Cheating Death

 

Cheating Death

 

Daddy cheated death more than once but one time was memorable. His friend Cecil Sattlewhite brought his new speedboat around to our dock late on a Saturday afternoon. He called up to Daddy who was up on the shore playing with my younger brother Willis who was about three years old at the time. “Come on, Clarke. I’ll take you for a ride. Bring your boy along.”

 

Mama put her foot down. “He’s drunk as a skunk, Virginius, You’re not taking my baby out on that boat and if you have half a brain in your head you won’t go either.”

 

Daddy didn’t listen to Mama often. I watched from the swing on the backporch wondering what Daddy would do.

 

“You go on, Cecil. I have things to do here.” He glared at Mama as he walked past her and through the screen door. I heard him open the cabinet under the kitchen sink. I didn’t have to look to know that he had taken out his bottle of Seagrams’ and was standing in front of the sink, his head dropped back, the whiskey pouring straight from the bottle down his throat. I had seen him do it many times. In my mind’s eye I saw his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed. Then he would lower the bottle, wipe his mouth with the back of this hand, let out a satisfied little sound from the back of his throat, check the bottle and put it back under the sink.

 

He got real drunk that night and he had a fight with Mama. He was mad at her for embarrassing him in front of Cecil. But Cecil wouldn’t live long enough to tell anyone. Shortly after he left our dock he smashed his little speedboat into the breakwater outside of Belhaven. Mama never let daddy live that one down. She reminded him often that if it had not been for her he would have died with Cecil that night.

Author's Note

Much of the autobiographical shorts I post here have found their way - as fiction - into my novel, Pungo Creek.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Sometime we need luck and a mean woman to keep us in line. I like this story. Life is a odd journey if you look back. The great escapes leave us thankful. I like the description. A sad ending for Cecil. A excellent story.

Coyote

[Vanilla]

I think I like your poems better but this is pretty good.