A Sky for Us Alone

by Kristin Russell

  “We won’t take up any more of your time,” Moore said.

  “Wait.” I grabbed the one jar of pie filling left. “Don’t forget this,” I said to Tennessee, meaning: Don’t forget to meet me at Mama Draughn’s as soon as you can get away.

  “Of course,” she said, taking the jar. I hoped she understood.

  Moore herded them to the door. Tennessee held her finger up and went to the side of the couch. She grabbed the trash bag of their clothes.

  “Just let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help,” Mama said. It seemed that concern now replaced her stubbornness from the night before.

  Tennessee and Omie followed Moore outside to the porch, then down the stairs to where the truck I’d first seen him in was parked. I felt the impact of each step that took her farther away from me. After Mama closed the front door, she stood and looked at it for a minute like she was trying to make sense of what she’d heard and seen. Then she rubbed her face as if her thoughts could be wiped away like sweat and went to clear the dishes from the table.

  I pushed the curtain to the side and watched the Moores leave. Omie skipped to the truck, and Tennessee walked behind him carrying the jar, her head tilted down toward her feet. She stopped, looked back, and our eyes locked for a second. She nodded at me once before getting in the truck, and then they drove away.

  Chapter 29

  I LEFT WITHOUT SAYING a word to Mama. It was too early to go to Mama Draughn’s, and I figured it would be a while yet before Tennessee and Omie were able to leave their daddy, if they even could. I didn’t know where to go; my insides were wound tight around themselves. I kicked the rocks in the road and threw a stick off the side. Some fools in a jacked-up truck flew past and near ran me over. I screamed after them to watch where they were going. It felt good to yell at something, but the ball of nerves inside kept growing bigger, and bigger, like desert tumbleweeds on the old Westerns Daddy used to watch. At least the tumbleweeds had open spaces to roll around. Strickland closed in tight like a fist and squeezed all of the air out of me.

  At first, Mrs. Devin smiled big when I walked into the Sip N Sak, but her face soon changed when she saw the look on mine. After Bobby Martin left with his cinnamon buns, and there was no one else in the shop but the two of us, I emptied all the change in my pockets onto the counter.

  “I need beer,” I said.

  She peered at me over the top of her glasses. “Okay. But only the Pabst. Can’t give you Bud for that amount. Don’t tell the other boys—you know you’re my favorite.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’ll pay back the rest, I swear.”

  She nodded, her forehead lined with worry. “You hanging in?”

  “Best I know how.”

  “That’s all any of us can do. That and wait.”

  “Yep,” I said, because I knew it wouldn’t make me feel better to spout off to her how tired I was of waiting, and how waiting never seemed to do one damn thing for me except bring the next problem along. “Have a good day,” I said.

  “Come back and gossip with me sometime. I miss seeing your face.”

  The door jangled behind me when it closed. I walked down the ravine to the creek and popped the top off a can. The yellow mud was thick below and I stared into it and drank, pushing my troubles deeper with each sip and numbing the places they bruised. By the time I emptied three cans, I felt something closer to better, or at least I didn’t feel as much. My stomach rumbled, full of beer but empty of the two biscuit bites I’d managed at breakfast. I climbed up the ravine and headed to the Draughns’, knowing that if I spent too much time alone with myself and the rest of the beer, things could only get worse.

  I walked up the stairs and waved to Mr. Draughn, then stepped inside and was surprised to find Mama D, Tennessee, and Omie already sitting at the table together. My buzz fell away real fast when I realized they were all waiting for me. There were at least a dozen pies wrapped in plastic on the counter.

  “Did y’all already do this today?” I asked, and then noticed the disappointed look on Tennessee’s face.

  “No, Mama Draughn baked them last night,” Tennessee said. “Dad dropped us off at home, then went straight to the mines.”

