by Roxe Anne
Chapter Eight
Aunt May hollers to us kids. “You can do the dishes and clean the mess up from dinner while we’re gone. It will keep you out of trouble!”
“Aunt May… Mama, Katie didn’t clean any of the fish. She didn’t even catch any. She should do the dishes and clean up everything by herself. It’s not fair!” I protest, as I stomp my feet.
“Mama, you know I don’t eat fish! It makes me sick to even look at one, let alone eat it,” Katie whines.
“We’re going to get cleaned up to go out. We don’t want to hear another word out of you kids,” Aunt May says, with Mama in agreement.
The adults are all going to go dancing at Castle Rock. How anyone can walk, let alone go dancing after eating all this food, is beyond me. I can hardly move. It hurts to even do the dishes.
“After you’re through cleaning up, you kids can play games. We want you in bed by ten,” Mama says.
“Billie…Rita, I want you in your own trailer and in bed by ten. Just be glad you’re getting to stay out late. I don’t want any excuses later on!” Aunt May hollers.
At least Rita and Bobby will get to stay up later than eight and we will have someone to play with. Uncle Jimmy and Aunt May must have figured they would sneak out anyway while they are at the bar and no one is watching them.
Mama puts on a white dress with black polka dots on it. It has black netting under the skirt which makes it flare out from the waist down. It really shows off her figure. She has curled her hair in bobby pins; making real tight curls all over her head. She has a black silk scarf around her neck. Then she puts silver and black clip-on earrings on, and places her new black patent leather shoes with tall skinny heels and pointy toes on her feet. Mama sort of reminds me of Lucille Ball. I don’t know how she is going to dance in those shoes. They make her look like she only has three toes.
“You look real pretty tonight, Mama,” Katie remarks.
“Thank you for the compliment. You make sure those kids mind you tonight. I don’t want to come home and hear about any fighting!”
“I promise! You don’t have to worry about us.”
Katie doesn’t listen. She goes four trailers down from ours to visit a boy about the same age as she is. His parents aren’t home either. In fact, most of the adults aren’t home if they are still able to dance. They are all up at Castle Rock dancing.
“Missy, can we catch fireflies instead of playing games?” Bobby asks.
“What do you think, Rita?” I ask.
“Well, my mom has some empty jars with lids on them in the trailer. I suppose we can use them. We can poke holes in the lids so the fireflies stay alive.”
“We can make rings out of some of them?” Rita suggests
“Sure, I like watching them glow on my fingers.”
We tie long grass around our fingers and squish the bottom of the fireflies onto the top of our fingers. Billie and Bobby just like to take the fireflies apart and put the bottoms in their hair. I hope I use the brush before he does in the morning.
• • •
We can hear music and laughter coming from the trailer Katie is in. It sure is getting loud in there.
“Missy, can we peek in the trailer window to see what Katie’s laughing about?” Billie asks, with a devilish grin on his face.
“Yeah, can we sneak up on her and peek through the window?” Rita and Bobby chime in.
“I guess, but I don’t think any of you know how to sneak up on anyone. You better promise me you’ll be real quiet!”
“We will, we promise,” they whisper loudly.
As we approach the window, Bobby trips on a minnow bucket someone left out in front of the trailer window. It makes such a loud racket; we all take off in different directions and hide.
We can see Katie opening up the trailer’s front door. She must have heard Bobby trip over the bucket.
“If you kids are out there, I’m going to get even with you!” She hollers.
Giggling can be heard from different directions, but no one can be seen. We all hide pretty well.
I guess Katie being in the old trailer is more fun than her being out here bossing us all around. I wish I had a camera to take a photo of Katie babysitting. Then Mama would know she doesn’t pay attention to us when boys are around.
• • •
After a while, we get some of Grandma Irene’s quilts out to lie on. We all lay on our backs and watch the stars.
“Does anyone want to see who can count the most stars?” Rita asks.
Everyone pipes up. “I do…I do….”
The stars are brighter at Castle Rock. There aren’t many houses around and the nearest town is about five or six miles away.
