Old Enough; Surviving Summer

Clara, being Pearl's niece gets told what to do as I am still a guest in their house, not family. I have always wanted to live with Pearl but now that I am here, I miss Paw-Paw like crazy. Who knew my sleepy eyed, sometimes grumpy ole grandfather would be missed at all? It wasn't until Clara had set up a card table for kids and we all washed up and sat down that I heard why I was at Pearl's in the first place. A kid's mind seems to stay in the present, not wander too far into the future or dwell on the past, at least that's so in my case.

Clara, two of her cousins, James, aka, "Jolly" and Alberta, aka, "Bertie" sat with us. Our plates were filled for us; some stuff I recognized from what Pearl cooked for me and Paw-Paw at home and other things I'd never seen. As you know biscuits and gravy are on my top five list of best foods ever and I was drooling when Pearl plopped down a basket full on our "little giggle fest" table. Jolly was a a real clown, his hair was like a black dandelion puff ball, his eyes he'd open real wide then out he'd spout the funniest things I ever heard. Apparently, humor ran big in Pearl's family. Clara told Bertie and Jolly about my whooping, that is, her giving me my first one.

"How's it that you made it to third grade without a switchin'?" Bertie gave me a serious stare. Jolly meatball head had stuffed two biscuits in his cheeks making them bulge out like a chubby mouthed squirrel and rolled his eyes left and right waiting for my answer.

"Truth is, I don't know; I keep my head down and am working hard on keeping my trap shut. Paw-Paw don't get mad at me and well, your Aunt Pearl treats me real sweet." I stabbed into some mushy green stuff and twirled my fork about waiting for the next round in my grand inquisition.

Jolly looked at Clara after slinging down a glass of milk in one go, "Why's she here?" Clara shrugged and told him that I came with a "just in case bag". Bertie leaned in and asked if she could touch my arm. I held it out then she yelled, "you got cooties, big white ones!" then she tried to touch Jolly who knew this game and jumped up so fast the whole card table almost collapsed. This drew attention from the mumbling droolers at the grown-up, almost dead, table so we all ran out of the kitchen and down to Clara's room fast.

When the door was shut we all were crying with funny tears; then Clara pulled out from under her bed my "just in case bag". In her grown-up, bossy tone she demanded me to open it. I did.

"You got a lot of draaws in here? Are you a bed wetter?"; she mimicked a southern, sassy ole lady accent then threw my panties at Jolly who put a pair on his puffy dandelion head. Next, she said, "You really don't know why you're here, do you?" I looked down, feeling a bit out of place, full of cooties and suddenly short on words.

Pearl came into the bedroom without knocking, tried not to laugh when seeing Jolly with my draaws on his head, then snapped for us to take our plates and clean up our mess. I stood with the rest and Pearl said in her soft tone, "not you May." She lingered until they were out of sight. Pearl had a face I was not used to seeing, not a mad face, but a something's about to happen face. She sat next to me on the bottom bunk, her neck bent down so she could fit without whacking her head and patted my knee. When adults pat your knee it's never good.

"May, your Paw-Paw is not feeling good; he's in the hospital for a couple of days where the nurses can take good care of him. He's gonna be alright, hear? That's why you're here with us."

I grabbed onto Pearl and began to bawl; she hugged me tight and said, "it's okay shugga, Pearl's here." Pearl called me shugga just like Clara; a warmth rolled over my heart, a kind of safe place just for a second feeling; as I lay my head on Pearl's lap she brushed my tears away, pulled on my ear lobes and winked at me. "I made your favorite jello and have whipped cream! How's that sound before bedtime?" I smiled like all was super-duper now, yet part of me was getting better at masquerading around my cry baby feelings that lingered long after the crocodile tears had dried up.

Truth has it's way of finding it's own hiding place; no jello with whipped cream is gonna fix my worries tonight. ~

Click here for Part VII

*Copyright updated, July 7th, 2024, any and all contents of this series, my poetry and all writings here on The Vocal, in any form reprinted for personal gain is plagiarism and will be reported.