When we got home my mother handed me the baby. "Put him in the basinet, Chris." Naomi was in the kitchen, and came in to see how it had gone. "Not well, I’m afraid," my mother said sadly. Naomi was tickling the baby, who I was trying to tuck into the basinet. She straightened up. My mother turned towards the kitchen. "Something smells wonderful." Naomi smiled brightly. "I baked a potato pie." "Ah...that’s one of Mr. Hanover’s favorites." My mother sat down next to the basinet with a sigh. "There was something very wrong there. Caroline was a wreck, the house was a wreck, and she had a welt on her face. Jay wouldn’t do that...he’s not like that." I could not be sure whether my mother was attempting to convince herself of that fact, or was really certain of it, as I was familiar with the blows Jay could give to a much weaker foe.
"What do you think is happening, then?" "Well, things don’t look good for the two of them. I can see that." Naomi sat besides me. She waited for a minute before saying very quietly, "I hope I don’t ever have those kind of problems." She colored at her own words, and looked down at her lap, examining her hands. "I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that Naomi," my mother responded in equally subdued tones. "And you know, nothing would make me happier." Naomi blushed even brighter, and was incapable of looking up.
The heat in the house was almost unbearable from the cooking on Thanksgiving day. My mother, Mary, and Naomi had been hard at work since early in the morning: they had double duty of cooking and keeping the rest of us from coming in and eating whatever was being prepared. There only break was when my father took myself and my brothers to the Christian Youth’s Society play that Judy was performing in. It was the traditional first Thanksgiving pageant. Judy was a pilgrim’s daughter, and she had ten lines, which was more than anyone else her age. She had practiced them with me for three weeks, and I had trouble not mouthing along during them.
Afterwards, she came running up to me in her light blue dress, full white apron, and pilgrim’s hat. "You’re so good to have come!" she said laughing. "You did your lines perfectly," I praised her. "Did I?" "Oh yes, and you were the prettiest one," I said with a smile. "Oh Chris," she said laughing, and kissing me on the cheek. "Tell your mother that I said hello, Chris. Thank you for coming again," she giggled before hurrying off to join her own family.
We had already been eating at the table for a half an hour when there was a knock at the door. I jumped up to open the door, finding Caroline and Jacob standing there. "We thought we’d stop by," Jacob called over my head to the table, where my father was leaning back in his chair to observe the arrivals. My father didn’t stand, but he called to them, as I held the door, "come sit down, your mother fixed enough food."
Jay was very well dressed, but Caroline looked faded, and I quickly took note of the series of small bruises on her the lower portion of her arm. The silence seemed deafening as their chairs scraped against the floor when they took their seats, and it remained that way for what seemed like hours, but what must have been no more than ten minutes. Finally the ice broke dangerously.
"We have something to tell you," Jacob said, causing all of us to look up from our plates, except for Caroline. "My wife’s expecting," he said with no hint of joy. Jay picked his fork back up and began shoveling food into his mouth once more. My mother cleared her throat, and turned to address her daughter-in-law. "What lovely news." She said this with a smile, but Caroline still looked down and said nothing. Jay paused briefly to add, "we didn’t think you would care." "I’m sorry you feel that way," my father said briskly. Jay pushed his plate away, looking my father in the face. "We both feel that way, and we don’t care to have you in our lives one day more. You’d obviously rather have a low class whore with you than your own family."
William jumped up, knocking his chair over in the process. He was turning bright red. "I’m going to have to escort you to the door," he said, grabbing his brother by the collar and hauling him up. My father pointed at me, and issued a general order, "keep eating." But all of us kept staring at the drama before us. Tears began to well up in Naomi’s eyes, and she reached for William’s arm. He put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, and repeated my father’s command: "eat."
Jacob had gone to get his coat, apparently wishing to leave more than to be thrown out, and Caroline was slowly making her way towards the door, only pausing to whisper thanks to my mother, which were the first words she had spoken all evening. Will was following them towards the door, but Jay slammed it behind himself and his wife, appearing to need no assistance. As William turned around, we all looked back down at our plates to give the appearance that we had followed our father’s directive. "Coward," he muttered as he came back to the table. Naomi did not let go of his arm through out the rest of dinner.
