THE GIRL

Well, I reckoned it was summer of sixty seven when R. B., Bobby Paul and I left

Tupelo after we was graduated from high school and drove west on a road trip. We had a

full tank in my ’52 Ford custom coupe and headed down the highway with some of Bobby

Paul’s college money.

“It ain’t enough,” Bobby Paul whined, “to get to Californey anyway, why’s we

goin‘?”

“Adventure ” I said, “and don’t forget the women we gonna run into.”

“Bosh Charlie,” Y’all taking me for a fool you is, I swear, and R. B. agrees with

me.”

He ain’t got no cause to agree, Bobby Paul. After cotton crop we both gonna give

the money back. You got no cause to not trust your best friends.”

“Sorry Charlie, I’d always trust you. You see that road sign saying Money, Miss?

Stop off at a station, I needa take a leak.”

Charlie’s Ford pulled in a Texaco in Money, he stretched his legs while R. B. and

Bobby Paul was busy. He noticed a girl sitting in the dust, an attractive girl with long

black hair, a face streaked with tears and he walked over,

“Need some help miss or a shoulder?”

“Go away, can’t you see I-sa crying hard?”

“I didn’t mean nothing‘, sorry to bother you.”

He turned to walk away but the girl stopped him.”

“Don‘t you see, I ain’t used to no kindness?”

“I’m sorry,” Charlie said, “you need to get out of the dust, there’s a bench under

the old elm. Would you like to talk there?”

He offered his hand, pulled her up from the dirt and gravel and walked her over

and sat down with her,

“You are kind but there’s nothin’ you can do to help me.”

“I‘m Charlie and I got a good ear.”

“My papa named me “Girl, can you believe?”

“That’s mean all right. Why you cryin?

“Cause I lost Billie Joe.”

“You broke up, a pretty girl like you?”

“No, he jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge and drowned.

“Gosh, I’m sorry for you.”

“Mama said. The preacher saw me and Billy Joe throw somethin’ off the

Tallahatchie bridge one moonlit night. Then brother up and married and moved to Tupelo

and opened a store.”

“What about your Papa, what’d he say.?

“Not a word, he didn’t care, caught a virus and died this spring.“ Mama don’t care

about anything no more and we don’t get along anyway.

“Should I call you girl?”

“Might as well.”

“Well Girl, we heard about Billy Joe MacAllister jumping off the Tallahatchie

bridge last year, and if you pardon me, I do care about you, for I know nothin’ good

comes from Choctaw Ridge.

“You care? Why, no one else does.”

“Well it ain’t Christian not to care, so I do.”

“R. B. and Bobby Paul walked up,

“We need to get goin’ Charlie.“

“Take my car guys, have a good time, I’m busy this summer, I’m taking this Girl

back to Tupelo.”

“Why you doin’ it, Charlie?”

“Well Bobby Paul, maybe something’ good gonna come from Choctaw Ridge. It’d

be about time wouldn’t it Girl?”

: