Down Home Blues

by Phyllis R. Dixon

  “I guess I’m still in the Chicago mindset. I can’t believe we can get such a great house for these prices.”

  “I don’t want any avoidable debt. By the time I get through fixing everything on your list to get this house ready to sell, we might as well stay here. What do we need with four and five bedrooms?” Derrick asked.

  “You filled this house up by yourself. Although you could toss a lot of the stuff around here. Your drawers are filled with old bills and statements and the closets are full. You must have every article of clothing you’ve ever owned. Now with both us of we’re bursting at the seams.”

  “I prefer to think of it as cozy.”

  “I haven’t even unpacked all of my boxes. And what happens when we have children?”

  “Carolyn, I’m worried you’re becoming obsessed with this baby thing.”

  “Is that what you call us having a family – this baby thing? Why are you so against us having children?” I said as I ran water to wash the breakfast dishes.

  “I’m not against us having children, but it doesn’t consume my every waking hour. You know the odds are against it and that’s just fine with me.”

  “What if I get pregnant? You know we’re not using anything and the doctor said I’m healthy.”

  “The doctor also said there’s a low probability, and it would be high risk if it did happen. Why can’t you just be happy as we are?” Derrick asked.

  “I am happy,” I said as I put my arms around his neck, pecked him on the lips, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I just want to be prepared. For now, we can use the extra bedrooms for an office and an exercise room, and still have a guest room.”

  “You wouldn’t be trying to seduce me now, would you?” Derrick said, as he pulled me to him. “I’m beginning to think you only want me for my sperm,” he said, then kissed my neck.

  “In the words of James Brown, a woman’s got to use what she’s got to get just what she wants. Whoa. Did you feel that?” I said and grabbed his arm.

  “What?”

  “The house just shook. Did a plane fly too low or something?” I asked and went to look out the window. “It is cloudy, do you think it was thunder?”

  “I’d like to think my good kissing and hugging shook you up. But it’s probably only a tremor,” Derrick said.

  “Tremor, as in earthquake?”

  “Just a little one.”

  “Are you serious? Earthquakes? In Arkansas?”

  “I’m very serious. It’s not as unusual as you might think. We live on the New Madrid Fault. The largest earthquake in America occurred on this fault. Of course, the area was sparsely populated back then, but there’s always the potential for it to become active.”

  “There aren't any tall buildings around here. But still, that can’t be good,” I said, as I noticed the ceiling fan still swaying. “Well, I’m going to text the realtor and tell her to take the two story houses off the list. I don’t want to wake up with my upstairs bedroom downstairs.”

  “Plus we need a one-story house in case Mamalil has to come live with us.” Derrick said.

  “You’re right,” I said, glad I was facing the dishpan and he couldn’t see me roll my eyes. “It does look like rain is coming, though. Can’t you take Mother Roberts later?”

  “All right. She has a doctor’s appointment on Monday anyway. I’ll call her and tell her we’ll go when we leave her appointment,” Derrick said as he took off his jacket. “Your daddy told me the secret to a successful marriage is happy wife, happy life. Pick the houses and we’ll go look at them. All I ask is that it be move-in ready and within thirty minutes of Eden. I don’t want to be too far from Mamalil.”

  “Deal,” I said. Thirty minutes is still too close as far as I’m concerned. Mother Roberts is polite but distant. My sisters-in-law said Mama was the best. She treated them like daughters, didn’t judge, and would call out her sons when they were wrong. Maybe it was different when you only had one child. Mother Roberts’ life revolves around Derrick, and she never misses a chance to let me know I’m not measuring up. She doesn’t like me working in Memphis. She hinted that I don’t cook enough when she commented on Derrick’s weight. When she saw that I had filled the garage with racks of clothes, she commented on how wasteful that was. When she was staying here last year, she kept telling me the place needed a woman’s touch and she was surprised I hadn’t already changed anything or planted some flowers. I have no intention of decorating since I don’t plan to be here long. The only changes I’ve made are new bedroom comforters and slipcovers for the couch, since she let her dog lay all over it. I was thrilled when she and Poochie went home. Of course, I’m glad she’s feeling better. But it also means we aren’t tied to Eden. When Mother Roberts was in the nursing home, Derrick wanted to be available at a moment’s notice. She’s back in her house and has Life Alert, an alarm system, and security cameras, but she won’t turn them on. She says she can’t remember the password or that she doesn’t want people spying on her, or they run up her electric bill. So Derrick is still at her beck and call. I love his devotion, but it feels like our marriage is on hold. Now that his grandmother is better and I’ve transferred to the Memphis office, things are finally getting on track. All I need is a little help from the fertility gods and things will be perfect, and a dishwasher.

