Aunt Jenny’s pores, and the tiny sun wrinkles fanning out from her eyes.
“Hey,” she said, and cleared her throat around the unaccustomed effort of speaking. “How long have you been here?”
“A while,” her aunt said. “It’s been some fun, watching you and Elvis sleep.”
“How long have I slept?”
“Almost three days, off and on. It was good for you, I think. You look a lot better than when I got here. You’ve got some color in your cheeks, and your eyes are at least focused. How do you feel?”
“Okay, I guess,” Emily said, and then memory flooded in and she closed her eyes and waited. Her stomach gave a snakelike twist, but the deep, grinding pain didn’t awaken.
“Aunt Jenny, all this stuff…did Cleta tell you? She said she was going to. It was—it was just awful. It was terrible. I don’t know what to do about it.”
“You don’t have to do anything about it,” her aunt said. “You’ve done exactly what you ought to do, and that’s sleep. Poor baby, you had a triple whammy, didn’t you?”
“Triple whammy…”
“Yes. The dream, the curse, and—the truth. I’d have slept for ten days, myself.”
“You know about the dream and the…what I remembered?”
“Cleta told me. I needed to know. We didn’t tell anybody else, though. That’s for you to do, if you ever want to, or not.”
“Did you know about…her leaving like that?”
“I knew she left suddenly. I never knew exactly how it happened until now. Your father never spoke of it to me, and none of the boys did either. I really thought you couldn’t remember.”
“I couldn’t, for a long time. Till now. Did anybody try to find her, to bring her back or anything?”
“I don’t know. Your mother and I weren’t very close by then. If your dad tried, I never knew about it.”
“And nobody knows where she is?”
“Not that I’ve heard, baby.”
Aunt Jenny pushed Emily’s tangled hair out of her eyes. People were always doing that.
“But…how could she live? I mean, did she take some money with her, or what? I don’t think she could get a job; she didn’t know how to do much…”
Jenny Raiford smiled. It was not a soft smile.
“She knew how to do what was necessary. Don’t you worry about that. I doubt she went without money for a single day.”
“But…”
“That’s enough for now. Maybe we’ll know more about it later. Right now it’s time for you to take a bath and get dressed and have some supper with me. Your dad and the boys ate early and went over to John’s Island to look at some fencing for the runs. It’ll be a while before they’re back.”
“I don’t want to see my father right now.”
“You don’t have to tonight, but I want you to have supper with us tomorrow night. You need to get back to normal.”
“Are you coming to supper tomorrow night?” Emily said.
“Emily, I’m going to be staying here for a while. Maybe for a year or two. Will you mind that?”
“No. Oh, gosh, no! But why?”
“Cleta and I had a real girl-to-girl the night all this happened, and then we went and talked to your father. There’s no doubt you need another woman in the house. You’re outnumbered three to one, and Cleta is getting old; she’s tired. The deal is that I’ll take over after I get home from school, and make dinner and all that, and be here all weekend. She’ll keep on coming mornings to do everything she used to do except cook at night. I’m not bad at that, even if I don’t fry chicken in lard.”
“What did you tell my father?” Emily was dumbstruck. Change, too much change.
“Just that you were growing up now, and you needed somebody to sort of help you on the way, and be with you.”
“What did he say?”
“He looked like somebody had lifted a cotton bale off his shoulders, and said he’d pay me anything I asked if I’d do it.”
“He’s going to pay you?”
“Of course not. I don’t want money to be with you; you’re a treat. And this was my
“Hey,” she said, and cleared her throat around the unaccustomed effort of speaking. “How long have you been here?”
“A while,” her aunt said. “It’s been some fun, watching you and Elvis sleep.”
“How long have I slept?”
“Almost three days, off and on. It was good for you, I think. You look a lot better than when I got here. You’ve got some color in your cheeks, and your eyes are at least focused. How do you feel?”
“Okay, I guess,” Emily said, and then memory flooded in and she closed her eyes and waited. Her stomach gave a snakelike twist, but the deep, grinding pain didn’t awaken.
“Aunt Jenny, all this stuff…did Cleta tell you? She said she was going to. It was—it was just awful. It was terrible. I don’t know what to do about it.”
“You don’t have to do anything about it,” her aunt said. “You’ve done exactly what you ought to do, and that’s sleep. Poor baby, you had a triple whammy, didn’t you?”
“Triple whammy…”
“Yes. The dream, the curse, and—the truth. I’d have slept for ten days, myself.”
“You know about the dream and the…what I remembered?”
“Cleta told me. I needed to know. We didn’t tell anybody else, though. That’s for you to do, if you ever want to, or not.”
“Did you know about…her leaving like that?”
“I knew she left suddenly. I never knew exactly how it happened until now. Your father never spoke of it to me, and none of the boys did either. I really thought you couldn’t remember.”
“I couldn’t, for a long time. Till now. Did anybody try to find her, to bring her back or anything?”
“I don’t know. Your mother and I weren’t very close by then. If your dad tried, I never knew about it.”
“And nobody knows where she is?”
“Not that I’ve heard, baby.”
Aunt Jenny pushed Emily’s tangled hair out of her eyes. People were always doing that.
“But…how could she live? I mean, did she take some money with her, or what? I don’t think she could get a job; she didn’t know how to do much…”
Jenny Raiford smiled. It was not a soft smile.
“She knew how to do what was necessary. Don’t you worry about that. I doubt she went without money for a single day.”
“But…”
“That’s enough for now. Maybe we’ll know more about it later. Right now it’s time for you to take a bath and get dressed and have some supper with me. Your dad and the boys ate early and went over to John’s Island to look at some fencing for the runs. It’ll be a while before they’re back.”
“I don’t want to see my father right now.”
“You don’t have to tonight, but I want you to have supper with us tomorrow night. You need to get back to normal.”
“Are you coming to supper tomorrow night?” Emily said.
“Emily, I’m going to be staying here for a while. Maybe for a year or two. Will you mind that?”
“No. Oh, gosh, no! But why?”
“Cleta and I had a real girl-to-girl the night all this happened, and then we went and talked to your father. There’s no doubt you need another woman in the house. You’re outnumbered three to one, and Cleta is getting old; she’s tired. The deal is that I’ll take over after I get home from school, and make dinner and all that, and be here all weekend. She’ll keep on coming mornings to do everything she used to do except cook at night. I’m not bad at that, even if I don’t fry chicken in lard.”
“What did you tell my father?” Emily was dumbstruck. Change, too much change.
“Just that you were growing up now, and you needed somebody to sort of help you on the way, and be with you.”
“What did he say?”
“He looked like somebody had lifted a cotton bale off his shoulders, and said he’d pay me anything I asked if I’d do it.”
“He’s going to pay you?”
“Of course not. I don’t want money to be with you; you’re a treat. And this was my
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