by Joy Redmond
“That’s amnesia, Will. Please say it correctly. And Berta will never raise a hand to you.”
When Miss Marylee went out the door, Berta said. “I told ya. She’s gonna correct every word you say. It’ll drive ya crazy. But she means well. She’s got a big education. She was a school teacher before they closed the school ‘round here. Couldn’t get no government fundin’ and now kids are just growing up like wild weeds and they ain’t learnin’ nothin’. Ya can’t get too much book learnin’. It’s all Hoover’s fault. He didn’t have sense enough to get us out of the depression. Just pitiful, I tell ya. I can’t see that Roosevelt is doin’ much better. This country is goin’ to ruins! ”
“I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout Hoover and Roosevelt, but I like to learn. I learned everything in my picture book real fast. Gram said I was smart as a whip.”
“I ‘spect ya are. But right now you need to use your back instead of your head. I need you to go to the wood pile and bring in two big armfuls of wood for my stove. I’ve gotta get all the cookin’ done before the heat runs me outta the kitchen. So get on about it. I’ll have more for ya to do later.” Berta wiped her face on her apron tail. “Finally, I’m gonna get some help around here. That man I married sure ain’t gonna help. All he does is pick on that banjo, whistle, fish, and sleep. Confounded ol’ cuss! “
Will laughed and ran out the backdoor. Berta struck him funny, even when she was fussing.
Will brought in wood, picked vegetables from the garden, pumped several buckets of water from the well and swept the kitchen floor.
“Good job, Will. Ain’t nothin’ lazy about you. That ol’ man of mine oughta be back with a string of fish soon. I’ll need to get them fried up for supper. When he brings ‘em home, I’ll need you to scale ‘em for me, but I’ll gut ‘em. I don’t trust you with a sharp knife yet.”
Just before lunch time, Miss Marylee came into the kitchen. Will was stacking his last pile of wood by the stove. “Will, I need you to wash your face and hands and come with me.”
“Don’t look at me, Will. She pays. She bosses ya. Go on. You’ve been a big help to ol’ Berta this mornin’. Miss Marylee, he’s all boy. Nothin’ sissy about him.” Berta chuckled, and Will laughed as he watched her stomach jiggle.
After Will had washed up, Miss Marylee held her hand out and Will took it. He loved the feel of her smooth, soft hands. She led him through the kitchen and into the next room. Will saw a long, wide table with enough chairs for at least ten people the best he could count.
“This is the dining room. All the boarders eat their meals here. It’s going to be lunch time in a few minutes. The boarders are cleaning up and dressing. I want you dressed proper before we eat. Let’s go on upstairs.” She led Will into another room. “This is the parlor. That’s where the boarders spend a lot of time after supper. They play checkers and cards and listen to the radio. I usually spend my time in my room reading.”
“Miss Marylee, what is boarders? Do they carry boards?”
“No, Will, a boarder is a person who lives in a house and they pay for their meals and their bedrooms.”
“Oh. Well, I don’t know ‘bout nothin’ in the real world. Alls I know is ‘bout—never mind.” He tucked his head and fought tears. As they went through the rooms, Will wanted to look around. He’d never seen such pretty furniture and there were some objects that he had no idea what they were.
“This way, Will,” she said when he dropped her hand and ran over to a tall wooden piece of furniture and turned the knobs. “We’ll listen to the radio later. Come on, we’ve only got a few minutes.”
Will ran back to Miss Marylee’s side. She took his hand and led him up a flight of stairs. When they reached the landing, she turned left and led him down a long hallway. She stopped in front of a door and took a key out of her purse and unlocked it. She gently pushed him inside the room.
Wills face turned ashen, then he said, “Shit fire! I ain’t never seen anything like this. Look at that bed. It’s so high ya gotta use steps to get on it. And look at that pretty cover on top. Shit!”
“Will, I won’t stand for any cussing. A young boy doesn’t use those words. I know grown men say dirty words and you’ve probably heard your share, but you don’t ever say them around me.”
“Sorry. Gram used to fuss at me fer cussin’ too. I really don’t know what the words mean, I just learned them when I was in my box.”
“You mean your crib?”
