Chapter 3

I wasn't at all shocked about the age at which she had married, country women seemed to mature at an early age and married young to mostly older men. I hated to interrupt Miz Maisy but had to, because it was getting late and being unfamiliar with the area, did not want to ride home in the dark, "Miz Maisy," I said, "That is the information I am looking for. You see, if we can keep records on the important events in your area it will allow us to better help you and everyone in Mountain Top." "What I would appreciate is that maybe you could be a go-between for me and the families here. I realize that I am a stranger and would not receive a very hospitable reception if I were to ride into other people's places uninvited as you so well explained to me previously. I could visit you every week and you could give me the information I need. And if a medical problem ever came up then you could assist me in helping the person who was sick. With you as a helper, folks would be more open to my visits."

After a small silence she said, "You git back up here next Wednesday and I'll let you know somethin' then. I need to ponder on it awhile and ain't makin' no snap promises." I rose from my chair and thanked her for her time and stepped off the porch to pack my book and mount up. As I rode away I looked over my shoulder and saw her slowly swinging, her head to one side, eyes closed and a smile on her face and knew she was remembering happier times.

And Miz Maisy remembered, they walked a ways out talkin' real quiet like and stayed gone a purty long time. When they came back Bobby was grinnin' like a possum and my daddy said he had somethin to say. My daddy always wuz a happy feller but that night his eyes looked sad even though he wuz smilin'. Said Bobby wuz there to ask for my hand. Well, I thought my heart was gonna stop right there on the spot, my sisters wuz shoutin', momma wuz cryin' and granny wuz just shakin' her head. Bobby said "Well Maisy ain't you got nothin' to say, I do believe this is the first time in my life your mouth is open and nothin' ain't comin' out of it!" I turned and ran out the back door and hid in the woods until late in the night. I heard him and my daddy callin' for me but I just stayed right quiet. Finally daddy told Bobby to go on home and we would talk tomorrow. After I seen the lamps go down in the house I got up and eased back into the kitchen and found my momma sittin' in her rocker waitin' on me. My momma held out her arms and said, "Come here baby" and I got up in her lap, hugged her real tight and bawled like a baby. Well, me and her talked that night way up into the mornin'. I told her I was scared and didn't want to leave all of them and that I did love Bobby and daydreamed about bein' married but I never thought it would happen. I asked why she cried when she heard and she said that she realized her little girl was going off to be a woman. She tole me she know I was able to take care of a family and a husband 'cause I was about the most responsible girl she had ever see. Said that since I had been helpin' her with the yunguns since they wuz borned, the cookin' and learning the ways of granny and her herbs, that I'd make a most remarkable woman. She hated to lose her first borned and Bobby Neil Lancaster had better think twice if he thought he wuz a running off with me and livin' somweres else." She told me to go on and lay down for awhile and later me, her and daddy would ride over to Bobby's place and get the where to's and how fore's settled."

"From far away I heard my momma's voice a callin me, "Maisy, Maisy," then I heard, "Amazing Grace! you git up now," and I sat straight up in bed. Cuz when momma used your full given name you knowed she ment bizness. I stretched and wondered what all the commotion wuz about and then remembered when I saw momma standin' there with my town dress in her hands. "Maisy you get up and get your hair plaited and your face washed. It's way after lunch and you daddy is in from the field's cleanin' up. Granny will look after the sisters while we ride over to Bobby's." It was then that my heart did a little jump and a smile came to my face. Momma saw me grinnin' and never said a word, just smiled to herself. After she left the room I stripped off to take a quick bath. We had two looking glasses in our house, a little one you could hold in your hand and a full sized one that you could see from head to toe. Granny got it from a lady in town as payment for helpin' take care of her baby when it had the croup. She told Granny, "I owe you so much how can I ever repay you and granny said that seein' as to how that woman had 2 big ole' looking glasses in her house, reckon could she spare one of em' for her girls and the lady said it would be no trouble at all. You should've seen my daddy haulin' that thing all the way up here in the wagon. Granny had it wrapped in quilts and told him to be careful cause if'n it broke he would have 7 years bad luck. And daddy said "livin' in a house fulla wimmin couldn't be much worse." I stood sideways and looked myself over from the top of my head down to my dirty toes. I raised my hands up to pull my hair up like momma does with a twist and for the first time really noticed that I was growin' into a woman. My breast were high and firm, not very big and they had no sag to em'. I had female hair where it was suppose to be and then a thought popped into my mind I wondered what Bobby would look like nekkid. I quickly dropped my arms and saw my cheeks had flushed, where ever did that thought pop in from. I quickly dipped the rag into the water and wiped off. Slippin' on my clean step-ins and pulling my dress over my head I rushed to git ready. "Momma," I hollered ,"which shoes reckon I oughta wear, my town shoes or my yard shoes. If'n we going to Bobby's I'm sure his yard will be a mess." I looked up as she slipped into the room, "Why don't you just wear your town shoes and if need be he can lay down some boards for us to walk on. Now hurry up and I will plait your hair."

