Finding Will Hennie

by Joy Redmond

  “Sure. I’ll be happy to help you. I’m proud of you for getting an education. Just let me know when you need me.”

  “Thank you. You might be surprised to know that I don’t plan on stopping with just a high school education. Someday, I’m going to college. It’ll be a long time, but I’ll do it. I’ve made up my mind. I ain’t gonna be a whore for the rest of my life. And you didn’t hear me say that word. Rose would explode.”

  Will scooped Sudie off the floor and swung her around. “That’s my girl! I’ll help you when you start on your college courses, too. They’re hard. Very hard!”

  Sudie gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

  “Sudie! Don’t do that. Please!”

  “I know you’re Rose’s man. But it was just a peck. Good grief! ”

  “Yes, I am Rose’s man. I always will be!”

  “It won’t happen again. You don’t have to get your nickers in a bunch!” Sudie stomped off.

  ***

  Three months later, Rose came running into the kitchen. “Mail call! Will, this is for you.”

  “Me?”

  “Open it,” Rose said, as she handed him a long, white envelope.

  Will ripped open the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. “My birth certificate! I exist!”

  He read the information on each line.

  Name: Will Hennie Long McGraw

  Born: July 16, 1927

  Place of birth place: Cape Girardeau, Missouri-Cape Girardeau County

  Mother’s name: Jeka Rose McGraw

  Father’s name: Unknown

  Will ran out the back door. He looked upward and yelled, Mr. Cloud Man, tell Gram, I’ve got a new name!” Thumping his chest, he added, “Will Hennie Long McGraw. That’s me!”

  That night Will sat on the side of the bed. “Rose, since you adopted me, does that mean—“

  Rose pulled him close. “It’s just a piece of paper showing the world you exist. It has nothing to do with what goes on in this bedroom!”

  “Thank goodness!” He wiped his brow.

  “Now, shut up and let’s get down to business—I mean pleasure!” Rose flung her body on top of his.

  When they were spent, Will lay his head between Rose’s breasts. She stroked his sweaty hair. “You just get better and better.”

  Will felt as if he were glowing in the dark.

  Rose turned onto her right side.

  Will put his arm around her waist and hugged her tightly. I love you, Rose.”

  “I know, Will.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  After two and a half years, with Rose, Will had finally trained himself to sleep until 8 am. It gave him an hour before Rose and the girls were up, and he enjoyed his quiet time.

  He learned how to use the percolator, so he made a pot of coffee and had two cups while he was outside playing with Red and waiting for the household to come alive.

  Red was still moping. Wiggles had taken off shortly after Will was adopted. Occasionally, Will would see him standing at the edge of the woods. He’d call to him, but Wiggles would never come. He’d just nod his head up and down twice. Will figured one was for hello and the other was goodbye.

  Since Will was the only one who ever saw the eight-point buck, the others told him he was only seeing what he wanted to see. But Red barked whenever Wiggles made an appearance.

  Will knew that Wiggles was out of their lives and he’d never come back to play, but he always hoped he’d come back from time to time to say hello and goodbye. He missed Wiggles but he knew he was a wild animal, and he was meant to roam the woods.

  Rose had hired two more girls, Milly and Tilly who were twins, which meant Will had to make more trips up and down the staircase during business hours. He was worn out by midnight, but he was never too tired to make love to Rose. During Rose’s time of the month, she’d lay her head on Will’s shoulder and he would hold her all night. He was content. Just being near her was all he needed.

  Every night before they went to sleep, Will would say, “I love you.”

  Rose would always say, “I know.”

  One Sunday, Sudie was sitting at the kitchen table with several papers in front of her. When Will came into the kitchen, she said, “Will, I’ve got to take my test, and if I pass, I’ll get my diploma. If you help me, will that be cheating? I know all this stuff, but when I take a test I get so nervous I can’t remember what I know. Passing this test is very important. I can flaunt my diploma and the world will know I have a high school education. If I fail, I can’t prove I know any more than when I first started.”

