Different Drummers (4 page)

Back in her room, she hung the precious blue dress and jacket in the wardrobe, or chiffarobe as her mother-in-law had called it. Had it been just a couple of days since she and Georgina had scampered up the stairs to the second floor in Macy's looking for that special outfit to impress Bob's parents? With a wry smile Kathleen realized the joke was on her. After she'd changed into a soft pink cotton dress and sandals, she tried to think of something positive. Bob would be home in a few days, maybe even as soon as tomorrow. She'd stick this out until he arrived. He'd see they couldn't stay here.

In the kitchen, her mother-in-law was preparing the meal.

“All right, here I am,” Kathleen said, in as cheerful a voice as she could manage.

“That looks some better. I tell you girl, I'm having a hard time understandin' what you're sayin'. You'll have to be speakin' slower so's I'll know. How about givin' them black-eyed peas a stir and turn them turnip greens down just a tad.”

“I don't think I've ever had turnip greens,” Kathleen said, searching for some middle ground. “Do you mean the tops of the turnips?”

“Yeah. The turnips didn't amount to much this year. I got a few good messes of greens though.” Mrs. Conroy shook her head. “I can't believe you've never eaten them. Are you gonna be in for a treat.”

The screen door flew open and a girl who was obviously Selma breezed into the room. She was pretty in a flashy sort of way. Her frizzy dyed red hair was piled on top of her head and huge red hoops dangled from each ear. Her body-hugging skirt had a long slit up the side and the sleeveless top was cut in a deep V between her breasts.

“Hi Momma,” Selma said, a split-second before seeing Kathleen in the corner. “So, there you are. I work in Gus's and saw you get off the bus. I watched you sittin' on your suitcase outside for the longest time and just knew you must be Bobby's wife. After you'd gone, Lonnie Pendleton came in and told me Freddie had brought you home in his pickup.”

Kathleen bit her lip, fighting the urge to ask Selma why in heaven's name she hadn't come running out of Gus's to see if she, Kathleen, who was about to pass out from the fierce sun, was indeed her brother's new wife.

She only smiled at the heavily made-up face. “Nice to meet you. Bob's told me all about you.” He hadn't but what else was there to say?

* * *

Kathleen helped set the table. There were pork chops, turnip greens, black-eyed peas, and a sort of hot bread that Mrs. Conroy said were called biscuits. A big glass of iced tea was placed by each place. When Otis Conroy on the one side and his wife on the other reached for Kathleen's hands, she knew her confusion showed. She bowed her head along with the others, while her father-in-law gave the longest benediction she'd ever heard. The meal began in silence. Her mother-in-law and Selma barely looked up from their plates, while Otis Conroy, with his intense eyes, seemed determined to bore holes in the very wall as he stared straight ahead, looking down only to shovel food onto his fork.

As strange and out of place as she felt, Kathleen desperately wanted to talk. After all, she'd come all the way from England to be with her husband, and to suffer through this first meal with his family in complete silence was almost more than she could bear.

“I'm looking forward so much to seeing Bob,” she began. “Do you know exactly when he'll be coming home? I can't wait to see him.”

“I reckon he'll be here when he gets here.” Otis Conroy spoke without looking at her, his gaze still on the wall. “That's if he don't take it into his head to go somewhere else. That Bobby ain't never been all that reliable.”

Kathleen's fork stopped on its way to her mouth as she stared at the man. No smile had crossed his face but surely this was his idea of a joke.

“Now, Daddy,” Selma said with a coy grin, “don't you be frightenin' Kathleen like that. She ain't laid eyes on Bobby for months and you know she must be longin' to see him. Ain't that right Kathleen?”

Kathleen nodded, then cleared her throat. “It seems like forever since I've seen him. Still, not much longer now. I just wish he'd warned me about the heat. I can't ever remember a day this hot in England and it's only early June.”

When nobody spoke, she plodded on. “By the way, did you receive the letters my mother and I wrote to you? I ask only because when no reply came we thought they may have gone astray.”

“Pass the greens,” Otis said to his wife.