“Er, I ain’t sure what I mean. My head gets all fuzzy sometimes. You know. ‘Cause I got the amnesia.”
Miss Marylee laughed. “I’m beginning to think you have selective amnesia. That’s okay. Sometimes it’s best that we forget the things that are painful to remember. You just concentrate on the good things.” Miss Marylee had two chairs in her room and they had pretty covers on them. She patted one chair. “You sit here.”
Will sat down. “This chair is as soft as chicken feathers!”
Miss Marylee smiled and picked up a bag that was propped against the steps to her bed. She walked his way and set the bag on a stool. Then she pulled out trousers, shirts, underwear, socks and shoes and held them up one by one. “Do you like them?” she asked, as she dropped them into another chair.
Will was speechless. He merely stared and his eyes widened with each item she picked up.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Let’s put the shoes on first and see if they’re the right size.” She picked up a pair of socks. “Give me your foot and I’ll slip them on you first.”
“Miss Marylee, I ain’t sassin’ but I ain’t no baby and I can put my own socks on. And I can put the shoes on, too. Berta was right. You’s tryin’ to turn me sissy.”
“I’m sorry. I get excited and I’m not sure what you know how to do yet. I’ll tell you what. You pick out the trousers and shirt you want to wear first, then put on your shoes and socks, and I’ll step outside. When you’re dressed, you call me. Okay?”
“I’ll be ready afore ya can snap yer fingers twiced.”
“Twice, Will. There’s no d on the word. Never mind. Just get dressed.”
Miss Marylee had just stepped into the hallway when Will scream. She opened the door and ran across the room where Will was standing, staring into the oval mirror over the washstand. “What is it, Will?”
“Who’s that boy hiding behind that glass?” he asked, pointing a trembling finger. “He ‘bout skeered the daylights outta of me. Is he the boy ya got the clothes from and brung to me when I took my bath? Tell ‘im to come outta there. I don’t like nobody sneakin’ up on me. I’ll bust’ im one!”
Miss Marylee put her left hand on Will’s shoulder. “There’s no boy hiding in there. This is a mirror,” she said, tapping her long nails on the glass. It’s a reflection of you. Look,” she said, and she bent and put her face next to Will’s. “See that woman. Does she look like me?”
Will stared at her reflection, then looked at her face, then looked back at the mirror. “It sure does look like ya. And you mean that damn ugly boy is me? Just look at my head. I look like a rooster. I seen a rooster in my picture book and he was wearin’ a red hat the same color as my hair. I look like a pile of rooster shit!” Will leaned in close. “Why’s them dirt specks on my face? I worshed up.” He started rubbing his face with both hands. “Damn it to hell. They won’t come off!”
Miss Marylee burst out laughing. “Oh, Will. I don’t mean to laugh at you, but you’re just funny. I’m not even going to fuss at you for cussing. Now, let me explain. Those aren’t dirt specks. They’re freckles. They give you a special look. And your hair is what people call red. It’s not red like a firetruck. It’s kind of orange, but not orange like a carrot. I call it auburn. You have beautiful hair. You’re one handsome boy. Don’t you ever think differently.”
Will opened his mouth. “Look at them there stupid teeth. They growed shorter than my others. These here are long,” he said, pointing at his eye teeth. “You call that handsome? I ain’t comin’ outt
a this room. I’m plum ugly and ya ain’t gonna fill my head with bullshit and try to make me think I am. I ain’t stupid—I just look stupid.”
Miss Marylee hugged Will and wiped his eyes. “I want you to always remember what I’m going to tell you. Pretty, or in your case, handsome is as handsome does.”
“What’s that hogworsh s’pose to mean?”
“It means a person’s true looks is how they act. If you’re nice and respectful, that shows your inner looks. Your inner looks are what people pay attention to. You have a handsome inside, so you must always show it by your actions, and that’ll make you handsome on the outside. It’s a shock to you because you’ve never seen your face. When you get used to seeing yourself, you’ll begin to see how handsome you are. Now, please get dressed. We’re running late for lunch and Berta will get all bunched up if we’re not at the dining table when she serves the food. I’ll be waiting right outside.”
