by Douglas Young<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0For as long as he could recall, whenever Fitzhugh asked his Presbyterian grandmother if she and Granddaddy Rainwater were visiting that weekend, the reply never wavered.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, if the Lord\u2019s willing.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Whenever they did visit, though their grandson now had his own apartment across town, he was sure to drop by his parents\u2019 home to spend time with them, especially his dear grandfather with whom he had always shared a special bond. At the Rainwater family\u2019s annual Christmas reunion one Saturday in mid-December, a slew of\u00a0relatives from their part of the state\u00a0made the pilgrimage to\u00a0Fitzhugh\u2019s family home\u00a0for the big meal.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Due to a late start in the morning \u2013 having remained at the Zadapad until well after 1 a.m. laughing with his lonely host who pleaded with him not to leave — and running several errands before many businesses closed at one, Fitzhugh\u00a0missed the 1:00 scheduled lunch time. He dutifully called his parents to apologize he was going to be late and implored them to please not delay the meal. When he\u00a0at last arrived at 1:30 to see everyone had patiently waited on him, he profusely apologized to all. The welcome from the kitchen was immediate and loud.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, Merry Christmas!\u201d\u00a0bellowed Aunt Zoella,\u00a0his favorite\u00a0aunt for being the relative most like Zada in never hesitating to speak her mind, and loudly.\u00a0Fitzhugh had even speculated if the two could somehow be distant cousins.\u00a0He envied both as personifying the antonym of \u201cshy.\u201d Philmont praised\u00a0his\u00a053-year-old, large, and never-married aunt\u00a0for\u00a0having \u201cchutzpah in spades.\u201d Zoella Rainwater was\u00a0certainly Fitzhugh\u2019s least inhibited relative, and by far. He often marveled how such an outspoken lady could be a blood member of his otherwise\u00a0pretty restrained\u00a0family tree. Her branch was certainly the\u00a0clan\u2019s\u00a0most colorful.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHey, Aunt\u00a0Zoella. How\u00a0goes it?\u201d Her nephew smiled.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c\u2019Bout to faint from starvation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m\u00a0real\u00a0sorry I\u2019m late. Y’all shouldn\u2019t have waited on me to start eating.\u00a0But guess who I saw on my way back from the Piggly Wiggly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSanta Claus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cGeorgialina McClusky, Deangela Doolittle, and Farnell Cobb,\u201d Fitzhugh replied.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWell,\u00a0that\u2019s sure a fine\u00a0Christian gathering. Where\u2019d you spy them \u2013 at the liquor store?\u201d Zoella snorted.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Now laughing too hard to speak, Fitzhugh gave his aunt a hug and a kiss.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cNo kiss, Aunt Zoella?\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0asked.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cYou don\u2019t deserve no kiss,\u201d she shot back. \u201cMaking your relations wait near half an hour\u00a0so\u2019s you could go\u00a0gallivanting with the likes of\u00a0Miss Georgialina, Miss Deangela, and\u00a0Farnell Cobb<\/em>. When\u2019d he\u00a0get\u00a0out of\u00a0jail?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s never even been arrested,\u201d\u00a0her nephew grinned.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cProbably\u00a0\u2019cause\u00a0his daddy\u2019s the preacher at First Methodist. That boy was always getting hisself\u00a0into one kind of mess or another growing up. If he\u00a0ain\u2019t\u00a0a typical preacher\u2019s boy, I don\u2019t know who is,\u201d Zoella pronounced with conviction.\u00a0\u201cNow, Ruby,\u00a0I sure hope and pray your only son\u00a0ain\u2019t\u00a0taking no shine to the likes of Georgialina McClusky or Deangela Doolittle.\u00a0Have you seen how them gals dress? Does either of \u2019em\u00a0even own anything other than a halter top or short shorts?\u00a0What a delightful daughter-in-law either of them fine<\/em> young Christian ladies would make, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWell, now\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0always been\u00a0real\u00a0nice to me, Zoella,\u201d Fitzhugh\u2019s mother remarked as she carried the turkey to the dinner table.