The Hob
                                                                     The Dance

    Marva is alone in her home. A gloom had set into Marva that she couldn't shake. Her arms are folded and her head is looking down as she paces in her living room. The unfinished bake goods from earlier lay spoiling in the kitchen on the counter. She looks very unsettled. She doesn’t know what to do about Mason. There was nothing in her mind that could console her. It would be hours before her husband James returns from a business trip and she was nearing emotional collapse. She was fearful of Mason coming back before James got home. Mason, her only son, she’d wanted so much to have a child and now he had become someone that she didn’t understand nor wanted around her. She feels that she is in complete jeopardy.

        “Dear Lord, don’t shut heaven’s doors to me today. I need your help more than I ever have. I haven’t been a faithful church goer but I’m a good person. I always thought I’d taught Mason right from wrong. But today… well today Lord…I saw evil in him. Pure evil… If he had stuck me Lord, I believe he’d have no remorse.

    She cries. 

         “Today, I question everything I’ve ever done for him.”

    The culmination of all Marva’s fears beleaguer her this day and she is overwhelmed. Marva sits down on the piano stool and begins to play softly. As she played the music sooths her and her demeanor seems to lighten a tad bit. However, her face, still wet with tears ,could not deny the tumult that was brewing inside her. It is the first time as a mother that she felt remorse for having a child.

        “God, forgive me for saying this, but if my son is going to be the kind of man that puts pain on others, I wish he’d never been born. I know that’s not good mother talk, but if I can’t be honest with You then I have no place to turn.”

    Marva puts her head down on the piano and weeps deeply.

    In town Alice could hardly contain herself. The day at the circus had been exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. So many people had come to Boonville for the circus and the dance that the town was bursting with excitement. The sound of crunching rocks under the carriages’ wheels, had been a steady sound throughout the day. Now that the sun had begun to set the mood was starting to change. The focus was now off of food and the circus. Now, people were dressing up for the festivities and getting ready to do some *hobbin’ (Dancing).

    The band was setting up. The instruments could be heard tuning-up. Guitars, banjos and fiddles were being lifted and tuned for an spirit-lifting night of music. Once everything was ready then like a charm, there was going to be some *bahl (good) music.

    The low rumble of people chatting as they walk in the direction of the apple barn for the *hob (dance), cause Alice to strain her ears to hear every word. But the clippety-clop of the *Sikes (horses) on the gravelly street mixed sounds with the passerby’s conversation making it difficult to hear anything. One thing for sure, the pounding of the horse’s hooves on the ground matches the beating of Alice’s heart.

    Alice tries feverishly to get her parents to hurry up and get ready to leave. If she could she’d be shoving them out of the hotel room door clothed or not.

         “Hurry, hurry, it’s starting. I can hear the music from the band.”

         “You can hear the music?” Her father asked.

         “Yes dear, she’s not deaf, her ears are young.”

    Bayless mutters “I don’t hear anything.”

        “It doesn’t make it not so dear.”

    Alice pleads.

         “Mama, Papa…please.”

    Bayless grins.

        “Well, she’s polite, mama. Alice, dear, I don’t think they’d cotton to me showing up without my shirt on. So take a deep breath, there’ll be no shortage of *hobs for you.”

         “Your father’s right, Alice. I can think of a few that you don’t even want to dance with.”

         “I mean no disrespect, but it’s just that…”

    Mary and Bayless give each other a look. They know exactly what she is in a rush for.

         “…it’s just that what dear?”

    Alice struggles to say it, “Thomas asked if I was going to be at the dance tonight.”

    Bayless grunts as he bends over to tie his shoes.

         “He could have been taking a survey.”

         “Papa!”

         “Well, he could have been. These young men these days like to know how many pretty girls are going to be there before they decide if they are going to go.”

    Alice suddenly is distressed.

         “You think so? You think he has his eye on a lot of girls?”

    Bayless chuckles.

         “That’s pretty much all he’ll ever have, he’s a shy boy.”

    Alice is worried.

         “Well, if I’ve noticed him maybe other girls….”

