After we roamed through the house a bit, getting a feel for it emptied of everyone but ourselves, we decided to head on down to the farmers market to meet Wilson. I run a comb through my hair and made sure my shirt didn’t have any spots, which was about as much of a beauty routine as I had. Amos was outside collecting Tom and Huck to drop them over to MeMaw’s while we went to the market, and once I come down ready to go, the four of us went into town.
As soon as folks saw us on King Street, the ones who hadn’t been to the party come over and asked a million questions. I felt a little like a movie star with all the attention I was getting, and hateful as it is to say, I weren’t too upset that just about everybody known Parnell got the sass knocked out of him by a Coe.
“Is it true he got down on bended knee to propose in front of all them people?” someone asked me. Five or six folks were standing about us.
“Naw,” I replied. “He would’ve gotten his pants dirty.”
Everybody laughed. “Hey, Dovey.” It was Curtis Shrew calling out to me. “You gonna take up with Parnell now that Caroline’s gone off and left him?”
“You got to be kidding, Curtis,” I told him. “I’d just as soon shoot him as look at him.”
Paris Caraway made her way through the crowd of folks around me and Amos. She was dressed in a pair of tan English riding pants and tall, polished boots with flat heels.
“I see we got a new place for dumping trash,” she said, a little smirk riding around her mouth.
“Then you best lay yourself down, Paris,” I said. “The man’ll be coming by soon to collect you.”
Folks laughed at that, but they moved on just the same. Then it was just me, Amos, and Paris.
“You look like you’re off to the foxhunt,” I told Paris.
“And you look like one of them trashy Coes, which I guess you are,” she replied. “I guess you’re feeling mighty smart about the way your sister done Parnell.”
“I don’t feel one way or the other. And Caroline didn’t do nothing to Parnell but tell him the truth. Truth hurts, I hear.”
Paris was fixing her mouth to come back with a smart remark, but just then her mama called out from the doorway of Caraway’s Dry Goods, “Paris! You get away from those children! I don’t want to see you near the likes of them!”
I watched Paris’s back as she strolled over to her daddy’s store looking all high and mighty about herself. Amos patted me on the back, trying to calm me down. He started making some of his noises, and I looked over at him. He was moving his mouth at me. “Oh, oh,” he said.
“It’s okay,” I said to him. “She’s just a bunch of hot air dressed like a human being.”
Amos nodded, then made a coughing noise. “Oh, oh,” were the sounds he was making. He patted my back again. “Oh ca.”
It hit me like a hand upside the head.
“Okay! Okay! Amos, you’re saying ‘okay’! You’re talking!”
Amos smiled and sort of shrugged his shoulders, like there weren’t nothing to it. I couldn’t help dancing him around and hugging on him.
Wilson Brown came strolling up, a big grin on his face, carrying a bag of licorice sticks. “Y’all having another party? Or are you dancing from the sheer joy of seeing me?”
I commenced to telling him about Amos saying his first word, and Amos give him a demonstration. Wilson just shook his head and handed Amos the entire bag of licorice. “Ain’t this a fine day,” he said, and threw me another one of them grins.
Wilson was right, it was a fine day, even with the sadness of Caroline going off to school. Summer cools off a sight faster in the mountains than it does in other parts, and a light wind was lifting up our hair and blowing real soft on the back of our necks. It seemed like we spent most of the day just wandering, finding interesting things to look at at every turn. Big, puffy clouds filled up the sky, changing shape every so often, and we leaned our backs against the steps of the courthouse where we sat, telling each other stories about the pictures we saw.
I guess the only bad part of things was when we passed by Parnell leaning against his car, taking sips from a bottle in a bag and making time with a pretty girl by the name of Rebecca Kyle, who was two grades ahead of me in school. Her cheeks were all flushed, like Parnell had been sweet-talking her some.
“I guess he done got over Caroline right quick,” I muttered to Wilson as we come toward the two of them.