  Will pulled a chair beside her and patted her hand. I’ll watch the answers you write down. If it’s the right answer, I’ll smile. If it’s the wrong answer, I’ll shake my head. So, the way I see it, if I don’t say a word, then it’s not cheating.”

  “Yeah, that’ll work. But what if I can’t figure out the right answer? I know I’m allowed to miss five questions and I’ll still pass, but—”

  Will took her pencil from her hand. “You’re getting all worked up. Calm down. I’ll get you through it. And a diploma is nothing more than a piece of paper. What’s up here,” he said, pointing to her head, “is what matters. Nobody can take that away from you. As Rose has always said, ‘Life is nothing but paperwork. All paperwork is good for is to show the world what you know. You’ve got the education, diploma or not.”

  “But, if I don’t get my diploma, I can’t start my college classes.”

  “Then let’s get started.”

  Will only shook his head twice through the whole test. “Think, Sudie. You know this.” Sudie chewed on her pencil, studied a few minutes, then wrote the right answer. “You aced it, girl!”

  Sudie threw her arms around Will’s neck. “I love you, Will Hennie!”

  “I know,” Will answered.

  Two weeks later, Sudie received her diploma. She ran through the house, yelling and waving it through the air. “I’m a high school graduate.” She stuck it under the noses of the other girls. “I did it! I did it!”

  Prissy said, “Is that fancy piece of paper gonna make you any more money in your profession? I don’t have book learning, but I’ve got body learning, and that’s all I need.”

  “I don’t plan on using my body to make a living for the rest of my life. I’m going to make a living by using the brain that the Good Lord gave me. He gave me a body too, but I’m not gonna waste my mind on stupid men who think with the head in their britches.”

  The girls burst out laughing.

  “I hope Will gets me through those college courses,” Sudie said. “Hey, girls. I think this calls for a celebration. I’m going to grab us a bottle of whiskey. Anybody who wants a shot or two needs to chip in a few cents. We’ll have to pay Rose for it, ya know.”

  The girls were sitting around the table pouring shots and giggling when Rose walked into the kitchen. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “We’re celebrating. I’ve got my high school diploma! We’ve got the money right here to pay for the bottle of whiskey.” Sudie picked up the pile of change. “I think it’s enough, but if not, we’ll come up with more. Do you want to have a drink with us?”

  Rose pulled out a chair, picked up a shot glass and handed it to Sudie. “Fill ’er up!”

  After a while, Rose and the girls ignored the shot glasses. They just passed the bottle. Rose had a silly case of giggles and she started telling stories of her working days. Rose had never shared anything about herself, and the girls howled with laughter.

  Rose tipped the bottle, took a long swig and said, “I had this one john who wanted me to pin a diaper on him, stick a bottle of milk in his mouth, then I had to rock him and sing lullabies. I didn’t know any lullabies, so I just made them up as I went along. He paid a handsome price to be my baby.”

  “I had one like that a couple years ago,” Ceil said. “And he always wanted a spanking. I’d take off his diaper, he’d lay across my lap, and I’d spank the hell out of him with
my bare hand. I think my hand hurt worse than his fat ass did.”

  Rose said, “I had one who wanted me to put a dog collar and leash on him. I’d lead him around the room while he barked. Then I had to give him commands. Sit pretty. Roll over. Play dead. Then I’d pat him on the head and say, good boy, as I handed him a piece of hard candy. It was his treat for obeying.”

  Prissy said, “We could sit here all day and tell some crazy stories. This world is full of nuts. I had one who wanted me to dress up like Old Mother Hubbard and read him nursery rhymes. Soon, I had them memorized.”

  Will walked into the kitchen. The girls and Rose were laughing as if they were little kids. He saw the bottle of whiskey on the table. “Can anybody join this party?”

  Rose held up the bottle. “Just one or two drops left. Bottoms up!”

  “I don’t mind if I do.” He turned up the bottle and drained it. “Good stuff. I thought drinking girls were against your rules, Rose.”

  “It is when they’re working. We’re celebrating Sudie’s graduation. She got her diploma in the mail today. But what’s eating at you? Why so glum?”

