“What happened to the monkey?” said Ethan. “I would love to see it.”
“And so you shall. I am now its owner, acquiring it years after Mittie’s death. I keep it on my bedroom dresser, one of my most prized and sentimental possessions. And please, for now, please don’t ask how I came to acquire it. It’s a story that will unfold if you are so patient as to continue listening to me as I dust off the cobwebs of my life.”
“Oh, I absolutely want to see it,” said Ethan, walking about the large room and trying to imagine how it once looked, how it could look again with proper care. “I love mechanical things, and I’ve never even heard of anything like that. It must be worth a fortune now.”
“I’m sure it is, made in France, I believe. But I wouldn’t part with it for all the money in the world. As you get older, as long as you have a roof over your head and enough to eat, you will find that money becomes less and less valuable, while sentiment and memories become priceless. Sometimes I feel like I’m near the end of a long journey, my whole life trapped inside of a rearview mirror.” She started to cry softly. “I’m sorry for being so emotional. Please take me home now. I can’t stand anymore of this. I knew this would be difficult, but I didn’t expect the place to be so neglected and dreary. I will certainly make every attempt to purchase this place and hire someone to restore it.”
“I hate to ask,” said Ethan, disappointed, “but what about the rest of the story about Mittie? I’m dying to know.”
“I’ll finish it tomorrow. My nerves will be recovered by then, I’m sure. It’s just too terrible of a story to tell in this forsaken place.”
Ethan was annoyed to see Clara Satterfield’s car as he pulled the Lincoln into the driveway of the house in town. She walked out the back door as he was opening the car door for Zelma.
“What’s this?” said Clara, angrily. “I leave for a few days and this juvenile delinquent has become the chauffer. It’s a miracle the two of you haven’t been killed. Ethan, you will leave this place immediately and never come back. I will certainly report this to your mother, and I will consider calling the police. Come along, Zelma; I’ll help you inside. I should never have left you alone with this unruly child.”
“Now look here, Clara,” said Zelma, standing to her feet with the assistance of Ethan and the horsehead cane. “Do you think I’m some mindless old vegetable who can’t make her own decisions? I told him to do the driving. If anybody’s leaving around here it’s going to be you.”
“So this is how I’m treated,” said Clara, “after all these years of service and of protecting and looking out for you. This boy comes along and you chose him over me. Oh, I’ll leave alright. I’ll leave and head right over to the sheriff’s office. I think he may be interested in doing a search of the place.”
“Let him do a search,” said Zelma, walking closer to Clara, tapping her cane heavily to the ground with each step. “It would be a relief. I look forward to the interview where I can tell the whole story. You’re younger than me, so you’ll have more years to spend in prison. I’ve got nothing to loose, really. I doubt they’re going to be too hard on an old woman who’s nearly a hundred.”
“Very well then,” said Clara, “it’s a draw. From now on this boy is your responsibility. I want nothing more to do with him, as long as he stays out of my way. I guess he’s heard enough to sink us both, if he wants, and it’s your fault if he does. I’ve told you for years we should never invite outsiders. I’ll be leaving again in two days, anyway. I just came to pick up a few things. It’s going to take some time to settle my sister’s estate.”
Zelma turned to Ethan and said, “Why don’t you head on home and come back the day after tomorrow.”
“But…”
“It’s okay, Ethan. This is nothing new. Clara and I have been at each other for years. It may not sound like it, but we actually like each other, so don’t worry about me. We have a mutual understanding of one another.”
With that Clara assisted Zelma into the kitchen, and Ethan was left standing there puzzled. What in the world was their dark secret? He picked up his bike and started to leave but stopped suddenly when he heard the kitchen screen door squeak open.
“Ethan,” said Zelma, standing in the doorway.”
“Yes, Ma’am?”
“Why don’t you ask that girl if she would like to come over? I’d love to hear her play the piano. If she can’t make it next time you come over then perhaps another day. I do hope you’ll want to come back, after all you’ve heard today.”
