The sky was so beautiful today, as she sat watching; in delight as the clouds floated overhead. Watching from her five year old daughter’s point-of-view, she agreed that the cotton-like clouds looked like little animals.
“My baby lamp over there is on her way to get Mary,” little Barbara pointed to the sky. “Where is yours going Mama?”
“Mine is tracking behind Mary so that she doesn’t get lost and it’s lamb baby, not lamp.”
“Oh…ooh Ma, look at that nother cloud.”
“Other cloud chile,” she corrected her baby again.
“It must be his wagon. I think he lost it. That’s why Mary gotta walk and I bet she probably tired.”
“She’ll be ok baby, I think that was father lamb’s car I just seen pulling up, coming to drive her home.
“Un un, you mean her mother lamp, ‘cause Mary ain’t have a father, like us.”
Dumb founded, Patricia stared as her daughter as she squirmed on the seat next to her.
“Awl, don’t cry Ma, we can let it be her father then, okay?”
“Gal ain’t nobody cry’nin and it don’t matter who gets her, long as she gets got. Mama just thought her mother might be home watching her other little girl, like I’ms doing wit you.” Forcing a smile, she shivered in the warm sunshine. “Mama ‘spose you could be right. She reckons he could be at work too, or home resting up for it, anyhi.”
“Oooh oh, my lamp just went past her school, ‘acking like he cain’t see,” Barbara pointed.
“Ah shoot, Mama’s lamb just passed by too,” she continued playing along.
“Ma, why daddies lie?” the child asked her.
“What? Where you get something lack that from?”
“Daddies do be lying, don’t they?”
“Alright, watch yo’ mouf before I introduce it to Mr. Ivory in there.”
“Why? Iain’t telling no story ‘cause they do, and who is Mr. Ivy?”
“Look, you just turn yo’self back round here and watch for Mary.”
“But why Ma and who is Mr. Ivy?”
At first, Patricia had ordered the girl to sit there and be quiet, but then couldn’t help asking, where’d she get some mess like that from anyhow.
“‘Cause that’s what you told Nell, that daddy be doing.”
“What, what is you talking ‘bout?”
“You told Nell yesterday that daddy be lying out his neck.”
“Oh I did; did I? Maybe Mama did, but she better not hear you repeat that again, you hear me?”
“Then it’s the same thing like when kids be telling stories too then?”
“Nawl…I mean…well a little bit, but that ain’t exactly what Mama meant.”
“Then you told a story on daddy?”
“Chil’ I don’t know what I’m gone do wit you. Get over here and watch yo’ dog-gone lamp before he runs off somewhere.”
She was so out done being caught off guard. It never crossed her mind that her children listened that deeply to her every word. Sighing, she beamed at the way the child’s head bounced up and down as she cradled her chin in the palm of her hands, while she talked. Now that they were getting older she would have to be extra careful talking around them, even after they’d been sent out of the room; away from grown-folk business. Wrapping her arm around her daughter’s tiny waist, she stood on her knees next to her, glad to be off of the topics of fathers and lying. And later she’d have to study with her on the proper usage of the words, lambs and, lamps and next and necks.
“I love you Ma, cause don’t nobody take care of kids like they own real mothers do — do they Ma?”
“Well….uhm, well when rightful Step-mothers come along, they do what they have to; to hold their new families together.”
“Daddy got us a step-mother too, don’t he?”
Finally Patricia made the child turn around and lay down.
“Why won’t you just tell’a Daughter?” Papaw was looking up from the television, “cause I wants to know too.”
“Father, please!”
“Well!” he said, “When you get time, tell me. What is a rightful step-mama?”
Angry with him, she gave him the sorriest face that she could. It was bad enough that their father was never around, but now they were beginning to sense for themselves, that things weren’t quite right in their household.
