by Leisha Kelly
She looked so tall. So much a young woman with her apron on and her hair back. And her face so plainly mirroring the worries of the day.
“Mom, I guess Frank’s going to be all right, but he’s taking it awful hard about being blamed, and it’s not fair—”
“I know it, honey.”
“Mom, there’s something about Rorey . . .”
“Yes. I heard what she was saying, and I’d like a chance to talk to her, but I guess she’s gone back home already.”
“But, Mom—”
I didn’t get a chance to hear whatever she was about to tell me. Emmie was suddenly hollering at us from the barn lot. I hadn’t even known she was outside.
“Mama! Mama! Come quick!”
Emmie was standing with her feet on the bottom rail of the fence, looking over at her father’s goats. I couldn’t imagine what could be wrong, but there was distress plain enough in her voice, and Sarah and I both hurried to her side.
“Looky!” she cried. “Janie May’s hurt! Look at ’er! Her leg’s real bad!”
I’m sure it looked bad to a seven-year-old in the middle of an already trying day, but I knew the young goat’s jagged cut on a hindquarter was not all that serious. Nobody’d noticed it before, and she was walking on it fine.
“Thanks for letting us know,” I told the girl. “But it really isn’t bad. All she needs is a little bag balm and a bandage. You might even be able to take care of that yourself.”
“Really?”
“With a little help. You’ll help her, won’t you, Sarah?”
Sarah gave me a funny look, I’m not sure why. But she went to get the balm and a rag of some kind.
“Ain’t nobody else gonna get hurt, is there, Mama?” Emmie asked me.
“I don’t think so. We’ve had more than enough for one day.”
She looked at me with her big eyes full of questions. It took her a minute to speak again, perhaps because she was trying to decide which of the questions to ask first. “Why’s everybody mad at Franky?”
“Not everybody is. Nobody will be, once they’ve had time to cool off and think about all this. Fires happen sometimes. Bad as it is, there’s no sense trying to blame anyone for what was surely an accident—”
“But it ain’t only about the fire,” she maintained. “Rorey was mad at Franky yesterday. She said he was a puritan, only she said it kinda ugly, an’ I don’t even know what it means. An’ I think she musta said he was a sourpuss too, ’cause prob’ly Sarah didn’t think a’ that herself.”
What in the world could this be about? I remembered Franky looking over at Rorey when he came home all beat up last night, but neither of them had said anything. “Emma Grace, can you tell me what’s going on?”
“I ain’t for sure. I only heard Sarah an’ Rorey talkin’. An’ they didn’t want me to hear ’cause they sent me to get Bessie’s blanket an’ she didn’t even need it right then.”
“Last night? Before you all went home?”
“Yeah,” she affirmed, nodding her little head up and down. “An’ the very oddest thing is when Rorey said Franky was mad at her for talkin’ to Lester Turrey. An’ I never did see him come over, not even once. You think she made that up?”
“No, Emmie, I’m sure she didn’t.”
“Well, then, when did she see him? He don’t go to our school, nor even to church.”
“I’m not sure. But thank you for telling me.”
“I was jus’ wonderin’ ’bout this, that’s all.” She turned her eyes back to the goats.
“It is something to wonder about,” I agreed, thinking Emma Grace a very bright girl for her age, regardless of what others might say.
Sarah was coming back to us, the bag balm and a cloth all in one hand. I looked at her and wondered if I should ask her right now about this strange conversation with Rorey. She’d been wanting to tell me something just a few minutes back. And it might well be more than repeating what Rorey had said about the fire.
But I thought of Franky alone in the woodshop. I was sure it must have helped him to have Sarah follow him into the woods, and then to have Pastor come in and see him. But I thought of that fight yesterday and how he’d looked, and him refusing to tell me what had happened.
“Sarah, would you mind taking care of the goat while I speak to Franky a minute? We can talk when I’m through.”
She nodded, but she seemed different. Tense. Lord, what in the world is going on? Probably better not to get into it any further in front of Emma Grace. I left them to bandage up the goat’s leg and went to see Franky.
