CHAPTER 34
Within a short time after Mary moved in, the children started showing their more mischievous side, or at least some of them did. They had done little childish things before, but Mary always kept it away from Fred. She knew he would be tough on the children if she were ever to report them. But one afternoon as the children played in the back yard, Mary reached the end of her silence.
It started with the twins and Junior riding their tricycles and bicycle in the yard. They had been riding around and around a dirt path that Fred cleared for them that reached around the entire circumference of the house. At some point, while Mary was in the bathroom cleaning Derek after his daily bout with dirt and grass, the children returned to the back yard.
Junior decided to do his usual trick with his bicycle. He backed the rear tire of his bike against the wall of the house. Then he climbed on the bike, sat down, and grabbed hold of the handle bars. Moments later, he jerked the handle bars toward him and the front tire of the bike shot upwards and spun slowly in midair; he rested his back against the house and began peddling effortlessly
“I bet ya can’t do this,” Junior said to the twins in a quiet but boastful way. Mary Jane showed little interest in his antics. However, Mary Jean was quite anxious to prove she could do whatever her big brother did.
Mary Jean backed the rear wheels of her tricycle against the wall near Junior. She climbed on the tricycle and grabbed the handle bars. As she jerked the handle bars back in an effort to bring the front wheel into midair like Junior‘s bike, her back wheels lost traction and her head and back slammed into the concrete portion of the wall, causing excruciating pain in her back and neck. The blow to her small frame rendered her breathless momentarily, but then she let out a scream like no one had ever heard before, and Mary came running with Derek in her arms.
“What happ’n’!?” Mary yelled as she stormed through the back screen door. She saw Mary Jean crouched in pain while Junior sat on his bike in fear and alarm. Mary saw the tricycle lying on the ground near Mary Jean as she lifted and carried her into the house, whereupon Mary Jean tried to tell her what happened.
Mary was livid. She called Junior into the living room. “What you do to yo sista?” Mary was standing over Junior as if she dared him to lie. “I told yo bout that bike befo’, didn’ I? You lost yo mind, boy?”
“No ma’am,” Junior started nervously, looking up at Mary. “I didn' make her do it; she was tryin’ to do what I did.”
“I’m tellin’ yo daddy when he git home!” Mary rushed to the bathroom and got the alcohol, then returned and began rubbing Mary Jean’s back and neck. “Git outta here and put that bike up!”
“Yessum,” Junior said hurriedly as he dashed through the living room and out the kitchen door. Never had he witnessed Mary so angry before. Never had he witnessed her face so red. He knew he was in trouble.
“He know better, what wrong wit that boy?” Mary fussed as she continued to rub Mary Jean.
Soon after the accident, Mary Jean was back outside playing with Mary Jane. Junior sat on the porch fearing what would happen when Fred heard about the accident that he felt he was not responsible for.
Dinner was finished and Mary and the children were sitting on the back porch when Fred arrived from work. On days like these, when the temperature was near 100 degrees and the humidity was high, Mary allowed the children to stay outside longer, and especially since the oven caused even more heat inside the house from Mary’s cooking.
“How yall doin’, Momma? Everybody alright?” Fred asked as he stood on the porch rubbing Derek’s head.
“We alright, Fred, but I got to tell ya ‘bout Junior later,” Mary said.
“What he do?” Fred asked, looking from Mary to Junior and back, a disturbed look settled on his face.
“I’ll tell ya after supper, Fred. Not now,” Mary said. Her response was definitive. Fred knew he had to wait. Still, he was visibly bothered that Mary needed to report something that one of his children did in his absence. Every day he told the children, “Mind Momma, do what she tell ya to do.” Now he couldn’t imagine what Junior did to make Mary have to report him.
During supper, Fred talked less than usual, much less. Mary knew he was preoccupied with the little bit of information she had given him. But she also knew the children needed to eat their dinner and prepare for bed. That way, they would not have to be part of Fred’s wrath, a wrath that she knew sat waiting in the wings. After supper, Mary rushed the twins off to their rooms. “Yall put on yo gowns and stay there,” she said to them sternly. “Don’t come out here no mo’ t'night. Tell yo daddy goodnight.”
“Goodnight, daddy,” the twins sang in unison, as they scampered off to their room.
“Goodnight,” Fred responded without as much as looking up from his empty plate. Junior retreated to his bedroom that he shared with Fred. He wasn’t quite sure where he should be but he knew it wasn’t in the same space with Fred. Never had he felt such unspoken fear as he felt while sitting on the edge of his bed that night. Still, he could not understand why he was in trouble for something his sister did. After all, it wasn’t as if he forced her to do it.
After supper, Mary cleared the table as Fred continued to sit, drinking water. She knew he wanted to know what Junior did but she was not going to tell him until she was done cleaning, then she’d take Derek and go to her room until the fuss was over.
When Mary finally told Fred of Junior’s earlier actions, Fred was visibly angry. “Junior, come here, boy!” Fred yelled. And as Junior entered the kitchen, Mary left and retreated to the back with Derek, closing the twins’ door and her door as she went. Still, she could hear quite clearly the stern words coming from Fred as he scolded Junior about his actions. "Take yo shirt off!" Fred ordered angrily. Then the licks from Fred’s belt landed on Junior’s bare skin. One after the other, the brown leather belt could be heard slapping against Junior's body. And although Junior tried to stiffle his moans, the pain was too great. Besides, he knew that Fred would not stop whipping him until he cried out in pain. So he did, again and again, until Fred felt satisfied that Junior had learned his lesson. "Now go ta yo room an' go ta bed!" Fred told him.
Mary felt sympathy for Junior, but she also felt that he needed to understand the importance of looking after his younger sisters, and not provoking them to do things that might bring them harm. She wanted the family to continue to be the strong, close-knit family that it was before Gert passed.