The Brooch

A Bitter Heart

Mrs Crowder could not believe what her eyes had just laid upon. Was it real? Hesitant to touch it, Mrs. Crowder just gawked at it in amazement. Then it dawned upon her...

"Wait uh minute!" She hollered.

Andrew was steps from walking out her door.

"How... how you get that?" She uttered floored.

"It doesn't matter." A blank face Andrew replied.

Mrs. Crowder gasped. "You stole it! You were the one!" She said shocked out of her mind! "You took it didn't ya?" She scolded.

"Don't act all innocent!" Andrew replied. "You were there that night! Don't think I didn't see you!"

"Why I done know whutchu talkin bout boy!"

"Oh no?"

"No." Mrs. Crowder said walking away and back up to that bar. "Naw you jest get out of my house."

But Andrew didn't leave. In fact he walked right back up to her.

"I told ya to leave!" She nervously shrieked! "If you don't__"

"Whuttya gone do Mrs. Crowder get Cleava to remove me off the premises? Thought he went home." He smirked.

"You ain't go no right ta be here!" She squalled!

"I saw you, Mrs. Crowder! I saw you the woods that night!" Andrew proclaimed. "And I saw you watchin Maple."

"Whaaa__"

"Don't even botha denyin it!" He said getting in her face. "You were watchin her. I saw you lurkin behind those trees watchin her every move."

"Oh? And whut you doin there?"

"Watchin you." He boldly confessed.

Mrs. Crowder gulped so loud you could see the lump the size of a cantaloupe go down her throat.

"I wasn't do diddly!" She fussed.

"But you were gonna." Andrew hissed. "Oh ya you were gonna. Weren't you?"

"I..."

"You were gonna take that brooch. But then she heard you! And that jest spoiled yo plans right then and there."

"I don know whutchu talkin."

"Oh yes you do!" He said glaring at her with those piercing gray eyes. "But to yo dismay... she wuz faster than you. So much so, she left you in the wind."

"Don't matter..." Mrs. Crowder confessed speaking through her teeth. "Cuz I saw you too." She boldly declared not backing down. "I saw you. Oh yes boy-uh, I saw you!" She said pressing her chubby finger in on his chest. "I jest didn't know it wuz you." She said walking away.

Mrs. Crowder flounced to the back of her open bar. Slamming a glass on the top, she brought out her bottle of sherry and poured herself a glass. The whole time, she glared at Andrew staring him up and down.

"I had you pegged all wrong." She sneered. "Mmm-hmm... all wrong.." she said guzzling down another drink.

Getting out another glass she poured Andrew one. But Andrew didn't touch the cup.

"Hmph! I thank yo drunk enough already, I kin smell the booze on ya." She leered.

So she drank that one too. She carried it back to Andrew and was a breath away in her short wobbly stance.

"Fact is, I thought it wuz my Tator." She gloomily replied. "I thought my boy came back." She said as her eyes began to water. "I thought surely, if he's back... and he's back foe her..." She said dizzily looking off into the distance. "Doesn't matter." She said guzzling that drink.