The door creaked as I gently pushed it open. Franky was carving out a chair leg. He looked up at me but didn’t stop his work.
“I’m doin’ all right, Mrs. Wortham,” he said. “You don’t gotta check on me.”
“Your hands aren’t hurting you too bad then?”
“No, ma’am. Not too bad.”
“What about your other bruises?”
“Tell the truth, it’s been easy t’ forget about ’em, what with ever’thin’ else goin’ on.”
“I can expect.” I set a scrap board across a keg of nails and seated myself near him. “Franky, I want to talk about yesterday. Was it Lester Turrey who fought you?”
He stopped what he was doing and looked up just long enough for me to see the surprise on his face. But there was no surprise in his voice. He tried his best to sound as though this particular subject meant nothing at all to him. “Why would you be askin’ somethin’ like that?”
“Because I think it’s time you told me what happened. I can understand you not going to your father right now. Sometimes I know he’s not all that anxious to hear what you have to say, Lord knows why. But that doesn’t mean you can’t tell me or Samuel whatever it is. And your father too, eventually. I’m sure he’ll change his mind if he hasn’t already and be more willing to listen—”
“Can’t count on that, Mrs. Wortham. Pa ain’t gonna change a whole lot. You oughta see that by now.”
“Maybe you’re right. But you still need to tell us whatever this is with Rorey and Lester Turrey. Why would she be upset with you? And why would he want to fight?”
He kept his eyes away. “I never said it was him.”
“But it was, wasn’t it?”
“Who tol’ you all this? How can you know this stuff?”
“I was just talking to Emma Grace. She’s a lot brighter than what some people give her credit for. And like you, she remembers what she hears.”
“An’ what was that?”
“That you weren’t happy with Rorey talking to Lester, and that Rorey was upset with you about it.”
He turned his eyes back to the chair. “Don’t know how she come to hear that, but it ain’t nothin’ to talk about.”
“Why not? If Rorey’s trying to meet with Lester, don’t you think your father should know?”
He stopped. He put down his tool and faced me. “It weren’t but once, an’ she made me promise not to tell.”
“Franky, why would you promise something like that?”
“Because she started cryin’, beggin’ me not to mess up how peaceful things has been at home. She said she already decided not to see him no more, so me tellin’ would just get her in trouble over nothin’.”
“When was it that she saw him?”
“Week ago tonight, perty late.”
“After dark, without your father knowing?”
“Yes, ma’am. I heard her go outside, an’ I followed her, ’cause I wanted to know what she was doin’ in the middle a’ the night. That’s what Lester fought at me for yesterday. He said I didn’t have no business followin’ her around, my sister or not.”
“You could have told us.”
“Nope. ’Cause I promised her.”
“Oh, Franky.”
“Besides, Lester said if I tell anybody it was him who hit me, he’ll jus’ deny ever talkin’ to her an’ say he only tol’ me he liked her a little an’ I got mad an’ hit at him over it. He
’ll say I started it, so then he had to bust me up.”
“Do you really think anyone would believe him? It’s not like you to start a fight.”
“Pa would believe it. ’Specially if Rorey said she didn’t never meet with him. Then Pa’d reason it all to be how Lester said it was.” Franky sighed. “It weren’t so much to promise not to tell Pa ’bout seein’ her with Lester. He’d b’lieve her over me anyhow. But I wasn’t s’posed to tell you neither. An’ I didn’t. Not all. You had it mostly figgered.”
“Where did they meet?”
“Out by the Claybanks bridge. But she promised me she ain’t gonna do it again.”
It was my turn to sigh. “Do you think she knows that Lester fought you?”
“Prob’ly. Ain’t sure how she’s feelin’ on that, though.”
“You know I’ll have to tell your father this.”
“No, ma’am. Don’t seem to me you’d have to. He’d only think I’m tryin’ to get her in trouble after what she said ’bout me.”
“Then you know what she’s told about the fire?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He turned back to his work, not offering to say another word.
