Choosing One Moment

by Marja McGraw

  “But I’ve only been here… I mean, I’ve only been seeing him for a few days.”

  She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “You’ve been my friend during the day, but at night you’re spending time with him. Marie told me you’re going to have his baby, you little hussy.”

  Wow! Marie was fast. She must have called Ruth to get the news to her before we arrived.

  “That’s a lie! I’m not pregnant.”

  “You started seeing him long before a few days ago. Your belly is getting bigger already.”

  “No it’s not!” How dare she? I didn’t have a big stomach. I glanced down at my belly. It wasn’t growing.

  She turned her back on me. Her neck was turning red and I had a feeling I’d better be on my way in a hurry. It seemed she had quite a temper. The phrase road rage came to mind, except this was the road of life, not the road you drive on.

  I scurried out the front door and motioned to Nathaniel, indicating I wanted to leave.

  He raised his eyebrows at me in question, but said his good-byes to Clarence and met me out on the street.

  “Well! That was interesting. Ruth kicked me out. She said she’s tired of helping me. I guess old Carrie took advantage of her, and she doesn’t seem to like the new Carrie, not to mention she thinks I’m pregnant with your child.”

  “Since you’re not with child, let it go. The rumor will pass quickly, I’m sure. And now that you mention it, Clarence made a comment about how his sister was always at Carrie’s beck and call.”

  “Did you manage to get any information out of him?”

  “I did, but not much. He doesn’t like me because he can’t bully me.”

  “Something is better than nothing. What’d he say?”

  “He said that Ruth and Marie are friends now and they see each other a couple of times a day. They talk quietly and he thinks they’re up to something.”

  “Doesn’t Marie ever stay home? Doesn’t she have chores and things to do like the rest of us? Besides, Ruth sounded like she doesn’t like her.”

  “Seems to me you’ve gotten out of doing chores for the past couple of days. Besides, Marie is spoiled. Her parents never ask her to do a thing. I think that’s why she’s always got her nose stuck in other people’s business. She’s bored.”

  “Gosh, Nathaniel, that’s very intuitive of you. Maybe you should be a psychologist.”

  “What’s intuitive mean and what’s a psychologist?”

  “Never mind. We’ll talk about that later.” At the moment we needed to do more of that detectin’ he’d talked about earlier. “Let’s get back to work.”

  “Tell me a little about how this would work in your time.”

  He seemed genuinely interested, so I obliged him, although I’m a writer, not an expert. While we walked I explained computers to him in the simplest terms I could think of, and I told him about cell phones. He seemed entranced by what I was telling him.

  “We’d look up everyone involved on the Internet – “

  “Internet? Is that what you call the information part of the computer you told me about?”

  “Yes. We could look up these people and find out about their backgrounds, and maybe a few secrets would show up. It’s just as difficult, maybe more so, to keep a secret in my day. If we knew more about their backgrounds we could begin to narrow the field of suspects. We could make a simple phone call on the cell phone to ask questions instead of traipsing all over town to find people, too.

  “We could compare fingerprints quickly with a computer program. At least, it would be a lot quicker than in your time.”

  “I’m familiar with fingerprints,” Nathaniel said. “We’ve come at least that far.”

  “Yes, but you’d have to get fingerprints from all of the suspects. In my time most fingerprints are already in a data base.”

  “Data base? That’s on the computer, too?”

  We touched on what a data base is, and talked about DNA, among other things, until I realized I was getting hungry.

  “Isn’t there someplace we can go to get lunch?” I asked.

  “We could buy food at Oda Mae’s little store, but it’d have to be cooked. She’s not sitting there with a plate of sandwiches waiting for us.”

  I laughed. “Let me tell you about future grocery stores and delis.” I explained the process to him.

  “Do you mean to tell me you can walk into a so-called grocery store and buy anything you want to, including meals that are already cooked?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  He sighed. “I wish I could visit the future. It seems that what people only dream of now could be a reality in the future.”

  “Doesn’t it? You’d be surprised.”

