth. Her shriveled hands were folded neatly across her waist and she held a single white carnation that was beginning to turn brown around the edges. I found myself watching for a heartbeat in the scrubby chest. What if she opened her eyes and looked at me?

She was once a girl, I thought, her body firm, her cheeks rosy, and her hair some soft, shiny color. She laughed and flirted with boys, and one of them fell in love with her and married her. Did they live happily ever after? And is this the end of ever after?

Suddenly I heard someone breathing behind me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I turned to face Tilly Vanover.

“Dead … dead …” she said.

She was still standing there a few moments later when I left with Bobby Lynn and her mother. I felt very sorry for her.

On the way back to Black Gap, Bobby Lynn slept in the back seat. Mrs. Clevinger was tired and didn’t say a word. But my mind was busy.

The first frost of the winter had settled during the night. Not a soul was astir in Black Gap, and not a car moving. The little town was sleeping snugly in its pocket against the mountain. I watched the sun rise over the golden Appalachians and everything was sparkling like diamonds in the frost.

“I
survived!”
I was thinking. “And I am fully alive! I am alive and this is a magic moment because I know I am alive. I am alive and I am sixteen, and it is dawn on a Saturday morning in October in 1958. I am in a Henry J riding up Main Street in Black Gap, Virginia, U.S.A., North America, Earth …”

And as quickly as that, the moment was gone.

EIGHTEEN

I was dead asleep in the middle of the afternoon when Beau opened my door and hollered, “Git up, Tiny! There’s a boy on the phone for you.”

I swung my feet to the floor, and shook my head.

A boy? Jesse!

I stumbled down the stairs to the phone in the hall.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Tiny? This is Jesse.”

He did! He called! He said he would call and he did!

“Who?” I said.

“Jesse Compton. You remember, we met last night at Big Lick.”

“Oh, hey, Jesse. What a surprise!”

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“No, I was just … doing some stuff. Nothing special.”

“Well, I wondered if maybe we could go to a show tonight in Black Gap.”

“I guess so. What’s playing?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s okay.”

“You’ll go?”

“I gotta ask Mama.”

“You want me to hang on while you ask her?”

“That’s okay. She’ll say yes.”

“Good. Seven-thirty?”

“That’s okay.”

“One more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Where do you live?”

“Oh, Ruby Valley. You know where that is?”

“I think so.”

So we spent the next five minutes going over the route to my house; then we hung up.

I had a date. My first date. And he was real cute. He had his driver’s license. He was smart. He played football.

I took a deep breath and went into the kitchen, where Mama and Vern were eating something at the table.

“Can I go out tonight, Mama?”

“Where to?”

“To a show.”

“Who with?”

“Just a boy.”

Both their heads shot up.

“What boy?” they said together.

“I met him last night.”

“What’s his name?” Vern said.

I ignored him.

“He has a blond crew cut, Mama.”

“Well, who is he?” she said.

“Jesse Compton”

“We don’t know no Comptons.”

“He’s from Big Lick.”

Mama and Vern looked at each other.

“Well, what’s he like?” she said.

“He’s real cute.”

“Who’s his daddy?” Vern said, and I ignored him again.

“Mrs. Clevinger told me she grew up with his mama,” I said.

“Who’s his daddy?” Vern repeated.

“I dunno,” I mumbled.

“Well, is he gonna come in the house and meet us like a gentleman,” Mama said, “or is he gonna sit outside and blow his horn?”

“Oh, Mama,” I said, sighing. “You know he’ll come in!”

They were both quiet.

“You’ll like him, Mama,” I said.

“Mmmmmmmm …” was all she said.

I went back to my room quickly, hoping they would say no more.

About six o’clock I took a bath; thirty minutes later I was back in my room wrapped up in my robe when Vern suddenly pushed open my door and stuck his old bald head in. He had a strange expression on his face.

“What d’you want?” I said, pulling my robe tightly around me.

“I just want to tell you, you better behave yourself tonight with that boy.”

My volcano started to spew toward the top.

“If you don’t get out of my room right now,” I hissed at him, “I will scream for Mama.”

“This is not
your
room!” he hissed back. “I paid for everything in this house, and that includes that damn dawg!”

He backed out and closed the door without another word.

I had to sit down to still my trembling. That fat old pig was jealous of Jesse. I clenched my fists in determination. I would
not
let him spoil my date. I
would
have a good time. I sat there pulling myself back together.

I wore my blue-and-green-plaid skirt, my blue sweater with matching cardigan, loafers, and blue knee socks. I put my hair up in a high ponytail and taped spit curls around my face. I put on just enough lipstick, and curled my eyelashes. I would wear my band letter jacket.

Well, I thought, as I stood in front of the mirror and remembered what Aunt Evie told me that day about saying nice things to myself. You look good, Tiny Lambert! You look pretty, and Jesse Compton is going to fall madly in love with you this night. How can he resist?

Then I practiced smiling and greeting him at the door.

“Well, hi, Jesse! I guess you found me.”

No.

“Jesse! Is it seven-thirty already?”

No.

“Hi there! Come in and meet my mama.”

Would Vern say something stupid to Jesse? If he said anything at all it would be stupid. Maybe he would just be quiet.

