Context was everything. The incident was not so serious as Mable had imagined.
“I never stopped loving Charles. Never. Can’t tell you what it did to me when I heard that he had been killed. Broke my heart. And I’ve always thought a lot of you. I know why he was such a good person. He got it from his Mama. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“We tried to raise him right. And thank you for your kind words,” said Mable, who was both flattered and uncomfortable with Bobbie Jean’s disclosure.
And then Bobbie Jean crossed the line. “I’ll always think of you as a mother-in-law, the one I should have had.”
It just wasn’t in Mable to be rude. She let Bobbie’s comments slide but there was no way that this girl was going to be promoted to mother-in-law status.
“Well, just wanted to get that off my chest. I loved him more than anything. Still do,” said Bobbie Jean as she stood up. “I’ll leave you alone now. Here. Let me give you this.” And then she grabbed a pen and paper from her purse and jotted down her phone number. “Call me if you need me. Even if you just need somebody to talk to.”
Mable didn’t know what to say and she hated to lie. Even little white lies were unthinkable so she just ignored the offer. “Thank you for coming,” she said and then Bobbie headed out the door.
At least now, Mable had something else to think about. The first thought on the matter was that Buddy apparently listened when she told him to stay away from hussies. That consideration even brought a smile to her face. Mother-in-law. The nerve of that girl. If that don’t beat all.
Roxanne – June 23 – 1:30 p.m.
On Thursday it rained which was, according to Helen, perfect sleeping weather. To advance her belief, she took a nap and as was her custom, she made Dickie lay down as well. Mable remained out of commission with no sign of coming out of her grief.
About 1:00 o’clock the mailman delivered a package from the Iwakuni Air Base in Japan. Mable nervously opened the package but when she saw the contents, she quickly placed the lid back on the box. Not wanting anyone to go through Buddy’s personal possessions until she felt up to it, she hid the box in a drawer.
Soon after, a car pulled into the driveway. Mable peeked out the window to identify her visitor but she saw a car that she didn’t recognize. Moments later she heard footsteps up the concrete steps and then a knock on the screen door. “Who is it?’ she said as she stood up to get a better look.
“Roxanne Smitherman,” said the young girl. The rain falling on the tin roof rendered her words inaudible.
“Say again,” said Mable.
“Roxanne Smitherman,” said the girl more loudly.
Mable didn’t know anybody by that name. “Can I help you?”
“Mrs. Polk?”
“Yes.”
“I came to pay my respects for your loss. I’m an old friend of your son.”
“Come in,” said Mable to the second girl in two days to darken her door. “Have a seat.”
“Thank you, mam. I won’t be long. My daddy’s waitin’ in the car.”
First observation. This girl was definitely not from around Strasburg. She had such a Southern drawl that she could have easily played Scarlet in Gone with the Wind. “Tell your father to come on in. He doesn’t need to sit out in the rain.”
“Thank you, mam. He wanted to rest a bit. He’s tired from the drive.”
“How far did you come?”
“Just under 400 miles, I think. We made pretty good time, though. About 7 hours. I’m sorry we missed the funeral. Daddy just couldn’t get off work.”
“You say your name is Roxanne?”
“Yes, mam.”
“Well, Roxanne. Where’s home?”
“New Bern, North Carolina.”
“And you knew Buddy?”
“Yes, mam. Except I called him Charles. We got to be real close.”
Here we go again, thought Mable. Another secret girlfriend.
“We met last summer,” said Roxanne while staring at Buddy’s photograph hanging on the wall above the TV. “He was so handsome in that picture. Looks like a movie star. Anyway, he was real good about respondin’ to my letters, except I didn’t hear back on the last one, which got me to worryin’. So I asked my Dad if he could find out if something was wrong. Daddy’s a Marine Corps officer. Figured he would know who to call. That’s how we got the bad news. You must be devastated.”
