Child of the Mountains

22





It’s about telling Uncle William and Aunt Ethel Mae.




TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1953

A lot of things sure have changed since I talked to Mr. Hinkle and Miss Parker. On the way home from school yesterday, I stopped to pat that big brown dog down the street. Him and me is friends now. I call him Ears on account of him having one big ear that sticks straight up on the right side, and another big ear that folds over like it’s half asleep on the other side. I don’t know what name his master calls him, but he seems to like Ears just fine.

I told Ears I couldn’t figure out iffen I should tell my uncle and aunt that I went and disgraced them again by talking to Mr. Hinkle and Miss Parker. Ears turned his head sideways, a-listening real close to me. His eyes stared into mine. “You’re right, Ears. I need to recollect what Mama taught me. ‘Do the right thing, and everthing else will fall into place.’ It’s kind of confusing, though. You know what I mean? Me and Mama done the right thing about BJ, and that sure ain’t fell into place.” I sighed a big sigh. Ears licked my face. He knowed just exactly what I meant.

Miss Parker said it was up to me to decide. I could tell Uncle William and Aunt Ethel Mae, or she would tell them after she talked to Mama. When I was done talking it out with Ears, I knowed what I needed to do.

When I got home, I told Aunt Ethel Mae I would make supper and do the dishes all by myself and she could rest, even though I sure felt terrible wore out from spilling all them secrets to Mr. Hinkle and Miss Parker. But I knowed I best get Aunt Ethel Mae in a good mood. “Thank you kindly, Lydia,” she said. “I have been feeling a smidgen under the weather today.”

After supper, I announced that I had something real important to tell them. My hands was all shaky. I sat on the couch and pushed my hands under my legs to keep them quieted down. And then I told them all about Mr. Hinkle and Miss Parker and me talking about Mama after school. Aunt Ethel Mae started up crying, like I knowed she would. Uncle William just stared at me. I couldn’t tell what he was a-thinking.

When I finally got done a-spitting it all out, Aunt Ethel Mae said, “Oh, Lydia, how could you—”

“Hush up, woman,” Uncle William said. “Lydia, this lawyer-woman—she really thinks she can help your mother?”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

“Then we’ll listen to what she has to say,” Uncle William said as he got up from his chair and headed for the bedroom. Aunt Ethel Mae started to follow him.

“Wait, there’s one more thing,” I said.

Uncle William turned around. “What is it now?” he asked.

“Because of what I done and all, iffen you don’t want to get me a new coat, it don’t make me no never mind,” I said.

“Don’t you need a coat?” Uncle William asked.

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“Well, it’s done settled, then.” He yawned and stretched. “I’m heading to bed.”

I couldn’t hold back no more. I runned and gived each of them a hug. “Thank you so very much,” I said. When I hugged Uncle William, I felt like I hugged a statue. He patted me real quick on the back and then pulled away.

When I hugged Aunt Ethel Mae, she grinned. “Be careful, child,” she said. “You’re going to squeeze a body to death!” But she squeezed me back.

Aunt Ethel Mae and me went by bus to Charleston this afternoon. We stopped in Kresge’s, and I had a barbecue with lots of coleslaw on it. I also got my steamy cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and a cherry. Aunt Ethel Mae ordered the blue plate special—a bowl of pinto beans with onions, fried taters, and a order of coleslaw. She got corn bread and coffee for free.

I tried to find a coat at the Diamond, but they cost way too much money. I had me some fun looking around in that fancy store, though. We tried J. C. Penney’s, but O. J. Morrison’s had the coat I liked best that didn’t cost too much. It’s blue—the color of BJ’s and Mama’s eyes, just what I wanted.

When I tried the coat on, Aunt Ethel Mae got tears in her eyes. “Oh, honey, you look so pretty and growed up in that coat. I didn’t realize how much you be developing. I think we best pick you up a couple of brassieres while we’s here. A young woman has to keep them little titties pushed up or they’s going to be a-dragging on the floor afore she’s marrying age.” I know I turned mater red. It sure was embarrassing having to try them things on with Aunt Ethel Mae and the saleslady watching to make sure they fit right. But like Aunt Ethel Mae said, “We’s all women.”

