Forever This Summer

by Leslie C. Youngblood

  I hoped that Markie would sit with us but she didn’t. Nikki and I sat at the glass-top kitchen table, and Markie slid a chair from the table and pushed it against the kitchen wall.

  When Ms. Hannah placed a glass of water on the table, I drank mine in just a few gulps. Then Ms. Hannah put the kettle on for tea and turned to face us while it heated. I couldn’t stop crisscrossing my legs. My entire body felt like a long piece of string with knots in it that I couldn’t untie.

  “Georgie, I know you asked me why I didn’t say something about your mama and Irene being friends, all I can say is that it wasn’t my place. I had to let that information come from your mama. As soon as I saw you and Markie together, I knew there was no coincidence that you two bonded. Now, that may fall on the side of the worst reasons a person could have, but it is mine. And it’s exactly what I told Markie Jean.”

  Markie’s foot beating against the chair sounded like Bessie trotting in the middle of the kitchen. “Aunt Vie knew, too. She never told me. How could she make Aunt Vie keep that a secret for so long? That wasn’t fair. Ms. Katrina could have stepped in a long time ago to help me find my mama.”

  I clenched my teeth the way you do when you’re trying to stop yourself from crying. I wanted to defend my mama and was mad at her at the same time. My emotions were so split I thought I’d break in two.

  Ms. Hannah readied her teacup. “Remember what we talked about, Markie? We weren’t in their shoes then, right?”

  Markie nodded.

  “Vie hoped that if she was the foster parent, when Irene came back for Markie, she’d easily find her. But years went on and Vie began to realize that she wasn’t coming back.” The teakettle whistle pierced the air. Ms. Hannah lifted it and turned off the stove. As she set it down, I heard her sniffling. Then she turned to Markie. “Not knowing your mama is an open wound. None of us know exactly how to heal it. There is no doubt that mistakes were made. It didn’t go the way any of us planned. Vie did her best. But Markie, she stayed close to you some way or another.”

  Ms. Hannah poured her tea. Both Nikki and I dabbed at our eyes. Since she was sitting with her head down, I couldn’t see Markie’s face.

  After taking a few sips of tea, Ms. Hannah said, “On top of all this, we don’t need folks worrying about you three. Let’s get you all back into town.”

  “Markie.” I couldn’t believe I was speaking to her because I hadn’t come up with the perfect thing to say yet. I stood up and so did Nikki. “Will you come back to Aunt Vie’s? I know my mama wants to talk to you. And maybe you need to talk to her, too?”

  “Might help both of you,” Nikki said.

  Every word Nikki spoke was like a hug. I was just glad she was there.

  Markie shrugged. “Yeah, okay. If she wants to talk to me or not, I want to see Aunt Vie.”

  Ms. Hannah walked us out to the porch. “Wait right here,” she said and then patted Bessie on the nose and mounted her. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.” She trotted around to the side of the house.

  “Think she has a carriage back there or something,” Nikki said.

  “Glad she’s giving us a ride. It would be a long walk back,” I said. “A Koolickle would be nice, though, if it were earlier.” When Markie didn’t say anything, I turned to Nikki. “It’s a dill pickle dipped in Kool-Aid.”

  Nikki swiped her hand across the air. “Think I’ll pass.”

  Moments later, two headlights beamed from the right side of the house along with the purr of an engine.

  My eyes adjusted to what was in front of me: a platinum Mustang. Ms. Hannah rolled down a window. “Jump in!”

  Markie took the front seat and Nikki and I got in the back.

  Once we were buckled up, we were heading out the gates. That’s all it took for Peanut Man’s words to start circling in my head. “Ms. Hannah?”

  “Yes, baby,” she said.

  “Is it true?” I took in a deep breath. “Is it true that your family was mean to Black people? Maybe hurt some and that’s why my aunt Essie and Grandma won’t let Aunt Vie come here?”

  The rocks underneath the car sounded like popcorn kernels popping. “I have brothers. Three half brothers. Two are decent people. The other was accused of shooting a young man home from college. O’Neal. I think of him often. He was working at Sweetings. Lots of evidence against one of my brothers, but he hasn’t been charged. Doesn’t matter that my mother and I broke ties with the racist people in our family long ago. Aunt Vie trusted me. They can’t see me without seeing them, I guess.”