Will quickly dressed, slipped on his socks and shoes and he was amazed at how comfortable his feet were. He didn’t have to scrunch up his toes. He took another look in the mirror and rumpled his hair. “You’s one damn ugly boy. I don’t care what Miss Marylee says.” He stood on the stool so he could see all his body in the mirror. “I kinda look handsome in these here new duds. Oh, shit. I don’t know how to put these crazy things on. Miss Marylee!”
She opened the door. “May I help you with something?”
“Yeah, I can’t figure these here things out.”
“I’ll have them fixed in no time.” She hooked the two snaps to the back of his trousers, then she dropped two straps across his shoulders and snapped them to the front. “I’ll show you how to put them on later. You look very nice. We’ve got to get downstairs to the dining room. Hurry!” she said, taking his hand and almost dragging him down the stairs.
She proudly held his hand and walked over to the long table. The boarders were already sitting and they each had a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich in front of them.
“I’m sorry we’re late, folks. I’d like to introduce you to Will Hennie.”
One man and four women said, “Nice to meet you, Will Hennie.”
Will’s face turned red and Miss Marylee continued. “Will, this is Mr. Tom, Miss Sarah, Miss Opal, Miss Myrtle and Miss Ethel.” She looked at the man with his head tucked and said, “Jim Bob, please make him feel welcome.”
Jim Bob, didn’t look up.
Will tucked his head and ran into the kitchen. He almost collided with Berta as she was heading into the dining room with a tray of glasses filled with iced tea. “I ain’t eatin’ in there with them people. I’m gonna eat my biscuit in here like I done this mornin’.”
By the time Will was seated at the kitchen table, Miss Marylee came running in. “Will, honey. What’s the matter? Those are nice people. I’m proud to introduce them to you. Did Jim Bob make you uncomfortable? He doesn’t talk to anybody. It’s just his way.”
Will hung his head. “Nah, I just don’t like strangers—and they’s old people. I wanna eat my biscuit in here by myself if’n ya don’t mind. I ain’t sassin’. I’m askin’ as nice as I know how.” Tears ran down Will’s face.
Miss Marylee sat down in a chair beside Will and patted his hand. “If you aren’t comfortable eating with the other folks, then you and I will eat in here with Berta.”
Berta came into the kitchen and dropped her heavy body into a chair across from them. “What’s you two doin’ in here?”
“Will and I have decided we’d like to eat with you and keep you company. Just bring our food to this table.”
“Oh, Lordy be. I’ll be gettin’ yours out of the dinin’ room. I just took it in there.”
Will had never had tomato soup but he liked it. He liked the cheese hunks that Jed had given him, but the way Berta made it spread over bread was much better. Bread was also new to him. “This here stuff sure is good, Berta. You know how to make everything taste good.”
“Thank ya, Will. I kinda like my cookin’, too. I really love to take the bread outta the oven, slice me a piece and eat it while it’s hot. I made the soup with the tomatoes you brought from the garden this mornin’. So in a way, you helped me make lunch. I like your new duds. Miss Marylee is spoilin’ ya rotten, but it’s none of my business. She took ya under her wing and she can ruin ya if she wants to. That’s all I’m gonna say about it. I takes my money. I keeps my mouth shut.”
“That’s not likely,” Miss Marylee said with a slight chuckle. “Berta, you know you going to make a fuss about everything. It’s just your way.”
Berta chuckled. “Reckon you’re right on that. I can’t seem to help myself. But I sure can’t fuss about Will when it comes to work. He did a good job this mornin’ and I’m sure he’ll—”
Miss Marylee interrupted. “Berta, Will did his chores this morning. That’s enough work for a boy his age. The afternoons are his to do what he wants. Will, if you’d like, I’ll take you for a walk around town and show you a beautiful park. It’s part of the Trail of Tears. I’ll tell you the history of that, too. Your education is going to start today. That’s if you’re interested.”
“Oh, I be interested. I like to learn. Berta said I needs an education and you can give it to me ‘cause you was a school teacher. Gram taught me all she knowed. She said she didn’t have much book learnin’. I know she’d be right proud if’n you was to learn me all ya can.” Will smiled.
