The Sound of Cedar

Prologue

"I swear Verity, there ain't a breeze across this entire damn state. My god I'm cookin' alive!" Mama exclaimed, fanning herself with one of those colorful Japanese bamboo fans won at the fair this past summer. Even the orange and green fishes seemed to be melting, fading away-like on the paper. 

"Want me to fetch you a cold tea, mama?" Verity offered, getting up from her spot on the top step by the tall white pillars of the stoop. The cicada bugs buzzed loudly today, screeching to high heaven in the heat. 

Mama stopped fanning herself and beckoned. Cupping Verity's face, "baby girl, you are the perfect daughter. I'd love some."

Verity smiled and ran in to the house, pushing around Ms. Lemin's wide skirts just as she came through the back-stoop door.

"Proper ladies don't run in the house, Verity!" Mary warned, dragging along her five-year old. A fat boy. Todd. 'A proper boy's name' she'd said the day Verity had met him. 

He was just the ugliest thing. Verity hadn't told her mama that though, she wouldn't have liked that. Mama liked Mrs. Lemins for some reason, though she didn't know why. She had this god-awful cat-scratch sounding voice that nagged and scolded non-stop. Poor Todd. He was always getting scolded. 

Verity knew though that even though Mama claimed she liked Mrs. Lemins, the only reason she really only came over was to get her palm read or fortune told by mama's magic cards. Every time Mama was done reading the cards, Mrs. Lemons sauntered out of the house like she owned the world. 

"Sorry, Mrs. Lemins!" Verity shouted and slowed down before turning the corner down the hall in case she was still watching through the screen in the door, then booked it to the kitchen. Her shoes clapped on the floorboards, long dark pigtails clapping her back with the rhythm. Turning in to the kitchen, Tilly came in to view holding a tray of fresh beignets frosted with powered sugar. Her favorite. 

"For me?!" Verity gasped.

"Of course, they're for you, silly girl! That boy Todd don't need no more," she snorted, leaning over to whisper "you seen those legs? Poor thing. He's gonna look just like his daddy one day."
Verity hid her giggle behind her hand. 

"You hear that?" Tilly asked, looking out the small window above the kitchen sink. A pie sat on the shelf covered in a plaid kitchen rag, cooling down. Dessert for dinner tonight.

"I think the post man is here."

In three skips, Verity was at the back door, but remembered, "Oh! Tilly?" 

She was humming a cheerful song Verity had heard a million times, kneading some dough on the counter. Her pretty chocolate skin glowed in the light from the kitchen window. "Mm?" 

"Do we have any of that cold tea left? Mama wants some. With lemon please, if there is any."

"Yes'm. We got some. Why don't I take some tea and some of these beignets out to her and Mrs. Lemins while you fetch the mail for us?"

Verity's eyes pinched with concern but she swallowed and politely replied, "Yes, Ms. Tilly. Thank you."

Tilly smiled warmly and winked, "No worries Miss Verity, there's another plate waiting for you when you get back."

Verity's eyes sparkled, her smile reaching ear to ear. She fled then, out the kitchen door and down the steps. Across the long dirt driveway, summer dress flapping about her knees, and down the small earth-trodden shortcut through the grass to the post box. The post man smiled as she ran up, tipping his white hat.

"Miss Verity, I ran in to your mama yesterday at Hardman's, She's always lookin' so pretty your mama, just like you. She mentioned you was turnin' ten today. Is that true?"