The Sisterhood of Blackberry Corner
Page 27
“Wait a minute,” Joe said. “Naz Wilder…You were married to Naz Wilder?”
“Yes,” Bonnie said.
“Is he…still alive?” Joe asked.
“Far as I know,” Bonnie replied. “We…divorced some years ago.”
“Mrs. Wilder,” Joe said, “maybe later we can we see a few more of Naz’s old pictures?”
Bonnie nodded. “I ’spect we’ll get ’round to talking ’bout the League and ’specially ’bout Naz.” Bonnie rose to go into the kitchen. “Maybe I oughta git us some refreshments.”
“You sit and visit,” Thora said. “I’ll go.”
Augusta was studying the pictures on the mantel with her husband. “How many babies did you get, Mrs. Wilder?” she asked.
“There were eleven, all together.”
“And what number was I?”
Seeing Augusta wasn’t as hard as she’d thought it would be. Yes, she was Naz. And she was certainly Lucinda. But Augusta Randall was also a living, breathing person and not the personification of a marriage gone bad. After all, the woman represented her heart’s work: a child that had survived a desperate mama and a hopeless situation. It was all so personal, yet Augusta’s circumstances were not very different from Wynn’s, Noah’s, Malina’s, Amelia’s or any other child’s that had come her way. Thora returned with a sandwich platter and a pitcher of sweet tea that Bonnie had made earlier.
“Come set on down, Mama,” Thora said to Augusta. “You and Joe both ha’ yo’self somethin’ to eat.”
Over coleslaw and turkey sandwiches, Bonnie and Thora told Augusta Randall the story of her beginnings. At times the girl laughed and at times she wept but she seemed fascinated by every detail, every description and every bit of conversation that Bonnie and Thora could recall. Joe Randall was stunned by the entire story. When the young couple left Blackberry Corner early that evening, Augusta looked exhausted. Exhausted, content and filled with a stronger sense of herself. For Bonnie, the experience of Augusta’s visit was like a circle closing. She had finally faced her ghosts just as Thora Dean had always done. Bonnie glanced at her old friend, chuckling at the Golden Girls on TV. There was certainly something liberating about speaking your mind, speaking your heart. Bonnie went to the phone. She had promised Noah she’d make reservations to come and visit him in North Carolina before summer’s end. He and Thora Dean had been pushing her to take the trip, but Bonnie had always stayed close to home. Now, suddenly, she felt lighter, as if the world was a far bigger place than she had ever imagined. Yes. Bonnie would take the train to North Carolina. Or, better yet, maybe she’d fly.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am blessed with a wonderful family. And thank you all for staying behind me, come what may! They are: Andrew and Barbara Smith, sister Dina (verry noice!), brother Kenny, sister-in-law Sybil Sunday Smith, Patricia and all the Pattersons. Nieces and nephews Jamar, Liki, Yaro and Ulanda (and lil’ Des too!), Ayana, Ralphie and their “Nooka-nooka” (Miss Anaya), Adaeze (my eye is always on you, Daz!), and my namesake, Andrea (Sunday) Smith, Carol and Yashauna and Lisa Corr, my new “cousin” (hugs and prayers). Last but not least, my son, my heart and always my inspiration, Andrew Smith Short.
I also wish to thank the guys and gals at Think Inc, especially Will duPont, Chris Wilson and Mark Sanges. Will and Chris, I’m so grateful for the wonderfully creative environment, each second I’m given to write and the bagels too! Much love to my mentor, Arthur Flowers (still in my thoughts!), Steve Moyer (you’re just always there, aren’t you?), Kazutoshi Kojima, Gilbert “Tookie” Lewis, James Pelton, Rod Jackman, Mr. Ken Banwart (thanks for protecting my spirit!), Teresa McMillan—the best buddy, even before the program, Miss Kathleen Collins (we will be old ladies together!), Danitra Easton (thanks for always tellin’ it like it is!) and always and always, Miss Nora Cole, godmother to my son and god-friend to me!
Susan Kamil, my editor, you are the best! I so appreciate your clarity and your strength. Thanks to Noah Eaker, her assistant. I am also greatly appreciative of my agent, Ellen Levine, and all the folk at Trident Media Group. Thank you, Ellen, for keeping me on the path.
ALSO BY ANDREA SMITH
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT HONEYBEE’S
THE SISTERHOOD OF BLACKBERRY CORNER
A Dial Press Trade Paperback Book
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Dial Press hardcover edition published May 2006
Dial Press Trade Paperback edition / August 2007
Published by The Dial Press
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2006 by Andrea Smith
The Dial Press and Dial Press Trade Paperbacks are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006040205
www.dialpress.com
eISBN: 978-0-440-33709-6
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