get
married. I think we should try to appear as loverlike as possible in front of Martha. Something
Martha said makes me believe she would not be too
happy about it and since we are not brother and
sister, I want to find out why."
Andrik cringed at the thought of playing
lover to Willetta. He was attracted to her and any
acting would be on her part, not his. He was bound
more than likely to play the fool instead of the
lover.
"I'll let you take the lead in that department,"
he said uncomfortably.
"What, and make myself look like a hussy?
No way. You have to take the lead and let me
follow along," Willetta said.
"I hope you know what you're asking for. I
can lay it on pretty thick. Do you want us to be
budding lovers or old lovers," Andrik asked huskily.
Willetta once again found herself staring at
Andrik's physique. His flat stomach curved into a C
at his waist and she could almost see his pectorals
pressing against the cotton shirt he wore. Long legs
thick with muscle curved along the cushion of the
car seat and Willetta had a vision of herself in his
lap. The pulse in her neck leapt and she looked
away.
"Budding lovers would be better. Thank you
for asking," she said sarcastically.
"No problem, Lettie," he said.
Willetta laughed, "Am I Lettie now?"
"Yes. Ever since Mama Jean told me about
you, in my mind I have called you Lettie," he
confessed.
Willetta decided she liked it and told him so.
A sense of unity and calmness settled over them as
they rode in silence. Andrik was surprised at how
expertly Lettie had settled his fears and turned his
dread into anticipation and excitement. Willetta felt
a sense of belonging and took comfort in the fact
that she and Andrik's pasts were intertwined. He
was a good person and she felt no compulsion to
disentangle them. She only wanted clarity of the
twists and turns. She was sure with the help of
Martha and the journals that would be a cinch.
#
"I ain't going to that house. That's the devil's
house," Martha said stubbornly.
Andrik stared at the old woman in disbelief.
Who was she calling the devil? He looked at
Willetta and realized she was trying very hard to
keep from laughing.
"Who's the devil Ms. Martha," Willetta
asked.
Martha clamped her lips shut and refused to
answer. "I just ain't going and I don't want to hear
anything else about it."
She sat back down on the
black plastic couch in Mama Jean's living room and
kicked her house shoes off. She lifted her stiff legs
onto the couch and settled back against the pillows.
Willetta opened her mouth to speak, but
Andrik spoke first. "Lettie is staying with me. I
don't want her down here in this shack. So, if you
stay here, you'll be by yourself, because Lettie stays
with me." He grabbed Willetta's hand and held it
firmly in his.
Martha slowly sat up and placed her feet on
the floor. Her eyes widened on Andrik and
Willetta's clasped hands and she said, "Young man,
just who the blazes is Lettie."
Now Andrik was having trouble holding in
his laughter. He looked down at Willetta and said,
"She is. This beautiful woman beside me is Lettie."
He let his eyes roam lingeringly over Willetta's face
for good measure. Willetta stared back
unblinkingly into his eyes.
Martha got up and slid into her walking
shoes. She shuffled over to her walker and stuffed
her house shoes into the bag hanging from it. "Let's
go. Y'all ain't married and ain't got no business in
that big ole house by yourselves. It's the devil's
house, but the devil's work ain't got to be happening
there."
Willetta raised one eyebrow at Andrik as
Martha shuffled past them. It seemed the old
woman didn't want them together after all. Andrik
crossed his eyes at Willetta and shrugged his
shoulders. If it had not been for Mama Jean's
suggestion that they marry, they would have
wondered at Martha's disinclination towards them
as a couple, but instead they were mildly curious
about her obvious objection disapproval.
CHAPTER 13
Volume 12, pg.4 (September 1910):
"Sylvia Jean Thompson is the
married. I think we should try to appear as loverlike as possible in front of Martha. Something
Martha said makes me believe she would not be too
happy about it and since we are not brother and
sister, I want to find out why."
Andrik cringed at the thought of playing
lover to Willetta. He was attracted to her and any
acting would be on her part, not his. He was bound
more than likely to play the fool instead of the
lover.
"I'll let you take the lead in that department,"
he said uncomfortably.
"What, and make myself look like a hussy?
No way. You have to take the lead and let me
follow along," Willetta said.
"I hope you know what you're asking for. I
can lay it on pretty thick. Do you want us to be
budding lovers or old lovers," Andrik asked huskily.
Willetta once again found herself staring at
Andrik's physique. His flat stomach curved into a C
at his waist and she could almost see his pectorals
pressing against the cotton shirt he wore. Long legs
thick with muscle curved along the cushion of the
car seat and Willetta had a vision of herself in his
lap. The pulse in her neck leapt and she looked
away.
"Budding lovers would be better. Thank you
for asking," she said sarcastically.
"No problem, Lettie," he said.
Willetta laughed, "Am I Lettie now?"
"Yes. Ever since Mama Jean told me about
you, in my mind I have called you Lettie," he
confessed.
Willetta decided she liked it and told him so.
A sense of unity and calmness settled over them as
they rode in silence. Andrik was surprised at how
expertly Lettie had settled his fears and turned his
dread into anticipation and excitement. Willetta felt
a sense of belonging and took comfort in the fact
that she and Andrik's pasts were intertwined. He
was a good person and she felt no compulsion to
disentangle them. She only wanted clarity of the
twists and turns. She was sure with the help of
Martha and the journals that would be a cinch.
#
"I ain't going to that house. That's the devil's
house," Martha said stubbornly.
Andrik stared at the old woman in disbelief.
Who was she calling the devil? He looked at
Willetta and realized she was trying very hard to
keep from laughing.
"Who's the devil Ms. Martha," Willetta
asked.
Martha clamped her lips shut and refused to
answer. "I just ain't going and I don't want to hear
anything else about it."
She sat back down on the
black plastic couch in Mama Jean's living room and
kicked her house shoes off. She lifted her stiff legs
onto the couch and settled back against the pillows.
Willetta opened her mouth to speak, but
Andrik spoke first. "Lettie is staying with me. I
don't want her down here in this shack. So, if you
stay here, you'll be by yourself, because Lettie stays
with me." He grabbed Willetta's hand and held it
firmly in his.
Martha slowly sat up and placed her feet on
the floor. Her eyes widened on Andrik and
Willetta's clasped hands and she said, "Young man,
just who the blazes is Lettie."
Now Andrik was having trouble holding in
his laughter. He looked down at Willetta and said,
"She is. This beautiful woman beside me is Lettie."
He let his eyes roam lingeringly over Willetta's face
for good measure. Willetta stared back
unblinkingly into his eyes.
Martha got up and slid into her walking
shoes. She shuffled over to her walker and stuffed
her house shoes into the bag hanging from it. "Let's
go. Y'all ain't married and ain't got no business in
that big ole house by yourselves. It's the devil's
house, but the devil's work ain't got to be happening
there."
Willetta raised one eyebrow at Andrik as
Martha shuffled past them. It seemed the old
woman didn't want them together after all. Andrik
crossed his eyes at Willetta and shrugged his
shoulders. If it had not been for Mama Jean's
suggestion that they marry, they would have
wondered at Martha's disinclination towards them
as a couple, but instead they were mildly curious
about her obvious objection disapproval.
CHAPTER 13
Volume 12, pg.4 (September 1910):
"Sylvia Jean Thompson is the
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