    Alice’s thought trail off. She sits down on the edge of the bed quietly. She goes into deep thought.

         “Now what’s wrong?” asked Mary.

         “Nothing, Daddy just got me to thinking.”

         “Bayless, what you’ve done?”

         “Me?”

    Mary motions with her eyes to Bayless to comfort Alice.

    Bayless huffs a bit at what he’s gotten himself into and then he goes over and sits next to Alice.

         “I was just sharkin' (teasing). You are the prettiest girl in the entire area. I’ve never seen Thomas look at anyone but you.”

    Alice raises her head up.

         “Really?”

    Bayless looks into her pale blue eyes that are starting to tear and are begging for an answer.

         “Really. Why he’d be a fool to not notice a beautiful girl like you. I hear all the boys talking about you. Some even try to hide the fact that they’re talking about you from me by talking in Boont.”

         Alice throws her arms around her father’s neck and hugs him and then immediately barks at him to finish getting ready.

         “Now get dressed!!

         “You know the sheepshearers talk Boont. That’s so they can talk about the girls.”

         “I know…but…”

         “When the boys are busy sheep shearing their mouth is a *harpin’ (talking) as fast as their shears. I know what they’re saying but never you mind.

         “What…what did they say….?”

         “It was all good and the ones that wasn’t *harpin’ nice, well, I gave them a taste of my shears!  Looks like Thomas isn’t the only one that Mason is going to have to look out for.”

         “Hmmm, Mason isn’t even under consideration.”

    The glow from the well lit barn could be seen blocks away. It was like a *huger *jeffer only nothing was burning down. The exterior and interior of the barn had what seemed to be every lantern in town hanging on it. Floyd is seen hanging up the last of the lanterns when the Smith family arrives. Floyd looks their way and nods.

         “Evening, folks.”

         “Evening, Floyd,”

    Bayless turns to his wife and says, “They sure got the right young man for that job.”

    There are more people at this dance than usual because of the circus being in town.  Alice can hardly sit still. She can feel her heart beating in her chest as their wagon rolls down the dirt road. The excitement of the night has nearly rendered her mute,  that is until she spots Beth.

         “Beth, Beth!!” Alice screams. “Over here!”

    Beth sees the Smiths have arrived and she runs over to their buggy. The girls squeal. Bayless covers his ears.

         “Isn’t everything so beautiful?” giggles Beth.

    Alice’s eyes take in everything. The glow of the lanterns cast a beautiful light on her young, innocent face. The night was picturesque all the way down to the perfect, warm summer evening. Alice enraptured by the moment says,

         “It’s like that romance novel we read, Beth. You know where Philip asks Penelope to dance with him. And she says I’ll put you on my dance card. Then Philip says, no, I want you to dance with me for the rest of my life”

    Beth and Alice sigh and then let out another squeal together.

         “Ah…. Yes, yes!”

    Bayless turns to the girls and says,

         “Ladies, would you please take this squealing someplace else before I go completely deaf.”

         “Okay. papa!

    She jumps with lighting speed from the wagon.

         “Come on Beth. I love your dress.”

         “I love yours too!”

    Alice and Beth walk quickly into the dance.

         “I swear we should have taught that girl to call the pigs. By now we’d own every pig in the region.”

    Malva and James Lawson pull up in their wagon moments after the Smith’s.  Mary waves at them. Malva looks tired and worn. James, her husband, is a tall, thin, grim looking man, but he’s the salt of the earth.

         “Good evening, Malva. Beautiful night for a dance, isn’t it?”

    Malva looked noticeably grim but managed to smile. James walks around the wagon and helps her out.

         “It is, Alice. It’s a lovely night.” James replies.

         “We missed you at the bake-sale today.”

    Malva looks at James. Not wanting to talk about her day. James speaks up.

         “Malva was feelin’ a bit *tongue cuppy (sick) today. But she’s feeling’ better now. We felt a bit of fresh air and nice music would do her some good.”

    Malva walks around the wagon to Mary.

