The American Café

33

229 33 Sadie and Rosalee sat cross-legged on a blanket of grass in the shade of a tall blackgum tree. They took turns tossing pebbles into the rippling water of a nearby stream and watching as, periodically, the tree surrendered a fiery red leaf to the late September breeze. Some leaves floated slowly to the ground, while others landed in the water and rode the current until they disappeared downstream. “I didn’t even know this park was here,” Rosalee said. “It’s kind of nice, isn’t it? It’s peaceful.” Red walked down a slope covered in crimson sumac on the opposite side of the stream. He wore his black hat with an unusually large feather secured under a beaded band and carried a bundle under his arm. He hopped across a makeshift bridge of large rocks and joined the two women. “Thank you for coming,” he said. “I couldn’t think of a nicer place to talk.” Sadie started to stand. “No,” he said. “Stay seated.” He chose a spot in front of them, placed the bundle on the grass, and sat down next to it. He looked at Rosalee and winked. “We have the test results back.” “Oh, Red, I should have told you. We don’t need that test any more. I know Goldie was my mother, not Pearl.” Red ignored her. “And the results were positive,” he said. “Positive?” Sadie asked. Red nodded once. “Positive,” he repeated. “But I know John Mobley was not my brother,” Rosalee said. “You’re wrong.” “I always knew John Mobley, may he rest in peace, was not your brother,” he said. 230 Rosalee stared at him. “If you knew that, why did you let me go through all of that with the stupid blood test?” “I knew John wasn’t your brother because I buried his twin sister.” Both women looked stunned. “When Pearl was raped,” he continued, “and yes, you were right about the article, she was raped behind the café, her folks were so embarrassed about Pearl’s predicament that they took her to a little shack in the woods behind their place. They left her there with food and supplies and checked on her about once a week.” “Oh, my.” Sadie shook her head. “I came upon Pearl not long after she had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. She had wrapped John in a towel and propped him against a tree. He was screaming his head off. She was holding the little girl under the water in the creek. I rushed over to her, but the baby was dead. Pearl was delirious. I don’t really know if she drowned the poor thing, or if it died during childbirth. I put Pearl and John back in the cabin and buried the baby. Then I walked to her folks’ place and told them they needed to get up there and take care of their daughter.” “That’s why Pearl kept saying someone took her baby girl.” Sadie hugged her knees to her chest. “Did you tell anyone about the other baby?” Rosalee asked. “No, not until now. I don’t know if that was right or wrong, but that was the decision I made and I’ve lived with it all these years.” “I don’t understand.” Rosalee shrugged her shoulders. “Then how can the test results be positive? You just said Pearl was John’s mother, and I know Goldie was mine.” Red untied the string around the bundle and unrolled the piece of suede holding the contents together. He uncovered an old envelope, opened it, removed the letter inside, and held it in his hand. “This is the last letter I received from my brother before his helicopter was shot down in Vietnam. I never really understood what he was talking about. Now I know.” He unfolded the letter and began to read: Dear Brother, Keep the fire burning for me. Soon there will be another baby Red Stick warrior born to carry on our legacy. And, brother, we are going to eat 231 very well for the rest of our lives. Mickey Rosalee looked around. “I don’t get it,” she said. Tears streamed down Sadie’s cheeks as she looked into Red’s face and felt the impact of his brother’s words. “How can you tell anything from that letter?” Rosalee sounded irritated . “This...