  “I may just have to mention this to Oda Mae. She might find it right interesting. Maybe she could start something – a trend.”

  “Maybe. In the meantime, I’m hungry.” I glanced at my wrist, realizing for the first time that I no longer wore a watch.

  “What’re you looking for?” Nathaniel asked.

  I shrugged. “I just wondered what time it is.”

  He glanced at my wrist before pulling a pocket watch out of his pants. “It’s nigh on noon. Can’t you wait until suppertime?”

  “If I have to, but I can be a little cranky when I don’t eat.”

  “Maybe you’re more like the other Carrie than we realized.”

  He smiled that beautiful smile of his and his chipmunk cheeks puffed out a little, or it seemed. His lip twitched and so did his mustache. He was endearing himself to me without realizing it.

  He started walking ahead of me and I noticed he had very broad shoulders and kind of a cute behind.

  I thumped my forehead with the palm of my hand. What’s wrong with you? I asked myself. He’s just a guy like any other guy. Well, maybe not. I have to leave soon, so let it go, Carrie, like he said to let the pregnancy rumor go. Don’t be a dope.

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Are you coming?”

  I hurried to catch up to him, mentally kicking myself with each step.

  My last thought on the subject? Why couldn’t I have met him in my own time?

  “Who should we talk to now?” I asked. Since I didn’t know these people, I figured he’d know best.

  “Let’s see if we can find Hoover.”

  “Eugene? Why him? Oh, he’s so full of himself from what I hear that maybe Elsbeth’s rejection did a number on him.”

  Nathaniel tipped his head. “I understand what you’re saying, but you folks in the future have a strange way of talking.”

  “I could turn that back on you. Have you ever heard of the cat’s pajamas or twenty-three skidoo?”

  “Nope.”

  “Oh. Maybe those phrases came after 1909.”

  We walked to Edna Kramer’s boarding house in town where Eugene lived to see if he might be in.

  He was.

  “McGee? Carrie? What do you fine people want with me? I’m not giving out free tickets to this weekend’s performance.”

  Yes, the little man was definitely full of himself. Short and thin with longish hair, he had beady hazel eyes and a nose that was too long for his small face. His nearly non-existent chin didn’t help. I wondered what types of roles he landed in his acting career. I’d have to use my imagination to picture him in a starring role unless he was playing a…

  Enough.

  “We’re not here about your acting career,” I said. “Let me get right to the point. Why have you been hanging around our house? Have you been leaving threatening notes?”

  “Hanging around?” He chuckled. “I’ll have to remember ‘hanging around’ when I write my own play. It never hurts to introduce the audience to new sayings. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is someone hanging from a rope.” He seemed to be stalling for time.

  I tapped the toe of my shoe impatiently, annoyed with his procrastination. “Well? Are you after my sister?”

  “Darlin
g girl, I’d be happy with either of you, but Elsbeth would be my first choice. Unfortunately, she’s taken up with this man’s brother.” He gave Nathaniel a disdainful glance, trying to look down his nose at him, but he was short and almost fell over when he tipped his head back too far. He grabbed the porch post to steady himself. “Things were different around here until they moved to town.”

  My boyfriend stood over the actor with his arms crossed over his chest, looking quite intimidating. “Listen here, you little worm. If I find you near the McFerrin house again I’ll tan your hide. Got that? It’s not just a threat.”

  “Now you listen to me, you imitation dandy – “

  Unexpectedly, Nathaniel threw a half-hearted punch and walked away.

  I looked at Eugene and shook my head. “It’s probably better not to make an ex-lawman angry.”

  The actor sat on the porch floor with his beady little eyes opened wide. He rubbed his jaw and didn’t try to stand up. Maybe he was afraid I’d hit him, too. Uh huh.

  I followed my boyfriend out to the road. My boyfriend? I had to stop thinking that way.

  Just because my aunt traveled in time twice didn’t mean I would.

  What were the chances?

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  I caught up to Nathaniel whose long, angry strides were making me run.

