She turned the volume knob so that the music was even louder. “Oops. Sorry. Wrong way.” She was popping bubble gum. She turned off the radio and got a bottle of Pepsi from the refrigerator. She removed the bottle cap with a bottle opener she took from a drawer.
“Where you been?” Aunt Evangeline asked her.
“Out,” she replied and went into her bedroom.
“I’ll swan, these kids today,” Aunt Evangeline remarked, shaking her head. “I doeknow what’s gonna become of ‘em.”
“Me neither,” Marie agreed.
Uncle Caryl and Aunt Evangeline had adopted Carrie Lynn when she was three years old. From the beginning, she was incorrigible; she would do nothing that they asked her to do. Now that she was a teenager, she came and went as she pleased, and did whatever she pleased. They had adopted her because Evangeline was found to have cysts on her ovaries and abnormal fallopian tubes, rendering her infertile. They had given up on trying to control her and now let her do whatever she pleased. She had scared Del when they were both seven. She had pulled him beneath her parents’ bed and started pawing at his crotch, trying to unzip him. He managed to loosen her grasp and rushed outside, his heart pounding. From then on, he tried to stay as far away from her as he could.
Uncle Caryl came back into the kitchen with an armful of blue folders. He placed them on the table and opened the top one so that it was flat on the table. “Here’s my collection o’ Liberty walkin’ half dollars,” he said. The folder, as it lay open, had three sections and circular indentations into which the coins had been pressed. There were dates beneath each indentation. Only a few of them had no coins. “I’m almost done with these. Only a few more to go. The thing is, Adam, the longer you keep these, the more valuable they become.”
“Really?” Adam said.
“Yeah, some of ‘em are worth much more than their face value. This half dollar is worth twenty-seven dollars.”
“No kiddin’?” Adam remarked.
“No kiddin’.” He opened the other folders. “I got buffalo nickels, Indian head pennies, Lincoln pennies, Mercury dimes. I try to collect as many as I can. It keeps me busy, an’ it’s sump’n’ to do when I retire from Armco.”
“These are neat, Uncle Caryl,” Del said, putting his face close to the coins.
Caryl looked at Del. “If you’re inter-rested, Del, I got a coupla empty folders I can give ya.”
“Really?” Del said excitedly.
“Yeah, I got some duplicates I don’t need. I’ll bring ‘em out to ya.” He went back into the bedroom.
“Wow! These are really neat, ain’t they, Dev?”
“Uh huh,” Devon said flatly, not interested. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. Wrist flick. Abdomen clench. Ow.
Uncle Caryl returned and handed Del two folders. “Here’s a buffalo nickel an’ a Lincoln penny. You can have these.”
“Wow! Thanks, Uncle Caryl.”
“You’re welcome. You’re gonna find that you’ll be goin’ through your change from now on, lookin’ for that coin you’re missin’. I do.”
On Friday, at the beginning of Labor Day weekend, Adam and Marie took the family to visit Adam’s cousin, Melvin, in the hollows of Hazard, Kentucky, where Adam was born. The dirt road leading to Melvin and Grace’s house paralleled the Kentucky River, which contained giant, smooth boulders, looking like enormous eggs that had been laid by some gargantuan prehistoric reptile. In reality, they had been worn smooth and deposited by half-mile high glaciers as they receded northward twelve thousand years ago at the end of the last ice age. They lay helter-skelter in the river bed, some as high as ten to fifteen feet above the river. “River” was a misnomer. It was no longer a river; it had dwindled to a creek which now trickled and gurgled among the huge boulders.
Adam pulled the station wagon to the left side of an unpainted, ramshackle house where ruts in the dirt in front indicated the place where vehicles parked. Chickens were pecking at the barren dirt in front of the house. When they opened the car doors, a black coon dog came barking from around the right corner of the house. The front screen door opened simultaneously, and Melvin and Grace came out to greet them.
“Homer! Hush that racket!” Melvin screamed at the dog.
The dog immediately stopped barking and commenced to wag its tail as it cautiously approached the car. Melvin had a fringe of gray hair level with the tops of his ears beneath a bald head. He wore bib overalls without a shirt and no shoes. He had a large paunch. Grace wore a frowsy yellow frock and was wiping her hands with a red towel. She was also well-padded with country cooking. Grace hugged Marie while Melvin went to shake hands with Adam. “Why, who’re all these young’uns ye picked up along the way?” Grace asked.
