“She’s more than paid, don’t you think?”
“Could be she’s one of them funny ones. Queer as a two-headed goat.”
Del raised his voice and said, “You need to leave her alone, now. She almost died. Ain’t that enough?”
Crow hooted. “Hoohoohoo! Well, now. Lookie who’s getting himself all in a dither. What’s that, Butler? You liking her, or something? Is she looking good to you? Hell, maybe I ought to go have me a second look.”
Crow’s mama stood so abruptly her chair fell over, hitting the porch floor with a bang. She went inside and slammed the door. Crow rubbed his neck, and emitted an odd little laugh. Inside his own place, Del pulled out some side meat, potatoes, and some of the corn bread he’d made the other night. He cooked the food, heated up what was left of his morning’s coffee, and as he was about to sit and have a proper meal, a knock came at his door. He dropped his head and sighed. He hoped it wasn’t Crow. He was in no mood to hear more stupid talk. He waited, hoping he’d go away. The knock came again. Frustrated, he got up and looked out the window. When he saw who stood there, he quickly opened the door. Rae Lynn Cobb and Cornelia Riddle smiled big at him, and each carried something. Cornelia had two jars of stewed okra and two jars of beans.
She said, “I put these up not too long ago. It’s a little thank-you for helping.”
Rae Lynn said, “And this is for you too, but I owe you so much more than this little ole cake. You saved my life.”
Del said, “Y’all didn’t need to bring me nothing. It’s not called for. I done what anybody would.”
Rae Lynn rolled her eyes at Cornelia and said, “Not anybody.”
Cornelia said, “That’s right.”
Del said, “Come in, come in. I was about to have a bite to eat.”
They went in and set what they brought on the table. Del was a bit embarrassed at his meagre little spread but felt he should at least offer them something to drink.
He pointed at the coffee pot and said, “Would y’all care for some? I could make some right quick.”
Cornelia shook her head and said, “It would be nice, but we got to get back before Otis notices us gone. He still had to close the commissary, so we came straightaway.”
Del said, “Well, thankee kindly. I know I’ll enjoy all this.”
Cornelia said, “It was Rae Lynn’s idea.”
This pleased him, but when he turned to Rae Lynn, she appeared struck by the tops of her boots. She wore them with the borrowed dress, and Del liked how she looked.
Cornelia said, “We best be getting back.”
The women went out, and he watched them link arms as they hurried away in the twilight, heads together, whispering to one another. As he started to go back inside, he noticed Crow back out on his porch. Crow was staring after the women like he’d seen something he didn’t like.
He gestured toward the women. “That’s what I’m talking about. That right there.”
Del said, “What?”
“Something’s off with them two.”
Del mumbled, “You’re one to talk.”
He went inside and shut his door, bothered by the man’s need to find trouble where there was none.
Chapter 24
Rae Lynn
Rae Lynn knew when to count her blessings. She could be driving a broken-down truck and needing to find work again. Instead, she still had a roof over her head and food to eat. It was early on a Thursday morning, and Cornelia had come along to help carry the few things she had from number forty-four. Cornelia stepped inside and looked around.
“I bet you had to turn it inside out to make it the least bit agreeable.”
Rae Lynn was pulling her sheets off the squalid mattress.
She said, “You have no idea.”
Cornelia peered closely at the stitching.
She said, “Woowee, that Ray Cobb, he sure can turn a fine stitch.”
They snickered a little at that, and later on, back at the Riddles, Cornelia went by her with an armful of laundry and said, “I’m real glad you chose to stay.”
Rae Lynn smiled a little as she prepared their noon dinner.
She said, “I’m grateful to you.”
“Honestly. You’re the best thing to come into this household since Mama sent me money to buy a bus ticket a few months after me and Otis was married.”
Rae Lynn held an empty can she’d been using to cut biscuits, her hands coated in flour. At Cornelia’s comment she went still and gazed out the window, a dreamy look on her face.
She said, “Law, I ain’t never rode on a bus. Was it fun?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t never go.”
“Why not?”
Cornelia raised her shoulders. “I wrote Mama to tell her when I was coming. I also told her how he was and said I didn’t only want to visit. I wanted to come home, you know, to stay. She wrote me back and said, in more or less words, don’t. She told me to use the money to buy me some pretties. Said my place was with my husband now. Shoot, Rae Lynn. How can a man be so different one day and then like somebody you never met the next? He won’t always like this, least not right away. He changed once I found out some things about him.”
“Oh? Like what?”
Cornelia shifted the laundry and didn’t answer. Rae Lynn let it go and went back to cutting the biscuits.
She said, “Well, I reckon you ain’t the first woman in such circumstances. And you surely won’t be the last.”
Cornelia sighed. “You’re right about that. Hey, Rae Lynn?”
“Um-hmm? ”
“What made you come here trying to act like a man? I mean, where’d you come from? What happened?”
Rae Lynn answered carefully. “I needed work, and somewhere to stay.”
Cornelia gave her an assessing look, while Rae Lynn acted like it was the most commonplace thing to do.
Cornelia said, “But you could a done all kinds a work as a woman. Seems complicated to me, even more so to try and do turpentine work.”
Rae Lynn feigned a casualness she didn’t feel. “Oh, I’ll tell you about it someday.”
Cornelia waited a second longer, then went onto the back porch with the wash. Rae Lynn heard her pumping water. She looked outside and saw her sorting her and Otis’s sheets near the big black kettle. Here it was, a Thursday, and they’d just done the wash on Monday.
Cornelia came back in and said, “I’ll let’em soak a bit.”
“Is it your . . . ?”
Cornelia went red. “No.”
She began washing dirty breakfast dishes while Rae Lynn put the last biscuit on the pan. She slid them in the oven, before going to stand by Cornelia to dry the plates. Rae Lynn had her suspicions about what was going on with them sheets, but if Cornelia didn’t want to talk about it, she ought to respect her.
She said, “Like I mentioned, I’m sure grateful to you, Nellie. Can I call you Nellie? It worries me how I’m gonna be so far in over my head I won’t never be able to pay y’all back.”
Cornelia glanced at Rae Lynn, her eyes gone watery.
She said, “Only Mama ever called me that.”
She’d skipped right over what Rae Lynn said about paying them. Otis reminded her enough as it was, practically lording it over her. He’d not done anything hurtful to Cornelia as of late. He still yelled at her, at the both of them actually, but for now, no new burn marks or bruises showed on her friend’s arms. She wished Cornelia would be more careful about getting too bold. It was as if Rae Lynn’s presence had given her a bit more gumption. She’d got to where she mimicked Otis behind his back while he bragged about something he’d done. Recently he told Rae Lynn how he’d once killed a twenty-foot gator with his bare hands. Cornelia rolled her eyes and held her hands about two feet apart to show the actual size.
Rae Lynn said, “Oh my,” while she fought to keep a straight face and not give Cornelia away.
Otis could barely contain himself over the idea she was interested in what he had to say and it spurred him on. “Yeah, and then I . . .”
He loved to hear himself. He’d go on and on about his daring accomplishments until Rae Lynn had a headache, and Cornelia dared to speak up.