just goes all goose-bumpy when I think about him.” She did a little shiver.
“You’re smitten all right.” I stood up from the glider. “Time for me to go. I’ll go in and get Scarlett.”
Tara and Tommie Sue had put doll clothes on Scarlett—a lacy pink dress and a bonnet. They giggled and smothered her in kisses
before handing her to me.
“Oh, Sammie,” Mrs. Johnson said as I wriggled Scarlett out of the dress. “I’m having a coffee on Friday morning for the ladies
in camp. I want to share our home with everyone. Tell your mother I hope the two of you can make it. Ten o’clock.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell her.”
Gathering Scarlett in my arms, I took the long way around, sticking with the camp streets, laid out like long black tongues
in the moonlight. A party would be fun for Mama. Give her a chance to “try her wings,” as Goldie would say. The only time
she went out was church on Sundays. Swoosh in. Swoosh out. No chitchat. My steps felt light as I drifted home. I might even
talk Daddy into letting me learn backgammon with Cly. Now that Tuwana didn’t want him.
A moist lilac scent floated through the front room when I entered the house.
Mama and her bubble baths.
I found Daddy at the kitchen table eating a no-bake cookie and slid into the chair opposite him.
“These ain’t bad. Want one?” He shoved the plate across to me.
“No thanks. I wanted to ask you a question.” Might as well plunge right in. “Remember a while back when you told me I couldn’t
be around Cly?”
“The MacLemore kid?” Daddy gave me a sideways glance.
Act nonchalant
. “Yeah. Cly wants to teach me how to play backgammon so we can outwit Mr. Wallace.”
“Slim’d be hard to beat. Shrewd, I’d imagine.” He picked up his plate and put it in the sink.
“It’s like this.” My heart pumped ninety miles an hour. “Tuwana and PJ are busy all the time practicing their cheers, and
Cly will only be here a couple more weeks, so I thought if you didn’t care, maybe I could learn. I might even teach you like
you taught me to gut a catfish.”
Daddy rummaged in the cabinet, looking for something. “Do you know if we’ve got any toothpicks?” he asked.
“Other side, bottom shelf.”
He opened the door and found the toothpicks we kept in a shotglass. He worked on a couple of spots and said, “I don’t know. Norm’s a hothead. Figgered his nephew would be too. Thing
is, I don’t want you getting into a situation you can’t handle. Gotta protect my girl, you know.” He ruffled my hair. The
toothpick bobbled up and down in his mouth the way his Camels used to.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“It’s not that. It’s other people you gotta watch out for. You’re too young to have much experience with that.” He sat back
down and crossed his legs. “I’ll think on it and let you know.”
“But Cly will only be here two more weeks. Maybe less.”
“I said I’d think on it.”
“Think on what?” Mama breezed in, clean smelling, her mouth tilted up at the corners.
“Sis here wants to learn some game from that kid from California. Over at Slim’s.”
“Good grief, Joe. Let her go. You’re fussier than an old mother hen. She needs to be out having fun. Besides, you can trust
Sammie. Has she ever once done anything to cause you any doubt?” Mama picked up a cookie and nibbled the coconut from the
edges.
“That’s my job—taking care of my girls. I know when I’m whipped though… you two ganging up on me.” He rubbed a whiskery place
on his chin. “I suppose you can go. Just a round or two.”
“Thank you, Daddy. Cly’s a good kid. You’ll see.” I hugged him and snagged the last cookie from the plate.
The ladies of Graham Camp streamed into Mrs. Johnson’s party. Tuwana dipped lime sherbet punch into cut-glass cups while her
sisters served cream-cheese sandwiches with olives toothpicked to the top and lemon squares dusted with powdered sugar. Very
“You’re smitten all right.” I stood up from the glider. “Time for me to go. I’ll go in and get Scarlett.”
Tara and Tommie Sue had put doll clothes on Scarlett—a lacy pink dress and a bonnet. They giggled and smothered her in kisses
before handing her to me.
“Oh, Sammie,” Mrs. Johnson said as I wriggled Scarlett out of the dress. “I’m having a coffee on Friday morning for the ladies
in camp. I want to share our home with everyone. Tell your mother I hope the two of you can make it. Ten o’clock.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell her.”
Gathering Scarlett in my arms, I took the long way around, sticking with the camp streets, laid out like long black tongues
in the moonlight. A party would be fun for Mama. Give her a chance to “try her wings,” as Goldie would say. The only time
she went out was church on Sundays. Swoosh in. Swoosh out. No chitchat. My steps felt light as I drifted home. I might even
talk Daddy into letting me learn backgammon with Cly. Now that Tuwana didn’t want him.
A moist lilac scent floated through the front room when I entered the house.
Mama and her bubble baths.
I found Daddy at the kitchen table eating a no-bake cookie and slid into the chair opposite him.
“These ain’t bad. Want one?” He shoved the plate across to me.
“No thanks. I wanted to ask you a question.” Might as well plunge right in. “Remember a while back when you told me I couldn’t
be around Cly?”
“The MacLemore kid?” Daddy gave me a sideways glance.
Act nonchalant
. “Yeah. Cly wants to teach me how to play backgammon so we can outwit Mr. Wallace.”
“Slim’d be hard to beat. Shrewd, I’d imagine.” He picked up his plate and put it in the sink.
“It’s like this.” My heart pumped ninety miles an hour. “Tuwana and PJ are busy all the time practicing their cheers, and
Cly will only be here a couple more weeks, so I thought if you didn’t care, maybe I could learn. I might even teach you like
you taught me to gut a catfish.”
Daddy rummaged in the cabinet, looking for something. “Do you know if we’ve got any toothpicks?” he asked.
“Other side, bottom shelf.”
He opened the door and found the toothpicks we kept in a shotglass. He worked on a couple of spots and said, “I don’t know. Norm’s a hothead. Figgered his nephew would be too. Thing
is, I don’t want you getting into a situation you can’t handle. Gotta protect my girl, you know.” He ruffled my hair. The
toothpick bobbled up and down in his mouth the way his Camels used to.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“It’s not that. It’s other people you gotta watch out for. You’re too young to have much experience with that.” He sat back
down and crossed his legs. “I’ll think on it and let you know.”
“But Cly will only be here two more weeks. Maybe less.”
“I said I’d think on it.”
“Think on what?” Mama breezed in, clean smelling, her mouth tilted up at the corners.
“Sis here wants to learn some game from that kid from California. Over at Slim’s.”
“Good grief, Joe. Let her go. You’re fussier than an old mother hen. She needs to be out having fun. Besides, you can trust
Sammie. Has she ever once done anything to cause you any doubt?” Mama picked up a cookie and nibbled the coconut from the
edges.
“That’s my job—taking care of my girls. I know when I’m whipped though… you two ganging up on me.” He rubbed a whiskery place
on his chin. “I suppose you can go. Just a round or two.”
“Thank you, Daddy. Cly’s a good kid. You’ll see.” I hugged him and snagged the last cookie from the plate.
The ladies of Graham Camp streamed into Mrs. Johnson’s party. Tuwana dipped lime sherbet punch into cut-glass cups while her
sisters served cream-cheese sandwiches with olives toothpicked to the top and lemon squares dusted with powdered sugar. Very
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