  “I’m sorry, I thought it would take you longer.” I set the bag of beer on Mama D’s counter, then went to the sink to wash off my face and hands. I sat down next to Tennessee and tried to catch her eye again. “Hey,” I said to her. “I’m here now, and I’m just as serious about doing this together and everything else I ever said to you. I had a moment, that’s all. I snapped out of it now. Won’t do me or anyone else any good to get stuck there. Just had to remind myself of it.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Mama Draughn answered in a stern voice before Tennessee could. “Now start loading those pies. Market’s already bustling by now, and it’ll take us an hour to get there.”

  “We’re going today?” I asked, and then noticed Omie’s smile. “All right, then! I’ll get us there in thirty minutes,” I said, and walked over to the pies.

  “I’ll only let you drive if you promise to be careful,” Mama Draughn said. “Be a shame to break them all before we had a chance to sell any.”

  “I promise,” I said, carrying a stack and waiting for Tennessee to open the screen door.

  “Want me to go with y’all?” Mr. Draughn asked once I was back inside the kitchen again.

  “You’d only be crammed, hot, and bored,” Mama D said. “But you’re sweet to offer.”

  “You not going?” Omie said. “I want to stay here and play marbles with you.”

  “Tell you what.” Mr. Draughn reached into his pocket and pulled out a dollar. “Take this with you and bring me back a treat.”

  After I had all the pies and jars of filling in the truck, Mr. Draughn followed us outside. Once we were all situated, he leaned through my open window. “It’s been a good while since she’s been gone from my sight,” he said, looking at Mama D. “Promise me if you get lost, you’ll stop and ask for help.”

  “Of course,” I said, thinking of all the years they had between them and wondering how they’d managed better than most people I knew to still love each other so much.

  After I pulled onto Kinley, Mama Draughn said, “Funny he’d tell you to stop for directions. I used to be the one always begging him to do the same.”

  “Guess he finally learned something from you then,” Tennessee said.

  “Sure enough,” Mama Draughn said. “Patience has its payoff.”

  I felt her eyes on the speedometer while I drove, and it lightened my foot on the pedal a little.

  Before we could even settle on a radio station, we were twenty miles from the Dickson County line. With any luck, we’d have several good hours of selling before things shut down. Diesel from the sixteen-wheeler in front of us blew through the windows, and Tennessee coughed and waved the fumes away from Omie in her lap. It was around two thirty when we exited the highway. At the market gate, colored lights flashed in front of tents and towers. Just beyond those, we saw the outlines of a roller coaster and Ferris wheel against the sky.

  Chapter 30

  “MY LORD, LOOK AT that,” Mama Draughn said. “It’s fair weekend, too.”

  “You knew about this all along, didn’t you?” I said, driving through the gate.

  She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Well. There was no reason to get everyone’s hopes up for naught in case I was wrong.”

  Omie jumped up and down. “We go rides!” he shouted, almost directly in my ear.

  Mama Draughn laughed. “I forgot how huge this all felt at his age. Daddy used to bring us here and set us loose for the day. It was better than Christmas, every time.”

  “Thank you for this,” Tennessee said.

  “There’s nothing like these sights and sounds to bring a bit of wonder,” Mama Draughn said, and patted Tennessee’s knee. “Pull in over there, Harlowe.” She pointed to a spot in front of a tent. I parked the truck and looked at all of the peo
ple rushing around and toward us—families and vendors, couples my age holding hands and sipping from flasks tucked into their pockets.

  “Harlowe, grab a stack of pies and follow me. Tennessee, you sit on top of Omie and hold him tight for a few, as best you can, anyway.”

  I followed Mama Draughn through the crowded tent. Vendors offered everything from crops to tobacco, tube socks, guns, furniture both old and new, TVs—anything you could need plus a whole lot more that you didn’t. People pushed against each other, fanning themselves when there was enough space and rushing to see what treasures were left and what kind of deal they might strike for them. A woman in a fancy dress ran toward me and dragged her kid behind, trying to get somewhere as fast as she could. She had the look of an animal on the hunt, and I wondered what it was she was so desperate to buy. The kid held tight to some blue cotton candy while he ran alongside her. His mouth was stained all the way around in a frown like a miniature sad clown and he cried that he wanted to go back on the Tilt-A-Whirl. All the people and noise moved in a fast, dizzy swirl. I was glad when Mama Draughn finally stopped at a table.

