| General Fiction posted February 5, 2013 | Chapters: |
...4 5 -6- 7... 
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Another adventure in a young boy's summer
A chapter in the book Rabbit
Thinking of You
by bhogg
| Background The young boy, nicknamed Rabbit, learns that he is to stay with his grandparents for the entire summer of 1959. It's a summer of adventure and growth. |
It was good to be out of grandpa's doghouse after three weeks. When I took his gun out of the sock drawer and blew a hole through the mirror, my Saturday movie matinees came to a temporary halt. He gave me extra chores to do around the house to pay for the mirror. Apparently, last night, Wednesday, I wiped the slate clean.
I missed going to the movies, and now I had an extra reason for wanting to go back. Before, my grandparents would drop my cousin Wesley and me off to go. I know I've mentioned before that Wesley was a pain in the butt. He was at Boy Scout camp for two weeks, so I would be able to go with a real cousin. Her name was Carol.
When I say real, I don't mean to say that Wesley wasn't real. I don't understand cousin stuff too well, but Grandma once told me that Wesley was my second cousin, something, something, removed. My friend, Virge, claimed that most likely, what was removed was brains and good looks.
My cousin Carol had brains and good looks. She lived in Florida, but since her mom was sick, she was staying with her aunt, practically right next door to me. Carol's dad was my mom's older brother. We sat together at church the previous Sunday, and the strangest thing happened. Everyone thought we were twins. She's about two months older than me, so the ages were the same. More than that though, we just looked alike. Both of us had blond hair, green eyes and little freckles that flowed across our noses. Each of us have an identical red birthmark in our hairline. I overheard Ms. Mabel say that she thought we both had the same precocious manner. I don't know what that means. I guess she thought we were alike.
Anyhow, the next Saturday, I was going to the movies with Carol and not stuffy old Wesley.
The Saturday routine seemed the same. Grandpa dropped us off at Charlie Joseph's for lunch. We both had the usual, a chili-dog and a bag of chips. She had a cola, but I like to save that dime for later.
After lunch, we strolled over to the theater. Carol took one look at the marquee and quickly said, "I've seen the movie. It really stinks. Can't we go somewhere else?"
This stumped me. I never thought about not going to the movies. After just a couple of seconds, I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "Okay. I'm not sure what we'll do. We still need to meet my grandparents at 3:00 PM over at the farmer's supply store."
Carol swept the hair from her face with her hand and smiled. "I bet we can find something to do."
Scrunching my brow, I suddenly brightened. "I know what we can start with. There's something here in town that I bet you haven't seen."
Carol asked, "What is it?"
"Just come on and I'll show you." Walking up a block and crossing the street, we arrived at Kress's five and dime. Stepping through the front door, I looked at her and swept my hand. "There it is."
"Where," she asked.
"Right there in front of you, the moving stairs."
"Unh, they call those things escalators. I live in Jacksonville. We've got plenty of them."
Well, perhaps they are a big thing in Florida, but here in LaGrange, Georgia, they were unique. It was the only one I'd ever seen. I think Carol could sense my disappointment, because all of a sudden, she said, "Let's ride it. I didn't say they weren't fun."
So we did. We did everything you're supposed to do on an escalator and a couple of things not. The people in the store didn't seem to mind us walking up the down stairs. I'm pretty sure they've seen that before. They drew the line when I slid down the center strip between the up and down. I didn't know that was frowned upon. The lady in cosmetics asked, "Where're your parents?" We gave the 'I dunno' shrug of shoulders and left.
Once outside, Carol said, "I know what we can do now."
"What's that?"
"We can walk over to the Sheriff's office. My uncle is the Sheriff."
The County building was across from the town square. I always thought it was a neat building. There was an old, rusty cannon out front and the facade was covered in marble. The corner where you entered the Sheriff's office was in the shade. Sitting on the marble steps in the summer was about as cool a place as you could find. Standing outside the doorway was a tall woman, dressed in uniform. When we got close, she put out her cigarette and said, "Well if it isn't little Miss Carol. I didn't know you had a brother."
"He ain't my brother. He's my cousin Bill. He's staying with his grandma Louise this summer."