Aunt Ethel Mae picked up a few things, too. Then we went to the big library to wait for Uncle William to meet us after work. I love that library. They’s books on everthing you could ever think of. They even had a whole bunch of books about Anne of Green Gables. Aunt Ethel Mae let me get a library card and check out three books. She checked out a couple herself on gardening. I asked her how we would return them. “Well, I guess that means your uncle’s just going to have to let me and you come to Charleston again next month,” she said. Then Aunt Ethel Mae winked at me. She really and truly did.

Uncle William parked close to the library. By the time we met him, the sky was dark and snow was a-falling. Them stores all stayed open late for Christmas, so we walked around downtown, looking at the lights and the windows all decorated up. We even seen the Salvation Army band. I still didn’t have enough money to call Mama, but I figured I’d get to talk to her real soon anyways. I dropped a quarter in the bucket.





23





It’s about Ears and Germy.




MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1954

Ever day after school, I give Ears some of my lunch sandwich I save for him. He’s a good dog, that one. When he sees me, his bushy tail starts going round and round like the electric fan Mr. Hinkle has at school. His tongue hangs out one side of his mouth, and his eyes light up like kerosene lamps. Of course, I ain’t figured out for sure whether he’s gladdest to see me or my lunch pail. He is kind of skinny.

He come a-bounding up to me today when he seen me walk down the road. “Sit!” I ordered him when he got close to me. And sit he did, just like a little soldier. I learned him to do that so’s he wouldn’t jump up on my new coat and get it all dirty. He learned to sit mighty fast. Ears is a real smart dog. I showed him how to lie down, roll over, and shake hands. He does all them things for me, just ’cause I ask him. And on account of giving him pieces of my sandwich.

He was special excited to see me today. He wiggled from head to toe and whimpered and barked like he was a-trying his best to talk to me. He probably asked me, “Where in blazes have you been at, Lydia?” During Christmas break, I had to stay inside a lot with Aunt Ethel Mae. Today was my first day back to school in 1954.

When I went to the company store over the break for Aunt Ethel Mae, I bought Ears some Christmas presents with the money I had saved up. In my left pocket I had me a rubber ball. In my right pocket I had me a new comb. In my lunch pail, I had me a small poke filled with dog biscuits.

I could hear Ears’ stomach growl. His eyes was like the eyes on one of them store-bought baby dolls, staring wide and straight at my lunch pail, never blinking at all. I opened it, and Ears started up licking his chops. I throwed him my leftover sandwich, and he gulped it down in one bite. “Good catch,” I told him, and gived him a pat on the head.

He wagged his tail.

“Look what else I brung you. A surprise!” I pulled out a dog biscuit.

His tail wagged even faster. And some drool dropped on my shoe. I had him sit up for his treat.

Then I pulled out the rubber ball. His eyes glued onto it like it was his ticket to Heaven! I wiggled it back and forth and up and down. Ain’t no way his eyes would let it out of his sight. Finally, I pulled the ball behind me and throwed it as hard as I could. “Go get it, boy!” I said.

He shot off and brung the ball back all slobbery. Dogs is great, but they sure be messy sometimes. I throwed it a few more times. Then I used the hankie to wipe the ball and put it back in my pocket.

Ears turned his head to one side and looked at me all sad-like.

“That’s it for today,” I told him as I gived his head a quick pat. Then I pulled out the comb. I’m glad he’s a big dog so I can comb him standing up and not mess up my clothes. He shivered like it felt good.

I combed and combed his coat and talked and talked. Ears listened real good to what I had to say. I told him about everthing that happened over Christmas. How Aunt Ethel Mae and Uncle William and me had fun shopping for my coat. And how on Christmas, Uncle William went straight out and put my dice on his car mirror. He said he liked them much better than store-bought ones. Aunt Ethel Mae loved her hankies with flowers so much that she got all tearful and used one of them to dab her eyes.

The best thing, I told Ears, was that Uncle William and Miss Parker spent a lot of time talking. She said it was important that him and me didn’t talk to Mama afore the trial—something about influencing our testimony, whatever that means. Mama told her to tell me that she loved me. Mama said what I done about getting her a appeal was the best Christmas present I ever could of got her. Ears gived me a big doggy smile and spun his electric fan tail. He was right happy about them good things that had happened, too!

