got up and strode into the pantry and out the back door. The screen door slammed behind him, reverberating through the kitchen. Edsel chewed on his thumbnail as another fat tear rolled down his face.
My frantic gaze darted from Norry to Edsel and back to Sylvie Lou. “ Tell me he’s sleeping!”
Sylvie Lou slowly shook her head. Her eyelids were red, I noticed for the first time. “I’m sorry, Lily Rae. Your mama is out there saying her goodbyes to the poor little youngun. It happened up in Louieville, and there wasn’t a thing in the world the doctors could do for him, though they tried everything they could. In the end, all they could do was to let your mama and daddy bring home his poor little body for burial. God bless his tiny soul.” She bowed her head and wiped a tear from her wrinkled face.
I stood with my mouth ajar, my brain whirling as I tried to digest the old woman’s words. “But…” I finally tried to speak. “I don’t understand…how… what was wrong with him? He wasn’t…that sick, was he?”
Slowly, the elderly woman raised her head and looked at me with cloudy blue eyes. Then she said the word that sent chills knifing through my heart.
“Polio, child. Your baby brother had polio.”
CHAPTER SIX
I threw back the single cotton sheet that covered me and sat up on the edge of the bed, running a hand through the damp hair clinging to the nape of my neck. Drat these hot August nights! My hair was so wet I might as well have just come out of the old swimming hole on Tucker Creek. In fact, my whole body felt like an old wet washrag. Lord above, would this hot spell ever break?
Light-headedness washed over me as I got out of bed. Dadblasted heat! I stood still until my vision cleared, then tip-toed across the plank floors, still warm from the day’s heat. Lord, it was going to feel good when autumn got here. Except when that happened, I wouldn’t be here.
A stab of fear shot through my stomach, but I forced myself to push it away. Six weeks, I told myself. It’s only for six weeks . I quietly went down the stairs, being careful not to put my weight on the fourth step from the bottom—the one that creaked. Since I couldn’t sleep, I might as well go sit out on the porch for a spell. At least it would be cooler out there.
Maybe I’d even venture down to the pond. Say goodbye to my favorite place in all of Russell County. The moon was so bright I’d be able to clearly see my way down there. It had been some time since I’d sat out on the wharf, my feet dangling in the cool water, gazing up at the heavens—all the millions and trillions of stars that looked so close, it felt like you could just reach out and grab a whole handful. It would be cool out there, and right peaceful with all the night sounds—an occasional croak of a bullfrog and the musical chirping of the crickets. It was a God-like place, I thought, and I’d always secretly believed that if a soul was looking for God, it was more likely He could be found right there on that lily-covered pond, rather than down the road a-piece at the Baptist Church. But I’d never say that out loud, of course. Some folks would probably think that was blasphemous.
Then again, what did I know? My cheeks grew hot as I thought about what me and Jake had been doing all summer. No two ways about it, I was one of the worst kinds of sinners. Because I knew what I was doing was wrong, and I went right ahead and did it anyway. And after every time I let Jake have his way with me, I vowed it would be the last time until we were married. But no matter how strong I tried to be, every time he touched me, my voice became paralyzed and my body melted like cotton candy on a tongue.
Oh, dear Lord, how could I leave him? What if he found another girl while I was gone? If that happened, how would I go on living without him?
Stop it! Jake loves you. It’s only six weeks, not six months .
I cautiously pushed open the screen door, being careful so
My frantic gaze darted from Norry to Edsel and back to Sylvie Lou. “ Tell me he’s sleeping!”
Sylvie Lou slowly shook her head. Her eyelids were red, I noticed for the first time. “I’m sorry, Lily Rae. Your mama is out there saying her goodbyes to the poor little youngun. It happened up in Louieville, and there wasn’t a thing in the world the doctors could do for him, though they tried everything they could. In the end, all they could do was to let your mama and daddy bring home his poor little body for burial. God bless his tiny soul.” She bowed her head and wiped a tear from her wrinkled face.
I stood with my mouth ajar, my brain whirling as I tried to digest the old woman’s words. “But…” I finally tried to speak. “I don’t understand…how… what was wrong with him? He wasn’t…that sick, was he?”
Slowly, the elderly woman raised her head and looked at me with cloudy blue eyes. Then she said the word that sent chills knifing through my heart.
“Polio, child. Your baby brother had polio.”
CHAPTER SIX
I threw back the single cotton sheet that covered me and sat up on the edge of the bed, running a hand through the damp hair clinging to the nape of my neck. Drat these hot August nights! My hair was so wet I might as well have just come out of the old swimming hole on Tucker Creek. In fact, my whole body felt like an old wet washrag. Lord above, would this hot spell ever break?
Light-headedness washed over me as I got out of bed. Dadblasted heat! I stood still until my vision cleared, then tip-toed across the plank floors, still warm from the day’s heat. Lord, it was going to feel good when autumn got here. Except when that happened, I wouldn’t be here.
A stab of fear shot through my stomach, but I forced myself to push it away. Six weeks, I told myself. It’s only for six weeks . I quietly went down the stairs, being careful not to put my weight on the fourth step from the bottom—the one that creaked. Since I couldn’t sleep, I might as well go sit out on the porch for a spell. At least it would be cooler out there.
Maybe I’d even venture down to the pond. Say goodbye to my favorite place in all of Russell County. The moon was so bright I’d be able to clearly see my way down there. It had been some time since I’d sat out on the wharf, my feet dangling in the cool water, gazing up at the heavens—all the millions and trillions of stars that looked so close, it felt like you could just reach out and grab a whole handful. It would be cool out there, and right peaceful with all the night sounds—an occasional croak of a bullfrog and the musical chirping of the crickets. It was a God-like place, I thought, and I’d always secretly believed that if a soul was looking for God, it was more likely He could be found right there on that lily-covered pond, rather than down the road a-piece at the Baptist Church. But I’d never say that out loud, of course. Some folks would probably think that was blasphemous.
Then again, what did I know? My cheeks grew hot as I thought about what me and Jake had been doing all summer. No two ways about it, I was one of the worst kinds of sinners. Because I knew what I was doing was wrong, and I went right ahead and did it anyway. And after every time I let Jake have his way with me, I vowed it would be the last time until we were married. But no matter how strong I tried to be, every time he touched me, my voice became paralyzed and my body melted like cotton candy on a tongue.
Oh, dear Lord, how could I leave him? What if he found another girl while I was gone? If that happened, how would I go on living without him?
Stop it! Jake loves you. It’s only six weeks, not six months .
I cautiously pushed open the screen door, being careful so
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