  “Honestly, I can see Eugene leaving those notes, but I sure can’t picture him making attempts on either my sister or myself. What do you think?”

  “I think he’s a pompous little fool. He needs his comeuppance.”

  “Actually, I think you just gave him his comeuppance. I don’t think he’ll bother Elsbeth or me again. You really scared him.” I was glad he’d only given him a half-hearted punch.

  “Good!”

  I grabbed Nathaniel’s upper arm and was surprised at the muscles I felt – with a thrill, I might add.

  He stopped walking.

  “Nathaniel, things are moving too fast. I’m going to be going home. It could happen at any time. I could be gone tonight or tomorrow. We don’t know the timetable on this so-called trip. And, unfortunately, I find myself liking you too much.”

  “I’ve thought about it,” he said. “Let things move too fast. We don’t have that much time together. When I want something, when I know it’s right, I make up my mind in a hurry. And for crying out loud, you’ve got me talking about feelings. That’s not something men do.” His last comment dripped with frustration.

  I hung my head for a moment and finally looked up at him. “If I’d met you in my own time, I’d know this is right, but we’re going to be ripped apart when we least expect it.”

  “So live for today, not the future.” He pulled away from my grasp and started walking again.

  “Wait for me,” I called.

  I’d made a split second decision. I’d live for today.

  He turned and held his hand out to me. I took hold of it and walked with him. He seemed to know I’d made my decision.

  “Let’s go back to your house. Maybe Daniel and Elsbeth are there by now, and maybe they’ve made some headway.”

  “I hope so. Honestly, I think we can rule the actor out as a suspect. That leaves us with Willy, Ruth, Clarence and… Oh! We forgot about the perv that lives on our street.”

  “The what?”

  “Pervert. The guy who drinks and tries to make time with the women in town.”

  “You mean Jesse Baker. I’ll talk to him with Daniel. I don’t want you women to be around him. I’ve heard too many stories about him. When he’s drunk, he doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He’s a loose cannon.”

  I took a fresh look at Little Creek while we walked. Things had changed so much over the years, and yet they hadn’t. Some of the same old buildings still stood. There were fewer trees and more homes in my time, but the town still felt familiar to me.

  A middle-aged man with gray hair and a slight limp walked toward us, smiling.

  “That’s Preacher Thomas,” Nathaniel whispered.

  As he approached, my hand seemed to find its way out of Nathaniel’s and into my pocket. I’d actually heard of Pastor Thomas. It was said he preached fire and brimstone, but he looked awfully friendly to me. He didn’t have bushy eyebrows or condemnation spewing from his eyes. Behind the pulpit and on the street might be two different things. Of course, legends tend to grow over time.

  “Miss Carrie,” he said, “how are you today? We missed you at church the last few Sundays.” There was no condemnation in his voice, either.

  I took an instant liking to him.

  “I’m well, and thank you for asking. We’re just out for a stroll. I’ll see you next Sunday, I promise.”

  His face registered surprise. Maybe he was used to old Carrie and her attitude. “I look forward to it.” He took a step backward. “I’ll be preaching about how anger can lead to sin.”

  Nathaniel placed his hand on my back. “We’d best be moving on, Preacher. Good to see you. I may be there next Sunday, too.”

  The preacher grinned from ear to ear. “Then I look forward to seeing both of you. I’ll be meeting with your brother and Miss Elsbeth about wedding plans soon.”

  He tipped his hat at us and continued on his walk.

  When we arrived back at home Papa was in the front yard. Nathaniel stopped to speak to him.

  I headed straight for the kitchen, feeling mighty hungry. There were still a few cookies left and I grabbed two and ate them like they were the last food on earth before returning to the yard.

  Mama had joined the men.

  Daniel and Elsbeth were standing under a tree and they walked over to join us, too.

  Mama glanced from one brother to the other. “You’ll come for dinner tonight.” It wasn’t an invitation, but more of an edict. “Daniel, would you please help Mother Possum come over, too? She needs to get out of her house once in a while.”

