An Engaging Day
The store building housed the general store downstairs and the Huckabee home upstairs. It had been newly painted beige and blue. It was the only two-tone building in town. Come to think of it, it was the only painted building in town. The filling station was a stone building, but both the Sheriff's Office and The Muddy Diamond Coal and Coke Company were brick. Most places had been built using wood from the local sawmill and, of those, maybe half were whitewashed. That lime wash surely didn't give off the same deluxe look as real paint.
As we walked toward the store, David's tight-lipped grin seemed to hold back a secret. With his hand around mine, he swung our arms back and forth, grinning the whole time. When I was ten, holding hands with him gave me butterfly flitters in my stomach, but the feeling had faded. I might as well wear winter mittens or hold hands with Cora, so I tried not to put much thought into it. Instead, I set my mind on admiring the pink crabapple blossoms which filled the air with scents of gardenia and rose.
"I had a lot of time to think about us on my supply trip to Waldron, Sooze." David tightened his hold on my hand. "You're goin' to be real excited to see what I brought back."
We climbed the store steps, then David pulled open the front door. The new paint smell masked the store's usual scent of coffee, grain, and perfume. The far counter held the familiar oversized glass jars filled with colorful hard-tack candy. Stacked on the floor below were several piles of unopened boxes and bags. David's mother stood near the supplies with a pad of paper and a pencil taking inventory. Her light brown hair was styled in a loose topknot held together with red-beaded combs. Trailing down her neck were loose strands of curled hair, making her look more like an elegant lady headed to a ball rather than a shopkeeper ending her workday.
"Good afternoon, Sooze," Amelia Huckabee greeted. "How's your mama and daddy these days? I haven't seen them in the store for more than three weeks now."
"They're fine, ma'am," I said. "I'll tell them you asked after them."
"You might also mention a payment on their account would be appreciated."
"Mother!" David scolded. "Don't embarrass Sooze with the neglect of her father's charges."
"That's all right, David," I said, and then facing Mrs. Huckabee, I added, "I'll tell my father you mentioned it."
Fact is, I had no intention of speaking to Daddy about such things, but I did intend to talk to Henry. The gambling money he'd tried to hide in his pockets looked like more than enough to pay the entire bill at the store. And since Mama and Daddy didn't have more than six dollars in their money jar, Henry was our best hope.
"Sooze and I will be upstairs in the parlor," David said. "Keep Owen and Lillie away, please?" He led me by the hand to the stairs at the back of the store.
"They're busy with chores out back," his mother said with disinterest. "And Lauralee stayed after school to help Miss Stewart."
David's surprise should have been at the forefront of my mind, but I couldn't help but wonder what Lauralee could be helping Miss Stewart with that she hadn't asked me to do?
As we stepped into the parlor, the unmistakable stench of cedar-scented polish saturated my nostrils. It glistened off their dark wood furniture. David went to the window and raised it until fully opened. With a breeze blowing in, the air became bearable.
Threads of gilded sunlight danced across the room through the delicate woven holes in their white lace curtains. Gold-framed photographs glinted like trophies on their butter-colored walls, but my favorite of their belongings was a mirrored box shelf, which displayed Lauralee's porcelain figurines. As if I were a little girl, her collection drew me to it. I stood gazing at the statuettes. The women wore brightly colored gowns and the men donned tuxedos and top hats. In dancing and twirling stances, their arms stretched toward each other, fingers almost touching, standing forever motionless. Then my gaze fell upon the top shelf figurine. She was different than the others. I stared at her the longest. The girl looked out of place dressed in a pink pinafore dress. She sat beneath an umbrella tree on a tuft of green grass, holding an open book in her hands. She was alone except for a bluebird on the branch above. Although I wanted to believe I could be one of the beautiful dancing ladies, I knew instead that lonely country girl would always be me.
"Sweet tea?" David asked as he motioned me toward the brown leather davenport.
I shook my head. "No, but thank you. What is it you wanted to talk to me about, David?"