Roxanne talked slowly but non-stop. Mable started to respond but there was no point. The girlfriend from North Carolina had moved on to her next thought. “Never met another boy quite like him. So polite, kind, and well-mannered. Not like the other Marines down that way. First day I met him at the beach, I knew he was the one for me. My soulmate for sure.” And then Roxanne spotted the box of Buddy’s childhood pictures. “Oh, may I?”
“Sure,” said Mable, who was wondering why Buddy never told her about these girls. For that matter, he never told her about going to the beach. As Sally took her good old time looking at each photo, Mable gladly supplied the details. “That one’s my favorite from when he was in the first grade. Love the dimples. And this one is his ninth grade picture. That’s when he let his hair grow out a little. He had the most beautiful hair.”
“Until the Marines cut it off,” said Roxanne chuckling at her observation. “Actually, Daddy met Charles before I did. It was the funniest thing.”
“What happened?”
“Charles was leaving the chow hall and Daddy spotted him with something bulging in his shirt pocket which is against Marine Corps regulations. So Daddy ordered him to stop and ripped open his pocket. Then he saw that Charles was carrying a little Bible. He handed the book back to him and that was the end of it.”
Any doubts that Mable had that this girl really knew her son were now dispelled. That was one event from his Marine experience that he had shared with her. The New Testament incident was no secret. “You’ve traveled so far,” said Mable. “Why don’t you ask your father to come in and I’ll get you something to eat?”
“We ate just a little while ago but thank you. I cried for days after I heard the news. What happened to him was just awful. Daddy said that Marine that did it will be severely punished for what he did.”
“I hope not,” said Mable, which caught Roxanne off guard.
“What he did was so wrong.”
“It was an accident. He couldn’t help it. He’ll have to live with what he did for the rest of his life. The least we can do is forgive him. I hope to meet him someday…or get word to him so he’ll know that we don’t hold a grudge.”
Roxanne had never heard anybody talk like that before. “How do you forgive somebody who kills someone you love with all your heart?”
“Jesus forgives all of our sins and the Bible says that we’re to forgive as he forgives. My Mama and Daddy drummed that into me since I was a little girl. I’ve never known any other way and neither did Buddy. That’s what he would have wanted us to do.”
It didn’t happen often but Roxanne was speechless. She was fully persuaded that no penalty for the Marine’s reckless actions could be too severe. Her Daddy expected a prison sentence and a dishonorable discharge. Maybe it would be best not to share that information. “It’s so nice to meet with you. Charles talked about you all the time and his dog Inky. I would love to meet his dog if that would be alright.”
“Inky’s gone,” said Mable. “He was killed by a fox the same week that Buddy died.”
“That’s terrible,” said Roxanne. “I am so sorry.”
“When was the last time you talked to him?” asked Mable.
“Oh, it’s been more than a year but there have been a lot of letters. I’ve kept every single one of them. I had hoped to marry him one day. I was crazy about him.”
Mable couldn’t believe it. “Marriage. Is that something you talked about?”
“No, mam. Just something that I believed would happen someday. He was the one for me alr
ight. He never told me such…but I could tell he loved me too.” Roxanne looked at her watch. “I expect I should be goin’. Daddy’s got to work again tomorrow.”
“You sure I can’t get you something to eat?”
“No thank you. I just appreciate you allowing me to visit with you. It meant a lot.”
As the car pulled out of the driveway, Mable breathed a sigh of relief. At least, this gal didn’t think of her as her mother-in-law. It thrilled her to hear how much Buddy was loved and appreciated. Despite her grief, she was always willing to hear her son praised by those who knew him. In a small way, it reminded her that Buddy’s life had counted for something by touching the lives of others.
Footsteps from above meant that somebody was stirring, and judging from the hard pounding it must be Helen. Buddy used to joke with his sister about the way that she stomped when she walked. “You’re a goose-stepper,” he would say, after the German style of marching in WWII.
