Catching Moondrops

by Jennifer Erin Valent

  “Work!” Lissa huffed. “He ain’t doin’ nothin’ of the sort. Boy don’t do nothin’ but laze about and stir up trouble. Some days he comes home three o’clock in the mornin’ drunk as a skunk.”

  Gemma and I lifted our heads in unison, but it was Gemma who spoke first, as usual. “That boy’s a mess these days.” She shook her head fiercely. “Don’t you go followin’ in his footsteps, Noah Jarvis. You got too much goin’ for you.”

  “I ain’t likely to, Miss Gemma. I got me better things to think about.”

  I finished my last stitch and laid my work down. “What’re you learnin’ about today, Noah?”

  His eyes came up, but he kept his head tilted toward the book. “Just studyin’ history.”

  “You get into college, what d’you plan on doin’ with that extra education? You got somethin’ in mind?”

  “Boy wants to be a doctor now,” Lissa piped up. “Think of that. Dr. Jarvis!”

  “So you’re pretty serious about that, huh?” I got up and bent down next to Noah to peer at his book. “Tal Pritchett thinks you’d be a fine hand at it.”

  “It ain’t a sure thing. Not even close. I figure I best not go gettin’ nobody’s expectations up. It ain’t likely I’d get into college in the first place.”

  “Tal thinks you’d get in, no questions asked, and I think so too,” Gemma said. “You keep studyin’ hard like that, Noah. I want you takin’ care of my children someday.”

  “Unless you end up marryin’ a doctor yourself,” I said. “In which case, you already got a ready-made doctor for your children.”

  “Don’t you start, Jessilyn!”

  I gave Noah a nudge. “She gets so touchy sometimes.”

  “I ain’t sayin’ a word.” Noah opened his book and hid his face behind it. “Don’t go gettin’ Gemma riled at me.”

  Gemma jabbed her needle into the air in my direction. “I ain’t got need of you braggin’ about me steppin’ out when I ain’t, Jessilyn.”

  “You will be.”

  “Don’t go spreadin’ talk!”

  “I’m only speakin’ truth. Leastways I ought to be. No man could do better.”

  I could see that she squelched a smile, but she looked away to keep from letting on. “You’re just talkin’ foolishness.”

  “I’m only sayin’.” I reached up and grabbed a flower from the magnolia tree Noah sat under. “If the man’s got any sense, he’ll snatch you up, and he’ll do it on the quick, too. Not like Luke takin’ years of my life away while he got his nerve up.”

  “Jessie, he weren’t doin’ nothin’ but waitin’ till things were good and proper. And I don’t need you gettin’ worked up over my marital status. It’ll happen if and when it’s meant to, so don’t let it keep you awake nights.”

  I elbowed Noah. “If I keep this needlin’ up, she’s bound to box my ears. You know how she can get.”

  “She’ll likely still be doin’ it in a few years. Maybe by then I’ll know how to mend you up.”

  “Listen to you makin’ jokes, Noah Jarvis,” Gemma said. “You’re a bad influence on him, Jessie.”

  “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a boy havin’ a well-developed sense of humor.” I went back to where I’d been sitting and stuffed my things into my sack. “Anyways, least the boy tells the truth.”

  Gemma jabbed her needle into the tobacco bag and narrowed her eyes. “I ain’t never laid a hand on you, and you know it.” She stood and filled her own sack. “But heaven knows there was a time or two I thought of it.”

  “There’s a time or two I’ve thought of givin’ Malachi a shot to the head,” Lissa murmured. “Yes, ma’am, he could do with a lickin’ or ten.”

  “Well, don’t tell me your momma don’t give him some,” I said, “’cause I’ve seen it myself.”

  “Oh, she hands it out good, but it don’t make no difference. Don’t ask me why it worked with me and Noah but not with Malachi.”

  “He’s stubborn as a mule, that’s why.” Gemma stretched her arms high, arched her back, and groaned. “My back’s stiff as a board.” She walked over to Lissa and patted her cheek. “Don’t you worry none, girl. Ain’t goin’ to do nothin’ but give you headaches.”

