“Do you believe they drowned once they got to the river?”
“I do not.”
“What makes you so sure?”
Lillian frowned. “I cannot say. But I know it in my bones.”
Anna sighed. “It’s just so . . .”
“Romantic?” Lillian finished for her.
“Yes!”
“I thought so too when I was your age. But now, we must remember Andre’s wicked past. All of his riches were stolen.”
“Yes, but maybe he had a reason for doing what he did. Or maybe Catherine changed him.”
Lillian smiled. “Perhaps.”
“I’ve taken too much of your time. Can I do anything for you?”
“No, my dear. Sunny days speed by. Enjoy them every one. Be on your journey, and fare thee well.”
Anna returned to Dolly’s just in time to see her sprinting across the front yard, carrying a picnic basket.
“Anna—thank goodness!” Dolly called to her. “Could you carry Si and Jesse their lunch for me? I know they must be starvin’ to death, as early as they got goin’, but I’ve got two pies about ready to come outta the oven. They’ll get burnt to a crisp if I don’t keep an eye on ’em.”
“Happy to.”
“Thank you, honey.” Dolly handed Anna the basket and hurried back to the house.
Anna delivered lunch to Si and Jesse, who had painted their way almost all the way down the boardwalk, and then reported back to Dolly, who asked if she would mind gathering some vegetables for supper. Now she was making her way down a long row of green beans, stopping occasionally to listen to the doves and the mockingbirds.
“That you in there, Anna?” She looked up to see Daisy standing at the end of her row. She was wearing her overalls and a straw hat.
“Hey!” Anna waved to her.
“Want some comp’ny?”
“Sure!”
Daisy laid her sketchpad on the grass, picked up a garden basket, and joined Anna in the green beans. “My land!” she said as she started picking. “How many rows did they plant?”
“I counted six.”
“They must really like these things.”
The two of them silently filled their baskets for a few seconds before Anna said, “It sure feels good to do something—something to help, I mean.”
“We still talkin’ about pole beans?”
Anna smiled and shook her head. “Not exactly.”
“Jesse wouldn’t let you help with the farm?”
“When it was going strong, sure. But after everything started coming apart, he blamed himself so much that I guess he thought he had to be the one to fix it.”
“Stubborn breed, those husbands.”
“Hey, I don’t think I ever asked you why you came here to start with. Did Charlie get a job at the Army plant before he enlisted?”
“No, I got a job there after he enlisted. No way could I sit in that empty farmhouse all day wonderin’ what was happenin’ to him over there. But by the time I made up my mind to get a job, the shipyards down on the coast weren’t hirin’. So when I heard about jobs in Alabama, I packed that same suitcase I threatened Charlie with and drove myself here. I worked at the plant up until—well, up until I got that telegram.”
“Don’t you want to go home to Mississippi? I mean, what about your farm?”
Daisy stopped picking and turned to face Anna. “I guess now’s as good a time as any to tell you what kinda person you’re associatin’ with. Every mornin’ when I wake up and every night before I go to bed, I look up at the sky and ask Charlie to please forgive me for what I did.”
“What do you mean?”
“I sold it. I sold our farm.”
“But why?”
“The thought o’ goin’ back there all by myself and knowin’ that he died tryin’ to save a piece o’ land . . . I couldn’t stand it. I just couldn’t. Every time I looked at those fields, I’d be thinkin’ that Charlie gave his life for ’em—and I let him do it. I let him, Anna. So when the bank called and made one last offer, I took it. That’s the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life. Charlie was brave enough to die for our farm, and I wasn’t even brave enough to live on it.”
“I never thought about it before,” Anna said. “Would I want our farm if Jesse weren’t there with me? I don’t think I could stand the sight of it. And if Charlie was anywhere near as stubborn as every man I know, nothing you said or did would’ve stopped him from going. Even if you could’ve talked him out of enlisting, he would’ve been drafted like all the other boys. It’s not your fault he died, Daisy.”
