Chapter 123
It took me a moment but I finally located my rake in the dark. The stack of bushel baskets was even harder to find as it had rolled to the back of the forsythia and looked like an overturned log half covered by the Autumn leaves that were crunching under my feet. Uncle Ned was correct as usual when it came to natural things including weather changes. The temperature was dropping, and I prayed that if God intended on it getting much colder he’d stop it before it actually froze.
I walked over to the persimmon trees that had been out of reach of the stupid hogs and had to goose a couple of the cousins to get them out of my way. “Do you mind?”
“Kay-Lee, you can’t move pigs with a rake.”
I snorted, probably sounding about like a pig at that point. “The pigs are y’alls to mess with. What you are about to trample is mine.”
Uncle Ned chuckled then asked, “Watcha gonna do with all these persimmons Sugar?”
Not in the mood to be overly nice about it I answered, “Feed us as long as we can get by. Assuming people don’t squish them all. Doggone pigs … and I mean the hogs, not the cousins … have already trampled too many and have likely killed a quarter of the grove which means even less next year. I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to Sawyer.”
The last might have been taken wrong by some but Uncle Ned said, “Sugar, Sawyer isn’t the kind to get mad over this.”
“He won’t be mad at me. He’ll wind up getting mad at himself for not being here even though he couldn’t be. I’m already worried that …” I tried not to sigh where anyone could hear me. “We’ll get by. I won’t let it be any other way. Sawyer left me in charge to take care of things and Huely asked me to take care of Barbara and that’s just the way it is going to happen. Bud can kiss pig butt from now to eternity. His evil is not going to win. Just get out of my way, I’ve got work to do. And y’all do too so git,” I told the knotheads that were still in my way. “Uncle Ned? We can’t feed any live ones. And try and talk them out of turning them loose on the Ridge for later use. I can’t afford to run up on one that has gone feral, I don’t want Burt to get caught by one either, and Barbara surely don’t need the danger if one comes into the homesite looking to get into what little bit we have. The blasted bear was bad enough.”
“Bear?!”
“Yes Sir. It was after the last of the apples where the Harvesters hadn’t cleaned up the falls yet.”
“They didn’t even leave you any falls?” he said outraged on my behalf … and trying to impress some knowledge on any of the Cousins that might still have wrongheaded ideas.
“No Sir. I don’t know what they were like at other places but here they were … thorough. They even took off any bruised fruit to feed the stock animals in town or the animals used by the National Guard compound. The only thing I can say for certain is they gave me a paper that says the property taxes are paid in full as a result. Has the raised seal and everything so I have to trust they aren’t forgeries.”
“I’ll be having a talk with Mark later but for now, if you don’t want live ‘uns what do you want?”
“Some meat I can raw pack in a jar and process. Any of the bones that can be spared that I can boil for broth. I wouldn’t say no to a couple of hams and shoulders either, but I understand that can’t happen until they are cured. Maybe some hog jowl that we can put aside for when Saywer and Huely come back. They’ll need meat.”
“And you don’t?” Uncle Ned asked in exasperation … not at me but some of the cousins that were still milling about like they’d lost their brains at some point in the last few hours and couldn’t figure out how to operate without someone standing over them with a flaming whip and chair and a long list of instructions.
After watching Uncle Ned threatening to kick a couple of the youngest of the cousins in the backside for having to be told what to do, their older brothers finally did the job of taking them in hand and putting them to hard labor to save their heads from being banged together by the uncles who were getting irritated by them.
“Kay-Lee …”
I sighed thinking I had been hoping not to have another Uncle up in arms. I turned to Uncle Carl and said, “Yes Sir?”
He was going to say something then stopped and sighed as well. “I can’t ask you to stop. I wish I could but … I cain’t. It is going to take all of us to get them hogs slaughtered. Uncle Ned and I will see what can be held back for you. Mark will have a thing or three to say about it also. It’ll be more than what little bit you asked for, but it might not be much more.” He shook his head sorrowfully. “Dump has had words with a lot people in the family. I want you to know she never did think … well what some have thought.” Looking embarrassed as only a man can he started to say, “I …”
“Uncle Carl just let it go. I don’t mean to be nasty about it but … I just don’t have the energy to get all emotional. The kids have needed feeding and Barbara doesn’t always have good days. There are days I’m scared that … that the same thing that stole Delly from us could take Barbara. I make her rest as much as possible, sit with her feet propped up, but she won’t, and I quote, let me turn her completely useless.” I gave a small smile. “She’s nearly as hardheaded as I am.”
Uncle Ned had come over to make sure I wasn’t being interrogated I suspect and he said, “Now that’s saying something right there. Sugar …”
“I know Uncle Ned. Just please try and do what you can and make sure Uncle Mark uses some sense and lets the Aunts fuss over him a bit even though I know it kinda makes him sad and regretful about what he doesn’t have.” When both men looked at me with surprise I said, “Just because I didn’t grow up in the middle of a big family doesn’t mean I didn’t watch from the outside looking in. He is so foul at females because he misses Davis’ mother even after what she was going to do to him.”
“How’d you figure that out? He never talks about it far as I know.”