He turned his head sideways and shut his mouth when I told him about what I done today. I think Ears was real surprised. I thought a lot about what Mama told BJ to do when people is mean—that it’s best to laugh at yourself. So I took the Sears and Roebuck catalog to school, the one that comed to Uncle William in the mail.

Mr. Hinkle weren’t in class yet, so I walked over to Cora Lee’s desk with the catalog open. Real loud so them other kids could hear, I said, “Cora Lee, you want me to have a new dress, so I picked out this one that you can buy me. See? It’s right pretty. I picked out some shoes you can buy me, too.”

Them kids all started up laughing. Cora Lee’s mouth hung open so wide you could put a fist in it. “I’m just joshing you, Cora Lee,” I said. “It was right nice that you wanted to help me. Thanks.” Them kids clapped their hands, and Cora Lee grinned. I had me a big smile plastered on my face when I walked back to my seat. I told Ears that Maggie leaned over and asked me iffen she could sit with me at lunch. I told her, “Sure.” Ears wagged his tail and barked when I finished the story. I think that’s as close to doggy laughing as he could get.

After Ears was all combed out, I knowed I had to leave him behind again. I let out a long sigh. I cleaned the hair out of the comb the best I could and wrapped it in my hankie. Then I put it in my pocket. “It’s time for me to go, Ears.”

His eyes got all sad and droopy when he looked at me.

I gived him one more pat on the head and turned to walk away. I took a few steps toward Uncle William’s house. I knowed Ears was a-following me. He always did.

“You go on home, now. You hear?” I put my hands on my hips and gived him a teacher look. I hated to do that.

Both of Ears’ ears went down and back. He hung his head, put his tail between his legs, and headed on home. Poor Ears. I knowed what he didn’t—that I would see him again tomorrow.

Anne of Green Gables had herself a person friend for her kindred spirit. I got me a kindred dog friend instead.

I wish BJ could’ve had hisself a dog. He wanted one real bad. Mama and Gran used to talk about how they wished they could get him a dog. It just weren’t possible with us having to go up to Ohio all the time. We even had to give my cat, Hessie, away to some neighbors after we found out BJ was so sick. But BJ was bound and determined that he would have hisself a pet.

When we went up to Ohio, I looked down at BJ’s pillowcase with his stuff in it. It laid on the floor between us in the backseat.

All at once, I seen something moving around in it.

BJ stuck his hand over my mouth afore I could scream.

Mama and Gran was a-talking up a blue streak up front. They didn’t even turn around.

“What is it?” I mouthed them words to BJ but didn’t make no sound.

He put one finger to his lips to tell me to shhhh. Then he reached his hand down into the pillowcase and pulled out the head of a black snake.

I put my own hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. I ain’t afeared of black snakes. I know they’s good snakes. But I sure weren’t thinking about seeing one in a pillowcase on the way to Ohio!

BJ made his shhhh signal again. Then he shoved the snake back in his pillowcase and tied the top of it back into a knot. I just stared at him with my mouth a-hanging open.

We stopped at a service station that had a couple of picnic tables to eat the lunch Mama had packed for us. I grabbed BJ’s arm and told Mama we was going to go get the key for the restroom.

“BJ, what in the name of all that is good and righteous do you think you are doing taking a black snake to Ohio?” I said when we got out of earshot.

“I got me a pet, Lyddie. I found him in the backyard yesterday. I named him Germy.”

“Germy?”

“Yep. Anytime Jake and I start up exploring and playing in the hospital, Nurse Chapel grabs us by the ears and makes us go back to bed. ‘You’re going to get germy,’ she says. So I decided she was right. Now I got Germy.” He grinned real big.

I couldn’t help but giggle. “BJ, how in the world do you think you’re going to keep a snake in the hospital? What are you going to feed Germy?”

“I got it all figured out. Two of them books they have in that library at the hospital explain about reptiles. I read both of them three times. Germy’s going to live under the covers with me to keep him warm and feeling safe. The sheets will keep him tucked in. Snakes is supposed to eat rodents. They probably got mice in that hospital, but I can’t let Germy run around to find them. I’m going to give him mystery meat.”

“Mystery meat?”

