Hearts of Grey Read online

  “Scaring you for life? You were back the next day doing it again,” Rick said with a laugh.

  Mike looked up at the clock. “Look what time it is. We’ve got to go if we want to see that movie,” Mike said as he crammed the last few fries into this mouth. They dropped a few bucks on the table and shot out the door. “I’ll meet you in the same place out in front!” Mike yelled at Rick as the two ran off in different directions.

  As Mike ran into his house, the screen door slammed behind him.

  “Michael, is that you?” yelled his mother from the kitchen.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied.

  “Get yourself in here and give your mama a hug,” she yelled. He entered the kitchen to find his mom standing over the stove, cooking beans again. He walked up and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “Where you off to in such a big hurry?” she asked.

  “I’m meeting Rick over at the theater house, Mama, just like I do every Saturday,” he answered.

  “I don’t think the Lord would look down kindly on you for going there. All they show is guys and girls kissing and all,” she said, which happened to be the very same word-for-word line that she used every Saturday or whenever the topic got brought up—usually by her.

  “It’s only a picture show, Mama, and besides, what’s wrong with kissing?” he asked. “You and Pa do it all the time.”

  “We be married folk, Michael. There’s some things that a proper woman shouldn’t do until she’s wed,” she answered.

  “Maybe so, Mama, but don’t worry, I don’t think there’s a girl in this town that’s worth kissing anyways,” Mike told her.

  “Well, see that you don’t. The good Lord is watching over you,” she told him.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ve got to go take a shower,” he told her.

  “Ain’t no hot water, did the washing today,” she told him.

  “Mama, again! Can’t you do washing on Friday?” he asked her.

  “No, Friday is pie-cooking day. Saturday is washing day, always has been, always will be,” she told him.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “What ya need a shower for anyways?” she asked him. “It’s just a picture show.”

  “Because I stink, Mama. I’m sweaty and hot, and I stink,” he told her.

  “Ain’t nothing wrong with a man sweating. It means that he’s a hard worker. Yep, that’s the way I figure it,” she told him.

  Mike knew that he was on the losing side of the argument, so he bowed down and quietly went to take a shower, a very cold shower. After he had finished with his shower, he got dressed. He grabbed his boots and walked back to the kitchen.

  “Mama, did you wash my socks?” he asked her.

  She just turned and looked at him.

  “Son, didn’t I just tell you not ten minutes ago that today was washing day? Can’t be washing day if I didn’t do the washing now, would it?” she answered.

  “Guess not,” he answered.

  “Walk yourself out yonder and fetch them off of the line,” she told him.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said as he headed for the door. He felt the socks that hung from the line.

  “Oh great, wet socks. Just perfect,” he said as he pulled two of the driest socks from the line. He sat down on the front porch and pulled on his damp socks and then his boots.

  Mike got to the picture house before Rick did. As normal, he just stood there waiting. He was looking at the postings for next week’s picture show, but as he turned the corner, he came face-to-face with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Frozen in time, they just stared at each other for what seemed as if minutes but was truthfully only a few seconds.

  She was everything that he had ever dreamed of. She stood only a tad taller than his shoulders, but she was one of those girls that could make a guy’s blood boil without even trying. Her hair was honeysuckle in color and encircled her face with beautiful full-body curls. Her hair hung down to her near-perfect waist. But what caught his attention were her eyes. They were the brightest and bluest eyes Mike had ever seen, ever, and those lashes so rich, so full—they were captivating in their own right. And her cute sexy lips, they were the perfect finishing touch to the masterpiece of living, walking art. Yes, God was truly a genius when he made this one for sure. And there was this mystic aroma filling the air, all around her. Mike just stood there, taking it all in. That is, until he realized that he was staring, and he returned to the real world.

  “Uuuhhh, oh, I’m sorry,” he said with his eyes never leaving hers. “I’m truly sorry,” he told her.

  “It’s quiet all right, no serious harm done,” she answered. Mike hadn’t even seen Susie Barnes who was with the young lady.