  I finished the dishes and put Derrick’s plate in the microwave. “Let’s hurry. I don’t want to be late this time,” I said as I entered the bedroom with two glasses of orange juice.

  Derrick waved his hand at me to lower my voice as he listened on the phone. “Okay, I’m on my way,” he said then put his phone in his pocket.

  “Mamalil fell. Her neighbor said Poochie has been howling all morning. She went to knock on the door and could see her on the kitchen floor. I’m going over there now. ”

  “Should I call 911?” I asked.

  “I’ve already called them, but they come from St. Francis County. I’ll be there before they arrive.”

  “Wait, I’m coming with you,” I said as I put the glasses on the table.

  “I was never comfortable with her living alone,” he said. “But she didn’t think you wanted her to stay with us. I told her that wasn’t the case, but she insisted she would be okay. If something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  Or me, I thought.

  CARL

  Carl loaded his toolbox and the weed-eater in his trunk, then called Aunt Belle and told her he was on his way. He had cut her yard the day before, and was putting the finishing touches on it today. Carl felt a tremendous debt to her. If she hadn’t been in a bus accident, he would have been on time for his meeting with Perry. Which meant, he would also have met a policeman with a warrant. It seems their pick-ups and deliveries had not gone unnoticed and Perry was arrested in a sting that spanned five states. Perry was out on bail, and didn’t seem the least bit phased by the ordeal. Carl would have been crushed. He couldn’t bear to disappoint his father again. Carl wasn’t a religious man, but took Aunt Belle’s leg as the sacrifice made for him to stay out of trouble.

  He would have been at her house earlier, but his father needed his help on the farm. One of the workers was sick and another one’s wife was having a baby. C.W. said it was supposed to rain all weekend and he really needed to get the rest of the soybeans in. Emma’s car wouldn’t start, so he was going to take a look at it, then they were going to breakfast. Carl had been in the field since seven. By eleven, he was starving, and decided to go to town to get a catfish lunch and would drop one off at Aunt Belle’s too. Carl was sweaty with mud on his boots, but didn’t bother to change. He had just gotten in the car when he spotted a vehicle turning into the driveway. He didn’t recognize the van or the driver, but he could see two white men in the front seat. Uninvited white men at your house was rarely good news. Usually, they were coming to tell you someone had died or been arrested, or to arrest someone. His father had told him stories about how white men came to his aunt’s house and took
his cousin for a ride and no one ever saw him again. Carl opened the center console and spotted the hammer just in case. As an ex-felon, he could not have firearms. He could be sent back to jail just for riding with a gun. When he was in Chicago, he never left home without at least two guns. He never had to use one, and the one he had when he did the robbery that got him locked up wasn’t loaded. The primary purpose he had used them for was to pawn them for money to get high. When he moved back to the farm, guns were just a natural part of living in the country. You used them for four-legged trouble. Usually, just firing a gun in the air was enough to scare off any ill-intentioned animal. Two-legged trouble was a different story. Carl had been shocked to learn the tranquil Eden of his youth was just a memory, like a Norman Rockwell painting. A hammer was no match for a bullet, but at least he wouldn’t be totally defenseless if some wannabe gangster walked up on him.

