Halley

by Faye Gibbons

  Halley debated with herself about a return address. Without an explanation, she could not ask Miss Berry to send a reply to Clarice Calvin. She finally decided she had to use her real address and take a chance that she or Robbie could get to the mail every day ahead of Pa Franklin.

  Before she lost her courage, Halley planned to take the letter to the mailbox along with pennies for postage. Then she had another thought. What if the mailman had not come when Pa Franklin returned from visiting sick folks? He was sure to stop at the mailbox. Best to wait. She put the letter in her pocket.

  Sure enough, Pa Franklin was back well before dinnertime.

  “How was ever’body?” asked Ma Franklin as her husband backed up to the stove.

  “Tolerable. But I hear tell that oldest Logan boy is laid up.”

  “Elmer? What’s wrong?”

  Halley’s heart leaped up even before he answered. She hadn’t spared the boy a thought since it happened. She had told the dog to get him, but she figured Elmer would climb a tree or fight the dog off. And too, thoughts of her mother and Bud Gravitt had crowded out most other worries.

  “Elmer’s bad off,” Pa Franklin said. “Got chewed up something fierce by a pack of dogs, he says.”

  “A bunch of dogs?” said Halley.

  “That’s what the boy said. Didn’t know any of the dogs, he says. Says he run up on ’em in the woods behind their house, and they all jumped ’im. Nobody else seen any strange dogs around. Sounds fishy to me.”

  “And he’s bad off, you say?” asked Ma Franklin.

  Pa Franklin nodded. “Doc Graham had to sew up an arm and a leg and a big place on his face.”

  Halley gasped. Elmer had done wrong, but she hadn’t wanted to cripple him. It was easy to understand why he didn’t tell the truth. Then he could be in real trouble for trespassing and building a fire on someone else’s property. Of course, if Pa Franklin found out what Elmer had been burning, the boy would be in even more trouble.

  On Saturday Bootsie came home from the mill with Kate. She was like sunshine in the gloomy house. “Kate’s gonna help me make my wedding dress,” she announced after saying her hellos and giving Robbie the ball she had brought for him.

  Halley promptly took the ball. “Not until you go outside,” she whispered.

  “It ain’t going to be no real fancy wedding,” Bootsie went on, “but I wanted a new dress, and I know Kate can make dresses prettier than Sears and Roebuck on that sewing machine of hers.” Much to Pa Franklin’s disappointment, Kate had moved the machine to the kitchen the day before.

  “Don’t brag until you see what I turn out,” Kate said, but Halley could see she was pleased. She had once loved sewing. Pa Franklin grunted from the table where he was waiting for Halley to set out dinner. “The Bible says take no thought of what ye shall wear.”

  Halley almost laughed, thinking about his clothing.

  “Well, the Bible’s right, like always,” Bootsie said. “And I ain’t taking worried thought. I’ll bet God is just tickled pink ever’time he sees us human beings taking happy thought about something good. And there ain’t nothing but good in me and Gid getting married. He loves me and I love him.” She laid her fabric on Kate’s sewing machine and pulled off her coat.

  “You sure are handy with deciding what God likes and don’t like,” Pa Franklin said.

  Bootsie laughed and began setting out plates as if she were at home. “Not near as handy as you, Mr. Franklin! Sounds as if you and me was heaven meant to be kinfolks.”

  Without waiting for a reply, she turned to Halley. “Wish I could ask you to stand up for me, but my cousin’s going to drive us to Calhoun for the wedding. Me and Gid figured we’d have a better chance of keeping it secret that way. We’ll stay a couple nights and then come here.”

  “We’d be glad to have you,” Ma Franklin said before her husband could say anything about more mouths to feed.

  “When Gid goes back to the CCC, I’ll go back to my sister’s.”

  That part of the plan, at least, got a big nod of approval from Pa Franklin.

  Halley put the beans, potatoes, and cornbread on the table, and they sat down to eat. While Pa Franklin yawned, Bootsie and Kate discussed exactly how they would make the dress, picking up the Sears and Roebuck catalog every now and then to look for details on sleeves, collars, and length. Pa Franklin was snoring in his rocker by the time the table was cleared for laying out fabric.