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s\u00a0\u2019cause\u00a0everybody\u2019s nice to you,\u00a0sister-in-law\u00a0\u2019cause\u00a0you just can\u2019t help but be your own sweet self to one and all. Shug,\u00a0I remember you going on about how \u2018kind and sure sorry that poor man was\u2019 after that no-good drunk ran a red\u00a0light and plowed right into your car. Here the sorry fool was totally at fault and that new car of yours was totaled and you\u2019re all worried about whether the\u00a0drunk\u2019s\u00a0all right. Shoot, I\u2019d a taken my pocketbook and had a sho\u2019 nuff come-to-Jesus meeting with\u00a0that fool.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cNow let\u2019s just all\u00a0gather round\u00a0the table so we can eat,\u201d Fitzhugh\u2019s mother smiled and announced as her son embraced all the guests.\u00a0Aunts, uncles, cousins, and\u00a0grandparents commenced to sit around what was now a long table made from two smaller ones to accommodate\u00a0the whole group.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Seated at the head of the table was the family patriarch, Fitzhugh\u2019s 85-year-old grandfather, Micah Rainwater. Hard of hearing and\u00a0generally unable to walk without assistance, the old gentleman was revered by all for his unfailing kindness\u00a0and generosity. Though his son Raleigh had long since had the final say in family matters,\u00a0Granddaddy Rainwater received\u00a0all the more respect as the\u00a0Rainwaters\u2019 formal paterfamilias.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The real changing of the guard in family authority had occurred years before when\u00a0Raleigh Rainwater reluctantly bent to his mother\u00a0Rebecca\u2019s\u00a0longstanding\u00a0pleas and asked his father to relinquish his car keys.\u00a0The old man gave them without a fight and accepted\u00a0the situation magnanimously, prompting his son to sob silently after his father left\u00a0the room.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Told it was time to say grace, the paterfamilias bent his head on cue and\u00a0gave the prayer he had recited his whole life.\u00a0Though his vocal chords had long deteriorated to the point where it was difficult to understand him, everyone knew the words.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cHeavenly Father, we thank thee for this bountiful harvest and beseech thee to bless this food for the nourishment of our bodies so we can better serve you. We ask this in Christ\u2019s name, our Lord, Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0After everyone\u00a0echoed \u201cAmen,\u201d eight-year-old Matthew Rainwater turned to his grandmother, 83-year-old Rebecca Rainwater.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGrandmomma, can you understand everything Granddaddy says?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, child, but the Good Lord hears every word.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAmen\u201d echoed several relatives.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The food was passed around and the fun began. Fitzhugh adored his family and relished playing relatives off each other to create\u00a0humorous fireworks. He especially loved teeing up a softball for Aunt Zoella. When the conversation turned to saving money on expenses, a topic utterly uninteresting to\u00a0Fitzhugh, he\u00a0saw an opening to rescue himself\u00a0from complete boredom.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cFor better gas mileage to save on gas money,\u201d Fitzhugh interjected,\u00a0\u201cMy buddy Farnell Cobb\u00a0refuses\u00a0to turn on his car\u2019s air conditioning\u00a0— ever, even\u00a0in\u00a0August.\u00a0He says \u2018You\u2019re just blowing money out the window doing that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cSo\u00a0Farnell\u2019s a stubborn cheapskate too,\u201d Zoella\u00a0remarked.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cMaybe the\u00a0boy\u2019s\u00a0on a real tight budget,\u201d Ruby speculated.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cMaybe not,\u201d Zoella responded. \u201cI bet his daddy\u2019s making one fine salary pastoring First Methodist.\u00a0Have y\u2019all seen that big new\u00a0Buick\u00a0the Rev. Cobb\u2019s driving\u00a0now? And the Cobbs live in the biggest, finest manse of any clergyman in this whole town.\u00a0A little too fine, if you ask me. It seems a whole lot of\u00a0preachers today are living just a tad too\u00a0high on the hog.\u00a0But what do I know? I just\u00a0worship a Jewish carpenter from 2,000 years ago.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cAnd so as far as Mr. Farnell\u2019s concerned,\u201d she continued. \u201cShoot, I \u2019spec\u2019\u00a0that\u00a0boy\u2019s\u00a0got plenty of money for air conditioning. Maybe he\u2019s just too drunk or stoned to\u00a0care.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cActually, he\u2019s now making good money managing W.T. Wofford\u2019s new \u2019s convenience store at the corner of Lafayette McLaws and Abner Perrin,\u201d Fitzhugh announced with a smile.