by T M Morris
“I said I was coming,” Dusty called through the door. He unlocked it and pulled it open. “Good morning, Mr. Otter, this is a surprise. Is there something I can do for you? Do you have another cow in trouble? You could have just called. You didn’t—“
Otter was fuming. His face was blotchy, and he was obviously on the verge of violence. “You stay away from that girl, and you stay away from my farm, that’s what you can do—you meddling upstart. Keep your help to yourself. I don’t need an astronomical vet bill on top of the one I’m gonna get from the hospital. So just stay away. If there’s anything I can’t handle, I’ll call you then. You hear me?”
Dusty raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Let me assure you, sir, that any help I’ve given, Lilly while she’s taking care of the farm during your convalescence is completely free of charge. I’m helping out friends in their time of need, just like the Bible says, sir. You know, bear one another’s burdens.”
“You don’t fool me none, boy. Lilly is giving you all the payment you require, ain’t she? The slut. Well, that’s just fine. You better not leave a bastard on her that I’ll have to raise.”
Dusty clenched his fists and struggled to control his overwhelming urge to beat Otter into a pulp right there on his front porch. “Mr. Caldwell, if I didn’t respect you, I very well could break your neck right now. Your daughter is no more a slut than Miss Hazel was, is or is likely to be in her old age. Lilly told me she promised you years ago when she married she would be a virgin. It’s too bad you don’t have any faith in her.”
Otter snorted. “She went off to New York City to be a model,” he sneered, “and you know as well as I do a girl can’t be a model or an actress without passing out certain favors. She’s a lying slut, and you’re a fool to believe her.”
“You’re the fool, sir. You believe myths are facts.” He grated between clenched teeth. “And I’ll promise you this much—I’ll prove it to you,” he stepped back into the house. “I would invite you in, but I’m not exactly ready for company.”
Otter glared at him. “You better like the taste of crow, you disrespectful whelp, because you’re going to eat it.”
“I doubt it.” Dusty slammed the door on any further bile Otter may have spewed at him. He leaned against the door trying to calm his desire to get his pound of flesh of the angry older man. What was the matter with him?
Chapter Twenty Seven
Lilly stood at the back of the sanctuary looking for a seat. She found Miss Hazel sitting in her usual spot in the middle of the fifth pew from the front on the right side of the aisle. Lilly walked down the side aisle until she reached her. “Mind if I sit with you, Miss Hazel?”
Miss Hazel turned to her and beamed. “Of course, Stella. You look so beautiful this morning.”
“Um, I’m Lilly, Miss Hazel. Are you feeling all right this morning?” Lilly sat down and took one of the old woman’s hands in hers. The hand was bony and heavily veined. It was also cold. “My goodness, Miss Hazel, your hands are like ice.”
Miss Hazel pulled her hand out of Lilly’s and waved away her concern. “It happens when you get old. You call people by the wrong name. Your hands and feet get cold and stay cold. I have half a mind to sell out and move to Arizona. I hear it’s warm there.”
“I’ve heard that too, but if you moved who would I sit with in church?”
“I don’t know, Dusty Meadows, maybe? I hear you two were together the other night.”
“It was all above board. Dusty saved my life. I was nearly frozen when he found me. I don’t think—no, I know I wouldn’t have lasted much longer. I’d already dozed off when he opened the truck door.”
“It’s true, Miss Hazel.” Dusty sat down beside Lilly. “I thought I might have been too late. Thank God I wasn’t.” He smiled at Lilly. “Morning.”
“Morning.” Before Lilly could say anything else, the song leader climbed the three steps of the stage and began the worship service.
Lilly sat through the service with the distinct feeling that she was being glared at from somewhere behind her. It had to be Maeve. Once when they were reclaiming their seats after standing for a prayer, Lilly looked back to catch Maeve in the act of glaring at her. She thought, ‘Great. Now she hates me, and I have done nothing to her. Except maybe ruin her fantasy.’
