RIP IN THE SCREEN

Chapter Twenty Seven (Bruce visits Junebug ~ the blue haze)

Junebug finished wrapping the present she had bought for John for Christmas. She knew he had been wanting a new hunting rifle and she had scrimped, sold eggs, and baked cakes and sold them in town until she had enough money to buy it. She had bought the one that the owner of the mercantile told her John had been looking at for so long.  Boy would he be surprised. She would keep it hidden under Junior’s bed until Christmas morning. She had told Junior about it and he had said that his Paw shore would be happy.

She and John had gone into town one day back in the summer when Junior was off fishing with Cliff and had purchased him a hunting rifle for Christmas. John had stood longingly and looked at the rifles after they had picked the one out for Junior. Junebug could hardly contain herself from telling him then what her plans were, but she had managed to keep it a secret. 

She felt a little flutter in her stomach and immediately placed her hand on her little growing bump. She smiled to herself as she thought of the little baby growing inside her. She couldn’t wait. She often sang to the baby and read to it as well. She believed that it was important to stimulate the baby before it was born. She had been knitting booties, a little sweater and cap. She had made several little gowns and had sent off by mail order for some other things. 

Ms. Jenkins had said she was working on a baby quilt for the little darling. She just knew it was going to be a little girl. Junebug secretly hoped she was right.  A little girl, to dress up and comb her hair and teach how to cook and sew. How delightful that would be.

Junebug had been keeping the doors locked like John had instructed and he and Junior had been doing all her chores. She would wash the clothes on the back porch with the outside doors locked, and hang the clothes up beside the cook stove on a homemade wooden rack that John had made for her. She enjoyed doing this and once the shirts and stuff were almost dry she would just heat up her iron on the old cook stove and iron them while they were still damp and it made this task much easier. Even if she did hang them out on the clothes line they would freeze harder than a rock, however she did miss being able to just go outside whenever she pleased. She was certainly an outside girl. She loved talking long walks and just enjoying nature. She had thought about asking John if maybe sometime she could afford to buy some artist supplies. She used to draw as a little girl and she just would love to try her hand at it. She had looked at some of the things the mail order magazines had and it could be pretty expensive. With the new baby coming and all, things like that would have to wait.

She heard a soft knock on the back door and figured it must be Ms. Jenkins and Sue. They were coming by for cake later on today and she figured they must have come early. She finished pushing the gift for John under Junior’s  bed and went to the door. She remembered John’s instructions and peeped out the window first. It was Bruce. What in the world was Bruce Layton doing here. 

Junebug stood and rung her hands back and forth for several seconds trying to decide what to do. She had only seen him at church since that one time and this would be a very hard thing to do to just talk to him. She decided the best thing to do was to act like everything was just as fine as it was.  “Really?” she thought to herself. “Are things really all right?”

She unlatched the door and opened it to the screen. Bruce was standing there just looking at her. She unlatched the old screen door and pushed it a bit toward Bruce.

“Well, hello there Bruce. I haven’t seen you around in a long time. Where have you been and what are you up to these days?”

Bruce took the screen door handle and opened it all the way. Junebug stepped aside so he could come in.

“Come on in Bruce, it’s cold out there. Let me get you a cup of hot cider. You must be frozen with it as cold as it is.” she stuttered a bit.