Little Altars Everywhere Read Online Free PDF Page B

with Daddy’s cowboy belt. I simply had to defend Charlene.
     
    Aunt Jezie just wants to hear everything. When I get back from class, I show all my routines to her. If she has the record, she’ll stand me in front of her full-length mirror and teach me to sing the words to the dance tunes. Of course Aunt Jezie already knows about Charlene being ex–Miss Louisiana, but I am the one to tell her about The Jackie Gleason Show . I am also the one who tells her about Charlene’s sleep mask and her pink comforter and her little dotted-swiss babydoll pajamas.
    When she’s home for the summer, Aunt Jezie and I always do lots of fun things. Sometimes she’ll decide at ten o’clock at night that she absolutely has to have a root beer float. And we jump into Buggy’s Ford Fairlane and putt on over to the A&W, wearing nothing but our cotton piqué nightgowns. We order from the carhop and Aunt Jezie just dares anyone to say a word about how we’re dressed. And we ride horses early in the mornings before the sun gets scorching hot. Aunt Jezie is a great horsewoman. She teaches me dressage and grooming and how to feel what a horse is saying to you. She says, You’ve always got to be the boss. Onceyou let the horse take over, then you just might as well forget the whole thing.
    One time after dance class, Aunt Jezie comes to pick me up as a surprise. Instead of waiting in the car like Mama does, she walks right up to the door of the dance studio. We are just finishing up our Yankee Doodle Dandy routine with all the slaps and toe-tips, and from the corner of my eye I can see Aunt Jezie leaning against the door in her khaki pants and loafers with no socks. I pretend I don’t notice her, but I start kicking and hopping furiously to impress her with my talent.
    As soon as we finish, I run over to Aunt Jezie and grab her hand. I am panting like a dog, I’m so out of breath. I say, Come on! Come and meet Charlene!
    I pull her over to the record player where Charlene is putting stuff away. Charlene looks especially gorgeous. She has on her black leotard with a pink sash around the waist and a matching scarf in her hair. Just the way she stands with her feet kind of splayed out is a wonder to me. (I try to stand like that, so people will think I’m a professional dancer, but Mama always comes along and says, Stop standing duck-footed. You look ridiculous.)
    I say, Charlene, this is my Aunt Jezie. She goes to Ole Miss.
    Aunt Jezie says, Thrilled to finally meet. The child adores you.
    Then she holds out her hand to shake hands with Charlene, although ladies in Thornton never do that.It doesn’t faze Charlene though. She has probably seen every thing in New York. She shakes Aunt Jezie’s hand and they look each other right in the eyes.
    Good to meet you, Charlene says, and she reaches her other hand up to touch her hair. Then she does a tendu and smiles.
    Aunt Jezie says, I want to thank you for the special attention you’ve been giving Siddalee. She’s my protégée, you know.
    I chime in, Aunt Jezie teaches me how to sing!
    Oh, do you sing? Charlene asks Aunt Jezie.
    Aunt Jezie laughs and says, I sing passionately to horses, dogs, and children. The general public I avoid.
    Charlene laughs back, and Aunt Jezie says, I’ve enjoyed seeing you on television. How lucky we are to have you back in Thornton.
    Charlene does a plié and says, It’s nice to be back. I think .
    Aunt Jezie is the one smiling now, and she says, Maybe we should get together sometime and have a laugh or two about this armpit of a town.
    Charlene says, I’d like that. God knows there’s enough to laugh about.
    I want to ask, There is? Then I think, Are yall going to laugh about me?
    But before I can even open my mouth, Aunt Jezie says, Ciao! and she leads me down to the car.
    She drives straight out to Pearl’s Plunge, a concrete pool with spring water, where they have a dance pavilion and all. We swim and lie in the sun all day and eat corn dogs from the