"Oh no, I couldn’t do that." "Why not?" "Because, that isn’t very ladylike." "Oh, who cares," I said, whining. "Well, I’m trying to be more like a lady, so I won’t be..." she trailed off, and was saved from having to say anything further as William came in through the door. He came to stand above the two of us, saying nothing, but watching Naomi. I gave up on finding any entertainment with them, and went to sit on the front porch, where I started tossing stones into the yard.
The window to the parlor overlooked the porch, and the window being open, I could hear their voices drifting. "I have something for you." "For me?" Naomi asked incredulously. "Here, go ahead and open it now, I can’t wait." "What is this for?" "I saw it, and I wanted you to have it." I was curious to see what it was William had bought for Naomi, so I turned around, peeking over the window sill. She was holding a small box, and Will had to urge her again to open it. She pulled out a tiny locket, nothing extravagant, but she immediately held it to her chest and began to cry.
"Don’t do that," William said as he sat down next to her and dragged her into his lap, pulling her head to his chest. "I’m glad you like it so well, but there is no need for tears." Naomi finally picked up her head, and whispered in his ear. William smiled, something he rarely did: "I love you too, Naomi." Just as I saw Naomi kiss my brother my mother stepped on to the porch, and said loudly, "what are you doing there, Christopher?" The noise outside caused Will to jump up, dumping Naomi on the ground. That night William finally came to sleep in our room again, and I had some notion of why that might be.
It was only a matter of weeks before their engagement was announced, and preparations for a wedding in March were begun. Dresses and linens and plates and silverware were all ordered with great joy and alacrity. All of this planning seemed to rub off on Judy, who was becoming fond of discussing her own wedding. Judy sat in front of my mother, who was pinning up Naomi’s hem. "I want a big wedding with lace and flowers. I want everyone I know to be there. I want to have lovely cake and tea." She was staring up at Naomi, and I was anxiously waiting for the fitting to be over so we could go fishing. "I’m sure your parents will give you a lovely day, my dear," my mother said, pins in mouth. "My grandmother will see to it, I assume," Judy corrected, sitting back on her heels to get a better view. My mother raised her eyebrows: "I’m sure she will."
For days afterwards Judy could speak of nothing else after the fitting. She wanted to discuss the fabric, the cut, the buttons. It made me dread the possibility of our own wedding, which I thought was sincerely possible, even at that age. And between myself and my brother, we were not the only romantics in the family. One day, when I was running home from playing across town, I saw Mary kissing a man I had never seen before. She had not seen me, and for weeks I said nothing about it to anyone.
It worried me that Mary could run off the way Jessica had, and when she did not come home for dinner one night, I felt as if I had to say something. "I think I know where Mary is," I said quietly, although no one else seemed terribly concerned that she was not there. Everyone seemed surprised, since I rarely knew much. Will, who seemed somewhat angry that Mary had missed the meal Naomi had fixed without assistance cleared his throat. "Where then?" I hedged: "Not where really, but I think I know who with." Everyone was looking at me, which made me nervous to share the news I had been holding in for the past few weeks. But no one looked away, and finally I stuttered. "I saw her a while back with a man, and they were...they were..." Now the shocked and angry looks were making me wish I had not ever opened my mouth. "Who?" William asked briskly.
My mother began clearing the table, although the meal was hardly over. "I’m sure you mistaken, Christopher," she said as she grabbed my plate. "Who was it?" Will asked more loudly. "I don’t know his name," I answered quietly. William pushed back his chair. "Where are you going?" Naomi asked quietly. "I will handle this," he said. "There is nothing to handle," my mother pleaded. My father turned to me, "what exactly are you talking about?" "He’s the son of that family that moved here from Georgia. I’ve seen him around lately." William, who had stopped momentarily and was leaning on the back of his chair, turned to face our mother. "He’s twenty-two, I know the kid." "Just sit down," was all she said in reply. "Doesn’t anyone care?" My mother put the glass down she was busy clearing, and spoke in a firm tone. "If there is anything to be done, your father will take care of it. You have been entirely too hot-headed lately." William stood there for a moment, avoiding Naomi’s upturned face before walking out of the house with a slam of the door.