“Yeah, they came,” Selma said. “Momma, she ain't much good at readin' or writin'. And Daddy, well Daddy's that busy with his church work he don't have much time for nothin' else. Ain't that right, Daddy?”

“That's right Selma, honey. Our congregation's growin'. Jesus has been good to us, He surely has.”

Kathleen blinked. “You mean you have a church?”

“Yes ma'am, I surely do.”

Selma helped herself to more peas. “What Daddy means is his brother is the preacher at the Holiness Church of Jesus on the edge of town. Well, Daddy's that good at preachin'. When he's up in that pulpit the whole congregation gets all fired up. Uncle Homer, he lets him preach there a lot. Ain't that right, Daddy?”

“Yes Selma, honey, that certainly is a fact. When I get them folks in the spirit, I can feel Jesus just amovin' all around that fine old church.”

Otis Conroy fixed his magnetic eyes on Kathleen. “And what faith are you? When we held hands to give thanks to Jesus for this food, you acted downright surprised. Is this not a custom with your family?”

She scraped her chair a few inches to the left, distancing the space between them.

“Not exactly. My family isn't all that religious, except for my mother. Mum goes to Mass a couple of times a week. She's always trying to make good Catholics out of the rest of us. Dad's always teasing her. He tells her she makes up for all of us.”

Kathleen hesitated as the muscles in Otis Conroy's jaw twitched and his lips set in a firm straight line.

“I haven't been to mass in ages,” she continued, “but I do like to go every now and then. Is there a Catholic church close by? When I get a chance, I'd like to visit the priest and introduce myself.”

Her father-in-law ground out the words between clenched teeth. “I, we didn't know Bobby had married a Catholic. We thought you were a Christian.”

Kathleen's knife slipped out of her hand and clattered onto her plate. “What do you mean you thought I was a Christian? Of course I am. I just told you I was Catholic.”

Otis Conroy's leaned toward her. “Yes, you did. And I'm tellin' you Catholics ain't Christians. People who worship an idol, and a woman idol at that, can't call themselves Christian. Didn't you know that? They ain't been saved. They ain't been born again.”

“What do you mean by
born again?
I've never heard the expression before.”

The man's mouth twisted into a sneer as he slowly shook his head. “Born again ain't just an expression. It's a way of life.” His tone changed from angry to almost wheedling and he closed his fanatic's eyes. “I'm hearin' a message here straight from Jesus. It's comin' through loud and clear. He's tellin' me there's hope for you, Kathleen. We can save your poor lost soul. Yes ma'am, you can be born again.”

He reached out and placed his clammy hand on top of hers and it was all she could do not to snatch it away.

“I think I'm doing all right.” She prayed her voice sounded normal, that they couldn't see she was dying inside. “I don't want to change my religion. My family's always been Catholic. Thanks very much though.”

She turned away from Otis Conroy, unable to stare into those blazing eyes any longer. His wife still stared at her plate, as she had throughout the meal. Selma's mouth hung open, eyes incredulous, looking as if her new sister-in-law had just turned down the chance of a lifetime.

Kathleen stood up, hands gripping the edge of the table. “I hope you won't think I'm rude, but I'm not used to this heat. If you'll excuse me I'll go for a walk.”

She swiped at the angry tears as she strode down the driveway and onto the street.

“Bob darling, please hurry home,” she whispered into the dark. “I can't stay here without you.”

She looked through lighted windows as she made her way along the deserted street. What were the people like who moved about the rooms in the little houses? Were they of the same mind as the Conroys? Maybe in a day or two she'd get a chance to meet some of them and find out.

At the end of the street, she leaned for a long time against a tree. As the twilight deepened, the first fireflies she'd ever seen in her life outside of the movies flickered and danced around her. At any other time she would have been entranced at the sight, but not now.

The lights of a car come toward her. As it slowed to make the turn she saw Otis Conroy and Selma in the front seat. Kathleen backed further into the shadow of the tree, and the car continued on its way.

