Jam on the Vine (9780802191571) by Barnett Lashonda

Author:Barnett, Lashonda
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Perseus Book Group
Published: 2015-01-23T16:16:18+00:00

A week later, Lemon thought about her grandson’s question. Ssth. To live with three grown children and her grandsons under one roof—how? She missed Ennis beyond hurt. Might’ve been short on money but plenty peace abided. She and Ennis never stood for fussing and fighting. “Leave that ugliness outdoors,” Ennis used to say whenever the children meddled with each other. “We keep peace indoors.” Not every word that passed back and forth between them was all the time pleasant. How could it be with a man thinking one way like he do, a woman thinking another, but together they had kept peace indoors for thirty-one years. She laid her head down on the table Ennis built. For a few days she had not taken food or water between sunup and sundown. Fasting would strengthen her prayer request—forgiveness and traveling mercies. The visit to the county clerk had been short. A man shuffled loose pages of an unbound ledger where the value of their land and house had been blotted out, next to it a far diminished sum penciled in. After the sell, there was enough money for five one-way tickets and a little something left to help them start again. She ran her hand over the bloodstain in the center of the table and thought of Irabelle. The outside world had come in.

.

The last call issued from the station speaker as Timothy helped his wife aboard the train. “I got more years than all of y’all put together and know full well how to see to myself,” May-Belle said when Roena’s aunt Fanny and Zilpha Stokes promised to look after her. Bunk thumped his tail against her leg like he agreed, then sprang back as Ivoe grabbed May-Belle, tears rushing from her eyes. Irabelle joined their embrace, their soft farewells swelling to a hurt jumble of thanksgiving and promises. After her daughters climbed aboard, Lemon and May-Belle stood in silence holding hands. Bunk moved under the swaying bridge of their arms, wagging his tail.

“No, Bunk. You can’t come with us. You got to stay right here and see after May-Belle. You got to do a good job too ’cause she’s all the grown-up love I got.”

“Ain’t so,” May-Belle said. “Your children got love and they not afraid to work. Let them help when you needs it. Let them help.”

The conductor’s final whistle blew. Lemon released her aunt’s hands and drew her in close. She rested her face in the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply the scent of pennyroyal oil. Finally, she squatted to talk to Bunk. She cradled his face between her hands, pressed her lips into the soft depression of smooth fur between his eyes. “I left something special for you in the garden, you rascal.” Bunk rose on his hind legs and whimpered. Quickly, Lemon turned, grabbed her valise, and disappeared up the steps.

In the train car a fat woman told two well-dressed boys, who were eating their sandwiches and tossing the crusts on the floor between their stubby legs, to “Stop kicking and be still.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.