waved, then she stood up, teetering on those butter paddle feet, her toes curled over the limb. I closed my eyes. “Please. Please,” I whispered. Then I started to cry.
Suddenly she was gone from the branch; where she had stood there was a patch of blue sky wavering against the bouncing limb. I looked out across the water and saw her hugging the rope like a lover, her knees wrapped around it, her hands crossed over her head. The thick braid nestled between her breasts and ran down the center of her body, and I felt the rough hemp chafing her skin. She swung far out and leaned back as the centrifugal force brought her around toward me. “Whoooooo,” she screamed. “Whoaaaaaaa.” Then scissoring her legs, pushing the rope away, she released it. She fell like an inverted arrow shot from God’s bow toward the earth. When I saw the titanic splash where she went in, I began to dog-paddle out as fast as I could. She came up, laughing, treading water and slowly moving toward me; I wanted to slap her. I wanted to wipe that smile off her face and scream at her that she had ruined everything. Didn’t she care that I loved her so much?
Later, after stuffing our bellies with roast and chess pie, we lay side by side on the warm quilt. I fanned my hair out to dry and looked up at the cotton ball clouds. “Weren’t you scared?” I asked Sheila. “Didn’t you think you might get killed?”
Sheila crooked her little finger over mine. “Nope. I weren’t scared none.” She sat up and looked down into my face. “I don’t reckon I know what fear is really. I ain’t never truly felt it.”
I sat up too and knelt on the quilt facing her. “You mean you aren’t scared of snakes, panthers, or getting gored by a bull? Of anything?” I couldn’t imagine not being afraid. When I was little, I had been terrified of Aunt Bernice’s wig, Grandma’s outhouse, and even bunny rabbits, whose sharp teeth looked like white daggers in their pink mouths.
Sheila sat back on her hands, sticking her legs out in front of her. Although I was still wearing my bathing suit, she had thrown her dress on over her wet body and parts of it clung to her skin. She lifted the hem and pushed it back over her knees. “Well, there’s bad things that can happen, but the way I see it is, if you go worrying about what might happen all the time, then you gonna miss out on what is. Take that snake over there. He ain’t gonna hurt you if’n you leave him to his business.” She rocked back on her hands. “Try this. Lay down with your cheek flat on the grass, close one eye, and look out between the blades. You’ll see what that snake sees, get his point of view. Snakes is to be pitied. So why would you want to go worrying about him when you could be enjoying a walk or,” she patted her stomach, “a piece of chess pie?”
I leaned back on my heels. “But Mama says you got to be prepared for danger. And Grandma says, ‘Forearmed is forewarned.’”
Sheila shook her head. “I don’t understand that. All’s I know is I get up ever morning thinking something good’s gonna happen, and most times it does. If’n it don’t, I just walk through my shadow. Look here,” she spread her arms wide. “We having a grand time right now, ain’t we?”
I nodded. We were having a wonderful day, and as we packed our things and drove home, I pushed away my fears. I wasn’t going to be like the Bancroft women, worrying themselves into a frenzy over nothing.
Stoney was waiting for her in the yard with a string of catfish. As I walked toward him, I thought of the bruise on Sheila’s breast and felt my face heating up. I wished I hadn’t seen it, wished she hadn’t told me Stoney had put it there. Sheila let out a whoop and pointed to the fish. “Ain’t this just the greatest day!” she squealed. “A picnic and catfish all in one day.” Stoney was grinning, enjoying her happiness like it was his. I saw his violet eyes soften as she reached out to touch
Suddenly she was gone from the branch; where she had stood there was a patch of blue sky wavering against the bouncing limb. I looked out across the water and saw her hugging the rope like a lover, her knees wrapped around it, her hands crossed over her head. The thick braid nestled between her breasts and ran down the center of her body, and I felt the rough hemp chafing her skin. She swung far out and leaned back as the centrifugal force brought her around toward me. “Whoooooo,” she screamed. “Whoaaaaaaa.” Then scissoring her legs, pushing the rope away, she released it. She fell like an inverted arrow shot from God’s bow toward the earth. When I saw the titanic splash where she went in, I began to dog-paddle out as fast as I could. She came up, laughing, treading water and slowly moving toward me; I wanted to slap her. I wanted to wipe that smile off her face and scream at her that she had ruined everything. Didn’t she care that I loved her so much?
Later, after stuffing our bellies with roast and chess pie, we lay side by side on the warm quilt. I fanned my hair out to dry and looked up at the cotton ball clouds. “Weren’t you scared?” I asked Sheila. “Didn’t you think you might get killed?”
Sheila crooked her little finger over mine. “Nope. I weren’t scared none.” She sat up and looked down into my face. “I don’t reckon I know what fear is really. I ain’t never truly felt it.”
I sat up too and knelt on the quilt facing her. “You mean you aren’t scared of snakes, panthers, or getting gored by a bull? Of anything?” I couldn’t imagine not being afraid. When I was little, I had been terrified of Aunt Bernice’s wig, Grandma’s outhouse, and even bunny rabbits, whose sharp teeth looked like white daggers in their pink mouths.
Sheila sat back on her hands, sticking her legs out in front of her. Although I was still wearing my bathing suit, she had thrown her dress on over her wet body and parts of it clung to her skin. She lifted the hem and pushed it back over her knees. “Well, there’s bad things that can happen, but the way I see it is, if you go worrying about what might happen all the time, then you gonna miss out on what is. Take that snake over there. He ain’t gonna hurt you if’n you leave him to his business.” She rocked back on her hands. “Try this. Lay down with your cheek flat on the grass, close one eye, and look out between the blades. You’ll see what that snake sees, get his point of view. Snakes is to be pitied. So why would you want to go worrying about him when you could be enjoying a walk or,” she patted her stomach, “a piece of chess pie?”
I leaned back on my heels. “But Mama says you got to be prepared for danger. And Grandma says, ‘Forearmed is forewarned.’”
Sheila shook her head. “I don’t understand that. All’s I know is I get up ever morning thinking something good’s gonna happen, and most times it does. If’n it don’t, I just walk through my shadow. Look here,” she spread her arms wide. “We having a grand time right now, ain’t we?”
I nodded. We were having a wonderful day, and as we packed our things and drove home, I pushed away my fears. I wasn’t going to be like the Bancroft women, worrying themselves into a frenzy over nothing.
Stoney was waiting for her in the yard with a string of catfish. As I walked toward him, I thought of the bruise on Sheila’s breast and felt my face heating up. I wished I hadn’t seen it, wished she hadn’t told me Stoney had put it there. Sheila let out a whoop and pointed to the fish. “Ain’t this just the greatest day!” she squealed. “A picnic and catfish all in one day.” Stoney was grinning, enjoying her happiness like it was his. I saw his violet eyes soften as she reached out to touch
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