“Hey, Dovey,” Parnell called out like we was old friends. “Why ain’t you wearing that yellow dress? You almost looked like a girl in that thing. It was the first time I ever looked at you twice.”
Rebecca Kyle give out a little giggle at that.
“Don’t get your hopes up, Parnell,” I told him. “I ain’t interested in the likes of you. That seems to be a trait among us Coe women, now don’t it?”
Parnell’s face got real red.
“Why don’t you get yourself on home now, Dovey. Before that mouth of yours goes and gets you hurt real bad.”
Wilson stood up for me then. “I expect you best not be threatening Dovey, Parnell. You might stand to get yourself in a mess of trouble.”
Parnell laughed. “From who? You?”
Wilson squared off like he was ready for a fight, but I stepped in between him and Parnell.
“You already been licked once this week, Parnell,” I said. “Ain’t your face already red enough?”
Rebecca Kyle pulled on Parnell’s arm. “Come on, let’s go for that ride you were promising me. I ain’t interested in watching no fight.”
Giving a look that about sent a knife through me, Parnell shook off Rebecca and walked around to the other side of the car to open the door for her. Then he come back around and opened his own door, but before he got in, he turned back to me. “Don’t you worry, Dovey Coe. You and me are going to have us a long talk real soon.”
“I wouldn’t mess with him too much, Dovey,” Wilson said to me as we watched Parnell drive off. “I suspect he could make you right miserable.”
“He’s been making me miserable my entire life,” I replied, trying to make a joke of it. “I don’t know why he’d stop now.”
The joy sort of trickled out of our afternoon after that. Wilson had to get on home for supper, and it was about time for me and Amos to head over to MeMaw’s. Wilson said he’d see me the next day in Sunday school, and we said our goodbyes.
Me and Amos started walking toward MeMaw’s house, which was on the other side of town, toward Katie’s Knob and home. Tom and Huck run up to us when we got up to MeMaw’s front walk. MeMaw come out on the porch and called, “Hey, you’uns come in now! Supper’s not but a half hour away! Amos, leave them dogs on the porch. I don’t want them dirtying up my floors.”
That’s when I remembered I never brought our church clothes from home, and MeMaw would never let us into a house of God dressed the way we were.
“I got to go back to the house, MeMaw, and get our church clothes!” I called to her. “I’ll be back directly.” I run off real quick so she couldn’t get ahold of me. MeMaw don’t take kindly to folks being late for supper.
It was strange to come up to the house and not see anyone moving about. It made me feel kind of lonely. When I went into the kitchen, it still smelled like flapjacks and syrup. I went into Amos’s room and spent a good ten minutes searching for his Sunday shoes before I found them wadded up in an old sweater under his bed.
I was wondering if I ought to bring that yellow dress back with me for church the next day when I heard the sound of a car coming up the road. I figured MeMaw must’ve sent PawPaw to fetch me, so I walked out to the porch to give him a wave.
Parnell’s car was pulling into the yard. Shoot, I thought, he’s come to give me some trouble, and I’m up here all by myself. I checked my pocket for my knife. I was figuring I might need to use it.
chapter 12
But it weren’t Parnell that stepped out of that car. It was Paris.
I blinked my eyes real fast a couple
times to make sure I weren’t seeing things, but sure as day, Paris Caraway was walking up our yard, still wearing them riding clothes she had on earlier. I reckoned that was the first time she’d ever stepped foot on our property. She come right up to the steps, but didn’t go no farther once she saw me.
“I came to fetch you, Dovey,” she said to me. “Parnell’s got one of those dogs of yours locked up in the back room of the store, and he says you best come claim it before he takes a mind to do something about it.”
“What’s Parnell doing with one of Amos’s dogs?” I asked.
“It wandered into the store, and when Parnell tried to shoo it on out, why, it tried to bite his hand off. You shouldn’t be letting those mangy dogs run loose. They’re dangerous.”
I rubbed my head, trying to figure out what was going on here. “So why’d he send you to fetch me?” I asked her.
