“Miz Parker, she wanted a baby so bad,” she crooned. “She thought Mistah Parker would love her more—but it don’t make him no never mind. He drank too much because of Miz Genevieve dying. So Pearl goes to shantytown because Lazarus told me there be a lady there who has a baby that is right fair-looking. He said for fifty dollars I can take the baby home. My people, they come up with the money. Lazarus give me five whole dollars. I buyed the baby for Miz Parker. Miz Callie be three weeks old when I brung her to Miz Parker.”
“Did they adopt Callie?” Brie whispered.
“No. Miz Callie’s real mother wouldn’t sign no papers. She’s colored like me. Miz Callie’s real papa, he’s white, but poor. He’s a good man.”
Sela swayed on the chest. Brie reached out to steady her. She felt so light-headed herself she knew she was a heartbeat away from fainting.
Harry wriggled against Pearl’s neck, his little pink tongue licking her cheek.
“Are they still alive?” Brie squeaked.
“Yes’m. They belong to my church. They seen Miz Callie every time I took her with me.”
“Do they know about Callie now?” Sela managed to croak.
“They be knowing.”
“What should we do, Pearl?” Brie whispered again.
“Lazarus say Pearl has to make it right or she cain’tget in the Pearly Gates. He say they stand guard. Promise me, Miz Brie.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Miz Sela?”
“I’ll do my best, too, Pearl.” Sela sobbed.
“Take the paper out of my bag now. Keep it safe for Pearl.”
Blinded by tears, Brie stuck her hand into the string bag until she felt a folded piece of paper. She handed it to Sela. “Is this it?”
“It’s Bode’s birth certificate,” Sela gasped.
“Pearl? Pearl?”
“Shhh, chile, Lazarus be talkin’ to me. He say I need to sleep. Leave me be now.”
Satisfied that Pearl was indeed sleeping, the girls left the room. Harry refused to leave Pearl’s side when Brie tried to coax him away.
“I have to make the meat loaf,” Sela said in a strangled voice.
“I thought you were going to do it loose?”
“Did I say that?”
“I think you did,” Brie said. “Maybe I should iron Callie’s nightgowns while Pearl is sleeping. Or maybe I should go see the Judge and hear what he has to say. What do you think, Sela?”
“Oh God, Brie, don’t ask me. All these years and she never told! It’s understandable, but it’s also unconscionable. Callie colored . . . dear God!”
“Should I go? Can you keep checking on Pearl? I won’t be long.”
“Go—I can handle things. I forget, was it going to be loose or a meat loaf?”
“Let’s have scrambled eggs,” Brie said gently, and fled.
Sela sat down at the table, her hands wrapped around her cold cup of coffee. What was this going to do to Wyn’s deal to sell off Callie’s property? Whatever, it was none of her business. Earlier she’d made a commitment to Brie to go back to Atlanta with her. Wynfield Archer wasn’t the man for her. She had realized that a month ago, and since then had been weaning herself away from him. He still called and said he’d make sure she got the commission check since she’d turned him over to Heywood Mudson. As if she cared about that. She realized she didn’t care, not one little bit. Maybe it was time to jerk Wyn’s strings a little. And why the hell not? Everything seemed to be happening all at once. This might be just the right time to test Wyn, to prove Brie’s theory. Maybe she shouldn’t do it on her own though. Maybe she should have Brie at her side. Maybe they should go to Beaufort and confront him. Maybe a lot of things.
Sela dropped her head and sobbed. Was she ever going to be happy? Was there anyone out there who was right for her, someone with whom she could make a life? For a little while she’d loved Wyn, or thought she did. She adored the little presents he gave her, loved their wild lovemaking, the secrecy, the lacy underwear she’d bought because it gave him such pleasure. What she couldn’t handle was the look in Brie’s and Pearl’s eyes. They thought she was a twit, a loose goose. They sucked up her shame because they thought she was too stupid to do it herself. She really opened her eyes the day he told her he was going to sell Callie’s property. Thank God she’d had enough sense to sign off on the deal, telling him she wanted no part of something so underhanded. She’d walked away, her head high. She hadn’t said anything to Pearl or Brie, but they knew.
