“Hi Earl, it’s good to see you!” Donna had come out while he was playin with her kids. “How’s the family?”
“Oh, they’re all fine as rain, Donna! How’s yore ma doin? Did she start eatin, agin?” Earl asked.
“Earl, she’s just about gone. She asked fur the Reverend to come pray over her yesterday. She is ready and just waitin fur the Lord’s time,” Donna said. “Say, what are you doin over this way, Earl?”
“Donna, we come to talk to you about your property. We wanted to know if you are comin back, or sellin it or if you might rent part of the property, the 20 acres of field to us?” Earl said.
“Well that was a mouthful, Earl. You seem mighty excited about something. Would that wantin to know about my place have anything to do with yore whiskey makin, Earl?” Donna asked with a smile.
“You know it!” Earl replied with a twinkle in his eyes. “I’m just tryin to figure how to expand my business to keep up with the customers’ demand and Pete told me last time I was up here that you were possibly gettin serious about that new beau of yores. How’s that goin anyway?”
Donna said, “How long do you have to listen?”
Earl said, “Let’s talk over coffee. I’ve got all day.”
Earl went into the kitchen and had a seat. Donna got the coffee started and checked on her ma. She came back out and got a cool rag fur her ma’s brow. Then she poured some coffee fur both of them and looked at Earl fur a minute and her bright smile dimmed. “Earl, yore family is like my own. You fed me and nursed me back to health after my husband passed and the baby came. I love yore family like you was my own pa. What is that hammerin noise?”
They walked outside with their cups of steamin coffee and saw Carl fixin the kids’ see-saw and the kids watchin him intently. Her little boy said to Carl, “When I get big, I want to fix things like you, Mr. Carl.” He looked up at Carl with big adoring eyes.
Earl and Donna went back inside and big ol tears welled up in Donna’s eyes. “You see, that’s what I mean. Yore family sees things need fixin and they just get to it. They are not lookin to get anything back. Eddy started off so nice, takin me to the show and bringin me flowers and candy and it felt real nice to be doted on by a man, especially when I have three kids and need someone to be a father to them and a provider fur me. I started to feel relief, like it was goin to work out. Then I started to feel like something wasn’t right. You know, that little nigglin feelin? Well, the next time Eddy come over he starts in askin me about ma’s buried fortune. I thought maybe he had hit the bottle before he came over. We ain’t got no fortune, buried or not. So, I just listened. You don’t want to cross someone who’s been drinkin, cause they might be a mean drunk.”
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“Eddy walked over to the fireplace after he asked me about the fortune and started wigglin the stones, lookin fur a loose one. I was shocked he would be so bold. Then he walked over to the kitchen and looked in the cookie jar. He shook his head and said, ‘This ain’t nothin but egg money.’ I couldn’t stand it anymore. I said, What're you doin Eddy?”
He said, “Do you know how much money yore ma has and where she has it hidden?”
I said, What are you talkin bout, Eddy? My ma ain’t got no fortune. Why, I went to the bank yesterday to try to get a loan so we could buy some milk fur the kids and seeds fur spring. Why would you think we have any money?”
Eddy replied, “You mean I’ve wasted my time courtin you and there ain’t no fortune? How could you let me go on thinkin we was goin to be rich when yore ma passed?”
Donna, realizin what was goin on said, ‘I can’t control yore thinkin and I also can’t control whoever told you that lie. You better get on out of here and go find that fortune you are seekin somewhere else.’ He left and I am glad. He never loved me and he sure didn’t love the kids. I thought they would grow on him once we got married, but that was wishful thinkin. So, Earl, I am back to where I started. I don’t know what I will do when ma passes. Maybe I will put both places up fur sale and see which sells first and then live in the other one. So, until I sell one of them, you are welcome to use that field fur $50 a month and some of each kind of the grain. I’m not proud of chargin you fur the use of the field, but Lord knows we sure can use it.”
“Donna, I offered to pay you fur the use of yore field, you didn’t ask. It makes me real angry to hear how that man toyed with yore emotions. Are you ok?” Earl asked.
“It hurts Earl, but I’d rather know now than later. It’s a whole lot easier to deal with,” Donna answered. “Land sakes how time marches on. It’s time to get supper. Will you and Carl eat with us tonight?”
“No, I have another stop to make before we head on back home, but thank you. I see you got yore phone lines in. I heard the phone ring a while ago. Will you please let me know about once a week how things are goin fur you and yore ma and the kids?” Earl requested.
“I shore will, Earl. You have taken a burden off of my shoulders again. It seems like everything will work out alright, even if it is rough right now.” Donna said.
