Begin forwarded message:
From: Halltennis@aol.com
Subject: making change–rural isolation, 1947
Date: June 21, 1997 at 01:28:27 EDT
To: WWTennis@aol.com, MTennis391@aol.com, joe@joe10.com, LMF99@aol.com
MAKING CHANGE
Maw asked, “Go around to Aunt Lulu’s for me and pick up a dozen eggs?”
“Sure,” I answered, “Where is it?”
“Mrs. Hawkins’, she explains. Right around behind the church, we got eggs
there a couple days ago. It would be shorter to walk through the woods, but
it’s getting dark and you’d better drive around. It’s the only house, and I
know she’s home.”I put down the John Donne I’m browsing–leave “the bells” to toll for me
later–and snag the car keys off the kitchen table. Maw hands me a shallow
basket.“Here, and here’s a dollar to pay her. You’ll have to help make the change.”
“Hunh?” I query that last advice.
“Making change. You’ll have to help with counting the coins.”
I had met Aunt Lulu, a bright and sturdy, weather browned woman in a plain
dress–feed sack print, now that I remembered it–a week before when Maw and
I had driven by to get eggs. There was nothing that I could see wrong with
Mrs. Hawkins.I drove out the front gate, closing it behind me and turning right on the
sand road (later to be named after old Dr. Beal), and on down to the corner
of the five acre piece my folks were buying from Silas Gibson, turned right
on Waters Beach Road, dodging the big puddle from yesterday’s rain, and just
past the church, turned right again into the sand ruts to the Hawkins’ place.I remembered the place from last week: deep shade under the oak trees, neat
gate in a low fence, lot of flowers along the fence, hens clucking in the
back yard.Got out and walked to the gate. She was moving briskly from the porch to
meet me.“Hi, Aunt Lulu. Maw said she needs a dozen eggs.” I handed her the basket.
She asked how is she and I said just fine thanks and she headed into the
house and two minutes later was giving me the basket of eggs.Handing her the dollar bill, “Maw said it was sixty-five,” I suggested.
Her right hand dove into her apron pocket and opened before me covered with
coins.I paused a second to look at the coins, then up into her eyes, and understood
the task. Picked out a quarter and a dime, said my thank you, mam, accepted
her best wishes for Maw and Paw.Now to find my way home
6/20/97–ht
418wds. ,