"Oh, I know you. You're the one they call Rabbit. Ya'll two look just alike. Sweetie, your uncle's not here, but come on in and let me show you off."
We went in, and there was another woman at the desk and a male deputy walking around. They ooh'd and aah'd over the two of us. It was embarrassing. Finally, they took our fingerprints and took a picture of us. Where they took the picture was the same place where they took pictures of people going to jail. In the background, the wall was marked in feet and inches, so you would know how tall the person was. We both came in a little over four feet. I bet they don't get many criminals that size.
I came to find out that they developed that picture and it's hanging on the wall at the Sheriff's office. Carol had put up her two fingers, 'v' shaped behind my head. It made me look like a devil or something.
After that visit, we walked over to the Army store. It's one of my favorite places. There are all sorts of military stuff. We tried on army field jackets and helmets, both too big. I had to laugh at Carol. The helmet kept slipping down the front of her face. Finally, a big, porky guy walked over and asked, "Are you going to buy anything?" That deserved another 'I dunno' shoulder shrug. We left.
"I guess we should head over to the farmer's supply store. We need to meet my grandparents in about thirty minutes."
It's a fun place to hang out for awhile. They know me there, so gave us a cola and let us walk around. There are always baby chicks and rabbits and stuff to play with. My grandparents got there soon after we arrived.
When we got in the car, Grandma asked, "Did you have fun?"
We replied in unison, "Yes Ma'am." I was glad she didn't ask if we liked the movie.
Carol was going to stay for supper, so we headed back to Grandma's house. When we got there, the two of us went upstairs to a room my grandmother called the conservatory. The room jutted out over the front porch. It was a neat room that had tall windows around three sides. The windows were open, so the room was bright and breezy. We were sitting together on an old coaster bench. The chain links made a noise like, eeenh, eeenh, eeenh, eeenh. I swear, that noise and motion could almost put you to sleep.
Carol finally said, "I had a really good time. It was a fun day."
Smiling, I replied, "We did have us a good old time. I bet we're the only people around here who've been fingerprinted and had our picture taken at the jail."
"I reckon that we probably are." We just rocked for awhile before Carol spoke again. "Have you ever seen a girl's private parts?"
The question took me by surprise. I answered the truth, "No."
"Well, all I've got are sisters, so I've never seen a boy's. Maybe we should take a peek at each other."
All of a sudden, the breeze died. I felt like everything slowed down. Almost stuttering, I said, "Okay."
We both slowly reached for the top buttons of our pants. The magic moment was interrupted by my grandma as she hollered up the stairs, "Are ya'll up there?"
In unison, we replied, "Yes Ma'am."
She continued, "What are you doing?"
Once again, in unison, we replied, "Nothin'."
"Well, come on back downstairs and do nothing."
I saw my friend Virge the next morning. He asked, "Did you and Wesley go to the movies yesterday?"
"No, Wesley is at scout camp. I went with my cousin, Carol. We didn't go to the movies, we just walked around and stuff."
"Oh yeah, I remember Carol. Ain't she your Uncle Chuck's girl? If I recall, she is real cute."
"Yeah, she's Uncle Chuck's girl and she is cute. I think when I grow up, I'm going to marry Carol."
Virge chuckled before replying, "You can't marry Carol, cause she's your first cousin."
"Yeah, so what."
"Well, Rabbit, it's against the law to marry your first cousin."
I had to process this bit of news for awhile. Finally, I said, "Last month, you told me that it used to be legal to own people, that your own momma was a slave. It don't make any sense to be allowed to own somebody and not be able to marry your cousin."
Virge shook his head and spat out a stream of tobacco. "Slavery has been against the law for near a hundred years. Laws are laws. There ain't no law that says they gotta make sense."
I thought it through for a minute and just shrugged my shoulders. "It still don't seem right." What I was thinking though was more profound to me at the moment, Shoot, I guess I'll never get to see Carol naked.
I missed going to the movies, and now I had an extra reason for wanting to go back. Before, my grandparents would drop my cousin Wesley and me off to go. I know I've mentioned before that Wesley was a pain in the butt. He was at Boy Scout camp for two weeks, so I would be able to go with a real cousin. Her name was Carol.