When Mary returned that evening, Will was still among the missing, and everyone was somber. Walking in and seeing everyone’s stares, Mary must have known that her absence at dinner was not appreciated. She walked towards the parlor, gripping her school books. "I lost track of time," she said before anyone had a chance to ask her anything. When no one responded, she began again, "I lost track of time, and before I knew it, it was dark. I do have a lot of studying to do though." "Mary Scott, take a seat," my father said calmly. I was waiting for my father to start yelling, but thus far he had been very composed.
"I’m not interested in what happened this evening. As far as I’m concerned, you wouldn’t be likely to tell me the truth anyway, and I’d rather you didn’t lie to me." Mary shifted her weight in the chair, uncomfortably. "Your mother and I would like to know if you’ve thought about your future." Mary opened her mouth, but no words formed. "Do you intend on continuing your schooling?" Mary sighed, seemingly relieved. "College?" "Yes, if that’s what you want." "Well, yes, I would," Mary sounded confused, and I was as well. I thought for sure that my father would have yelled at least once. "May I go do my studying now?" Mary asked, sounding as if she wanted to get away before my father changed his tone. "Go ahead."
It was much later when William returned. It had begun to rain later in the evening, and I was sitting in the kitchen where there was better light, as I worked on an essay on rail-travel. Naomi was the only other person still awake, and she sat in the parlor. From where I sat it looked to me as if the needle she was plying was not even threaded, but she kept plying it nonetheless, as she looked towards the window. When the door opened the shadows made William’s face hard to make out. He threw his wet hat on the side table by the door, and I could hear droplets of water from his coat hitting the floor. Naomi stood up, her sewing dumping onto the floor and she hurried to the stairs. Will took long strides to reach her, and he grabbed her elbow, but she threw him off and hurried up the stairs.
Will held on to the railing for some time before turning to me. "Did Mary come home?" "Yeah, hours ago." "Turn off that lamp, and come to bed. It’s late." I turned the gas lamp, and followed him up the stairs. He paused for a moment as we passed Naomi’s room, but began the climb again. After having washed his face in the washbowl, Will came to sit on the side of my bed. "I shouldn’t upset her like that." I rolled over on my side. "She won’t stay mad." "She’s so hard to figure out," he said, running his hands through his hair. I thought I could smell alcohol in the room, and I wondered if Will was drunk. "I’m glad you didn’t find Mary," I whispered. Will stood up going over to his own bed, coughing as he did. "We should all be glad of that."
Will and Naomi would not be with us either, as they planned on moving to Charleston directly after the wedding. Will made several trips to the city, and on one of these trips he found a boarding house that had an empty level for rent. He also managed to secure a position with the newspaper. I was disappointed at their decision, feeling closest to my brother of anyone; I considered it an abandonment. I was surprised to learn that Naomi was unhappy at the prospect as well.
I was sitting on the back porch with Will and Naomi, and Naomi was sitting on the ground playing with the baby. Will was leaning on the chair rail, as he looked out over the back yard. "I wish we would be here for his first birthday," she said, pulling at his rattle. Will looked back over his shoulder at her. "That’s still a ways off." "I know, but we’ll be missing everything while we’re in the city." Will blew air out quickly and turned to face the both of us. "I’m sure everyone would be a lot happier if we just stayed here, but I’m sick of other people’s houses, streets, lives. I want a life of my own! I’m just trying to give us a life!" "Don’t raise your voice at me," Naomi said firmly. Will turned away and began to cough, saying under his breath, "Jesus!" Naomi scrambled to her feet and came behind him, lifting her arms to grip his shoulders. "William, are you alright?" He waved his hand, but continued to cough, before retreating into the house.
