As they headed up the holler to Maggie, Kathy told her Daddy what had happened. Every detail.. He would have smiled at her tactics, at another time..and then Clifford saw Maggie. She lay in the dust by the trees along the side of the road. Oh God..please..he took a deep breath to prepare himself for the worst. She lay so still.. He felt a chill run through him as he stopped in his tracks and shoved Kathy behind him. An act of protection... He told her to be quiet as he glanced around them. Not seeing anyone in the trees by Maggie. he rushed to her side.
Thoughts of fear filled Maggie as her head throbbed with pain. She didn't hear them approach her side. Then she heard his voice.
"Maggie? Are you alright honey? Are you hurt other than your head?" Maggie managed to move and slowly sit up with Clifford's help. She winced with pain, but nothing appeared to be broken as Clifford scooped her up into his massive arms. He stood with ease and she leaned her sore head against his big chest, feeling safe.
"See Daddy! I told you she was in trouble! Oh no! No! Look Daddy! Look!" He gave her one of his stern looks, before his eyes followed her pointed finger. It was the braid that had been cut off by the scissors...laying in the dusty road. He smothered a lot of cuss words and swallowed a deep breath wishing he could get his hands on that boy right now! He controlled his temper as he spoke to Kathy.
"Put it in the back pocket of my jeans, Kathy. And..please..hush for a while, ok?
Maggie don't need you a blabblin' right now, with the pain she has in her head." With his free hand, he took Kathy's in his and gave her a half smile. Oh God..how she looked like her Mother when she gazed up at him with that cute little smile of hers. Blinking..he brought his eyes back to the road and started walking to Maggie's house. He had to take Maggie home. He was not looking forward to that. That was for sure. For more reasons than the one that he dreaded most. As he walked, he thought of his past.. How his wife had died. Oh God..yes it had been years but the memory was still vivid in his heart. He was a big man with a soft spoken drawl. His wife had often told him how handsome she though he was, but he was modest. He just knew he loved her with every fiber in his soul. If only he had made her go into the house...
He worked at the mines along with everyone else here in Glen Alum. An engineer, he sometimes had to go down deep into those dark shafts too. He didn't envy any man that worked down there eight or twelve hours a day. Getting off work early one day, he was glad because he was worried about his wife Katie. She was going to have their baby any day and he didn't like to be too far from her then. As he pulled in behind the house to park his truck, he sensed something was wrong. He slipped into the house and looked around for Katie, but there was no sign of her anywhere! He took a deep breath as he headed to the front of the house to the screen door leading to the front porch. What in the world was Howard Caldwell doing here? Oh God...he had Katie by the arm! She was trying to make him let her go! At that moment, Clifford stepped through the screen door and let it slam with a bang. Silence..You could have heard a fly breathe...as he strode down the few steps and stopped in front of Katie as Howard let go of her arm.
"Katie, get into the house! He didn't take his eyes off of Howard as he spoke the words. Katie scooted to the porch and stood there and cried.
"Cliff! Please!"
"Get in the house now!" He said as Howard snickered at him. He smelled of moonshine as he swayed.
"That baby ain't yours! Y'all think y'all are so high and mighty! It's mine!"
Clifford's temper was raging out of control, as he grabbed the other man's shirt collar. "Shut your mouth, you lyin' souphound! Get the hell out of here before I beat the sense out of you!" |
