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.Aun Sis was worse than the mail service.Rain, shine, sleet,or snow she was sitting on that porch.Only a blizzard couldhave driven her inside, but such phenomena are unknown inthat part of Alabama.When it was a mere eighteen or nine-teen degrees, Aun Sis put on her light overcoat and survivedoff her fat.In fact, if you stepped on her porch on the coldestof days, there seemed to be a certain amount of warmth ex-uding from the great lady.Perhaps that was because of herorigins.Anyway, she would sit there and keep up her varioustirades against the neighbors.Aun Sis continued her bullying and misdirected soul sav-ing throughout my junior high school years, but the yearI started high school was the year she met her pepper salt.It came in the form of a pint-sized runt by the name of SaryJane Rebecca Addison (named for two grandmothers and anaunt).Sary moved into the neighborhood and transferred tothe local high school.Her family occupied the house thatMrs.Johnson used to live in, thus suggesting it was destinedfrom the beginning that she not get along with Aun Sis.Sary s mother had died six months before, so perhaps Aun Sisfelt a special obligation toward Sary because she had no chil-dren of her own.But Sary didn t feel particularly like return-ing the obligation.This revealed itself the first time she madea trip to the now famous store across from Aun Sis.It was thebeginning of spring, on a Saturday afternoon, and Aun Siswas sitting there busily trying to force a couple of flowers togrow when she saw Sary switching up the street.She had ona bikini top and a pair of short shorts.Aun Sis swiftly con-[ 70The Overweight Angelcluded that the devil was in our midst and that this childneeded her soul saved.  Roun here, she directed to the fast-approaching Sary, we dress accordin to our family. Well, I m sure glad my family isn t from around here,the impish Sary replied. I don t take to sheets very well. Itwas obvious that Sary had been warned about Aun Sis andobvious too that Aun Sis had not been warned about Sary.The big woman almost rose from her seat in a show of sur-prise, but changed her mind halfway up.She couldn t let thedevil get the upper hand.Mustn t let the child know of herstartled reaction.She sank back into her chair, more deter-mined than ever that she should save Sary from the throes ofthe wicked, and come Judgment Day, present her soul as ashining offering on the altar of the Lord.Thus determined,she decided to take a new approach with Sary.Instead of in-sults, threats, or insinuations, she would use logic. What I meant, Sary, she tried again,  wuz that the littleboys often git the wrong ideas when girls don cover up theirbodies.Goin  round  sposed like that might cause  em tothink you easy. Didn t cause Daddy to think that way about Momma andthis was her favorite outfit.And that s probably why you so backward, Aun Sis un-doubtedly thought no home training but she didn t saya word.And for that woman to be speechless was in itselfsomething miraculous.The miracle was only momentary,however. Didn t yo mama teach you no respect for yo elders?Aun Sis asked. Sure she did and she told me to be especially respectful toAun Rebecca  cause she gets a bit trying sometime.71 ]SUMMER SNOWUnwilling to be led or pushed from her course, Aun Sisresponded. What about strangers? Didn t she tell you to be kind to em? What about that? My Momma, said Sary, looking directly at Aun Sis andpausing for emphasis,  told me not to talk to strangers. Withthat, she turned and walked into the store.The interval gaveAun Sis time to revamp her attack or her rescue, dependingon your point of view.She had a long reverie, because whatshe didn t realize then was that Sary had a part-time job atthe store on weekends.Cut n Coot provided her with this bitof information when she joined Aun Sis on the porch [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]