“Franky, why would she accuse you?”
“I guess she seen me out there an’ jus’ figgered she knew what happened.”
“Then you’re saying it’s a mistake.”
He looked up at me with his strange silvery eyes awfully sad. “What else would it be?”
14
Sarah
It made me feel all strange inside for Mom to put off talking to me and go see Franky first. I shouldn’t have wondered, since he’d run off into the woods and all. She’d want to check on him after that. Of course she would. But she knew I was wanting to say something about Rorey, and she was looking at me kind of different.
Janie May wouldn’t stand still for us, and I had to hold her real tight with one hand and try to help Emmie bandage her with the other. Good thing this wasn’t a billy. I didn’t even know where their billy was. Maybe they’d lost him in the fire along with so much else.
“Is our animals yours now?” Emmie asked me.
“No more than they ever was.”
“But they’s over here now.”
“Just for a while. Till your pa gets another barn and pen built back up.”
“I don’t think Pa knows how to build us a barn,” she said sadly. “An’ your pa can’t help. He’s still in bed.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Finally we got the little goat all fixed up. She hopped away from us and immediately started stretching her neck, trying to chew on that bandage. All that trouble to doctor her, and it wouldn’t last ten minutes, I’d just about bet.
“What’s a puritan?” Emmie suddenly asked.
“What?”
“A puritan. Yesterday Rorey said Franky was one, remember? Is it some kinda stupid guy?”
I shook my head, wishing she hadn’t heard a word of all that. “No. Puritans weren’t stupid. They were just . . . real strict. And real religious. Rorey just meant that Franky don’t think like a kid sometimes, that he don’t approve of shenanigans.”
“Oh,” she said, thinking it over. “That ain’t so bad. Rorey won’t even get in no trouble over sayin’ somethin’ like that. I wonder how come your mama didn’t go ahead an’ esplain when I tol’ her I didn’t know what it meant.”
“You told Mom that Rorey said that?” My heart suddenly pounded harder. “What else did you tell her?” What else did she hear? Oh, Lord! Now Mom’ll think I was trying to hide stuff from her! Now Mom’ll think I’m in on what Rorey’s been doing.
“I jus’ wanted to know how come folks is mad at Franky. Rorey was even mad at him yesterday—”
“And you told Mom that?”
“Yeah.” She looked at me with her eyes getting damp. “I’m sorry, Sarah. Was I not s’posed to?”
I sighed. “It’s okay. We’re not supposed to keep secrets from our folks anyway.”
“I didn’t know it was a secret.”
“I know. It’s okay.”
“Will Rorey get in trouble?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Then she’s gonna be real mad at me.”
“She might be real mad at me too, before it’s all done.”
“Will you still play with me, even if Rorey gets mad?” “Yes. I’ll play with you.”
She took my hand. Apparently, my promise was enough to make her feel better about the whole thing. She bounced a couple of steps, leading me over toward the corner where we could see Janie May a little better.
“She’s gonna pull her bandage clear off!” Emmie exclaimed. “Don’t she know it’s there so she can get better?”
“Sometimes goats don’t know no better than people what’s good for them, Emmie.”
Emmie Grace looked at me with her head tilted sideways. “That’s kind of a funny thing t’ say.”
“Maybe so. But it’s true.”
Emmie’s pa and most of her brothers were leaving to go back over to their farm. Emmie didn’t ask to go with them, but she went racing over there to hug most every one of them good-bye. Mom came over too and told them to come back for supper and to stay the night if they needed to.
“I need to talk to you when you get the chance,” Mom told Mr. Hammond, and that made me feel cold inside. Rorey’s gonna think I told on her, and it wasn’t even me!
“I ain’t in no mood for more talkin’, Mrs. Wortham,” Rorey’s father replied. “Ain’t nothin’ more to be said.” He turned his back and started walking off through the timber. Kirk went with him, but Harry and Sam and Willy went with Pastor and Robert in our truck and the pastor’s car. Mr. and Mrs. Post were leaving too. Mrs. Pastor gave Mom a big hug and explained that they had to go and see Mrs. Howell. Seemed like everybody was leaving, except Thelma and her mother and the kids.