She was relieved when the sermon finally ended. The minister was particularly heavy-handed in his calling everyone to repent of their sins, and he kept on and on about fornication, adultery, and other sexual immorality. She was glad she wasn’t guilty of any of those otherwise she would have felt compelled to go forward and confess. It occurred to her that perhaps he was trying to call her and Dusty out on the carpet. He was Maeve’s father. She groaned.
“What’s the matter?” Dusty whispered in her ear.
She looked at him with irritation. “He meant that sermon for us. Maeve more than likely told him everything she thought she saw and he, the spiritual leader of this congregation, felt obliged to pound everyone here over the head with the reminder that ‘sexual immorality will damn you to hell.” She made air quotes.
“You’re too sensitive. I can probably lose count of the number of people in here who do need to repent. Why do you care about what other people think? I know the truth, you know the truth, and God knows the truth. That’s all the matters.”
“Good morning, Dusty. Lilly. A fine Sunday isn’t it?” John McHenry stretched out his hand to shake their hands in turn. “I’m disappointed my sermon didn’t prick your hearts into repentance, though. I thought I delivered one of my best today.”
Before turning to speak to the minister, Lilly shot Dusty a glare that screamed, ‘I told you so.’ “Sir, I assure you, you did a fine job even if it was heavy-handed. However, Dusty and I have nothing to repent. He saved my life by taking me in from the cold.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
“It doesn’t matter what you heard,” she growled. “Rumors are not truths.”
Dusty glared at the minister. “I believe you should have come to us beforehand and asked us what happened. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work? Not that it’s any of your business.”
“You should avoid the appearance of evil. Need I remind you—”
Lilly snorted. “I have a mind to attend church elsewhere. I don’t need you judging and damning me when I’m innocent. You might want to remember the same ruler you use to measure others will measure you also. You’re a preacher. You supposed to teach the gospel not damn the flock.”
Dusty tried not to laugh in the man’s florid face, which was difficult since his mouth was mimicking a landed fish’s. Lilly had schooled him. Instead, he shrugged and said, “She has a point. We’ll be moving along. You have others wanting to tell you what a fine sermon you delivered.” He leaned in close so John was the only one who could hear, “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but if the rumors continue I will come forward and air a whole lot of other people’s laundry, including yours.”
The minister choked, and the person behind him started pounding him on the back. Dusty could hear others whispering as they passed them heading for the hall where their class was starting. Small minded, small town, never been anywhere, people who couldn’t see the beams in their own eyes. He was getting a headache.
They were almost to their classroom when they heard Miss Hazel call them from down the hall. “Dusty. Lilly. Wait a minute.”
They stopped and waited for her to catch up. When she got to them, she laughed. “I heard what you said, and I have to tell you, it pleases me to no end to hear someone put that old pompous windbag in his place. You’re having dinner with me after class so y’all head to the house, ya hear?”
They answered in unison. “Yes, ma’am.”
Dusty pushed away from Miss Hazel’s table. “Miss Hazel you are one of the finest cooks in the country. If you keep feeding me, they’ll be taking me to the stockyard.”
Miss Hazel giggled like a school girl. “You old flatterer. It�
��s just the same old, same old food I cook every Sunday.” She sighed. “I thought Otter was coming after he went to the hospital to see Addie. I guess he lost track of time.”
As if on cue, there was a knock at the front door. Dusty stood. “That must be him. I’ll get the door.”
He returned a minute later following Otter. Miss Hazel smiled broadly. “Well, speak of the devil. Otter we were just saying you were supposed to be here for dinner. You’re late, but you got here before it was all put up. Sit down. Lilly go get your daddy a plate and silverware.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Otter set his crutches against the wall and slumped into the chair Miss Hazel indicated and sighed. “I’m sorry, Miss Hazel. Miss Addie’s all upset about something. Seems that busybody, Imogene Shoemaker, was up to see her and filled her head with all kinds of tales. It seems her boy done went and got his heart broken by some girl from the internet. Stupid boy. He met her through some online forum. Not one of those matchmaker ones. Some site for mail order brides, I think.”
“What?” Miss Hazel frowned. “You’re kidding? He was duped into bringing one over?”
