the big blocks of ice. Rich
River, Cross My Heart - Hy
people would get Mr. Blind John to carve figures like horseshoes or rihhon hows out of the ice blocks for their parties. It was an added attraction that the ice carvings were done by a blind man. Mama called him a real character and Papa said watching him was better than the vaudeville show.
The string beans Johnnie Mae poured into the boiling water came alive as they touched the water. They wriggled like garter snakes. Her eyes stayed on them as they hit bottom then floated to the top. A foamy substance bubbled on the surface of the water and Johnnie Mae reached for a slotted spoon to skim it from the pot. As she stared down into the pot, something more brown than green seemed to emerge from the steam clouds.
Nervously Johnnie Mae skimmed the foam, afraid that her mother would see the brown stuff continuing to rise to the surface and think she had not rinsed the string beans properly. The fat meat with its thick, tan backside bobbed up and down in the pot. From the center of the cauldron, a mass seemed to form. It appeared to come together in the shape of a heart, disperse like a cloud, and then reformulate into a solid mass. It seemed to come together this time as a heart-shape face with amused eyes. Slender green plaits emanated from its skull and framed the face. It was a laughing Medusa with wriggling green plaits. Through the bubbles rose two small hands. The fingers came toward Johnnie Mae as if to tickle. The expression on the face was a sly menace and the fingers drew back to clamp themselves under the arms of the figure. Giggling, the figure placed string beans inside each of its nostrils. It let out an uproarious snorting laugh. The heart-shape head ducked beneath the surface and boiling water closed over it.
88 ' Breena Clarke
Next, what looked to be a small brown hand with tiny bubbles around the wrist appeared in a cloud in the middle of the pot. Appearing and disappearing, the hand teased Johnnie Mae. She stared at it. There was no sound in the room but the bubbling laughter in the pot.
Johnnie Mae felt a hand suddenly grab at her shoulder and yank her back from the stove. The pot lost its balance and spilled the boiling contents. Johnnie Mae turned to look at her mother. Alice howled when hot droplets sprayed her chest. For a moment their eyes locked. Alice's mouth widened in pain. She grabbed Johnnie Mae's hand and looked at it. There were no burns! Alice's own arm was darkening rapidly and the pain broadsided her. Johnnie Mae's hand and arm felt cool.
Johnnie Mae's jaw dropped as she watched her mother run out back to the yard and put her arm in the rain barrel up to the shoulder. Tears rolled down Mama's face. The water in the barrel absorbed the heat from her arm and drew off some of the pain. But outside the water, the barely stirring air seared her arm. The arm quickly started to wrinkle, go pale, and blisters began to form in two places.
The suddenness of the pain's return brought Alice's mind back to what had happened. Johnnie Mae! She had been about to put her hand into the boiling pot of water! Johnnie Mae had stood there staring down into the water with a look of puzzlement. She had raised her arm and made as if to plunge it into the pot. Alice remembered feeling a jolt run through her. Every muscle in her body had rushed to help her child.
"Mama!" Johnnie Mae ran out to her mother. She still couldn't quite put together what had happened.
River, Cross My Heart - 89
"Johnnie Mae! Girl, your hand's not burned, is it?"
"No, Mama."
"Lord, but . • ."
"Mama, your arm . . ."
"It's hurning from the water. I reached in to keep you from getting burnt. What were you thinking about, girl?"
Johnnie Mae searched her mind for a plausible explanation. She tried to figure out the sequence of events. She had been looking at the bubbles. Had she meant to put her hand in the pot?
"I wasn't thinking of anything, Mama."
"Go quick and get your
River, Cross My Heart - Hy
people would get Mr. Blind John to carve figures like horseshoes or rihhon hows out of the ice blocks for their parties. It was an added attraction that the ice carvings were done by a blind man. Mama called him a real character and Papa said watching him was better than the vaudeville show.
The string beans Johnnie Mae poured into the boiling water came alive as they touched the water. They wriggled like garter snakes. Her eyes stayed on them as they hit bottom then floated to the top. A foamy substance bubbled on the surface of the water and Johnnie Mae reached for a slotted spoon to skim it from the pot. As she stared down into the pot, something more brown than green seemed to emerge from the steam clouds.
Nervously Johnnie Mae skimmed the foam, afraid that her mother would see the brown stuff continuing to rise to the surface and think she had not rinsed the string beans properly. The fat meat with its thick, tan backside bobbed up and down in the pot. From the center of the cauldron, a mass seemed to form. It appeared to come together in the shape of a heart, disperse like a cloud, and then reformulate into a solid mass. It seemed to come together this time as a heart-shape face with amused eyes. Slender green plaits emanated from its skull and framed the face. It was a laughing Medusa with wriggling green plaits. Through the bubbles rose two small hands. The fingers came toward Johnnie Mae as if to tickle. The expression on the face was a sly menace and the fingers drew back to clamp themselves under the arms of the figure. Giggling, the figure placed string beans inside each of its nostrils. It let out an uproarious snorting laugh. The heart-shape head ducked beneath the surface and boiling water closed over it.
88 ' Breena Clarke
Next, what looked to be a small brown hand with tiny bubbles around the wrist appeared in a cloud in the middle of the pot. Appearing and disappearing, the hand teased Johnnie Mae. She stared at it. There was no sound in the room but the bubbling laughter in the pot.
Johnnie Mae felt a hand suddenly grab at her shoulder and yank her back from the stove. The pot lost its balance and spilled the boiling contents. Johnnie Mae turned to look at her mother. Alice howled when hot droplets sprayed her chest. For a moment their eyes locked. Alice's mouth widened in pain. She grabbed Johnnie Mae's hand and looked at it. There were no burns! Alice's own arm was darkening rapidly and the pain broadsided her. Johnnie Mae's hand and arm felt cool.
Johnnie Mae's jaw dropped as she watched her mother run out back to the yard and put her arm in the rain barrel up to the shoulder. Tears rolled down Mama's face. The water in the barrel absorbed the heat from her arm and drew off some of the pain. But outside the water, the barely stirring air seared her arm. The arm quickly started to wrinkle, go pale, and blisters began to form in two places.
The suddenness of the pain's return brought Alice's mind back to what had happened. Johnnie Mae! She had been about to put her hand into the boiling pot of water! Johnnie Mae had stood there staring down into the water with a look of puzzlement. She had raised her arm and made as if to plunge it into the pot. Alice remembered feeling a jolt run through her. Every muscle in her body had rushed to help her child.
"Mama!" Johnnie Mae ran out to her mother. She still couldn't quite put together what had happened.
River, Cross My Heart - 89
"Johnnie Mae! Girl, your hand's not burned, is it?"
"No, Mama."
"Lord, but . • ."
"Mama, your arm . . ."
"It's hurning from the water. I reached in to keep you from getting burnt. What were you thinking about, girl?"
Johnnie Mae searched her mind for a plausible explanation. She tried to figure out the sequence of events. She had been looking at the bubbles. Had she meant to put her hand in the pot?
"I wasn't thinking of anything, Mama."
"Go quick and get your
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