The Ozark Plantatin, in: Mammy Mae (1802))Series #3/#2))

Series #3
The Ozark Plantation, in:

Mammy Mae
(1802) #2 (3-4-2007)


The wick was burning in the porcelain, “He comin’ back from New Orleans,” said Judith Hightower, to Mammy Mae, “Dat dere man, he never quite, foolin’ around does he Ms Judith?” She didn’t answer, not a word, just listened, a smirk on her face, “He aint never had any mercy on nobody—aint satisfied, drive a woman crazy—yous should up and leave him!”
“You’re sure right,” said Judith, standing by the kitchen door, releasing a sigh, as if she was coming out of a trance, out of some deep thinking, yet she was clam, too calm, for her agitated nature living with Shep Hightower.
“He a comin’ in today, he say so when he left a month ago!” Said Mammy Mae to Judith who seemed to have gotten lost again in her daydreaming; “I never known anyone dat needed to get away as bad as dat dere man of yor’ does,” said Mammy shaking her head.
“Not much I can do, Mammy,” said Judith, with a half smile, seemingly fatigued from thinking.
“I knows wat to do wit him, tie himup in an empty boxcar an’ let da hoboes take care of him.” They both started to laugh, and then Judith commented, “I’ll have to think hard on that one.”
“Yous look so sad, child, wha’ da matter?” said Mammy.

Judith stopped looking at Mammy Mae, heard someone at the door, it opened, and then slammed shut, it was Shep, her husband. “He’s come home Mammy!” she said with a hard jaw, and gritting teeth, disturbed face. She was not open for any more suggestions.
“How was your New Orleans whore?” she asked Shep.
“You shut your mouth, just shut your mouth!” he replied.
“Stop what, the truth?” she calmly said, adding, “oh, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”
“You shouldn’t be saying such things when our Negros are nearby, gives a bad impression,” said Shep, looking over her shoulder to the kitchen seeing Mammy Mae sitting behind the table.
“Is that so…?” responded Judith, “you want to protect her ears do you…!”
“What’s come over you?” he asked Judith.
“Are you home on a friendly visit or leaving again tomorrow?” asked his wife (for some reason Judith was out of character, much more bravado than she usually was).
“Yes I’m home, for a spell, if that matters to you someway or another—anyhow, now shut up, I’m hungry….!” Then Shep sat down at the dinning room table, as Mammy Mae fixed up something hot for him to eat.

“Aint you comin’ to dinner?” he asked his wife.
Judith went to a back room, grabbed a horse blanket and walked out through the side door that lead to the kitchen, and out that door as well, as Mammy was bringing in some hot stew for Shep, Mammy got only a glance of her walking behind her, thinking she was going to the barn to put the blankets on the horses, it was a chilled evening, but she didn’t stop at the barn, she kept on walking, walking out into the fields, as the negro slaves watched her from afar, then she disappeared, just like a horizon.
In the morning, she was found dead, the blanket wrapped around her, expressionless, exposed to the chill of the night.
When they brought her back to the house, when Shep saw her, he simple said, “Godalmight, now what did that woman go and do!”

Epitaph and Funeral


The preacher, Bruce Danbury, from Dothan, Alabama, was in town, in Ozark, and came out to the Plantation, for the funeral, came to give the elegy, as Shep and several Negros, along with Mammy Mae, and a few towns’ folks, stood and listened:

“She was not so sophisticate or a connoisseur of course, and she will find a place similar to suite her in heaven I’m sure. She had few people to instruct her in life, down here Lord, and she never hurt anyone, nor really hated anyone but I would undoubtedly guess, she isn’t losing anything by dying, or staying down here (Shep looked hard at the preacher, very hard), likely she’s having more fun up yonder.”

Shep started to walk away, mumbling, “I got to feed the horses!”