In walks mother

She spoke like a child, “I have a rumbly in my tumbly.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Have you eaten anything today?”

She smiled, patted her stomach and said, “I could stand to miss a few meals.”

“Well Chet, let’s go have some dinner.” He looked at his watch. “It’s 8:30pm.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun.”

“So I’ve heard.” He smiled.

They went over to Oscar’s house. They were just about ready to sit down to eat when a noise like a jet plane filled the house. “Oh, goodie. This night has gone to hell.” Oscar lowered his head.

His brother got out of the truck followed by an older woman. “Your mother?”

“Yes,” he hissed.

“Let me have some fun.” There was a faint knock at the door.

He looked bewildered, “what do you mean?”

“You go to the bathroom and let me open the door. Follow my lead, I promise I won’t do anything horrible.”

“No maw, you gotta do it like dis.” There came a thunderous pounding at the door. Oscar jumped. She squeezed his shoulder as the pounding repeated.

He quickly left the room. She screwed on her biggest smile and opened the door wide. “Howdy y’all. O’s in the bathroom. Come in. Come in. We are gettin’ ready to have a mouth full of sup-pa. Come join us.”

Otis about fell through the door and his mother had her mouth open so wide that she could have walked on her bottom lip.

“Who is it?” Oscar called from the bathroom.

“Oh honey, it’s your brother and I’m assumin’ your mother.” She shut the door as she talked and pointed them to the kitchen. “I’ve invited them to stay for sup-pa.”

“As you wish.”

“What do you want to drink?”

“Whatever you’re having,” was followed by the flush of the toilet.

The stunned family sat around the table filled with sandwich makin’s. “Help yourself,” she instructed.

The doorbell rang. This time it was Chet. “Hello, come in. O’s in the bathroom. We are just sitting down for sup-pa,” she raised her eyebrows. Then thought about how pointless it was since there was another vehicle in the drive. No, it was parked in the road? How rude! She thought. “Will you join us?” She took Chet by the arm and escorted him into the kitchen.

“No, Bell and I just ate. I just dropped by to check on the progress of the house.” He winked at her.

“When I get it done, you and Bell come over for sup-pa.”

“That would be mighty fine.” As Chet entered the kitchen, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. There sat Otis and Pam.

“Chet I think you know these folks?” She tapped him playfully on the shoulder, “of course you do. Silly me, you’re the sheriff.”

Chet swallowed hard, “Otis, Pam.”

Pam snorted, “a proper gentleman would take his hat off, or at least tip it when he addressed a lady.”

It was all Chet could do to hold his tongue. He wanted to say, ‘show me one.’ But he did tip his hat to her.

Oscar walked into the kitchen with his old work clothes on covered with dust and paint. He had a dish towel draped over his shoulder.

“See der ,” Oat roared, “women folk do dat?”

The other night

She pointed to Oscar still sitting in living room floor, still looking blankly into space. “Help me get him up and over to his house, please.” They worked together to move him. “Does he make a habit of not eating?” She knew the answer to that before she even asked.

“The more stress he has in his life, the less he eats. I have seen him down to 100 pounds soaking wet, if he even weighed that much. He reminded me of String Bean”

“Bluegrass singer?” She questioned.

“I’m surprised you know that.”

“I’m full of surprises.”

“I bet you are,” he smirked.

They laid him on the couch and Esther went into the kitchen to heat up some leftover lasagna. Chet sat at the table and watched her.

“How long have you two known each other?” She asked.

“All our lives, we grew up together. He went off to college; I stayed here and got married. He came back and it was like he’d never left.”

“Where were you that summer all of my kin was having a reunion across the street?”

Chet looked confused, “Oscar told you about that?”

“What did he tell you?”

“He talked for days about this little blonde girl that played with him. How they played hide-n-seek for hours. How they got lost and ended up at the lake. That’s when he found out he couldn’t swim. She had saved him from drowning. He was so proud that his mom and dad let him spend that week with his aunt and uncle. They let him spend a couple nights with all the Morrison children. My family and I went somewhere I don’t even remember where. He and I were dreading it so bad. But come to find out he was having a ball.” Chet laughed. “He talked about that little girl all summer long. You know, I don’t even think he asked her her name.” Chet thought for a minute, “I think that was the first and last time, as a child, he got to stay with them.”

“Have you eaten?”

“No,” Chet patted his belly. “But I can go a day or two without a meal.”

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t want a hungry sheriff protecting me.”

He laughed. “Why did you ask me about that summer?”

“You want to hear something wild?”

“Sure.” Chet said cautiously.

“I was that little girl.” She went in the living room to get Oscar. He was still staring into space. “Dinners ready and you have to eat something. Oh, and Chet is here. So you really have to eat.”

Oscar got a sheepish grin on his face and sang, “sticks and stones may break my bones but hand cuffs and beat sticks excite me.”

She laughed, “you little booger. Get to that table.”

They sat down to the smell of delightful lasagna.

Oscar smiled a sleepy smile, “Chet did you hear?”

“I did.”

He giggled, “she called me a little booger.”