“Sure feels like it.”
“Well, it’s not.”
Both of them returned to filling their baskets.
“Even without your farm, don’t you want to go back to Mississippi?” Anna asked after they had been quiet for a little while. She couldn’t fathom staying in Alabama without Jesse. She knew she would be on the first bus back to Illinois if she should ever find herself in Daisy’s situation, God forbid.
Daisy shook her head. “My folks are the type that believe once you’re outta the nest, you don’t fly back. Besides, there’s way too much Charlie there. Our old church, our old friends—just the thought o’ facin’ all that stuff makes me feel sick to my stomach. His family didn’t take too kindly to me sellin’ the farm. It’s easier on ever’body—his folks and mine—if I’m not around. I guess I’m sorta hidin’ out. Plus I like Miss Ella. Her house is a lot smaller than Si and Dolly’s, so I’m her only boarder. We both like tendin’ to our own knittin’ and don’t get on each other’s nerves.”
Anna shooed away a dragonfly that was fluttering around her basket. “Dolly said you’ve got four brothers, just like me.”
“Yeah,” Daisy said. “But yours don’t seem to have affected you the same way mine did, what with you pickin’ beans in a skirt.”
Anna smiled. “Not much for dresses?”
“I used to like dressin’ up for Charlie. Just don’t have the desire anymore. I’d feel like I was disrespectin’ him if I got all gussied up when he ain’t here to see it.”
Reaching the end of their row, Daisy and Anna set down their overflowing baskets, grabbed two empty ones, and waded into the tall squash plants.
“Did your brothers get called up?” Anna asked.
“Just the one closest to me. His name’s Mack. I write to him every week. The others were too old for the draft. Did yours have to go?”
“All but George, the oldest,” Anna said. “I haven’t written the others as much since we moved down here, and I feel awful about it. I need to get my letters going again.”
“Well, I’m sure they understand you’re dealin’ with a lot yourself.”
“You really think so?”
Again, Daisy stopped picking and looked at Anna. “You mind if I make a little observation? You’re mighty hard on yourself. You can’t fix everything for everybody. You can’t be the one that makes all the clouds go away.”
Anna thought it over. “You know, you’re the first person who ever said that to me. Most of the time, whatever I do for my parents or Jesse . . . it just never seems to be enough.”
“That notion comin’ from you or them?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t think it comes from Jesse. He’s happy with whatever I want to do—at least he used to be. I have no idea what he thinks now.”
“Anna, you gotta take this bull by the horns. I know it’s hard. But you two can’t keep goin’ on like a coupla strangers. Just get him off to yourself, take a deep breath, and out with it, girl! Tell him you’re done with this nonsense. You’re his wife and you mean to have a husband again. Just give it to him straight. Men can’t decipher hints and moods, so you gotta put what you’re feelin’ in a cast-iron skillet and hit ’em over the head with it.”
Anna giggled. “Will you come with me when I do it—maybe help me lift the skillet?”
“Gladly. It’s time to fish or cut bait, sister.”
�
�Guess I need to be bold like Catherine.”
“Who’s that?”
“A girl who lived here a long time ago. Has anybody around here told you the story of Catherine O’Dwyer and Andre Chauvin?”
Daisy looked puzzled. “Andre Chauvin—you mean the river pirate? What’s he got to do with this place?”
Now Anna was confused. “If you don’t know about him from here, where do you know him from?”
“Everybody in the Delta grew up hearin’ about the pirates on the Mississippi River. Me and Mack used to climb all over Daddy’s bass boat, pretendin’ we were shipmates on Stack Island—that’s where a lot of ’em hid out. Andre Chauvin had his own hideout, a place called Rockaway Cave. He was the one that drove our history teachers crazy.”
“How come?”
“They wanted us to believe that all pirates were wicked thieves and murderers, but we all thought Chauvin was a hero, no matter what the teachers said. They even made us pray about it a few times.”
