The Angel's Song

by Roberta Kagan

  Chapter Fourteen

  For the last two years Mr. Henderson, the man who owned the general store in town, had been very flirtatious with Clover. His wife was sloppy and fat and whenever he saw Clover come in to buy a bag of rice or grits, his eyes lit up. He would always tell her how pretty she was and give her a free piece of candy. He always made her uneasy. But for Clover that was not unusual, almost everyone she knew made her feel out of place. She assumed from the way he looked that Mr. Henderson was at least her mother’s age, and she was sure that he was far too old to be looking at her with lust in his eyes. And, up until now, she made a point of avoiding him whenever possible. If she needed to buy something at the store, she’d run in, grab the merchandise, throw her money on the counter, and as soon as he put the candy down she would take her purchase and run out. But now that she decided that she was going to have to find a mister who’d pay her for her services, he seemed like the perfect candidate.

  Clover was alone late that Saturday afternoon. She was trembling with nervous anticipation as she slipped on her mother’s black satin dress and high heels. Then, barely able to walk, she headed for town. She slipped and fell twice, soiling the dress, but she finally made it down the hill. She walked into the store to find two women purchasing flour. Mr. Henderson looked up at her. She saw a flash of desire come over his face but he quickly looked away. The look in his eyes made her stomach queasy but she wasn’t going to turn back now.

  “I’ll be right with you miss,” he said to Clover, his voice cracking, and he went back to filling the flour sacks.

  Clover busied herself looking at the hair ribbons. Her fingers caressed a pink and white ribbon. She imagined how it would look in a bow entwined in her long wavy locks. She envisioned Virgil pulling it loose from her hair. In her mind, she heard Virgil whisper her name, “Clover, you’re so darn pretty.”

  Mr. Henderson interrupted her thoughts.

  “Well, if it ain’t Clover Graystone. It sure is good to see you. You sure are looking fine. So, how can I help you today?”

  “I was just lookin’ at the ribbons,” she said. Up until then, Clover was able to put up a brave front, but with Mr. Henderson standing so close that she could smell his foul breath she wanted to run away.

  “You interested in buying some ribbon?”

  “Naw.” She shook her head, backed away and turned to leave. “Can’t afford no ribbon.”

  “Wait a minute,” he said. “I ain’t gived you your candy yet.”

  “Oh,” she stammered. “That’s all right. I don’t need no candy.” Clover was suddenly afraid. What was she thinking coming to town in this revealing dress and then going to see this man whom she knew had unclean desires for her? “I gotta go.”

  “Clover, you don’t need to be scared of me.” He laughed. His voice filled with sincerity. She tried to believe that he sounded almost fatherly. “Now come on and get your candy. Don’t be afraid.”

  What am I scared of? I don’t have to do nothin with him that I don’t want to do. I do love candy and I ain’t had none since the last time he gived me a piece. Heck, it’s been more than a month. I’ll just take the candy then head on home.

  Tentatively, she walked over to him. He took down the large glass bowl from the shelf and placed it on the counter. “Go on,” he said. “Pick out two pieces that you want.”

  She studied the contents of the bowl. It was so exciting to be able to choose two pieces that she couldn’t decide.

  “Where’s your maw?” he asked.

  “She ain’t here,” Clover said still eyeing the contents of the bowl. She reached inside and took one red and one green piece.

  “You sure do look mighty pretty today. Are you goin to a party or somethin?”

  Clover remembered why she came in the first place and her face grew red with embarrassment.

  “I could be wrong but I think you’re blushing,” he said smiling.

  He ain’t half bad lookin,’ she thought. Fer a fella his age anyway. But his breath smells like somethin’ dead. Anyway, how am I ever gonna ask him if he wants to pay me to do the stuff my maw does fer men folk? Sides, I don’t even know what I am supposed to do if he does say he wants to pay me.