  Kate and Bootsie had even more fun cutting the dress pieces. Halley was a little envious of the enjoyment the two of them had together. It was as if Kate were the same age as Bootsie, and Halley was older than either of them.

  “Take some of my canned soup to the Logans,” said Ma Franklin, when Halley was ready to go clean the church.

  Halley wanted to refuse but knew she could not. All the way to the Logan house she thought of things she might have done differently when Elmer had her pinned against the tree. But there was no plan that would have both saved herself and prevented his injuries.

  The Logan house was just like the family—unkempt. The back porch had completely fallen in. Enough of the ruins had been cleared away for a path to the back door, and the rest lay where it had fallen. The front porch was headed for the same fate, and one side was already sagging too much to use.

  One of the smaller children discovered her arrival. “Company!” the child yelled and threw open the door.

  Lillie Mae Logan met her. Far advanced in pregnancy now, she had on the same dress Halley had last seen her in. It was very short in front because the waist rode above her belly. The hem had not been repaired.

  Halley handed her the two jars of soup. “From Ma Franklin,” she said. “How’s Elmer?”

  Lillie Mae looked at the soup eagerly. “Hurting pretty bad.”

  Halley looked toward the bed where Elmer lay but hardly recognized him. His face was swollen and bandaged, and so were both arms and legs. The bandages were bloody. The main thing she noticed, however, were his eyes. They were bright with rage. “Git out!” he said.

  “I’m sorry you’re hurt,” she told him. “But it’s not my fault.” She went very near his bed and spoke in a low voice. “I hate it about the dog, Elmer. But I have to tell you, dogs have always favored me and my family. They look out for us, even when they’re not our dogs. They’ll hunt people down who mistreat us.”

  Halley turned to Lillie Mae. “You might want to ask Carrie Gowder and her granddaughter, Opal, for help. They sure helped my grandmother.”

  “Git out!” said Elmer, and Halley left.

  Sunday came, and with it Bud Gravitt. He arrived early when Kate was pulling apple pies from the oven. She obviously had been expecting him, for she had made egg custard too, ignoring her father’s complaints about the waste of good eggs and milk. She set both pies and custard in the warming oven.

  “I figured I’d get here early and drive you all to church,” Bud said.

  “Thank you just the same, but one of my deacons allus picks me up when the weather’s bad,” said Pa Franklin.

  “Robbie and me will ride with you,” Kate said. “Ma’s not strong enough to get out in the cold yet, and Halley will need to stay here and cook the rest of dinner.”

  “I hate for Halley to miss church,” Ma Franklin said from her rocker.

  “It’s okay,” Halley replied, and it was. Except for missing the Calvin girls, Halley was glad to stay home. She was also glad not to be a witness to her mother and Bud Gravitt out in public as a couple.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without this girl,” said Ma Franklin. “She cooks and washes and irons, and she don’t ever have a day off.”

  Kate looked from her mother to Halley as if only now realizing the truth of the words.

  Soon those going to church left, and the house was quiet. Pa Franklin must have really gotten fired up with his preachi
ng. It was a good bit past noon when the trucks pulled up outside.

  A few minutes later they sat down to the finest dinner Halley had ever seen on the Franklin table. Kate had killed two chickens that morning for Halley to fry. Bud Gravitt was suitably impressed. He took pains to compliment each thing he suspected Kate had prepared. For once Pa Franklin paid no attention to Robbie or his manners. Instead, he went to great lengths to point out Kate’s faults.

  “Kate’s not much of a farm hand,” he said right after the blessing. “Never was, as far as that goes, but Jim finished ruining her. He was bad to let her set up in the house when hoeing or picking was to be done.”

  “Jim had the right idea,” said Bud Gravitt. “Lots of farm women break their health working crops and trying to run a house all at the same time. I’m not saying a woman shouldn’t help out in a tight, but as an ever’day thing, she’s got enough work keeping the house going.”