Helen was still groggy when she entered the living room. “Who was here?” she asked followed by a yawn.
“Another one of your brother’s girlfriends.”
“You mean there’s more than one?” said Helen as she plopped down in Charlie’s easy chair.
“Bobbie Jean came by yesterday to tell me she was in love with him.”
“How about that?” said Helen. “Doesn’t surprise me, though. Figured he had to have some Strasburg girls in his pocket. I hate I missed the girl who just left, though”
“Roxanne told me that she was crazy in love with him,” said Mable, who even smiled for the first time in a month.
“Roxanne?”
“Said she was ready to marry him. So was Bobbie Jean. Ain’t never seen nothing like it.”
Helen laughed. “Way to go, Buddy. Drivin’ the little girls wild.”
“The girl that just left was a knockout.”
“She is pretty.”
“When did you see her?”
“First, when she passed out at the visitation and then when I talked to her at the cemetery. Told her to come by in a day or two when things settled down. She has long black hair but her name’s not Roxanne. It’s Sally.”
“Nope. Roxanne is a blonde. Her Daddy drove her here from some place in North Carolina. She apologized for not being able to make it to the funeral.”
“Are you sure? You know you’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”
“Helen, I know what she told me. She just got here today.”
“Well, I’ll be. Then get ready for girlfriend number three.”
More footsteps from above signaled that Dickie was awake and a most wonderful thing happened. “I’ll bet he’s hungry,” said Mable.
Helen grumbled an unintelligible response. In other words, she wasn’t in the mood for preparing a snack.
“I’ll do it,” said Mable. When Dickie entered the room, he was surprised to see Mable standing at the kitchen door. “Buddy, are you hungry?”
Dickie looked back at his mother wondering how to respond.
“You just called him Buddy,” said Helen.
“I mean, Dickie. How about a ham sandwich?”
Mable didn’t know it but she had just taken her first baby step toward recovery. She didn’t stay long and she didn’t say much. Minutes later she lay down on the couch and fell asleep where she remained until late that evening. It was nearly 10:00 o’clock when she awakened and it was the time of day that she despised. That is when her imagination ran wild with terrifying thoughts of the night Buddy died. Ahead was another sleepless night. Her prayer was simple but far less confident than before the tragedy. “Lord, please. Just help me make it through the night.”
Sally – June 28 - 10:30 a.m.
Mainly out of respect and a little bit out of dread, Sally put off her visit with the Polks. In fact, Helen had given up on her and Mable was sure that she had packed her bags and gone back home. For an entire week, the Hotel Strasburg had become Sally’s home away from home. Thanks to a generous gift from her Dad, the weekly rate of $20 was manageable and meals at the Virginia Restaurant were priced reasonably. And Buddy was right about the addictive qualities of the French fries and homemade ketchup. 15 cents well spent. She had rapidly grown fond of the little town by the Shenandoah River. If only Buddy were there to share it with her.
Sally surveyed his letters and her memory for places of interest that he had referenced. It was like he had given her a map to everything that was important to him. Most significantly, all the landmarks were within walking distance. The high school and elementary school, People’s Drugstore, the Post Office, and the Five and Dime. She even took in a movie at the Home Theater, sat in the balcony that he talked so much about, and snacked on his favorite Jujubes candy.
Getting away from home had been good for Sally. Grieving was still painful but somehow a little easier in Buddy’s hometown. Time away had even given her time to consider the future without him. A career as a history teacher no longer seemed important. But she did love kids and had imagined herself having children with Buddy one day. With her final year at William and Mary just two months away she had decided to change her major to childhood education.
A week had passed since the funeral. Visiting the Polk family was now or never. No problem finding the house. She had already driven by the place twice. One thing didn’t work out, though. The cake that Granny Duffy had sent to help get her foot in the door was now more than 9 days old, or what remained of it. Sugar didn’t cure her depression but it helped.