We could hear the baby crying inside. Emmie looked that way and then up at me. “I could sing to her,” she offered.
“That’s a good idea. I’m sure Thelma would like that.”
She smiled and went running inside.
Mom just stood there watching Robert drive off with the Hammonds. I wondered if she thought Mr. Hammond was rude for talking to her the way he did. “Did Rorey leave already?” I asked her.
“I guess so. She’s certainly making herself scarce lately, isn’t she?”
I felt her eyes on me before I even looked. “Mom . . .”
“I know you were going to tell me, Sarah. I know it was Lester Turrey who beat up Frank. But I don’t know why you waited.”
I didn’t know what to say. How much had Franky told her? “I wasn’t for sure it was him,” I said quietly, almost hoping Franky’d told on his sister and not just Lester.
“Did Rorey know?”
“She—she wasn’t for sure either,” I stammered. “She only figured it was prob’ly him.” It was suddenly hard to talk. I was feeling all tight inside, remembering Rorey’s urgent face. “Promise me, Sarah. Promise you won’t tell!”
“I understand she was upset with Franky. Over Lester, I suppose. She must really like the boy.”
“I—I guess so. Kind of.” I took a deep breath. At least Mom wasn’t making this too hard. Maybe all I’d have to do was answer her questions. Maybe she already had everything figured out, so I could honestly say it wasn’t me who told.
“Apparently she likes him enough to sneak out and see him without permission.”
“Yeah.” Franky’d told, all right. And I was glad, no matter how mad Rorey would be.
“Has she seen him more than once?”
Now was the perfect time to tell about Rorey’s plans to meet Lester in the barn. It was right there in my mouth to say. I felt like I was choking on it, but it wouldn’t come out. And what I said instead wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. “They met last week. She . . . she said he didn’t come any other time.”
“You’re sure?”
I nodded my head while my heart thumped and screamed at me. Why? Why aren’t you telling?
Because I wanted to believe her. She’d told me plain out Lester hadn’t come. That he hadn’t been there.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this days ago?” Mom persisted.
“I only found out yesterday. After supper when we were talking. And . . . and I think she’s kind of dumb to get a boyfriend when she’s only thirteen.”
“Then she wants to see him again?”
“I—I don’t know. Maybe not.” That’s no lie either, I told myself. After the fire and all, I don’t really know what she’s thinking. Maybe she’s had time to consider how stupid it all is. Maybe she’s even mad at Lester for not showing up.
Mom was still looking at me. “Well, if Rorey doesn’t care to see Lester again, why would Lester care enough to beat her brother up over it?”
“He’s just mean, Mom! He’s just plain mean! That’s all it is. He likes to do stuff like that. He was the worst bully our school had, an’ he never did like Frank. Maybe Rorey was just his excuse!”
I wanted to run. I wanted to run clear out in the woods like Franky’d done, only I hoped nobody’d follow me. Maybe I was afraid. Maybe I was afraid of Lester pulling my hair again, or throwing my lunch pail in the mud, or worse. Maybe I was even afraid of Rorey teasing me, hating me, turning her back on me.
Why couldn’t I just come right out and tell Mom about last night? It wouldn’t be my fault if people stopped pointing at Franky and blamed Rorey for the fire. Because maybe she’d been the one in the barn, waiting for her “boyfriend” to show up.
But I couldn’t manage to say anything. I didn’t really know what had happened. I needed to talk to Rorey again. I needed to know for sure if she was telling me the truth about everything before I told anybody otherwise. I was just trying to be fair. That was all.
“Sarah?”
“Yes, Mom?”
“I know it puts you in a difficult spot for me to ask you what your friend told you in confidence, but I’m sure you understand that something like this is too important to be kept from parents. Lester was hard on Franky, and Rorey is far too young to know what she’s getting into, especially with an older boy with less than desirable behavior.”