Seeking Grace in Beulah Land by Lu Clifton

Author:Lu Clifton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Oklahoma, War Veterans with PTSD, Family Abandonment, Small Town and Rural, Foregiveness, Single Men and Women, Real People with real problems
Publisher: Two Shadows
Published: 2019-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Can I go back to my room now, Ruby?”

“Yes, Mr. Carter.” Ruby had made her way to the table in the corner of the recreation room where her son and her father’s roommate sat. “I’m sorry to keep you out here all this time.” She took off the old felt hat and long tailored coat that belonged to Sister and laid them on an empty chair. “I never expected to be this long.”

“Didn’t mind a bit. Me and Mack have been playing chess. Can’t find too many people play chess anymore.” He waved goodbye as a nurse’s aide wheeled him away.

Mack pulled a chair out for her. “How’d it go, Mama?”

“He’s sleeping now, but I couldn’t stop him from talking, Mack. He saw so much.”

“I know.”

“And was made to do some awful things.”

“I know. Those names on the list?”

“They’re the ones in the picture, just like you thought.”

“How’d it end?”

“He asked me to forgive him and I said I did. That was all right, wasn’t it?”

“Perfect, Mama. Just the right thing to say.”

“It wasn’t a lie, at least not coming from me. Of course, I can’t speak to what Grace might’ve said. I can’t believe she wouldn’t listen to him.”

“It was the perfect thing to say.” Mack went to the coffee machine and carried back two cups. “This stuff’s been perking all day. They’ve got that powdered stuff, if you want it white. No milk. I checked already.”

“This is fine.” She studied her son’s face, the distant look in his eye. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m just trying to figure out what to do next, where to go from here.”

“Maybe I can help with that.”

Startled, Ruby thought at first that she was hearing things again. She was relieved to see Nonny Folsom standing behind them. She’d had enough of bodiless voices for one day.

“I called the house and Sister told me you were here,” Nonny said quickly, face flushed. “I’ve been at the courthouse all afternoon.”

“You find something else?” Mack pulled a chair up so Nonny could join them.

“Yes, more about Pa’s piece of land.” She handed two pieces of paper to Mack and laid a thick stack on the table.

“Pa’s piece of land?” Ruby looked at Mack.

“Damn . . .” He tapped his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Did I mention that we found out at that Historical place yesterday that Pa once owned a piece of land?”

“No, you did not!”

“Well, I meant to, other things got in the way.”

“What happened to it?”

“We don’t know.”

“We do now.” Nonny pointed to one of the papers Mack held.

As Mack became engrossed in reading the paper, Ruby turned to Nonny. “Tell me what it says, Nonny.”

“Old Mr. Turner bought the land, Ruby. Not long after Pa got out of the service.”

“She’s right,” Mack said, looking up from the paper.

“What? All these years, Tootsie Turner never said a word about that. Why would she keep something like that from me?”

“I knew something was fishy,” he said. “Those Turners hovered over us like mother hens, then wouldn’t give me the time of day when I asked about Bill and Jack.

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