Maude

by Donna Mabry

  Mom Foley got all stiff. “I got almost everything done. There’s plenty of time to get it ready.”

  “All right. I think I’ll get some things ready for the wash for tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? I just washed today.”

  “I know, but I didn’t have our things out yet. I don’t like to let them sit around dirty.”

  Mom Foley nodded a sharp approval. “I’m glad to hear it. I like things to be clean. Go ahead.”

  “All right. I will.”

  As I walked toward the kitchen, I heard my mother-in-law’s voice take up the story where she’d left off. “My grandfather stole twenty horses from the Kaw that day. One of the horses had a dog that followed it home. The dog was in love with the horse and never left its side. Whenever my grandfather rode the horse, the dog would run behind them and go everywhere they went.”

  Lulu laughed again as her new grandmother elaborated the story of the horse and the dog. I was thankful that the old woman at least seemed to have taken a shine to my girl, if not to myself. I could cope with the way she felt about me as long as Lulu was treated right.

  I gathered up the things that needed washing and then got out my big sewing box. The box was a pleasure to me, and I added to it over the years until I had a large collection of thread and buttons, patterns for myself and Lulu, and even some that I’d used for James. When a shirt or piece of clothing got too frayed to wear, I always took the buttons and hooks off and saved them. The fabric made dust cloths.

  George was much taller than James had been. I’d have to remember that when I cut his clothes. It was my habit to look over each piece of laundry before I washed it, checking for missing buttons and torn seams. The familiar routine was comforting to me, and when I finished with my own and Lulu’s clothes, I looked in the bureau drawers at George’s. He didn’t have many clothes, but they were clean and neatly folded. A few of them needed the attention of a seamstress. Several of his socks needed darning, and I took out my darning egg and the soft yarn I used just for socks and sat by the sunlight coming in the bedroom window to repair the holes. I was proud of the quality of my work. When I was done, the socks looked almost like brand new. I thought I would knit him some new ones for his birthday, whenever that was. It occurred to me I had no idea how old he was, but guessed him to be in his early thirties.

  When George came home, we ate supper at the kitchen table with polite but forced conversation. Lulu and I were pleased with the plans to redecorate the bedroom, and we went on about that. George’s mother wore her usual sour expression. The only time her face softened at all was when Lulu spoke. It was a curious thing to me how the old woman had taken to Lulu. I wondered why, and decided to ask George about it when we were alone.

  All evening I had the thought in the back of my mind that it would soon be time for me to spend my second night in George’s bed. I was grateful he hadn’t wanted to have relations with me the first night and wondered if he would this time.

  We finally went upstairs. I made sure I had my own lantern so I wouldn’t be left in the dark again. I listened to Lulu’s prayers, tucked her in, and kissed her goodnight. I couldn’t help but let her see my mood, and Lulu wanted somehow to comfort me. She caught me by the hand before I turned to leave. “It’s going to be all right, Mommy. Mr. Foley seems very nice, and I’m having so much fun with grandmother. You wouldn’t believe how many stories she has about the old days.”

  I smiled at her and kissed her again before saying goodnight.

  In our bedroom, I sat on the edge of the bed as George undressed, again just dropping his clothes in a pile on the floor, and climbed into bed in his long-johns.

  “I was wondering about your mother, George. She doesn’t care for me, but she took to Lulu right away. Why is that?”

  “Her people love all children. It’s their way.”

  “Her people? Oh, you mean the Indians.”

  “I hope it doesn’t bother you that I’m half-breed Osage. I should have told you before we married.”

  “I don’t care one way or the other. I got some Indian blood too--Cherokee.”

  He looked relieved. “I guess most folks around here do, but there’s some would hold it against you.”

  “I never met anyone who did. My town was all Christians. We treated everyone with the respect they showed us.”

  He stared at me for a minute. “I always thought that’s what a Christian should be, but they don’t all live up to it. When you’re a kid, and church-going people call you names, it cuts deep.”

  I thought that over. “Well, I guess there’s say-so Christians, and there’s real Christians.” I took my nightgown off of the hook on the back of the door where I’d hung it. George took my hand. “I’d like to see you, Maude.”

  I felt my face turn red, but nodded, laid the gown on the bed and started undressing.

  As James had so long ago, George watched me undress, and I pretended it didn’t bother me. When I finished, I got in the bed next to him and he said, “I don’t want to hurt you, Maude. You tell me to hold back if you need to.”

  I didn’t expect that he would hurt me. He’d been so considerate and seemed to be such a gentle person. If he was as good to me as he was to his horse, we’d get along fine.

  It had been so long since James, I wanted him to touch me the same way, but he began the relations right off, without so much as kissing me. He did it very gently, but I could tell something wasn’t right.

  “It’s all right, George.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said again.

  “I don’t think you will.”

  He pushed further into me and it took my breath away. I gasped and he pulled back.

  “Are you all right?”

  “It’s been ten years, George. Let’s just go slow for a while.”

  He started again but I could tell he was holding himself back. I tried to relax, but couldn’t. He got done in just another minute, still holding himself away from me. Then he rolled over. I heard him let out a long sigh, and in a minute he was asleep.