  “Ain’t possible not to worry when someone you love’s in trouble, Gemma Teague. You ought to know that.” Lissa finished off by tipping her head in my direction.

  I wrinkled my nose up. “Listen to you, makin’ it out like I’ve given Gemma all kinds of worry.”

  She grinned and tucked her head down closer to her work. “I didn’t say a thing.”

  “Uh-huh! Gemma Teague, you must’ve told some tall tales about me.”

  “Only what’s true.”

  “Well, I ain’t a girl no more, so you can stop pickin’ on me now.”

  “But it’s so much fun.”

  “Oh, hush!” I slipped my arm through hers and led her off toward the road. “I let her stay any longer and she’ll be talkin’ nonsense about me all evenin’.”

  “Nothin’ I ain’t already heard,” Lissa called as we walked away.

  Momma was on the porch shucking corn as we came up the walk, and she waved a corn silk–covered hand at us. “You girls get some good work done today?”

  “Much as we could with all the silliness goin’ on,” Gemma muttered.

  Momma stood and let the stray pieces of husk slip off her lap. “Oh, what’s work without a little silliness to make it better?”

  I gave Momma a wink. “Gemma got all bothered because I brought up Tal Pritchett, is all.”

  “Tal Pritchett’s a fine man, Gemma,” Momma said. “Seems he means to do some good things here in Calloway.”

  “He means to snap up my Gemma is what he means to do.”

  Gemma propped the door open with her foot. “Jessilyn, you’re just eggin’ me on!”

  “Ain’t nothin’ new about that.”

  I followed her inside to the kitchen, where Gemma washed up. I could tell by her sharp movements she didn’t plan on entertaining any more of my jokes about her and Tal Pritchett. As it was, Luke arrived shortly after, so I didn’t feel like talking about any other man, anyway. It had been a few days since we’d talked courting, and I figured he had to come around to asking me to go someplace soon or else he’d look a fool.

  So after I put in my fair share of picking up after supper, I walked outside to join him on the porch, where he stood against the rail staring at the moon.

  “It’ll be full tomorrow night,” I noted. “You know what my daddy says about a full moon.”

  Luke folded his arms and smiled at me. “No, what’s your daddy say about a full moon?”

  He knew full well since he’d heard my daddy say it every full moon for the past six years. But Luke had me tell him the same stories over all the time just because he liked to hear me tell them.

  I smiled wryly at him and then pointed my gaze toward the sky. “My daddy says that the moon fills up a little more every day until it just gets too full and starts to spill out. Then those moondrops fall to earth until the moon disappears altogether and has to fill up all over again. And if you’re lucky enough, you’ll catch one of those moondrops, because moondrops can make you see the whole world brighter.”

  Just like always, he asked, “You ever catch one of them moondrops, Jessilyn?”

  “Not yet.” I turned my eyes to him. “But I got me a feelin’ I will soon.”

  “Well then, we best go out moondrop huntin’ tomorrow evenin’, you and me. Seems to me we might spot some good ones. We could do a little night fishin’ while we wait. Fish are hoppin’ at Barter’s Lake, so I hear.”

  After all those years of waiting and wishing for this moment, none of my imagined scenarios did anything to still the nervous flutter of my heart. I hid my shaky hands behind my back and murmured, “That so?”

  “So I hear. You reckon you might like that?”

  Now for some girls, night fishing to start out courting would have been about as welcome as a sn
akebite, but not for me. I wasn’t much of a goin’-into-town girl, and from my way of thinking, there wasn’t a much more fitting way for us to get things started. I did everything I could to make my voice sound nonchalant. “I think I’d like that.”

  But I knew it would never work. My daddy might have given Luke his blessing, but he wouldn’t ever let me walk out alone with Luke at night.

  He was way ahead of me. “Gemma already said she could chaperone.”

  “Gemma likes goin’ out on the boat.”

  “Sure enough.”

  “I don’t reckon Daddy’ll mind, then.”

  “Can’t see as he would.” He reached out to catch a firefly and held his hand open so it could crawl across it. “In fact, I reckon he don’t, seein’ as how I already asked him.”

  I betrayed my attempt at nonchalance and stood on my toes in excitement. “He already said we could?”

