Mrs. Dee had a beautiful garden. Her whole back yard was landscaped in rows of beautiful vegetables; greens, tomatoes, squash, beans, onions, corn, and sunflowers. She had a cement run for her black Cocker Spaniel, “Troubles.” She also had rooms to rent.
She took in boarders to help maintain her retirement. Mrs. Dee was cheerful and hardworking. Her house and yards were immaculate. She had had plenty of practice as she had been a housekeeper her whole life. Now she was content to run her own place the way she wanted.
The bedroom was small, but the price was right. Kristie didn’t have a lot of stuff. She had been downsizing, simplifying her life. She got rid of her husband, her lover, and everything else except her personal needs… and a black and white cat named, “Zappa.” The cat was alright with Mrs. Dee but he had to stay in Kristie’s room at all times because of Troubles.
She stayed with Mrs. Dee and Troubles for the month of August between the end of summer and the beginning of her college courses. One day walking back to Mrs. Dee’s house from the bus stop, she spotted an old friend from high school. She was attracted to his coal black eyes and his dark chocolate skin.
Malcolm was the nicest guy with impeccable manners and a beautiful deep baritone bass voice. They met at choir practice, but he took one look at Kristie and saw the devil. No matter how she tried to flirt and entice him, he would look away and start quoting verses.
He had raised keloid knife scars on his face and neck. He never said what happened, but everyone assumed that the other guy was dead.
Kristie saw him day after day working in the yard, watering his mama’s roses, or fixing something under the hood of the family Dodge. He was a good church boy and he never wavered in his faithfulness to Jesus or his mama. Kristie never got to taste him and her appetite for him went unfulfilled.
She found out later that his father was the one who died after the knife fight. Malcolm spent some time being locked up, but he was savior to his mama and his tormented sisters. Mrs. Dee saw the lust in Kristie’s eyes, “Now you leave that boy alone, hear? He’s been through enough troubles.”
She went off to work in her garden muttering to herself, “Troubles, troubles…”
Her dog was right at her heels as if he knew she had been talking to him.
When the Fall semester began, Kristie moved in with a new boyfriend and left Malcolm alone as she was directed. Troubles.
(First published 4/3/12)
