was, down on his knees in front of Adrienne's house, digging in the herb bed and singing some kind of lonesome song.
"Law, if he's got his shotgun we're running the other way," I said.
"He wouldn't shoot us, Charity," Boo said. "We ain't worms."
"Yes, but in his usual Sunday-morning condition we might just look like worms to him. Now I mean it, you two, you stay with me."
"He doesn't look in his usual Sunday condition, though," Grace said. "He's just digging."
"Hey, Mad Joe!" Grace and Boo both called out.
Mad Joe raised up from the garden and waved his trowel.
Grace and Boo took off and were down on their knees digging beside him before I could catch hold of either one of their shirts and stop them.
I hurried across the lawn to catch up.
"Hey, Mr. Joe Dunn, sir," I said, standing behind the three of them, my eyes searching the truck bed beside us for his shotgun.
Mad Joe twisted himself around and sat back on his heels. "Well, gracious me, Charity, look at you. You 'bout as tall as your daddy, I'm thinking." Mad Joe had this delighted look on his face like he was really glad to see me.
I smiled back. "Yes, sir, I am. I'm five foot seven."
"That's good. Yes, siree, that sure is."
Then both of us looked at each other like we were each waiting for the other to say something else.
Mad Joe took off his hat and set it on Boo's head.
Boo lifted his head. "I can't see."
Mad Joe laughed, this
he-he-he
kind of laugh. "You keep it on anyway. You oughtn't to be going round without a hat on, Mr. Booâand be careful with that rosemary, it ain't holding up so well." He turned back to me. "You here to see the Jesus chair?"
Funny thing, I didn't know why I was there. I hadn't meant to be going anywhere special and then there I was. But now that he asked me, I was wanting awful bad to see the chair, to talk to it.
"Yes, sir," I said.
Mad Joe rubbed his hands together and clumps of dirt dropped to the ground.
"It's a miracle, it sure is," he said.
"Yes, sir."
"I knew it, too. You know that? I knew Miss Adrienne was a messenger sent from Datina."
"Datinaâyour wife, you mean?" I asked.
"Yes, ma'am, my wife." Mad Joe nodded. "She always telling me to have the faith. Always saying, 'Don't give up on our babies.' Always saying to expect a miracle, and I been waiting. I been waiting on her to send down a miracle, 'cause I know no doctor'll cure my babiesâand then, soon as I set eyes on this Miss Adrienne, I knew my Datina was working a miracle. My babies got a book full of paintings of angels, and don't every one of them look like this Miss Adrienne. So I been here every day waiting. Been waiting just to see what my Datina would do next, and Lord have mercy, she done sent me a Jesus chair. Now, you just see if my babies don't get a cure." He turned back around and started digging again, taking the trowel away from Boo and sending him off to fetch the watering can.
I heard a door slam and saw Adrienne coming off her back porch toward us. My heart did a flip-flop. She was shuffling toward us wearing this huge flowery kimono in turquoise and orange and red, and I just had chills watching her, 'cause there she was just letting about a half foot of it trail in the dirt without a care. Now, that's living. Daddy wouldn't let me so much as drag my feet, let alone some elegant piece of clothing. Someday, I thought to myself, someday I'm going to have enough money to buy myself something silky and expensive, and then I'm going to drag it everywhere like it's just an old dishrag.
Adrienne caught up to us and put her arm around me and nodded at Mad Joe.
Mad Joe jumped to his feet. "Morning," he said. "I hope we weren't disturbing your slumbering. I was just wanting to set some of these plants right after yesterday's trampling."
Adrienne laughed and shook out her hair. It had been tied in a knot, and just with the one shake of her head, out it came. I couldn't wait to try that in front of my mirror.
"Thank you, Joe," she
"Law, if he's got his shotgun we're running the other way," I said.
"He wouldn't shoot us, Charity," Boo said. "We ain't worms."
"Yes, but in his usual Sunday-morning condition we might just look like worms to him. Now I mean it, you two, you stay with me."
"He doesn't look in his usual Sunday condition, though," Grace said. "He's just digging."
"Hey, Mad Joe!" Grace and Boo both called out.
Mad Joe raised up from the garden and waved his trowel.
Grace and Boo took off and were down on their knees digging beside him before I could catch hold of either one of their shirts and stop them.
I hurried across the lawn to catch up.
"Hey, Mr. Joe Dunn, sir," I said, standing behind the three of them, my eyes searching the truck bed beside us for his shotgun.
Mad Joe twisted himself around and sat back on his heels. "Well, gracious me, Charity, look at you. You 'bout as tall as your daddy, I'm thinking." Mad Joe had this delighted look on his face like he was really glad to see me.
I smiled back. "Yes, sir, I am. I'm five foot seven."
"That's good. Yes, siree, that sure is."
Then both of us looked at each other like we were each waiting for the other to say something else.
Mad Joe took off his hat and set it on Boo's head.
Boo lifted his head. "I can't see."
Mad Joe laughed, this
he-he-he
kind of laugh. "You keep it on anyway. You oughtn't to be going round without a hat on, Mr. Booâand be careful with that rosemary, it ain't holding up so well." He turned back to me. "You here to see the Jesus chair?"
Funny thing, I didn't know why I was there. I hadn't meant to be going anywhere special and then there I was. But now that he asked me, I was wanting awful bad to see the chair, to talk to it.
"Yes, sir," I said.
Mad Joe rubbed his hands together and clumps of dirt dropped to the ground.
"It's a miracle, it sure is," he said.
"Yes, sir."
"I knew it, too. You know that? I knew Miss Adrienne was a messenger sent from Datina."
"Datinaâyour wife, you mean?" I asked.
"Yes, ma'am, my wife." Mad Joe nodded. "She always telling me to have the faith. Always saying, 'Don't give up on our babies.' Always saying to expect a miracle, and I been waiting. I been waiting on her to send down a miracle, 'cause I know no doctor'll cure my babiesâand then, soon as I set eyes on this Miss Adrienne, I knew my Datina was working a miracle. My babies got a book full of paintings of angels, and don't every one of them look like this Miss Adrienne. So I been here every day waiting. Been waiting just to see what my Datina would do next, and Lord have mercy, she done sent me a Jesus chair. Now, you just see if my babies don't get a cure." He turned back around and started digging again, taking the trowel away from Boo and sending him off to fetch the watering can.
I heard a door slam and saw Adrienne coming off her back porch toward us. My heart did a flip-flop. She was shuffling toward us wearing this huge flowery kimono in turquoise and orange and red, and I just had chills watching her, 'cause there she was just letting about a half foot of it trail in the dirt without a care. Now, that's living. Daddy wouldn't let me so much as drag my feet, let alone some elegant piece of clothing. Someday, I thought to myself, someday I'm going to have enough money to buy myself something silky and expensive, and then I'm going to drag it everywhere like it's just an old dishrag.
Adrienne caught up to us and put her arm around me and nodded at Mad Joe.
Mad Joe jumped to his feet. "Morning," he said. "I hope we weren't disturbing your slumbering. I was just wanting to set some of these plants right after yesterday's trampling."
Adrienne laughed and shook out her hair. It had been tied in a knot, and just with the one shake of her head, out it came. I couldn't wait to try that in front of my mirror.
"Thank you, Joe," she
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