  Luke nodded. “Gotta be back by midnight, though.”

  I didn’t care. So long as I got to say I’d stepped out with Luke Talley, I didn’t much care if we left at seven and had to be home by seven fifteen. I settled back onto flat feet and watched the firefly light up and fly away, a faint ache forming in my cheeks from my wide smile.

  I was starting to think maybe I’d caught one of those moondrops after all.

  Chapter 8

  The day of my date with Luke was a blur. While I straightened Miss Cleta’s knickknacks or dusted her furniture, she’d watch me from the corners of her eyes and then start chuckling.

  Every time she did, I’d ask, “What’s so funny?”

  And every time she’d answer, “You’re a sight.”

  The fourth time she said it, I dropped onto the sofa with a loud sigh. “I can’t think straight.”

  “Oh, you can think straight, all right, only you can’t think of more than one thing . . . and he’s a whole lot nicer to look at than that dust rag.” She tipped my chin up with one arthritic finger. “You’ve waited a long time for this day, Jessilyn. Enjoy it.”

  “I plan to . . . if I could only get these jitters to go away.”

  She waved me off. “Jitters are part of the fun. Don’t worry so much.”

  But I worried, and there was no settling down for me that afternoon or evening. After washing up, I sat on my bed, my mind running through all the stupid things I could wind up saying or doing that night.

  Momma came in and found me there so distracted, it took her two repetitions of my name before I noticed. Once I spotted her, she gave me that smile only Momma could give and sat down beside me. “You gettin’ cold feet?”

  “Momma, I swear, after six years, you’d think I’d be ready as anythin’ for this.”

  “But you ain’t.”

  “No, I ain’t!”

  She put an arm around me and pulled me close. “Baby, first time out with a man is always scary no matter how prepared you think you are. That’s just part of life. But let me tell you one important thing: Luke Talley came to care for who you are, plain and simple. Not for somethin’ he thinks you might be. Don’t go tryin’ to be anythin’ but you and you’ll be good and fine tonight.”

  “But, Momma, you know me. I’m bound to say somethin’ wrong. I always do.”

  She pulled away and looked at me with a wry smile. “That ever stop him from fallin’ for you?”

  I didn’t know if that was a compliment or a criticism, but I couldn’t help but smile at Momma’s expression. “S’pose not.”

  “Well then, you go on and have a fun time tonight and don’t go worryin’ about nothin’. You just be yourself. And if you start to feel like you ain’t sure how to be yourself, you just look to Gemma. There ain’t nobody better at puttin’ you in your place.”

  I laughed and leaned into her. “I love you, Momma.”

  “Oh, baby, I love you too.” She kissed my hair and then patted my legs. “You’d best get on up and finish gettin’ ready. He’ll be here any minute.”

  I popped up and ran the brush through my hair, stopping to examine myself in the mirror. “Well, that ain’t much to look at. This is how I look every other day of my life.”

  “Don’t talk crazy.” Momma came up behind me and smiled at my reflection. “You got love all over your face. Ain’t no better accessory than that.” She tilted her head sideways. “It’s missin’ one thing, though.” I watched her retrieve something from my dressing table. “This’ll go just right,” she said, holding up the necklace Luke had given me.

  I lifted my hair so she could fasten the clasp and then went off to find Gemma so she could do my hair. But not until I’d stopped off in the bathroom to peer at that necklace in the mirror again. I didn’t know if it was the necklace or thoughts of Luke, but my eyes sparkled like diamonds. I pinched my cheeks for color and smiled at my reflection.

  “If you like what you see so much, I guess Luke’ll like it even better.”

  I turned sharply to find Gemma staring at me from the doorway. “Ain’t nothin’ you can tease me about that’ll make me upset tonight.” I picked up the dish of hairpins off the windowsill and handed them to her. “Here. Make me pretty. But don’t make it fancy. I don’t want to look like Greta Garbo with a fishin’ pole.”

  She set the dish down and stuck two pins in her mouth. “You’re already pretty,” she murmured around them, pulling the ends of my hair up behind my head. “Ain’t no hairpins goin’ to improve on that.”