  Later Pa Franklin said, “Seems to me a woman can go too far in school for her own good. Just to show you what I’m talking about, Kate here can add up a column of figures long as my arm, in her head. Always thinking she knows ever’thing.”

  Bud shrugged. “Man or woman, I never did see no advantage to ignorance.”

  Just before apple pie and custard were served, Pa Franklin said, “Kate’s as tight as a gourd when it comes to money.”

  This was comical, Halley thought, coming from Pa Franklin. Who could be tighter than him? And these days when did Kate ever have any money to be tight with? All she had was the ten dollars Halley had given her from the sale of her ring. So far she had not given that to Pa Franklin, but that was probably only because he didn’t know she had it.

  “A penny saved is a penny earned,” Bud Gravitt said.

  “But she can throw away sometimes too,” Pa Franklin went on, “just like when she was giving away groceries to the Logans.”

  “There’s a time to save and a time to give,” Gravitt said.

  Pa Franklin looked at Bud Gravitt sharply before turning his full attention to his pie.

  As soon as Bud left, Pa Franklin began to criticize him.

  “His ears are so big, I expected him to commence braying just any minute. Come to think on it, he has teeth like a mule, too. Course I reckon that don’t stop him from talking pretty.” Kate did not respond, so Pa Franklin began to needle Halley.

  “How you like your new stepdaddy, girl? You think you had it hard around here, wait until you’re cooking, washing, and cleaning for the whole Gravitt mob. You’ll be wishing and praying you was back here.”

  Little as she liked the idea of her mother and Bud Gravitt as a match, Halley could not bring herself to side with her grandfather.

  “Are you going to marry Mr. Gravitt?” asked Robbie.

  “Not as far as I know,” said Kate.

  Halley could not help noticing a smug look on her mother’s face that gave the lie to her words. Two letters arrived from Bud Gravitt that week. Halley received no mail at all.

  17. Christmas

  None of the married Franklin children came for Christmas. Among them all only Ralph sometimes had the use of a motor vehicle, and his boss’s truck cab wasn’t big enough to hold all Ralph’s family. Only during warm weather could passengers ride in back.

  Gid arrived on Christmas Eve, but he hardly looked like his old self. He had become good-looking. He’d gained weight and put on muscle. He even looked taller. He was full of stories about life in camp and all he was learning in his classes. Pa Franklin grunted and snorted about waste of time and the devil’s work, but everyone else was interested.

  Ma Franklin finally dared bring up the question Halley had been wanting to ask: “Is it as good as if you’d gone to Miss Berry’s school?”

  Gid studied a moment and then nodded. “Sometimes you just have to wait till it’s the right time for a thing to happen.”

  Halley knew he was thinking about more than school. He was thinking of Bootsie, too.

  After a short while Gid kissed his mother and announced he had to go see his girl. “Got to make wedding plans,” he said. “Can we make room for Bootsie here tonight? Maybe her and Halley can share a pallet.”

  “You know she’s welcome,” said Ma Franklin.

  Christmas morning came, and Robbie was beside himself with joy over his gifts. In addition, Bootsie had bought him a jigsaw puzzle.

  “Your present is coming a little later,” Gid told Bootsie when they sat down to the breakfast table.

  Bootsie squeezed his arm. “I already got all the present I want,” she said.

  “Well, I figure old mule ears ain’t coming,” Pa Franklin said to Kate when the meal was nearly over. “Probably too cheap to buy you a present. Or maybe he’s off braying sweet nothings to some other widder woman closer to home.”

  Kate ignored him, but Pa Franklin’s good cheer continued right on up until Garnetta arrived.

  “I didn’t know she was coming,” said Pa Franklin.

  “I invited her,” said Gid.

  Garnetta was alone this time. She brought food. There were two cakes—one coconut and one chocolate. There was candy, and there was fruit. The oranges smelled like Christmas to Halley.

  “The fruit is from Bud Gravitt,” Garnetta said, “a special gift for Kate.”

  Pa Franklin quickly put down the orange he had just picked up.

  “Bud said he wished he could be here, but he’s having Christmas with his young’uns at his sister’s house.” She slipped a small box into Gid’s pocket.

