A Long Day in November by Gaines Ernest J

Author:Gaines, Ernest J. [Gaines, Ernest J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical
ISBN: 9781939601094
Goodreads: 18267737
Publisher: Lizzie Skurnick Books
Published: 1971-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

“I ain’t go’n catch cold,” I say. “We got a fire. I’m warm.”

“Amy, please come home,” Daddy says. “Please, honey. I forgive you. I forgive Mama. I forgive everybody. Just come home.”

I look at Mama and Reverend Simmons talking on the gallery. The others ain’t talking; they just standing there looking out in the road at me and Daddy. Reverend Simmons comes out the yard and over to the fire. Daddy comes to the fire where me and Reverend Simmons is. He looks at Reverend Simmons but Reverend Simmons won’t look back at him.

“Well, Reverend?” Daddy says.

“She say she tired of you and that car,” Reverend Simmons says.

Daddy falls down on the ground and cries.

“A man just can’t live by himself in this cold, cruel world,” he says. “He got to have a woman to stand by him. He just can’t make it by himself. God, help me.”

“Be strong, man,” Reverend Simmons says.

“I can’t be strong with my wife in there and me out here,” Daddy says. “I need my wife.”

“Well, you go’n have to straighten that out the best way you can,” Reverend Simmons says. “And I talked to Sister Rachel. She said she didn’t shoot to hurt you. She just shot to kind of scare you away.”

“She didn’t shoot to hurt me?” Daddy says. “And I reckon them things was jelly beans I heard zooming three inches over my head?”

“She said she didn’t shoot to hurt you,” Reverend Simmons says. He holds his hands over the fire. “This fire’s good, but I got to get back up the quarter. Got to get my wood for tonight. I’ll see you people later. And I hope everything comes out all right.”

“Reverend, you sure you can’t do nothing?” Daddy asks.

“I tried, son,” Reverend Simmons says. “Now we’ll leave it in God’s hand.”

“But I want my wife back now,” Daddy says. “God take so long to—”

“Mr. Howard, that’s blasphemous,” Reverend Simmons says.

“I don’t want blaspheme Him,” Daddy says. “But I’m in a mess. I’m in a big mess. I want my wife.”

“I’d suggest you kneel down sometime,” Reverend Simmons says. “That always helps in a family.”

Reverend Simmons looks at me like he’s feeling sorry for me, then he goes on back up the quarter. I can see his coattail hitting him round the knees.

“You coming in this yard, Sonny?” Mama calls.

“I’m with Daddy,” I say.

Mama goes back in the house, and Gran’mon and them follow her.

“When you want one of them preachers to do something for you, they can’t do a doggone thing,” Daddy says. “Nothing but stand up in that church-house and preach ’bout Heaven. I hate to go to that old hoo-doo woman, but I reckon there ain’t nothing else I can do. You want go back there with me, Sonny?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Come on,” Daddy says.

Daddy takes my hand and me and him leave the fire. When I get ’way down the quarter, I look back and see the fire still burning. We cross the railroad tracks and I can see the people cutting cane.

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