the devil standing in front of him. “I need me some seeds.” Before someone came and hauled me off to jail, I had one thing to do, one mark to leave.
“You do have a nice big garden plot.” He looked at the garden. “You said you and your mama did a lot of gardening.”
His remembering didn’t soften me one bit. “I turned that garden, but Hobbs”—his name hung in the air like ice crystals frozen on a glass windowpane—“doesn’t like that I tore up the yard. He got right mad.” My words were flat.
“I guess he left again?” Jack looked everywhere but at me. “Aunt Ida said you came down to visit a few weeks ago, but Hobbs didn’t come with you. She’s been worrying over him like always.” He cocked his head to the side. “It ain’t like him to leave without a visit with her.”
“He breezed in here long enough to spoil my trip to Mama’s and left. I can’t say why he didn’t come see Aunt Ida.” The bitterness of my words could have poisoned a person.
“You still want to go to your mama’s?”
I looked into his green eyes and wanted to slap his face. “No, the time for that has come and gone.” I just wanted him to leave.
“You want to make me a list of seeds?”
He stood beside the kitchen table as I wrote the list on the back of a brown paper bag.
“What is that smell, Nellie?”
My pencil stopped for only a second as I wrote the name “asters.” “I burned a ham real bad last week. I guess you could say I turned it black to the bone. It’s a wonder I didn’t burn the house down. The smell won’t go away. Hobbs was right about my cooking.”
Jack watched me. “Ain’t nothing like burned meat. You must have burned it something terrible.” He tested me with one of his grins.
“I did.” I scribbled the rest of the list and handed it off to him.
After studying the paper, he looked up and laughed. “Flowers, you want nothing but flowers?”
“I need something pretty in my life. They’re for Hobbs too.” This was true.
Jack’s face darkened. “You sure he ain’t done something to you?”
For a second, I thought of confessing, but the moment passed without a word. “He was Hobbs, nothing but plain old Hobbs.”
He folded the piece of brown paper and put it in his front shirt pocket. “I’ll bring these back soon.”
“Good.”
Funny how I didn’t even like him anymore.
Instead of getting in his truck, he walked around it and headed out to the hollow tree.
I got a little light-headed.
“You got a dead smell out here by the tree,” he yelled.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I can’t think of what died.”
He nodded and walked back to his truck. “I’ll be back soon with the seeds.”
When his truck disappeared down the drive, the stone sitting on my chest got lighter.
It took me two mornings before I decided I had to do something. I sat down at the kitchen table and wrote me a letter.
Dear Mama:
You saw my future and you was right. It pains me to say that. I was wrong. I did learn something. I learned how to chop wood and be alone. I’m going to grow me a right nice garden with all kinds of flowers. I think of you often. I think most about the trip we took with Daddy that time. You remember? Do you remember what I told you? I wasn’t but nine and I already knew more than I should’ve. But if you don’t remember, I’ll understand. It was so beautiful there. Wasn’t it? I’ll always love you.
Your daughter,
Nellie
I sealed the letter and walked it down to Jack. Aunt Ida was hanging clothes in the side yard. She turned a frown on me. “Have you seen Hobbs lately?”
“He hasn’t been back since he beat the stuffing out of me.” I tried to contain the bubbling rage in my head.
“He always tells me when he’s leaving no matter what.”
“He didn’t this time. Maybe you mean as much to him as I do.” I let these words sink in. “You can never tell about old Hobbs, can you.” I handed her the envelope. “Could you make sure Jack takes
“You do have a nice big garden plot.” He looked at the garden. “You said you and your mama did a lot of gardening.”
His remembering didn’t soften me one bit. “I turned that garden, but Hobbs”—his name hung in the air like ice crystals frozen on a glass windowpane—“doesn’t like that I tore up the yard. He got right mad.” My words were flat.
“I guess he left again?” Jack looked everywhere but at me. “Aunt Ida said you came down to visit a few weeks ago, but Hobbs didn’t come with you. She’s been worrying over him like always.” He cocked his head to the side. “It ain’t like him to leave without a visit with her.”
“He breezed in here long enough to spoil my trip to Mama’s and left. I can’t say why he didn’t come see Aunt Ida.” The bitterness of my words could have poisoned a person.
“You still want to go to your mama’s?”
I looked into his green eyes and wanted to slap his face. “No, the time for that has come and gone.” I just wanted him to leave.
“You want to make me a list of seeds?”
He stood beside the kitchen table as I wrote the list on the back of a brown paper bag.
“What is that smell, Nellie?”
My pencil stopped for only a second as I wrote the name “asters.” “I burned a ham real bad last week. I guess you could say I turned it black to the bone. It’s a wonder I didn’t burn the house down. The smell won’t go away. Hobbs was right about my cooking.”
Jack watched me. “Ain’t nothing like burned meat. You must have burned it something terrible.” He tested me with one of his grins.
“I did.” I scribbled the rest of the list and handed it off to him.
After studying the paper, he looked up and laughed. “Flowers, you want nothing but flowers?”
“I need something pretty in my life. They’re for Hobbs too.” This was true.
Jack’s face darkened. “You sure he ain’t done something to you?”
For a second, I thought of confessing, but the moment passed without a word. “He was Hobbs, nothing but plain old Hobbs.”
He folded the piece of brown paper and put it in his front shirt pocket. “I’ll bring these back soon.”
“Good.”
Funny how I didn’t even like him anymore.
Instead of getting in his truck, he walked around it and headed out to the hollow tree.
I got a little light-headed.
“You got a dead smell out here by the tree,” he yelled.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I can’t think of what died.”
He nodded and walked back to his truck. “I’ll be back soon with the seeds.”
When his truck disappeared down the drive, the stone sitting on my chest got lighter.
It took me two mornings before I decided I had to do something. I sat down at the kitchen table and wrote me a letter.
Dear Mama:
You saw my future and you was right. It pains me to say that. I was wrong. I did learn something. I learned how to chop wood and be alone. I’m going to grow me a right nice garden with all kinds of flowers. I think of you often. I think most about the trip we took with Daddy that time. You remember? Do you remember what I told you? I wasn’t but nine and I already knew more than I should’ve. But if you don’t remember, I’ll understand. It was so beautiful there. Wasn’t it? I’ll always love you.
Your daughter,
Nellie
I sealed the letter and walked it down to Jack. Aunt Ida was hanging clothes in the side yard. She turned a frown on me. “Have you seen Hobbs lately?”
“He hasn’t been back since he beat the stuffing out of me.” I tried to contain the bubbling rage in my head.
“He always tells me when he’s leaving no matter what.”
“He didn’t this time. Maybe you mean as much to him as I do.” I let these words sink in. “You can never tell about old Hobbs, can you.” I handed her the envelope. “Could you make sure Jack takes
Similar Books