  “Well, Michael, aren’t you even going to say hi?” she asked.

  “Oh, hi, Susie,” he said without turning away from the girl that stood before him.

  “Michael, look at me when you talk to me,” she demanded.

  He turned and looked at Susie. “Hi, Susie, who’s your friend?” he asked.

  “Just a friend. Hey, nobody has asked me to the Fourth of July dance yet, in case you were wonderin’,” she told him.

  “That’s too bad, Susie,” he told her. He just stared at the girl. “Hi, I’m Michael, but my friends just call me Mike.”

  “Hi, Mike, I’m Katie, and my friends call me Katie,” she told him.

  “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss,” he said to her.

  “Please call me Katie,” she told him.

  “Well, I guess that makes us friends then, doesn’t it?” he told her.

  “Well, I guess it does at that,” she said with a smile.

  Susie was getting jealous in a hurry. She had always liked Mike, and the whole town knew it. And now this girl was invading what she thought was going to be hers. “Hey, Katie, we need to go. The picture is about to start,” she said as she pulled Katie along by the arm.

  “I’ll be seeing you around, Katie,” Mike told her.

  “I’m sure that you will,” she said as Susie pulled her into the movie house. Mike just stood there, locked in the moment. He didn’t even notice Rick as he walked up to him.

  “Hey, sorry I’m late,” Rick told him.

  Mike just turned and grabbed Rick by the shoulders. “I’ve found her!” he yelled at Rick.

  “Found who? What’s wrong with you?” he asked.

  “Her name is Katie, and she’s the most beautiful girl that I’ve ever seen,” Mike told him.

  “Who?” Rick asked again as he watched Mike as he was spinning around in circles with his arms waving all over the place. “Mike, stop it, people are going to think that you’ve been dipping into old man Miller’s moonshine again.”

  “I don’t care what people think. I’m in love,” Mike told him.

  “In love? Who is this mysterious girl? When did you meet her?” he asked.

  “Just a few minutes ago. She’s in the movie house with Susie. Come on, we’ve got to hurry so we can sit next to her. Come on, Rick, you’re as slow as molasses in December!” he yelled as he pulled at his arm.

  “I’m coming. Slow down. She ain’t going anywheres!” Rick yelled in protest. As they entered the darkened picture show, Mike searched the seats for Katie or Susie. When he found them, he was disappointed to find that there wasn’t any empty seats anywhere near them. So they had to take seats halfway across the theater from them. Might as well be in another country, Mike thought to himself.

  A Chance Encounter

  Susie sat next to Katie filling her head with lies.

  “So who’s this guy?” Katie asked.

  “Which guy?” Susie asked even when she knew darn well who Katie was referring to.

  “That hunk that I met outside. You know, Mike?” she asked.

  “Oh, him, he’s my beau,” she answered.

  “He didn’t act like a beau! Especially with those eyes,” she told her.

  “Yeah well, we’re kind of going ste
ady, but he’s kind of nervous about it,” Susie poured it on.

  “Steady? So are you promised, you know, with a ring ’cause I see that you’re not wearing one,” Katie added.

  “Well, the one that he gave me doesn’t fit, so I can’t wear it,” Susie told her.

  “I would at least wear it around my neck on a chain or something,” Katie replied.

  “Oh, you would, would you? Well when and if you do get a boyfriend, I’ll watch for it. But until then, I’d suggest that you just watch the movie,” Susie told her.

  “Oh my, touchy, are we? Relax, I’m not looking to steal him away from you anyhow. But I’ll bet you I could—I mean if I really wanted to you know,” Katie answered.

  Susie didn’t answer her because she knew deep down in her heart that she could steal Mike from her with little or no effort especially since there was nothing going on between the two of them anyway. But she too had seen how he stared at her.

  When the picture show was over, Mike was the very first person outside. He stood there waiting for Katie. When she and Susie came outside, Mike was there to meet them.

  “Hello, Katie,” Mike said.

  “Well, hello there, Mike, nice to see you again,” she told him. Susie just threw Katie a nasty look. “Mike, aren’t you going to say hi to your girlfriend?” she asked as she pulled Susie her arm.

