Talmadge Farm by Leo Daughtry

Author:Leo Daughtry [Daughtry, Leo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Story Merchant Books 400
Published: 2024-06-04T00:00:00+00:00

As they climbed the stairs to the balcony of the Gem Theater, Ella had trouble concentrating on anything but Bobby Lee beside her. His nearness felt comforting and exciting at the same time. When he put his arm around her, she felt her breath catch in her throat. She was sorry when the lights came up at the end of the movie. Enjoying the warmth of his body next to hers, she leaned into him for another minute until an usher shooed them out.

After the movie ended, he drove them to Hobbsfield Chicken & BBQ, one of the restaurants in the colored part of town.

“Bobby Lee, I think you need to relax,” Ella said as they waited in line to order their food. “You’re always standing up so straight.”

He laughed. “That’s the Army, Ella; they teach us to stand up straight like that.”

“Why?”

“Just part of being disciplined, I guess. Wouldn’t you rather be protected by someone who’s standing up tall and proud than by someone who’s like this?” He slouched low against the wall.

“I guess so. It’s just I’ve spent the last three years trying to never stand up straight. My mama tells me that standing up straight calls too much attention to myself.”

“Why would she say that?”

“I guess on account of I’m so tall. She doesn’t want me being in the spotlight.”

“It’s hard for you not to be noticed, Ella, with how beautiful you are.”

They reached the front of the line, placed their order, and then found a table in the back.

“Do you mind if I smoke?” Bobby Lee asked as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket.

“No, it’s okay.”

“I need to ask you something.”

“Sounds serious.”

“It is, in a way. I’ll only be here for another six days, and then I’m due back at the base. I was hoping I could see you every day.”

“Well, you know I have to help my daddy in the fields.”

“I can help, too, like I used to, and then when we’re done, we can find something to do together—go to another movie or whatever.”

“I like the sound of ‘whatever.’ What did you have in mind?”

They leaned back so the waitress could set down their plates.

“We could take a drive through the countryside, have a picnic dinner, sit by the pond on the farm, and watch the sunset.” Bobby Lee held Ella’s hand while painting a romantic picture of their wanderings. He added that he could call her every Sunday when he went back to the base.

“We don’t have a telephone in our cabin.”

“Why not? What if there’s an emergency?”

“Mr. Talmadge won’t spend the money. And my daddy can’t afford to put one in. We’ve got my secretary course to pay for, and he’s buying a burial plot at church on the installment plan. He’s worried Mama won’t have the money to bury him.”

“That’s no way to live, is it? Spending your days worrying about dying.”

Ella shook her head. “No. But when we lost my older brother, Paul, he kind of shook hands with death.

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