Holding a crystal green glass filled with tea, David crossed the room to sit next to me.
"On my drive to Waldron yesterday, I was thinking about how grand life would be if you'd just say yes to my proposal, Sooze." David took a sip of his tea before setting his glass down on a side table. "I could not imagine what your hesitation might be until — like a brick against my head — the answer came to me." Kneeling, he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a red velvet pouch. As he opened its drawstring, he said, "I never bought you an engagement ring, Sooze. I don't know how I could be so stupid!" David pulled out a gold ring. Embedded in its upraised center was a diamond the size of a mustard seed. I'd never seen a diamond up close, so I had a hard time taking my eyes off it.
With my hand in his, David slipped the ring onto my finger. "Will you be my wife, Sooze?"
"Oh, David," I said, suddenly queasy. "It's a beautiful ring, but ..."
"No buts, Sooze!" David stood, then started pacing back and forth in front of me. "What do you want from me? Do you want me to promise you the moon? Fine, you'll have it! What else, Sooze? Should I erase your father's bad debt? Done! How about an automobile for your family, a shiny new Model A?" He came to me, his hands cupping my shoulders as his voice quieted into a plea. "I'll buy it first thing tomorrow morning." Pulling me up and into his arms, he held me close. "Tell me, what do I have to do for you to marry me?"
I pulled away. "David, do you really love me that much?"
"Yes, I love you more than anything, Sooze. I dream of you being my wife."
My heart ached, but not from love. The pull between doing what was right and doing what was best was too much. My thoughts swirled in confusion. I knew David meant every word of what he'd said to me, but I'd never have asked him to pay Daddy's debts or buy such luxuries as an automobile. Such gifts would only bring dishonor to Daddy. He'd always taken care of his family without any help of handouts. I knew him well enough to know he'd just as soon lie down and die than accept charity, and I wouldn't be the one to bring shame to the family.
If I said yes and married David, a job working in the Huckabee store would pay wages. His folks had offered five dollars a week to me if I were promised to him. Five dollars a week! Maybe more once we married. I'd be working for my own money. I'd be earning my way. By giving it to Mama and Daddy, they could buy feed and seed for the farm and food for the family. And if David's plans worked out, he'd promised to open our own store the next year. Maybe there would be enough money to send Cora to college someday. No one in our family had ever done that.
I had been with David since childhood, and I supposed I was meant to be with him forever. Maybe no one loved like my heart believed. What if Daddy was right? Maybe fairy tales was all I was dreaming. My heart was breaking as I heard my words.
"Yes, David. I'll marry you."
"Wah-hoo!" David shouted. He jumped and came down hard, falling into a tumble. In a flash, he was back on his feet. Grinning ear-to-ear, he came to me breathless. Taking me in his arms, he pulled me close. I wanted so much to feel true love. I closed my eyes hoping the love butterflies would swoop in and capture my heart for him, but as his lips, full and soft, pressed to mine, I felt my clenched fists knotting his shirt. David's taut body told me he had mistaken my hard grasp as wifely passion. Only my heart knew the truth of the stifling sadness within me.
His mother dashed into the parlor. Panic splashed across Mrs. Huckabee's face as she said, "What's happened? I heard a shout, and then something crashed to the floor! Is everything all right?"
"Better than all right, Mother!" David let go of me and took his mother in a bear hug. Picking her straight up off the floor, he held tight and twirled her round.
"David! Put me down!"
Laughing, David stopped and lowered her. "I'm sorry, Mother!" Struggling to catch his breath, he said, "Sooze has agreed to be my wife." He reached for my hand. "Show Mother the ring, Sooze."
I held out my left hand.
"Oh my," his mother declared. She had one hand resting mid-chest while the other held my fingertips. "It's ... lovely." Her eyes darted to mine searching for a glimmer of worthiness. When it seemed she found none, she turned to David and said, "This must have cost a fortune."
"Oh, who cares, Mother? Sooze is going to be my wife!"
