bad.
There's a man who comes walkin'.
There's a man who's so sad."
* * *
The prediction gave Ally the chills. She remembered the previous warning that had come to her the night she'd had supper with Granny Devon. Now it seemed that evil still threatened her family. Before she could move, Gideon wrenched the old woman's hand from his daughter's arm and pushed Ally up the steps. When he got even with the preacher, he turned and pointed.
"You tell that old woman's family if she won't stop witchin', to keep her at home."
The preacher was taken aback by Gideon's anger, which embarrassed Ally to no end.
As they moved into the church, Ally pulled away and whispered angrily, "You had no right to talk to Preacher John like that. Granny Devon doesn't mean any harm, and you know it. Besides, nobody else is bothered by her predictions. I don't know why you're always so hateful about her. She's a sweet old lady."
"She's not right," Gideon muttered. "And I'm not discussing this with you again. Take your seat by your brothers."
Ally sat, but only because to do otherwise would have caused a bigger scene than what her father had done. She was in the house of God and knew how to behave, but she stayed angry with her father, just the same. When the services were over, she got up and walked out on her own, and was already seated in the truck with the motor running and the air conditioner on high when her father and brothers got in.
Gideon took one look at her face and resisted the urge to issue his normal set of orders about wasting fuel just to make cold air. He had bigger fish to fry than saving a few pennies and wisely drove them all home in silence.
Freddie Joe Detweiller was sitting on the front porch when they pulled up the driveway. Ally's mind was already on the things that needed to be done before dinner would be served, but to her surprise, Freddie Joe jumped up, took off his hat and opened the front door for her as she came up the steps.
"Good day, Ally. Something is sure smellin' fine inside this house," he said.
"Just roast," Ally said.
"I thank you highly for allowing me to your table."
Ally shrugged. "Thank Daddy. He invited you."
Freddie Joe had an odd expression on his face as he looked at Gideon. Gideon nodded formally, then quickly looked away.
Freddie Joe came to himself in time to jump in front of Ally. He opened the door, then stepped aside, bowing slightly as she passed.
As she stepped over the threshold and into the living room, she couldn't help but notice that his hair was thinning at the crown. Then he smiled at her, and it was all she could do not to recoil from his yellow, tobacco-stained teeth. Still oblivious to the true reason for his presence, she paused to speak to Gideon.
"Daddy, I'll need at least thirty minutes to finish up dinner."
Gideon smiled. "That's fine, daughter. We'll be in the sittin' room."
"I thought you were gonna look at—"
Gideon interrupted before she gave him away.
"Not until after we eat," he said. "Don't want to be trackin' in dirt from the barnyard."
"Oh. Well, yes, thank you," she said, and hurried to change her shoes.
Minutes later, she was in the kitchen, cooking vegetables and baking corn bread to go with their meal. She'd taken a pie out of the freezer before they'd gone to church, and she popped it into the oven after she removed the roast.
Her dinner was coming together just fine. It was her life that somehow felt as if it was spinning out of control.
There was a tiny droplet of roast gravy on the edge of Freddie Joe's bottom lip, and a smear of grease just below his nose. When he'd chosen to ignore the paper napkins she'd set at their places, she'd gotten up from the table, torn off a couple of paper towels and dropped them in his lap.
"Oh, yeah. Right," he said, and
There's a man who comes walkin'.
There's a man who's so sad."
* * *
The prediction gave Ally the chills. She remembered the previous warning that had come to her the night she'd had supper with Granny Devon. Now it seemed that evil still threatened her family. Before she could move, Gideon wrenched the old woman's hand from his daughter's arm and pushed Ally up the steps. When he got even with the preacher, he turned and pointed.
"You tell that old woman's family if she won't stop witchin', to keep her at home."
The preacher was taken aback by Gideon's anger, which embarrassed Ally to no end.
As they moved into the church, Ally pulled away and whispered angrily, "You had no right to talk to Preacher John like that. Granny Devon doesn't mean any harm, and you know it. Besides, nobody else is bothered by her predictions. I don't know why you're always so hateful about her. She's a sweet old lady."
"She's not right," Gideon muttered. "And I'm not discussing this with you again. Take your seat by your brothers."
Ally sat, but only because to do otherwise would have caused a bigger scene than what her father had done. She was in the house of God and knew how to behave, but she stayed angry with her father, just the same. When the services were over, she got up and walked out on her own, and was already seated in the truck with the motor running and the air conditioner on high when her father and brothers got in.
Gideon took one look at her face and resisted the urge to issue his normal set of orders about wasting fuel just to make cold air. He had bigger fish to fry than saving a few pennies and wisely drove them all home in silence.
Freddie Joe Detweiller was sitting on the front porch when they pulled up the driveway. Ally's mind was already on the things that needed to be done before dinner would be served, but to her surprise, Freddie Joe jumped up, took off his hat and opened the front door for her as she came up the steps.
"Good day, Ally. Something is sure smellin' fine inside this house," he said.
"Just roast," Ally said.
"I thank you highly for allowing me to your table."
Ally shrugged. "Thank Daddy. He invited you."
Freddie Joe had an odd expression on his face as he looked at Gideon. Gideon nodded formally, then quickly looked away.
Freddie Joe came to himself in time to jump in front of Ally. He opened the door, then stepped aside, bowing slightly as she passed.
As she stepped over the threshold and into the living room, she couldn't help but notice that his hair was thinning at the crown. Then he smiled at her, and it was all she could do not to recoil from his yellow, tobacco-stained teeth. Still oblivious to the true reason for his presence, she paused to speak to Gideon.
"Daddy, I'll need at least thirty minutes to finish up dinner."
Gideon smiled. "That's fine, daughter. We'll be in the sittin' room."
"I thought you were gonna look at—"
Gideon interrupted before she gave him away.
"Not until after we eat," he said. "Don't want to be trackin' in dirt from the barnyard."
"Oh. Well, yes, thank you," she said, and hurried to change her shoes.
Minutes later, she was in the kitchen, cooking vegetables and baking corn bread to go with their meal. She'd taken a pie out of the freezer before they'd gone to church, and she popped it into the oven after she removed the roast.
Her dinner was coming together just fine. It was her life that somehow felt as if it was spinning out of control.
There was a tiny droplet of roast gravy on the edge of Freddie Joe's bottom lip, and a smear of grease just below his nose. When he'd chosen to ignore the paper napkins she'd set at their places, she'd gotten up from the table, torn off a couple of paper towels and dropped them in his lap.
"Oh, yeah. Right," he said, and
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