The Widow Of Magnolia Lane

Part 7

Natalie tousled her fingers in J.J.'s soft curls as he slept snug in her arms.  It was a short ride from her house to the Pritchard's but it felt like an eternity.  The driver, a man as old as the dirt under their sturdy foundations, took his time driving the black Rolls Royce across the street.  The Pritchard's lived on a hill overlooking the other mansions.  It loomed and towered like a castle in the small suburbs.  Before reaching the house, they approached a gate.  The older gentlemen pressed a button, stated his name, and the gate opened to allow them through. 

 The long driveway was graced by rows of weeping willows on each side.  Each tree bowed to those that entered.  Natalie stared blankly at their beauty.  Yesterday, they would have been enchanting to look at, today, they were only trees.  They were greeted by three men as the car parked in front of the massive brick abode.  None of them moved until Mrs. Pritchard got out of the vehicle.  Natalie could see her moving her arms about like a conductor to a small orchestra, sending the men in different directions.  The maids, who had ridden with them, assisted Mrs. Pritchard once she reached the front door.  A man with a medium build and dirty blonde hair opened the back door for her and J.J.  The smell of fresh cigarette smoke wafted through her nostrils.  He glared at Natalie from head to toe, a look of pity formed on his suntanned face as he took her hand gently.  He escorted them up to the steps into the most breathtaking entryway she had ever seen.   A double staircase with brass embellishments coupled with a black marble floor boasted beneath the eight-tiered chandelier.

A room off of the entry caught her eye.  It was attached to the house but its ceiling and walls were made of glass held together by black beams.  It housed various plants and flowers.  Without thinking, she walked over to it, attracted by its allurement.  

"Miss, you can't go over there.  I have a room prepared for you", a tall foreign man said.

"Leave her be Ahmed, she can go anywhere she pleases", Mrs. Pritchard said dismissing him.  

Natalie found a couch near two huge potted vases containing purple lotuses and red begonias.  She laid J.J. down and covered him with a knitted blanket hanging from a chaise in the corner.  

"Anna will stay with him.  Go take a shower so we can get you out of this messy nightgown.  I have a pair of clean pajamas and slippers for you to change into".  Victoria motioned for another maid to come over and lead her to the bathroom.  

Natalie took the longest shower of her life.  Standing under the hot water and at times away from it, her thoughts danced with memories.  Some good, some bad.  She watched as his blood, mixed with soap, swirl down the drain and wash away.  She had wanted him dead many times. And now he was gone.  She felt fulfilled yet empty.  Removing the plush towel from its rack, she dried off, changed into the pajamas, and headed downstairs.  

J.J. was still asleep.  Anna left out of the room as Natalie approached. She picked him up and held him close until drifting off to sleep.  An hour after dozing off, Natalie was awakened by a sharp stinging sensation digging into her left foot.  

She sat up slightly and noticed Mrs. Pritchard's dog gnawing the slipper and grazing its teeth along her toes.  Natalie hated that dog.  It would often escape from the Pritchard's residence and find a way to shit in her prized azaleas.  The last time the pint-sized mutt laid a couple of logs in her flower bed, she turned the jet stream on the hose and shot water up to its ass. Of all the times it could have chosen to get her back for that, it decided now was the time, when she was most exhausted.  

She tried to swat it away by kicking it into the far corner of the room but the dog came back more aggressive, it's teeth exposed like a small ferocious wolf.  Natalie looked around for something to hit it with and found a magazine rack.  She reached inside slowly, trying not to wake up J.J., and grabbed a thick magazine rolling it tightly.  As it began to chew and gnaw once more at her toe, she brought the magazine down with all her strength and swatted the pooch on top of its head.  It dashed out of the room yelping loudly.  J.J. stirred a little in his sleep and eased back to slumber.  Its loud cries circulated throughout the house.  Mrs. Pritchard's empathetic voice could be heard comforting the poor dog.    Her voice, echoing down the steps soothing the wounded animal.  She waltzed into the room where Natalie and J.J. were sleeping.

"Natalie...Are you hungry hun?"

"No. I'm fine Mrs. Pritchard", Natalie flipped the blanket over her head covering the child entirely.

Ignoring her, Mrs. Pritchard grabbed a chair from a bistro table near the corner and pulled it up to the sofa.  

"You haven't had anything to eat most of the morning and it's almost time for you to go to the police station.  And besides, that darling little angel needs to eat".  She smiled earnestly at Natalie reaching over and gently patting her knee.  Startled, Natalie looked curiously at Mrs. Pritchard.

"You know sugar.  Me and you are a lot alike more than you realize.  I grew up in Mobile Alabama, poorer than a sewer rat on a hot day.  I remember you told me that you grew up poor too.  I tell you those were the days.  Paw fished for a living. We ate fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Poor mamma.  She tried to cook the fish a hundred different ways but no matter what, it still tasted like fish".

Natalie looked at her with a raised eyebrow.  Unsure of the direction Mrs. Pritchard was going.

"When I met Malcolm, he was trying to buy the land, or what little there was my PawPaw had.  He fell in love with me and I fell in love with his money.  Ma and Pa got to keep their land and I hightailed it outta there on the first train to Maryland with him.  I wanted to be a dancer.  I could dance you know.  Graceful like a swan I was. I'm sure you had dreams too before you married Joseph".

Natalie thought about how much she enjoyed taking pictures and how she took up classes at the community college for photography.  She had forgotten her talent. Her smile crept slightly.

"We are in love with powerful men honey.  And when that happens darlin', you take a backseat to your dreams.  I mean even though Malcolm is white and Joseph was black, they were still a lot alike".

Natalie's smile flattened.  Mrs. Pritchard was better off comparing strawberries to rocks.  Victoria looked around the room, scooted up the chair and leaned into Natalie.

"You may not realize it but I know more about black men than you think.  One time, when Malcolm went on a business trip to Germany, I went with a girlfriend of mine to Woodstock".

"Mrs. Pritchard?  You went to Woodstock?"  Natalie shook her head and giggled.

"I most certainly did.  I met a handsome black man with an Afro named Jerome.  Told me he played with the Jimmy Hendricks band and was from Chicago".  Her face lit up and her eyes wandered back to the memories of years gone.

"We danced.  We talked. We smoked pot and we laid on blankets listening to music and watching the night sky for 3 days.  I was in love sugar.  And you know something?"

Engaged and eager for more, Natalie sat up.  "What's that Mrs. Pritchard?"

"It was the first time in my life...That a man ate my pussy! 

She quickly covered her mouth and giggled quietly like a schoolgirl.  

Unable to control the rumble in her stomach, Natalie laughed hysterically.  J.J. sat up and looked curiously at the two women laughing.

"There it is.  There is that ray of sunshine I've been waiting to see".  

Mrs. Pritchard clapped her hands and kissed Natalie's forehead.

"Thank you for having me and J.J. here Mrs. Pritchard", Natalie said with tears in her eyes from laughing.

"Why it's an honor sugar.  And call me Victoria.  Now come on in the kitchen.  Anna has cooked a big breakfast.  Let's get you and that baby fed".

"I'll be there in a minute"  Natalie watched as J.J. walked hand in hand toward the kitchen with Mrs. Pritchard.  She walked over to the bistro table and grabbed her phone.  

The list of people to call was long but she could only think of one person.