  I was relieved. It hadn’t been satisfying to me, but he was a kind, considerate man, and I was sure that after a while we would work things out.

  The next morning I woke when he got out of bed. I sat up and smiled at him. “I’m going to do the wash today. Why don’t you put on a clean set of underwear, and I’ll throw those things in the tub with the others.”

  “I just put these on Sunday morning.”

  “That’s all right, I don’t mind.”

  He unbuttoned the long-johns and dropped them to the floor, stepping out of them and standing there naked. I tried to hide my surprise, but couldn’t help staring at his member. It was three times as long as James’s had been, reaching halfway to his knee. I guess he’d been waiting for my reaction, and it was his turn to blush. “That’s why I was afraid I would hurt you, Maude. I’ll always try not to.”

  I looked down at the quilt. “I know you will, George. It’ll be all right. We’ll get better with one another after a while.”

  He got a clean set of underwear out of the drawer and slipped into it. “Ma won’t know what to think of it, me changing right in the middle of the week.”

  “I always did like to do the wash twice a week. That way it doesn’t pile up.” I took a deep breath and jumped into the subject that had been worrying me ever since I got there. “I can see right out that your mother doesn’t want me here, George. I don’t want to get off to a bad start with her. Is there anything that I can do to please her without giving up my rightful place?”

  He took a step back and held up his hands like in surrender. “I can’t help you much there, just don’t make her too mad. She’s not a woman you can cross much.” He rubbed his chin. “Let her spend time with Lulu. I see that it soothes her to have a child about the house again. She hasn’t been the same since Bessie left. Just feel your way with her until you two can work out your territories, but don’t let her push you around.”

/>   “I’ll do the best I can, George. I spent most of my life doing what I was told, but I’m a grown woman now. I’m not going to let her run all over me.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to, Maude.”

  He went on to the kitchen, and I got dressed. I looked in Lulu’s room. She wasn’t there, and her bed was already made. I went to the kitchen and found her sitting at the table, watching her new grandmother making coffee. The old woman had been telling Lulu another one of her stories, but stopped talking when I came in the room, and she only grunted in reply when I said good morning to her.

  She had a big iron coffee pot that looked as if it held a half-gallon, and she spooned coffee in. I couldn’t believe how much she put directly in the water. She got out a big iron skillet and filled it with thick strips of smoked bacon.

  I went to the pantry and got the plates and cups to set the table. Lulu stood and helped without being told. It had been her job at home to set and clear the table, and she enjoyed the grown-up responsibility. The old woman didn’t miss what Lulu was doing. She patted her on the head, “You’re my angel, aren’t you, little one, and such a good girl.”

  Lulu beamed under the praise. I smiled at her as well and looked at Mom Foley. “Is there anything else I can do to help?”

  “Sit yourself down and watch. When I die, you’ll want to know what George likes to eat for breakfast and the right way to fix it.”

  I pressed my lips together, but did as I was told. George didn’t say a word. I watched as the old woman fried up the bacon until it was almost burned. She took the skillet off of the stove and set it in the middle of the table, then put a plate of thick-sliced bread next to it and poured about two cups of coffee into the skillet of bacon grease.

  The coffee was so thick it looked like black molasses. It formed globs and floated around. George saw me staring at it. “Black-eyed gravy,” he said. “My favorite thing.” He put a slice of the bread on his fork, dipped both sides in the mixture of bacon grease and coffee, and lifted it to his plate. Lulu and I both watched.

  George ate several pieces of the greasy bread and drank several large cups of coffee. I admired a healthy appetite, but I wondered how he kept his slim waistline after eating all that. I sipped at my coffee, but it was so strong I couldn’t drink it. I added enough water to thin it out a bit, but that cooled it off too much.

  Turning to George, I asked, “Do you have a teapot, George?” I hadn’t noticed one in the pantry, but I hadn’t taken a really good look through what was in there.

  “We have one somewhere, don’t we, Ma? Bessie used to water down her coffee, too.” He laughed, “She said it wasn’t fit for humans to drink.”

  His mother went to the pantry and came out carrying a regular teapot, whistle and all. She slammed it down on the stove. When he was finished eating, George stood and stretched. “Well, I guess I’ll be getting to the jail. You know where to find me if you need me.” He headed to the barn. His mother hadn’t eaten with us, and I asked her, “Aren’t you going to eat, Mom Foley?”

  “I’ll eat when I’m of a mind to,” she said with a growl.

  “Can we clear up the dishes here?”

  “Me and Lulu can clean them up. You go do that laundry you been wanting to do.”

  I held back a smile. “All right. I’ll do my laundry.”

  I went upstairs and gathered the bundle of clothes. The well was right next to the back porch. Two tubs and a washboard hung on the back wall of the house, a large tub for washing and a smaller one for rinsing. I would have to draw a lot of water to fill the old, galvanized tub. I heated the first bucket of water in the big pot on the stove, and when it was boiling, I poured it back in the washtub, and cut the bar of Fels-Naptha soap, and added it to the water.