  “Do… do you think you could talk to my grandma and Aunt Essie? Aunt Vie is the only one who can’t say exactly what she wants to right now. Someone has to speak for her. Shouldn’t that be you?”

  “I wish it was as easy for grown-ups to work through issues as it was for you young folks. But it’s not,” she said. “We let stuff eat us up inside for too long.”

  I could see Markie raise her head and look at Ms. Hannah. “You think this is easy for us to work through? We didn’t even cause these problems. They all were dumped on us and we’re doing the best we can.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” Ms. Hannah said but didn’t take her eyes off the road.

  “We… we are going to have a talent show to raise money for Alzheimer’s. It’s a fundraiser and it’s happening Saturday. The three of us are all organizing it in honor of Aunt Vie. Maybe if you come there. That would help make things better,” I offered.

  “With all this going on, you three still managing to do something good for Vie.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Maybe kids could ride Bessie? Bet people would donate money to do that.”

  “Young lady, you are truly your great-aunt’s niece,” she said and laughed. “In the midst of trouble, you still hold on to something that could help others. Should have seen her during Hurricane Katrina.” She rubbed that steering wheel like it was Bessie’s coat. Ms. Hannah chuckled again. “Turned Sweetings into a station to get water if yours was out. Made gumbo by the ton to feed people,” she said.

  “That sounds like Aunt Vie,” Markie said.

  “She didn’t say she would come,” Nikki whispered to me. But I knew that all I could do was tell her about it. Her decision was out of my hands.

  27

  IT’S ME

  About one block away from the house, I could see Aunt Vie’s house aglow. Every light was on in the windows, and on the porch, those mosquito-repellant torches burned. Aunt Essie sat in the rocker. Mama and Grandma Sugar stood on the sidewalk. When the three of us exited the car, Mama was the only one to come around to talk to Ms. Hannah. But it was keep-the-engine-running conversation. Daddy and Mama had those all the time. Neither Aunt Essie nor Grandma Sugar waved to her or said, “Come sit awhile.” And it hurt my heart that the one person who’d say those words to her couldn’t.

  “I told Mama that you’d be back soon,” Peaches said. “See, Mama, I told you.” Then she whispered, “I was only a little bit scared.” I hugged her and kept her close.

  Grandma Sugar ushered all of us inside the gate and directed her words at me. “You’re just lucky that Peanut Man stopped by and told us he’d delivered you two safely to Ms. Hannah’s and that she’d said she’d bring you home. That’s the only reason we weren’t worried sick. Goodness knows we didn’t need that on top of everything else.”

  Mama came over to Markie and me. “I know you two have questions, especially you, Markie. Some I can answer, some I can’t. Can you call your guardian and let her know I’ll bring you home a little later, if that’s okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Markie said, without any resistance. Mama looked away and I kept my eyes on Markie. She didn’t reach for her phone once.

  Before Mama could talk to us, Ms. Hannah’s car, which was still in front of the house, went silent. The engine was off and she opened her door.

  “Thanks again for getting the girls home safely, Ms. Hannah. Did you need something?” Mama asked.

  “Need to talk to Es
sie and Lilly. And a chair if you can spare an extra one out here, please.”

  Neither one of them had the pleasant look they gave to customers at Sweetings. “I’ll get the chair,” I offered. As soon as I’d set it on the porch, I signaled to Nikki and Markie to go back in the house.

  When we were in and everyone else was outside, I said, “Come with me, upstairs.”

  “What are you getting ready to do?” Nikki asked.

  “Get Aunt Vie,” Markie said, with more pep than she’d had in a while.

  Once in Aunt Vie’s room, I could hear voices from the yard. Nikki moved the TV tray from in front of her. “Aunt Vie, Ms. Hannah is downstairs. Ms. Hannah,” Markie said.

  Aunt Vie repeated, “Hannah.”

