Making Waves (29 page)

“Whoa! Wait just a minute,” I looked over at Ellis, and sure enough, she was preening and looking at me as if she'd just conceived by the Holy Spirit.

“Daddy Clark? Is this person—this angel of mercy sent by God—is she by any chance Ellis's sister, Glenda?” I asked.

Neither Sonny nor Ellis waited for him to answer; both began protesting at the same time. Even Aunt Opal, who up until now had been thumbing through a magazine, put it down long enough to glare at me.

“She comes as a gift from the Lord's grace, a good Christian girl like her, wanting to live in town, nearer her place of employment,” Daddy Clark said.

“Wanting to live nearer Dink Odom,” I muttered, but only Ellis heard me. The look she gave me could have chilled the most fainthearted.

“Ellis's sister?” Aunt Della looked confused, and looked around the room at each of them, coming to rest finally on Ellis. And Ellis was smirking at her like she'd pulled off a good one.

“Oh, come on, Daddy Clark!” I sighed. “Aunt Della doesn't want Ellis's sister staying there with her, snooping around for Ellis, waiting for her to kick the bucket so the Rountree clan can move in. Forget it.”

Sonny jumped up from the sofa. “You are so ridiculous, Taylor! Such a screwball—now you've added paranoia to your list. Your shrink will be glad to have some more Clark dough to handle that one, I guarantee you!”

“Sit down, Sonny,” Daddy Clark said. Then he turned those steely blue eyes on me. “Don't you tell me to forget this, young man. In the first place, it's none of your business, and in the second, I told you that the Lord arranged this—sent this girl our way right at this time, in answer to my prayers.”

As usual, I couldn't keep my temper, hold my tongue and try to reason with him. I ended up blowing it big.

“The Lord, my ass! Ellis is behind this, and you can't tell me she's not. It's her idea, and we won't have anything to do with it,” I retorted.

Daddy Clark looked as if he were about to have a stroke at my outburst. His face got as red as Sonny's Crimson Tide shirt.

“Don't you
dare
use that kind of language around me, young man! And there's no ‘we' to it—this has nothing at all to do with you.”

It was Aunt Della's turn to come to my defense. I jumped when I heard her voice come so clearly from her seat next to me, stronger than I've heard it in ages.

“Harris, you know better than to say anything like that! Taylor is my boy, same as Harris Jr. was yours. I've raised him and he has every right to say what he thinks. Me and him only have each other.”

But at that, Aunt Della pulled on my hand and turned me around to look at her. “Taylor, honey. Don't get so upset. I know of Glenda—I've heard that she is a fine Christian girl. I'd do anything to stay home, as you know. Me and you'll talk all about this later.”

But I knew, just knew, that Ellis, Sonny, and probably Aunt Opal had hatched up this latest scheme. And I knew the way Aunt Della felt about Ellis, she had to be saying that just to appease me, get me to shut my mouth before I blew it with Daddy Clark. Even knowing that, I couldn't let it go. I pulled away from Aunt Della and stood up.

“No. No—this won't do,” I said. “I haven't asked around yet—I'll find someone to stay with Aunt Della before I go back to school next week.”

Sonny laughed out loud. “That ought to be no problem. You're in such good standing in this community—”

Daddy Clark interrupted him. “I have tried my best to find someone. Della knows that. Folks are too sorry to work for a living anymore. Why should they when they can stay home and collect welfare? I admire this young woman for wanting to stand on her own two feet, make something of herself.”

It was my turn to laugh. “Yeah, she's real ambitious, all right. Dink Odom is a step up from the footwashers, I guess. All things are relative.”

It was at this exact point in all our encounters that Daddy Clark always had enough of me and my smart mouth—I could tell when that moment had come. His eyes bored into mine, and everybody in the room got quiet.

“The matter is settled, young man. Della should thank the Lord that I have everything all taken care of.”

I couldn't stand it. From the corner of my eye, I saw Aunt Della rise up in the chair, try to grab my hand again.

“No, sir. It is
not
. Your plan is unacceptable.” I turned then to Aunt Della and reached for her hand. “Come on, Aunt Della. Let's go back home.”

