Shiloh and Other Stories - Bobbie Ann Mason [76]
When C. W. says he is going fishing on Saturday, Holly demands to go along. Waldeen reminds her about the picnic. “You’re full of wants,” she says.
“I just wanted to go somewhere.”
“I’ll take you fishing one of these days soon,” says Joe.
“Joe’s got to clean off his graveyard,” says Waldeen. Before she realizes what she is saying, she has invited C. W. and Betty to come along on the picnic. She turns to Joe. “Is that O.K.?”
“I’ll bring some beer,” says C. W. “To hell with fishing.”
“I never heard of a picnic at a graveyard,” says Betty. “But it sounds neat.”
Joe seems embarrassed. “I’ll put you to work,” he warns.
Later, in the kitchen, Waldeen pours more Coke for Betty. Holly is playing solitaire on the kitchen table. As Betty takes the Coke, she says, “Let C. W. take Holly fishing if he wants a kid so bad.” She has told Waldeen that she wants to marry C. W., but she does not want to ruin her figure by getting pregnant. Betty pets the cat. “Is this cat going to have kittens?”
Mr. Spock, sitting with his legs tucked under his stomach, is shaped somewhat like a turtle.
“Heavens, no,” says Waldeen. “He’s just fat because I had him nurtured.”
“The word is neutered!” cries Holly, jumping up. She grabs Mr. Spock and marches up the stairs.
“That youngun,” Waldeen says. She feels suddenly afraid. Once, Holly’s father, unemployed and drunk on tequila, snatched Holly from the school playground and took her on a wild ride around town, buying her ice cream at the Tastee-Freez, and stopping at Newberry’s to buy her an All in the Family Joey doll, with correct private parts. Holly was eight. When Joe brought her home, both were tearful and quiet. The excitement had worn off, but Waldeen had vividly imagined how it was. She wouldn’t be surprised if Joe tried the same trick again, this time carrying Holly off to Arizona. She has heard of divorced parents who kidnap their own children.
—
The next day Joe McClain brings a pizza at noon. He is working nearby and has a chance to eat lunch with Waldeen. The pizza is large enough for four people. Waldeen is not hungry.
“I’m afraid we’ll end up horsing around and won’t get the graveyard cleaned off,” Joe says. “It’s really a lot of work.”
“Why’s it so important, anyway?”
“It’s a family thing.”
“Family. Ha!”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know what’s what anymore,” Waldeen wails. “I’ve got this kid that wants to live on peanuts and sleeps with a cat—and didn’t even see her daddy at Christmas. And here you are, talking about family. What do you know about family? You don’t know the half of it.”
“What’s got into you lately?”
Waldeen tries to explain. “Take Colonel Sanders, for instance. He was on I’ve Got a Secret once, years ago, when nobody knew who he was? His secret was that he had a million-dollar check in his pocket for selling Kentucky Fried Chicken to John Y. Brown. Now look what’s happened. Colonel Sanders sold it but didn’t get rid of it. He couldn’t escape from being Colonel Sanders. John Y. sold it too, and he can’t get rid of it either. Everybody calls him the Chicken King, even though he’s governor. That’s not very dignified, if you ask me.”
“What in Sam Hill are you talking about? What’s that got to do with families?”
“Oh, Colonel Sanders just came to mind because C. W. and Betty saw him. What I mean is, you can’t just do something by itself. Everything else drags along. It’s all involved. I can’t get rid of my ex-husband just by signing a paper. Even if he is in Arizona and I never lay eyes on him again.”
Joe stands up, takes Waldeen by the hand, and leads her to the couch. They sit down and he holds her tightly for a moment. Waldeen has the strange impression that Joe is an old friend who moved away and returned, years