“Oh, yes, I do want to come back,” said Ethan, “and I’m sure Cynthia would love to play the piano for you, as long as she can get permission from her parents.”
“Wonderful, I will see you in two days and perhaps Cynthia too. Any time of the day that Cynthia can make it over will be fine.”
Remembering that his clothes were still upstairs, he timidly retrieved his satchel from the bedroom, avoiding eye contact with Clara as he passed her in the hallway, then headed towards town, hoping by chance to find Cynthia. He couldn’t wait to tell her about the invitation.
Chapter 12
He didn’t find Cynthia, but he did see someone he vaguely recognized sitting on a bench next to the big fountain. It was the boy he’d seen cleaning Zelma’s house. He was reading a comic book as Ethan parked his bike and approached him.
“Don’t I recognize you from somewhere,” said Ethan, “Miss Green’s, I believe?”
The boy looked up, appearing a bit startled, and said, “Oh, hey. Yeah that’s me. How’s it going?”
“Doing good, I guess,” said Ethan sitting down beside him. “I see you like comic books too.”
“Yeah, I bought this one at Piggly Wiggly today, looked interesting. I haven’t read any of the Conan’s yet, so I thought I’d try it out. I’ve got a pretty big collection of comics at home. I don’t have anything better to do, I guess, being new to town.”
“Wow,” said Ethan. “That sounds like my story. I’m new here too. How’d you end up here?”
“My dad got a job at the carburetor plant, and we moved here from Ohio. Me and Mom stayed in Ohio until I finished the school year, then we came down. About the time we got here my dad ran off with a woman he met at the plant. Now my mom has to clean houses to make ends meet. He left us in a mess.”
“Man, that’s the pits,” said Ethan. “Me and my mom moved here from eastern Kentucky after my dad died.”
“It sounds bad, I guess, but I think it would have been easier to take if my dad had died, rather than he just abandoned us.”
“I can see your point.
“By the way, my name’s Ethan Brook.”
“Daniel Foster, here. It’s nice to meet you, Ethan.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Daniel. It looks like we got a few things in common. Both of us are outsiders in this town, and we both collect comic books.”
“Yeah, maybe we could be friends,” said Daniel, “if we get along okay. It’d be nice to have someone to hang out with.”
“That’d be great. I hope we get along. I’ve been destitute on friends since I got here.”
“Yeah, me too,” said Daniel. “You seem like a pretty cool guy, so I think we’ll get along. Hey, if you don’t have to rush home, why don’t you come over and check out my comics? I guess it may be getting late, though.”
“That’d be cool,” said Ethan. “I don’t have to be at home anytime soon. My mom actually doesn’t even expect me back until tomorrow, so I can go home whenever. Since Miss Satterfield’s sister died, I’ve been staying overnight at Miss Green’s house this past week. She don’t like staying by herself at night, but I got tonight off unexpectedly.”
“Well, how cool. My mom won’t care if you come over. She’s probably passed out drunk on the couch by now, anyway. She hasn’t been doing so well since my dad left. She never drank much, that I know of, until my dad left, but now she can’t seem to stop.
Ethan admired Daniel’s blue Schwinn Stingray bicycle as he
followed him a few miles northwest of the town square to a little white house that was situated down a long and rough driveway. A green Ford Gremlin was parked in the driveway.
“Here’s Buckingham Palace,” said Daniel.
“You should see the castle I live in,” said Ethan and laughed. “At least your house has a basement.”
“Yeah, I’m glad it has a basement. I’ve claimed the basement as my territory. Whoever used to live here kind of fixed it up. I’ve even got my own bathroom with a shower.”
“Wow, that’s cool,” said Ethan. “My house just has one bathroom with a tub and no shower. You’ve got it made.”
“I never thought of it like that,” said Daniel, “but I guess I do have it made a little bit.”
Daniel’s mother was sitting at the kitchen table when the two boys entered the back door of the house. She was smoking a cigarette and a bottle of Wild Turkey Bourbon was sitting on the table in front of her.