Turning back to me, Mrs. Huckabee posed a smile and lightly embraced me with a back pat. Then, she said, "Oh, for goodness sake, what am I doing?" She pulled me into a hug. "Congratulations!" When she twirled to face David, she admitted, "I was just surprised by seeing a diamond on this ring! Let's go tell your father the good news. Owen and Lillie, too! Lauralee won't be home for a little while yet." Amelia Huckabee hurried toward the door but stopped before setting foot on the first stair. "Remember," she said to me. "We'll start training you to work in the store this summer. Five dollars a week, just like I promised." Then she left the room without waiting for us to follow.
"Let's go see your folks, Sooze. Now, right now. Even though we've decided, I should ask your father for his blessing." He leaned close and took my chin gently in his hand. Raising my head, he kissed me again. His lips were full and moist and felt filled with love. "I want everything done proper before you change your mind."
Just as we stepped off the store steps, thirteen-year-old Owen rounded the corner of the building. "Marryin' her, huh?"
"Yep," David told him. "You're gonna have another sister, Owen."
Before we got much farther, Sam Huckabee stopped us. He wore his white storekeeper's apron over his beige shirt and tan pants, and he smelled of clove-spiced cologne.
After a hug, he shook David's hand saying, "Congratulations, you two. Amelia's out tellin' the world about your engagement." He pointed to David's mother who was standing between the store and the jail next door. She was talking to Willa Wingate, the sheriff's wife.
As we stood together talking, an unfamiliar automobile pulled up to the front of the store. Both doors opened, and I watched two men get out. The driver, an older gray-haired man, wore faded jeans, a black threadbare shirt, and work boots, while the younger man, probably no more than Henry's age, wore a darker pair of jeans and a buckskin-colored shirt. His golden, wheat-colored hair was glorious in the fading light of day.
"Afternoon." The older man tipped his black fedora as they walked past us into the store. When Mrs. Huckabee saw them, she hurried up the steps, following them inside.
"Who are those men, Father?" David asked.
Sam Huckabee, his voice low, had started his answer when nine-year-old Lillie ran to me, flinging her arms around my waist.
"Oh, Sooze! We're going to be sisters!" Lillie shouted. "I always wanted a new sister!"
I tried to be polite, but I was curious about the strangers who purposely came to Coaldale when everybody else seemed to be leaving. Giving an effort to listen, I realized it was impossible to hear their low talk over Lillie's giggles and bouncy hugs, so I gave in, laughing at her delight. Kneeling, I wrapped my arms around her.
"Me, too, Lillie."
"Are you sure we shouldn't stay with Mother 'til they're gone?" David asked his father. "We were headed out to talk to Sooze folks, but I don't care much for outsiders these days even if they are kin to somebody we know."
"No, it's all right," his father said. "You two go on and see the folks. I'll finish up out here, and then I'll see if your mother needs any help. Go on now." Sam Huckabee ushered David and me toward their pride and joy—1932 Ford Town Sedan. It was burgundy with black fenders and had orange striping to match the wheel color.
David spent most of the drive talking about their new automobile, and although I'd ridden in it the first week of March, I had not had a need to ride in it again. In fact, it was just the fifth or sixth time I'd ridden in any automobile at all. While David sped down the road, he bragged about the engine being smooth and quiet and complained about the factory discontinuing the model. But most of my listening time was spent holding on to the seat so I wouldn't fly off into the floorboard.
As we neared my family's farm, I surely wanted something else to talk about other than the sedan, but not a thought popped into my head other than the burden of being a storekeeper and a wife. What was this sad and lonely feeling? I wished Leona hadn't gone so I'd have someone to talk to about it all.
When we rounded the corner near a stand of tall pines, I asked, "Who did your daddy say those men were at the store, David?"