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, yeah \u2013 the one that sells liquor. I know that\u2019s a fine place,\u201d his aunt pronounced.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow, Aunt Zoella,\u201d Fitzhugh said slowly not to laugh, \u201cWhen I asked if he really can\u2019t afford turning on his car\u2019s A.C.,\u00a0he said, \u2018Don\u2019t make no difference. That\u2019s beside the point.\u00a0Sure,\u00a0I can afford to pay for A.C. But can I\u00a0justify<\/em>\u00a0it?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell,\u201d Zoella laughed, \u201cI suggest\u00a0that boy better find\u00a0a way to\u00a0justify<\/em>\u00a0it if\u00a0he\u00a0ever wants to\u00a0take a gal on a date \u2013 that is, if\u00a0he\u00a0wants\u00a0a second date.\u00a0\u2019Course, \u2018dating\u2019 may be a polite term for what he\u2019s likely up to with women.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cNow, Zoella, mixed company,\u201d her brother Raleigh smiled gently as Fitzhugh winked. \u201cSay, John B., how\u2019s your truck doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFine now that I got it fixed\u201d his younger brother replied.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou know, I enjoy driving that pickup, too,\u201d Aunt Thelma Jayne, John B.\u2019s wife, spoke up.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, every woman needs a good man and a pickup truck,\u201d Aunt Zoella declared.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy both?\u201d Fitzhugh smiled.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, one\u2019s not much good without the other,\u201d Aunt Zoella stated matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAunt Thelma Jayne,\u201d Fitzhugh spoke up, \u201cI saw you driving the pickup downtown last week. I waved but I don\u2019t think you saw me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry, darling. I didn\u2019t see you. Where were you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cZada McMayer and I were on Pickett Avenue coming out of \u2019Cause You Like Custard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, my Lord,\u201d interrupted Aunt Zoella. \u201cNephew, you are <\/em>keeping some mighty high-class company: Georgialina McCluskey, Deangela Doolittle, Farnell Cobb, and none other than Zada McMayer. Hmpf. I wonder when\u2019s the last time any of them fine folks was seen in church.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ve always been kind to me, Aunt Zoella,\u201d Fitzhugh replied, trying not to laugh. \u201cI really believe that, if you got to know them, you\u2019d see what good, decent people they are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, yeah. I \u2019spect Miss Zada\u2019s singing in the church choir now,\u201d Aunt Zoella rolled her eyes. \u201cRuby, you ever teach that wild child?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI never had the privilege,\u201d her sister-in-law answered. \u201cBut as sweet as she\u2019s always been to Fitzhugh, it would have been a real blessing. She\u2019s been the sister he never had.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, Lord help you, boy. I sure hope you don\u2019t ever take no shine to the likes of her. Oh, my word,\u201d she turned to Fitzhugh\u2019s father, \u201cCan you imagine her marrying into this family?\u201d Aunt Zoella crossed herself.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re dear friends, Aunt Zoella,\u201d Fitzhugh said smiling, \u201cBut we\u2019ve never dated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAnd you just be sure and keep it that way, nephew,\u201d she pronounced while aiming a drumstick at him. \u201cYour momma told me years<\/em> ago how that little tart announced she was a marrying<\/em> you if she was still single at 30. And that is entirely<\/em> possible too, young man. Shoot, that child\u2019s momma was already divorced two or three times by 30. Now there\u2019s<\/em> a real nominee for Due South\u2019s Mother of the Year Award. Miss Magnolia divorced her fifth<\/em> victim before she was even north of 40.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI remember in high school when I was a senior and Miss Magnolia was a freshman, and dog if that little tramp wasn\u2019t already dating near half the football team, including seniors. Her momma Zelda didn\u2019t seem to pay no mind. \u2019Course, knowing Miss Magnolia, I \u2019spect she was already teaching them older boys a thing or two.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere are children at the table, sister,\u201d Fitzhugh\u2019s father declared before smiling at his son.<\/p>\n \u201cNow y\u2019all, Uncle John B.\u2019s\u00a0going to\u00a0Japan\u00a0Monday,\u201d Raleigh Rainwater announced loudly to change the subject. John B. Gordon Rainwater was a successful businessman whose work sometimes had him travel abroad.