"Where we goin'?" demanded the little boy. His mother was holding his hand
tightly as she walked down the street and he had to almost trot alongside to
keep up.
"We're going to a new place to live."
"Why? Why couldn't we stay where we was?"
"I told you, honey, because your father ain't comin' back and I don't have
any more money for a boarding house."
Buck thought it over. A question had plagued his young mind ever since Pa had
left two months ago and not returned. He'd been told that his pa was dead.
But when folks die, you see them at the funeral. And his ma had said no to
that.
He couldn't keep it in any longer. He didn't want to say anything because he
didn't want his ma to start cryin' again, but he had to know.
"Ma? Why did Pa leave? Was I bad?"
She stopped and knelt in front of him. She hugged him tightly to her. "Oh,
honey, no! It was those bad men that robbed your father."
"Why didn't we see Pa at the fun'ral then?"
"He was there, dear. But it wasn't fittin' to see yer papa's face after what
happened to him. It would've upset people." She hugged him again. "You're the
man of the house now."
"But we ain't got a house."
"I know. That's not your fault, sweetie. Sometimes things happen. But we'll
have a house now. We'll have to share with other ladies, but I'm sure you'll
like it. It'll be like having lots of aunts and big sisters."
"I never said I wanted no sister," he protested.
"Hush. Now, come on."
Eliza Wilmington squeezed her son's hand and the two of them continued their
brisk pace. At the end of the street was a large, two-story building with
many rooms. Just before they reached the door, his mother stopped.
Pulling out a kerchief, she quicky spat into it and scrubbed his cheek
vigorously.
"Ow!" he protested. "Yer takin' my face off!"
"Now, Buck, honey, this is important. You be on your best behavior. Promise
Mama. No spittin', no belching, and no scratching."
"Aw, hell--"
"And...NO...CUSSING."
"Yes, ma'am," he muttered. Gee, what was a fella supposed to do? It was like
she was askin' him to go against bein' a guy. He sure hoped that whatever
this place was, they weren't staying long.
The door opened, and a large, middle-aged woman with a doughy face opened the
door. She looked to still be wearing her nightclothes. And in the middle of
the afternoon, the boy thought. Fancy that.
"Yes?"
"Eliza Wilmington...I believe we're expected."
"That's right." The woman's face folded into a big smile. "And who's your
gentleman friend?" she cooed.
Buck moved a few steps behind his mother's skirt. Sometimes a fella was safer
that way.
"Buck, say 'how do you do'."
"How do you do," he mumbled.
The woman straightened. "Diamond Sue's the name." The woman thumbed over her
shoulder. "Yer room's upstairs, end of the hall on yer left. Got the maid to
clean it this mornin' so you can be in business by nightfall."
Buck was no longer listening to the two women. The building was huge inside.
Like a big glass cave with lots of shiny chairs and thick carpets. And
everything in red and white and pink. A real girlie place, all right. Not the
right kind of place for a fella, though. Now he hoped more than ever they
weren't staying long.
The first few hours in their new home wasn't bad. Ma had a big
room with a
small connecting room he could call his own. They'd fed him while his ma took
a bath and that was good. It was even better that Ma had said he didn't have
to this once.
But as he sat in the kitchen eating, he hated all the smilin' and gigglin'
and pinchin' these ladies seemed to like doin', as if he was a KID.
Buck looked up as he heard a deep voice of a fella among all the hens. Buck
could just glimpse him in the parlor. A big man, with a thick mustache and a
fine suit. Diamond Sue was all smiles and sayin' something about "a new girl"
as she took his hat.
'A new girl?' Ma was a new girl! This fella must've come to see his ma! Buck
was about to slide off the chair and go see when a pretty dark-haired woman
sat down beside him.
"Buckley? I got a little girl your age. Her name's Vicki. Why don't you go
and play with her awhile?"
"I wanna see my ma."
"Not now, honey. Yer mama's workin'. Later, okay?"
"Workin'?' He must have come here to get a button sewed on. Ma was good at
that. She had done sewin' before they'd had to leave their house. Well, that
wouldn't take long. He reluctantly decided to play with Vicki. Even if she
was a girl.
Buck didn't play with Vicki long. She didn't do 'guy' stuff like
wrestlin' or
tree climbin' and he'd gotten bored. He'd played by himself as long as he
could, but it had to be getting near to supper and his ma would be lookin'
for him soon.
Most of the ladies had gone to their room, some with fellas. He wondered if
all the ladies here sewed like his ma did.
He trotted down the hall and started to open his mother's door, when he
stopped. Someone was crying inside.
"Ma?" He pushed the door open. "You sick?"
She was sitting in bed, wearing only a chemise, with the sheets around her
waist. She turned to him, dabbed her eyes with a corner of the sheet and
forced a smile.
"Hi, baby," she said, sniffling slightly.
He made a face at that and she laughed. She put her arms out and he ran into
them, feeling her holding him tightly. Now this was where a fella should be.
"You all right?" he asked with a frown.
For a moment she looked as if she were going to cry, then she smiled again.
"What do you say you and me go out for supper? We'll go to a really nice
restaurant and you can have anything you want!" Without waiting for an
answer, she got out of bed and started to dress.
"Can I have two desserts?" he asked hopefully.
She nodded. Then her brown eyes seem to melt into his as she said softly, "I
love you, Buckley. No matter what, don't you ever forget that."
He looked her. Something about the way she said that. As she took his hand
and led him out the door, he thought about the supper they were going to.
And he had a feeling this meal was costing her quite a lot.
The End