“I don’t know. Miss Addie was going on at top speed. I could barely understand what I told you.”
Lilly walked in with a plate and utensils. She set them down before him as she asked, “Who did what, now?”
Otter waved her away. “Get me some tea. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll tell you if y’all quit pelting me with all your questions. Daryl had been traveling for several months back and forth to some country trying to convince this girl to marry him. Apparently, during their last Skype, she told him she went and married some rich fella from her country.”
Miss Hazel tilted her head to one side. “Are you saying she played him a fool? How much money did she swindle him for?”
“No telling, Miss Addie didn’t say. Stupid boy.” Otter shook his head as he spooned mashed potatoes onto his plate.
Lilly set the glass of iced tea in front of him and flopped into her seat. Miss Hazel frowned. “Y’all need to be nice to my furniture. Quit flopping in my chairs. They were my mother’s. They’re antiques, and they’ve got to last me another fifteen years or so. I don’t want to have to buy new furniture at my age.”
They all chuckled after which an uneasy silence fell on them. Lilly tucked her hair behind her ear with one hand as she reached for her glass. “Wonder why he just didn’t look for a girl closer to home?”
Otter snorted, and as he chased green beans around the serving bowl, he muttered. “It’s a wonder to me why any young man would bother trying to find a woman. Hear me, Dusty, don’t waste your time looking for a woman, they’re trouble, all of them.”
“I take exception to that.” Miss Hazel returned hotly. “I don’t know what you have against women, Otter, but you might want to get over it. A woman brought you into the world. A woman gave you three beautiful children. Women will give you beautiful grandchildren. Without women, you’d be nowhere.”
“Women are the bane of man’s existence.”
Dusty stood as he said, “Maybe I should go.”
“You aren’t going anywhere young man. Sit.” Miss Hazel pointed to his chair.
Lilly and Dusty shared a curious glance. Lilly asked. “Dad? Did some girl hurt you so badly that you don’t like any of us?”
He grunted. Having filled his plate, he lifted his fork half way to his mouth where it stopped for him to answer her. “Ain’t none of you trustworthy. A man just has to put up with you because he can’t get nowhere without you.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize your attitude went farther than me.” Stunned Lilly shook her head in amazement.
“When did you get so hateful about women, Otter? I’ve known you since before you were born and I’ve never heard you talk like this.” Miss Hazel frowned. “What’s got into you?”
Otter just shrugged as he shoveled food into his mouth and chewed. Miss Hazel wasn’t going to let it rest, however. “Otter? Why do you feel you can’t trust women in general? Don’t you trust me?”
Otter nodded. She asked, “You trust Addie and Lilly, don’t you?”
Otter paused to swallow. He set his fork on the edge of his plate. He sighed heavily. “Miss Hazel, don’t make me answer that question.”
Lilly leaned forward resting her elbows on the table. “I want to know why you don’t trust Mom. Why don’t you love me?”
“I’m not answering you.” He picked up his fork and shoved a bite of meatloaf into his mouth.
“Come on, Dad. Answer me. Who made you hate women? Who? Tell me. Why do you not trust Mom? Why do you hate me? Tell me, Dad.” She continued to push him.
He sullenly refused to acknowledge that she was speaking while he continued to eat.
Miss Hazel sighed. “This is all quite unsettling, Otter. I wish there were something I could do to help you. Women aren’t all bad. Why look at your mama—”
“Let’s not.”
“Dad. Why do you not want to talk about your mom?”
“I just don’t, okay?”
Lilly sat back in her chair. “There has to be a reason. Who was she, Dad? Why don’t you trust women? Why do you hate me? Tell me, Dad. Why? Who betrayed you? Who hurt you? Who, Dad? I want to know. Who hurt you so badly that you generalized your hate?”
“Shut up and let me eat, Lillian.”
“No. I want to know. It’s time to clear the air. Who made you distrust women? What did she do to you? Tell me, Dad. Tell me. Who was she? Who—“
My mother!” He yelled.