  He knew a visit from the parole office was a possibility, since he hadn’t gotten his final release papers, but he hadn’t violated any rules, hadn’t missed any meetings, and had passed all his pee tests. Sometimes he dreamed men came to take him away. He and his mother were crying like when Kizzy was torn from her parents in Roots. They escorted him on each side back into prison. Just as they pushed him into the cell he would wake up. No waking up today – this was reality. Maybe Perry had struck a plea deal and given up Carl’s name. Maybe they had him on some surveillance camera with a package, he thought as sweat beads formed on his forehead. Maybe they were just lost, he thought as he took deep breaths to calm down. He took his key out of the ignition and hopped outside his vehicle.

  “Can I help you?” Carl asked.

  “I’m looking for Charles Washington Senior,” the younger man said.

  “He’s not here. Can I help you?” Carl said as he checked to make sure the door was locked.

  “Do you live here?” the older man asked.

  “Charles Washington is my father. What do you want with him?”

  “We have some paperwork for him. We’ve been trying to make an appointment but don’t have a current phone number, and our letters haven’t been answered. We’ll have a crew out here next week, so we wanted to get back with him to let him know.”

  “A crew for what?”

  “They’ll just be doing some surveying. It will be a few months before they start drilling.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Mr. Washington signed a mineral lease with U.S. Energy.”

  “Hey, maybe we aren’t supposed to be talking to him,” the older man said.

  “Are you sure you have the right house? My father would never sell this land.”

  “It’s not a sale. We’re leasing the mineral rights. I’m sure you’ve seen the equipment along the highway.”

  “Yes, I’ve seen it. And like I said, my father said he would never do that. He loves this land and he doesn’t need the money.”

  “Well, I hope I haven’t disclosed something I wasn’t supposed to. Although it wasn’t going to be a secret much longer when our trucks start showing up. Just give this package to your father. It explains everything. Here’s my card if he has any questions.”

  Carl took the envelope in the house and tried to call his father. Carolyn got him a cell phone and paid the bill, but he rarely answered it. He seemed to think it was for him to call people and not so they could call him. Next, he texted Carolyn and Raymond and told them to call him right away.

  “What’s wrong? Nothing’s happened to Daddy has it?” Carolyn asked as soon as he answered the phone.

  “No. Some men from U.S. Energy just left here. They say Daddy signed a lease giving them mineral rights and they plan to start drilling in a few months.”

  “That’s crazy, Daddy would never do that,” Carolyn said.

  “I’m holding the envelope in my hand right now. It’s addressed to Daddy so I didn’t open it.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He didn’t come home last night. He’s probably at Emma’s.”

  “He stayed out all night? Are you sure? Have you talked to him?”

  “Not today.”

  “I can’t believe Daddy is hanging out at his age. Mama would never have carried on like that.”

  “He’s grown and he didn’t ask my permission. Anyway, back to the subject – what do you want me to do with this letter?”

  “Hold on to it until I get there this evening. We’ll ask him about it, if he can pry himself away from his girlfriend. In the meantime, I’ll check for any filings in Daddy’s name. I’m sure there is a mistake. Daddy would never do this. Although I never thought he’d remarry either. He’s like a totally different person since he met Emma. Beverly and Cecelia both think she’s after his money. Maybe they’re right.”

  “Daddy’s love life isn’t the issue right now,” Carl said. “I’ll go to Miss Emma’s and tell him what’s happening.”

  “I can’t believe they use these tactics to intimidate people into signing contracts. Luckily, Daddy has us to look out for him, but many of the older people have no one to help them. I’m going to check with Raymond on his next CARE meeting. Maybe I need to learn more about this,” Carolyn said.

  CECELIA

  Cecelia decided she could no longer ignore her bladder and pressed the cash out button, and pulled her player’s card out of the machine. The wild joker had come out of hiding, allowing her to work her way back from a loss of three hundred dollars. Her machine had finally turned in her favor and she was eight hundred dollars ahead. She knew she could ride that even higher, but she really had to use the bathroom. She was getting nauseated since she hadn’t eaten in almost twenty-four hours, and her eyes were burning from wearing her contacts too long. Despite these issues, she felt better than when she arrived. She had enough money to pay her cell phone bill, with extra to tide her over until payday.

