Me and Charley

7. The Cousins

"Shit!" Paul exclaimed as I came awake.

"What's the matter?" I muttered as I reached for my glasses.

"Look," he said. He pointed toward the head of his bed. What came into focus was a pair of crutches leaning against the wall. "I don't know what makes her think I'm ever gonna go back to them."

"Your mom?" I mumbled as I tried to achieve wakefulness.

"Yeah. She musta snuck 'em in here while we were asleep."

"Where'd she get 'em?"

"She always packs 'em whenever we go anywhere."

"What time is it?"

"I dunno, you've got the clock over there." Without thinking I tapped the top of the clock. It announced, "The time is seven-twelve a.m." Jack and Jimmy stirred but didn't awaken.

"Well, we may as well get up," Paul said. "The herd will be stampeding the bathrooms soon enough." Paul took the crutches and pushed them under his bed, saying, "Nobody needs to know about these, right?" "Right, Paul," I replied. Paul took care of his bathroom business first. 

The aroma of coffee met me as I finished my turn and opened the bathroom door. There was activity in both guest bedrooms so I headed for the kitchen. Mom was scrambling eggs and had bacon ready for the pan. Robbie and Doug came through as Paul and I set the table, to use the shower off the laundry room. Soon the kitchen and the deck were alive with the chatter of family. By 10:30 we were ready, more casual but no less spiffy than the day before. My shoes still felt strange but no one else was complaining so neither did I. I took my place between Jack and Jimmy in the rear-facing third seat of Uncle Mack and Aunt Laura's station wagon while Libby and Jane took the second, and off we went.

I asked my cousins, "What happens at church?"

Jack said, "Well the minister says something and we all say something back and then everybody gets up and sings a hymn."

I asked "A him? Whaddya mean?"

Jimmy said, "It's a song they sing in church. You never heard of a hymn?"

"Not really," I replied. I began to wonder why I'd decided to do this.

Jack asked, "Really, you've never been to church before?"

"Never," I said.

Jimmy said, "Sit between us, we'll help you."

I asked, "What happens then?"

Jack said, "The minister says a big long prayer, then they pass the collection plates around and people put money in them and they parade them up to a table in front of the pulpit."

"Why?" I asked.

Jimmy said, "It's to support the church and the minister and all."

Jack added, "Yeah, like, to keep your friend Charley fed."

Jimmy said, "People feel like they're giving somethin' to God."

"Anyhow," Jack continued, "the minister reads somethin' from the Bible and then he talks for a long time," Jack said.

"Yeah," Jimmy said. "A real long time."

"How would you know?" Jack said. "You sleep through half of it."

"Do not," Jimmy said.

"Do so," Jack said.

"So do you," Jimmy retorted.

"Boys, that's enough!" Aunt Laura called from the front of the station wagon. By that time we were parking in front of the church. People, mostly families with children, were gathering in front of the church and going in the doors. In the vestibule older people were coming from the direction of the elevator. Reverend Bob stood near the door to the sanctuary, clad in the black robe he had worn the day before at the funeral. Ms. Rhoda stood beside him, radiant in a white summer dress. Charley sat next to her on a kitchen stepstool with his crutches propped on it. He still looked like a million dollars in his good suit and polished black boots.