by Joy Redmond
“Yes, I do. I remember listening to it on the radio when I lived with you and Uncle Carl. I have fond memories of living with you. I was so mad at both of you for sending me to the Hodges. But I’m older now and I understand. We have to grow up before we can understand a lot of things.” Mandy kissed Aunt Lou.
Otis was shuffling his feet, which meant he was ready to go and he didn’t want to stand around for idle chitchat. “I’m ready, Dad. You can ride with me and Abbie. We’re here for you now.”
Otis stepped lively as he left the room, went down the hallway, and out to Mandy’s car.
As Mandy pulled out of the parking lot, Otis said, “There’s nothing to eat at the house. So if you two are hungry we can stop at restaurant. You pick it.”
“How about the Golden Coral?” Mandy said.
“That’s fine with me,” Otis answered.
For the rest of the day, Otis stayed in his recliner and slept off and on.
Mandy made the dreaded phone calls to tell Kati and Tony. She told them when the visitation and funeral services would be. Kati had no way to come, but Tony said he and Belinda would be there.
That night, Mandy said, “Abbie, you’ll have to sleep with me in the front bedroom. The bed in the middle bedroom is piled high with Grandmother’s prints and boxes of other stuff.”
“I want to sleep with you, anyway. This house is spooky at night and I don’t want to be alone. Grandmother always slept with me in the front room when I spent the night with her.”
They readied themselves for bed, then pulled the quilts to the foot of the bed. “We’ll only need a sheet. Dad hates air-conditioning and we’re going to smother.”
Mandy was physically and emotional drained. She figured she’d fall asleep by the time her head hit the pillow. As soon as she lay down, the death of her mother hit her full force. She rolled over on her side and let go of loud sobs that she couldn’t hold back. Abbie patted her mother.
“I’m so sorry, Mama. I miss her too. I guess I didn’t think you’d take it this hard. I know you and Grandmother didn’t get along that well.”
Mandy managed to stop crying long enough to say, “No, we didn’t, honey. And I’m not crying for the loss of what we had. I’m crying for the loss of what we could have had but never did. I did love her. But she stole what was left of my childhood. She robbed me of a teen life. She dictated my every move when I lived in Kentucky. I spent twenty-two years at her beck and call, obeying like a scared child. We never had a real mother-daughter relationship. I’m crying for a loss of precious years that she took from me.”
“I’m sorry for that, too. Thank you for being such a good mother to me.”
Mandy hugged Abbie, then she felt warm, strong arms enfold her. She drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning when Abbie woke up, she shook Mandy. “Mama, I’m hungry. Granddaddy said there wasn’t anything to eat in the house. Can we go somewhere and eat breakfast?”
“Yes, honey. We’ll get dressed and go to a little café down the road a piece. They have great pancakes – the best I remember.”
After they had eaten, they returned to the house and started getting ready for visitation. Otis still wasn’t talking. “He’s grieving, Abbie. Don’t take it personal. And I’ve got to get to the funeral home and do Mother’s hair. You just watch TV and don’t bother Granddaddy. I won’t be gone that long.”
Mandy didn’t shed a tear as she fixed Iris’s hair in a French twist, then placed the gold comb just so, making sure the outer rim of the comb was visible. She patted her face. “You look pretty, Mother. I love you. I hope you know that.”
She quickly left the room, then went back to the house to pick up Abbie and Otis.
During visitation, Mandy saw many people she hadn’t seen in years. She was thrilled to see and talk with her many cousins, aunts, and uncles, who were her blood relatives. She was surprised that so many Randalls came.
The best part was seeing Tony and Belinda. When visitation was over, they all went back to Granddaddy’s house. Mandy rubbed Belinda’s seventh month pregnant belly, bent and whispered, “Hi there, little sweetie. I’m your nana. I’ll be so happy to meet you in a couple months.”
“It’s a boy,” Belinda said, as she reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of the ultrasound.
“Oh, my. I’m getting a grandson. Well, he’s a handsome little dude.” She kissed the picture.
