Earl, Honey by D.S. Getson

Author:D.S. Getson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Coming of age
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Published: 2022-05-03T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-One

“Earl Hahn, you let go of that porch rail right now.”

“No.”

“Get in the Ford.”

“No.”

Miss Hazel casts an exasperated glance toward Lucy, who sits on the top step watching the drama. “Can’t you be helpful?”

She looks to where her brother has wrapped himself around a rail and refuses to depart for his new place. “Earl…”

“No.”

She looks at Miss Hazel and shrugs.

Earl watches the woman’s jaw tighten, then release. With a slight shake of her head, she climbs the front steps and takes a seat. She reaches out to clasp Lucy’s smaller hand in hers.

He regards the two females warily, suspecting them of tricks.

Miss Hazel leans back and appears to be taking in her whole property, the large dogwood shading one corner of the yard, the bright geraniums growing from window boxes and the feeder where tiny birds feast on sunflower seeds. Her face softens.

“Earl,” she says thoughtfully. “I’m going to tell you something my Walter once told me. He said an unoccupied man cannot be happy. Any man – or woman, for that matter – who has nothing to do or no purpose in life will certainly become a pest to society.” She sends him a somber look. “Do you want to be a pest?”

“I’m not a pest.”

“I believe you,” she says simply. There’s a moment of silence. “You might like this place, you know.”

“Not without Lucy.”

“Lucy has her own place, Earl. It’s the best I could do. Now, I need you to meet me halfway.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I need you to be on your best behavior. I need you to try… just try to make this work. Show me you can make something of yourself.”

He presses his forehead against the wood, his eyes aggrieved. Nothing is going his way.

She reaches up to the porch and strokes the leather traveling bag she’s packed for him. “Do you like your new bag?”

He does like the bag. It’s way better than a bucket. It feels smooth beneath his fingers and possesses a shiny clasp that fastens on one side. It’s big enough to hold everything he owns. It even has a small pocket inside where Miss Hazel tucked his picture of Ma. She told him the bag had belonged to Mr. Walter, a dead man. She said she’d be pleased for him to have it.

“I like the bag,” he says finally. “I expect it’s the nicest bag anyone could ever have. I’ll take real good care of it.”

“I know you will.” After a short pause, she seems to make up her mind about something. “Earl, if you truly don’t want to leave with me today, I’ll turn you over to one of the other Salvation Army case workers to find you a place. I know Sampson County has been your home for a long time. Your sister Rose is here. But you need to understand that Lucy and I are leaving regardless. You can give yourself a fresh start with a good family, folks who have a lot to offer. Or you can stay and wait… and maybe never have another opportunity this promising.

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