  A skinny woman with long white hair stood up from a rocking chair. “Look, it’s darlin’ Darla!” she shouted, and wrapped her lean arms around Mama Draughn’s soft neck. Then she turned to me and said to Mama D, “Lord, you brought a handsome fella with you too?”

  “That and a bunch of pies,” Mama Draughn said. “You all right with sharing some of your booth today?”

  “If the two of you stay and keep me company, you can sell anything you like, long as it’s legal.”

  “Don’t let Aida scare you,” Mama Draughn whispered to me. “She’s harmless. Mostly.”

  “Full of fire, but only fueled by good spirits,” Aida said, her ears obviously still working just fine. “You really are a looker. Remind me of an old beau of mine. That’s the last I’ll say of it. Set those pies down right here.”

  “We got more in the truck,” I said. “Filling, too.”

  “Bring it all. Only a few hours left, and my peaches are almost all gone, as you see. George left two hours ago and won’t be back until closing time. Just the typical Sunday routine.”

  “Be right back,” I said. “You rest, Mama D, you’ve done more than you should already.”

  “I’ll take you up on that.” She sat in a rocker next to Aida and fanned herself with a piece of cardboard from a broken-down box.

  When I got back to the truck, Omie was hanging out of the open truck window and Tennessee held him by his belt loop to keep him from falling out.

  “Found a spot,” I said. “We got to hurry, though.”

  “Good, because I can’t hold him any longer. Omes, get back in here and grab a pie. Careful. Carry it like it’s a baby bird egg.”

  I grabbed one of the heavy boxes of filling jars and Tennessee stacked more pies, and handed one of them to Omie. While we walked, he concentrated and stared at the pie, his arms tense and steady in front of him. It was the first time he didn’t try to run ahead of us.

  “This must be the rest of your crew,” Aida said when we all got to the table and set everything down. I exhaled and wiped my forehead. Mama Draughn must have told her about Tennessee and Omie, and I could only imagine what else while we were gone.

  “Already sold the first two,” Aida said.

  “How much?” I asked.

  “Eight dollars each. That suit you all right? Been told y’all starting a proper business,” Aida said.

  “That’s right. Think you’d let us set up here again?”

  “I don’t see why not. Darla’s already vouched for you; that’s all it takes for me.”

  Omie pulled Tennessee’s arm and pointed to the boiled peanuts two stands over.

  “Here,” Mama Draughn said, and handed Tennessee a five-dollar bill.

  “I can’t take that, you’ve already given us so much by bringing us, and that’s on top of everything else you’ve already done.”

  “Please,” Mama Draughn said. “Think of it as a favor to me. Watching y’all have fun brings me even more joy.”

  “Best listen to her,” Aida said. “Her bloodline’s Irish like mine.”

  “Part Irish,” Mama Draughn said.

  “Ain’t a one of us under the sun that don’t have roots first planted elsewhere, and I’ll argue that with anyone ’til I’m in the grave.”

  “Amen,” Mama Draughn said, and fanned herself.

  Omie pulled harder on Tennessee’s arm. “Can we go rides now?” He glued his eyes to the five dollars in her hand.

  “Okay, but you have to stay close to me,” Tennessee said, and waved goodbye to us over her shoulder while he pulled her along.

  As soon as she left, a large man in a checkered button-down walked up and asked, “These pies fresh?” He looked closely at them.

  “Yes, sir. Baked just last night,” I said, and heard Mama Draughn and Aida whispering behind me.

  “I’ll take two. Ya got change for a twenty?”

  Mama Draughn handed me some bills, which meant she was listening close enough. I counted out four dollars and handed them to the man.

  “These worth eight dollars apiece?” he asked.

