Mother Road by Dorothy Garlock

Author:Dorothy Garlock [Garlock, Dorothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
Published: 2002-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

ITELL YA GOD AIN'T PLEASED WITH WHAT S GOIN' ON.

“About the rain?”

“No,” Virgil almost shouted. “About Leona shackin' up with that bird out there on the highway.”

Virgil paced back and forth across the small room behind the jail where Wayne stayed nights when he wanted to get away from home. The excuse was that he expected the jail would be needed by the federal agents chasing bootleggers. Of course, if it happened Sheriff McChesney took care of it, but his wife wasn't aware of that.

“I ain't pleased 'bout that either, but there ain't much I can do about it now.” Deputy Ham pulled open a drawer in an old dresser and took out a package of cigarettes. He took one from the pack, lit it and pulled the smoke deeply into his lungs. He didn't look at Virgil because he knew he would see disapproval on his face.

“Have you backslid, Wayne?”

“No.”

“You're smokin.”

“Yeah.”

“Does Pastor Muse know?”

“No.”

“I'm disappointed in you, Wayne. Smoking is against God's—”

“I know. Don't preach. I tried to quit. I need a smoke once in a while to settle my nerves.”

“You could pray. God will calm your nerves.”

“I suppose you'll tell the brethren that I'm still smoking.”

“If they ask me, I will. God don't expect much of us, Wayne. He expects us to walk in his footsteps. Jesus, when he was here on earth, didn't smoke cigarettes, or go to picture shows and his women didn't rouge their faces or bob their hair.”

Virgil's long sad face reminded Wayne of a hound dog he'd once had.

“God won't let a worldly man through the pearly gates, Brother Ham.”

Wayne snorted. “They didn't have picture shows back then and he didn't have a woman as far as I know.”

Virgil clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in a gesture of sadness. “God isn't pleased.”

“Stop sayin that!”

“All right, all right. It's between you and—” Virgil cut off his words when a rap sounded on the door. “Put that thing out unless you want it all over the church that you've backslid.”

He waited to open the door until after Wayne ground out the cigarette on the floor with the toe of his boot. It was Virgil's turn not to be pleased when he saw his wife, Hazel, standing in the drizzling rain with an old coat over her head.

“What'a you want?”

“Paul is awful sick, Virgil.”

“How'd ya know I was here?”

“They told me at the church. Paul is sick,” she said again. “I don't know what to do.”

“What's the matter with him?”

“He's burning up with a fever and his throat is raw.”

“God's punishin' him for sinnin' then lyin' about it.”

“He's only eight years old,” Hazel said with spirit. “He didn't understand what he did was wrong.”

“Are you sassin' me? Get on back home and put a wet cloth on his head. I've got business here.”

“I need salve for his back where you whipped him and something to bring his fever down.” Hazel seldom stood up to Virgil, and he was shocked to anger.

“I said, go home.

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.