IT WAS A MISERABLE DAY. Mary Lee was sure that she would not have been able to endure it if not for Trudy and Eli. They insisted on doing the washing and the cleaning of the cabins. They were like two thirteen-year-olds, fussing and teasing each other, making play of the work. Just watching and listening to them made Mary Lee feel old and tired.
Allowing herself to sit down often, she cooked beans and ham hocks and corn bread for the noon meal. In the middle of the morning she heard her mother in the bathroom throwing up. Later she tried to open the door, but it was locked.
After the noon meal and while the sheets and towels were drying on the line, she sent Eli down to Mr. Santez’s filling station to pay him the ten dollars she had borrowed for the mattress.
“You and Eli make a team,” Mary Lee commented as she and Trudy cleaned up the noon dishes.
“I like him. He’ll amount to somethin’ someday.”
“I’m going to do all I can to see to it that it happens.” Mary Lee hung up a wet dish towel. “Thank you for helping Eli today. I didn’t expect you to stay and clean cabins. I’ll pay you extra for today.”
“If you don’t beat all,” Trudy said. “You’re so afraid that someone is goin’ to do somethin’ for you. You’re not payin’ me for this afternoon and that’s that.”
“I appreciate it . . . you know that. I’ll not be so sore tomorrow.”
“I think I’ll stay tomorrow too. Stay and flirt with Jake,” she added, and pinched Mary Lee on the rear. “Not that I stand a chance of getting him away from you.”
“He isn’t mine!”
“Oh, no? Have you told him that?”
The click of the bathroom door drew Mary Lee’s attention. “Mama’s sick. She’s been back to the bathroom.”
“Do you think she’s sick sick, or sick from a hangover?” “She hasn’t eaten anything today and very little yesterday.” “Why don’t we fix a plate and I’ll take it in through the bathroom door if she hasn’t locked it.”
“She’ll say something mean to you. I’d better take it.”
“She’ll not get my goat. I know she’s got a mean mouth. I’ll put a few beans in a bowl. Butter a piece of corn bread, kiddo.” Trudy placed a dish towel over a big platter and used it for a tray. “Do we dare take her a glass of milk?”
“Goodness, no! She’d throw it at you. Give her tea.”
Carrying the food, Trudy followed Mary Lee to the bathroom, where she eased open the connecting door. Trudy breezed in. Dolly was lying on the bed.
“Hello, Mrs. Finley. I brought you something to eat.”
Dark smudges circled Dolly’s eyes, making them look like two burned holes in a blanket. Her cheeks were sunken, and her thin, dry hair looked as if she’d been in a whirlwind. She lifted herself up in bed and leaned on a bony elbow.
“Get out of my room, you ugly little bitch. Don’t come back unless you bring me a drink of booze.”
Out of sight in the bathroom, Mary Lee cringed, but Trudy didn’t seem to take offense.
“Ah, shoot, Mrs. Finley. Ya don’t mean that. My brother was a drunk like you are, and he’d throw up a drink if he took one on an empty stomach. It’s just a waste of good whiskey. So you’d better eat before ya take another one. Eat the beans and corn bread, and by night you may be able to hold one down.”
“I’m not a drunk!”
“You could have fooled me, Mrs. Finley. Seems to me like ya got the granddaddy of all hangovers or ya wouldn’t be throwin’ up your socks. I’ll get a wet cloth so ya can wash your face and hands before you eat.”
Trudy winked at Mary Lee when she went to the bathroom for the cloth, then hurried back to Dolly.
“If ya decide ya want more beans and corn bread, Mrs. Finley, call out. Ya may want a glass of cold buttermilk.”
The look Dolly gave Trudy made it plain that she wanted to kill her. “Where’s Saint Mary Lee?”
“She’s around here somewhere,” Trudy answered matter-of-factly. “She may be in the washhouse. Want me to send her in?”
“Not less ya want me to throw this mess of beans at her.” Mary Lee was in the kitchen when Trudy left Dolly’s room.
“I’m sorry, Trudy. She’s mean when she’s got a hangover.”
“It’s all right. She calmed down. She’d still be yellin’ at you. I’ll get us some tea. Then let’s go sit on the porch for a while and watch the cars go by.”
Mary Lee went to her bedroom and returned with her sewing basket and a handful of cloth.
“While we’re sitting I’ll hem a diaper or two.”
“Why not use the sewing machine?”
