make an honest living.
I was courting Dot Coyner, and the four of us went to the river once that spring. Dot thought Marthella was odd, the way she would say things that had no bearing on the conversation and do anything Reb told her. Reb told her to climb to the top of the rocks in two minutes, in her shoes, and started counting out loud. Marthella jumped up and ran, held her dress up and climbed like a boy. Only reason she didn’t fall was because she moved so fast. Then Marthella was standing on top, and Reb said take off your dress and jump, jump in. That water was cold, freezing in early April. Dot stood up and said we were leaving, that Reb was disgusting and made anyone ashamed. Okay, all right, Reb told her, and yelled at Marthella to come down. But before anyone could do anything Marthella did jump, holding her arms out like a circus tightrope walker. She was lucky she hit in deep water, dropped and sank like a stone.
One night I was looped and got so twisted, for a second I really did think she was my mother. Then she was Marthella again and I hit her, I told her she smelled like something burst open, too sweet and dirty, not my mother, not my mother, and she cried and begged me to forgive her.
She came walking out of the water, embarrassed at the looks on our faces,and we had to wrap her up and get her back to town before she caught pneumonia.
Wasn’t so rare then for girls to marry at fifteen, especially country girls, but everyone knew Reb Jonas wasn’t about to marry a Barnett. There was just no one to stop them; Doc Jonas let Reb do as he pleased and no one supervised Marthella. She didn’t really even have many friends; she was a strange girl. Reb was truant a lot and barely graduated in May; word was he and Marthella had been to Pittsburgh to the Carlyle Hotel and to the ocean, the beach down at Newport News.
It wasn’t till July that everything blew up. Dot and I pulled into the parking lot out in front of the dance hall. The Pierce was already there, Reb and Marthella sitting in the front seat arguing. Dot and I went in. After a few minutes I went out to have a cigarette and they were still there. Reb was yelling at her and rammed the Pierce into reverse, like to back out of the lot. Then he stopped the car, leaned across, and opened her door, told her to get out. She pulled her door shut; he revved the car and drove fast into the street, going out toward the river. Something was going to happen. I left Dot and drove out the river road after them. I drove way out past the shanty houses, where nobody much lived and the river was deepest, but there was no sign of the Pierce. On the way back to town I saw a glimmer through the trees on the river side, and the rutted soft grass where Reb had pulled off and driven toward the water.
I parked and walked a short distance through the trees. The Pierce was there, lights on and motor running, maybe a hundred feet back from the drop-off.
I yelled at Reb, and damned if he didn’t put the car in gear. I thought he was going to back up, but he floored the gas. The Pierce lunged up, tires spraying dirt, then rolled fast over the harder sand. I saw Marthella twisted round, looking at me as the Pierce rolled forward, but she made no move to stop Reb or get out of the car. It was like something in a dream. The Pierce was shining in the moonlight and they hit the drop-off and sailed out. Seemed like they stayed in the air a long time, but I remember too well how it looked. There was still light in the sky and the car’s headlights looked like candle glow playing across the river. Thenthey hit, as water came up all around. The car sat a second and went under.
I didn’t know I wanted to hurt her. How bad did I want to hurt her? If I had wanted to, I would have had the windows rolled up, wouldn’t I?
I couldn’t move, it happened so fast. But I jumped in after them pretty quick—the water was still moving on top and I came back up and swam toward the
I was courting Dot Coyner, and the four of us went to the river once that spring. Dot thought Marthella was odd, the way she would say things that had no bearing on the conversation and do anything Reb told her. Reb told her to climb to the top of the rocks in two minutes, in her shoes, and started counting out loud. Marthella jumped up and ran, held her dress up and climbed like a boy. Only reason she didn’t fall was because she moved so fast. Then Marthella was standing on top, and Reb said take off your dress and jump, jump in. That water was cold, freezing in early April. Dot stood up and said we were leaving, that Reb was disgusting and made anyone ashamed. Okay, all right, Reb told her, and yelled at Marthella to come down. But before anyone could do anything Marthella did jump, holding her arms out like a circus tightrope walker. She was lucky she hit in deep water, dropped and sank like a stone.
One night I was looped and got so twisted, for a second I really did think she was my mother. Then she was Marthella again and I hit her, I told her she smelled like something burst open, too sweet and dirty, not my mother, not my mother, and she cried and begged me to forgive her.
She came walking out of the water, embarrassed at the looks on our faces,and we had to wrap her up and get her back to town before she caught pneumonia.
Wasn’t so rare then for girls to marry at fifteen, especially country girls, but everyone knew Reb Jonas wasn’t about to marry a Barnett. There was just no one to stop them; Doc Jonas let Reb do as he pleased and no one supervised Marthella. She didn’t really even have many friends; she was a strange girl. Reb was truant a lot and barely graduated in May; word was he and Marthella had been to Pittsburgh to the Carlyle Hotel and to the ocean, the beach down at Newport News.
It wasn’t till July that everything blew up. Dot and I pulled into the parking lot out in front of the dance hall. The Pierce was already there, Reb and Marthella sitting in the front seat arguing. Dot and I went in. After a few minutes I went out to have a cigarette and they were still there. Reb was yelling at her and rammed the Pierce into reverse, like to back out of the lot. Then he stopped the car, leaned across, and opened her door, told her to get out. She pulled her door shut; he revved the car and drove fast into the street, going out toward the river. Something was going to happen. I left Dot and drove out the river road after them. I drove way out past the shanty houses, where nobody much lived and the river was deepest, but there was no sign of the Pierce. On the way back to town I saw a glimmer through the trees on the river side, and the rutted soft grass where Reb had pulled off and driven toward the water.
I parked and walked a short distance through the trees. The Pierce was there, lights on and motor running, maybe a hundred feet back from the drop-off.
I yelled at Reb, and damned if he didn’t put the car in gear. I thought he was going to back up, but he floored the gas. The Pierce lunged up, tires spraying dirt, then rolled fast over the harder sand. I saw Marthella twisted round, looking at me as the Pierce rolled forward, but she made no move to stop Reb or get out of the car. It was like something in a dream. The Pierce was shining in the moonlight and they hit the drop-off and sailed out. Seemed like they stayed in the air a long time, but I remember too well how it looked. There was still light in the sky and the car’s headlights looked like candle glow playing across the river. Thenthey hit, as water came up all around. The car sat a second and went under.
I didn’t know I wanted to hurt her. How bad did I want to hurt her? If I had wanted to, I would have had the windows rolled up, wouldn’t I?
I couldn’t move, it happened so fast. But I jumped in after them pretty quick—the water was still moving on top and I came back up and swam toward the
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