“Well, hello there,” she said, addressing Ethan. “Who you got with you, Daniel?”
“This is Ethan Brook. We were talking on the square and found out we both like comics, so he came over to check out my collection.”
“You look familiar,” she said, taking a sip of bourbon from a small glass. Didn’t we see you at that rich old woman’s house, Zelma Green?”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Ethan. “I do jobs around the house for her.”
“I thought I remembered your face. I don’t know how you work for that crazy old bat. She about gives me the spooks.”
“She’s pretty nice once you get to know her,” said Ethan, feeling a genuine need to defend his ancient friend.
“I’m sure she is. Please don’t mention what I said. I get a little loose with my words sometimes. My name is Sophia, like the actress but not half as glamorous.” She laughed.
“Nice to meet you, Ma’am.”
“And please cut out the Ma’am crap. You’d think I was the Queen of England. I don’t make enough money for that title.”
“Sorry, Ma’am. I mean, Sorry.”
“You don’t learn very fast,” said Sophia. “Here, get you a glass over there and have a sip of whiskey. That’ll loosen you up.”
“You’re embarrassing, Mom,” said Daniel. “His mom would kill him, and you too, if she found out he was drinking.”
“I suppose you’re right. Good thing I’ve got you to keep me in line, Son. I don’t know how I raised such a responsible kid.”
“Somebody has to be responsible around here,” said Daniel.
“Y’all get you a plate,” said Sophia. “There’s some macaroni I just made on the stove and some ham I baked in the oven. Get you a slice. There’s some cokes in the fridge.”
Daniel opened the frig and said, “What kind of coke do you want, Ethan? We’ve got Dr. Pepper and Pepsi.”
“I’ll take a Pepsi.”
“If you don’t care, Mom, me and Ethan will eat downstairs. I want to show him my room.”
“I guess, since y’all don’t like to be social. I’ll just sit up here by myself.”
The two boys fixed a plate of food, and Ethan followed Daniel down a narrow staircase to the basement.
There was a washer and dryer in a small room at the foot of the staircase. Daniel led Ethan into another room that had a green shag carpet on the floor. In one corner of the room there was a large bookshelf filled with books and stacks of comics. Model cars decorated two of the shelves. A disco ball hung from a hook on the ceiling. There was a large waterbed with a matching dresser, two green bean bag chairs, and a small desk and chair in one corner.
“Wow, this is cool,” said Ethan. “I’d love to have a room like this. Love the Farrah Fawcett poster over your bed, especially.”
“Yeah, she keeps me company at night,” said Daniel, smiling and patting Ethan on the back.
Ethan sat down on the bed and unexpectedly sunk into it, almost dropping his plate and splattering a little bit of his Pepsi. “Whoa, what kind of bed is this?” he asked.
“It’s a waterbed. I inherited it when we moved here because my parents said they couldn’t use it in their bedroom. My mom said she hated it, anyway.”
“I’ve got to get one of these,” said Ethan. “It’s like riding a wave. You’ve got all the neatest stuff.”
“Thanks, Man.”
Ethan with some effort, while holding his plate and drink, stood up and said, “It’s not the best place to try and eat though.”
The two boys sat down on the beanbag chairs.
“What’s that thing on the floor in front of the TV?” asked Ethan.
“Only the coolest thing you’ve ever seen,” said Daniel.
“How’s that?”
“It’s game you play on the TV called Pong. My dad won it in a raffle and gave it to me.”
“I’ve never heard of anything like that,” said Ethan. “How’s it work?”
“You twist these knobs to hit a ball back and forth just like tennis,” said Daniel.
After finishing their food, the boys played the game for over two hours. Ethan exclaimed, finally, “Wow, this is just like something the Jetson’s would play. I guess flying cars will be the next thing they come up with.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” said Daniel, “but why don’t we take a break for a while and check out my comics.”
Daniel removed the comic books from the shelf and spread them out on the waterbed. The new friends organized the comics and decided which ones were up for trade, Ethan promising to bring over his collection on a future visit.
