Junior knocked on the door of the tiny, woebegone, wood-framed house that sat upon a rickety foundation. The house teetered a bit during strong winds, but it never fell.
Lillian answered the knock, saying, “Who be there?”
“Morning, Miss Crenshaw,” Junior said through the door.
Lillian appeared in a dingy yellow cotton robe. Her hair was held in place by a white tignon. She had elegant cheekbones and skin the color of a copper penny. Junior could see where Goldie had gotten her melon-sized breasts and round backside.
“Morning, Junior. Now, I done told you to call me Lillian. I ain’t old enough to be no Miss Crenshaw. Maybe when I gets some grandbabies …”
She pointed to a rocking chair for Junior to sit. “What you done to my daughter?”
“Where’s she?” Junior asked.
“Running errands somewhere.”
“I ain’t done nothing to her, at least I don’t think I have.”
“What’re your intentions toward her?”
“I like her, that’s all.”
“And you know all that after two weeks?”
“I just know what I know, Lillian.”
“You musta put something on her because she changed, started taking care of herself. I’m going need to go into town. If Goldie not back when I leave, you welcome to stay here. Make yourself at home. We got some chicory, hardtack; find whatever you want.”
Twenty minutes after Lillian left, Goldie hadn’t returned. Junior rose from his chair, walked around, and blundered into Goldie’s room. The room was small but neat. An old cedar dresser and a full-sized bed crowded the room. He opened the top drawer of the dresser. He saw a jumble of things: necklaces, bracelets, broaches, scarves, gloves, the pink-and-white sachet he’d seen her with when he’d first met her. He closed the drawer and opened another where he saw what appeared to be a book. After picking it up, he realized it was a diary.
He thumbed through the pages, wondering whether to read any of it. The diary taunted him to open it. He turned to the last entry. Tears welled in his eyes after reading it. Junyer make me feel gud. He make me feel spesshal like a lady.
The front door squeaked open. Junior’s heart raced as he quickly returned the diary to the drawer. He collected himself and sat on the bed.
As she turned to enter her bedroom, Junior stood up and said excitedly, “Surprise!”
“Junior,” she said with shock in her voice, “what are you doing here?”
While he hugged her, he observed that the part of a scarf over hung the drawer, and the drawer containing the diary was not fully closed. “I came by to see my favorite girl.”
“Where’s Mama?”
“She said she was going to town, for me to make myself at home.”
“In my bedroom?”
Junior ignored the comment.
She held onto him as they swayed back and forth toward the dresser. He picked her up and kissed her about the face while tucking the scarf into one drawer and closing the other.
She went to the kitchen. Junior followed and patted her on the rear each step of the way.
As she stood at the sink, Junior took note of the dress that sagged on her curvy body. He gamboled up to her, grabbed her around the waist, then squeezed tightly; she dropped the plate in her hand, which shattered when it hit the floor.
They laughed.
“You want something to eat?” she asked him. “Place your order.”
While stroking his goatee, Junior said, “Hmm, I’d like to order a French kiss. Is that on the menu?”
“My man ask, he shall receive, and more.”
Goldie sat on the bed and kicked off her shoes. The undressing ritual had begun. Junior doffed his boots and black wool socks. He unfastened the clips to his overalls allowing the straps to fall to the sides. He pulled down his overalls and stepped out of them. His white union suit went next.
In the excitement of doffing his clothes, he didn’t see that Goldie was still dressed.
His spoony behavior slowed upon seeing her sagging eyes.
He moved closer to her as she sat on the bed. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
She rubbed her hand on his stomach several times as though she was counting the number of crevices there. She sniffed and her voice cracked, as she said, “It’s nothing, Junior.”
She asked Junior to unfasten the hook at the top of the back of her dress. He did so while kissing her on the nape of the neck. She slowly shimmied out of her dress. She closed the jalousie and the room darkened. They stood face-to-face. Junior locked in on Goldie’s large, whiskey-colored eyes. She reached for the counterpane, but Junior pushed her hand down.
He just wanted to hold her for a moment to feel her soft skin, but she wanted the refuge of the counterpane. Junior continued to stand face-to-face with her. She exhibited a saturnine sexiness that he found appealing.
She didn’t want to lose him. She liked the walks to the park, jumping on his back for a piggyback ride, and the other zany things he did to make her laugh. She especially liked cooking for him. She’d have to trust herself and him.