Of Love and Dust (33 page)

“You think she followed him?”

“She might have.”

“They’ll have to go North,” Aunt Margaret said.

“That’s where Marcus and Louise wanted to go,” I said.

“You liked Marcus, didn’t you, James?”

“At the last,” I said. “Him and Louise both. They showed lot of courage.”

“That’s why it had to end like that,” she said. “They can’t let nothing like that happen now.”

“Who?” I said.

“Bonbon and his kind,” she said.

“But not Marshall?”

“He didn’t have nothing to do with it,” she said.

“Then why is he sending me away from here?” I said.

“Them Cajuns might start some mess,” she said.

After I finished eating, I put my plate in the pan of soapy water on the stove. Then I came back to the table where Aunt Margaret was sitting. She stood up and I saw tears in her eyes.

“Lean down here, James,” she said.

I leaned over for her. She held me close and kissed me on the jaw.

“Well, I’m going,” I said.

“Where you going, James?”

“I don’t know, Aunt Margaret.”

We went out on the gallery. Unc Octave and Mr. Roberts were out there. Mr. Roberts had his little switch that he used for popping at flies. I told him and Unc Octave good-bye, then I hung my guitar round my neck and picked up my
suitcase and handbag. Aunt Margaret followed me to the gate.

“Good-bye,” I told her again.

“I’ll walk piece way,” she said.

She took the handbag from me. The people we met in the road told me good-bye. The ones on the galleries waved at me. Some of them inside the houses came to the door to wave at me.

When we came up to Bonbon’s old house, Aunt Margaret and I stopped for a moment. The place looked cool, lonely, and very peaceful. I started shaking my head.

“I know what you mean,” Aunt Margaret said.

“I was thinking about what that preacher said at Marcus’s funeral,” I said. “ ‘Man is here for a little while, then gone.’ ”

“Ain’t it the true,” Aunt Margaret said.

“Well, good-bye again,” I said.

I put my hand on her shoulder and kissed her on the jaw.

“Take care yourself, James,” she said.

I picked up the suitcase and the handbag and walked away. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw her going back home.