"Father says they're kin to Earl and Pauline Kittridge. Names are Donald Kittridge and his son, Thomas. They fell on hard times in Chicago. Lost their jobs, bank took their house, all they had left was their automobile and the clothes on their backs." David looked at me then said, "Not everyone is as fortunate as us, Sooze. They had nowhere else to go, so they came here to live with Earl and Pauline. Father says Earl is too sickly to work his farm without help anyway. He's going to let his kin take over. That way they'll be helping each other." Glancing at me, David added, "Cancer, you know? Doc Farrell says Earl is all eaten up with it."
"No …" A sorrowful sigh blew out of my mouth, pulling my heart strings with it. "I didn't know." Pauline Kittridge had paid me more than ten cents a batch the past two summers to help her with her canning. She'd taught me how to make blackberry jam from beginning to end. "Pauline never said a word to me about Earl."
As David pulled up to the front of the house, Cora pushed open the screened front door, carrying baby Grace. I heard yelling inside.
"Cora," I called through my rolled down window. As I pushed the automobile door open, I asked, "What's going on? Did Henry come home after school like Daddy said?"
"Yeah," Cora said. "But they're in the middle of a hollerin' match anyway."
"Maybe I should go in first, David," I suggested. "To let them know you're here."
"We're practically married, Sooze. You don't have to hide your family's shame from me anymore."
On a normal day, I would have set David straight right away. I'd never been ashamed of my family, and I sure wasn't ashamed of them then. It was just an argument, and frankly, I'd had the same-sounding argument with Henry myself.
I closed the Model A's door and walked up the steps to our front porch. Opening the screen door, I stepped inside with both Cora and David behind me.
"Sorry to interrupt this family discussion," David spoke before I could say a word. "I got something important to say, so I'd like to speak to you, Mr. Williams."
Ending the conversation quickly, Henry pushed past me, splitting David and Cora on his way outside with nary a hello.
"Come on in and sit down, David," Daddy invited. "I'm sure sorry about this," he said as he motioned toward the front porch where Henry sat. "Just came at a bad time, I guess." He walked to the couch and sat down on top of a tattered spot. "Come in here, Emma," Daddy called and then patted the couch when Mama came into the room. "Sit here by me. David's got somethin' to say."
"Cora, honey, take the baby outside and sit with Henry," Mama said.
I sat next to Daddy, hiding my ring finger behind my back to keep the diamond out of sight. After all, if David was going to all the trouble of asking my folks for their blessing, he deserved the right to make the announcement, too.
"Mr. and Mrs. Williams." David's voice sounded shaky as he nodded at their presence. "I've come here to tell you I'm in love with Sooze — and she loves me, too. Now, even though I've been sayin' that for a long time, things are different now. I've been working right alongside Mother and Father in the store most all my life, and with a little more hard work and some luck, I intend to open my own store in Waldron next year. So you see, I got some big plans. That's why I've come here. I've asked Sooze to be my wife. We'd like to get married."
David held out his hand to me, so I stood and walked to stand beside him. Side by side now, he said, "Sooze has already agreed, but we'd like your blessing."
"Well, I think that's dandy, David!" Daddy stood and reached out to shake David's hand. "Course you got our blessing, right Emma? Sooze is a great girl."
I couldn't help but wonder, did anyone care that I wasn't in love with David?
Almost as if reading my mind, a soft voice came from Mama. "I don't want to go against nobody, but is this what you really want, Sooze? Are you sure you're ready to get married? You just turned sixteen and ain't seen much of the world yet."
Mama understood.
Truth be told, with the state of things, it was awfully hard to feed and clothe us all. If Henry stuck to his secret plan, he'd be on a train to Chicago soon. Daddy would need help paying the bills and buying seed and feed for the farm. Harvesting the corn in a few months would require extra hands, too, and a man can't butcher a hog alone. Without Henry, the work would be near impossible. We couldn't lose Granddaddy's farm. Marrying David meant we'd be a team like Mama and Daddy had been to each other. I'd be able to send money home from the wages I drew from the store, too. Plain and simple, I saw no other way.
Forcing a smile, I said, "Yes, Mama. It's the right thing."