Gold, Fire & Refinement

Chapter Forty-Two

"Misery is a communicable disease." ~Martha Graham

When Clarence Edward Stringer finally called her, Bettina McNeese wasn't prepared for the conversation her great-nephew wanted to have. Still caught up in the life-affirming exuberance of her newfound joy—her son's new engagement, she wanted nothing more than to set aside, at least for a time, the all-encompassing worries of her family-related miseries. "I know what we talked about before," she said, as loudly and as resolutely as she could without shouting into her phone. Standing on her front veranda watching the sunset, she wished she hadn't confided in him so much. "But Clarence, things have changed a lot now. Now? Now I have new things to look forward to."

"Oh," he said. "So cousin Harvey's not marryin' that Zarah girl?"

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Then what? Is he still marryin' her?"

"I don't know. Clarence Edward, I'm telling you I have other things to think about now, and that I've made up my mind ... about things regarding my family. So don't you worry about it. I'll handle things with Harvey, if and when the time comes."

"Sounds to me like you don't care no more," he said. "Like it's okay with you for that black girl to marry your grandson. Okay for her to git all his money one day after he goes to live with Jesus. What happened to you Aunt Betty? Did Cousin Harvey change your mind? Did you forget everything you taught me? Everything you believe in? Just 'cause you went on that fancy trip to his expensive resort in France?"

"It's not about anybody changing my mind," Bettina said, feeling she shouldn't have to explain her actions to Clarence Edward. Suddenly, she felt anger rising up inside. "Drake is getting married," she said. "You hear me? My son is marrying a lovely young white girl, next spring, and they're planning on having children together. I'm happy about that, and I just want to put everything else out of mind for now. I just want to feel happy for a little while, and I'll handle the other problem in my own way, when it's time. All I need is from you is to leave it all to me."

"Well, never you mind, then, Aunt Betty," Clarence Edward said. "You go on and you be happy. That's good. You go on and concentrate on Cousin Drake's wedding. I'm going hunting tomorrow, and after that, with or without your blessings, I'll take care of that other thing myself."

"No, Clarence Edward," Bettina said. "Now Clarence. See. I can't be happy, not truly, unless you promise me you're going to leave all this alone. I have a good relationship now with my grandson and I don't want you to spoil it. You'll get caught if you try to interfere, and Harvey will surely think I put you up to whatever it is you might do. He'll hate me for it."

"Don't worry. I'm just gone scare her," Aunt Betty. "That's all. She won't even know who I am."

"Stay out of it, Clarence Edward. You hear? You leave it be!"

"Aw. Aunt Betty. Scaring her ain't nearly as bad as what you talked about doing before. Remember? You talked about burning your house down? With her in it?"

"Oh, I was just talking," Bettina said. "Just lettin' off steam. You didn't actually believe I wanted you to burn my house down, did you? Oh please tell me you didn't do it, Clarence Edward. You didn't set that fire that almost killed me and Harvey's girl. Did you?"

"Course not." He paused before speaking again. "You already told me them firemen said that fire got started from your old messed up wiring. It was a coincidence is all that it happened right after you told me what you wished."

"I know you wanted to help me is all," she said. "When my house caught on fire, why, well ... that's why I thought, maybe, you could have done it."