“Why did the kids think he was a hero?”
Daisy paused to swat at a mosquito on her arm and then rearranged the squash in her basket to make room for a few more. “There was no record of him actually killin’ anybody. He threatened to kill people all the time, but he always managed to talk ’em into givin’ up their cargo before he had to do anything drastic. And he never took anything from poor people like fishermen and farmers—robbed mostly the timber barons that swindled a lotta Delta people outta their land. And then at Christmastime, money would just turn up on those poor families’ doorsteps. That’s why all the boat captains on the Mississippi called Chauvin the River Robin.”
“Well, there’s a chance your River Robin built Dolly’s house,” Anna said.
“Are you kiddin’ me?”
While they topped off their baskets, Anna relayed the story of Chauvin and Catherine.
“Well, I’ll be danged,” Daisy said. “First rainy day, you and me might need to do a little snoopin’ in Dolly’s attic.”
“You read my mind. Remember I told you about Lillian, the lady I like to visit around the loop?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, her parents knew the Chauvins. She says their only servant was a Creole woman who lived in that little shotgun house at the far edge of the cotton field across from her house. The woman disappeared with Andre and Catherine. Lillian says we might find something at her place.”
“I’m game,” Daisy said.
Anna blotted her damp forehead with the back of her hand. “Let’s go inside and get something cool to drink.”
The two of them carried their heaping baskets to Dolly’s kitchen, talking all the way about a shotgun house and hidden treasure and a pirate’s beautiful young bride.
“Well, hello, Daisy!” Dolly said. “What a nice surprise!”
“Hey, Dolly. I spotted Anna in your garden on my way to the creek.”
“Would you all like some fresh lemonade?”
“Just pour it over my head,” Daisy said. “It’s hot as blue blazes out there.”
“I think I’ll have some with you.” Dolly took a pitcher from the icebox and poured everybody a glass as they all sat down around the kitchen table.
“How’s Ella’s rheumatism?” Dolly asked.
“About the same,” Daisy said. “She still does pretty much what she wants to except in damp weather. Never feels good when it’s rainy.”
“I reckon not.”
Evelyn came into the kitchen. “Do I hear the civilized conversation of women?”
“Well, I don’t know how civilized we are, but we’re conversin’ alright,” Dolly said. “Have a seat and I’ll get you some lemonade.”
“No, no—I can wait on myself.” Evelyn poured herself some lemonade and joined the group.
“Evelyn, I don’t think you’ve met Daisy—she lives just around the loop,” Dolly said.
“Pleased to meet you, Daisy.”
“Same here.”
“And what is our topic?” Evelyn asked.
“We hadn’t rightly settled on one,” Dolly answered.
“Well, allow me to take the lead,” Evelyn said. “Men are crazy.”
All the women laughed.
Dolly picked up a copy of the Progressive Farmer Si had left on the table and fanned herself. “Honey, you’ll need to come up with somethin’ newsier than that to hold our attention.”
“Honestly, Harry can come up with more schemes that involve things for me to do. The latest is a nursery. He says I would need to run the greenhouse—which neither of us knows a thing about—and he would be ‘in sales.’ It is unclear to me whom our customers might be, as everyone out here grows everything from seed and has absolutely no need for a nursery.”
“What on earth put that notion into his head?” Dolly asked.
“He saw an ad for a greenhouse in a magazine.” Evelyn rolled her eyes and took a sip of her lemonade. “I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on him. He spent his whole life studying, teaching, and playing music, and now he’s making ammunition in a factory. He’s just hoping to find a way back to our old life, I suppose.”
Anna held the cold glass of lemonade against her cheek, still rosy from the sun. “It’s the same with Jesse. He’s trying so hard to get us back to where we were before. But I’m not sure that’s possible. Everything’s changing so fast.”
“Tell me about it,” Daisy said.
The table got suddenly quiet as Anna and Dolly tried to figure out what to say, while Evelyn was completely in the dark.