“Yep. That’s what all us kids call the meat they serve us in the hospital. The way I figure it is this. ‘Snakes find their prey by body heat and movement.’ That’s what the books said. I’m going to roll up hot balls of mystery meat and toss them around my bed. That way, Germy will think the mystery meat is a rodent and have hisself some supper. I always have water in a pitcher beside my bed that I can share with him. When the nurse is out of the room, I’ll let him crawl around the floor and lay in the windowsill to get some sunshine. The other kids will help me.”

I had to admit, he did seem to have it all figured out.

“You won’t tell nobody, will you, Lyddie?” He gived me puppy-dog eyes.

I sighed. “Okay, I won’t tell. But you best make sure Germy stays safe.”

“I will. I be the kind of boy that always takes good care of his pets.”

I didn’t say nothing to Mama or Gran. I figured Germy would keep BJ real good company in the hospital.

We was a-sitting out on the porch three days later when Doc Smythson stopped by. He held his side and laughed all the way from his jeep to our cabin. Tears comed out of his eyes. We was all wide-eyed watching him.

“Do you know what that boy of yours did?” Doc Smythson said when he got to the porch.

“What now?” Gran asked. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Uh-oh. I figured I knowed what was a-coming.

“I got a call at the office from the hospital. They said they thought you should know what happened. Nurse Chapel stopped by BJ’s ward early this morning to check on the kids. All of them were still asleep. When she got to BJ’s bed, she thought for sure she saw something moving under the covers down at the foot of the bed, below BJ’s feet. She pulled off the covers, and apparently screamed bloody murder, ‘Snake! Snake! Snake!’

“All the staff in the hallway come running into the ward. The kids all woke up screaming because her screaming scared them. BJ started shouting, ‘Don’t hurt Germy! Don’t hurt Germy!’ Nurse Chapel ran out of the room long before the janitor came in to get the snake. BJ held Germy under his pajama top, still yelling at everyone not to hurt the snake. He started crying and coughing. An administrator came in and said they would let BJ take the snake off the property and turn it loose, to get him settled down.”

We all laughed so hard we was a-crying by that time. I thought BJ should be right proud that he kept Germy for three days afore Nurse Chapel found him.

BJ told me all about it when he comed home from the hospital. He said Nurse Chapel could of won herself a trophy at a clogging competition when she saw Germy, the way she danced around, barely letting her feet touch the floor.

BJ got to ride in a little cart with the janitor to turn Germy loose. Him and the janitor got to be good friends, talking about the snake the janitor had when he was a boy. He also knowed all about motors and told BJ how the cart worked. They found a great home for Germy with lots of tall grass, a little pond, and good-tasting Ohio mice for dinner. BJ said it was a good thing, because Germy was probably getting mighty hungry. Germy didn’t like that mystery meat any better than them kids did.

The best thing, BJ told me, was that Nurse Chapel got herself transferred to another hospital that just had adults for patients. He never had to see her again.

After saying good-bye to Ears, I kept thinking about BJ and his snake as I walked to Uncle William’s house. All at once I heard laughing and figured out that the noise comed from me. It surprised me. I ain’t heard myself laugh like that for a long time.

But I sure caught it good from Aunt Ethel Mae when I walked in the door.

“Lydia, you should have been here over half an hour ago. Have you been out playing with that smelly dog again and me here with a sick headache worrying about you? You might get rabies from that mutt. And who knows where his mouth has been. Dogs wipe theirselves with their tongues, you know.…”

On and on she went. Ain’t no one going to make you change your mind about a kindred spirit, though. I walked over to her whilst she still jabbered away about poor old Ears and kissed her on the cheek. She hushed up and got all wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Then she reached her hand up and touched where I had kissed her.

I smiled at her and walked to my room. I could feel her eyes a-following me all the way.





24





It’s about not knowing who I be no more.




THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1954

I never understood what folks meant when I heard them say, “No good deed goes unpunished.” But I think I understand now. Today I tried to do a good deed and my whole life won’t never be the same again.

Aunt Ethel Mae always keeps everthing neat and clean where people can see—and that’s most of this little house. But she also has herself what she likes to call junk drawers. They’s full of most everthing you can think of. Them drawers sure be hard to open. You have to poke your fingers inside and scoot stuff around to pull them out. And then when you try to close them, stuff spills out on the floor and you have to scoot everthing around again and shove hard to finally get them junk drawers shut.