When I say real, I don't mean to say that Wesley wasn't real. I don't understand cousin stuff too well, but Grandma once told me that Wesley was my second cousin, something, something, removed. My friend, Virge, claimed that most likely, what was removed was brains and good looks.
My cousin Carol had brains and good looks. She lived in Florida, but since her mom was sick, she was staying with her aunt, practically right next door to me. Carol's dad was my mom's older brother. We sat together at church the previous Sunday, and the strangest thing happened. Everyone thought we were twins. She's about two months older than me, so the ages were the same. More than that though, we just looked alike. Both of us had blond hair, green eyes and little freckles that flowed across our noses. Each of us have an identical red birthmark in our hairline. I overheard Ms. Mabel say that she thought we both had the same precocious manner. I don't know what that means. I guess she thought we were alike.
Anyhow, the next Saturday, I was going to the movies with Carol and not stuffy old Wesley.
The Saturday routine seemed the same. Grandpa dropped us off at Charlie Joseph's for lunch. We both had the usual, a chili-dog and a bag of chips. She had a cola, but I like to save that dime for later.
After lunch, we strolled over to the theater. Carol took one look at the marquee and quickly said, "I've seen the movie. It really stinks. Can't we go somewhere else?"
This stumped me. I never thought about not going to the movies. After just a couple of seconds, I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "Okay. I'm not sure what we'll do. We still need to meet my grandparents at 3:00 PM over at the farmer's supply store."
Carol swept the hair from her face with her hand and smiled. "I bet we can find something to do."
Scrunching my brow, I suddenly brightened. "I know what we can start with. There's something here in town that I bet you haven't seen."
Carol asked, "What is it?"
"Just come on and I'll show you." Walking up a block and crossing the street, we arrived at Kress's five and dime. Stepping through the front door, I looked at her and swept my hand. "There it is."
"Where," she asked.
"Right there in front of you, the moving stairs."
"Unh, they call those things escalators. I live in Jacksonville. We've got plenty of them."
Well, perhaps they are a big thing in Florida, but here in LaGrange, Georgia, they were unique. It was the only one I'd ever seen. I think Carol could sense my disappointment, because all of a sudden, she said, "Let's ride it. I didn't say they weren't fun."
So we did. We did everything you're supposed to do on an escalator and a couple of things not. The people in the store didn't seem to mind us walking up the down stairs. I'm pretty sure they've seen that before. They drew the line when I slid down the center strip between the up and down. I didn't know that was frowned upon. The lady in cosmetics asked, "Where're your parents?" We gave the 'I dunno' shrug of shoulders and left.
Once outside, Carol said, "I know what we can do now."
"What's that?"
"We can walk over to the Sheriff's office. My uncle is the Sheriff."
The County building was across from the town square. I always thought it was a neat building. There was an old, rusty cannon out front and the facade was covered in marble. The corner where you entered the Sheriff's office was in the shade. Sitting on the marble steps in the summer was about as cool a place as you could find. Standing outside the doorway was a tall woman, dressed in uniform. When we got close, she put out her cigarette and said, "Well if it isn't little Miss Carol. I didn't know you had a brother."
"He ain't my brother. He's my cousin Bill. He's staying with his grandma Louise this summer."
"Oh, I know you. You're the one they call Rabbit. Ya'll two look just alike. Sweetie, your uncle's not here, but come on in and let me show you off."
We went in, and there was another woman at the desk and a male deputy walking around. They ooh'd and aah'd over the two of us. It was embarrassing. Finally, they took our fingerprints and took a picture of us. Where they took the picture was the same place where they took pictures of people going to jail. In the background, the wall was marked in feet and inches, so you would know how tall the person was. We both came in a little over four feet. I bet they don't get many criminals that size.
I came to find out that they developed that picture and it's hanging on the wall at the Sheriff's office. Carol had put up her two fingers, 'v' shaped behind my head. It made me look like a devil or something.
After that visit, we walked over to the Army store. It's one of my favorite places. There are all sorts of military stuff. We tried on army field jackets and helmets, both too big. I had to laugh at Carol. The helmet kept slipping down the front of her face. Finally, a big, porky guy walked over and asked, "Are you going to buy anything?" That deserved another 'I dunno' shoulder shrug. We left.