  All the time, whenever I looked back at the kitchen, I could see the old woman watching me. I think she wanted to see if I was doing the job right.

  It was a warm, sunny day, and I knew the clothes would be dry in only a few hours. Both dogs sat and watched me, and when I was finished with the wash and picked up the basket, they followed me out to the clothesline.

  I was hanging up the last of the dark things when I saw a slim, young, redheaded woman come out the back door of the house next door and head toward me. She was carrying a dish and followed by a girl with flaming hair that matched her mother’s, who was just about Lulu’s size. I was so happy to see my neighbors coming to greet me that I had to hold back tears. It had only been a few days since I left Bessie and Mom Connor behind, but I was already missing the companionship of other women. I doubted I would ever grow close to George’s mother.

  I dropped the shirt I held back in the basket and greeted my neighbor with a real smile from my heart. She smiled back just as warmly.

  “Welcome to the neighborhood,” she said. “I’m Clara Taylor, and this is my daughter, Maggie. That’s short for Margaret, but she doesn’t like that, so she asked me to have everyone call her Maggie. I think that’s because her favorite teacher was named Margaret but used Maggie for her name. My husband is Alfred Taylor. He owns the feed store in town.” She held out the dish in her hands. “I baked you an apple pie.”

  I took the pie from her. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you and Maggie. There’s coffee on the stove, please come in, and let’s sit and talk.”

  Clara looked toward the house and frowned doubtfully. I couldn’t help it laughing out loud. “I see you’ve met my mother-in-law.”

  This drove Clara into a fit of giggles. “I would never have said anything, but she isn’t exactly friendly. How’s it going with the two of you?”

  “Not too good, but I set my mind the first time I saw her that she wasn’t going to run all over me. We got home in the middle of the night and there she was, standing there on the front porch in the moonlight looking like a ‘haint with those two dogs next to her. I’ve always been a quiet and easy-going person, but I knew right then and there that if I didn’t stand my ground I could never live with her.”

  “Looks like you’re getting along with the dogs all right. I’ve always been a little afraid of them.”

  “They just needed to know who was boss. I growled at them that first night, and they been good ever since. ‘Course, they love Lulu, my little girl, and so does George’s mother.”

  “Maggie can’t wait to meet her. With school out for the summer she’s been missing her friends. We don’t get into town all that often.”

  “Well, come on in. If the old lady bothers you, I’ll protect you.”

  Clara laughed again, and she and Maggie followed me to the kitchen. Mom Foley and Lulu were nowhere to be seen. I set the pie down on the table and called out, “Lulu, come here, I got a surprise for you.” I heard Lulu’s feet coming down the stairs, and she popped in the kitchen. When she saw Maggie, her face lit up. I was so happy for her, “This here’s Maggie Taylor, and she lives right next door. Maggie this is Lulu.”

  Maggie grinned at Lulu. “Want to come over to my house and play with my dolls?”

  Lulu’s bobbed her head so hard, I thought she might get dizzy. She grabbed Maggie’s hand and the two of them ran out the back door without even asking permission. I almost cried to see Lulu so happy. I got cups and what else I needed to fix the coffee, and Clara and I sat at the table. I looked in the hallway and could see George’s mother walk by. She stopped at the sound of our voices, gave me a hateful look, and then went on her way. I didn’t care. I had a new woman friend to share things with. I could survive.

  Chapter 15

  The rest of the week passed without any big problems. There was a small daily struggle over territory between us women of the house, but nothing that I wanted to bother telling George. Another attempt at nighttime relations was just as unhappy as the first for me, but we didn’t talk about it. George’s mother kept the house clean and, needing to keep busy, I made another trip to town to get some in-stock fabric for a new shirt for George. It would be a month or so before the wallpaper and the
amount of fabric I needed for the bedroom arrived.

  Clara Taylor and I found some time each afternoon to sit on Clara’s porch and talk while we sewed. At Clara’s, we were out of earshot of Mom Foley. Lulu and Maggie played with their dolls or on the swing hanging from one of the big oak trees that bordered the back of both yards. Lulu was so happy with Clara’s friendship that she didn’t even talk about missing Tennessee.

  I hadn’t met Clara’s husband yet, but knew I would see him at services on Sunday. I was happy to learn that Clara was a member of the Holiness Church. It was one of the spires I’d spotted when I went to town that first day. It stood quite a distance away from the house, on the other side of the jail.

  I was looking forward to Sunday. At the end of the service the preacher would give the invitation, and Lulu and I would go forward with our letters from our home church and ask to move our membership to the Kennett church. The church members would vote and approve them. We would belong.

  When Sunday came, I was awake with the first rooster crow and dressed in my best dress. George didn’t stir right away, but I woke Lulu, who was almost as excited as I was.

  We went downstairs to the kitchen. There was no sign of George’s mother. I looked back upstairs. The old woman’s door was still closed. I thought that maybe they made it a practice to sleep in on Sundays.

  I made the coffee and some cornmeal mush and Lulu and I ate. By then I was getting anxious. If George didn’t get up soon, we would be late for the service. I’d been looking forward to it all week.