At the road O.T. stayed with Oscar. Usually he'd take the fork and turn toward his own house and Nellie's cooking, but Nellie was pregnant again and looked peaked to him this morning. And earlier that day Oscar's boy Clem had run out to the fields to tell him to eat lunch at their house.
"Wish the old man would paint these houses." Oscar said pulling off his hat and scuffing the dirt off his boots on the front porch step. "Purity!" he called in the house. Almost instantly a girl of about seven appeared through the screen door and shifted Cassie down from Oscar's hip to her own. Her dress was of the same pattern and material as Cassie's, only cut bigger to fit. Already she had a curve at her waist shaped to fit Cassie's bottom.
"The old man saves a penny where he can find one, " said O.T. behind him. He looked down the gravel road toward his house a half mile or so away. "Think I'll just go check on Nellie before lunch."
"She's in here." A voice from the house. A woman's or maybe one of Oscar's kids.
Inside, the house was dark. Clio kept all the curtains pulled to when the sun got high to hold off the heat. Oscar knocked his toe on a chair and swore under his breath. Clio didn't take to swearing, even more than most women.
"What do you think, I'd leave her down there to herself all day?" Clio's voice this time, clear and a little hard edged, coming to Oscar with the sounds of plates being set on the big table. "Purity, go out to the kitchen and get that pie from the safe." The girl, Cassie still slung across her hip, did as she was told. "Jem, get out back and call your brothers in here. I've worked too hard on this meal for it to ruin waiting on them." With the table set and waiting for the pie, Clio turned her attention on the men.
Well now, look at you two. You could have stopped by the pump before you came in, I guess. You come in here looking like that, the kids will all think they can too. Get on back out there and wash up."
"Clio," O.T. held his had in his hands, "Can I just see Nellie first. You got her in the bedroom or--"
Clio looked him up and down and her mouth twisted. "I don't know why she'd want to see you like that, O.T, but she's out on the sleeping porch. Too hot to be bundled up in the bed. She's fine, but you may as well go. She's already had a little lunch and I don't want her bothering about coming in here with us, so just take a minute and then leave her be."
O.T. went through the dark bedroom where Oscar and Clio slept and on out to the sleeping porch on the other side. Oscar had added it on summer before last when Cassie came. Now in summer the boys could sleep out there, or Oscar and Clio could if they wanted to. Oscar said he liked it, but Clio said it wasn't proper. Even she gave in when it got hot enough though and chased the boys into the living room.
Nellie was there on one of the beds. A white sheet was tucked into the bed in tight hospital corners and Clio had propped Nellie's feet up on a pillow. She'd also made sure Nellie had a cool glass of tea. A church fan sat on the table beside her, and now and then a breeze came through the screens. O.T. saw the glass had a green mint leaf in it from Clio's kitchen garden. Mint was good for the stomach.
"How you doin' hon." O.T. asked coming out to the porch. Nellie opened her eyes and smiled at him, then reached out with the hand that didn't have the tea in it. He took her hand and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm just as dirty as I can be," he said, "Clio got on to me about it."
"You work hard," Nellie said, "Clio should leave you alone." O.T. raised up and looked down at her. She was so sweet, and even now, looked so pretty--all pink and white and gold. Her face was swollen though and so were her ankles, and her eyes had a look he didn't like.
"Clio been taking good care of you?"
"You know she has. Too good. I haven't been off this bed since she dragged me and the girls over here this morning. She wouldn't even let me help her set the table. You know how I hate just lying around."
"You could have read one of her books I guess, hon. She's sure got plenty of them.
Nellie struggled up on her elbows. "You know reading makes my head hurt, O.T. I don't know why she has all them books anyway. All she reads these days is her Bible. And anyway, I feel fine. I don't know why Clio thinks she has to make all this fuss."
"She's just worried." O.T said.
"I know she is, but if I'm not I don't see why she should be." She paused and took his hand again, "Oh O.T., I know everything's going to be fine this time."
O.T. smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. He sat down on the bed beside her and put a hand on her stomach. It was so big. Bigger than last summer. She'd been happy then too, and sure like this. A cheerful little soul. But then there had been all that blood and the baby born dead at eight months. Clio said it must have been dead inside her a long time before that. Said it was too soon for Nellie to have another baby too. But there it is, O.T. thought, and what's done is done.
6:53:29 PM 
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