Mr. Langley is the last one
through the door. Me and Charlie
go straight to our rooms,
but we’ll be back.
We wouldn’t miss their talk
for all the sleep we might get
in our own beds before supper.
So we wait. And when we hear
the pots and pans clanging
in the kitchen, we sneak out
with socks and silent steps.
I barely breathe, peering around
the doorway. Mr. Langley’s hand
is on Aunt Bee’s arm.
He pulls her close
and wraps his arms around her.
I’m so glad he made it, he says.
His voice is ancient and sad,
like it’s been around for
a thousand years, but it’s still
bright at the edges.
in his shoulder and doesn’t
say anything. They stay that way
for a long time, until Aunt Bee
pulls away and turns back to the stove.
She wipes the back of her hand
across her eyes, like she might be
getting rid of tears.
Mr. Langley pushes himself onto
the counter beside the stove,
like my daddy used to do.
He watches Aunt Bee turn on
the burners and break apart spaghetti
and drop it into the water. He lets her
stay in her quiet until she hands him
the sauce jar and he twists it open
in one try.
Then he says, When will you
talk to him?
Aunt Bee stirs the spaghetti pot
and says, As soon as he’ll understand,
and her voice breaks apart
in the middle of it.
It’s then I realize how scared
she is that Granddad will never
get better. That he will never
understand.
Mr. Langley slides off the counter
and puts his arms around Aunt Bee
again. I’m ready to marry you, he says,
real quiet. But me and Charlie
hear it easily, since we’ve listened
to talking softer than those words.
I’ve been ready a long time.
I know, Aunt Bee says.
She looks him straight in the eye.
I am, too. But I have to make it right
with Daddy first.
Of course, Mr. Langley says.
There’s so much to say.
So much for him
to make right, too.
Aunt Bee nods, and she has that
look on her face like she can’t
talk anymore. After a minute, Mr. Langley
kisses her right on the mouth.
Charlie gasps. We have sense enough
to move back into the living room
and then race real quiet back
to her room.