  “Girlfriend? Susie is a friend, that’s all. Ain’t that right, Susie?” he asked her. But Susie didn’t respond.

  “Have you been filling this girl’s head with your lies? Hell, ya already told the whole town that we was courting and all,” he asked her again. “Susie, now tell Katie here the truth,” he demanded.

  “Oh, all right. I lied. We ain’t boyfriend and girlfriend, but we should have been,” she told Katie.

  “See, now that didn’t hurt a bit now, did it, sugar?” Katie asked Susie. Susie just turned and ran away.

  “Well, I do declare whatever made her run away like that?” Katie asked.

  “If you knew Susie, you wouldn’t ask,” Mike told her. “Hey, Katie, I’d be honored if you would allow me to buy you a malted over at the soda fountain,” he added.

  “Right now? How sweet you are, but I promised my daddy that I would be home straight after the picture show,” she replied.

  “Well then, may I have the honor of walking ya home then?” Mike asked her.

  “But what about your friend? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Rick, my name is Rick. Rick McIntosh,” he answered her. He too was in total awe at just the sight of her.

  “Well, glad to meet you, Rick. My friends call me Katie. Would you like to help your friend walk me home?” she asked. Rick saw the look on Mike’s face.

  “I really do wish that I could, but I promised my mama the same thing that you promised your daddy, so I’ll catch the two of you later,” he said as he turned and walked away, looking back at her often.

  “Well, I guess it’s just you and I then. Shall we? You know how to get to the Matterson House, don’t you?” she asked.

  “You moved into that old . . . house? Mighty fine place,” he told her.

  “Oh, be honest! The place is a wreck. But my daddy will have it fixed up in no time. He’s quite good at fixin’ things that need fixing,” she told him. “You know that right in the middle of my bedroom, right where my bed is supposed to be, there’s a hole clear through to the floor below. Looks like someone might have fell through it,” she added.

  “No kidding! Clear through you say? Well, imagine that,” he said with a devilish grin.

  About five minutes into their walk to her house, he was taken totally by surprise when she reached down and took his hand in hers. The fifteen-minute walk took them over an hour. He’d stop and pick flowers for her, and she would let him put them in her hair. As the two of them walked up onto the porch of her house, Mike was startled to find her daddy sitting in a rocker, hidden by the night’s shadows.

  “Katie, who’s this young man that thinks it appropriate to be holding my little girl’s hand?” he asked. Mike let go of Katie’s hand without thinking twice about it.

  “Daddy, this here is Michael. He was kind enough to walk me home, Daddy,” she answered.

  “Oh, he did, did he? What in the darn blazes is that in your hair, child?” he asked pointing to the flowers.

  “They’re just flowers, Daddy, just flowers, that’s all,” she told him.

  “And you let him stick those flowers in your hair, did ya? What’s the matter, boy? Can’t you talk for yourself?” he asked.

  “Uhhh, yes, sir. Glad to meet you, sir,” Mike answered him as he held out his hand in a gesture of friendship.

  “Never cared for shaking a man’s hand. Tells me nothing about a man other than he has sweaty hands. Are you a good man son, you work?”

  “Yes, sir, I work down at the docks,” Mike answered him.

  “You believe in God, son?” he asked.

  “Oh yes, sir, go to church every Sunday,” Mike replied.

  “So do you fancy my daughter there?” he asked.

  “Fancy? Are you asking me if I like her? The answer would be yes, sir,” Mike answered.

  “Well, if you’re a hardworking man and you believe in God, then I guess you’re okay in my book, son. Come on up here and sit a spell, why don’t ya?” he said as he offered Mike a chair next to his.

  “Daddy, you didn’t have to scare him like that,” she told her dad.

  “Oh, relax, Katie dear. I was just fooling with the boy,” he said as he turned to face Mike.” Tell me though, did I have you scared or what?” he asked

  “Oh yeah, I was scared all right,” he answered.

