Daughters of Muscadine by Monic Ductan

Author:Monic Ductan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781950564354
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Lisa taught the eleventh grade, and I was in the tenth grade classroom down the hallway from her. My teacher was Miss Ruby Finch, and one morning just before Miss Finch stood to address the class, Lisa came in to talk with her. Lisa held out her hand to show off the little sterling silver engagement ring that had belonged to my mama. Miss Finch, a woman whom I had never heard gush, spread Lisa’s hand over her own hand as she stared, wide-eyed, at the ring. Miss Finch oohed and ahhed. She hugged Lisa so enthusiastically that they both almost toppled over.

After we were dismissed for noon dinner, I noticed that Lisa had left her red coffee cup on Miss Finch’s desk. I was the last one out of the room, and when I went past the desk I picked up the cup. By the time I walked out of the schoolhouse most of the other kids had gathered in the yard or were headed home to eat. I ducked around the back of the school and went down to the outhouse, opened the door, and tossed the cup into the shit hole.

That afternoon, nosy Emma Granger found it and told Miss Finch. Only Emma would be enough of a busybody to look down the hole while using the outhouse.

Miss Finch was a stern woman who could be a tyrant when she got upset. She kept a wooden paddle in her top left drawer, and even though we were all too old to be paddled she used it several times a week on students who were boisterous, failed to keep up with reading lessons, or did anything that might be considered distracting.

Miss Finch narrowed her eyes at us and walked around the room. I was sitting in front next to the coal heater, and the heat of the furnace began to feel especially hot on me. I undid the button of my Peter Pan collar and fanned my face with one hand.

“Maybe we can rinse the cup out,” said Jerry Addams. He stood up. “I’ll go get some water and soap. Where’s that cup at?”

“I left it in the crapper, Jerry,” Emma said. “And ew, you nasty. Don’t nobody wanna drink outta no doo-doo cup.”

“Sit down, Jerry,” Miss Finch said and then gave a long pause before adding, “If no one will admit to it, I’ll have to paddle all of you.”

She folded her arms in front of her chest. No one said anything.

Miss Finch walked over to her desk, opened the top left drawer, and took out the paddle.

“Jerry, we’ll start with you. Come on up here.”

Jerry stood again, but instead of walking toward Miss Finch, he said, “Ever who did it, just say you did it. I ain’t about to get paddled over something I didn’t do.”

Heels clicked across the hardwood floor of the hallway, and a second later Lisa stood in the doorway. She pushed up the sleeves of her gray wool dress.

“Miss Ruby,” Lisa said, “I know who took my cup .

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