All of the children had gotten out of the car, grateful to be standing after the long drive from Dayton. Marie pointed, “This is Del, my oldest.”
“Hi,” Del said.
Then there’s Devon, holdin’ Jackie, one o’ the twins.”
“Hi.”
“An’ then there’s Gloryann, Denny, an’ I’m holdin’ Gina, the other twin.”
“It’s nice to meet y’all. Come on in an’ git ye some lemonade. I was hopin’ ye’d be here ‘fore supper. I been cookin’ all afternoon.”
“Why, ain’tchou sweet!” Marie said as she followed Grace into the house. Adam and Melvin remained outside to talk. All of the children followed Marie.
In the kitchen, Grace poured lemonade into tall plastic tumblers with sunflowers painted on the sides.
“Can we take ‘em outside?” Del asked Grace. He was eager to get out of the house.
“Why, sure ye kin, honey. Go down by the crick an’ ye might see Big Duck an’ Little Duck huntin’ crawdads. They’s always in that crick. That’s why we call ‘em Big Duck an’ Little Duck. Go on now.”
“Thanks,” Del said, grateful to get away from adults. He and Devon went outside.
“Can I help ya finish makin’ supper?” Marie asked.
“Why, ye sure can, honey. I was just about to put the pork chops on. Ye can do that while I peel these taters.”
“Gloryann, you an’ Denny take the babies into the livin’ room an’ watch ‘em.”
“Yes, Mommy,” Gloryann answered.
Outside, Melvin and Adam were standing on the riverbank and looking out over the river. Del and Devon walked up to them and stood alongside them.
“I’ll swan, Adam, I ain’t never seen nothin’ like it,” Melvin was saying. “As soon as I come outa that door with my .22, that hog knowed what was up. He went to squealin’ like he was bein’ cornholed by a donkey, an’ he run as fur away from me in that pen as he could an’ started clawin’ at the top o’ that fence rail, kindly like he was gonna climb outa that pen. That hog ain’t never seen a rifle in his life, fur as I know, yet he knew his day o’ judgment had come. Most hogs, ye know, ye give ‘em some slop to eat ‘fore ya plug ‘em, an’ they ain’t a payin’ no more ‘tention that ye’re puttin’ a rifle barrel twixt their eyes than if ye was a holdin’ a fly swatter an’ brushin’ flies offen their face. But this one was differnt. I ain’t seen nothin’ like it. Course, once I plugged him, he warn’t no differnt’n any other hog. He went to twitchin’ an’ jerkin’ liken they all does, an’ I clumb over the fence an’ sliced him under the ears with muh knife to let all the blood run clean out, so’s it woulden spile the meat.”
As Devon listened, the icy fist of fear plunged into his stomach. He had never heard such a vivid description of anyone killing an animal. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. Wrist flick. Abdomen clench. Ow.
“That does beat all,” Adam commented. “I ain’t never heard o’ no hog goin’ wild like that before.”
“Didden I tell ye? Strangest thang.” He looked at Del. “Why don’tchou boys go up the crick a bit an’ see if ye can track down Big Duck an’ Little Duck. Tell ‘em it’s supper
time.”
“Can we Daddy?” Del asked.
“Alright, but be back in time for supper if you can’t find ‘em.”
“OK. Let’s go, Dev.”
“OK.” I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. Wrist flick. Abdomen clench. Ow.
Devon and Del had fun hopping from boulder to boulder until they found the boys in the middle of the river turning over rocks. Both boys wore blue jeans cut off at the knees and nothing else.
“You guys Big Duck an’ Little Duck?” Del asked.
“Who wants to know?” the heavyset boy asked.
“I’m Del, an’ this is Devon. We’re Adam’s sons, your daddy’s cousin. He wanted us to tell ya it’s supper time.”
“Oh,” the heavyset boy said. “OK. I’m Big Duck, an’ this here is Little Duck.” He pointed to the slender boy turning over rocks.
“Whatchou lookin’ for?” Devon asked.