“Listening. Putting two and two together. Fact that he is the only Uncle of his age that there’s no Aunt attached to and finding out they were just getting back together and starting to live together again when she got sick and then died so fast. There wasn’t time to … to fix the hurt and learn to trust again. How he’s raised Davis traying to fix things for him and make him stronger … only not always until lately having it quite work out the way he meant it to. Just … just look after him. He’s a smart man. Maybe too smart sometimes. And knows how awful mean people can be. But I think this thing with Bud has him upset because of how easy Bud led some of the cousins off yet again. And someone needs to keep an eye on Jamison too. He’s appears to be feeling so guilty at this point he might just throw himself on a sword for the family and he’s got a wife and kids that he needs to think of first.”
I turned away and started to rake up persimmons and the other two men finally walked away, having to get back to what needed doing on their end.
I loaded six bushel-baskets of persimmons on my sled and was grateful that the going was down hill as I took them back to the house. Got there just in time to see Linda ride off.
“Kay-Lee, tell me you ain’t going to hide in the bushes for much longer.”
I pulled the sled out and over to the porch. “I wasn’t hiding. Exactly.”
Barbara snorted. “You were avoiding Linda having a drama moment.”
I sighed. “Pretty much.”
“Are you still angry at them?”
“Not … really. But I’m too tired to deal with it right now. I don’t know if I could keep my teeth together over the way she made me feel. I’m going to slide these inside and …”
“Kay-Lee …”
“You say it like it is going to change things.”
She shook her head. “Guess not but at least drink some broth and tell me what has been happening before you go back out.”
While I put the baskets on the porch and then drug them into the kitchen I explained about the pigs and Bud and the rest of the soap opera. Then I asked, “No one upset you did they?”
“Not really. Got a message from my sister by way of Linda’s mother.”
That made me stop and look at her closely. “Good news or bad?”
“The family got permission to move out to my uncle’s property. He’s gonna be in jail for more than a few years since he wouldn’t take the draft option. My sister’s husband would have but he didn’t pass the physical. He lost a couple of toes in an accident when he was a kid and for whatever reason, it’s the wrong toes or something. The land is out in Idaho. They had to sell the farm here to pay for the emigration permits and supplies to make the move … that area isn’t accepting residents unless they come self-sufficient for a minimum of twelve months. I don’t know who they sold the farm to except they aren’t from this area originally. Only other thing she said was that she was sorry that they couldn’t ask me, but they didn’t have any more money for another permit but maybe I could bring my money and buy in, help the family out, and smooth things over, then I could come out later … maybe … with Huely. Like that would happen before Hades flooded and froze over.”
“Uh … what money?”
She snorted. “That was more than likely her husband trying to see if I had any. She didn’t ask about the baby or anything, just checking to see if I had any money to help them out with the move.”
“Um …”
“No. Even if I had money like they think, I’m not leaving. I love ‘em but it’ll be better off one of those ‘from afar’ type loves I think. Not even my parents asked … about anything.”
I could see she was getting upset, or was still upset and had started to have trouble hiding it. “Maybe they’ll get some clarity ‘from afar” too,” I said. “Sometimes that is just how it is,” I added, thinking that was how it might have to be for me and most of the Hartfords. I’d do what I could for Sawyer’s sake, but I wasn’t ready to commit to anything else, not even for the sake of the way things used to be with certain people.
“You need to rest,” I told her.”
“You looked in the mirror lately?”
I could have answered in several different ways, but they all made me sound pathetic and wanting attention I didn’t actually need and would just bring problems.
“Fine, be that way,” she said with an understanding look that was nearly my undoing. “I … I do need to lay down for a bit.”
“I’ll take Jolene in the pack.”
“No need. She woke up while they had Davis here. Linda was upset when Jolene wouldn’t come to her. And weren’t they surprised when she stood up in the playpen and said, ‘Bay-biss. Be good o’ no tookie.’ It broke the tension and everyone was surprised at how Uncle Mark laughed. And then he grimaced and nearly doubled over. I think he might be bruised up more than he wanted to admit.”
“Probably,” I said with an eye roll. “But that’s a Hartford male for you and that particular Hartford male can be about twice as cranky as the rest of them put together.” I grabbed a couple more empty bushel-baskets and said regretfully, “We better make the most of what I bring in tonight. I thought we’d have more time but we’re about to get a frost, but I don’t think it is going to be a hard freeze. At least not for a few days. It’ll get cold enough that it will trim back all but the hardiest of greens. Before you lay down can you fill a large boiler with water? I’ll just keep dumping whatever greens I can cut along with the persimmons and acorns in the pot and then I’ll set them to simmer when I collect Burt and bring him back.”
“You think he will be okay?”
“With what he saw tonight?” At her nod I answered, “After what he saw the night Burt Sr. was killed this might just close that circle. He’s worried about you you know.”
“What?”
“He sees you, and sees Delly and what happened with her. I see … I see you are under a lot of stress too. And I can’t keep it all from you.”
She shook her head. “I knew something was going on. Kay-Lee I’m a lot younger than Delly was. And in a lot better shape than she was. I’m tired and yeah, I’m stressed but I’ve been keeping an eye on my blood pressure.”
“Promise?” I asked and hated how pathetic I sounded.
“Promise. I’m raising this baby. You won’t have to.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. But it amounts to the same thing. Delly could have taken better care of herself. She and Burt Sr. could have shared the load of what was going on in their lives better. You’ll see. Now stop worrying about it before I start worrying about you. Maybe with the cold weather our workload will … well not slow down but at least mean you don’t have to go out nearly every night.”
“Maybe.”
“Hopefully?”
“Yeah, hopefully.”
And it was time for me to limp my way back out into the night. There was lots still to do. And bravado was only going to get me so far.