  I held my hand out and she reached for it. Markie grabbed her lightweight robe. And we eased her into it. We led her downstairs without any problem. Nikki was the first one out the door. She held it while Markie and I escorted Aunt Vie.

  Ms. Hannah wasted no time. She reached over to Aunt Vie and took both her hands in hers, brought them to her lips, and kissed them. “Sorry I haven’t been to visit like I should. I’m sorry.” The heart necklace Ms. Hannah wore shimmered on her neck from the porch light.

  “Hannah?” Aunt Vie said.

  “It’s me… it’s me.…” Ms. Hannah said.

  I didn’t know if Aunt Vie was just repeating Hannah or if she really knew it was her. Either way, it didn’t matter at the moment.

  When Markie, Mama, Nikki, and I were all in the living room, I was just thankful that Markie was open to talking to Mama. Nikki offered to go upstairs with Peaches but I wanted Nikki to stay and Mama agreed.

  Mama and I sat on the sofa. Markie and Nikki took the armchairs.

  “Markie, there is no one conversation that I can have that will totally explain my actions. One moment I think I made the best decision, the next second, I know I took the easy way out. I didn’t even tell my mama because I knew that she would have convinced me not to put that burden on Aunt Vie.”

  “Why couldn’t you just tell me the truth, Ms. Katrina?” Markie said.

  “Some of it was shame. Guilt. It hit especially hard when I knew you and Georgie were getting along. Every second it reminded me of how much I let Irene down. Over the years, Aunt Vie did so much to try to take my guilt away. And it was clear that she loved you, but I should have faced this long before now. This guilt is something I need to start dealing with.”

  “I guess that’s why you didn’t tell me either, huh?” I said.

  Mama nodded. “I know you’re rushing to grow up, Georgie. But you’re still my child.” She started wringing her hands. “And as my child, how could I tell you what a big mistake I made? I didn’t tell anybody, even your daddy. I just prayed that Irene was okay and that I hadn’t ruined Markie’s life. When it wasn’t denial, it was regret.”

  “Would you like some water, Aunt Katrina?” Nikki asked.

  “Yes, please,” Mama said.

  We were quiet for a moment, trying to process everything. Nikki came back with three glasses and napkins for coasters. “Here you go,” she said and handed one to Mama, as well as Markie and me.

  “And you and my mom were really best friends in high school?” Markie asked.

  Mama nodded. “Thick as thieves, as they say. But Markie, this happened so long after high school. Your mama didn’t really have any people from Bogalusa. And I’m ashamed to say how little I knew about her family life. Soon after graduation, she and her aunt moved to Jackson, Mississippi. But she lived in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, too.”

  “Ms. Katrina, do you mind if I talk to you? Just us.” Then she glanced at Nikki and me. “I don’t want to be rude, but there’s just some personal things I need to know.”

  I started the bobblehead doll nod. I was happy that Markie wasn’t shutting Mama out. Neither of them needed more of that. “We understand,” I said. “We need to talk about a few last-minute things for the talent show.” Markie and Mama walked out into the kitchen.

  The voices on the front porch were steady as Aunt Vie’s rocker that was tapping against the house. Peaches came down and joined us in the living room as Nikki and I talked about what needed to be done for the show.

  “I want to read a poem, G-baby,” Peaches announced. “If everybody is doing something to raise money, I want to do something, too.”

  “Sounds good, Peaches. We need to find one for you to memorize,” I said.

  “Grandma Sugar already helped me find one. It’s a surprise,” she said. “I’m going back upstairs to practice.”

  When Peaches went upstairs, instead of Nikki and I planning, we just sprawled on the couch.

  “What a day,” I said.

  “You can say that again,” Nikki said.

  “What a day,” I repeated and kicked off my shoes. We both laughed a bit, which was our first real laugh in a while. For a moment, it was just enough to hear the voices on the porch and Peaches screaming the words to “Hey Black Child” upstairs.

  I just hoped that Mama and Markie’s conversation was going okay.

  After we rested for a minute, I pulled my notebook out and we checked the various lists we’d made.

  “I need to ask you a serious question, Georgie,” Nikki said. “A few things have happened that could have canceled this show.”

