Ghost on Black Mountain Read Online Free PDF Page A

likes to joke. You have to get used to his ways.”
    Oshie gave me a disgusted look. “We know all about Hobbs Pritchard’s ways, ma’am.”
    “My name is Nellie. I come from Asheville.”
    Maynard nodded. “We know, but you need to get back in that house with your food before Hobbs catches you.”
    “That’s no way to act.” The words popped out of my mouth. “He don’t care if you eat his food.”
    Oshie laughed mean-like. “He’d rather feed that food to some old hogs than give it to us.”
    Maynard nodded and spoke gentle as if my mind wasunhinged. “We’re beholding to the thought, ma’am, but it’s best you go on back in that house and not talk to us no more.”
    “Yeah, if you don’t care nothing about yourself, at least think of us. Hobbs would kill us dead for talking to you.” Oshie looked at me like I had some kind of disease.
    I opened my mouth to argue with them about how Hobbs wasn’t and couldn’t be like they said, but I saw in them boys a truth that couldn’t be denied. I nodded and turned, but something stopped me dead in my tracks, and I whipped back around.
    “I ain’t like that. My mama taught me manners and how to treat folks when they offered me good Christian thoughts.”
    Oshie puffed up. “We don’t need your Christian thoughts.”
    Tears stung the back of my throat.
    Maynard took a step forward. “It ain’t got a thing to do with you, Mrs. Pritchard.”
    And there it was, the Mrs. part. I was changed whether I wanted to be or not. I only nodded and went back to the house, where I dumped the food in the trash. It was a pure sin with so many souls hungry, but them boys were too proud and stubborn to take my kindness.

Seven

H obbs was in the habit of sleeping a big part of Saturday and Sunday. This was probably caused from his late hours. The weekend seemed to always bring some emergency that called him away to a neighboring farm. And so I wasn’t a bit surprised to see a man standing outside one chilly Saturday at dusk.
    “Who is that out in the drive, Hobbs?”
    Hobbs stood behind me to look out the window. He smelled like pine trees. I leaned back against him. For a second, he relaxed into me. “That’s Harper Wallace. He works for me. There must be some kind of trouble.” He pushed me away with a light touch.
    “What kind of trouble is it this time?” My words had a tired, run-down sound.
    Hobbs’s look turned dark and he wrapped his large hand around my wrist, pulling me close to his face. “You got some kind of attitude? My business ain’t your problem. I told you there was trouble. That’s all I need to say.”
    My throat closed. Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut?
    His grip tightened. He could snap my bone without much effort. “I work while you sit around this house doing nothing much, some little colored girl cleaning. Just shut up and leave me alone.” His fingers left prints on my skin.
    Part of me wanted to tell him that he could go to hell. The other part wanted him to be the man I met in Asheville, the one who saved me from a life of serving.
    “Now, don’t go getting your feelings hurt, or I’ll have to stay here and love on you. My work will go down the drain. We got to have money.”
    “Go on and look after things.” In that instant, I wanted him to leave and not come back.
    “Don’t worry, now. I’ll be back before sunup and I’ll wake you.”
    And he was true to his word.
Hobbs crawled into bed around dawn, giving me whiskey kisses. I tolerated it until he turned over on his back and snored louder than ever. Men drank and women turned their heads. Mama and Daddy taught me that.
    That’s when I decided I would go visit the First Episcopal Church of Black Mountain. I thought it was funny that such a small town would have a first anything since they didn’t even have a second. I was missing that old soup line back at home something terrible. See, when I was there I had a purpose, a reason to put my feet on the floor each morning.