It wasn't far to Bobby's house, 'bout half a mile. Momma & daddy was sitting close to each other whispering and I was sitting in the back of the wagon with my mind just a racin'. Our wagon was different that others, daddy had made little wooden benches that he could slide in and tie down when we all went somewhere and then he could slide them out again when he needed to haul somethin. "Well, Maisy," my daddy said, "You won't be wearin' those braids for long, you have to start pinnin' you hair up like the old married wimmin," and looked at momma and grinned. "Yes" momma said "and sweet young Bobby will soon quit shavin' and have some of those old rough whiskers to scratch you with," and grinned back at daddy. Daddy said, "Now, Sarah Jean you know that you just giggle and wiggle when I run those old whiskers over you," and then momma smacked him on the arm and made a face while daddy laughed. "What are you two cacklin' about and what do you mean runnin' whiskers over you?" I asked, innocently. They both got quite and looked at each other from the corner of their eyes. I knowd exactly what they wuz talkin' bout. You don't live in a 4 room house with cracks in the wall and not know about lovin'. I had been helpin' granny with baby catchin' since I was ten years old and knowd all about babies and where they come from.

We pulled up in front of Bobby's house and he wuz a standin' there kinda of rockin' back and forth on his feet, hands shoved down in his pockets and still grinnin' like a possum. "Ya'll git out and come on in," he said. Momma said, "Well Bobby Neil Lancaster surely you ain't going to stand there and let my daughter, your future wife, traipse through this mud are you?" Why you wud a thought somebody had hit him with hammer. He got to stammerin' around and yes'mamin and no'mamin and lookin' around for some boards. I saw daddy nudge momma with his elbow and grin. Finally daddy got down and helped Bobby find some boards for me & momma to walk on. As I stepped up on the porch Bobby said, "Hey Maisy," and I said, "Hey Bobby," and momma and daddy just gave each other that funny smile again. Bobby told us to go in and he would be in there in a minute. Me and momma walked in and daddy stayed out on the porch with Bobby. "Well, I never," momma said and we were both amazed. It seemed that Bobby has taken himself a cleanin' spell. The lamps were polished and shinin', the floor looked liked it had been scrubbed, the windows were clean, the kitchen was in fine shape and he had put some spring flowers in the center of the eatin' table. His momma's rocker was polished to a high shine, the fireplace swept out and he had put her hand tatted doilies out on every surface he could fine. Momma told me to take the rockin' chair and her and daddy would sit on the bench he had placed near it.

In a bit I hear the throat clearin' and foot wipin' sounds that go on before you enter a house. Daddy came and sat by momma with a grin and Bobby came in and stood on the other side of the fireplace across from me. We all sat there in silence for a bit then Bobby came over to me and takes me by the hand and I stood up. He then said, "Amazing Grace Butler would you marry me?" and my mouth went dry. I couldn't speak, I looked at momma and daddy and they smiled and nodded their heads. I turns to look at Bobby and he was pale and wide eyed but I says, "Well, well, I reckon I will." and we gave each other a big hug. After Bobby set out cups and some sweet tea we all sat at the table. Bobby cleared his throat, "Well, I guess ya'll know that I own this place now since momma died and everybody else done moved on. This house is sturdy, it has this main room with the kitchen and 2 bedrooms. I got me about 5 acres to farm and fruit trees me and daddy got planted before he died. Course now it needs some fixin' up, so I was figurin' me and Maisy could wait about 6 months and get married this fall. That'll give me time to get things dun and she can get her stuff that wimmin folks need when they get hitched. Daddy smiled and seemed pleased at this, I would have a birthday and be 14 years old when I got married. Since momma never birthed no boys, daddy seemed right pleased with Bobby. "Mr. Lancaster sir, I figure me and you could work together farmin' and combine our crops, seein' as to how it would benefit both of us." Well the way my daddy clapped Bobby on the back and grinned you'd thought he wuz gettin' married. This seemed to please momma to, she spoke up, "Now Bobby, I think that's a wonderful idea, 'cause to tell the truth I was worried you wuz goin to haul her off from here." "Well Maisy, what do you think?" Bobby asked me. I got up and wandered around the kitchen, looking in the cabinets, starin' out the back window and then strolled back through into the main sittin' room. "Well, I reckon that will be just fine with me, but I would want to come up here every now and then and get some things done. Like plantin' some flowers out front and moving things around and takin' stock of just what we have and what I might need." Everyone seemed to agree to this and after we visited a while more got up to leave. Bobby asked if'n it was all right if he came by the next day just to visit. Momma said, "Why Bobby, when have you ever asked to come by and visit you just always drop in. Tell you what you come by tamarra 'bout supper time and we will eat together and you and Maisy can spend some time with each other." Bobby seemed pleased at this idea. Daddy got momma by the hand and said, "We just gonna step outside a minute and get the horses ready," leavin' me there with Bobby. "I don't know why," I said, "But I have known you all my life and now all of a sudden I got butterflies in my belly and the dry mouth." But he never said a word just leaned over and kissed me. Well, I thought my legs had turned to water and had to grab onto him to keep from fallin'. "Night, Maisy," he said in a low, slow voice that made my toes curl and my lower belly turn to butter.

On the way home, 'bout halfway there daddy said, "Maisy I don't believe I heard you utter a single word since we left Bobby's place." I replied, "just thinkin' daddy, just thinkin."

When we get home the lights were on but dimmed. Granny had the girls in bed, but we could here some gigglin' when we walked in. "How'd it go?" Granny asked me and I said, "Just fine Granny, just fine. I think I'm gonna go to bed now and get some rest," and kissed everybody good night. Momma's hug seemed to hold on a little longer that usual. She whispered in my ear, "We got some plannin' to do over the next few months and there are a few more things you need to know before you get married."