I took the tape off my spit curls, picked up my pocketbook, and went down to the living room, where I found Mama, Vern, and all the kids watching television. I was nervous.

I sat down between Mama and Luther.

Pamper, Pamper, new shampoo
Gentle as a lamb, so right for you!
Gentle as a lamb?
Yes, ma’am!
Pamper, Pamper, new shampoo.

Would I have to introduce him to everybody?

“You look pretty, Tiny,” Mama interrupted my thoughts. “Your hair shines just like you been using Pamper.”

“Where you goin’ to?” Phyllis demanded to know.

She was curled up beside Vern on the other couch with her bare cold feet pushed up under him.

I didn’t answer her.

“Mama, where’s Tiny goin’ to?” she persisted.

“Y’all be quiet!” Beau shouted.

He was trying to watch
Have Gun Will Travel.

“Tiny’s got a date,” Vern announced just because he knew I didn’t want a lot of attention.

I could have killed him.

“A date?”

“Tiny’s got a date?”

“Who with?”

“Where you goin’ to?”

I got up and marched out of the room into the kitchen. Phyllis followed me.

“Who is he, Tiny?”

“Why don’t you put your shoes on?” I screamed at her.

She looked down at her dirty, bare feet dumbly.

“Sometimes y’all act like a bunch of hillbillies!” I sputtered.

“Who is he, Tiny?”

I just knew Jesse would come now while everybody was asking a lot of dumb questions. They would gawk at him and giggle and act stupid. I was so nervous I couldn’t sit down. I started pacing the kitchen floor.

“Who is he, Tiny?” Phyllis said for the third time.

“You don’t know him.”

“What’s his name?”

“Jesse.”

“That’s a girl’s name.”

“It is not, and don’t you go out there and say something stupid like that to him.”

“What about Jessie Deal and Jessie Lou Looney?” she went on. “They’re girls.”

“And what about Jesse James?” I said. “He’s a boy.”

“Who’s Jesse James?”

Lordy.

“Just leave me alone, Phyllis.”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s real cute.”

“Is he tall?”

“Not real.”

“Short?”

“No, medium.”

“Dark hair or blond?”

Somebody knocked on the front door, and my heart jumped. God, don’t let Vern go to the door. But I should be so lucky. Phyllis, Luther, and Beau scrambled all over each other and fell out the door in a pile, while Nessie started barking and going around in circles. I closed my eyes.

“Does Tiny Lambert live here?” I heard Jesse’s voice.

“Tiny!” they all yelled for me, but I was right there by then.

“Hi, Jesse, come in and meet everybody,” I said, feeling my face flame.

Three pairs of blue eyes stared at him.

“Well, you’ve met these three,” I said. “Beau, Luther, and Phyllis.”

Nessie barked and everybody laughed.

“Oh yes, and that’s Nessie, short for Tennessee,” I said, loosening up.

I closed the door as Jesse stepped inside. He had on his football jacket—maroon and white.

Mama and Vern stared as much as the kids. I introduced them.

Mama said, “Hey, Jesse.”

But Vern sat in silence. I wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.

“Where you goin’ to?” Phyllis said.

“To a show, I reckon?” Jesse said and looked at me.

“I reckon,” I said.

“Indoors or out?” Vern said.

Him and his dirty mind.

But Jesse didn’t understand.

“What?”

“You goin’ to a drive-in show?” Vern said.

“It’s almost November, Vern,” I said sharply. “The drive-in closed a month ago.”

I turned to Jesse quickly. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

I grabbed my school band jacket and my pocketbook.

“Glad I met y’all,” Jesse said.

“Yeah, nice to meet you, too, Jesse,” Mama said. “Now, Tiny, you remember to be back here by eleven.”

We were out the door and I breathed a sigh of relief. We looked at each other and grinned as we went down the tall steps.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hi, yourself.”

That was nice.

The air was clean and crisp and the sky perfectly velvet blue, with a little sliver of moon rocking on a mountaintop.

“You look pretty,” he said, and I smiled up at him.

He had a brown-and-white ‘57 Chevy, absolutely spotless. I loved it. He opened the door for me and I slid in. I could feel the kids all staring at us from the front window. Well, let ’em stare. He came around to the driver’s side, got in, and started the car. He had automatic transmission.

“Nice car, Jesse.”

“It’s my daddy’s, but I drive it all the time. He lets me as long as I take good care of it, and I do.”

We backed down to the road and headed toward the highway. We talked about the football season that ended last week. Black Gap and Big Lick both had winning seasons. We usually beat Big Lick, but this year they beat us.

“You stomped us,” I said. “That was a good game.”

“They had us right there till the last quarter. Say, I remember the band. Y‘all were real good. Didn’t you play ‘Dixie’?”

“Yeah.”

“And ‘His Truth Is Marching On’?”

“Yeah, ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic.’”

He was groping around for my hand and I helped him find it.

“Come on over closer,” he said, and I slid across the wide seat beside him.

“I thought about you all day,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep even after staying up all night”

“I thought about you, too.”

“Did you want me to call?”

“Sure I did.”

Then we glanced at each other and smiled.