Dead Eyes in Late Summer

“Adelyn, someone to see you.” Uncle Tyree bent down his tall frame to tell her as he glided by her on the way to the dining room. His eyes shifted toward the back hall. The family congregated for leftovers from the Thanksgiving meal, the bowls as full as on the holiday. Adelyn pushed back her chair, momentarily pre-occupied by all the food. Did we not eat at all?

“What’s that?” Hard of hearing and always worried she would miss something, Aunt Grace Lee sat upright at the table, trying to hear her husband’s conversation with Adelyn.

Adelyn hurried out as she thanked her uncle for his discretion. The family all gathered in the dining room, distracted with savoring Thanksgiving leftovers, and Aunt Grace thankfully succumbed to the festivity.

She saw him, tall with broad shoulders, as a shadow against the opaque glass pane. Her heart jumped though he would never know it as she swung open the door. “Thought you’d be down there in Savannah whooping and hollering after the big win.”

“No need, they won it without me. I came home yesterday morning.”

“Well come on in, no point in heating the outdoors.” She secretly congratulated herself for washing her hair earlier that day and brushing the curls to frame her face. She noticed Garnett noticing, his hand suspended, reaching out to feel the softness of it as she turned to walk back in. She felt his hand and it warmed her.

Garnett took one of the curls near her cheek. “Quite the flapper, are we?”

He took two steps inside, brushing against her as she held the door open. For the briefest moment they felt the warm air breathed from each other, could almost hear the throb of the blood coursing in one another’s veins. He pressed slightly against her and she didn’t move back.

“So, it’s just your mama’s kin?”

She knew he made polite conversation. Adelyn took his coat and hung it on one of the hooks inside the back hall.

“You know Aunt Grace is Mama’s sister. She and Uncle Tyree have been with us since he came back from the Great War. He was doing more administrative stuff, certainly no soldiering. But claims he was mustard gassed, though I could never tell.” Her chattering on just barely covered her own unease. Why does he always make me so?

The lights glowed against the gray day, and the family talked busily and passed dishes to one another. Another chair had appeared next to Adelyn’s when she came into the room to tell them. Uncle Tyree had played Cupid. “Garnett is here, and I asked him to dinner with us.”

“Of course, dear boy.” Mrs. Jackson, nearest Garnett, stood and briefly hugged his shoulder. All others including Captain Jackson said hello, the men in full voice and hearty. Garnett sat, and he helped himself from all dishes passed to him, waiting until the initial polite questions had been asked before biting into his food.

“Well son, heard the Bulldogs done it again!” Uncle Tyree shouted from his end of the table.

“He does that because he thinks everyone’s as deaf as his wife.” Adelyn whispered to Garnett whose smile broadened.

And he whispered back. “Adelyn, I know your family stories almost as well as my own.” He looked to Uncle Tyree to answer him. “Yes, sir, I heard that too. I’ve been home since before the game.” His voice dropped, “My mother is not well.”

“Garnett, I am so sorry.” Soft murmurs throughout the room duplicated Adelyn’s wishes of genuine concern for Sarah Crawford. Even Cicely expressed concern, recalling Sarah Crawford’s absence from the funeral. The Jacksons each held some memory of the time after Innis’s passing when Sarah walked about town shopping and took part in the Altar Society looking like a specter, wan and weak. She faded from those events until no one saw her any longer in church or town, and as people will do, most ceased to look for her. A collective guilt permeated them all, most of all Mary Jackson for not visiting Sarah more.

“Doctor Spencer, the new young doctor in town, he trained up north in New York City, and my daddy took her to see him.” Adelyn could tell that talking to them gave Garnett a release from his silent fears for his mother’s welfare. Garnett had held out hope that his mother would get past the grief and live fully, but she began to fade as they entered the holidays.

Mrs. Jackson, who sat on the other side of Garnett, spoke softly, and Adelyn alone heard her saying, “I spoke with your mother last I saw her; she told me of her childhood illness that weakened her heart.”

That was what it was. But she’s been resting a lot, and they expect her back to normal, soon. Soon.” He repeated himself without even knowing it, a wish more than a belief.

