He found the group out by the pool snapping beans. As soon Tippy saw Ian she grinned broadly, “This is so “Beverly Hillbillies” don’t you think? All of the clan sitting around the cement pond as the sun goes down a snappin’ beans.”
Ian put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Tippy patted Ian’s hand and said as she went back to her beans, “He’ll be as fine as he can be, Baby Doll.”
Ian sat cross-legged on the ground and started stringing a handful of beans. Tippy chucked his chin, then looked at her youngest son. “Jesse, darling, when you snap ‘em, pull the strings off, too.”
“Sorry, Mom, I haven’t done this much, the bean thing anyway.”
“It’s alright baby, just look ‘em over real good before you put ‘em in the bowl.” She dropped her handful in a large bowl and grabbed another that she plopped in her lap. “Jimmy has family all around him tonight, and as long as he needs us.”
Ian nodded his head and reached for another handful of beans. Tippy grabbed him by the chin and held his face so she was looking right into Ian’s blue eyes, “And you, too, don’t ever forget that.”
Ian just nodded his head and tightened his lips so they wouldn’t tremble.
“We should do this more often.” Reese said to no one.
Colton remembered, “We always used to have a family night once a week until we all went off on our separate ways. We’d have a big old meal and play board games and stuff. It was fun.”
“Mama always made us have Sunday dinner together,” Tippy said. “It was a cardinal rule in our house, as long as you weren’t dead and someone could drive you there and back before bedtime you were expected.”
“Now Ian, what about this Aunt Hil you were talking about? Was she your mother’s sister or your father’s?” Tippy asked.
“Actually neither. I just always called her that. She and my grandma were close, but were not related in any way, unless we were a lot more Southern than any one is willing to admit.”
Tippy smiled and nodded her head. Jesse looked at them, “Huh?”
Reese nudged Jess. “Ian’s Aunt Hil was an old black lady who lived in a house beside the farm.”
“She was probably the closest thing to a mother I had. She always made sure I was well fed and able to take care of myself after Grandma died. Taught me how to cook and made sure I knew how to get things done that needed to be.”
“Who taught you to play guitar?” Reese asked.
“No body really. I kinda taught myself. I’ve just always been able to pick up things real quick when I set my mind to it. Aunt Hil said I had ‘the ear’, but Uncle Nate always called it a curse. Pitched a fit if I even hummed in the shower. Not that we had a shower or a toilet.”
“Surely those people who bought the house put a bathroom in.” Tippy said never taking her eyes off her lap of green beans.
“Oh they tore the whole place down, or blew on it and let it fall down. Kyle and Janie rebuilt the house. It was a nice piece of land though.”
“Wait a minute,” Jesse said, “You grew up in a house without a toilet or a bathtub?”
“I grew up in tobacco and coal country Jesse; no one had a lot of money. Granted most had indoor plumbing, and if Grandma had lived a little longer we probably would have too, but Uncle Nate just never wanted to spend the money.”
Jesse shook his head. “I can’t imagine that.”
Ian tried to explain to him. “We did have a tub that I’d fill with hot water out in the Spring House for baths. Now we did have running water, so that wasn’t as big a chore as it could have been. And there was a working outdoor shower stall that Aunt Hil said had been put in when the place had ranch hands. Of course, I only used that during the summer.”
“Do you know if that little Sugar Plum won his prize or not?” Tippy asked.
“All I know is that first thing Tuesday morning, a big black limo pulled up out in front of Lost Mountain Grammar School and a man in a uniform hand delivered a package to Ronnie Osborne in his classroom that he had to sign for.”
“Bet that still has the whole town talking.” Colton chuckled as he picked back over the beans Jesse had snapped.
“Did you send everything?” Tippy wanted to know.
“I sent five letters, a number of autographed pictures, my Oscar program signed by Saxon and a number of others, including two of the winners. I got everyone in my office to sign some promo sheets from HRT and included a DVD of two episodes of some children’s program that runs on Saturday mornings that haven’t aired yet.” Ian looked up at Tippy.
“Not bad.”
“The only other thing I could scrounge up was a token for a free car wash and a voucher for a free bikini wax.”
“I don’t know…” Tippy shook her head. “That could have persuaded the teacher a little.”
Ian was just able to grab another handful of beans when his cell phone rang. Ian slipped it out of his pocket and held it out to Tippy. “Did you wanna get this for me?”
“Who is it?” She asked.
Ian looked at the number flashing. “I don’t know.”
“Well answer it Baby Doll and find out.”
Ian flipped open the phone. “Hello?”
“Mr. Justyn? This is Janie Osborne…”
“Janie! How are you! We were just talking about Ronnie. Did he…”
“That’s so nice Mr. Justyn, but this isn’t really a social call…”
“Janie…what’s wrong…?
“Oh honey, I don’t know how to tell you this…” Ian wasn’t sure, but he thought she might be crying.
“Janie just blurt it out, don’t think about it…"
“Mr. Justyn…Ian…Miz Hilary has passed….”
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