  “Every crumb,” I said. “They should cost more, really. If you’re smart, you’ll take a jar of filling too before it’s all gone. It’s delicious on just about anything. Tell you what, I’ll throw in two jars with the pies for an even twenty.”

  He gave me back the four dollars and opened a pie right there, tearing off a piece of crust and digging his finger straight through, bringing out a sliver of apple. He tasted it, closed his eyes, and nodded his head in approval. “You here next week?”

  I looked at Mama Draughn in the rocking chair, her eyes shut. Aida was bent over a notebook, scribbling something—both of them doing a fine job of ignoring me so I’d have to figure out every step.

  “Absolutely,” I said. “We’ll have some new flavors. Tell your friends, too.”

  “I’ll do that. Better bring several dozen with you next time,” he said.

  Aida closed her notebook and found an empty box for the man’s pies and jars. When he walked away she said, “That there was the mayor of Dickson. I’d say you’re off to a fine start. Natural salesman, aren’t you?” Soon, there were so many customers in front of me that I couldn’t hear Mama Draughn and Aida’s voices over them.

  Not much longer, and I’d sold everything we’d brought. As happy as I was about it, I hated missing out on the time with Tennessee and Omie. I turned to Mama D and Aida and said, “If it’s all right with the two of you, I’m going to try to catch up with them now.” I held the cash out to Mama Draughn.

  “What do we owe you for rent?” she asked Aida.

  Aida laughed. “That’s sweet of you, but you know better than that.”

  “Then put that money away, Harlowe, before someone else grabs it,” Mama Draughn said. “That there’s your startup. Be wise with it.”

  “I’ll bring you back a treat, then,” I said.

  “That’s not wisdom; you think this stomach needs any more cushion?” she laughed. “Go on, sun’s starting to fade already.”

  Our neighbors were packing up their booths, and the owners and customers either walked to their cars or ventured out into the fair. I followed the crowd pouring out of the tent into the bright colors of flashing lights and spinning wheels. Balloons floated over costumes by the stand where people shot plastic ducks to win stuffed animals and candy. A man yelled that he could guess anyone’s exact weight, and another sat on a plank over a tank of water below. People threw balls at him and laughed and yelled. He looked like he was exhausted from always waiting for the next dunk. As I walked past her, a woman with a silk scarf tied around her head and strands of jewelry hanging off every inch grabbed my hand. Her long fingernails were painted red and pressed into my palm.

  “I can’t stop right now. Have to go find someone,” I said.

  “I could help you with that and even more.�
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  “Not today, thank you.” I ran past her and, smelling something fried, remembered I hadn’t eaten in a long time.

  “How much?” I asked the man at the hot dog stand.

  “Fifty cents,” he said.

  I handed him a dollar and took the change and dog from him. I ate it all in three bites, thinking Omie’s eating habits must have rubbed off on me.

  “Harlowe!” Tennessee’s voice rose above the music of the rides.

  I turned around in circles, looking for her, until I finally spotted her hand in the air waving at me from beside the carousel.

  “Watch for Omie, he’s coming around again soon!” she yelled.

  I walked over, and she smiled as if it had been one of the best days she’d known, her eyes still glued to the horses going up and down. “Look!” She pointed to a flash of Omie moving along the metal pole on a mare posed in flight. He stood and whooped like he was a cowboy in his very first rodeo.

  “We sold everything in four hours,” I said. “We can make a lot more than I imagined next time.”

  “Are you serious? That’s amazing! I was thinking I could design some labels, to make us look a little more professional. D-lish Pies, maybe? You know, for Darla Draughn?”

  “Sounds perfect,” I said. “And we should get boxes. Even up the price a dollar.”

  “Oh, that’s a good idea. Look at that, I really can’t remember the last time I saw him this happy,” she said, pointing at Omie.

  “And I love how happy that makes you,” I said.

  She turned and kissed me lightly, and then settled into my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her waist while we watched the ride end.