“He’s making sure that dog don’t get out and hurt some child,” Paris answered. She looked about her for the first time. “You need to paint this house. It’s a sight.”
“Maybe Daddy will hire you for the job,” I said. “Maybe then you could afford to buy you some real pants.”
“Just get in the car, Dovey. I ain’t got all day.”
I got into the front seat next to Paris, hating to admire the leather upholstery as much as I did. The inside smelled real good, like Parnell paid someone to sit in the car and smoke a pipe all day long. It didn’t occur to me till we were halfway down the road that Paris was a bit young for driving, but I reckoned them Caraways didn’t have to worry so much about following the rules as the rest of us.
Paris hummed a little tune as she drove, probably enjoying the thought of folks seeing her behind the wheel of her brother’s car. I had to admit she looked right smart, driving with one hand while the other was resting on the back of the seat, like she’d been doing this all her life.
“I plan on getting out of Indian Creek one day,” she said out of the blue, but it was like she were talking to herself as much as to me. “I reckon this town’s too small for me,” she went on. “I need a big city full of classy folks who know there’s more to life than farming and quilting bees.”
“Where you aim to go?” I asked, surprised to be in a normal conversation with her.
“Asheville, maybe,” she replied. “Or maybe even further away. London, England, could be. I wouldn’t mind getting as far from here as I can go.”
It struck me as odd that Caroline and Paris might have some of the same dreams. Shoot, visiting London, England, even sounded like a good idea to me. Not that I was dying to move away from my family; just sometimes I wondered about what it would be like to see some of them foreign spots I’d been reading about in books. China always struck me as being real exotic, and Africa, too. I’d been considering saving up to go on one of them safaris one day, maybe ride me an elephant.
“I wouldn’t mind going to London, England, myself,” I told her. “See where they keep them kings and queens.”
Paris looked over to me and give out a little laugh. “How do you plan to get there? Ride over on one of them pigs of yours?”
The conversation kind of sputtered out between us after that. I guess Paris figured she’d told me as much about herself as she wanted me to know. We drove by MeMaw’s house, and I peered out the window to see if I could catch sight of Tom or Huck, but I didn’t spot neither of them. Maybe the newness of being in town got them curious, and they decided to take a look around. That seemed strange to me, though. Usually they didn’t like to get too far away from Amos.
When Paris pulled up in front of Caraway’s Dry Goods, there didn’t appear to be anyone inside. Only one little light showed through the window.
“The store looks closed. You sure Parnell didn’t go on to y’all’s house?” I asked.
“No, I reckon he’s in the back room. I suspect you better fetch that dog of yours before Parnell loses his patience with it. Tell Parnell I’m taking the car over to Lorelei’s.”
As soon as I slammed the car door behind me, Paris put her foot to the gas and roared off down King Street. All the sudden Huck was jumping all over me, like he’d been waiting forever for me to get there and rescue Tom.
“Down, boy,” I told him, rubbing him about the ears. “You stay here while I go fetch Tom, and we’ll get back to MeMaw’s directly. Amos is probably wondering where you done gone.”
The door to Caraway’s Dry Goods was locked, so I pounded on it a couple of times to get Parnell’s attention. He come out of the back room with a big grin on his face, like he were as happy as could be to see me, and unlocked the door. When he opened it to let me in, the bells hooked to the knob giving out a little tinkling sound, I could smell liquor on him.
“Well, hey there, Dovey. Nice of you to stop by for a visit,” he said, motioning for me to come on in.
I looked about the store for Tom. “I didn’t stop by for no visit, Parnell. I come to get Tom and take him home. What’s all this about him biting you?”
Parnell walked over behind the counter. “Oh, he didn’t bite me; just tried to, is all. I think maybe he done gone and got the rabies. He looked right demented.”
“Tom ain’t got no rabies. He’s just got the good sense to know you ain’t nothing but trouble,” I told him. “Now give him over.”
“Now why you got to go around talking about me that way, Dovey? I always been sweet to you.” He moved over to the fountain. “Can I offer you something cold to drink? A soda, maybe? We got cherry and lemon, mighty tasty.”