From the day of the funeral procession to St. Mary’s Cemetery, she remembered passing a store in one of the towns along Highway 11 that sold plants. Buddy had told her about Mable’s affinity for plants and flowers which she concluded would make a suitable gift. The first thing that Tuesday morning she retraced the funeral route and found what she was looking for in the town of Woodstock, and there she purchased a large Boston fern in a hanging basket.
The 28th of June marked one month since Buddy’s death, a milestone that triggered an even darker day for the grieving mother. When Sally’s car pulled into the driveway, Mable wasn’t happy about it.
“Want me to tell them to come back another time?” asked Helen, whose hair was rolled in giant curlers. Jane Hudson was to pick her up later in the day for a shopping trip to Winchester.
“That would be rude,” replied Mable. “Just gonna have to grin and bear it.”
Helen was already standing at the door when Sally appeared. “Well, we thought you went back home,” said Helen, happy to see the girl she had met at the cemetery.
“May I come in?” asked Sally.
“Of course,” said Helen opening the door for the visitor. The fern was so big it brushed against both sides of the door facing as she entered.
“Brought a little something for Mrs. Polk,” said Sally.
“She’ll love it,” said Helen. “Mama, this is the girl I was telling you about and she brought you a gift.”
Mable stood up to greet the visitor and to inspect her gift. “Oh, thank you. I can hang it on the front porch. Please sit down.”
While Helen transported the fern to the front porch swing, Sally introduced herself to Mable. “I’m Sally Duffy from West Point, Virginia.”
“I’m so glad you came,” said Mable. “Helen told me that you were friends with Buddy.”
“Yes, mam. He meant a lot to me.”
Mable was immediately impressed with this pleasant and sweet girl. “Helen said you were staying in the hotel here in town. Have you been there all this time?”
“Yes, mam.”
Pinching pennies was a way of life for Mable. A week in a hotel room was only for rich people or those who squandered their hard-earned dollars. “That’s so expensive.”
“Normally, I would never think of doing such a thing. My Dad knew that I needed to come here. He gave me the money so that I wouldn’t have to use my savings.”
Dickie came in from the backyard where he had been playing an
d gestured to let Helen know that he was hungry.
“Pardon my bad-mannered son,” said Helen. “Dickie, this is Sally. She was Uncle Buddy’s friend.”
“Hey,” said Dickie.
“Still have that wind-up cowboy?” asked Sally to everyone’s surprise. “He told me about that belated birthday gift.”
“It’s my favorite,” said Dickie.
“I guess you’ll be going into the second grade.”
“Yes, mam.” Dickie, who was normally shy around strangers, quickly warmed up to Sally. “Wanna see it? The cowboy toy Uncle Buddy got me.”
“I would love to see it,” replied Sally as Dickie ran out of the room. “I can understand why Charles talked about him so much.”
Sally said all the right things and Mable and Helen shared the same thoughts. This was the one. If only Buddy had lived, Sally Duffy would have been perfect for him.
Time passed quickly and the three women talked as if they had known each other all their lives. Dickie provided a minor distraction as he played with his noisy toy but no one seemed to mind.
“You must stay for lunch,” said Mable.
“Oh, no mam. I don’t want to be a bother.”
“Nonsense. You haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a week,” said Mable, who instructed Helen to continue the conversation while she prepared lunch. The banging and clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen hadn’t been heard in more than a month. To Helen and Dickie, it was a happy sound. This was the old Mable, the one with the gift of hospitality who never let anyone leave her house without dining on a fine meal.
While she cooked, Mable wondered why Sally had such a positive effect on her. Strangely, it seemed that Buddy was there with her. She always believed that two people that were meant for each other became as one. Maybe that was it. To be with Sally was to be with Buddy. But why would God create two people for each other and then take one of them away before they ever had a chance to experience life together?
Farewell PFC Polk: The End of a Nightmare (In the Valley of Hope Book 2) Page 29