“It’s all going to work out just fine.” Her eyes closed, and she slept, her head in the cradle of her hands, on the kitchen table.
“Then what you’re telling me is all true,” Brie said quietly. She was sitting in Judge Avery’s study.
“All true. I’m a lawyer, Brie. You know about attorney-client privilege.”
“I don’t care. How could you do that to Bode? How could you?” she demanded, outrage turning her face a deep purplish red. “You let him bust his ass, mine too, when he didn’t have to, and you let Callie Parker reap the benefits. I’m so disappointed in you, Judge. You are not the man I thought you were. My God, all these years . . . What’s Bode supposed to do now? Answer me that! Ah, I see you don’t have any answer. I feel like everything in my life up until now has been a lie. I always grumble and complain about Sela. I fight with her on a regular basis, but you know what? When it counts she’s there, and she’ll always do the right thing. I’ll make sure you’re the first person I pay when I start drawing a salary again. Whatever else I may feel at the moment, I do appreciate your helping me when I needed it.”
“Your bill was paid. Bode settled it with me the night he got here. Didn’t he tell you about the land?”
“Bode didn’t tell me anything. What land? Why would Bode pay off my bill?”
He told her.
Brie listened, digested the information. “You took a lot upon yourself, Judge,” she said coolly. “I don’t want the land. Take my name off the deed. It belongs to Bode. Not Callie, Bode. Now that we all know, how are you going to get it back from Wynfield Archer? Before he decides to sell it, that is.”
“Brie, wait! You have to understand.”
“I understand, Judge, more than I want to. I can never forgive you for what you did. I don’t even know if I can forgive Pearl. The sad thing is, Bode is probably going to let it all slide and do nothing. Now, that’s a hoot. Don’t you think?”
“Brie, I understand your anger is for Bode. Why don’t we wait and see how he responds? I have a small fortune in trust for him that can’t be touched until he reaches the age of forty. I had to fight tooth and nail for it with Genevieve’s parents, or the boy would have got nothing. Parker Manor is his now. He’s the blood heir. Don’t forget, Clemson Parker appointed me Bode’s and Callie’s legal guardian.”
“Well, Judge, I hope you can make him see that. I think you’re going to have your work cut out for you. No one should ever attempt to play God with other people’s lives. You have a nice day now, Judge,” Brie said, stomping out of the room.
“And she’s still fighting Bode’s battles,” the Judge muttered as he lit his third cigar of the day. He cringed when he thought about the meeting he would inevitably have with Bode. Maybe he should think about going to Columbia with Miss Nela. For a month or two. Maybe even three. Maybe he wouldn’t come back until it was time to bring the firewood indoors.
Avery Summers sat back in his chair and thought about Brie’s words. Yes, he had played God—but at Clemson’s request. Didn’t the end justify the means? Would Bode and Brie be the upstanding citizens they were today if he hadn’t taken the matter in hand? What had he really robbed them of? Their lives, came the silent accusation.
“Nela—I’m ready to go up to Columbia!” he shouted hoarsely.
The hours dragged for Brie and Sela as they waited for Bode to return. Brie hovered over Sela as she stirred and mashed something cooking on the stove. What the concoction was, Brie had no idea.
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“What are we going to do, Sela?” she burst out. “When should we tell Bode? Before, or . . . after?”
Sela scattered dried parsley into the mixture she was stirring. “I don’t know. If you need an immediate answer, then I’d say after. That doesn’t mean it’s the right answer. Pearl’s passing will be hard enough for Bode to handle. It’s only my opinion.” She poured a cup of water into the pot and peered at the contents before she stirred it. “What do you think?”
“I guess so. What is that?”
“You said loose chop meat.”
“I thought we agreed on eggs?”
“Oh.” Sela lifted the pot and threw the contents down the sink. Brie turned on the switch for the garbage disposal.
“Is it going to rain, do you think?”
“Looks like it,” Brie said.
“I’m in the mood for a good angry storm, with lots, of thunder and lightning. Even if it rains, I doubt if it will cool things off. Do you like it when steam or whatever it is comes off the ground after a hard rain?”
