The Brooch

The Lie of it all

"If you think I'm just gonna let you and yo wild child there, in my humble abode, well..." Mrs. Crowder said nervously laughing.

"Mrs. Crowder, please. I can assure you, my daughter and I, are not here to cause any more havoc. And I can assure you, Maple will be on her best behavior." Mama Woods said giving a stern expression to a mischievous looking Maple.

"After what you did Scarlet, thievin my precious brooch and all__"

"It wasn't yo brooch!" Maple fussed.

"Maple__"

"Sorry Mumma."

"It wuz and is my brooch!" Mrs. Crowder hollered on her porch!

"Please Mrs. Crowder. Let's just discuss this inside."

"Give me one good reason!" Mrs. Crowder hissed.

"Well, to be honest, Mrs. Crowder, I really can't. Other than to say you know we need to talk. You know it's high time for this unwanted feud to end. Naw you came to me first did you not? It's obvious you want to get this out in the open. So for love of things that is almighty, let's just squash this thang like june bug."

Mrs. Crowder said nothing out loud. But you could clearly see her lips moving and her mind spinning.

"Mrs. Crowder?"

In reluctance Mrs. Crowder finally replied...
"Five minutes."

"Five, will be fine." Mama Woods agreed.

Mrs. Crowder walked back into her house as Mama Woods and Maple soon followed. Maple assured her mama, for the time being, she would be on her best behavior while she was in Mrs. Crowder's house.

An indubitable and apparent quaking Mrs. Crowder, held on tight to her french bread weapon, as she led an arm and arm Mama Woods and Maple down a long and rustic hallway and into a perfectly plastic covered living room.

"Shew! Smells like mothballs!" Maple whispered under her breath to her mama.

"Hush!" Mama Woods uttered.

"Well it does..." Maple lowly whispered. "I bet she be havin a funeral for them moths on a daily basis. And Lawd knows what else. Smells like She probably has some ghosts round here or some em. Like she tryin to repel their spirits! Or worse yet, maybe even have a stiff, crusty Mr. Crowder settin in the next room." Maple gulped at the thought.

"Maple..."

"It's stanks Mumma."

"Child... naw you promised."

"I know Mumma. I know but..."

"Whatchu two ova there mumblin?" Mrs. Crowder said turning around.

"Nuthin yet, Mrs. Crowder. Naw may we sit down?" Mama Woods replied.

"It's why I brought you in here. Isn't it?" Mrs. Crowder sarcastically replied.

"Course." Mama Woods sighed. "Sit down Maple."

"Yes em." Maple said still spookily looking around.

As they went to sit down on what appeared to be an untouched plastic covered couch, a whispering squeak was suddenly heard as they plopped down. Maple startled out of mind, quickly leapt back up! She nearly jumped out of her bones!

"What's wrong witchu?" Mrs. Crowder squealed raising her bread for attack.

"Nuthin." Mama Woods replied. "She's just fine." She said looking at her creeped out daughter. "Maple?" She said calmly clasping her daughter's hand to sit down.

Grabbing her Mama for comfort and protection, Maple obeyed. She felt at ease knowing her Mumma was right there to protect her. Not only from Mrs. Crowder and her french bread. But from any other spooks runnin round. And for the time being Maple sealed her lips as tight as possible, letting her Mama take the reigns.

"Mrs. Crowder, I'm sorry it had taken me this long to come see you. And for you to finally come round and talk to me. But enough is enough." Mama Woods said. "Naw you and I both know, I didn't steal that brooch."

"Liar!" Mrs. Crowder defensively replied.

Maple sat on edge. But her Mama held her back.

"I am not a liar Mrs. Crowder! You know that brooch was given back to my great grandfather Hastings many years ago as a peace offering from your own grandmother."

"That's the story you tell everybody else! But I know the truth! In fact so does yo daddy, God rest his soul, and surly without a doubt yo Mama Hastings!"

"Naw you leave them out of this!" Mama Woods hissed.

"Why? They know whut you did! The lie of it all! And they been protectin ya all these years! They know exactly whut you did! And I respect them both but I don't respect you! Not after..."

"I don't know whut lie is spinnin in yo head! Or how things got so twisted... but I did no such thang!"

"Perhaps you have been tellin half truths when you said the feud between my grandmammi and yo great grandpappi was was squashed. But You gonna deny that brooch was given back to my family? Back to me? For love? From none other than you sweet callin daddy Hastings!" Mrs. Crowder distastefully grinned. "Why, before your mama Hastings became yo Mumma... Yo Daddy was sweet on me."

"Naw that is a downright blazin lie!" Mama Woods yelled.

"It is not!" Mrs. Crowder argued! "And yo mama know it's too! Seein as she was once my best friend and all! She knew he wanted me! And she couldn't stand it! In fact yo sweet daddy is the one who returned to brooch to me!"

"That is a downright dirty lie!" Mama Woods shouted in ire!

"He did!" Mrs. Crowder fussed back. "Once upon a time, He wanted to marry me! And only me! But yo jealous mama wouldn't have it! So somehow, she betrayed me and turned yo daddy's affections from me to her! And she convinced yo daddy to runway with her. And before I caught wind of it all, they eloped! Naw I cried me some em fierce, I did. I cried a river! But being as I was at the time, I was not an uh engagin woman. In fact, in time, I forgave yo mama as I found a new love on my own in my sweet Rusty Crowder. But I neva let go of that precious brooch of mine, that yo daddy gave me. No I never did." Mrs. Crowder said pretending to wipe a tear away.  "So you have to know when it was years later and you were a child, and my sweet, sweet Rusty, finally with some convincing, proposed, course I excepted! And I was gone walk down that isle with my precious brooch on my collar. But it was nowhere to be found.  So you can imagine my surprise when I seen you with it years later in your Mama's home wearin my sweet precious brooch! And nobody took it but you. Cuz you were the only one in my bedroom, on my wedding day, when it disappeared!"