“I have never been so insulted in all my life,” Ellis began to whine from her spot on the sofa. “Hamilton, are you going to sit there and let your wife's people be insulted like this?”

Aunt Opal threw down her magazine and got up to leave. “This whole business is giving me a headache. Y'all are going to have to excuse me.”

From previous visits to the house, I knew exactly where Aunt Opal was headed. “Bring me a snort from your secret stash while you're at it, Aunt Opal,” I said to her retreating back. “I'm getting a headache, too.”

She threw me a dirty look and slammed the parlor door, making everyone jump.

Sonny, of course, had to defend the honor of his wife and mother, Southern chivalry running like blood through his veins. He jumped up again and took a step toward me.

“Daddy Clark, I'm going to have to speak my mind. I cannot stand this longhaired excuse for a human being another minute. I think the Clarks have put up with more from him than anyone would expect us to tolerate.”

“I don't think anyone would argue with that,” Daddy Clark said stiffly, as I unfolded Aunt Della's walker and helped her get into it. Aunt Della was shaking like everything. I decided to shut my fool mouth and just get her the hell out of there.

But Sonny wouldn't let it go. “Ellis told me what you did, Taylor. She told me about the morning three years ago when she went looking for Aunt Della and found you there alone, how you tried to get her in bed with you. I intend to settle with you about that, but not in front of Daddy Clark and Aunt Della.”

I sighed. “I'm shaking in my boots.” I looked at Ellis, and she looked away quickly, her face flushed. So old Ellis had my number, knew I wouldn't tell them the truth, that
she
had been the one to come after me.

“What if I did make a pass at Ellis, Sonny? I was overcome by her charms, her beauty, the passion beneath that plain facade.” I grinned at both of them. “Now, let's get the hell out of here, Aunt Della.” We began the slow walk to the door.

Daddy Clark sighed loudly. “Stubborn as a mule—you always have been, Della. Well, that's gratitude for you. About what I expected.”

I bit my lip to keep from smarting off at him again. All I wanted now was just to get Aunt Della home.

Sonny had gone beyond that point, though. His face furiously red, he turned to Daddy Clark.

“I said Taylor had embarrassed the Clarks all he could, Daddy Clark, but I was wrong. His latest escapade has gotten me where I'm ashamed to show my face in town. Judge Barfield and everybody else at the courthouse was talking about him the other day.”

“Gossip.” Daddy Clark shook his head. “I've no use for idle gossip. That's all that bunch at the courthouse do all day, anyway—gossip and collect taxpayers' money for doing it.”

I grinned at Sonny, unable to resist one last dig. “Guess he told you, old boy.”

Sonny turned back to Daddy Clark. “Oh, I can assure you that what they're saying about him is not gossip, Daddy Clark. Just ask Ellis.”

I winked at Ellis. “A reliable source there,” I said, opening the heavy parlor door.

“Daddy Clark—Taylor has everyone in town talking about him again. He's running around with Maudie Ferguson's niece, Sarah Williams. You know her—Aunt Charlotte's old friend.” Sonny's voice was loud and harsh.

Surprising me again, Aunt Della turned in her walker as she was poised to go out the door. She looked right at Sonny, then at Daddy Clark.

“Harris, I hope you can finally see how Sonny has always done all he can to hurt Taylor. Trying to make something out of that! Sarah is a real good friend to Taylor, taking a special interest in him since she knew Charlotte so well. You know better than to listen to such trash.”

Daddy Clark shook his head scornfully. “Don't be spreading rumors like that, son,” he said to Sonny. “We've had enough—”

But Sonny jumped in rudely. “Ellis saw them! She saw them at the river, fornicating on a blanket. And I admit I wondered myself—then I saw them, too. Right in front of the whole town, in front of poor old Miss Maudie's house. Everybody in Zion County's talking about it, believe you me.”

Ellis raised her chin haughtily. “It's the God's truth, Daddy Clark. I swear it.”

Aunt Della gasped and turned herself around to face them all. I just sighed and shook my head. Here we go again. Let's crucify Taylor, a favorite game of the Clarks.