“No thanks, Parnell. I’d just as soon get Tom and leave, if it’s all the same to you.”
Parnell squirted cherry syrup and some soda into a glass and put it on the counter. “No, I can’t say it is all the same to me, Dovey. I think it’s time we made amends, don’t you? Patch things up between us. Come on now and have you a glass of soda.”
I walked over to the counter. “You ain’t put poison in it, have you?” I asked as I picked up the glass.
Parnell laughed. “No, I ain’t put poison in it. Look, I’ll squirt me some, too.” He filled another glass and took a sip from it. “See? Ain’t a thing peculiar about this here cherry soda, no sir.”
I picked up my glass and drank it down in one swallow. “Okay, Parnell, I done had a soda. Now let Tom out, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Can’t do it, no, I’m afraid not,” he said. “Not until we have us a little talk.” He come out from behind the counter and stood next to me, the smell of liquor coming off his skin about to make me dizzy. “Dovey, Dovey,” he said, turning to face me and shaking his head like he was real sad. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It sure is a shame you didn’t get your sister’s good looks.” He reached and touched a strand of my hair that had gotten loose from my braid. I backed away from him and said, “This ain’t making me like you any better, Parnell.”
“Oh, Dovey,” he said, his voice as sweet as a mama talking to her baby. “I don’t expect it matters what you like or dislike, not to anyone but you.”
“What in damnation are you talking about?” I asked, moving farther away from him, a little trickle of fear starting to work its way through me.
Parnell got a real disappointed look on his face. “Now you know I don’t like hearing that kind of talk out of you, Dovey. I reckon I’m going to have to punish you for that.”
My insides turned cold listening to him, like a bitter wind blown through my skin. “Just give Tom over to me and let me go. That’s all I’m asking.” My voice shook a bit as the words come out.
“You ain’t talking so smart now, are you?” Parnell smiled, then turned toward the back room. “C’mon, then, let’s go see where Tom’s at.”
I followed him into a small, dark room lined with shelves. Metal soda canisters were stacked against the wall by the door, and a dozen or so twenty-pound bags of flour were piled next to them. It took a second for my eyes to get adjusted to the darkness, but when they did, I seen Tom in
the corner of the room tied by a short length of rope to a pipe that run down the wall. He whimpered a bit when he seen me, his tail wagging, like he was ready to go home.
“I don’t know why you got this dog tied up, Parnell,” I said, turning around. “He wouldn’t ever hurt anybody, not even someone as low-down as you.”
Parnell bent to the floor and picked something up. Then he walked to the door. He was holding a brick in his hand. “Oh, this dog, it’s a menace to society. Who knows what it might do to a little child.”
“Why are you doing this, Parnell?” I asked, the words barely making it past my lips. My hand reached for the knife in my pocket. I pulled it out without Parnell noticing. My fingers was trembling, but I managed to flick the blade open with my thumb.
“I done told you, Miss Dovey Coe. I aim to teach you a lesson. You’re always butting into other people’s business, ain’t you? And you’re a regular mother hen to that brother of yours, watching over him like he was the younger and you were the older. But you can’t protect Amos against everything, no sir. You can’t have everything your way.”
In a flash, Parnell drew back his arm and aimed that brick at Tom. That’s when I stuck my knife out and made a wild stab at him. But it was too late. The brick left Parnell’s hand and flew through the air. My blade tore through the sleeve of his shirt, a line of blood rising in a stain across the fabric.
Parnell bellowed and swirled around at me, his fist drawn back. As that fist come toward me, I slashed at him again. That’s the last thing I remember.
When I come to, Huck was licking my face, and my head felt like it were split in half. I scooted myself so I was sitting up and rubbed my forehead, trying to stop the pain that was pounding against me like a hammer. It took me a minute to remember where I was. Tom lay in the corner, so stiff that I could tell he was dead. The tears filled my eyes, and I let them fall.
Dovey Coe Page 7