“Crawdads,” Little Duck said. “Like this one.” He quickly grabbed a small, dark creature lying on the bottom of the creek behind the head, squeezing its pincers together so that it could not pinch him, and held it aloft for the boys to see. It tucked its lobster-like tail towards its abdomen, trying to escape. “See that there tail he’s wavin’ at ye? That’s a tasty treat for some big catfish down in the fishin’ hole. That’s why we catch ‘em. To use as bait when we go fishin’.”
“You mean there’s a place in this river deep enough to fish in?” Del asked.
“Sure there is,” Big Duck replied. “It’s about half a mile downstream from where we are.”
Little Duck opened the lid of a bait bucket that was filled with water and dropped the crustacean into it. “That’s number thirty for the day.”
“Thirty? You caught thirty today?” Devon asked, incredulous. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. Wrist flick. Abdomen clench. Ow.
“Yeah, it’s been a slow day for us. We usually catch forty to fifty,” Big Duck said.
“Think we oughta go to supper,” Del said.
“Yeah, reckon so. Let’s head on home then, B.D.,” Little Duck said.
“Sounds good to me,” Big Duck said. “My stomach’s growlin’ like a she bear protectin’ her young’uns.”
“When ain’t ye hungry?” Little Duck ribbed him.
“Never,” Big Duck responded.
At supper, after Adam had said grace and everyone’s plate was piled high with fried pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, peas, corn on the cob, and hot biscuits, he looked at Del and then Devon and said, “Boys, you ain’t gonna believe this, but Melvin here ain’t never been outa this holler his whole life.”
“Really?” Del said, his voice rising.
“Yeah, really,” Melvin replied. “I was born right cheer in this holler, an’ I ain’t never seen no reason to leave. I grow my own crops for Grace to can, I raise mah own pigs an’ cows, so’s we always got plenty o’ meat and milk, an’ iffen I want some fresh chicken, I go out in the yard an’ wring one o’ them chicken’s necks. Since we’re speakin’ on it, Adam, ye wanta pick us out a plump one fir breakfast tomorr’?”
“Be happy to,” Adam said. It was good to be home with his own people.
When the meal was finished, Melvin, Adam, Big Duck, Little Duck, Del, and Devon went out into the backyard to sit and allow their food to digest. The women stayed inside to do the dishes. There was a cord of wood piled against the chicken coop. Everyone chose a log to sit on.
“Ain’t nothin’ like a good meal, is there?” Melvin asked rhetorically, belching.
“No, they ain’t,” Adam agreed.
“You ready to grab us a chicken fir breakfast, Adam?” Melvin asked.
“Shore ‘nuff,” Adam replied.
“Well, then, grab that red’un walkin’ by ye. She looks tasty.”
Adam quickly grabbed the chicken that was pecking at the ground close to his right foot by the neck. The chicken squawked. He stood up and, still holding the chicken by its neck, twirled its body around and around like a windmill. Devon noticed a strange gleam in his father’s eyes as he did this, as though he enjoyed the killing.
“Now, bring ‘er over here, Adam, an’ I’ll lop ‘er head off.”
Adam took the dead chicken over to Melvin, who stood up from his log. “Put ‘er there,” he said, pointing to his log. Adam laid the dead chicken’s neck across the log, and Melvin whacked its head off with a hatchet. Blood spurted out over the log and into the dirt. He tossed the head to Homer, who had been watching the proceedings with interest and wagging his tail. He carried the head to the side of the house and started to gnaw on it.
“Take ‘er inside now, an’ the women will pluck ‘er an’ cut ‘er up for tomorr’ mornin'. Let ‘er blood finish drainin’ in that bucket by the door ‘fore ye take ‘er in, though.”
“OK,” Adam said.
While Adam was inside, a man with blue skin came around the corner of the house and addressed Melvin. “Hey, Mel.” He was dressed in blue bib overalls and wore a long-sleeved red flannel shirt and black boots. He had long, greasy black hair which hung down to his shoulders and a long black beard.
“Why, hey, Levi, grab ye up a log an’ set a spell,” Melvin directed him. “We’s just settin’ around an’ chewin’ the fat. These young’uns are my cousin Adam’s boys, Del an’ Devon. Adam just went inside with a chicken for Gracie to clean so’s we can fry ‘er up for breakfast tomorr’. What’s on your mind?”
“Well, Mel,” Levi said, stroking his beard, “the reason I dropped on by tonight was to see if ye an’ your boys wanted to go coon huntin’ tomorr’ night.”