“We need to get on the way, Mom. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Tony kissed his mother and Abbie, then he hurried away as if he was about to break down and he didn’t want them to witness his emotional condition.
The next day, Mandy broke down in loud sobs during the funeral. And again, she was crying for what could have been. She noticed that Otis never shed a tear. Maybe he’s cried it out, she thought. He’s a strange bird that I never understood and I never will.
After the funeral they went back to the house and found the kitchen counters were piled with food. Family and friends came by, ate, gave their condolences, then one by one they left.
Tony and Belinda hugged Granddaddy and said they’d be back to see him as soon as possible. Mandy and Abbie walked them to their car, hugged and kissed them goodbye, and Mandy said, “You take care of my grandson. I hope to see you in October.” Before they could answer, she quickly turned and ran back inside the house. She couldn’t bear to watch them drive away.
Otis was sitting in his recliner and Mandy walked over to him. “Dad, Abbie and I will stay a few days with you, I—”
Otis held up his hand. “I don’t need a babysitter. I want to be alone. I’ll be glad to have the house to myself when everybody gets out of here. And take all these flowers with you. It’s just a waste of money if you ask me. I don’t need them sitting on the table, withering and dying and dropping petals all over the floor.”
“Well, alrighty then. Everybody is gone except me and Abbie. We’ll get packed and be on our way. What about the house plants? Do you want to keep them? I’ve got a sun porch I can put them in.”
“Take them too. I won’t remember to water them and they’ll just die.”
Mandy and Abbie packed up their suitcases and loaded them in the back of the station wagon. Mandy went back inside and picked up three vases of flowers, poured out the water, then carried them out and wedged the vases between the suitcases. She went back and picked up the two house plants, and Otis followed her. She propped the plants the best she could, hoping they didn’t topple over and die before she could get them home.
“Thank you for coming. Come back to see me when you can,” Otis said, and wiped his tears.
“We will, Dad. We love you.” Mandy hugged him.
Abbie gave him a big hug, and tears rolled down Otis’s face.
Once they were on the road, Mandy said, “I’m glad it’s over and we’re headed home.”
A few miles up the road the trunk of the station wagon flew up in the air. “What the shit!” Mandy said, as she pulled over to the side of the road. She got out of the car and walked behind it. She stood in awe as she watched the flowers fly out, one petal at a time as if they were being plucked and blown with great force.
When there was nothing left but stems, she shut the trunk. “Fly to heaven with Mother. They belong to her. Not me.”
Chapter Forty-One
Mandy had been home for a few days, and the more she thought about Tony being a father with a low paying job, the more she knew she needed to find a job. Her grandson would need things and Kati’s babies would need things, and she had used all the eggs in her nest that she intended to. I’ve got to hold on to what’s left of my security blanket. I never know what’s going to happen.
Two weeks later, Mandy went to work for an OB/GYN. The pay was low, but she was thankful for the job.
October1st, Tony called to tell his mother that he was in training to be a surgical tech scrub. “I love it, Mom.”
“I’m so happy for you, Son. I’m thrilled that you love the medical p
rofession as much as I do.”
“I’m moving on up the ranks,” Tony said. “Oh, I’ve gotta go. I’m getting a page.”
“Bye, Son,” Mandy said to a dead phone.
October 12th, Belinda gave birth to Braxton. Tony called that night and as Mandy held the phone to her ear, she could hear her grandson crying as if he were being beaten.
“That boy has a set of pipes on him. I can’t wait to get my hands on him, but I won’t be able to come until I have a few days off during Christmas. You give that big boy a kiss from his nana and tell him I love him.”
“I will, Mom. We love you too. We’ll see you Christmas.”
Mandy hung up and tears rolled as Braxton’s crying resounded in her ears.
Four days before Christmas, Mandy and Abbie headed to Kentucky. Mandy’s time was limited and she drove straight through, wishing she had time to spend the night with Don and Anne.
Ten hours later, Mandy parked in front of Tony’s small apartment. One of the happiest moments of Mandy’s life was picking up Braxton, and as she gazed into his bright eyes, their souls seemed to recognize each other, and she never wanted to put him down.