         “I’m feelin’ much better now. I just needed to rest a spell. Was probably the heat that got to me. ”

    Malva sees Mason ride up on his horse and turns her back to him. James looks at his son with anger. The Smiths notice this but say nothing.

    Alice and Beth stand in the door of the barn. The dance floor is filled with young and old alike. Children are playing in the grass outside the barn. Some are picking the small grass daisies and braiding them into a hair wreath. Others are playing tag. Several elderly couples are sitting down close to the band holding hands. Their bodies can no longer dance but their feet were busy keeping time with the band.

         “The band is so *bahl (good)!”

         “I know,” says Alice. “My feet had hardly stand still. Oh…I wonder when Thomas will get here.”

    In the corner of the barn are Phyllis and Adam. They are cooing at each other like love birds. Adam has a blue ribbon pinned to his jacket. Their *Boo Cake had taken 1st place and they were so happy.

    A tall thin young man of 17 walks up to Beth. His name is Jeb. He is one of Mason’s good friends and fellow trouble maker. It seems wherever there was trouble you would find these two young men were involved somehow. Their friend Virgil completed that threesome of concern for the town, but he’d hadn’t arrived yet to the dance. Tonight, so far, Jeb was on his good behavior. After all, tonight was for fun and dancing.

         “Would you like to dance?”

    Beth looks at Alice for her approval. She wants to but doesn’t want to leave Alice alone. Alice smiles,

         “Go ahead, but you behave Jeb! I’ll be watching you.”

    Alice smiles and watches them walk off, she wishes it was her and Thomas. Alice continues searching with her eyes for Thomas.  She smiles as she watches Jeb dancing so gently with her friend Beth. This was a side of Jeb that she didn’t often see.

    Alice realizes that there is someone near her. There is a gentle tapping on her shoulder. She turns slowing with a smile on her face. As she turns around she sees it’s Mason. The smile goes from her face as swiftly as a candle is extinguished from a breeze.

         “Is this the dance you saved for me?”

    A frown comes across Alice’s face.

         “Mason, I’m not…”

    Out of the corner she sees her mother frowning at her. She can read her lips and they are saying, “Be civil.”

    She politely replies to Mason,

         “I have to check my dance card."

She pulls the card from her small purse, she turns away from him and tries to look at it without Mason seeing who is on it. But it’s a worthless move, Mason turns faster and sees that her first dance is open.

         “I see you have the first dance open. I’ll take it.”

    Mason quickly and roughly grabs her around the waist and moves her around the dance floor like a rag doll.

         “I declare, Mason, with all your families’ money how did they neglected to give you proper dance lessons?”

    That remark makes Mason angry. He pulls her inappropriately closer. She breaks away.

           “I’m sorry Mason, I’m going to have to get some air.”

         “I’ll go with you.”

         “I need my own air, Mason.”

         “It’s not proper for a beautiful young woman to stand outside alone.”

    Annoyed and too frustrated to argue, she walks outside and Mason follows. As they leave Thomas enters in the back door of the barn. He sees Mason and Alice walk out the front door. His face can’t contain the disappointment. Beth sees Thomas’ expression and then she sees that he’s leaving.

    Mary and Bayless are keeping a close eye on the goings on between Mason and Alice.

         “This is where you and I differ, Mary. I don’t believe she needs to be civil to that boy. He ain’t civil and he doesn’t seem to have any boundaries.”

         “I’m seeing that now, papa. We’ll talk her on the way home about him.”

    Alice turns around to Mason as they leave the barn.

         “Mason, you don’t have to shadow me. I’m perfectly fine.”

         “Alice, why do you hate me?”

    Alice is shocked at this straightforward question. He seems sincere. She thinks about what he said for a moment.

         “It’s not that I hate you, Mason, I just don’t like you.”

         “So you don’t hate me?”

    Just then Beth and Jeb walk up.

         “Alice, can I talk to you for a moment?”

         “Yes. Thank you for the dance, Mason.”

    The girls walk off to talk. Mason turns to Jeb when the girls are out of range.