  She missed Gabriel and told herself she would stop in just as a way to pass the time. She didn’t know it was possible to miss someone so much who had just entered her life. She and Gabriel had been inseparable for the last six weeks. As inseparable as possible, given her sixty-hour workweeks and his research and class schedule. It had been nice to have someone she could talk to about microbes and infectious agents. And it was nice to be with someone who didn’t think it odd when she cooked a full meal at three o’clock in the morning.

  She and Gabriel were at Perfect Pizza when his sister called. He let it go to voicemail the first two times. But when it rang a third time, he asked if she minded if he answered. Their father had been in a serious car accident and was in surgery as they spoke. They went to his studio and she searched for the first flight to Miami while he packed. She took him to the airport and instead of coming home, she went to the casino. She hadn’t been in almost a month. Her plan was just to stay an hour or so, but she was still here, with less than fifteen minutes before her shift started.

  The attendants and waitresses had been her human alarm clocks and usually reminded her when it got to be a certain time. She’d tip them and didn’t have to worry about staying too long. Since she hadn’t been in a while all her regulars had switched to different areas and shifts. She couldn’t believe the time.

  She rushed back to the ladies room and pulled her cell phone out of her purse. She had missed two calls from her daughter, a call from Millicent, and two text messages. One was a sweet text from Gabriel and the other was from Carolyn. The condo had sold and the buyer wanted to take possession next week. This was a curve ball she hadn’t expected, but before she called her sister, she knew she needed to call the hospital. She figured Millicent had another hot date and wanted Cecelia to work late for her again, so she would just talk to her once she got to the hospital. In her best, scratchy, soft voice Cecelia called the nurse manager and explained that she had taken Nyquil and overslept, but she still didn’t feel well. Her daughter was in the kitchen fixing homemade soup and hopefully she could come in later.

  “Miss Brown, your daughter just left h
ere. She was bringing your granddaughter to the clinic for a checkup and stopped in to surprise you. Please report to human resources tomorrow at eight am.”

  CAROLYN

  Everyone in Dwight County must be here, I thought as I gingerly walked along the roadside. Curbs and sidewalks are a luxury that Friendship Missionary Baptist Church doesn’t offer. The parking lot was full and I thought about parking on the field that doubled as overflow parking on Family and Friends Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and revival, but it had rained all day and I didn’t want to get stuck. I balanced my purse on my head since I left my umbrella in my desk at work and rushed to the church. I didn’t expect there to be this many cars. I knew Raymond was passionate about the encroaching gas drilling and figured he was probably exaggerating the dangers. Apparently, others shared his concern.

  The church was packed and the meeting had already started, but my eyes met Derrick’s as soon as I entered the sanctuary. I caught the tail end of his remarks as he assured the audience his office was available to help them and recited his phone number, email address, and his department’s website. He turned and sat behind the pulpit next to Raymond. I smiled as I thought of how pleased Mama would be to see her son and son-in-law in the pulpit. They both urged me to come so I left work early, but got hung up in construction and was still late. I knew Derrick was having extra pressures at work lately, so I decided to surprise him by bringing some Gus’ Chicken from Memphis for dinner.

  I know the fresh vegetables and home cooked meals I’m eating now are better for my health and wallet, but I do miss the food in Chicago. Despite having a designer kitchen in my condo, I rarely cooked. If I wanted Italian I ordered from Vinnie’s. If I wanted ribs, I went to Jones and Company. If I wanted a good salad, I stopped at The Greek Station. What passed for fine dining in Eden was a Waffle House, Mazzio’s Pizza, and Cook’s Diner.

  Derrick usually got home before I did and was a better cook, so he cooked dinner most of the time. The dinner menu on my nights to cook usually consisted of doctoring up a McDonald’s salad or adding a Wendy’s baked potato to grilled chicken breast or a steak. Daddy had been amazed to find out Derrick did most of the cooking, since he never even toasted bread when Mama was alive. Derrick’s not perfect, but he’s perfect for me. Everyone says marriage takes work, and we’re working through our issues. I love being a wife. That’s why I want to give him a child. I want us to be a family, not just a couple, and a child will bring us closer together.