  She didn’t have to ask him anything. He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Mighty pretty,” he said. Then he kissed her. His lips were wet and slimy and when he put them on hers it made her want to vomit or at least to spit. But she didn’t. Instead, she mustered up as much courage as she could and said, “I ain’t never done nothin with a man before. You know what I mean?”

  “Course,” he said, his desire for her was so thick she could feel it like a heavy weight hanging in the air.

  “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

  “Don’t you worry none about that, honey.”

  “But I needs to be sure you are gonna pay me some money. Cause I be needen’ some money.” She was trembling so bad that she was afraid her knees would buckle.

  Remember the reason that you comed here for, she told herself. Remember why you need that money. You gotta be brave. You gotta see this thing all the way through. You can’t run outta here and go home.

  Clover didn’t have to say another word. Mr. Henderson orchestrated everything exactly to his liking. He asked Clover to follow him outside behind the building to a shed where he kept supplies and equipment. She felt cold and her hands were shaking, but she did as he asked. When they were alone, he locked the door and then turned to her and kissed her passionately on the lips. She gagged a little. She hadn’t been kissed before. And Mr. Henderson hardly fulfilled the fantasy that she had of her first kiss with Virgil.

  “Call me Daddy,” he said in a voice heavy with hunger.

  “I gotta go home now,” Clover said.

  “You ain’t gotta go just yet, girl.” His voice was still full of passion but now it was also firm and she was a little afraid of him.

  “I don’t wanna do this. I done changed my mind,” she said as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “I wanna go home.”

  “Shhhh. Don’t be afraid. I ain’t gonna hurt ya. And sides, you said you needed money. I’ll give you some right after we’re all done so you kin buy yourself somethin nice to wear. Now wouldn’t you like that?”

  She shook her head. “Naw …I don’t think so.”

  His hand clasped her shoulders firmly. “Come on, gal. It ain’t nothin fer you to do this fer me. I’ll give you a whole handful of candy too. And … I know you wants that ribbon you was lookin at, don’t you? Well, I’ll give that to you too.”

  Henderson didn’t let her answer. His lips were on hers again before she could speak. Then he pushed her to the floor and before she knew what was happening she felt him inside of her. It was so painful she thought she might die. She tried to scream but his mouth was covering her mouth. He rammed his tongue down her throat and she winced.

  When it was finally over, Clover walked back up the hill towards home with a bloodstain on her mother’s dress, a pocketbook filled with candy, the pink ribbon she’d admired, and four one dollar bills. No one was at home when she arrived and Clover was thankful. She went down to the creek and took off the dress. Then she washed herself over and over. She tried as hard as she could to get the stain out of the dress but it was impossible. It was dark and had turned brown, so she took the dress back home and got her gardening shovel out. She dug a hole in the yard and buried the dress. When her mother asked about it, she would say she had no idea what happened to it. Her mother was drunk quite often so Clover hoped that her mother would believe that she’d thrown it away while under the influence.

  Now that Clover felt clean again, well if not clean at least bathed, she went into the house and counted her money. Four dollars. Four precious dollars. The witch would have to be willing to cast a spell for such a princely sum.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The soon-to-be bride and groom had been receiving gifts ever since the announcement of their upcoming wedding. Not lavi
sh gifts by any means. However, even though these presents had little monetary value, they were given with love. There were homemade quilts embroidered with heartfelt scenes of Virgil and Viola holding hands. There was a handmade wooden crib that one of the male parishioners made for the couple’s future children. Viola had gone out of her way to babysit for one parishioner and in turn, the woman knitted a blanket for them. A young girl whom Viola taught how to hand sew, sewed dish towels from the scraps of her family’s old sheets and gave them to Viola as a gift. This outpouring of love from her friends and neighbors made Viola weep with tears of joy.

  Because everyone in Mudwater Creek participated in putting the wedding together, they enjoyed the celebration even more than they would have if they were only guests. Viola danced with her father and with Aiden and Virgil danced with his mother and with Alice. The little church rocked with music and laughter well into the night.