When I got home from school today, Aunt Ethel Mae had one of them bad headaches. She was in bed with a cold washcloth on her head. “Lydia,” she called to me real feeble-like from her bedroom, “I been sick all day and couldn’t pull myself out of bed to do the ironing. Do you think you could be a good girl and help me out with it?”

I had me a bunch of homework and was glad she couldn’t see me roll my eyes. I just said sure, put my books on my bed, and commenced to sorting the laundry basket after I put a stew on the stove for supper. I ironed the shirts, trousers, dresses, and blouses first to get them hard clothes out of the way. Then I ironed the skirts and hung all the clothes in the bedrooms. I saved the cotton napkins and Sunday tablecloth for last. When they was pressed and folded, I went to put them away in the little buffet that’s under the window in the living room.

I needed to put the napkins and tablecloth in the bottom drawer, but the top drawer stuck out some with stuff pouring out of it like paper molasses. Try as I might, I couldn’t get the stuff shoved back in to close the drawer. So I decided to pull it out and set it on the floor. I figured I could get rid of any trash and try to sort the rest of it so I wouldn’t have to keep fighting it any time I needed to put things away. I thought I might as well take out the bottom drawer and sort it, too.

When I pulled out the bottom drawer, I saw a envelope taped to the back of the buffet. The envelope and the tape was yellow, like they been hanging there with no one seeing them for years. I started to reach for the envelope, but then I pulled my hand back. I thought of Gran saying, “Curiosity killed the cat.” But I knowed that Hessie lived after being curious about most everthing. Besides, I figured no one would ever know. I was as drawed to that envelope as Eve was to the apple.

I reached my hand out again. I wish I had recollected the story we heard tell of in Mr. Hinkle’s class when we studied mythology. We read about a lady named Pandora. She opened a box that changed everthing in the world, and not in a good way. As soon as I gently rubbed my finger behind that tape to loosen it, I had commenced to open Pandora’s box.

The envelope wasn’t sealed. The flap was tucked instead, so I figured it was safe to look at what was inside. Then I could stick the envelope to the buffet again when I finished. I pulled out the paper and set the envelope on the floor aside me.

The paper was folded in thirds. Nothing was wrote on the back. When I unfolded it, a picture of a woman fell out. I glanced at it and laid it aside. Then I read what was wrote on the paper, and my heart stopped. The whole world stopped. It was a birth certificate from the State of West Virginia. And there was my name. Well, almost my name. And my birth date. But not my mother’s and father’s names.

The name on the birth certificate said Lydia Jane Garton—not Lydia Jane Hawkins. The birth date: March 15, 1942. Father’s name: William Stanley Garton—my uncle’s name and Gran’s last name. Mother’s name: Helen Jane Garton. I didn’t know who that woman could be. It sure ain’t Aunt Ethel Mae. And it sure ain’t my mama.

I picked up the picture again. It didn’t have no name or date on it. The woman smiled at me from the picture—a nice smile. She was pretty in a gentle way. I couldn’t tell the color of her hair or eyes on account of the picture being black-and-white, but they looked dark. Her hair hung down in long curls around her shoulders. And I saw she had freckles—soft little spots that seemed to make her beauty real special, not like the beauty other folks have.

No one else in the family has freckles but me. Tears runned down my face. Was my mama not my mama? What could this mean?

I heard a car parking in front of the house and knowed it was my uncle.

I stuffed the birth certificate and picture back in the envelope. I tried to stick the envelope to the back of the buffet, but the tape wouldn’t stick no more. I smoothed out the stuff in the drawers the best I could and shoved them in the buffet. Then I slid the envelope behind the elastic in my skirt and hid it under my blouse, just as I heard my uncle opening the back door. I stepped into the kitchen, picked up the spoon, and stirred the stew as he stepped into the kitchen.

“William, is that you, sweetheart?” Aunt Ethel Mae called even more feeble than she did to me. “Come give me a kiss after you clean up, dear.” Uncle William rolled his eyes just like I had. He took off his work boots and dropped them on the mat at the door. He took off his dirty socks and put them in his pants pocket. Then he dropped his lunch bucket and thermos on the kitchen table, trudged to the bathroom to take a quick shower to get rid of the coal dust, trudged into the bedroom to give Aunt Ethel Mae her kiss, and listened to her complain about her headache—or at least pretended to listen.