"I guess we should head over to the farmer's supply store. We need to meet my grandparents in about thirty minutes."
It's a fun place to hang out for awhile. They know me there, so gave us a cola and let us walk around. There are always baby chicks and rabbits and stuff to play with. My grandparents got there soon after we arrived.
When we got in the car, Grandma asked, "Did you have fun?"
We replied in unison, "Yes Ma'am." I was glad she didn't ask if we liked the movie.
Carol was going to stay for supper, so we headed back to Grandma's house. When we got there, the two of us went upstairs to a room my grandmother called the conservatory. The room jutted out over the front porch. It was a neat room that had tall windows around three sides. The windows were open, so the room was bright and breezy. We were sitting together on an old coaster bench. The chain links made a noise like, eeenh, eeenh, eeenh, eeenh. I swear, that noise and motion could almost put you to sleep.
Carol finally said, "I had a really good time. It was a fun day."
Smiling, I replied, "We did have us a good old time. I bet we're the only people around here who've been fingerprinted and had our picture taken at the jail."
"I reckon that we probably are." We just rocked for awhile before Carol spoke again. "Have you ever seen a girl's private parts?"
The question took me by surprise. I answered the truth, "No."
"Well, all I've got are sisters, so I've never seen a boy's. Maybe we should take a peek at each other."
All of a sudden, the breeze died. I felt like everything slowed down. Almost stuttering, I said, "Okay."
We both slowly reached for the top buttons of our pants. The magic moment was interrupted by my grandma as she hollered up the stairs, "Are ya'll up there?"
In unison, we replied, "Yes Ma'am."
She continued, "What are you doing?"
Once again, in unison, we replied, "Nothin'."
"Well, come on back downstairs and do nothing."
I saw my friend Virge the next morning. He asked, "Did you and Wesley go to the movies yesterday?"
"No, Wesley is at scout camp. I went with my cousin, Carol. We didn't go to the movies, we just walked around and stuff."
"Oh yeah, I remember Carol. Ain't she your Uncle Chuck's girl? If I recall, she is real cute."
"Yeah, she's Uncle Chuck's girl and she is cute. I think when I grow up, I'm going to marry Carol."
Virge chuckled before replying, "You can't marry Carol, cause she's your first cousin."
"Yeah, so what."
"Well, Rabbit, it's against the law to marry your first cousin."
I had to process this bit of news for awhile. Finally, I said, "Last month, you told me that it used to be legal to own people, that your own momma was a slave. It don't make any sense to be allowed to own somebody and not be able to marry your cousin."
Virge shook his head and spat out a stream of tobacco. "Slavery has been against the law for near a hundred years. Laws are laws. There ain't no law that says they gotta make sense."
I thought it through for a minute and just shrugged my shoulders. "It still don't seem right." What I was thinking though was more profound to me at the moment, Shoot, I guess I'll never get to see Carol naked.
 Recognized |
|
Thanks to pattigirl for the beautiful picture. It does remind me of my cousin.
List of characters:
Rabbit - young boy almost nine
Grandma Louise (on the father's side)
Grandpa Horace (on the father's side)
Grandma Nan (on his mother's side)
Pappy (Grandpa on his mother's side)
Virge Gates - 87 year old black man, Rabbit's good friend
Sugar Butts - Virge's nickname for his niece, Ms. Carry
Wesley - Rabbit's cousin
John - Rabbit's older brother and constant nemesis
Carol - First cousin, daughter of his mother's brother
*** This is a novel, so if some things don't make sense, please be aware that there are previous chapters. I wish I could make each chapter a stand alone masterpiece, but ...
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. List of characters:
Rabbit - young boy almost nine
Grandma Louise (on the father's side)
Grandpa Horace (on the father's side)
Grandma Nan (on his mother's side)
Pappy (Grandpa on his mother's side)
Virge Gates - 87 year old black man, Rabbit's good friend
Sugar Butts - Virge's nickname for his niece, Ms. Carry
Wesley - Rabbit's cousin
John - Rabbit's older brother and constant nemesis
Carol - First cousin, daughter of his mother's brother
*** This is a novel, so if some things don't make sense, please be aware that there are previous chapters. I wish I could make each chapter a stand alone masterpiece, but ...
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