“I bet I can count the most!” Rita boasts.
“You probably can’t count to fifty,” Bobby says teasing her.
“We’ll just have to see.”
I lose count at about one hundred stars; I can’t remember which stars I already counted and which ones I haven’t.
Billie looses count after about thirty. Rita counts over 100, but she can’t keep track of which stars she already counted either.
“I counted at least 125 stars!” Bobby brags.
“I thought you were going to beat me, Rita.”
“I lost track and got bored. You just didn’t have anything better to think about, Bobby.”
We all agree Bobby won the contest. He counted 125 stars.
“Let’s see how many constellations we can find,” Bobby suggests.
“I think I can beat you on how many constellations you can find, Bobby,” Rita boasts again.
“I don’t want to do a contest. I don’t know many constellations; I couldn’t even count many stars,” Billie whines.
We decide to find the constellations as a group, just for fun. The first one we find is the Big Dipper, then we find the Little Dipper, Orion, Seven Sisters, Leo, Hercules, Little Bear, Sagittarius, and Rita finds the Gemini Twins at the same time as Bobby, it figures; with them being twins themselves.
We lose track of time and decide it must be getting close to ten. We all say goodnight and go into our trailers.
Not long after Billie and I go into the trailer, Katie comes home. Her face seems to be bright red, and her hair is messed up. She says she is going to get ready for bed and we had better do the same. Too bad she came back home before Mama. It would have been nice to see someone yell at her and boss her around. I will get even—I ate beans.
• • •
Something wakes me up about midnight. I can hear loud voices coming from the campfire which is now roaring. I can vaguely make out some of the shadows distorted by the flickering of the flames.
People are stumbling, laughing, and I even think I hear someone crying. Aunt May always cries over her babies growing up every time she gets drunk. Mama usually is a happy drunk at first, but the longer the night goes on, the more she drinks, then you better watch out.
Uncle Jimmy always places his arm around everyone’s neck; hanging on for dear life. When my Step-Grandpa Roy is around, the men better watch out. He kisses on their women and smacks their butts. This usually starts fights with Grandma Irene and the men. I hope Grandma Irene and Step-Grandpa Roy don’t stay at our trailer tonight. I don’t like Step-Grandpa Roy much better than Uncle Sammy or Uncle Frank.
Step-Grandpa Roy told all us kids, “I’m not your Grandpa. You brats better just call me Roy. I’ve got my own grandchildren and I sure in the hell don’t need more!”
Maybe this is why he tries brushing up against all the women’s breasts and us girls; including my little budding blossoms.
If I’m lucky, maybe they will stumble into the river and sober up. No such luck tonight! They are getting louder and drunker. This is going to be one long, sleepless night. I wonder if Katie and Billie are awake and can hear everything. Katie sure looks like she’s asleep. Usually nothing wakes her.
I don’t know how they can’t hear everything all these adults are screami
ng at Castle Rock Restaurant and Bar. I swear every once in a while I can hear echoes. I hear Uncle Frank suggest they all pick teams for a volleyball game. This I have to see for myself! From my view, they can’t even walk, let alone play volleyball.
I crawl to the living room picture window, bend down low, and watch what they call volleyball. It should be named jollyball because everyone is too busy laughing to even volley. Mama trips on her heel and dives head first into the dirt with Uncle Jimmy landing right on top of her. She is laughing so hard it seems to be catchy. Uncle Jimmy piles on top of Mama, Aunt May piles on top of Uncle Jimmy, and the pile continues until they all look like bowling pins which have just been struck with a sixteen pound bowling ball.
Everyone continues laughing until I hear someone yell, “Get the hell off of me. You’re killing me. I can’t breathe!” I hear the sentence repeated louder and louder until it is a scream.
Mama is at the bottom of the very large pile; all dirty, hair a mess and the bottom of her dress is torn off. All Mama is wearing is the top of her dress and her underwear. With one shiny, black leather, very pointy high heel shoe in hand; she emerges. She begins beating anyone close with the bottom of her high heel. You can hear screams coming from everyone in her path.