“I’m glad we met,” said Ethan, helping Daniel replace the comic books neatly back onto the shelf. “I was beginning to hate this town. I think we’ll get along just great. I see you also like model cars. I haven’t put together any models yet, but I love cars.”
“Yeah, I’m glad we met too. It seems like we came to Rocky Creek under almost the same circumstance. The only difference is your dad is gone because he died, and mine’s gone because he’s a complete ass.” The two boys laughed.
“I just wish there was more to do outside here,” said Ethan. “I came from the mountains, and me and my friends loved to swim in the streams. There were all kind of places to explore back home.”
“Well, I can take care of that,” said Daniel. “I found a secret swimming hole over at the foot of a knob not far from here. I like to get out and explore and find things. It’s a pretty good walk over there, but you won’t believe it when you see it. It’s the prettiest and clearest pond you’ll ever see. I don’t know who owns it, but I haven’t been run off yet. I don’t think they get over there much.”
“Oh, that would be the best thing ever,” said Ethan. “I’d almost feel like I was back in eastern Kentucky.”
“We’ll sneak over there tomorrow, if you want.”
“Of course I want to,” said Ethan.
“Since I don’t know who owns it,” said Daniel, “if we get arrested for trespassing, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“It might be good to spend a little time in the tank,” said Ethan. “They might show us a little respect when we start school if we’re ex-convicts.”
The two boys laughed at that and many other clever and funny exchanges, becoming better friends as each moment passed. At Daniel’s encouragement, since it was getting really late and his mom thought he was at Miss Green’s house anyway, Ethan decided to spend the night. It was fortunate that he had his backpack with a toothbrush and a change of clothes. The two went upstairs to let Sophia know, but they found her passed out on the couch.
“She didn’t used to be like this,” said Daniel, more to himself.
The next morning Sophia was still asleep on the couch, and it was with some difficulty that the two boys roused her awake. She and Daniel had houses to clean. Ethan declined her half-awake offer for a big breakfast but agreed to return that evening around five o’clock for supper.
As he rode his bike to the square, he thought about his mom a
nd about how much better adjusted she was to losing her husband than Daniel’s mom was to losing hers. He figured the difference was that Dad still loved Mom when he departed for Heaven, while Sophia had lost her husband because he didn’t love her anymore. He concluded that you only really lose someone if they stop loving you, not if they pass away.
Chapter 13
“Well, look who the cat dragged in,” said Frances Batts, as Ethan walked into Taylor’s Drug Store. “I wondered if you’d left town.”
Ethan sat down at the counter.
“How’s it going?” he said.
“Oh, about the same here. How’s it going for you? Are you liking Rocky Creek any better? I hope you’ve made some friends.”
“I’m starting to make a few friends,” said Ethan.
“What’ll you have?”
“I’ll take the bacon and egg sandwich.”
“How about some coffee with that. I made the coffee myself and people say I make the best coffee. I’ll throw it in for free if you don’t tell anyone.”
“Sounds great,” said Ethan.
Frances yelled the order to the cook and poured Ethan a cup of coffee.
“Did I tell you that I was related to the Bell Witch?”
“No, I don’t believe so,” said Ethan. “Who’s the Bell Witch?”
“Surely you’ve heard of the Bell Witch. It’s only the most famous ghost story in America, maybe the world. It happened not too far from here over in Adams, Tennessee. Kate Batts was a great-great aunt of mine, my mother always said. I’m not sure what he did to tick her off, but after Kate died, she haunted a man named John Bell so much she ended up killing him. They started calling her the Bell Witch. If you like ghost stories, you should go the library and look it up. I’m sure they’ve got dozens of books on it.”
“I’ll be sure and look it up. I met this girl who might be interested in the story too.”
“Look at you. Hadn’t been in town a month and already found a girlfriend.”
Ethan reddened a little and said, “Oh, we’re just friends, I guess.”
A Million Doorways Page 13