Adelyn studied them, her family, the way Garnett acted with her father and uncle; far more deferential than his older brother though her male kin had been fond of Innis. Innis’s cunning, beating out the world under the law of those northerners, the natural enemy of the men of the south, earned their admiration. Instead, Garnett belonged to the greater world; he belonged, and no one held it against him. They all settled in and traded stories of one another’s kin, shared old experiences, and new ones. Adelyn touched his hand that lay in his lap, wanting him to know through her touch that he belonged with them, with her.

Adelyn and the rest all knew that Edna had a thing about Jeremy, fidgeting or otherwise.

“Jeremy, kindly stay put, your shifting about drives me crazy.” Edna Gray fidgeted with the fur collar of her fashionable coat. The car held them all comfortably, William, a Georgia U senior and Edna’s brother, Garnett, and Adelyn in front next to William, Edna and Jeremy in the back. Missus Jackson had consented to Adelyn returning to school with Garnett because the Grays went along on this road trip. Adelyn thought how ridiculous that her mother trusted Innis and never questioned her daughter about the relationship, yet would not allow Garnett to drive alone with Adelyn back to the university.

“But Mama, I don’t understand the difference.” Adelyn threw her things into her suitcase while her mother took them out again and neatly folded sweaters, skirts, underwear.

Her mother went into a huff, but finally got the words out, “It’s because Innis was already well on his way to a profession. Garnett is a junior in college.” The rest of the implications fell around them like petals off a late-blooming rose. Adelyn caught them all.

The ride quickly settled in with short conversations above the roar of the large-engine car. They encountered almost no traffic the entire trip to Savannah, with one or two cars passing on the opposite side. The monotonous motion of the car and a full stomach of dinner to ‘keep her from starving’ as her mother had said, now lulled Adelyn into sleep, her dreams fractured with the heavy automobile sounds and occasional twitters from the back seat. She almost smiled at them.

Did we behave the same way? Did everyone know? Back came the answer. Does it matter?

Abruptly awake. Undeniably, she had heard Innis. You returned here. And then a curiously sad lament from him in some other place, No, Sugar, I haven’t.

“Did I put you to sleep with all my chatter?” Garnett leaned over to be heard.

Adelyn feigned sleep to collect her thoughts, trying to remember, finally deciding that it couldn’t have been a dream because she saw no images. Then it’s my own mind.

She opened her eyes, “Must have dozed off. Dinner filled me up; I’ll be lucky to fit into any of my clothes.”

Garnett took advantage of her remark to flirt as he squeezed her hand, “You’ll be fine in all those skirts.”

A half hour later, they arrived at the university’s big front gate. Edna and Jeremy dispersed after Garnett thanked William. Jeremy, intent on Edna, barely stayed long enough to say good-bye. Garnett picked up Adelyn’s bag, and they walked together back to her sorority house.

Curious, she asked, “I heard you saying to Jeremy you planned to go up to New York City for some special program next year.”

“You don’t see why I should, do you?”

His presumption rattled her. “Try asking me when I’m a sophomore. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of wisdom then.” She exhaled in exasperation then thought better of it all. “I’m not who you think I am, Garnett. Not the little southern belle with cotton candy for brains, here at the university to snag a husband.”

“Never thought that for a second. You’ve proved your maturity to me.” Immediately, he wished he could take back the words that fell around them with the thud of lead. He spoke quickly to cover up the faux pas, “I’m going up there to New York to learn more about finance. New York is more than just geography. Not just north, but central to the financial world and growing that way more and more.”

They stood awkwardly, now facing one another, having spent the best part of the holiday together. Adelyn sensed a thread, though thin, still very strong, that tied one to the other.

“When will you leave for New York?” She emphasized the last word in two southern syllables instead of one and watched a smile break over his face. She gazed at his full lips while he passionately urged her toward him. She kissed him slowly on the mouth, her lips just slightly parted. He appeared neither surprised nor expecting her move. His affectionate return met hers. Garnett took hold of the front of her coat to keep her there with him.

“Thank you, Adelyn.”

“Why are you thanking me?” She stayed still, wanting to prolong this closeness.

He began to walk away and turned before she disappeared inside, “All this.” He gestured to her and then pointed to himself as if to say ‘we.’ “This is everything I want. But I’ll be up there in that frozen place come January.” He walked back to her and retrieved her from the open door, shutting it. “Thank you while I’m here, though not so when I leave.”