Epilogue

Copyright © 1999 Brien Engel


Well it's almost that time. Yeah we got through the part about Papa and could I go. I was more upset for her with Papa's dinner that night where he fried, yup you guessed it. But later Marble said it was no big deal and she had eaten more catfish as a catfish than I'd care to imagine. We made up that she once had rheumatic fever and it had made her jerky.

Papa said she was a fine lady and that I'd better behave, which made me want to snicker like we had done allright 'cause I have to say we hardly planned it and some things turn out best that way. The hard part for me was raiding Papa's coffee can as well as stealing that week from three other sources I will not name here, plus putting that together with money Sister gave me plus all my cash earnings from the station work to make it all seem that I made what I said I'd make and so Marble and I could have a nice time.

Well I better speed it up because Trish here is ready.

It was all for her. We had taken care of our business together the three weeks before and now it was so she could have a taste of what I had and didn't ever think about, but now I thought about it all the time and felt bad because I would have rather died with her that next Saturday. I guess I'll say a little about the trip. It was like you can't think because every sight and sound and taste and smell and feeling and everything about the world is new and when you're in love and you're no longer you but someone else too who's feeling it, and they're not gonna last, you just go as fast as you can and as slow as you can all at once.

We did the twist and the cha-cha on the beach every night and I'm not being smart when I say that. That is we did do what you were thinking 'cause we both wanted to see what that was like too--but what I meant was we danced a lot. She told me it was the closest thing to what it's like to think as a fish and that I should always remember the simple life does not mean the dumb life at all. I learned so much from her that it'd take a million years to write it down. But the biggest thing I learned is that a person doesn't need to write anything down, it's just as long as you keep moving and believing in everything moving up and around like those turning gears everything'll go fine.

Outside the Cabana on the beach on that Saturday afternoon I got our picture made. I bought her a grey dress with sparkles that just matched the water that day when it shimmered near sunset. There's not much more I care to say. You look kinda down in the mouth there.

It's just as Mable was telling me when I swam with her and like you'll find out, it goes on and on. There.

Ready to wade in the branch?