“I never thought about it.” Brie shrugged.
“Brie, Wyn is going to sell Callie’s property.”
“What? He can’t do that! Fifty acres of this land belong to Bode and me.” She repeated what the Judge had told her. “I told him to take my name off it. Can you imagine? I couldn’t believe it when he told me. At first I wasn’t going to say anything to you because I had nothing to do with it. I’ve never kept anything from you, Sela. If the property had a clear title, you’d make a bundle on the sale.”
“No. I signed off when I found out. It was the hardest thing I ever did, but it was the right thing. We’re a family, and families don’t knife one another. I’d rather pick shit with the chickens than be a party to that sale. Wyn also asked me to marry him. I want you to know I gave it some serious thought. It was what it was for a time. I needed him, and maybe he needed me. The sex was super, but there’s more to life than sex. I wanted to talk to you about him a lot, but I knew your feelings so I . . . held it in. I wish now I’d confided. Everything seems to be crumbling apart right around us. Isn’t it funny how we thought if Bode came back, everything would just fall into place and wow, we’d all live happily ever after? What a crock!” Sela snorted.
“You got that right,” Brie agreed. “You want some lemonade?”
“If you put some sugar in it—I need a boost. Not that artificial stuff. God, I hate the taste it leaves in your mouth. You fix it, and I’ll check on Pearl. Where’s Bode? He’s late.”
“Maybe he stopped for gas or something. I’ll fix him a glass. I’m going to leave as soon as he gets here. I need to sit with Callie where it’s quiet and I can think. Are you okay with all of this, Sela?”
Sela shrugged. “As okay as you are.”
They finished their lemonade out on the porch just as Bode drove up. “I think you need a tune-up, Sela,” Bode said, getting out of the car.
“So what else is new? I put a lot of miles on it when I was showing my property. My big dream was a company car. Oh well.” She sighed.
“How’s Mama Pearl?”
“She knew us. We . . . spoke for a while. What she said was that she’s been talking to . . . Lazarus,” Sela said as she looked everywhere but at Bode. “Harry refuses to leave Pearl. You should take him out before his bladder bursts.”
“How’s Callie?” Brie asked.
“The same. It’s so hot in that room, Brie. Maybe you want to put on a sundress or something.”
“It doesn’t matter—the heat doesn’t bother me. I don’t plan on staying too long. We’re having eggs for supper,” she added, to have something to say.
“I thought we were having meat loaf.”
“I thought I was frying it loose,” Sela said, getting up from the swing. “Now I find out we’re having eggs!”
“What’s wrong with her?” Bode asked.
“I guess she’s tired like the rest of us. I’ll see you later.”
“Is there anything I need to do for Mama Pearl?”
“Hold her hand, talk to her, fluff her pillows. If you think it will help, you can take the air-conditioning unit out of my window and put it in Pearl’s window. It’s pretty hot in there. If Pearl sleeps through the afternoon, you can help Sela with the laundry,” Brie said flatly, She was halfway through the door when she turned, and added, “When were you going to tell me about the deed and the fifty acres, Bode?” She didn’t wait for a response but ran across the porch and down the steps and into her car. Before Bode could think of a suitable reply she was roaring down the road.
“What am I missing here?” Bode demanded.
“Why ask me?” Sela mumbled.
“Because Brie tells you everything and you can’t keep a secret to save your soul and we both know it.”
“First you have to have a secret to keep. It seems to me you’re the one with the secret. Brie had a perfect right to ask you that question. When were you going to tell her?”
“Probably never. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to give it back without it going to the state or Wynfield. I didn’t know about it, Sela. The Judge shoved the deed at me the night I got back. Maybe I can put it in trust for Callie. I need to read up on it a little; there just hasn’t been time. In case you think I’ve been trying to put something over on Brie, you can get it right out of your head.”
“Seems to me you need to get it out of Brie’s head.”
“Listen, did something happen while I was gone?”
Sela busied herself by taking things out of the refrigerator to clean it. “Does it seem like something happened? Look around, Bode, isn’t everything the same?”
