Dollbaby: A Novel Read Online Free PDF

the drawer and ran it under the faucet.
    “Hold this up against your cheek. It’ll cool you off. Ain’t no air conditioning in this old house. You’ll get used to it after a while.” Queenie grabbed a bottle from the icebox and tapped the metal top on the edge of the blue Formica counter until it popped off. She stuck a straw into the bottle and handed it to Ibby. “Here, drink this. Maybe something cool will help.”
    Ibby couldn’t decide if she liked the almond soda, called Dr. Nut, but it was cold, and that was all that mattered. She glanced out the back window, where, beyond the reach of the tall pecan tree, several sets of sheets flapped from a clothesline. Just off the back of the house was a screened porch with a picnic table. Above the table, six or eight plastic bags filled with water dangled from the rafters, glistening in the sun like uncut diamonds. Queenie saw her staring at them.
    “Those called penny bags. Each of them got a brand-new penny on the bottom. The light reflecting off the penny supposed to confuse the flies, so they don’t come around and bother the food, although every time I see a fly, they confused enough already. Know what I mean?” Queenie chuckled.
    The smell from the cast-iron pot filled the air.
    “What are you cooking?” Ibby asked.
    “This here’s redfish courtbouillon.” The word came out of Queenie’s mouth sounding like
koo-bee-yon
. “Kind a like a fish stew. It got to cook a good while, know itself first, before it be done. Just waiting on the redfish that Mr. Pierce the fish man gone bring by the house later.” She began dicing up some vegetables and tossing them into a bowl. When she finished, she tilted the bowl so Ibby could see what was inside. “This here is the Holy Trinity. Onion, celery, and
poivron
, or what some folks call bell pepper. Along with a touch of garlic and a smidgen of cayenne pepper, the Holy Trinity goes into just abouteverything I cook. Can’t use too much pepper, though. Miss Fannie gets indigestion, and believe you me, you don’t want to be around when that happens.” She tossed the contents of the bowl into the pot, stirred it a few more times, then put the lid on.
    Doll came into the kitchen and tugged at her hair. Ibby was aghast when Doll pulled it completely off her head.
    “Miss Ibby, you gone catch one of them flies in that mouth if you don’t close it,” Queenie said.
    Doll laughed when she saw the look on Ibby’s face. “You thought that was my real hair? No, baby, just a wig.” Doll tossed the hairpiece onto the counter by the back window.
    “How’s Miss Fannie? Should we call the doctor?” Queenie asked.
    “She got a mighty fine bump on her head, but she’ll be all right.”
    “You sure we don’t need to call the doctor?”
    “No, Mama, she just needs a little rest, that’s all.” Doll sat on a stool near the back window and stared out into the backyard.
    Ibby could tell something was on her mind.
    Queenie placed a bowl in front of Ibby. “Go on, eat up, baby. You must be hungry after your trip.”
    Ibby poked at the white blob in the bowl with the spoon. “What is it?”
    “Taste it first, then I’ll tell you,” Queenie said.
    Ibby didn’t like that answer. That was the kind of answer her mother used to give her when she was trying to get her to eat cauliflower, and the one thing she hated more than anything was cauliflower. She gingerly pinched off a minuscule portion and examined it before letting the tip of her tongue linger on the spoon, trying to decide if it was to her liking. To her surprise, the stuff was pleasantly sweet. She noticed Queenie watching her.
    “You never had clabber before, I can tell,” Queenie said.
    Ibby shook her head. “What is clabber, exactly?”
    “You let the milk sit out for a day or two until it sours and the top part congeals. I sprinkled a little nutmeg and cinnamon on top to give it some punch.”
    Ibby pushed her empty bowl away. “Glad you didn’t tell me