Something Isn’t Right

After they came and took Kate away we all sat in Uncle Benjamin’s kitchen. No one said anything. Uncle Benjamin just sat there staring at his hands. I tried to come up with something to say. I remembered the morning I found out that my Daddy had been killed. It was like that except that Kate was a young girl and young girls weren’t supposed to get killed. I decided that seemed like the right thing to say. “Young girls aren’t supposed to get killed.” I said it softly. Maybe they didn’t hear me because no one said anything back.

After a while, Uncle Benjamin stood up. “I should have gone with her. She shouldn’t be alone.”
Aunt Sarah touched him gently on the arm. “Sit down, Benjamin. There’s nothing for you to do right now. When it’s time, we’ll go into town with you.”

Madeline had finally stopped crying. She looked jumpy. She kept scratching her arms until bright red welts stood out on her skin. She looked nervously from one person to the next. “She fought like hell. Did you see her hands?”

I had noticed her hands. I’d had a long time to study Kate while I stood there waiting alone. The nails on her left hand were all broken. Her right arm was twisted up over her head. Madeline was right. She had fought hard. I tried not to look at Jess but I couldn’t help it. He caught me looking at him and immediately brought his hand up to cover the scratches on his face, like he knew what I was thinking. Then he gave me a look that sent shivers up and down my spine.
Uncle Benjamin was still standing. “Well I can’t sit here doing nothing. I am going to go find the nigger that did that to my little girl. Do you want to come with me, Jess?”

“Mr. Benjamin, my boy didn’t do that to Kate. He couldn’t. They’ve known each other since they were babies crawling around on this kitchen floor. It wasn’t Pye that did this.”

“Then where is he? Innocent men don’t run away.” Uncle Benjamin and Jess left. I heard the car doors slamming and the engine starting. Then it was quiet again.

Again, I was the one who broke the silence. “I don’t think Pye did it either. He is our friend.”
Mama reached over and jerked my arm so hard I heard my shoulder pop. “When are you going to learn to think before you talk? Better yet, just keep your mouth shut. You sound like a damned idiot. Of course that boy did it and he ran away to avoid a noose.”

Tina buried her face in her apron and ran out of the kitchen.

Madeline had stopped scratching her arms. “Rose, I need a drink real bad and I know your Baptist brother doesn’t have any liquor around here. Come back to my house with me. I don’t want to drink alone today.”

“Sure, honey. Come on.” Mama put her arm around Madeline. “Y’all go on home with Sarah. I’m going with Madeline.”

Ivy walked in front of us kicking the clumps of clay left on the side of the road by the road scraper. I carried the baby. She was squirming to get down. Her diaper was wet. She would need changing as soon as we got to the house. I realized I didn’t feel like a child anymore. “Aunt Sarah, am I the only one that noticed the scratches on Jess’ face?”“No, Clara, but it is best not to speak of it. Not now. Not ever. You will understand one day when you’re older. Right now we just need to get home and get that baby changed.”