“Coon huntin’? Wha’da ye say boys?” he asked, looking at Big Duck and Little Duck. “Ye up fir some coon huntin’ tomorr’?”
“Yessir,” Big Duck said. “We ain’t been since last year. Me an’ L.D.’s up for some coonin’, ain’t we L.D.?”
Little Duck shook his head yes.
“Alrighty, then, Levi, we’ll be at yore place soon’s the sun sets. Are ye packin’, or do ye want me to brang my .22?”
“Ye kin bring yourn if you lack.”
“Alrighty, then. We’ll come up to yore place tomorr’.”
Levi stood up. “Well, then, I best be moseyin’ back. I tole Purdy I woulden be gone more’n a fahrfly’s blink. See ye tomorr’.”
“Alright, Levi. We’ll see ye then.”
Adam came out from the kitchen just as Levi was leaving. “I been helpin’ the women pluck that chicken a little bit.” He caught a glimpse of Levi’s back as he disappeared around the corner of the house. “Who was that?” he asked.
“It was a blue man,” Del answered, still disbelieving what he had seen.
“Heh heh,” Adam laughed. “Which one o’ them blue Fugates was it, Mel?”
“Levi. Ya know, him an’ Purdy got hitched last year.”
“No!” Adam exclaimed. “How long’s Piney been gone?”
“Hmm. Lemme see. I’d say purt nigh onto ten yar now.”
“I never thought he’d ever git married again. What happened to Purdy’s husband?”
“Why, they’s an explosion last year in the mine an’ it blowed his head clean off.”
“Ya don’t say?” Adam remarked.
“Yep, an’ Purdy needed someone to feed ‘er and all them young’uns, so she started butterin’ up Levi, an’ he up an’ married ‘er. Guess he got tard o’ chokin’ the chicken.”
“Why is he blue?” Del asked, still desiring to know how there came to be a blue man in Kentucky.
“Nobody knows,” Melvin answered. “Them blue Fugates been in this holler ‘fore Hazard came to be Hazard, they say. Most o’ the family’s blue.”
“Hm,” Del grunted.
“Well, young’uns,” Adam said, looking from Del to Devon. “We’re gonna haf to leave right after breakfast tomorr’ if we hope to make it to Snyderville before church time. So we’ll haf to turn in
soon’s it gits dark.”
“OK, Daddy,” Devon said. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. Wrist flick. Abdomen clench. Ow.
Del, Devon, Gloryann, Denny, and Little Duck slept on pallets on the living room floor. Big Duck slept on the couch. Adam and Marie slept in Big Duck and Little Duck’s bedroom with Jackie and Gina. The floor was hard, and every time that Devon awoke, his demons began. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. Wrist flick. Abdomen Clench. Ow.
In the morning, they breakfasted on fresh fried chicken, fried eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, hot biscuits and gravy, coffee for the adults and Big Duck and Little Duck, and milk for everyone else. The family left for home right after the dishes were done. After leaving Hazard hollow, Adam pointed the car north on Interstate 75. The trip had been an interesting diversion for Del and Devon. This was the first time that they had met any of Adam’s relatives in Kentucky. Adam gunned the car to seventy. He did not want to be late for church. Devon morosely looked out the window and thought about Levi, the blue man. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. I do believe in the Holy Ghost. Wrist flick. Abdomen clench. Ow.
The doctor sat across from Harald at a large, dark wooden desk. Harald sat with his head down, looking at the patterns on the parquet floor. The doctor finished reading a paper on his desk and cleared his throat. “Mr. Mayall, do you know why you are here?”
Harald heard the ticking of the large clock above the doctor’s head. “Myrtle can’t take it no more, an’ she told me that if I didden git no help we was gonna git divorced,” he mumbled, without looking up.
“That’s right,” the doctor assented. “Look at me, please.”
Harald slowly raised his head and looked at the doctor’s face.
“And can you tell me why your wife is exasperated with you?”
“Exasp?” Harald queried, not comprehending the word.
“Exasperated,” the doctor repeated. “It means fed up.”
“Oh,” Harald said. “She’s ‘zasprated ‘cause she don’t like me fuckin’ ‘er all the time.”
Fiery Rivers Page 28