  “Same thing can be said for you, and you know it.” I leaned against her and watched her in the mirror. “I’m glad you’re comin’ with me.”

  “Me too. Somebody’s got to keep you out of trouble.”

  A knock sounded at the front door, and I heard Luke open it and yell inside, “It’s just me!”

  “Just him,” I whispered. “There ain’t no just about it. And here I am with my hair in tatters.”

  “Your momma will keep him occupied till you’re ready. That’s what mommas do.”

  She was right. Ten minutes later we found them in the kitchen shelling beans to be soaked overnight.

  “There they are,” Momma declared when we walked in. “You girls ready?”

  “Yes’m.” The first glance I gave Luke was a tentative one, all full of bashfulness, a trait I’d never once in my life been accused of. But the way he looked back at me lit me up from the inside out. I made my best effort at being me, just like Momma said.

  “She got you workin’ already?” I asked. “She ought to know you’re slow as molasses at bean shellin’.”

  Momma patted his shoulder in mock sincerity. “I reckon she’s right at that, Luke. I guess you’d best leave the job to me and head on out. You takin’ your truck?”

  Luke looked at me and Gemma. “Depends on what the ladies want.”

  The way I figured it, a truck drive was much too fast, and I wanted all the time I could get with him. “It’s a fine night to walk.” I spoke quickly and then decided I’d better give a reason for my hasty response. “Anyways, we go ridin’ up to Barter’s Lake with that squeaky truck and we’ll scare the fish away.”

  Gemma and Momma both gave me a look that said they knew exactly why I’d made my choice, but neither of them said a thing.

  Daddy was on the porch with his pipe when we came out, and he stood up like a castle guard, arms crossed in front of his chest. “You ’bout ready, then?” He took the pipe out and pointed it at Luke. “You take care of my girls, son. And make sure you’re home on time, you hear?”

  Luke tipped his hat solemnly. “Yes’r. I’ll do that.”

  Daddy tucked the pipe back into the side of his mouth. “See that you do,” he said around it.

  I cast one last glance at Momma, but she just winked and waved. “You have fun now.”

  The three of us wandered off in silence and stayed that way for the first ten minutes of our walk, breaking it only with comments about the weather and such, things we’d never mention under normal circumstances. But these weren’t normal circumstances. This was t
he realization of everything I’d hoped for all these years, and there was a fear coursing through me that it could never measure up to my daydreams.

  Gemma hummed a church hymn, a soft melody that blended into the chorus of frogs and crickets. She trailed behind us, never one to hurry about unless necessary, but I figured she was holding back even more tonight so Luke and I could have our space.

  He looked at me and waited for me to meet his gaze, then smiled. “Nice night for fishin’.”

  I smiled back and then closed my eyes to savor the breeze. “Nice night for anythin’. Gonna make it hard to get used to the real summer heat when it comes in.”

  “The way it’s started out, could be a mild summer.”

  “Or it could be baitin’ us, makin’ us think things’ll be nice, and then whack us upside the head in a week or two.”

  “More likely than not, I guess. But I reckon I can stand the heat so long as I spend the summer here with you.”

  I didn’t look at him because I knew I was likely to be wearing the stupidest grin a girl could wear. I just stared straight ahead and hoped he couldn’t make out my expression in the moonlight. He tucked his free arm through mine, and though we walked the rest of the way in silence, our journey was charmed from the first step to the last so that I almost regretted it when we reached Barter’s Lake.

  Luke kept a skiff there, and he helped the two of us in before shoving us away from shore. I waited for Luke to bait my line, and then, as the breeze picked the water up into small peaks, setting the boat to dancing subtly to and fro, I steadied myself carefully and cast off.

  I settled back with a contented sigh and glanced at Gemma. She never had been as fond of fishing as me, but she loved the water, and she was already curled up at the far end of the boat, eyes closed, a peaceful smile on her face.

  Luke and I sat close as seemed proper, and I nudged him lightly with my elbow. “Gemma’s already out. Sure hope we don’t tip in this breeze. She’ll sink like a lead weight.”

  “She sure can doze off quick.”

  I watched the full moon put on a show of shadows about the weedy banks. Each peak of the water shimmered with its light.