Abbie said, “Let me hold him, Mama.” Mandy handed him to Abbie, then she looked around the apartment. They didn’t have a Christmas tree up. She noticed that Braxton only had two diapers in the diaper holder, and she didn’t see other things he needed. She opened the fridge to find bare shelves, with exception of a six pack of beer. She slammed the door. “That figures,” she said, and anger filled her, but she vowed to keep her mouth shut. This was a happy visit and she wasn’t going to let anything ruin it.
When Tony came home from work, her heart filled with joy when she hugged her son. Later that evening, Mandy took them shopping, stocked up on things for Braxton, and a few things for Tony and Belinda. Then she filled a grocery cart. “Merry Christmas,” she said, as she paid the bill.
“Thanks, Mom. You don’t know what this means to us. We barely make it. If you didn’t send us money every week, we wouldn’t make it,” Tony said, and Mandy saw his eyes well.
“I do all I can, Son. I know you don’t have room for me and Abbie, so we’ll spend the night with Dad. I’ll come back tomorrow and hold Braxton as long as I can, then I’ll have to say our goodbyes and head back to Georgia.”
That night, Otis played checkers with Abbie and they had a good time. Mandy sat in the living room, remembering the Christmases they had all enjoyed in this house. Otis didn’t bother to put up a Christmas tree, and Mandy doubted if he ever would again. Christmas had always been Iris’s thing, and Otis had merely gone along with her. I’m going to miss my Christmas card this year. I could sure use the money. But Mother’s gone and I doubt if I ever get a card from Dad. Then she wondered if Otis had ever known about the cards and the money that Iris had slipped her every Christmas. She doubted it.
The next day, Mandy and Abbie were up early. When they were ready to go, Otis said goodbye, and he cried as he hugged them. “Come back whenever you can,” he said.
Mandy controlled her tears as she hugged Otis. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hold back the waterworks when she had to tell Braxton and Tony goodbye. She drove across town, and when she parked in front of the apartment, she felt her heart crack. She held herself together as she kissed Tony, Braxton, and Belinda.
When she pulled the car out of the parking lot, the dam burst wipe open. She patted her purse. “At least I’ve got plenty of pictures to take back with me, thanks to my old trusted Polaroid.”
Abbie opened her mother’s purse and pulled out the pictures. “And I’ve got something to look at while you drive home.”
Ten hours later, Mandy pulled into the circle driveway and her heart quickened. She had missed Gill and couldn’t wait to get into the house and fall into his arms. Just as she opened the front door, Gill jumped from the recliner and grabbed her in a bear hug.
Christmas Day was wonderful. The house was full and presents were stacked under the tree. Gill’s three children were there, and Kati and her girls came, along with Kati’s new boyfriend, Max.
After dinner, the men watched a football game, and the girls were still showing off their presents, each proclaiming they had the best gifts.
Mandy was cleaning up the kitchen when Kati walked up to her side. “Mama, Max and I are in love and we’re getting married.”
“Married!” Mandy exclaimed. “When?”
“As soon as his divorce is final. His wife and kids live in Virginia and he’s having a hard time getting her to agree on how things are going to be divided and his visitations with their two children. He’s in the army, that’s why he’s down here. When his year is up, he said he’d go to Virginia and see if he could hurry things up. He loves my girls as if they were his own. Tina and Leigh will finally have a daddy. Their own daddies don’t make any effort to see them. Leigh’s daddy has never been to see her and she’s two years old.”
Mandy was at a loss for words. “I just hope it all works out, honey,” was all she knew to say.
Another year rolled on by and nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Mandy hadn’t seen a vision and there were no visits from spirits. She found that strange. But she knew it was only a matter of time. Eventually, the spirits were going to tell her something. What bothered her the most, was Max hadn’t gone back to Virginia and he was still married. He did make Kati happy and the girls loved him and they called him Daddy. Mandy took comfort with that. Yet, she had an uneasy feeling.
Time is going to tell me or show me something. I feel as if something is hovering around me, she thought, and chill bumps rose on her arms.