I breathed a sigh of relief and started spooning the stew into three bowls. The warm salty smell of stew makes me hungry most times, but not tonight. My stomach was too balled up. I poured milk and coffee, cut some bread, got out the butter and jam, and set the table for Uncle William and me. I dished up some peaches for dessert. Then I made up a tray for Aunt Ethel Mae and took it to her.

When I sat down at the table to eat supper with Uncle William, the envelope rubbed against me, making me itch. I worried that Uncle William might notice it bulging under my blouse and maybe worried just a little that he wouldn’t see it. But he brought the Daily Mail to the table with him. Uncle William read that newspaper the whole time he was eating and didn’t even look at me once. When he finished eating, he grunted, “Good stew, Lydia,” got up from the table, turned on the radio in the living room, sprawled hisself out on the couch, let out a big belch, fell asleep, and commenced to snoring.

I went to pick up the tray from Aunt Ethel Mae. “Come here and sit on the bed,” she whimpered like a pup. “Tell me about your day, Lydia.” I sat down with the envelope making my blouse stick out like it wanted to be noticed. But Aunt Ethel Mae didn’t see nary a thing.

I knowed how this would go. It’s like Aunt Ethel Mae is always trying to find her way in one of them houses of mirrors they have at fairs. No matter where she looks, she only sees herself. “School was fine,” I said, not looking her in the eye.

“I recollect when I was your age …,” she said, looking out the little window. And then on and on and on she talked.

When she finally stopped to take a breath, I said, “Well, I guess I best finish the dishes and get to my homework.” I figured she had got her talking out of her system. She let me leave.

Uncle William sat on the couch crocheting a red, white, and blue afghan. I ain’t sure what he done with them afghans now that Mama is in prison. Maybe he took them to work and gived them away. I feel right certain that he wouldn’t tell them miners he be the one that crocheted them. I also reckon that any of them miners that made fun of Uncle William would hurt pretty bad for a few days. Maybe Aunt Ethel Mae gived them to her church. Iffen she did, I bet she bragged that she made them. I sure wasn’t going to ask him about it.

I stood by the couch and watched him wiggle them big needles back and forth for a couple of minutes, but he never looked up. Part of me wanted to talk to him about what I found. But the biggest part was too afeared.

As I cleaned up the kitchen, I wished I could wash away that birth certificate just as easy as I washed the dirt offen them dishes.

I kept a-trying to sort it all out while my hands was busy with the dishes. Iffen that birth certificate is real, this is the way I worked it out. Mama and Daddy is my aunt and uncle. BJ is my cousin and not my brother. Gran and Gramps was still my grandparents when they was alive. Uncle William is my real daddy and Aunt Ethel Mae is my stepmother. That last one was a real scary thought. And what happened to my real mama?

I felt as empty as the jam jar I washed out. All that I knowed about myself was gone. My tears added to the dishwater. I understood then about how Aunt Ethel Mae felt with her sick headaches. I opened the cabinet and got out the bottle of aspirins. I wondered what would happen iffen I took all of them. But I took out one little pill and swallowed it with a glass of water.

Gran always told me I whizzed out of Mama like a pellet from a shotgun—real easy. Mama told me when I came to be, I was her only star in a dark, dark sky. I recollect them telling me that as clear as iffen it happened today. Why did they lie to me? I felt this anger come up inside me like hot, red lava from one of them volcanoes that Mr. Hinkle showed us a filmstrip about. I wanted to let it spew out over everone.

I had to know. Somebody had to tell me the truth. As afeared as the thought made me, I knowed that one person had to be Uncle William. When I fixed Uncle William’s lunch for tomorrow, I filled his thermos with coffee and the bottom container of his heavy metal lunch bucket with water. I wrapped two tuna fish salad sandwiches in wax paper and tucked them and a apple in the middle container. I wrapped a piece of blackberry pie for the top container. I also folded the envelope with the birth certificate in half, making sure I didn’t fold the picture. I wrapped it in wax paper and put it underneath the pie. Aunt Ethel Mae once told me coal miners always eat dessert first in case something bad happens to them. I wanted to make sure Uncle William seen that there envelope afore he had one bite to eat.