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWhat all do you pack for such a big trip, John B.?\u201d Ruby Rainwater inquired.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cLots of clothes,\u201d Aunt Thelma Jayne\u00a0answered. \u201cAnd he\u00a0just bought a box of cigarettes on sale to last him the whole trip.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cStill committing suicide on the installment plan, huh, John B.?\u201d Zoella observed to a mix of muffled giggles\u00a0and frustrated frowns.\u00a0\u201cCan\u2019t leave God\u2019s country without plenty of coffin nails. No way this\u00a0American patriot and veteran\u00a0is\u00a0buying any Japanese cancer sticks,\u201d Zoella continued.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll pack him several boxes of peanut butter crackers\u00a0too,\u201d said Aunt Thelma Jayne.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cHow come?\u201d asked Fitzhugh.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201c\u2019Cause your uncle says there\u2019s\u00a0no way he\u2019s\u00a0eating\u00a0at any\u00a0Tokyo restaurants,\u201d Aunt Thelma Jayne chuckled.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy not, Daddy?\u201d\u00a0asked\u00a0one of Fitzhugh\u2019s\u00a0first cousins, 10-year-old Jared.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c\u2019Cause\u00a0their\u00a0food\u2019s\u00a0terrible. That\u2019s why them folks is so small,\u201d\u00a0Uncle John B.\u00a0replied.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBut how do you know? You\u2019ve never even tried it,\u201d Aunt Thelma Jayne asked.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c\u2019Cause\u00a0it\u2019s too terrible. I don\u2019t want to shrink and be like them people,\u201d her husband answered.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYour daddy\u2019s\u00a0just old-fashioned,\u201d\u00a0Aunt Thelma Jayne chuckled to her son.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s a\u00a0pretty\u00a0polite\u00a0term for it,\u00a0thought a smiling Fitzhugh\u00a0as his father winked at him and Aunt Zoella shook her head.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre any of your business partners going with you, John B.?\u201d Fitzhugh\u2019s mother asked.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJust Philomena Tompkins,\u201d her brother-in-law sighed.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, now is that the real pretty one I\u2019ve heard about?\u201d Ruby asked.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, she\u2019s the one built like a bale of cotton and with almost as much personality,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019d a whole lot rather Miss Philomena go with you than either of them other two partners,\u201d his wife declared emphatically.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAmen to that, sister-in-law,\u201d proclaimed Aunt Zoella.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow who are they again?\u201d Fitzhugh asked, knowing exactly who they were but hoping to light some fireworks.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJubal Early and Lorelei Dietrich,\u201d Aunt Thelma Jayne answered evenly.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf Mr. Jubal went, he\u2019d wanna\u2019 go a drinking and strip clubbing every night,\u201d Aunt Zoella declared. \u201cAnd if Miss Lorelei went, Lord knows how many men she\u2019d be liable to bring back to her room. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if she even tried to stay in John B.\u2019s room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre they each still married?\u201d Ruby asked.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, no and yes,\u201d Aunt Thelma Jayne replied. \u201cNo, they both got divorced over the last couple of years, but yes they\u2019ve each already gotten hitched again \u2013 his second and her third.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLord help their latest victims,\u201d Aunt Zoella sighed. \u201cThere\u2019s sure never any shortage of fools in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s a strip club, Aunt Zoella?\u201d Her nephew Matthew asked.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cA place where naughty women work,\u201d his aunt answered.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy would Miss Lorelei want to stay in Daddy\u2019s room?\u201d Her nephew Jared inquired.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c\u2019Cause she\u2019s a naughty woman,\u201d Zoella announced.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDid Daddy meet her in a strip club?\u201d Matthew wanted to know.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d John B. chuckled, \u201cBut let\u2019s try discussing something else, boys.