The Brooch

In A Tunnel Of Memory

"Don't make me use my size nines!" Judge Bloomfurd upsettingly yelled! "Shutup!" He roared!

Judge Bloomfurd smacked down his gavel so hard on that wooden block, he nearly put a dent in it trying to silence the noisy crowd. On top of trying to quiet an earsplitting, riled up, squealing foul, Mrs. Crowder.

"Mrs. Crowder plant yo butt flat in that chair and put a gag on it! 'For I not onlay duck tape yo butt in it, but I'll seal yo lips shut with the remainder!"

"But she's lyin yo honor!" Mrs. Crowder defiantly cried out! "And I ain't about ta sit her and let her cry wolf on me! Naw suh!"

"I'm warnin you, Mrs. Crowder!" The judge fussed. "Shut it up!"

But Mrs. Crowder kept on. In fact she got so loud in her shrill like voice, you would swear you saw the windows shaking. And those peaceful birds? Well they up and flew the coop!

Mrs. Crowder refused to sit down. She even tried to go after Mama Woods on the stand. Well she stepped forward from her chair. And that was all it took...

"Gotdog!" That's it....Sanford!" Judge Bloomfurd growled!

Sanford knew exactly what to do. The next thing all knew... Sanford did as the judge promised. Why he duck taped a skunky, riled up, hoot hollerin, defiant, Mrs. Crowder to her chair so fast. You would have thought you were watching a pure plumb live rodeo wrangling! And as you can imagine, Mrs. Crowder was the hepher being tied down. But you better believe she didn't go down with out a fight!

Why when Sanford was done he was sweating like a hog. Judge Bloomfurd sighed in sheer satisfaction at sight as he blatantly spoke..

"There is plenty more tape left foe any of you's wantin to test my patience, like Mrs. Crowder here." He said looking to the crowd. Even the jury... "Try me." He coyly smiled looking down.

Not one peep was heard. Especially by the now duck tape, squirming, Mrs. Crowder...

"Naw." He sighed in full relief. "Mr. Smarten, finish with yo questionin."

A flabbergasted Mr. Smarten obliged the judge. As a still stunned Mr. Kransten stared helplessly at his tied up like a butterball turkey on thanksgiving eve, client.

"Ahem!" Mr. Smarten muttered clearing his throat. "Scarlet?" His voice cracked. "Umm.. naw would you please tell the court, and me... jest whut did you mean when you said it was "Mrs. Crowder" who took the brooch. You mean she robbed herself and pinned it on you?"

"In a way." Mama Woods replied.

"Could you please clarify... "in a way?" Furthermore you said whut you remember... whut do you remember exactly?"

"Well, as I previously said, I honestly didn't remember a thang, we'll much about that day.. but when I saw Mr. Kransten. I mean his tooth... well some em__"

"Triggered?"

"Well yeah." Mama Woods boldly proclaimed. "There wuz somethin in the shine... Can't explain it but it brought back my lost years! Floodin my mind like Noah and the ark!"

"So you say you remember?"

"I believe so!"

"Mrs. Woods, you do, or you don't." The judge interjected. "Which one?"

"Well... I... vaguely remember." Mama Woods said trying to look back. "I know naw, foe a fact, I was there! It happened as I said. I wuz edging towards that room. And that's where I blanked... but Mr. Kransten..." she smiled his way...

"Mr. Kransten, wuz there?"

"No." Mama Woods slightly giggled. "I mean, his tooth..."

"His tooth was there?"

"Oh landsakes Darren, no." Mama Woods smiled coyly.

Everyone looking at her, thought she had really lost her mind. Including her own friend and lawyer, Mr. Smarten... But strangely Maple understood perfectly. Well almost perfectly that is...

"Kin I start ova?" Mama Woods asked.

"Sho." Mr. Smarten agreed.

Mama Woods started to tell her side of the story. The parts she could remember that is...

"I was at a door. Not jest any door mind you... in full admission, it was Mrs. Crowder's old room. And I confess I did open and enter that room with baby Jeffy willingly. But honest to God's truth, I didn't do anythang in that room. Except start to remove and change his diaper. And I remember I had him all cleaned up and smellin as sweet as babies do. There was no more stank! Except that whut was on his old diaper that is."

"Go on..."

"Well I went ta throw the foul burnin nostrils stank somewhere out of my nose whiff. Just temporarily mind you. Least till I properly fixed his diaper. But..."

"But whut?"

"The pin broke and..."

YOUNG SCARLET: "Dagburnit!" I uttered foiled. "Don't that beat all.."

"I went to the vanity table. Jest to see if I could borrow another pin... But then I saw it."

"You saw whut?" Mr. Smarten asked.

"The brooch." Mama Woods replied. "It was there, sittin in all its glory. Right beside a gold shinin, blindin dress pin. Oh that pin was so shiny and glamorous and all. Fit for a queen no doubt! But it had nuthin on that precious brooch sittin right beside it. Why when I saw that brooch, my eyes shot up like firecrackers on the Fourth of July! Butterflies fluttered in my belly! I knew, there wuz no mistaken that brooch was my daddy's!"

"And how did you know?"

"There wuz no mistaken Darren." Mama Woods eyes lit up. "Especially on how my daddy had so perfectly described it."

"And did you touch it?"

"I be a liar if I said I didn't! Well wouldn't you?" She said gazing at the jury. "I wuz drawn to it. And you can't tell me, if you saw some em so delicate, refined, and incredibly astonishingly beautiful, of yo very own family, and made with love, by yo own flesh and blood, sittin there... And jest singin to yo soul, like the angels in heaven that you wouldn't have touched it too. But I didn't take it." She said shaking her head. "But I was tempted."

"Tempted?"

"Oh yeah suh!" Mama Woods nodded. "I knew the history behind that brooch. And I knew without a doubt... that brooch didn't belong to Mrs. Crowder."

Mama Woods scowled, glaring Mrs. Crowder's way...

"It didn't belong to her!"