  “I surely will, Ma’am. We had quite a good talk last night. That woman purely amazes me. She’s had quite an interestin’ life.”

  Mama nodded. “I know.”

  “Daniel and I will be back,” Nathaniel said. “He needs to come with me to talk to Jesse.”

  “You’ll want me to come with you,” Papa said. “I’ve known that scoundrel for many a year.”

  The three men walked off with their heads together in what I thought might be a plan of action.

  Mama put her hands on our backs and herded us toward the house. “I’d like you girls to help with dinner.”

  There wasn’t much to do. Mama had beans cooking. She wanted us to make cornbread, which was interesting since I’d never made it from scratch before. Apparently old Carrie hadn’t either, so Mama taught me a thing or two about old-time cooking.

  She put Elsbeth to work preparing a cake for dessert.

  “Beth, did you ever find your brooch or locket?” Mama asked. She was dropping ham hocks into the beans while the three of us talked.

  Before Elsbeth could reply, Tess came flying through the house like a very small tornado. “Mama, I’m going over to Mamie’s house to play.”

  “That’s fine, but be back for supper. We’ll be having company tonight. In fact, come home in time to set the table.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  Tess took off again like a shot.

  “Now, Beth, did you ever find that jewelry?”

  “No, Mama. I don’t know what happened to them.”

  “Carrie,” Mama said, “when you’re through with what you’re doing, would you please look through your room and see if maybe your sister loaned you the brooch or locket and you forgot to return them?”

  “Yes, Mama. I’ll look everywhere. Would you remind me of what the brooch looks like?”

  Mama looked at me in amazement. “Why, you know what the brooch looks like.”

  “Oh, uh, I forgot for a minute.”

  Mama left the room to do something upstairs.

  “What does it look like, Elsbeth?” I asked.

 
“It’s a cameo in a fancy gold brooch with a Mother of Pearl teardrop hanging from the bottom of it. You can’t miss it.”

  “Gotcha. What about the locket?”

  “It’s a gold locket with my initials on it.”

  “After I put the cornbread in the oven you can watch it for me and I’ll go take a look. Wait a minute. Ruth was wearing a gold locket. I remember her talking to me about Carrie asking for favors and then she told me to get out. She reached up and covered her locket with her hand. I wonder if it’s your locket.”

  “You never know. Maybe old Carrie gave it to her.” Elsbeth stopped stirring the cake batter and seemed to withdraw into herself for a minute. “You know, from what I could gather, Carrie was jealous of Elsbeth because Daniel gave her, or me, that brooch. Maybe she felt the same way about the locket.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “You never know what goes on between sisters. Some are best friends and others can’t seem to find any common ground. Don’t forget, we can pick our friends, but we can’t pick our relatives. Somehow I’m not sure that Elsbeth and Carrie would have chosen each other. It’s just a feeling.”

  I shoved the cornbread into the oven.

  “I’m going upstairs to look around my, or Carrie’s, bedroom. I’ve been meaning to do that anyway. Would you watch the cornbread?”

  “Certainly.”

  I wasn’t sure where to start, but decided on the obvious – the chest of drawers. Carrie didn’t seem to have any sense of order. Each drawer had mixed items in it. What I would call the underwear drawer contained knickers and bloomers, which I already knew because I’d had to rely on old Carrie’s clothes over the past few days. Mixed in with the undergarments were handkerchiefs, a box of candy, some writing paper (blank) and a coin purse, which was empty.

  The next drawer held winter scarves. They were so well-made that I imagined Mama had made them. In addition, there was a book, a Bible, two candles and string.

  It appeared that things had been shoved into the drawers without any thought. I finished examining everything and had an overwhelming urge to organize my ancestor’s dresser.

  Fighting the urge, I moved on to the closet and examined each piece of clothing, checking the pockets and sticking my hand inside each of her two pairs of shoes. I’d been known to hide things in the toe of a shoe. I took a good look behind the clothing and felt all around the floor of the wardrobe. There was a shelf, so I reached up and gave it a cursory search, but the shelf seemed to be bare.