  Will pulled off his cap and wiped his forehead. “Red and I walked the woods from one end to the other. Wiggles is not out there. I hate to admit that a woman is right about anything, but I’ll have to say, you girls are right. Wiggles is gone. Red is getting up in years, he’s half deaf, half blind, and it was all he could do to keep up with me. Everything and everybody I love—I lose them.”

  Rose stood up and put her arms around his neck. “It’s life, Will. We all lose the people and things we love. Wiggles gave you a lot of love. So remember that and be thankful that he’s got a life, even if it’s with a doe. Who knows, he might have a bunch of little Wiggles. As for Red, it’ll be a sad day for us when his time comes, but we’ll treasure the love he gave us.”

  All of the girls told Will that they loved him.

  Will smiled and said, “I love all of you, in my own peculiar way.”

  Will went back outside. He felt tears welling and he wasn’t about to cry in front of women. Life just isn’t fair. Why does God give us people and pets, then take them back? I wish I’d never found Wiggles. I wish Red had never found me. I can’t stand the pain.

  Will stayed outside for thirty minutes. When he went back inside, he saw the girls were still sitting at the table. Nobody was fixing supper. They were just laughing. Even Rose. “Is it okay if I use the car and drive to town? I need a haircut.” And I need to get away from a bunch of cackling hens.

  “Sure. And while you’re in town, would you mind to pick up a case of Cokes?” Rose answered.

  “No problem.” He looked as his watch. “Do you all know you’ve only got two hours to sober up, then get ready for work? This is Friday. One of the busiest nights of the week.”

  “It’s been one of the funniest and best afternoons of my life,” Rose said. “Maybe we should do it more often. Okay, girls. Party is over!” Rose teetered a bit when she stood, which sent her and the girls into another fit of laughter.

  Will returned home just in time to get ready for work. The girls were still upstairs. He always stood in the living room when they came down the stairs. After all this time, he was still amazed at their transformation and how beautiful they were. And they always smelled like a flower garden.

  When Rose locked the front door at midnight, Will quickly changed clothes and went out to say goodnight to Red, who was lying on the shed floor. He hugged him to his chest. “I know you miss Wiggles, ol’ boy. So do I. But he’s a deer. He’s gonna do what bucks do.”

  Red whimpered.

  “The cycle of life,” Will mumbled.

  He went back inside, undressed, and waited for Rose to come out of the bathroom. The sight of her was as exciting to him as it had been the first night she dropped her nightgown to the floor. He loved her then. He loved her more, now.

  They made love. When it was over, Will kissed her cheek and whispered, “I love you.”

  Rose whispered, “I know.”

  Will sat up in bed. “Gosh dammit, would it kill you to say you love me, just once?”

  Rose sat up, held Will’s face in her hands and sternly said. “I’ve never uttered those words to a man in my life. I never will! Actions speak louder than words. My actions should tell you all you want to know.”

  “I know you love me. I’d just like to hear you say it. It would be music to my ears.”

  Rose turned over on her side.

  Will turned on his side, his back to her. Confounded stubborn woman! He felt Rose scoot closer to him, her back against his. He pretended he was asleep.

  Monday morning, Rose and Will went to town. They shopped and went to the bank. Will bought another U.S. Savings Bond. “Money making money!” he said as he proudly held the bond. “I’ve got a nice pile started.”

  As Will drove back home, Rose was very quiet. “Is there something wrong, Rose? You’ve barely said a word.”

  “I’m going to make another trip to St. Louis tomorrow. I know how you get all uptight every time I go, so I was just keeping it to myself until later tonight.”

  “Damnit, Rose. Why won’t you let me go with you? I’ve heard your excuses for years, but I don’t buy them. You’re only gone two days and a night. I do believe Sudie can run things without us. She’s in charge when you’re gone. Why can’t she be in charge with me gone?”

  “Sudie is in charge of the money end. She’s good with figures and I trust her not to steal from me. You’re in charge of protecting my girls. I don’t think Sudie would make a good bouncer.”