“It’s not here. I imagine Mama sold it for a couple of dollars. Several things are gone: Daddy’s car for one, the mantel clock, the ice-cream freezer.”
“Weeell . . . ,” Trudy drew out the word, “for goodness’ sakes. I’ll take the material home and hem the diapers on our machine. Won’t take but a jiffy.”
Trudy led the way to the front porch, where it was shady this time of day. On the way through the living room Mary Lee picked up a cushion and dropped it into the old wooden rocking chair that had been on the porch for as long as she could remember. She dropped gratefully into the chair, fitted the cushion to the middle of her back and stretched her sore legs out in front of her. Trudy sat down on the top step and lifted her short arms up to hold her thick, curly, soft brown hair off her neck.
“Have you ever wondered where all the people are going when they pass by here?” Trudy leaned back against the porch post.
“Most of them are going on to Albuquerque or Gallup, but some of them have bigger dreams and are headed for the promised land of California.”
“Have you ever wanted to go there?”
“Sure. I’d like to see it.”
“It takes guts to pull out from all you know and resettle someplace else. I guess you know. You did it once.”
“Yeah. I know now that I jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
“That bad, huh?”
“For a week or two it was all right. When the money started to run out, all Bobby did was whine. I realized then that I had taken a grown man to raise.”
Trudy glanced at her friend, then back at the highway. “Look at that car? They’ve got everything they own in it and on top of it. Do you think they’ll make it all the way to California?”
“They’ll make it. They’ve come this far. Bet they’re Okies.”
“The April dust storm destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of wheat crops, forcing people to leave their farms. I heard on the radio that dust piled up inside houses. Businesses and schools closed, traffic stopped and even the birds refused to fly. We’re lucky that we just got a tiny bit of it here.”
“I was in Tulsa. The sky was dark with dust. Everyone who was outside wore a handkerchief over their mouth and nose.”
“Did you love Bobby?” Trudy asked bluntly, and turned her large brown eyes toward her friend.
“No. But I was fond of him at . . . first. I felt sorry for him. He told me how awful it was growing up with a father who hated him. He told me stories about how cruelly he was treated when he was young. He was whipped every day until he got old enough to defend himself. He wanted so desperately to leave Cross Roads and get away from his father. I was tired of living in the same town with a mother who embarrassed me. Instead of staying and facing our problems, we ran.”
“When did you stop . . . being fond of him?”
“When I caught him in lie after lie. When he didn’t want to do anything but play cards and gamble at the pool halls while I worked nine hours a day six days a week, when he stole the money I was saving for the rent.”
“Ah . . . Mary Lee . . .”
“But I don’t regret a minute of it. I got the baby out of it. It’s my baby. Bobby wouldn’t have wanted it if he had lived. It would have taken my attention away from him.”
“Will you tell the baby about its father?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to decide that when the time comes.”
Eli came back and sat down on the steps beside Trudy and dug a paper out of his pocket and gave it to Mary Lee.
“Mr. Santez sent you a receipt and said you didn’t have to be in a hurry to pay him back.” Eli spoke to Trudy. “Are the sheets dry, short stuff?”
“You think you’re so smart because you’re taller than me. Didn’t you ever hear that good things come in small packages?”
“Seems like I heard that somers, but I thought it was just hot air.”
“You’re nothin’ but a brat.” Trudy yanked the old straw hat off his head and slammed it down on hers.
“Gimme my hat!”
“Just hold your horses. Here comes someone.”
They both watched the motorcycle with a sidecar attached come up the drive from the highway. The rider let the machine slowly roll to within a short distance of the porch, then cut off the engine. He sat for a moment fiddling with the controls, then swung his leg over and stood.
“Howdy.”
“Howdy,” Eli said.
“This the Cross Roads Motor Court?”
“It’s what the sign says.”
“Thank Jesus, Joseph and Mary. My rear is numb from sittin’ on that seat.”
The man pulled his goggles up over the top of his helmet, unbuckled the strap and yanked it off. The three on the porch gaped at him. His hair resembled a haystack. He was so homely, he was almost pitiful — pug nose, wide mouth and practically no chin. Dirt and whiskers covered his face. He stepped around the machine on short, bowed legs. His pant legs were tucked into scrubby cowboy boots.
“Deke Bales.” He said his name as if he expected them to know who he was.
“Yeah.” Eli stood. “You’re Jake’s friend. He said you’d be comin’.”
“Got here a day or two sooner than I expected. Traveled some at night when it was cooler.”