Lilly and Miss Hazel gasped. Miss Hazel said, “Impossible. Your mother was the most trustworthy, loving and generous woman I’ve ever known.”
“My mother was a whore. She cheated on my dad.”
Lilly’s eyes were wide, and her mouth was agape. “No.”
“How can you say that about Stella? She and I were the best of friends. She never kept anything from me.”
“I saw her.”
“What? When? With who?” Miss Hazel demanded.
“I was eight I think, maybe nine. I saw Mama out behind the old Co-Op shed at the edge of town kissing and hugging on a man. He was kissing and hugging her too. I ran all the way to the other end of town and threw up in the Harper’s driveway.”
“Bull shit.” She slammed her bony hand down on the table making everything clatter and shocking them all into utter silence. “You say you were about nine? That would have been what, nineteen sixty-five?”
“Yeah, I reckon. It was summer, and I wasn’t ten yet. So yeah, nineteen sixty-five, why?”
Miss Hazel nodded and smacked her lips once. “That’s what I thought. Yep. I’ll be right back. Lilly, go get the peach cobbler and ice cream.”
Miss Hazel marched out of the dining room and disappeared into the other room. Lilly glanced at Dusty wide-eyed. He shrugged.
Lilly got up from the table and walked into the kitchen to retrieve the cobbler and ice cream along with dessert plates and clean forks. She came back at the same time as Miss Hazel.
Miss Hazel reentered from the study carrying two large ancient looking photo albums. She plunked them on the table. The silverware jumped and clattered again. Curious, Lilly watched her out the corner of her eye as she served the dessert for the four of them.
Miss Hazel flipped through the album until she came to a particular photo. She had a small, sad smile on her face as she stroked the face in the picture. She shook her head and sighed. She slid the book over toward Otter. “Is this him? Is this the man you saw your Mama hugging and kissing on?”
Otter looked at the photo of a young man in his mid-twenties in his dress uniform. He was a very handsome man. “That’s him. That’s the bastard.”
Before he knew what had happened, Miss Hazel had slapped him on the back of his head. “Don’t you dare call your uncle a bastard.”
“I don’t have any uncles. I only have two aunts, one on each side of the family.”
“No, hon. Dus
ty, you had an uncle. That’s him. That’s Lonny. Your grandpa had disowned him and run him out of town.”
“Why?” Lilly asked, looking over her father’s shoulder at the picture of a man who could have been her brother Erik.
“It’s sad really. Lonny never had a girlfriend; never said anything about liking one either. He didn’t go in for all the sports, cars, hunting, and fishing sort of things. He liked to read and listen to music. He—”
“He was gay,” Otter interrupted.
“That’s what your grandpa thought. He ran him off because he didn’t want the embarrassment.”
Lilly looked up from the picture. “Was he?”
Miss Hazel sat down. “Turned out that once he got over to Vietnam, he met this little Vietnamese girl and fell hopelessly in love. They married and were expecting their first child when a land mine killed him. She came over here with the baby to meet the family. Otter, your grandfather, threw her out into the cold. He refused to believe her. He went to his grave believing his only son was a gay man and some Vietnamese girl tried to con him into a grandchild that wasn’t his for money.
“Your mother helped her as much as she could until the boy turned eighteen. What you saw, was your heart broken mother saying goodbye to her only brother before he was shipped out to Vietnam. They met out behind the Co-Op because they both knew your grandpa wouldn’t see them there. He never went over there. He had a problem with old man Carpenter who owned the store next door to the Co-Op.
“You’ve spent the last fifty years hating your mother and every other woman because you thought you saw something you didn’t see. You’re so much like your grandpa. Hopefully, unlike him, you’ll see the truth.”
Otter sat there in silence for a couple of minutes, but Lilly still didn’t have the answers she wanted, no, needed. She returned to her seat as she said, “Dad? That doesn’t explain why you hate me.”
Otter stared into her eyes before blurting, “You aren’t my daughter. Your mother cheated on me. I saw her coming out of the barn one night and a few minutes later a man I had working for me at the time slipped out of the barn. A few weeks later she tells me she’s pregnant.”