Miss Marylee smiled. “I’ll do my best, son. I taught my two nephews, and they were like sons to me. I raised them after their mother died. The clothes I had for you this morning were the only things I have left to remember George.” She took a deep breath. “But that’s another story.”
“It’s a sad story and he don’t need to hear it anyways,” Berta said. “But none of my business.”
After lunch, Miss Marylee and Will spent the day walking the town and visiting the park. Will was fascinated with the history lesson on the Trail of Tears. They made it back home just in time for supper. Again, Will refused to eat at the dining table. Miss Marylee let him eat with Berta and she ate with the other boarders.
After supper, the boarders turned on the radio. Will ventured into the parlor. He liked the sound of music. The man who was sitting on the front porch when he first arrived at the boarding house, was playing what Berta called a banjo. He was keeping up with every beat that was coming from the radio. Will sat on the floor and was spellbound until Miss Marylee announced it was bed time.
“Will, I have you a bed fixed. And I’ve got your sleeping shirt laid out on the foot of the cot. You run on upstairs, get undressed and I’ll be up in a few minutes. You need to thank Mr. Tom for letting us use the cot.”
Will walked over to Mr. Tom, stuck out his hand and said, “Thank ya, Mr. Tom. It sure is kind of ya to let me use yer cot.”
Mr. Tom shook Wills hand. “You’re welcome, son. I’m glad there’s a boy who can use it. It’s been kind of lonesome just folded up in a corner all these years. You sleep good on it and I’ll see ya at breakfast.”
Will scratched his ear. Why did Mr. Tom and Miss Marylee call him son? He liked the sound of it. It made him feel as if he belonged to a family. I reckon I do. These here people are my new family.
When Miss Marylee walked into the bedroom, Will had undressed, folded his trousers and shirt and placed them on the floor by the cot. His shoes were at the end of the cot and his socks were tucked inside them.
“Will, why didn’t you put on your night shirt?”
“Cause it makes me feel like a sissy. I just sleep in my underdrawers.”
“I guess that’s good enough. I’ve got the windows open and we’ll get a nice breeze. We always get a breeze at night because we’re so close to the river. You keep the blanket pulled over you. It can get chilly at times.”
“I sure will. This here pillow feels good to my head. It’s big enough for two heads. That thang I had in the box, er, er”—Will tucked his head them blurted, “I for
got what I was gonna say. That amnesia done took holt again. Anyways, I like this blanket, too. It’s soft and smells like flowers.”
“I’m glad you’re comfortable. I’m going to turn out the lights now so I can get undressed. I’ll be close by if you wake during the night or if you have a bad dream. You just call out my name.”
“I sure feel safe and I ain’t got a fear with you close by.” Will was also comforted by the night sounds and moonlight coming through the window. He hugged his soft pillow and recapped his day. It sure started out sour, but it ended up right tasty.
“Miss Marylee, are ya asleep?”
“I’m still awake, Will.”
“I just wanna tell ya that today was the bestest day ever—with you finding Will Hennie.”
“I think it might be the best day for me, with finding Will Hennie.”
Will thought he heard Miss Marylee sniffle.
“Night, Miss Marylee.”
“Good night, Will.”
Chapter Six
The next morning, Will awakened when he heard a strange noise. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, looked around and realized where he was. Miss Marylee was already up and dressed. She was standing in front of the washstand rubbing color on her cheeks. Then she brushed her long hair. He watched as she pulled it on top of her head, twisted it, then stuck a shiny thing beside it that looked like a comb. He thought she had beautiful hair and he couldn’t figure out why she would hide it under in a knot.
“Mornin’, Miss Marylee.”
Miss Marylee jumped and dropped her hair pins. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting you to be awake so early. I was just getting myself ready for the day.” She picked up the string of pearls and put them around her neck. “But that’s good. I like an early riser. You’ll get a lot accomplished by getting up early. I bet you’re hungry.”
“I’m always hungry, but I’m used to it. Maybe Berta will give me another biscuit if I go do some work fer her.” He scooted off the cot. “This here cot felt so good to my body, I slept like I was dead.” He picked up the clothes he had worn the day before. “Ya want I should put these back on?”