“Everything looks the same, but you and Brie sound different, like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
“Guess what? I don’t much care what you think. Do you know what I really care about right this minute? I care that I look like shit, feel like shit, and will continue to do so for a long, long time. I know I look like a scrubwoman. My hair refuses to do anything but hang on my neck. All I do is sweat. I can’t sleep. I’ve lost weight, and on top of that I worry about everything. Right now I have no idea why we’re having eggs instead of meat loaf. Do you see the place I’m in?”
“Well, tomorrow when we go to the picnic you’ll feel better,” Bode said, putting his arms around her slim shoulders. “You smell like vanilla.”
“I just spilled it on my hands. I guess I forgot to put the cap on tight. Brie said the picnic is off.”
Bode threw his hands in the air. “Why?”
“I think Pearl is . . . Her breathing has changed since yesterday. She says she talks to Lazarus and she’s seen him. I think things like that happen toward . . . the end. I don’t want to leave, and neither does Brie. Harry seems to know. He won’t leave her side.”
“That’s fine, Sela. I don’t mind. I’m going to sit with Pearl now. If you need me, call.”
“Your laundry’s in the basket. You can fold it while you’re sitting with Pearl.”
“Okay. Sela, go for a walk. Get outside or better yet, take my bike and ride around the property. Do something different.”
“Maybe later.”
Bode entered Pearl’s room and, as always, looked around for a moment. It was sparsely furnished, with a bed, a dresser, a rocking chair, a braided rag rug on the floor, and the chest at the foot of her bed. In the past the pine floor had always been clean and polished. Now he could see dust in the corners and on top of the dresser. He knew Brie had cleaned, polished, and dusted the other day so it must be his turn. He’d do it later. Pearl always said cleanliness was next to godliness.
“You can be poor, but there’s no need to be dirty,” she’d always said. She’d said so many things over the years that had made his life fuller and richer. He reached for her hand and covered it with both of his. “Mama Pearl, it’s me, Bode.”
“Chile, you best be getting yourself out of that tree before you break your neck,
” she mumbled. “You best not be skinning your knees and making a hole in them pants, ’cos Pearl don’t have no more patches. You listening to me, chile?”
“I hear you, Mama Pearl. I’m coming down.”
“You be minding my sweet baby love. Be careful she don’t fall into that old cistern. You be watching her real careful, Bode.”
“I will, Mama Pearl. I’ll be real careful.” He sucked in his lower lip and bit down so hard he could taste his own blood.
In all the years he’d lived at Parker Manor the worst thing, the absolute worst thing that sent shivers up his spine and made him weak with fear, was that somehow he would bring shame to Pearl.
“I’ve always done my best, Mama Pearl,” he whispered. “You can meet Lazarus and tell him I’m being a good boy and that I always did what you said. You tell him that for me. I wish you could have had a life with Lazarus, but I understand about the name business. Sometimes I wish I knew what my real name was. Other times it doesn’t matter. Everyone should have a name. Lazarus didn’t care that you were Pearl from Parker Manor. He was Lazarus from Harrold Manor. Sometimes I think you told us all a fib, Mama Pearl. I think you gave up your life for the girls and me. Lazarus thought so, too.
“You worked so hard, Mama Pearl, from sunup to sundown and when it got dark. I never heard you complain, not once. That pittance Mr. Parker gave you should have shamed him. You spent it all on us. I don’t remember if we appreciated it or not. I tend to think we did. Brie did, and so did Sela. I’m not sure about Callie. One present was never enough for her. She always wanted two. I remember the day you walked all the way to the drugstore and bought three little purses for the girls. They had little pearls all over them and the handles. You bought a bigger one for yourself and said you couldn’t wait to carry it to church. You loved that purse. You bought me a new roll of fishing twine. I remember the stars in the girls’ eyes when you handed over those purses. I can still see the look on Callie’s face when she said she wanted yours, too. You handed it right over.
“God, I wish there was something I could do for you, Mama Pearl. I would do anything to see you well and sitting up in that bed.” Harry’s ears stood at attention as he stared at his master. He cuddled next to Pearl.
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