A sudden weariness enveloped her as she walked back down Bennington Street. Maybe with a bit of luck she could return to the house and be in her bedroom before they returned. As she opened the screen door and walked across the porch toward the kitchen, she hid her surprise when her mother-in-law's weary face lit up at the sight of her.

“Otis and Selma have gone to Wednesday night prayer meetin' and won't be back for a couple of hours. I made some peach pie. Would you like some? I've got ice cream.”

Kathleen returned the smile and even though she felt as if she couldn't eat another bite, she nodded. “Yes please, that would be lovely. I'm sorry I left so suddenly. I just needed to get a breath of air. It's been a long day for me, and, well, your ways and customs are so different from what I'm used to. Mr. Conroy startled me with his strong views about Catholics.”

Her mother-in-law held her hand under the running tap while she waited for the water to heat. “Don't you worry none about Otis. I reckon he had it comin'.”

Kathleen warmed toward her, sensing a sort of ally. “Thanks for being so understanding.” She stood uncertainly by the screen door. “It's cooler outside now, with night coming on. Would you sit on the porch with me for a little while before I go to bed? We didn't get a chance to talk much over dinner.”

“Just give me a minute to get these dishes in the sink and I'll be on out there.”

They sat together on the porch and ate the delicious peach pie. After they'd set the dishes aside, her mother-in-law began to talk in a halting, almost shy voice.

“I guess you been wonderin' what kind of family we are. Well, first there's Otis. He's a very Christian man and done a power of good in this community for people in need of the Lord. Still and all, I thought he came on right strong to you in there. I know Catholics are Christians, but Otis, well, he just won't hear of it.”

She rubbed a hand across her eyes. “I have to tell you though, he's done worked a miracle on Selma. She weren't good for nothin' until her daddy was chosen by the Lord. He's turned her whole way of thinking around. I reckon any fella in Eddisville could have had her before her daddy made her see the light.”

“What does Otis, I mean Mr. Conroy, do? Does he have a job as well as his church work?”

“He works at the sawmill on the other side of town. He's a hard-workin' man. Selma helps out in Gus's like she told you. She tries hard I guess, but she ain't all that smart.”

She paused and let out a deep sigh. “And then, there's Bobby. I'm just hopin' and prayin' all this travelin's done him some good.”

She reached in her pocket and took out a small can. The substance that she scooped out with her thumb and forefinger was placed carefully between her gum and bottom lip.

“I'm sorry,” Kathleen said, “do you have a toothache?”

“No, I don't have no toothache. Ain't you never seen no one dip snuff before?”

“Er, no, I'm not familiar with it. In England in the olden days, foppish sort of men carried around fancy snuff boxes and sniffed pinches of it up their noses. But I've never seen anyone put it in their mouths. Is it good for you?”

Beulah Conroy gave her first big smile since Kathleen had arrived. “You sure do talk strange, Kathleen. I don't know what foppish means and I ain't never heard tell of people stuffin' snuff up their noses. Round here, anyone who dips snuff puts it in their mouths. Don't know whether it's good for you or not, but it makes you feel good. I guess that's what counts.”

She moved the snuff into place with what looked like a small twig. “You wanna try some? You'll find it soothin' after your run-in with Otis.”

Kathleen shook her head. “Oh no, no thanks. I just wondered what it was. I didn't mean to interrupt you.”

“Well, I guess that just leaves me,” the woman said. “There ain't really a lot to tell except to say I just do the best I can. I keep house and tend to my garden. I get this peaceful feelin' back there, all alone watchin' things grow.”

She spat into a tin cup almost hidden at her side. It was done with lightning speed and if Kathleen hadn't been watching her closely, she wouldn't have seen.

“Well, that's about it. I reckon you know all there is to know about us now.”

The intimate conversation had brought out a gentler side of Beulah Conroy. The light filtering onto the porch from the living room served to soften her features and took away the harshness that was there in the daylight. Her aloofness, so obvious earlier in the day and which Kathleen now recognized as shyness, had disappeared.

“You probably have a lot to tell and if you've a mind to, you can tell me somethin' about your momma and daddy. I've no doubt you're missin' them some. Bound to be, come to think of it.”