         “I’m going to marry that girl, Jeb.”

         “But she don’t cotton to you, Mason, never has.”

         “That don’t make a bit of difference, Jeb. She doesn’t hate me. I’ll grow on her.” Mason smiles a malevolence smile.

    The girls walk around the corner of the barn.  Beth turns to Alice and tells her the news.
 
         “Thomas was here.”

         “What?”

         “He saw you walking outside with Mason. I tell you, Alice, if I had a dust pan I couldn’t have gotten all of his face off the floor. He looked downright stricken.”

         “Oh no! Which way did he go?”

         “I think the back way. Jeb was swinging me around and I just couldn’t stare…”

    Alice quickly runs through the square dancers and out the back door looking for Thomas. Bayless sees her running out.

         “I’ll be right back, mama. I don’t want her getting into trouble.”

    She looks everywhere for Thomas but doesn’t see him. She leans against the barn and cups her face in her hands and begins to cry.

         “It’s just such bad timing, why did I have to be polite!”

    Alice leans up against the barn and sinks to the ground. She is a brokenhearted girl when her father finds her. She’d put so much energy, dreams and fantasy into this evening and nothing she’d hoped for happened.  Bayless sits down next to her. He puts his arm around her gently to console his upset daughter.

         “It’s gonna be okay, Alice.”

    Alice puts her head on her father’s shoulder and cries softly.

         “It just went all wrong, papa.”

         “Things happen like that little girl. It’s feels like it, but it’s not the end of the world.”

         “Sure feels like it.”

         “What did you think was going to happen tonight with Thomas?”

         “I really don’t know. I just had some dreams.”

         “Well, let me say it another way. What did you hope would happen tonight?”

         “I was hopin’ to get to know Thomas better. Not as a worker for you but just wanted to have some time with him. I wanted to dance with him… I’m growing up, papa….”

         “I know you are, Alice. You’re *doolsey  on this *kimmie, aren’t you?”

         “I really like him and he’s different than the other boys.”

Bayless is serious.

“He is a nice boy. We’ll see where things go. You ready to go back to the hotel?”

         “Yes. I just want to go home.”

         “We’ll leave early in the morning. But we had a good time until this evening right?”

         “Yes, I did. I really did.”

    Bayless and Alice get up and head to the wagon. They are joined by Mary.

             “You okay, Alice?”

             “I’m okay Mama, I think I’m just a little tired.”

    Mary hugs Alice.

             “You had a busy day.”

             “I did.”

              “Alice, can I talk to you for a moment?”

         “Sure, mama.”

         “Remember when I said to be civil to Mason?”

        “Yes.”

        “Well, I saw how roughly he treated you on the dance floor. I was wrong. Parents can be wrong sometimes and this was one of those times.”

        “Thank you, mama. My gut was tellin' me to keep my distance from him, but I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

    Mary  hugs Alice.

        “You’ve never disappointed me. Well, except for that superstitious nonsense. But you'll out grow that.”

    They all walk to the wagon and are getting on it when Beth comes running up.

         “Wait,” yelled Beth. “I want to go with you.”

         “Beth!”

    Jeb is left standing in the barn door as Beth and the Smith family ride off.

    I think it was that night that my mama learned that each of us must find our own path. It can be a moment or a second in which we make a good or bad decision, but it is our decision. There comes a time where we must learn to listen to our own hearts and balance it with all that we have seen work or not work in others lives. We can and should always love our parents and respect them, but in order for us to find our destiny, we can’t be them. All of our paths are different.

Boontling words used in this chapter: 

Bal, Bahl:                                                              Good

Boo Cake:                                                             Potato Cake

Doolsey:                                                                Sweet

Harpin':                                                                Talking

Hobbin':                                                                Dancing

Huger:                                                                     Huge, Large

Jeffer:                                                                      Fire

Kimmie:                                                                 Man or Male visitor

Sharkin:                                                                Teasing, Kidding

Sike, Sikes, Fuzz Tail:                                   Horse

Tongue Cuppy:                                                  Sick