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Inevitably the talk turned to absent relatives, with\u00a0much critical commentary none would dare share were they there. After\u00a0just about all the\u00a0absent\u00a0aunts, uncles, and cousins had been criticized or made fun\u00a0of, Ruby got up to go to the kitchen\u00a0and then hesitated.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cNow, y\u2019all, in light of what\u2019s been said about all our kin not here,\u00a0I don\u2019t know if I want to leave the room,\u201d she giggled.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cOh, we love \u2019em\u00a0all and they love us,\u201d declared Aunt Zoella.\u00a0\u201cAnd don\u2019t think for a minute they don\u2019t\u00a0talk about us when we\u2019re not there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI just sure hope their ears\u00a0ain\u2019t\u00a0burning too much now,\u201d Aunt Thelma Jayne volunteered.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAnd I\u2019d just sure like to see a little more effort on\u00a0some of\u00a0our relations\u2019\u00a0part to make it to family functions,\u201d Aunt Zoella declared.\u00a0\u201cOkay, a lot more. Lord knows,\u00a0the family doesn\u2019t get together nearly as often as we should, and most\u00a0folks not here wouldn\u2019t have had more than a two-hour drive\u00a0either.\u201d\u00a0There were several nods at the table.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe just\u00a0never know what folks may be going\u00a0through,\u201d\u00a0Aunt\u00a0Annabelle\u00a0gently admonished her older\u00a0sister.\u00a0Annabelle\u00a0was Raleigh, Zoella, and John B. Rainwater\u2019s younger sister, a\u00a050-year-old who had\u00a0had \u201ca difficult life\u201d as relatives delicately put it in soft tones. Recently divorced from her second husband — \u201canother troubled marriage, bless her heart,\u201d the family agreed —\u00a0she had successfully struggled to\u00a0overcome addictions to nicotine, booze, and prescription pills.\u00a0The only downside to\u00a0slaying such demons\u00a0was the new primacy accorded food, causing her weight to balloon considerably. When she reached for a second piece of blueberry cobbler dessert and noticed several sets of eyes watching her, she\u00a0decided to defend herself against\u00a0any\u00a0silent accusations.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWell, at my last check-up when\u00a0Dr. DuBose gave me his annual little speech about needing to lose weight again, I decided\u00a0I\u2019d had enough of that\u00a0and finally put a stop to it.\u00a0\u2018Now, Doc,\u2019 I said, \u2018Let me make things crystal clear for you.\u00a0I\u2019ve given up smoking, drinking, drugging, and sex. I\u00a0ain\u2019t\u00a0giving up food.\u2019\u201d\u00a0With that, she took a large bite of cobbler.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0After\u00a0the table was cleared, Fitzhugh\u00a0helped his grandfather walk to his favorite spot\u00a0in the back yard\u00a0where the old gentleman loved to\u00a0sit, read, and talk\u00a0— under the big pecan tree canopy next to the old Magnolia tree.\u00a0When Fitzhugh was little, his grandfather sat there to baby sit him. Now the roles were somewhat reversed.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Jared and Matthew\u00a0Rainwater\u00a0were soon wrestling\u00a0on the grass\u00a0nearby, each imitating his favorite comic book superhero.\u00a0Fitzhugh\u00a0and\u00a0Micah Rainwater\u00a0sat\u00a0on lawn chairs hugging the shade,\u00a0each reading a newspaper.\u00a0Fitzhugh had always adored his paternal grandfather. He was the man who taught him how to play checkers when he was little and chess when he was a little older, and his grandfather had never been too\u00a0busy to play\u00a0either game with his grandson. Now ever more rapidly coming apart,\u00a0the oldest living Rainwater was no longer corrected when he increasingly\u00a0moved a piece out of turn or\u00a0even\u00a0moved Fitzhugh\u2019s pieces. Though the young Mr. Rainwater dreaded the inexorable decline of old age, he was heartened the elderly gentleman seemed to only get\u00a0even\u00a0kinder and still\u00a0more gentle as he got older.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Suddenly\u00a0his\u00a0grandfather turned and asked a question. But the\u00a0grandson couldn\u2019t understand him. The old gentleman\u2019s vocal\u00a0chords, once so strong he sang solos in the church choir, had now weathered to the point where only his\u00a0patient\u00a0wife could consistently discern what he said and not always.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDo what,\u00a0Granddaddy?\u201d\u00a0Fitzhugh\u00a0asked in an elevated voice to compensate for his grandfather\u2019s hearing loss.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Again\u00a0the old man spoke up, but again the young one was confused.\u00a0Fitzhugh\u00a0lifted his head from the paper,\u00a0wrinkled his brow,\u00a0and blinked.