Old Enough; Clara's Side

*To read this series from the beginning click here!*

I watched as Aunt Pearl's taxicab pulled away from the curb and although I acted as if I was annoyed cousin Jolly was left home with me for the day, deep down I knew he might be needed. Truth is my bark is worse than my bite as they say; I ain't never bit nobody although I could give Jolly a good pinch now and then to calm his jumping bean bee-hind down. Letting Jolly into me and May's secret plans was a big to-do. How was I ever gonna trust his big ole mouth from blabbing away about me breaking the biggest rule ever: that being, never-ever-whatsoever go wandering down to Yonderville where white people dwelled. And second to that, never-ever-whatsoever hang around the train tracks.

I eyed Jolly up and down as he sat all bouncy-bouncy on the old brown sofa where our ancient great-great, aka Smacky Lips, usually slept. Today Jolly's momma had taken her, along with his little sister Bertie to the hospital for some tests. With Aunt Pearl off to May's house for the day this would be my one and only shot at seeing my best friend with no grown ups eyeing my every move; no way in tarnation was Jolly gonna steal this from me with his big puffy balled head full of nonsense. Seriously, I have yet to hear one word from Jolly's mouth that didn't have something too do with fartin', poopin' or burpin'. How could he be useful to me? I had to think fast.

I had one piece of knowledge that could help me out, that being Jolly had a crush on May. "Jolly, sit still and listen up! I'm in charge of you today so this is how things are gonna be. One, no stupid questions. Two, we have a mission to complete and if you can keep a secret you can see May with me."

Jolly's eight ball sized eyes almost popped out of his head when he heard May's name. I snagged him! "Is she coming over without a grown-up?" He was salivating like a hungry street dog. His bouncing had made another spring break through the already decrepit dang sofa which now poked downwards scraping the floor planks.

"Not ex-ACT-ah-lee", I started to feel nervous myself and sat down next to him. "We're gonna meet her half-way to Yonderville!" I tried sounding all upbeat, adventurous, playing to his silly side. He made a scrunched up face, puckered up his lips and tilted his head to one side. "Your choice Jolly, you can stay here bouncing on Smacky Lips sofa until it breaks altogether and get in trouble on your own or go with me." I stood and headed for the kitchen where I'd packed an old sack with apples and peanuts in the shell.

Jolly followed me just as I thought he would. "We ain't post ta go to Yonderville, evah! Why they got nooses, tar, rifles and all kinds of thangs to take us off the map! I heard men talking 'bout Ku Klux Klan, you think I'm crazy? I might be goofy in the head but I got more sense than you cousin. You are out of your cotten-pickin' mind now. Naw, naw, naw this ain't happenin'." Jolly was shaking all over and I handed him a big glass of water.

"Fine. You stay here. If I am NOT back by supper tell Aunt Pearl and your Momma I went looking for copper pennies to buy us some bubble-gum. Or, shrug your shoulders and say I went to play 'Crazy black girl down by the train tracks', alrighty then?" I grabbed my sack and started toward the side door closest to the brambled edge of the woods.

"Wait! Cousin, you can't go alone! I'm a comin'. If we git killed, it's your fault now, hear?" Jolly followed me through the poke weed, down the path to the creek and together we held hands and hopped over to the beginnings of the other world. The world where trains chugged by in both directions to places far, far away. The trains that carried the likes of Hobo Hank or faces from "Wanted!" posters pinned to wooden telephone poles. I gave him an apple and he crunched on it like a dumb ole donkey.

We hadn't gone more than thirty minutes down the tracks gravelled edge when we saw a scrawny old white man sitting on his haunches drinking from a brown bottle. He looked at us approaching and didn't flinch: my guess? He'd seen coloured kids before and was well baked by the sun and cared more about his drink than the likes of us. He looked up at us when we passed and put a hand out with a grunting sound, reaching in my sack I grabbed a hand full of peanuts and tossed them to him. He shot us a toothless smile which gave me a sign that maybe, just maybe, God was watching over us like little black lambs wandering out of their own pasture. I held on to that thought real tight as we walked toward my vision of seeing my best friend in the whole wide world's funny freckled face once again.