  The young couple needed a place to live. They knew that they were welcome to stay with either set of parents but Aiden had another idea. He suggested that Viola and Virgil move into the house where he grew up.

  “Ain’t nobody livin there now. Gracie done gone off to live in a big city. And, me, well, I’m happy here livin in the house where my wife was born. You two might as well move on in. It’s small, but it’ll give you a good start in life. You’ll have a place all your own and plenty of privacy.” Aiden offered a wry smile and then, in the midst of all of his happiness, for a single moment, he wondered what had become of Cyrus. Was his brother still alive? Or did he die alone somewhere without any of his kin around him? The idea of that happening to his brother made Aiden terribly sad. But there was no time to linger on thoughts of people who had once been a part of his life. And Aiden was grateful to be busy. The Hunt’s house had to be cleaned and dusted if the new couple were to move in. Virgil and Viola spent the first night of their marriage at Aiden and Alice’s house with plans to begin work on the old Hunt place the following morning.

  After the celebration ended, Viola took Virgil to the little room where she slept every night of her life. She dressed in the pretty white lace nightgown that her mother had made for her and then climbed into bed beside him. But Virgil lay there without moving. He was as stiff as a board. Viola lay in his arms for almost fifteen minutes waiting for him to do something. She cuddled up close to him but he didn’t embrace her.

  She looked up at him and asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, you sure didn’t, honey.”

  “Are you tired?” she asked, her voice cracking with concern. Her mother had been clear about what to expect on her wedding night and Viola was ready. But now that Virgil was not responsive at all, she began to fear that he found her unattractive.

  “Was it the wedding? Did the wedding and all the dancing wear you out?” She hoped that was what was bothering him.

  “Nahh. It ain’t that.”

  “Well,” she stammered. “What is it then? Stop being so mysterious, Virgil. You’re makin me nervous.”

  “Your paw.”

  “My paw?” Viola exclaimed in disbelief. “What did my Paw do?”

  “He didn’t do nothin. It’s just that your paw is sleepin right there in the room next door. I cain’t do nothin like, well, you know, with you while he’s right there. Heck, honey, I know’d your paw all my life. I been listenin’ to his sermons and seein him in church every Sunday. It just don’t seem right to … well, you know, do that thing that married folks do with him right there … and maybe your paw might hear us.”

  She laughed aloud. Viola was glad that he was still attracted to her. “Oh, Virg. You are so childlike sometimes. But that’s what I love about you. At least it’s one of them things I love about you. Paw expects us to know each other in the biblical sense. It’s only right. We’re man and wife now.”

  “Would you mind a lot if we waited to do this until tomorrow when we can sleep in our own house in our own bed?”

  “If’n that’s what you want,” she said, a little disappointed.

  “Don’t be mad.”

  “I ain’t mad.” She cuddled closer to him and he put his arm around her.

  I’d bet he’s a virgin too she thought then a smile came over her face. Well, we already waited this long. What’s another day?

  It had been an intense day with the wedding. Both Virgil and Viola were exhausted and within a few minutes, they were fast asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

  The following morning, both Virgil and Viola along with their families cleaned up the little house that had belonged to Josiah Hunt. They removed cobwebs and layers of dust. Aiden moved the bed he built for his daughter out of his house and into the dirt floor bedroom where he and Cyrus had once slept. Viola hung the blue and white curtains her mother made for her. And once the bedspread was on the bed, the families left, leaving the young couple alone in their own home for the first time since the wedding.

  “It’s ours,” Viola said excitedly. “Just look at it. It’s our home. Don’t it all look so pretty?”

  “It sure do,” Virgil smiled. Then he walked over to her and lifted her into his arms. “I’m gonna carry you over the threshold, Mrs. Cooper,” he said. He took her outside and carried her back in.