  “That’s true,” I said.

  “Lots of kids are counting on this and, from what I know about fundraisers, this one will get people giving. I need you to think really hard. Is there anything you can think of that could come back to bite us now? Anything?”

  “No, there isn’t,” I said.

  “Look at me, Georgie.” I obliged. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” I said because I couldn’t think of anything at all and it wasn’t worth worrying Nikki, but I had to cross my fingers.

  28

  IN MY DREAMS

  It was Friday and we weren’t close to ready.

  “He’s here,” Aunt Essie shouted. “My husband the traveling man is finally home.” I rushed down. And Uncle Dean didn’t disappoint. He had flowers and candy for everybody, especially Aunt Essie. They kissed and Aunt Essie blushed.

  “I’d know this beauty anywhere,” he said when he saw me. He presented me with pink carnations. “Your great-uncle would pick you up and swing you around, but I got to keep what little life I got in this back,” he said. Then he turned to Nikki. “And who might this be?”

  “This is my best friend, Nikki,” I said.

  Uncle gave her a single carnation. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Is Uncle finally home?” Mama shouted from the kitchen. A basket plopped to the floor and she rushed in.

  “Long time, girl,” he said to Mama and handed her a bouquet. “If you stay away this long again, I’m driving that trailer out there looking for you.”

  “Won’t happen again, Uncle,” Mama said, sounding like a little girl.

  “You know your great-niece got big plans for a talent show. You need to get settled and see where you can lend a hand,” Aunt Essie said.

  “I’ve seen some signs for it driving in. Put me to work,” Uncle Dean said.

  Two hours later, he was with us and the sibs at McClurie Park. Markie was babysitting for Rosella.

  “We’re creating an outdoor theater right in front of the bleachers. I sketched it out,” I told him. It was “rudimentary,” which is what Daddy called the sketches he drew for his third dealership he envisioned.

  “Let me take a look,” Uncle Dean said. He studied it, turning it at different angles. “What you got here is a stage, right?”

  “Yeah, but we can just use the ground. It’s even. We’re going to rake it and make sure there’s no stones or anything.”

  “What time is your show tomorrow?”

  “Six p.m.”

  He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a watch. The gold chain glistened from a belt loop. I knew it was something I wanted to get Daddy for Christm
as. Uncle Dean turned to Flip. “You available to help me build this stage?”

  It seemed like Flip stood at attention to the directness in Uncle Dean’s voice. “Yes, sir,” he said.

  “I’m going to get my pickup and stack it with pallets from the mill. I know they got plenty to lend to such a good cause,” Uncle Dean said.

  Jada and Nikki were at the other end of the park practicing. I sat on the ground next to Latasha and watched. They’d added even more to their number. The new deal was that we’d do our routine and Nikki’d do a separate one with Jada. I watched them for a while and wondered if I should just bow out of the dancing and focus on the emceeing. But I didn’t want to let Nikki down.

  “Hey,” I said, as if I hadn’t been watching them for a few minutes. “Guess what?” Nobody said a word until the end of the song. They didn’t end back-to-back—that was our thing, as boring as it seemed now—but Nikki and Jada ended with Nikki backflipping over Jada, who was already in one of the most coveted of splits—the side split. They shined.

  If only in my dreams.

  “Uncle Dean and Flip are going to get some material now. Says it will be smooth and strong enough to hold up to any dance routine. They’ll be back in about an hour.”

  Nikki and I ran through our routine again. After about thirty minutes, we went up to the diner for some cool air and lemonade, then we headed back to the park.

  “Just in time,” Uncle Dean said as he and Flip arranged the pallets in the center of the park. “There are some gloves on the bleachers, grab a pair.” Uncle Dean handed me a hammer and a pair of safety goggles. “Don’t want any of that stray wood hitting you in the eye.”

  With my goggles, gloves, and hammer, I was ready.

  “Nikki, take some pictures,” I said.

  “On it,” she said and grabbed her phone. Something about that moment made everything so real. We were constructing a stage. And somehow, the adults were helping and not taking over.

  The hammering had a beat of its own. Before we knew it, other people had joined in to help, too.