When I was younger this house teemed with life. Seems like there wasn’t a day went by that somebody wasn’t into something, somewhere, somehow. The younger ones, being you as they were and prone to certain ways, never did do as they were told. Especially George, he was the runt, always toddling around checking out anything he could stick his nose into, even if it wasn’t good for him. He fell on his face more times than I can count, especially when he could slip away from Mamma’s side so’s he could go off chasing butterflies out in our neighbor’s garden.
Our neighbor, Linda never did like me and Mamma being in her garden. She always used to say that we killed her flowers. To this day I don’t know how. We were only doing what comes natural to anyone in a flower bed.
I remember there was this one time George was out in her garden reaching for butterflies when he got lucky, or unlucky depend’n on your perception of the whole thing, and a wasp flew his way. He slapped it down to the ground and held it there for a good long time. His little face light up with pride, he had never caught anything that was faster than a butterfly before. I imagine that wasp wasn’t too fond of George’s affections for it and somehow the little creature worked his way around and stung him. He screamed bloody murder. Of course Mamma came funning and that’s how she found out about his sneaking around. If he hadn’t been hurt I’ll bet Mamma would have boxed his ears. As it was Linda had to take him to the doctor, cause you see Mamma can’t drive, she don’t’ know how.
Mamma was might worried. She told me that sometimes they don’t come back from the doctor, but she never did tell me why. Every time Linda has to take her, Mamma puts up such a fuss. Sometimes after the whole affair is over she won’t even be in the same room with Linda for days. I feel sorry for Linda every time it happens. I always give her a little extra attention, you know, following her into every room and being specially nice to her, like Mamma would if she weren’t busy being mad at her. Hell it’s not Linda’s fault, she’s only trying to help Mamma. And besides it doesn’t hurt to go to the doctor. Sometimes it stings a little and it’s uncomfortable but I know that somehow it’s good for me. I don’t mind so much.
On those days Linda tells me how Mamma was at the doctor and who all was there for what. Normally she talks to Mamma more than me. I don’t mind. I’d rather be doing my own thing anyway, watching the pretty birds or attending to myself. You never know who you’re going to meet and when. It’s just on those days when I make the effort for Linda. It doesn’t last that long anyhow, two or three days. Mamma doesn’t hold a grudge like she used to. That’s what Linda tells my anyway. I wouldn’t know she says because I wasn’t born yet.
But I do know that Mamma comes from the streets, that’s were her and Linda first met up. You can tell Mamma’s not from around here in the way she walks. I haven’t seen anyone else cross our street the way Mamma does. She walks out into the middle of it and if there’s a car coming she looks over her shoulder like she’s saying, “You dare to hit me and I’ll scratch you eyes out.” Of course she only does it around our house, no one that lives around here would dare hit her, Linda would never forgive them.
One time one of the young ones almost did get hit by a car. Some teenage neighbor boy who had just gotten his license, so I’ve been told, was speeding around the streets. Mamma went to get something to eat and that’s when George made his getaway, but this time Huck was watching him a followed George out to the garden. You see Huck bores real easy so I guess he must have seen something interesting across the street and started over there. Huck and George are real close in age, and they both had the same unsteady feet, of course they both grew out of it but way back then it was a dangerous thing to be. I hear tell Huck was halfway across the street concentrating on whatever it was that had called to him, and wouldn’t you know it he never even heard that big old nasty thing come barreling around the corner till it was almost on top of him. It scared him so much that he lost control of himself right then and there in the middle of the street with God and everybody watching. Well the neighbor boy doesn’t hate us as much as he lets on to his friends. I guess he saw Huck and slowed down enough to scare him right back to the house, honking his horn and revving the engine. I worked, maybe better than it should have. To this day Huck looks both ways twice before he ever crosses a street and then he bolts like lightening to the other side. Funniest thing you ever saw, an adult like him running like a scared rabbit just to cross the street.
When Mamma found out she boxed George’s ears and all she did to Huck was clean him off and warn him about a few other things. Like being aware of his surroundings and running the minute he’s in danger, kid stuff really. George was a lot more careful aster that. Every time he snuck off he made sure no one was following him, not even me, and I’m considerably older than him too. He’s a sneaky rascal he is.
It’s no wonder he was the first to leave the house. He was supposed to move in with one of Linda’s friends when he was old enough, but he had other plans. Maybe if it weren’t for that snippy little Tasha he would have stayed around a bit longer. But now he’s got a family and lives on the other side of town. His neighbors fixed it so he’ll stay around. He’s been there for almost five summers now. That’s longer than any male I’ve ever seen, even Mamma’s beaus don’t stick around that long.
The last one did though, longer than most. Every other one Mamma’s ever had has been here just long enough to get it up and go. Half of them didn’t even stick around long enough to see if they got her pregnant. A couple of them did. By now I imagine she’s had about ten, no make that twelve. I forgot all about that one that didn’t live and of course I ought to count myself, which I didn’t. Anyway, this last one was nice enough to be here when Mamma had the babies. So nice in fact Linda thought he was going to move right in, but he didn’t. Saw his children and left he did. Can’t say that I miss him any, arrogant son-of-a-bitch that he was. He did make beautiful children though, I’ll give him that. Mamma had five with him, that’s the most she’s ever had. I know because I was the first. That was a surprise too because Mamma normally has twins or triplets. But this last time she had three girls and two boys. Cute too, and I’m not partial to children, not at that age anyway.
After they was growed some, Linda said Mamma shouldn’t be having anymore babies and off they went to the doctor’s again. Mamma did come back that time and madder than a hornet’s nest too. She stayed mad at Linda for nearly a month. The whole thing about wore out my last nerve. I pleaded and pleaded with Mamma but she wouldn’t forgive Linda or forget the fact that when they came back Mamma could hardly walk and threw up just about everything in sight. I can’t say I blame Mamma for being mad at Linda there. But it’s hard being stuck in the middle like that all the time, you know. I guess our kind and Linda’s kind will never really understand each other, not completely.