  That night they both made love for the first time. It was even more beautiful than Viola had anticipated it would be. And even though it was a sweltering night in July, they clung to each other until morning.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Clover left the shack and headed to the outskirts of town on the other side of the mountain where the old witch midwife lived. Or so she had heard. Her mother had still not returned home. Clover knew that it was going to be a long walk, so she took a flask of water with her. The four crumpled dollar bills were stuffed safely in her pocket but every so often she reached in to feel them to make sure they were still there.

  Four bills all there.

  The sun beat down on her head giving her a slight headache, but she kept going until she saw the cabin where the midwife lived. She knew it was the right place because she’d heard folks talk about how it was surrounded by a large garden of herbs. Taking a deep breath, Clover ignored her fears and knocked on the door.

  “Come on in,” a woman’s voice answered almost immediately.

  Clover walked inside. A woman sat on a chair with several fresh cuttings in front of her.

  “Good afternoon,” Clover managed to say.

  “Well then, good afternoon to you too,” the woman answered. Her hair was gray and long, caught up neatly in a knot at the back of her neck. Her eyes were bright blue and although she looked old, her body was slender and spry.

  “Sit on down child. Don’t be afraid,” she said smiling warmly. “My name is Gretchen.”

  “I need some help.”

  “Yes, I figured as much. Most of the time when young gals find their way here, they are lookin for help. How far gone are you?”

  “Huh?”

  “When was the last time you bled? You know, when did you last have your menses?”

  “Oh, yeah. No ma’am. I ain’t in that kinda trouble. I mean, I ain’t in a family way or nothin like that.”

  “You lookin fer a way to prevent gettin pregnant?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “You sick? Or one of your kin sick?”

  “No, it ain’t nothin’ like that.”

  “Well, sit down gal and go on and tell me what it is that you need.”

  Clover sat down across the table from the midwife and hung her head, staring down at the floor. “I needs me a spell. A love spell.”

  “Ahhh. I shoulda figured as much when you said you wasn’t pregnant or sick,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Yeah, there’s this fella, you see. And, well, he’s in love with another gal. And he’s done gone off and married her. I been sweet on him for my whole life, and now I can’t see no chance for him and me. And if he don’t marry me, I swear I don’t want to live no more. There just ain’t no ot
her fella fer me. I’m sure of it,” Clover blurted out.

  “I see,” the old woman said and she stopped cutting the leaves of the plant in front of her. She laid the small knife down and looked at Clover. “What’s your name, gal?”

  “Clover.”

  “Pretty name,” she said then she sighed. “Clover. Listen here. You don’t want a boy that don’t want you. You don’t want love that you gotta take by magic. The kinda love you want is the love that God sends you. Now I knows this is hard to believe for you right now. But there is a boy out there that is yours alone. He’s the right one just for you. And when you find him, he is gonna love you without no magic. The magic of the love he’ll have for you will come from God, not from potions. Do I make sense to you, gal?”

  “No. You ain’t makin sense.” Clover was almost in tears. The feeling of desperation was overwhelming. “You gotta help me. Please. I got money to pay you. Look here. I got four whole real dollars. I done some awful nasty things to get this here money. I did it so that you would help me …”

  “I cain’t. Even if I wanted to, I cain’t.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Folks think I’m some kinda witch. But the fact is, all I am is a medicine woman. I mix herbs to help the sick. I don’t do no kinda spells.”

  “I heard different. I heard you do magic and you can make things happen. If it’s more money you’re wantin, I cain get it fer ya. Only you gotta help me.”

  “I sure am sorry, Clover. You’re such a pretty girl and I believe in my old heart that God has a boy in store for you who will love you for bein exactly who you are. My advice is to go home and do somethin nice for yourself. Ferget about this fella. He’s married now. Maybe you oughta take a swim in the creek. It sure is hot out there and it’d feel real nice to cool off. Or use that money you got there to go into town and buy yourself an ice cream. Wouldn’t that be nice, ice cream on a hot day like today?”