Uncle Roy looked at me and then at Harley. "You'll get docked a day for this." he told him.
"Big deal," Harley snapped. "It's coolie wages anyway." he spat out, and got up to walk away.
"Those coolie wages pay your expenses. boy," Uncle Roy shouted after him.
Harley didn't look back. but I saw how his neck lifted as if he had been slapped on the back of his head.
"Mama always used to tell us you can get more with honey than with vinegar. Roy," Mommy said.
Uncle Roy grunted,
"She also said you give him an inch, he'll take a foot.' "She was talking about your father."
"Hmm," Uncle Roy said. He watched Harley a moment longer and then he turned back to us. "Anything you need. Rain?"
'No. we're fine. Roy. Thanks. How's Glenda? I haven't seen her out for a few days."
"It's that time of year," he replied.
Mommy put her needlework down and thought a moment. "Oh. I forgot." she said.
"Yeah. Latisha died ten years ago day before yesterday,"
"I should have remembered," Mommy said.
"Not with all you've had on your mind, Rain."
"Still, we should have remembered,," Mommy insisted, "I'll be over to see her later."
"She'll just be sitting in the house, rocking and humming her hymns. She won't even know you're there most of the time," Uncle Roy said.
We heard Harley start up his motorcycle and then head down the driveway.
"Where's he going?" Roy asked rhetorically. "Just like him to pick this time to be his usual troublemaker self"
"Maybe he's thinking about Latisha too. Roy."
"I doubt it."
"He is," I blurted. They both looked at me. "He was talking about her the night before last."
"Night before last? I don't remember that," Mommy said.
"You and Daddy were already asleep. I saw him wandering outside and went out to speak with him. He said he couldn't sleep because of the memories. Uncle Roy."
"Hmm," Uncle Roy said, his eyes dark with thought. "Just the same, he should be thinking more about his mother and not get himself into any trouble. I'll see you all later," he added. He waited for Mommy to smile and nod and then he walked away.
"Do you think things will ever be good between Harley and Uncle Roy, Mommy?" I asked.
"I don't know, dear. Uncle Roy has had a hard life, full of disappointments. He grew up in a very dangerous world and had two young girls to protect. In his mind he lost them both, and then he lost his daughter."
"Maybe if he and Harley had some mature conversations and Uncle Roy trusted him more with all that, they would get along better."
"Maybe. Summer, but that's between them. For now, we've got a full plate in this house," she said smiling. "I saw you received a letter from Grandpa Larry."
"Yes, he wants me to come visit again. He offered to buy the ticket."
"You haven't written to him and told him anything about..."