  Gid cleared his throat. “I got a little something I want to give my bride-to-be while ever’body’s here to admire it.” He pulled the box from his pocket, opened it and took out a ring. It had a ruby and what looked like diamonds on either side.

  “Oh!” Bootsie said, clasping her hands. “For me!”

  Gid nodded. “It was Garnetta’s from her late husband, Barney, and she wanted us to have it.”

  “It’s beautiful!” Bootsie said. “Put it on my finger, Gid.” He did, and Bootsie kissed him, and then Garnetta.

  Deacon Pruitt arrived to pick up Pa Franklin for church.

  Garnetta let Gid drive her car, and she stayed to help Halley while the rest went to church. “I think Mama is going to marry Bud Gravitt,” Halley whispered when Ma Franklin dozed off in the sudden quiet.

  Garnetta continued cutting up chicken. “Your mother could do worse. Bud is a good man and a good provider.”

  Halley began peeling potatoes. “But Daddy’s only been dead five months, and Bud’s wife has been gone three.”

  “Do you think waiting will bring them back? Seems to me Kate and Bud need each other.”

  After a long silence Halley confided her hopes for going off to school.

  “I’ve heard of that school. You go.”

  “I’ve not been invited yet. But, if I am, what about leaving Robbie? Pa Franklin is too hard on him.”

  “And everybody else,” said Garnetta, setting her mouth in a deep frown. “Dimple told me about the money he took from you. I sometimes wonder if that man has any good left in him.”

  Halley nodded. She felt the same. “So who’ll look out for Robbie, if I’m gone?”

  “I think that’s going to work itself out. Anyway, you need to let that boy handle some things for himself and take some knocks. How is he going to learn to be a man?”

  Just like Clarice had said, thought Halley.

  Ma Franklin roused up. “Who you talking about?” she asked.

  “I’m talking about everybody,” said Garnetta. “I was just telling Halley that the way we get strong enough to make it in this world is to learn to take hard knocks and go on.”

  “That’s the Lord’s truth,” said Ma Franklin. “And I’ve had many a knock in my life.” She looked hard at Garnetta. “But I didn’t figure you had. Seem like to
me you’ve had it pretty easy. And you look mighty handsome to boot.”

  “I’ve had my own hard knocks,” Garnetta said. “And whatever looks I have, I’d trade in a minute to have some children and grandchildren like yours.”

  Ma Franklin’s face softened. She wiped her eyes on her apron. “Yes, I’ve been blessed.”

  “Webb did a good day’s work when he got you to marry him.”

  Ma Franklin shook her head. “I was nothing special then. Ain’t now.”

  “Oh, yes, you are,” said Garnetta. “You are giving and loving and kind. And you believe in Webb Franklin even more than he believes in himself. I don’t think he could manage without you.”

  “Thank you,” said Ma Franklin.

  Christmas dinner was ready when Pa Franklin and the rest returned from church. The meal was just as good as Halley had expected it to be. And when they had eaten and washed dishes, Garnetta declared that it was time for Robbie to play the piano. “I think we need some Christmas carols to finish off the day.”

  “That would finish it all right,” Pa Franklin said, but nobody paid him any mind.

  Robbie practically ran to the piano. “First, I’m playing ‘Beulah Land’ for Ma Franklin,” he said. “I practiced one day when Pa Franklin was gone.”

  They all sang together except for Pa Franklin. It seemed to Halley that some knot deep inside her heart was loosening a little.

  18. Everything Changes

  Halley knew the week following Christmas was bound to be miserable. Bootsie and Gid planned to leave to get married on December twenty-sixth, and Kate was off from work without pay until the first Monday in the new year. Pa Franklin made no secret of his displeasure with both circumstances.

  He was muttering and fuming Monday morning when Bootsie’s cousin Royce Cox arrived in his car. Royce was taking the happy couple to Calhoun for the wedding. Bootsie and Gid shook Pa Franklin’s hand and hugged the rest of the family before heading out to the car. Their bubbling over happiness only served to further rankle Pa Franklin. He went to the porch with the rest, though his glowering face was enough to dampen all joy.