I hear someone scream, “No more! Ow! No more! That hurts, let me up!”
Everyone begins scrambling out of Mama’s path.
“Stop Dot, you’re killing me. That heel is sharp. Ow!”
Mama must have regained her senses; she finally puts the shoe down. Everyone resumes laughing again. She has rescued the rest of her dress and wraps it around her tiny waist. They all end up around the campfire resuming their drinking; even Mama, without her very pointy shoes this time.
Not long after the laughter stops, I hear a smack; followed by Mama’s very loud voice. “Frank, if you think I’m not going to talk to Roger or any other men, you are highly mistaken. Stop being so jealous, it’s not very becoming. If you don’t like it, you can leave anytime!”
Yes! It is about time she tells old Uncle Frank to leave.
Aunt May, Uncle Jimmy, Grandma Irene, and Roy, retreat to my aunt and uncle’s very small trailer. Everyone else also retreats to their trailers. The only two left at the very bright campfire are Uncle Frank and Mama.
Mama isn’t going to let anyone push her around. She has taken care of herself since she was fifteen and is a very independent woman. She loves to be around people.
Mama and Uncle Frank head for our trailer screaming at each other the entire way. I crawl back to my bedroom before I get caught watching them. It’s just like watching a soap opera. If I get caught, Mama’s anger might just be directed at me instead of Uncle Frank!
• • •
Their anger heats up as they enter our trailer. There is no way I’m not going to escape hearing every word they say. I don’t know how Billie and Katie can sleep.
“Dot, I’ll kill you if I catch you with another man!”
“You don’t need to worry about that. After being around you, you ruined it for me. I can barely look at another man without wanting to vomit. And I’d like to see you try it!”
“All you women are tramps; this includes those two daughters of yours. Just look at Katie kissing them boys while she is supposed to be babysitting. I don’t know what I ever saw in you!”
“If you want to live one more day, Frank, you’ll never talk about my girls like that again!”
I know Mama means every word of what she is saying to Uncle Frank, drunk or not. I’d like to pop him myself for calling us girls’ names.
“Dot, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m leaving!”
“You fool! You’re too drunk to walk let alone drive. You might just get yourself killed if you don’t kill someone else first.”
“You could only be so lucky. But maybe—never mind.”
Uncle Frank slams the trailer door with Mama continuing to yell until she is hoarse. She finally gives up on him coming back and stumbles into her bedroom. I sure hope old Uncle Frank gets lost driving home drunk and can’t find his way back to our house or this trailer.
We will have to be extra quiet in the morning with Mama having a hangover and being mad at Uncle Frank. I brought a deck of cards to bed to play solitaire after I finish my Bobbsey Twins book. Katie and I can play rummy quietly if she wakes up before noon. Billie will read his comic books or play with his army men until we are told we can get up. Maybe if we are lucky, there will be a cool breeze blowing in our small bedroom window. Sleeping is much easier if it isn’t so hot and old Uncle Frank isn’t around to argue with Mama.
We will have a lot of work to do when the adults finally do get out of bed. We have to clean the trailer, put everything away by the river, make sure we leave the campfire safe, and pack our belongings. Uncle Frank conveniently won’t have to help with him gone now.
No one mentions old Uncle Frank’s name or the fight. Aunt May and Uncle Jimmy offer us a ride home. Everyone quietly does their chores. I am glad it is peaceful! I want to hear the flowing of the river current one last time.
Chapter Nine
When we arrive home, Uncle Sammy is glad to see everyone. A wink is given in my direction as he smacks my butt. He tries getting close to Katie. She immediately drops the cast-iron pan she is carrying so she can bend down to pick it up just as he approaches her. The pan dropping makes a lot of noise. Mama looks in Uncle Sammy’s direction. He gets the hint and walks to another room.
Sandy is sure glad to see us. She doesn’t like being left behind with Uncle Sammy. He hates animals and doesn’t give her any attention. With her tail wagging a mile-a-minute she gives everyone kisses.
