it wouldn’t squeak. I surely didn’t want to wake the whole household. We had to be on the road bright and early tomorrow morning.
The slightest of breezes fanned my hot cheeks as I stepped out onto the porch. I sniffed the air, wondering if rain was maybe on the way. Lord knew we could sure use it. I stood motionless on the porch and gazed up at the full moon, hanging there in the velvet sky like the background in one of them pictures from the Russell County Fair. I had one of me and Chad from last summer, and after I’d started going out with Jake, I’d tried to make myself burn it, but in the end, I just couldn’t do it.
I frowned, pushing away thoughts of Chad. He was history now, and I was in love with Jake. I turned to step off the porch and head down to the pond, but hesitated when I heard the squeak of the swing to my right.
“What you doin’ up this time of night, Lily Rae?” said a weary voice from the shadowed end of the porch.
I whipped around, pressing a hand against the lace neckline of my nightgown, trying to steady my bumping heart. “Why, Mother! You gave me a start.” What on earth was she doing up at this hour?
The swing creaked again, resuming its motion. “You can’t sleep, I reckon,” she said, answering her own question. “To be expected. Headin’ off to Louieville and all. I reckon you can’t hardly close your eyes, much less sleep.”
“Yes’um.” I nodded. “Seems like I’ve been waiting for this day all my life, and now it’s here I’m feeling…” My voice trailed off. How could I tell my mother how I was really feeling? That now I’d found the love of my life, I wasn’t all that excited to get away?
Well, I just couldn’t tell her that. Because then she’d want to know who was the love of my life, and of course, I couldn’t tell her it was Jake.
“I don’t know,” I went on. “I just feel all mixed up inside. I want to go, but then I think about leaving ya’all, and…it just saddens me.”
“Well, now…that’s just part of life,” Mother said. “Younguns grow up, leave home and start their own lives. Would be peculiar if they didn’t, I reckon.”
I opened my mouth to agree, but before I could draw a breath, she went on, “It ain’t easy for a body to give up their children, but I reckon they’s nothing we can do but obey the Lord’s plan. It ain’t gonna seem the same around here without you, though.”
My throat tightened at the undercurrent of emotion in her voice. Why, I’d had no idea Mother was pining about me going off to Louieville. She’d never given a sign all summer long it was bothering her at all.
“Well…” I began, trying to think of a way to tell her how much I loved her and how I was going to miss everybody, without getting all sappy on her. Lord knows, ours wasn’t a family that got all dewy-eyed and sob-storied around each other.
“’Course,” Mother went on, “I’d druther have you all growed up and gone than not growed up a’ tall.”
I felt a pang in my heart. Oh, poor Mother. I chewed on my bottom lip, wishing I could find words to comfort her. It had only been three months since the death of little Charles Alton, and of course, Mother was still mourning, just as we all were.
After a moment of silence, Mother said quietly, “I remember last summer on a night just like this one.” Her voice sounded faraway and dreamy—not at all like her usual no-nonsense tone. “I was sittin’ out here with Charles Alton layin’ up against my chest, just a-swingin’ to and fro. Poor little’un. He’d got a-hold of a crab apple while I was takin’ down the wash that afternoon, and by the time I saw what he was up to and got it away from him, he’d et half of it. Law, that boy was sicker than an old hound dog that night. I reckon his belly was achin’ something fierce. So, I rocked him in that swing and he finally fell asleep. Just tired to the bone, he was.” She fell silent.
I waited a moment before
The slightest of breezes fanned my hot cheeks as I stepped out onto the porch. I sniffed the air, wondering if rain was maybe on the way. Lord knew we could sure use it. I stood motionless on the porch and gazed up at the full moon, hanging there in the velvet sky like the background in one of them pictures from the Russell County Fair. I had one of me and Chad from last summer, and after I’d started going out with Jake, I’d tried to make myself burn it, but in the end, I just couldn’t do it.
I frowned, pushing away thoughts of Chad. He was history now, and I was in love with Jake. I turned to step off the porch and head down to the pond, but hesitated when I heard the squeak of the swing to my right.
“What you doin’ up this time of night, Lily Rae?” said a weary voice from the shadowed end of the porch.
I whipped around, pressing a hand against the lace neckline of my nightgown, trying to steady my bumping heart. “Why, Mother! You gave me a start.” What on earth was she doing up at this hour?
The swing creaked again, resuming its motion. “You can’t sleep, I reckon,” she said, answering her own question. “To be expected. Headin’ off to Louieville and all. I reckon you can’t hardly close your eyes, much less sleep.”
“Yes’um.” I nodded. “Seems like I’ve been waiting for this day all my life, and now it’s here I’m feeling…” My voice trailed off. How could I tell my mother how I was really feeling? That now I’d found the love of my life, I wasn’t all that excited to get away?
Well, I just couldn’t tell her that. Because then she’d want to know who was the love of my life, and of course, I couldn’t tell her it was Jake.
“I don’t know,” I went on. “I just feel all mixed up inside. I want to go, but then I think about leaving ya’all, and…it just saddens me.”
“Well, now…that’s just part of life,” Mother said. “Younguns grow up, leave home and start their own lives. Would be peculiar if they didn’t, I reckon.”
I opened my mouth to agree, but before I could draw a breath, she went on, “It ain’t easy for a body to give up their children, but I reckon they’s nothing we can do but obey the Lord’s plan. It ain’t gonna seem the same around here without you, though.”
My throat tightened at the undercurrent of emotion in her voice. Why, I’d had no idea Mother was pining about me going off to Louieville. She’d never given a sign all summer long it was bothering her at all.
“Well…” I began, trying to think of a way to tell her how much I loved her and how I was going to miss everybody, without getting all sappy on her. Lord knows, ours wasn’t a family that got all dewy-eyed and sob-storied around each other.
“’Course,” Mother went on, “I’d druther have you all growed up and gone than not growed up a’ tall.”
I felt a pang in my heart. Oh, poor Mother. I chewed on my bottom lip, wishing I could find words to comfort her. It had only been three months since the death of little Charles Alton, and of course, Mother was still mourning, just as we all were.
After a moment of silence, Mother said quietly, “I remember last summer on a night just like this one.” Her voice sounded faraway and dreamy—not at all like her usual no-nonsense tone. “I was sittin’ out here with Charles Alton layin’ up against my chest, just a-swingin’ to and fro. Poor little’un. He’d got a-hold of a crab apple while I was takin’ down the wash that afternoon, and by the time I saw what he was up to and got it away from him, he’d et half of it. Law, that boy was sicker than an old hound dog that night. I reckon his belly was achin’ something fierce. So, I rocked him in that swing and he finally fell asleep. Just tired to the bone, he was.” She fell silent.
I waited a moment before
Similar Books
