No sooner did I go to bed Sunday night
than I woke up
with the inside of my mouth screaming.
I laid there
wondering what it could be.
Did I swallow a bee?
But the pain soon found a home
in one of my back teeth
and I tried to just lay there and endure the pain
but after a while I couldn't stand it anymore.
It was my first toothache
and I thought I was going to die.
It was worse than the scorpion bite
because it sent out waves of red-hot pain
to my nose and eyes and down deep into my jaw.
I crept into Mom and Daddy's room
and my voice wavered
when I said
"Mom, are you awake?"
It was darker than dark
Mom wasn't awake
but the only thing in the world that mattered
was getting rid of the pain.
Mom got up after a while
and chipped some ice for me
to put on my tooth
and we sat together at the dining-room table
in the pitch-dark Alabama night
Mom holding my hand and humming
me moaning
waiting for morning to come.
As soon as the sky lightened behind our house
Mom got Daddy up.
"You have to take her to a dentist, honey"
Mom said.
"She's in terrible pain."
Daddy called Brother Rudy
and got directions
and we went into Mobile
and a dentist reached into my mouth with a horrible clamper
and yanked the tooth.
I was too faint to get out of the chair
so Daddy helped me up
and kept his arm around me
so I could lean on him
while he paid the bill.
It cost fifteen dollars!
We were both shocked.
Daddy only got paid $30 a week
and now we only had $15 to live on
and next Sunday was a long ways away.
I slept most of the way home
and Daddy helped me out of the car
and into my bed
and he said to Mom
"How's the food situation, honey?"
Baby Paul had to come first
so they bought milk for him
and two yeast cakes so that Mom could bake bread
and flour
and oatmeal
and beans
and some canned goods.
We made it okay until Wednesday night
when Mom made beans and grits
and we all had a little bit of both.
By Thursday we were in trouble
and there was no more money in the mayonnaise jar
and only a little bit of oatmeal in the box
but still some flour and lard
so Mom made bread without yeast
and it was heavy and gummy
but we all ate some anyway.
The baby started fussing.
He wanted more milk than Mom wanted to give him.
Jimmy and Wes were acting very bad
fighting and throwing things at each other
out in the yard.
I felt so guilty!
If only I could have endured the pain a little longer
we would have already bought groceries
before we went to the dentist
and nobody would be starving.
Friday night Mom fed us the rest of a jar
of picalilli
and gave the baby the last little taste of milk
and some stale bread to chew on.
"We might have to ask one of our congregation to help us out"
Mom said to Daddy.
"I know,"
Daddy replied.
I just hate to do that."
"They've bent over backwards for us already".
"Well, we can always pray for some food!"
Wes piped up.
Mom and Daddy looked at him
and laughed
and Mom said,
"He's right! Let's ask the Lord!"
and they laughed again
and they smooched a bit
and at devotions we prayed
"Dear Lord, we're starving!"
from Wes
and
"Please send us some food quick!"
from Jimmy
and
Baby Paul said
"Eat! Eat!"
and Daddy prayed for us
and so did Mom
and me.
Me and the boys were awake off and on all night
because our stomachs were griping
and growling
and carrying on.
I had finally fallen sound asleep
soon after the sun rose
so I missed the first excitement
of finding them on the porch
but I heard the whole family whooping
and yelling
so I dragged myself out of bed
and into the dining room
where seven beautiful green watermelons sat on the table
and Daddy was brandishing a knife
which he brought down on one of the watermelons
and it fell open
squirting sweet juices
and both halves fell onto the table
and we all grabbed a big juicy handful of fresh pink watermelon meat.
Mom testified about it in church on Sunday
fishing to see who had left them on our front porch
but nobody owned up to it.
That's how the "Little Bit Extra" club was started
where all the church ladies made extra food
for us
for each other
and for anyone in need.
We never went hungry in Grand Bay again
and neither did anybody else.