Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 70429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“Takin’ it back a little… You said she had a hard time. What type of family life did she have?”
“Well, my mother-in-law, her mama, was a mean drunk and she would beat on her.” Caspian found himself fisting his hands, a twisted strain of wrath materializing inside him. “Called Millicent everything but a child of God. She’d been abused by some of her own family members, nasty thangs I don’t care to get much into… and her daddy had another family he was takin’ care of, so,” he shrugged, “he wasn’t always home.”
“Another family, as in he was married before he was with Mrs. Florence’s mother?”
“Naw, boy. He went and had another woman birthin’ his churrin’. Another wife. Another house. Another car and bills. At the same time. They lived right down the road. Millicent saw ’er sisters and brothers from that otha lady all the time. That wasn’t unheard of, ’specially back then, but it affected her. Made her feel bad.”
Caspian took a sip of his water. “How did you and Mrs. Florence meet?” He offered the old man a smile, hoping to soften the mood.
“She was with her boyfriend outside of a sto’e. I came out with some friends of mine and saw him put his hands on ’er. He kept pattin’ her all in her head. Fo’e I knew it, me and that man was down in the dirt, beer and broken glass all around us as I tore him every which way but loose. I got the better of him all right. Proud of myself. When it was done, I managed to get to my feet, look at her real good… and I said to her, ‘Whoa, girl! You so purty! I think after savin’ you like I done just now, you should let me take you out on a date.’” He grinned so wide, the warmth of his smile rivaled the sun’s. “She looked at me and said, ‘You dang fool! He was tryna get a bug outta my hair!’”
Caspian and the old man burst out laughing at the same time. “Come to find out, she wasn’t too fond of him anyway, so when I ran into her again a few weeks later, we started seein’ one another. We was inseparable ever since. She was ’bout sixteen or so, and I was twenty.”
“Wow… what a story.”
“…I never fully understood what somebody like her ever saw in somebody like me.” He smiled sadly. “I was good lookin’ back then, but there were more handsome men around. I was smart, but there were smarter men in town. She was too good for me, to tell ya the truth. I loved her so much.” He drew real quiet and still for a brief moment. “She could be stubborn as a mule though. She could lay into you deep. Cut you to the core without one curse word comin’ out of her mouth. Temper on her, too.” Caspian nodded and smiled. “I wasn’t the perfect husband either, though.” He pinched his nose and took a deep breath. “I did some things I shouldn’t have, Caspian… man to man, I’m sure you can guess what. The flesh is weak.”
He shook his head, closed his eyes real hard, then tapped the table. When he reopened them, they glistened with moisture. “It only happened a couple of times, but that was two times too many.
“She ain’t deserve that but sometimes, men get insecure. Want to feel like we’re needed. Millicent ain’t need me!” He threw up his hands and laughed mirthlessly. “She wanted me—and that shoulda been good enough. Regardless of our ups and downs, I loved dat woman wit’ all my heart ’nd soul. I supported her dreams. I wanted her to be happy, and… I wanted ’er by my side for the rest of my life. She was a walkin’ rainbow. All the colors in the world resided inside that one lady.”
A needed silence stretched between them for a while, full of unspoken words. It felt almost as if Mrs. Florence was there with them—pulling up a yellow chair and leaning in close for a listen.
“I bet you miss the house you and Mrs. Florence shared.”
“Oh, I can still go. Her niece bought it from me. Monica. She lives there now, with her husband. It’s still in the family, and that was important to me. I can go by anytime. Monica even kept a lotta of the rooms the same way Millicent had ’em.”
Interesting…
“Since you brought up the rainbow, what was her favorite color?”
Mr. Florence looked quite thoughtful. “I’d say green. She liked purple, too, but loved green… looked good in it, too.”
“And what was her favorite flower?”
“You know, she ain’t like flowers too much. Said they made her nose itch.” He chuckled. “She liked feathers though. That’s different, huh? Big, long white feathers… She’d put ’em in vases all over the house. Sometimes, she’d even cut one down and put it in her big, bushy, beautiful hair.”