“I never heard such filth!” Aunt Della said, taking deep, trembling breaths. “Harris—”

But Daddy Clark had truly had enough now, and he exploded with righteous indignation, his favorite excuse to push everybody around.

“
Enough!
” Par for the course, he turned on me.

“Get out of here, boy. I am sick to death of you and your troublemaking. Will it never end? It doesn't even matter to me whether it's true or not. Frankly, I wouldn't put anything past you, so I don't doubt you fornicating at the river, in broad open daylight, whatever. You're just like your sorry slut of a mother. I want you out of my sight!”

“Harris—” Aunt Della began weakly, trying to take a step forward. Then, right before my eyes, she let out a long breath and slumped. Her head fell forward, her eyes rolled upward, and she lost her grip on the walker. She fell right where she was standing.

“Oh my God! Aunt Della—oh my God!” I grabbed for her. Sonny and Daddy Clark both ran over at the same time, Sonny reaching her first and grabbing for her futilely. I was able to keep her from hitting the floor by falling myself, cushioning her blow with my body, the walker and Aunt Della on top of me.

“Call the paramedics,” I heard Sonny say to Ellis, and saw her run from the room. Daddy Clark and Sonny were able to lift Aunt Della off of me. Then they got her over to the sofa, where they stretched her out flat.

Ellis came running back in, Aunt Opal and Aunt Frances Martha in tow. Aunt Frances Martha shrieked, and Aunt Opal ran out again, saying she'd get some smelling salts or something. “The paramedics are on the way,” Ellis said to Daddy Clark.

“Go get me a cool washcloth,” I yelled. I saw Aunt Della's eyelids flutter. Her breathing was less ragged now.

Aunt Frances Martha ran out and reappeared with a washcloth, which she threw at me. It was sopping wet; I had to wring it out on the floor before I could wipe Aunt Della's face. She was pale as death, but warm and breathing heavily. As I wiped her face, she flickered her eyes open and looked up at me.

“Taylor …” she said faintly, then tried feebly to smile at me. “I'm fine. I just got too hot. I'm fine, honey.”

I took both of her hands in mine and looked down at her. The Clark clan stood nervously around the sofa, shuffling back and forth. For once Daddy Clark was not in charge, didn't know what to do with himself. Sonny announced he was going out to watch for the paramedics, but I ignored them all, shut them out.

“You're going to be okay, Aunt Della. I know you are,” I said. “I'm going to take care of you. I'll ride with you—we'll just take you in to the clinic and check you out, okay? Okay?”

She nodded, closing her eyes. “That'll be fine, sugar. Just so you go with me.”

I held both her hands and squeezed them. “I'll not only go in with you, I'll stay with you from now on. I'm going to stay with you, Aunt Della.”

I looked up then at the family, gathered around the sofa. I looked at Daddy Clark, standing at the foot of the sofa, arms folded, trying for a look of Christian concern on his stern bulldog face. He probably was pissed at Aunt Della for scaring him like that. Then I looked at Sonny and Ellis, standing next to him, Sonny's arms tightly around his new bride, both looking truly frightened. Aunt Frances Martha was at the door, peeping in, looking both horrified and thrilled at the sudden excitement.

“I'm going to stay with Aunt Della,” I said loudly to all of them, and to no one in particular. “I'm not going back to Louisiana. I can transfer over here, be with her. That's what I'm going to do.”

And I didn't wait for their reaction, because I really didn't give a shit what any of them thought. I knew with a certainty that's what I had to do, regardless. I couldn't let Aunt Della down now. Maybe this was my chance to redeem myself for all my screwups in the past, who knows? All I knew was, it was the right thing to do, for me. And for her.

The ambulance driver stopped at the end of Preacher Street, before pulling out on the Columbus Highway. They weren't in a rush, having decided from preliminaries that Aunt Della wasn't as bad as it appeared; she'd probably just fainted, gotten upset over the argument and passed out. But as a precaution, we were taking her to the clinic so that her doctor could check her out thoroughly, make sure she hadn't had a stroke.