“Eli Stacy.” Eli held out his hand. “This little squirt here is Trudy Bender and on the porch, Mrs. Clawson.”
Deke shook Eli’s hand, then offered his hand to Trudy. “Howdy, little squirt.”
Trudy, for once, was speechless. She sat with her mouth clamped tightly shut while Deke stepped to the porch to greet Mary Lee. When Mary Lee looked into his large, friendly brown eyes with long, thick lashes, the rest of his face faded into the background.
“Jake said in his letter that a young lady ran the court. Guess you’re it, huh?”
“I guess so. Welcome, Mr. Bales.”
“Call me Deke, darlin’.”
He was like a friendly puppy. She liked him immediately. Mary Lee couldn’t help thinking that Deke was the opposite of Jake in size and personality. Jake was big, rugged and quiet. She suspected that this little man never met a stranger. She remembered Jake saying they had met while working on a ranch in Oklahoma and that Deke was a first-class mechanic.
“Jake went out to a ranch to work with some horses,” Eli explained. “He’ll be back by suppertime. Would you like a drink of water, Mr. Bales?”
“Deke, son. Just plain, old, mud-ugly Deke.”
“You can say that again,” Trudy murmured.
“Did you say somethin’, darlin’? Ya got to speak up. I been on that dang-blasted machine three days, and it’ll be a while before my ears stop ringin’.”
Trudy jumped to her feet and shoved Eli’s hat into his hands. “I’ll see if the sheets are dry.” She hurried around the house.
“Sure is pretty here in New Mexico. We’ve ’bout forgot what green is, back in Oklahoma.” Deke stretched and ran short stubby fingers through his damp hair.
“What part of Oklahoma are you from?” Eli asked.
“Around Sayre and Elk City. The dust was bad there, but not as bad as in the panhandle.”
“Come on ’round to the pump, wash off and get a drink of the best water ’round here.”
“Believe I will. I’ve got an acre of dust in my throat.”
Mary Lee heard Eli proudly explaining to the little man who followed him around the house that he worked here. She was pleased at the way Eli had met Jake’s friend, although she was afraid that the boy had hurt Trudy by calling her a little squirt. She got out of the chair, eased down the three steps of the porch and went around to where Trudy was taking the wash off the line.
“It doesn’t take long for them to dry on a day like this.” She reached for the clothespins. “Here, let me take them down and you hold the basket.”
“I’m tall enough to reach the line, Mary Lee.” There was a bite in Trudy’s tone of voice.
“Uh-oh. Eli hurt your feelings, didn’t he? I’m sorry, Trudy. Don’t forget that he’s only thirteen. He was trying to be funny and impress Jake’s friend.”
“He was funny, all right.” She poked the sheets down into the bushel basket. “The towels will be dry by the time I get the beds made.”
Mary Lee protested. “Eli and I can make the beds.”
“Me and the little squirt will make the beds.” Eli and Deke came up behind them. Eli bent and picked up the basket.
Trudy turned on the boy. “If you call me that again, Eli Stacy, I’ll . . . I’ll knock your block off!”
“Whoa! Why’re ya mad? I . . . was just teasin’.”
“I am sick and tired of that kind of . . . teasing! I’m short. I know that I’m short, and there’s nothing I can do about it except hit you in the mouth if you mention it again!”
“Yeah, why’re ya mad at the boy, darlin’?” Deke said. “I’m short, case ya haven’t noticed. Five foot two. All my life folks have called me ‘little shrimp,’ ‘half-pint,’ ‘little weasel’ ’n’ other things. ‘Squirt’ sounds pretty good next to ‘little horse apple’ or ‘little sh —’ ah . . . ‘hockey.’ ” He glanced quickly at Mary Lee, but her anxious eyes were on the girl.
“You . . . stay out of this, Mr. Whatever-your-name-is. And I’m not your darlin’.”
“Name’s Deke, sugarfoot.”
“Yeah, I know, just plain, old, mud-ugly Deke. Come on, junior,” Trudy said to Eli. “Let’s make the beds. I’ve got to be gettin’ home.”
Mary Lee was dumbfounded. She’d never seen her friend so angry, so sarcastic. Eli looked stricken.
“Let me give ya a hand,” Deke said. “I need to work the kinks outta my back. How many beds ya gotta make, darlin’?”
“Four!” Trudy shouted. “And I don’t need help from a motorcycle cowboy!”