Daisy looked around the table. “Come on, ladies. You’re makin’ me feel like a bulldog in a beauty parlor.” Then she turned to Evelyn and said matter-of-factly, “My husband got killed in the war.”
“Oh!” Evelyn exclaimed. “Well, I am just an idiot. Please forgive me, Daisy.”
“Nothin’ to forgive. If Charlie was here, he’d be drivin’ me as batty as your husbands drive you. Y’all have got to promise not to treat me different or I’m not gonna swill lemonade with you anymore.”
Evelyn offered Daisy her hand. “On behalf of the group, I accept your terms.” The two shook on it.
“Give us a progress report on the lake, Dolly,” Evelyn said.
“I can help there,” Anna chimed in. “Two really sweaty men are almost through painting the boardwalk.”
“Mercy.” Dolly shook her head. “Si says that as soon as they finish that, he’ll start fillin’ the lake. I can’t imagine it—a lake where there didn’t used to be one. Will people come to a lake just because we put one there? Then again, it’s already hotter than usual, and here it is just April. I don’t know what we’ll do if nobody comes—and I don’t know what we’ll do if ever’body comes. I hope we can go on and make all the money for our tax bill this summer so I don’t have to worry about it all the way through Christmas. We cut it mighty close last year.”
“I have every confidence that your new enterprise will be a success,” Evelyn assured her.
“Why, thank you, Evelyn. Still, how’s Si gonna run a lake and a skatin’ rink without any help, and how am I gonna run a boardin’house and help him over there?”
“We’ll pitch in,” Anna said.
Daisy and Evelyn nodded in agreement.
Evelyn dramatically lifted her lemonade glass. “I propose a toast—to the ladies of the lake!”
“To the ladies of the lake!” The others laughed, clinked their glasses, and saluted the sisterhood that Dolly’s house had conjured.
CHAPTER
seven
Anna closed her book and set it down in the glider. She had found a copy of Gone with the Wind on the bookshelves upstairs and brought it to a quiet spot underneath a pecan tree in Dolly’s backyard. Jesse had promised her the afternoon once he finished helping Si with the boardwalk, but she wasn’t counting on it. That had become her habit—hoping but not expecting—because it was easier than being disappointed again and again.
She closed her eyes and felt the warm sunlight
seeping through the canopy above. Si was predicting a thunderstorm tonight, but right now the sun was shining, occasionally dimmed by a cloud drift. A cool, steady breeze was blowing, rustling the leaves overhead. They seemed to be whispering to each other, telling secrets from their undulating branches.
“Is this seat taken?”
When she opened her eyes, Jesse was standing there, all cleaned up and smiling down at her. “Be my guest,” she said.
He sat next to her and rested his arm on the back of the glider behind her.
“I thought you might have to go back to the boardwalk,” Anna said.
“When I found out I had a date this afternoon, I made sure we finished this morning.”
“Did you ask my father if you could call on me?”
“I did. He turned me down, so we’ll have to sneak around.”
“Where exactly are we sneaking to?”
Jesse pointed to the far end of the lake. “I spotted a trail through the woods the other day—might be fun to see where it goes. Maybe we could slip off to that restaurant of yours for supper?”
Anna smiled as Jesse took her by the hand and helped her out of the glider, then led her to a wooded path at the far end of the lake, opposite from Daisy’s usual spot. It was much wider than the footpaths around the Tanyard.
“This looks like people have driven on it,” she said.
“I know. That’s what I noticed about it. Made me wonder what anybody would be driving to, way back in here.”
They crossed a small wooden bridge over the creek and kept following the path, deeper and deeper into the woods, taking their time and walking in silence. Anna suddenly got a mental picture of Daisy and Lillian shaking their heads at her.
“Do you remember,” she worked up the courage to ask, “the very first time we were alone together, when we bumped into each other at the general store and talked on the tailgate of your truck?”
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