Mama doesn’t say much to old Uncle Frank. Unfortunately for us, he arrived home the night before. It looks like he didn’t get much sleep. His eyes have dark circles under them and they are bloodshot. He is still wearing the same clothes, and he reeks of beer and cigarettes. I don’t want my clothes smelling like some dead animal. I stay far away from him.
• • •
Katie is still grounded. She stays in the yard and sunbathes in pink shorts and a pink sleeveless top. Our yard is huge; there are a lot of bushes close to our house so no one can see her. We have pear trees, apple trees and a few cherry trees by our barn. Mama has plenty of room for flower gardens, a vegetable garden, and even a compost heap. The compost heap comes in handy to fertilize all Mama’s gardens. She cans everything she grows. Fresh canned goods always taste better than store bought, and she sure has enough room in her walk-in pantry to store food. We have several jars of canned fruit, applesauce and vegetables left from last year. But we are out of Mama’s good pickles and canned salmon.
Every year Mama goes fishing in Wisconsin for salmon with Aunt May and Uncle Jimmy. She usually catches at least one salmon weighing twenty-five to thirty-five pounds. She keeps the dead fish in a cooler packed in ice until she arrives back home to clean, cook, and can the salmon. Aunt May and Mama can the salmon together and share the canned jars between them.
The canned salmon makes the best salmon patties in the world. It is a good thing they know how to fish; it saves a lot of money. Canned salmon is pretty expensive and more money than Mama can spare with her budget. I can’t figure out how a petite woman can catch such large fish. Mama says it takes her almost an hour to land her salmon, but it is worth every minute.
It is too hot to even sit at the kitchen table to eat when Mama does her canning. She tries to do her canning late at night or early in the morning when she isn’t working. This is when our kitchen is the coolest.
We have a couple large oak trees that give us shade early in the morning. Mama brings her fan in the kitchen from her bedroom. She opens all the windows, closes the curtains, turns the radio on, and sings country western songs as she cans. She seems perfectly happy in the steaming hot kitchen. Sweat just pours off me. I feel like I’m going to faint.
“Billie, can you go pick me some cucumbers for pickles?” Mama asks.
“Sure, I’m hungry for your fresh pickles, Mama.”
Mama prepares her pots and jars for canning. Then she gets the cucumbers ready. I can’t wait to eat those pickles.
I don’t know how Mama does it. Standing in the hot kitchen all day over the stove is more than I can handle and she has a hangover.
“You know, Mama. You should sell your pickles at the store. They are the best pickles around!” I say as she places them in the jars.
“Thank you, Missy. You saying that makes all the work worth it. You guys are so sweet I am going to make us a pie for dessert tonight. Missy, go in the pantry and get me a couple jars of my canned apples.”
I can’t wait for the pie to be done.
Mama starts singing along with the radio in the kitchen. I don’t know how she can be happy after fighting the night before. But I’m sure glad she is in a baking mood.
“Mama, you make the best pies I have ever tasted.”
The smile on Mama’s face almost makes my heart melt like fudge on ice cream. Nothing makes her more proud than people loving her cooking and baking.
The smile doesn’t last long. The local news broadcast comes on the radio.
“Early this morning, Roger Miller of Dixon, Illinois swerved to miss what the police think was a deer on Il Route 2 near Castle Rock. Miller’s car ended up upside down in the Rock River trapping him. Friends state they were out dancing and drinking with Miller until about one at Castle Rock Restaurant and Bar. There are no other injuries reported. Stay tuned for your local weather….”
Mama sits down at the kitchen table. Tears stream down her cheeks. It breaks my heart to watch her cry.
Old Uncle Frank puts his hand on Mama’s shoulder. “Dot, I’m sorry about Roger.”
Mama pushes his hand away. “Don’t you ever pretend you cared about Roger! You threatened to kill him yourself. Where were you after you left the trailer?”
“You heard the radio. Roger had an accident. Dot, you really don’t think I’m capable of killing someone?”