“Ya think I don’t know how to make a bed? Darlin’, my mama was a spit-and-polish housekeeper. You could eat off the floor at our house if the table was full. I started makin’ my bed the day I crawled out of the cradle.”
“When was that? The day you turned thirty?”
“I’m not thirty quite yet, darlin’. I lack a year or two. Bet yo’re not much more’n sixteen.”
“And you’re full of bullshi —”
“Ach, ach, ach,” he chided. “Yore mouth’s too pretty to be spittin’ out nasty words.”
Trudy grabbed two sheets out of the basket and took off toward number five as fast as her legs would carry her.
“Wait up, sugar, and I’ll help ya.” Deke looked at Mary Lee and winked. “I don’t think she likes me, but I’ll change her mind.” He hurried to catch up with Trudy and followed her into the cabin.
“Gee, I’m sorry I made her mad at me.” Eli looked as if he had lost his last friend in the world. Mary Lee put her arm around him.
“She’ll get over it.”
“I’ve called her that lots of times ’n’ she didn’t get mad.”
“I think it was because you said it in front of Jake’s friend.”
“She’ll never like me again!”
“Of course she will. She was flustered. It was a shock to her to meet a grown man just inches taller than she is, one who didn’t look at her like she was . . . different.”
“I thought he was funny-lookin’ at first. But after talkin’ to him, I forgot about it, like I don’t think of Trudy as being short anymore.”
With Eli carrying the heavy basket, they went into one of the cabins. Mary Lee spread the sheet on the bed and tucked it in on one side. She and Eli worked together until the bed was made and the clean slips on the pillows. As they were finishing, Trudy came in and took more sheets from the basket. She looked at Mary Lee’s worried face, winked, and dashed out the door.
Mary Lee’s shoulders slumped in relief.
By the time the cabins were ready for occupancy, Trudy was in a better frame of mind. She put her arms around Eli and whispered in his ear.
“Why is she huggin’ that kid for?” Deke complained. “I was the one who helped her make the beds.”
“She’s got a soft heart. I knew that she wouldn’t stay mad for long.” Mary Lee’s ears, attuned to the rattle of Jake’s truck, heard it turn into the lane. “Here’s Jake. He’ll be surprised to see you.”
Jake drove past the motorcycle and stopped. The smile on his face was beautiful to see as he rounded the truck to meet his friend.
“You got here early. I wasn’t expecting you for a couple of days.”
“Howdy, big man.” Deke sprang forward to shake Jake’s hand, then took off his hat and slammed it into his arm. The two men clasped hands and shoved each other affectionately in their enjoyment.
Mary Lee was happy for Jake. Deke seemed to be genuinely fond of him. Eli and Trudy stood watching, both with grins on their faces.
Jake clamped a hand down on Deke’s shoulder and grinned at Mary Lee.
“Has he been givin’ you any trouble?”
“Not a bit.”
“Yes, he has,” Trudy said staunchly.
“What’s he done? I’ll clean his clock.”
“He’s mouthy.”
“I should have warned you about that.”
“Now that you’re here, Jake, I’ll go on home.”
“Wait until I unload the truck and I’ll give you a ride.”
“You don’t need to do that. I’ll walk.”
“How about me givin’ ya a ride, sugarfoot? I’ll throw this junk out of the sidecar.” He tossed a couple of bundles in Jake’s truck.
“All right, bigmouth. I’ve always wanted to ride in one of those thingamajigs.” Trudy climbed into the sidecar and perched on a roll of blankets. “Fire this thing up, short stuff, and let’s get goin’.”
Deke threw his hat on the porch and, with a wide, pleased grin on his face, climbed on the cycle and stomped on the starter. The machine roared to life.
“Bye, Mary Lee. See you in the morning,” Trudy yelled. She waved, then grabbed the sides of the car as the cycle sped down the lane and onto the highway.
“Well, now, don’t that beat all?” Eli took off his hat and scratched his head. “Little bit ago she was about to bite his head off.”
“There’s no understanding women, Eli.” Jake spoke to the boy, but his eyes were on Mary Lee’s smiling face. “Are you feelin’ all right?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Not sore?”
“A little. I can’t believe that Trudy would go off with him on that thing.”
“Don’t worry. Deke is one of the most honorable men I’ve ever known. He’ll see that she gets home or die trying. I’d stake my life on it.”
“I like him, Jake. I really do. He sure livens up the place.”