Part 6 (2/2)
”Mama, it's got trees on it. Every single acre has been planted with yellow pine.”
”Oscar,” she said, ”James and I own two hundred thousand acres of land in Escambia County, Monroe County, and this county. Every one of those two hundred thousand acres is planted with yellow pine, and longleaf pine, and slash pine. And when was the last time we had order for ten board feet of lumber? Was it day before yesterday, or was it three weeks ago? Lord, Oscar, we cain't even begin to harvest what we've got now!”
”Mama, are you deliberately misunderstanding me?” Oscar asked. He glanced out his mother's bedroom window at his own home next door. He could see his wife and daughter sitting on the swing on the sleeping porch. They sat beneath a red-fringed lamp, and Elinor was reading to Frances in a soft voice he could hear as a murmur.
”What do you mean?”
”I mean that I am asking you to lend me the money for my own sake, not for the mill's. That land is all I've got in the world. If I lose it then I don't have anything.”
”You have your house.”
”Mama, that house belongs to you. You have never given me the deed,” replied Oscar sadly.
”You have your work at the mill.”
”Yes, I do,” returned Oscar. ”And I have near about worked myself to death for that mill. Every penny of the money I've made has gone to you and James- now wait, I'm not complaining, I was glad to do it. It's the Caskey mill, and I'm a Caskey, but, Mama, 85.it sure looks to me like you might give me a little something to pay me back for making life so easy for you in these hard times.”
”I don't call a hundred and eleven thousand dollars 'a little something.'”
”Mama, you've got the money. I know you have. I know you've got it, because I made that money for you. I wrote the checks and put it in your account in Mobile.”
”I'm not gone throw good money after bad. Oscar, you don't need that land. Let it go. Let the bank take it back. They had no business lending you money for it in the first place. I'd even like to hear what you used for collateral. You give 'em Frances maybe? The way you gave Miriam to me in exchange for your house?”
Oscar felt embarra.s.sed for the cruelty in his mother's words.
”All right, Mama,” he said, rising. His voice and his face were stony.
”You let that land go, you have no business owning property.”
”Whatever you say, Mama.”
He stood still, looking at her, where she sat in a rocker by the window. Over her shoulder, he could see Elinor and Frances in the soft light of the lamp. He could hear Elinor's voice with that of his daughter blend, as together they read a poem out of the book. The evening wind was damp and cool. The water oak branches creaked high above the ground. Mary-Love Caskey grew restive beneath her son's gaze.
”Only reason you're doing this is 'cause of Elinor,” she said. ”If it wasn't for Elinor, you'd be perfectly happy doing what you've always done. She's the one made sure you went over your head in debt for that land that's not ever gone do you one bit of good.”
”Mama, is that what you really think?”
”It is. And it's the truth.”
”Do you really hate Elinor that much?”
86.”Shhh! She's gone hear you.”
”Do you hate Elinor, Mama, hate her so much you'd send me into bankruptcy just to hurt her?”
”You're gone be all right, Oscar. You think I'd let you starve?”
”No, I don't,” said Oscar. ”But I do think you'd like to see Elinor and Prances and me kneeling on your back steps, waiting for Miriam to bring us a plate of food.”
For a moment, Mary-Love was silent. Her son had never spoken to her in such a manner, and yet there was no anger or emotion in his voice.
”Oscar,” she went on as if he had said nothing, ”all this is gone teach you a lesson.”
”Bankruptcy?”
”It's gone teach you not to try to do things over your head.”
Oscar laughed one brief, mirthless laugh. ”Mama, I'm not going into bankruptcy. I'm gone keep that land.”
”What do you mean?”
”I mean that if you won't help me, James will.” . ”He won't!”
”Mama, James co-signed the loan. If I default, the bank will go to him for the money. You know that if that happens, James will sell everything he owns to pay it off. It'll be hard for him, and I hate to put him through it, but he'll see that the bank is paid. Then I'll owe him the money instead of owing it to the bank.”
”Lord, Oscar, if this is true, then why in the world did you come to me?”
”Because you're my mama and you're rich and I have worked for you all my life. I made you rich, and it was time that you did a little something to help me.”
”I'll help you, Oscar, I'd help you with anything.”
”No, Mama,” said Oscar. He had gone to the door, and leaned his back against it, twisting the k.n.o.b in 87.his hands. ”You wouldn't. You just said you wouldn't. You just said you had rather send me into bankruptcy than help me out-even though, in the end, you'd be hurting the mill and James and yourself. You'd do all that just to spite Elinor and spite me for marrying her.”
”You did this as a test, Oscar! You didn't have any intention of trying to borrow from me, you just wanted to see if I'd give in, that's all! That's despicable of you, that's-”
”No, Mama,” said Oscar, shaking his head, and his soft voice overcame her angry tone. ”I really needed you this time. James had helped me before, and now I wanted you to help me, but you wouldn't do it. That makes me real sad, Mama...”
”What are you gone do, Oscar?” Mary-Love asked, in a low, mistrustful voice. The test might not be over yet.
”I'm gone borrow the money from James. I told you that.”
”Are you sure he's got it? Are you sure he'll give it to you?”
”Yes,” said Oscar. ”I'm sure he will. n.o.body's gone default. I'll come through it, and someday I'll pay James back. And the Caskey mill will come through, and Mama, you're just gone get richer and richer. And when you die, we're gone fill your coffin with hundred-dollar bills, and we're gone put you in the cemetery right next to Genevieve-and I guess you'll have the time of your life, with Genevieve to keep you company and all that money to keep you warm.”
After her son had gone home Mary-Love sat in her darkened room and looked out of her window. She saw Oscar appear on the screened porch next door, saw him kiss Elinor and take up Frances. She heard his murmuring voice as he read to his daughter.
* * * 88.
The next day Luvadia Sapp knocked on Elinor's door. ”Morning, Luvadia,” Elinor said in greeting. ”Is there something you need?”
”Miss Mary-Love tell me to give you this,” replied Luvadia, holding out a folded doc.u.ment with a red seal. That morning in the office of the clerk of probate, Mary-Love had signed over the house to Oscar and Elinor.
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