  “That’s okay, Mike. Most of the time, he’s holding a shotgun. Went and scared the hell out of two boys that came a—callin’ a while back,” she told him.

  “Yeah, and that one kid never touched a single step as he flew off of the porch of our old place,” the old man added.

  “Well, I pretty much had the same idea a few minutes ago, sir,” Mike confessed to the old man.

  “Yeah, but ya didn’t. That tells me that you have guts and a backbone, son. Mighty good qualities to have. But I can tell you that you don’t love Katie. Want to know how I know that?” the old man asked.

  “Well, I just met her tonight,” Mike replied.

  “Maybe so, but you felt comfortable enough to hold her hand and put flowers in her hair. Mighty brazin’ for just meeting her if you ask me. But you don’t love her, do you?” the old man asked again.

  “Well, I guess not, not yet anyways. I mean there’s still tomorrow. But I’ll ask how you knew that I don’t love her now,” Mike replied.

  “Because when a man truly loves a woman, the only time he’ll ever let go of her hand, son, is when he’s either working to support her or protecting her or defending her honor. You remember that, and you’ll never have to prove your love to anyone ever again. Be it my Katie here or some other lady.”

  “Daddy, now you’re scaring him,” she offered up to her father.

  “Relax, Katie. Why don’t you fetch us menfolk something to drink? You like tea, Michael?” he asked.

  “Tea would be fine. I’m sorry, I never got your name,” Mike said in a questionable tone.

  “Grady, Old Man Grady. That’s what everyone calls me. And more than likely what they’ll put on my headstone someday I reckon.”

  “Grady it is then,” Mike told him.

  “Might as well call me that since I don’t bother answering too much to anything else.

  Katie soon returned with three glasses of tea, and for the next hour or so, Mike listened as Grady filled Mike in on all of Katie’s most embarrassing mishaps of her life.

  “What you say if I told you that when Katie here was about five or so, I reckoned she fell in love with cooking. She’d cook anything and everything just as long as it was made out of mud. Yeah, mud pies,” Grady told him.

  “Oh really, mud pies?” Mike a
sked. “Please go on?”

  “Oh yeah, I reckon she liked them so much we had mud pies everywhere. Then my little missy here got all upset because nobody ever ate one. So I told her, why don’t you eat one?” he rambled on.

  “And . . . did she?” he asked.

  “Sure did, just one bite that stayed in her mouth a whole ten seconds or so, I reckon. Then she spit it out, and that, my dear boy, was the last of her mud pie fixation,” he said as he looked over at Katie.

  “Oh, Daddy, it wasn’t like that at all! I think you’re stretching it a tad or two,” she told him.

  “Well, I was there, and I remember it all, I reckon,” he told her.

  “Sir, I’d love to sit here and listen to your stories, but I really need to be going. It’s getting late, and church is tomorrow morning. Wouldn’t want to miss that,” Mike said as he stood up to leave.

  “Well, ya welcome to visit anytime you get the hankering to,” the old man told him.

  “Daddy, can I walk him to the wall?” Katie asked.

  “Well, I figure that you’re going to anyhow, so ya might as well,” he told her.

  So Katie walked Mike to the fence at the edge of the yard.

  “Your Dad is darn right funny,” he told her.

  “Ah, he’s harmless. He’s getting up in the years, so I reckon it makes a person slow down a tad,” she replied.

  “Katie, I really like you, and I’d like to see you again. How would that be?” he asked.

  “Why, Michael, I think that would be just grand,” she replied.

  “Tomorrow after church?” he asked.

  “Well, we might not make church tomorrow. With all of the unpacking and all,” she explained.

  “Well, that’s okay. God will understand, I think,” he told her.

  “Well then, I’ll be seeing you after church then,” she told him.

  “I reckon you will,” he said as his face drew closer to hers. She even turned her head a bit, but he pulled away at the last minute. “I reckon I’d better be going,” he said as he turned to walk away.

  “See ya tomorrow!” she yelled as he walked away.

  All the way home, he was whistling as he walked along without a care in his head.