  “I’ve never had to bounce but one guy since I’ve been working. All I did was tell him he was out of order and asked him to leave. He gave me no trouble. Sudie knows where your shotgun is—”

  Rose shot Will a harsh look. “I won’t discuss it! I’m a big girl. I’ve been making trips to St. Louis by myself for over nine years. You stick to your business and you let me handle mine! I think that’s what you told me not so long ago.”

  “Fine!” Will had nothing to say the rest of the way home.

  Will was dressing for work that night and he was thankful that Sheriff Farley had been replaced by Sheriff Stewart. Stewart was a good customer, too, but he only paid a visit once a month. Will had always called Farley, Potbelly Pig. Farley was still a regular, and Will still hated him, and it wasn’t because of Sudie. There was something about the man that irked Will beyond what he could explain. The man projected pure evil.

  Farley didn’t arrive that night until 11 pm. Chief was the only person upstairs, with his favorite girl, Belle.

  Will heard Sudie giggle, and he knew she and Farley were headed upstairs. He clinched his fist and pounded the bar. He looked at his watch. Thirty minutes, you fat bastard. I hope you give me a reason.

  Ten minutes later, Will’s guts were tied in knots. A feeling he didn’t understand flowed through him. It was as if something or somebody was pushing him forward, urging him to run upstairs. He reached for a bottle of whiskey and turned it up, taking a long, hard swing.

  When the whiskey stopped burning, he ran up the stairs. When he reached the landing, he heard Sudie cry out, “I said, no!”

  He raced down the hallway, aimed his foot above the doorknob and kicked. The wood splintered, and the door came off the hinges.

  Sudie was face down, and Farley's three-hundred-pound body was mashing the life out of her.

  Will ran across the floor and using all the strength he had, he rolled Farley off Sudie, off the bed and there was a hard thud when Farley hit floor.

  “Sudie, are you okay?” he asked. “Can you breathe?

  Sudie gasped for air. “I can now, but there for a minute, I thought I was a goner.”

  Will watched in disbelief as she pulled a large dildo out of her rectum.

  “Kill that perverted sonofabitch! I told him—”

  Sudie didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence. Will was on top of Farley, his hands wrapped arou
nd his throat, squeezing with all his strength. Farley was bucking like a bronco, and Will squeezed harder.

  Sudie grabbed Will’s arms. “Don’t kill him. I didn’t really mean it. I don’t want you to end up in jail.”

  Farley managed to grab Will’s shoulders and flipped him.

  Will was on his feet quickly, his fists in the air. “Come on, fat boy. Give me your best shot!”

  Farley rolled over and grabbed the side of the bed and pulled himself up from the floor. “You just made the biggest mistake of your life, you little prick. I’m not in any condition to physically fight you, but I’ve got other ways. This will be the sorriest night of your life!”

  “Save it for somebody who cares. Now, you’ve got two choices. You can get dressed, walk downstairs and out the front door with dignity—or I’ll pitch your naked fat ass out the window.” He walked over to the window and slid it up. “Choose. And do it fast or I’ll choose for you!”

  Farley put on his clothes. Just before he made his exit from the room, he pointed his fat finger toward Will, then Sudie. “You two have no idea how much shit you’ve just stepped in. I have connections!”

  Will stood with his arms folded across his chest. “If you ever show your ugly face around here again, you won’t have a face left to show!”

  Will followed Farley downstairs and waited for him to stop and talk to Rose. Farley walked out the door without saying a word.

  Rose turned toward Will. “He sure left in a huff. I guess his ego is busted since he isn’t the hotshot sheriff, anymore. As soon as Chief comes down, I’ll lock up.”

  “I’m going to check on Red,” Will said, not ready to discuss what had just happened.

  Rose merely nodded.

  Two weeks passed and Farley didn’t return. Will was glad in one way, but he really wanted another chance to bust him in his fat gut.

  The night went without incident and Will took off his work clothes, slipped on his jeans, and went into the dance area shirtless and barefoot. After cleaning the room, he went into the parlor and saw that Rose was in a huff.