At lunchtime, I take a tray of ham sandwiches to the bed.

“I’m not hungry,” she says and throws the pillow over her head.

I stand there looking at her, all mummified in the sheets.

“What you gone do, just lay there all day?” I ask, even though I’ve seen her do it plenty of times before. But this is different. There’s no goo on her skin or smile on her face.

“Please, just leave me alone.”

I start to tell her she needs to just get up, put on her tacky clothes, and forget about it, but the way she’s laying there so pitiful and poor, I keep quiet. I am not her psychiatrist and she’s not paying me to be one.

On Tuesday morning, Miss Celia’s still in the bed. Yesterday’s lunch tray’s on the floor without a single bite missing. She’s still in that ratty blue nightgown that looks left over from her Tunica County days, the gingham ruffle torn at the neck. Something that looks like charcoal stains on the front.

“Come on, lemme get to them sheets. Show bout to come on and Miss Julia gone be in trouble. You ain’t gone believe what that fool done yesterday with Doctor Bigmouth.”

But she just lays there.

Later on, I bring her a tray of chicken pot pie. Even though what I really want to do is tell Miss Celia to pull herself together and go in the kitchen and eat proper.

“Now, Miss Celia, I know it was terrible what happened at the Benefit. But you can’t set in here forever feeling sorry for yourself.”

Miss Celia gets up and locks herself in the bathroom.

I start stripping the bed. When I’m done, I pick up all the wet tissues and glasses off the nightstand. I see a stack of mail. At least the woman’s gotten up to go to the mailbox. I pick it up to wipe the table and there I see the letters H W H across the top of a card. Before I know it, I’ve read the whole note:

Dear Celia,

In lieu of reimbursing me for my dress you tore, we at the League would gladly receive a donation of no less than two hundred dollars. Furthermore, please withhold from volunteering for any nonmember activities in the future, as your name has been placed on a probationary list. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated.

Do kindly make the check out to the Jackson League Chapter.

Sincerely,

Hilly Holbrook

President and Chairman of Appropriations

ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, Miss Celia’sstill under the covers. I do my work in the kitchen, try to appreciate the fact that she’s not hanging around with me in here. But I can’t enjoy it because the phone’s been ringing all morning, and for the first time since I started, Miss Celia won’t pick it up. After the tenth time, I can’t listen to it anymore and finally just grab it and say hello.

I go in her bedroom, tell her,“Mister Johnny on the phone.”

“What? He’s not supposed to know that I know that he knows about you.”

I let out a big sigh to show I don’t give a fat rat about that lie anymore. “He called me athome. The jig is up, Miss Celia.”

Miss Celia shuts her eyes.“Tell him I’m asleep.”

I pick up the bedroom line and look Miss Celia hard in the eye and tell him she’s in the shower.

“Yessir, she doing alright,” I say and narrow my eyes at her.

I hang up the phone and glare down at Miss Celia.

“He want to know how you doing.”

“I heard.”

“I lied for you, you know.”

Дата добавления: 2015-10-31