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSay that again\u00a0please, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The same sounds were repeated, word for word, but to no avail.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Putting down his newspaper and leaning forward,\u00a0Fitzhugh\u00a0gave his\u00a0grandfather his total attention.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGranddaddy, I\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m having trouble understanding you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At this point the old gentleman betrayed the first hint of frustration. Raising his voice and now choreographing his words with facial expressions and hand movements, he repeated the question.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But the\u00a0grandson failed to pick out more than a couple of disconnected words from which he couldn\u2019t make sense. Before he could ask his\u00a0grandfather to please repeat the question yet again, the old man did it for him, this time moving his whole body to emphasize his points.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aggravating\u00a0Fitzhugh\u2019s task was the rising volume of noise coming from\u00a0his young cousins, oblivious to the family drama building beside their wrestling match.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s please turn it down, boys. Granddaddy and I are trying to talk,\u201d their older cousin requested.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before turning back,\u00a0the old man\u00a0repeated the question again with a look of concern. Now desperately trying to make some \u2013 any \u2013 sense of\u00a0the\u00a0grandfather\u2019s request,\u00a0his grandson looked at the ground and caught himself ready to cry. Long-forgotten memories of disappointing\u00a0his granddaddy as\u00a0a mischievous little boy\u00a0raced across his radar screen. Painfully shameful moments confessing some misbehavior seared his mind. Most of all he felt a terrible inability to help the man he loved more than any other\u00a0save\u00a0his father, a desperate helplessness he\u00a0could not recall\u00a0feeling so keenly. Not wanting to lose control of himself and suddenly too exhausted and frustrated to go on,\u00a0Fitzhugh\u00a0bent down, put a hand on his\u00a0grandfather\u2019s knee\u00a0and,\u00a0once composed enough, looked up at the old man.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGranddaddy, I can\u2019t understand you. I\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m so sorry. But I love you,\u00a0Granddaddy. I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There came a silence made\u00a0all the more\u00a0abrupt by the lack of noise coming from the boys who were now contentedly climbing the pecan tree. Their\u00a0older cousin\u00a0collapsed back in his chair, one hand loosely holding a newspaper and the other his\u00a0grandfather\u2019s knee as he stared at the ground silently.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Soon his\u00a0grandfather\u2019s hand settled on his own, and he noticed the old man had leaned back in his own chair, no longer reading. Daring to peak at his face, the\u00a0grandson saw the old gentleman smiling. When\u00a0his grandfather\u00a0saw\u00a0his\u00a0grandson\u00a0looking at him, he turned and winked.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Letting out an almost noiseless sound he wasn\u2019t sure was a laugh or a sob,\u00a0his grandson smiled back. The news stories riveting his attention until minutes before no longer registered on his radar as he sat without conscious thought. Instead, he looked at his\u00a0grandfather\u2019s hand gently resting on his own and relished a sense of relief and peace he could not recall. The boys were now loudly trading mock insults on branches high up in the pecan tree, but neither man heard. Each realized how brightly the sun was shining while staring at the pair of statue-like shadows on the lawn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Douglas Young \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0For as long as he could recall, whenever Fitzhugh asked his Presbyterian grandmother if she and Granddaddy Rainwater were visiting that weekend, the reply never wavered. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, if the Lord\u2019s willing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1548,77],"tags":[1565,1549,1123],"class_list":["post-14136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-egophobia-71","category-english","tag-douglas-young","tag-egophobia-71","tag-english"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6DakB-3G0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14136"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14137,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14136\/revisions\/14137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}