One Saturday night, Gill had gone to the go-cart races. His go-cart had blown an engine and he wasn’t racing but he never missed a race.
Mandy and Abbie stayed home to watch The Golden Girls. There were side-by-side on the recliner, bowl of popcorn between them, and laughing as their favorite new sitcom ended. “Well, that’s a good show,” Mandy said. She picked up the empty bowl and was wiggling her butt out of the recliner, pushing on Abbie’s legs.
Suddenly, huge palmetto bugs were flying toward them, landing in their hair and buzzing. Mandy and Abbie were swatting as fast as they could. The more they swatted, the more the bugs dive-bombed them. “What in the hell?” Mandy managed to say as she continued to swat, and Abbie was screaming.
They had experienced many happenings and they had always laughed or just shrugged it off and considered them just silly tricks. However, the palmetto bugs were scaring them to death. Mandy grabbed Abbie’s hand, then grabbed her purse from the floor and said, “Come on. Let’s get out of here!”
They ran for the front door, and rushed out to the car. Mandy started the engine, then she glanced toward the front door. The window in the center of the door was covered with bugs that seem to be growing in number. She hit the gas pedal and burned rubber as she headed up the driveway.
She drove into Hinesville and stopped at the Huddle House. Once inside, they slid into a booth by the front window which was facing the highway. Mandy knew Gill would be traveling on the road they were facing as he headed home. Mandy’s nerves were on edge as she ordered a cup of coffee, but she hid her fear from Abbie.
As Abbie sipped her Coke, she said, “Mama what the heck was that about? I haven’t seen one of those bugs since we moved in. And they were the size of model airplanes. I think they were trying to eat us alive. And they were buzzing as loud as a chainsaw.”
As calmly as Mandy could, she said, “I have no idea, honey. They came from out of nowhere. We’ll just sit here and when we see Gill’s pickup go by, we’ll get in the car and stay behind him.”
An hour later and several cups of coffee and Cokes, Mandy spied Gill’s pickup as he sped up the highway. Mandy paid the bill, then she and Abbie got into the car and headed for home.
Gill was getting out of his pickup when Mandy pulled into the driveway. She jumped out, ran to him and went into the story of being attack by p
almetto bugs.
Gill looked at Mandy as if she had lost her mind. But she sternly said, “You go into the house, kills the bugs, and we’ll be waiting in the car.”
Mandy and Abbie sat in the car, wondering if he was going to come running out, beating bugs off of his body, and they’d have to take off again. Finally, Gill came outside and walked over to the car. Mandy rolled down the car window and said, “Did you kill those suckers? I’m not about to go back inside until they’re all dead!”
Gill started laughing. “What have you two been drinking? There is no sign of a palmetto bug, dead or alive. I checked the whole house. Stop being silly and come on in.”
Hand-in-hand, they slowly walked inside the house. No bugs in sight. Mandy was perplexed and many thoughts were running through her head. Why did the bugs attack me and Abbie, then disappear? What happened to Fluffy? The attack of the bugs and Fluffy disappearing were not happenings. They were hauntings. Whatever or whoever the spirit is, was what spooked Fluffy when we first arrived and why he refused to come into the house. Did Fluffy sense evil?
Chapter Forty-Two
Mandy and Abbie had been in Midway, Georgia, enjoying the lake house for three and a half years, and nothing else happened after the attack of the palmetto bugs. Mandy enjoyed working and she felt good making her own money again. Though the biggest part of her checks went to Tony, and she was still picking up the slack for Kati, it was wonderful having a few dollars in her purse.
Before she had gone back to work, Gill had given her a credit card to buy whatever she and Abbie needed, but she wasn’t comfortable with it. Though she realized that credit cards were as good as cash, she liked to be able to open her purse and see a few dollars.
That Christmas, she and Abbie went to Kentucky. They planned to divide their time between Tony, Braxton, Belinda, and Otis. Her better judgment told her to stop and see Otis before she took off to Tony’s. Otis was more talkative, but he was getting so deaf, Mandy had to scream until she was hoarse.