When Naomi and Will did leave for Charlotte, it appeared that she was doing her best to appear happy, but as they pulled away she kept turning back, and finally, Will had to take a hold of her shoulders and turn her around. Nothing would be quite the same now that Will was gone.
William and Naomi were still living in Charleston. They had not yet been blessed with a child, and Naomi had bouts of illness where she would be laid up for weeks at a time. William arranged for her to pay us a visit in June, thinking the change of scenery would perhaps improve both her mood and her health. After having picked up Naomi from the Seaboard Coastline Rail, we all tried to hear the latest news. We asked her about the city, but all she would say was that "Will and I could get along just about anywhere," which was a less than ecstatic recommendation.
"I love it when Joseph takes me to the theatre. Does Will take you to the theatre?" Mary asked, beaming. Naomi side stepped the question. "Who is this Joseph?" "Oh," Mary said, smiling even more brightly than before. "Joseph O'Neil. He’s studying law at Winthrop." Mary looked as if she would like to say more, but she began to blush, and my mother had to continue for her. "He’s a lovely man, very bright, and handsome. He seems to make Mary happy." Naomi gave Mary a smile that spoke of a common understanding.
As they came closer, an older girl, some three years my elder, was the first to speak. Daphne Smith was loud and brassy with a full figure and long straight blond hair; she was not beautiful, but she was well liked by the boys. "You boys wrestling?" she asked, pushing her way into the circle. "We want to watch: make room for us, boys," she said with an ear to ear smile.
"Are we going to do this, or not?" demanded John. John was an older boy, who was used to whipping those of us who were younger in any sport of his choosing. It had been my draw to face him. "I’m ready," I said, stepping up to face him. We began to circle each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Finally he pounced, and I hit the dirt hard, but I managed to roll over and grab his leg. As we flipped and panted and rolled, his elbow kept finding my ribs and his nails raked my arm. As soon as I would gain the advantage, he would manage to flip me once again. One of us would have to remain on top for five seconds. He nearly managed just that, when I overtook him, surprising him. Taking advantage of my position, I pinned him, and was startled myself to hear--"Five!"
Some of the boys hauled me up, and I began to dust myself off, and I wiped at my face, thinking there might be blood. If that was the case, I would be in trouble when I got home. Daphne touched my bare arm, and flashed her smile. "That was impressive." "Aw, thanks," I said, watching as everyone started to wander away. "Do you mind carrying my basket?" she asked, as she pushed it into my hands. I did not know what to say, and looked at her blankly. "Let’s walk back towards town," she said, trying to loop her arm through mine. I continued to look at her as if she was speaking a different language, and she grabbed her basket back. "Forget it," she said, seeming somewhat annoyed, and hurrying off to join the girls.
I spun around and ran smack into someone or something. It took me a split second to realize it was Judy. Being this close to her, I realized how much she had grown and changed. I had upset the flowers she carried in her basket, and she crouched down to gather them up. I realized belatedly that I should help her, because I had been distracted watching her. When I finally did bend down to help, we knocked heads when she looked up at me. Judy stood up, awkwardly laughing. "I don’t need to give you another bruise. It looks as if you’ll have plenty enough as it is." "Oh, I’ll be alright," I lied, pretending that I was not smarting in more than one place.
"You were forgetting your shirt, which is what I was trying to tell you," she said gesturing to the ground nearby. "Wait here," I said, as I ran to pick up the shirt. I came hurrying back. "Will you walk with me towards the lake?" I asked, hoping she would agree. She tilted her head slightly, and then smiled. "I have some time." We started to walk slowly in the direction of the lake, and we were silent for some time.
"Daphne seemed rather impressed by you," Judy said, looking over her shoulder away from me. "Oh, I guess she was." Judy turned back to look me right in the eyes. "You could have gotten hurt. I could barely watch." She brushed one of the scratches with the tip of one of her slender fingers. "He scratched you," she said softly. I rubbed it vigorously, to indicate that there was no pain. "I’m fine," I insisted. Her little mouth turned into a frown, doubting my veracity.
