If The Tree Could Talk (oh what stories it would tell)

By Karen C. Brown

The Family Tree in the small town of Top Water, Louisiana takes on a different meaning for the Greenson family. In their front yard is literally a family tree. Everything was talked about under this tree, marriage proposals, birth announcements heart breaks, and other let downs, even a decision that drastically affected the life of 12-year-old Callie Greenson, better known as Sweetie Pie.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karen C. Brown
• Release date: Aug 16, 2010
• ISBN: 9780982463017

Karen C. Brown

Karen is a native of Louisiana and a graduate of Grambling State University with a degree in Social Work. She loves to read and is co-founder of Sisters Sippin’ Tea Literary Book Club, Houston Chapter. Her first book, If The Tree Could Talk is now available. Karen has always had a love and joy of reading and to date romance novels are still the all time favorite. Writing is a new venture for Karen and one of which she is very excited about. She finds that writing is a wonderful way to express one’s self as well as a great stress reliever. Karen is well grounded in her Christian faith while being a member of the Ft. Bend Church. She enjoys traveling, jazz and old school music, family gatherings and is receptive to all that life has to offer. Karen lives in Houston with her family. Her favorite quotation is... "Life is good and oh what a blessing."

Book preview

If The Tree Could Talk

(oh, what stories it would tell)

By Karen C. Brown

Published by BrownCo Publishing on Smashwords

Copyright 2010 Karen C. Brown

ISBN 978-0-9824630-1-7

ISBN 09824630-1-4

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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BrownCo Publishing

P.O. Box 2409 Cypress, TX 77410-2409

For more information, about Author Karen C. Brown, or for book signings and other engagements, please visit www.browncopublishing.com, or email her at [e-mail] or call [phone].

Cover art Illustration: Daniel A. Brown

Cover art painting: Aubin Dunkey

Editing: mybestsellerpublishing.com

IN LOVING MEMORY

Artis & Eva Cottonham Margaret Marks Dilton and Ruby Johnson Lonnie Cottonham

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Well it is finally done and there are so many people that stood beside me as I finally got this book out of my head and onto paper. I thank God first and foremost. However, it wouldn’t be complete without David and Daniel Brown, Patience Brown, Kendall and Isaiah Coleman, Gwendolyn Cottonham, Teresa Temple, Bernadine Player, Diana and Alexus Cottonham, Sherry Odeh, Carl and Cora Cottonham, Felton and Larry Cottonham, Idel Sims, Constatine Barnes, Sandra Cottonham, The Houston Chapter of Sisters Sippin Tea, Nathaniel Brown (Daddy Nate), Robert Marks (Daddy Bob), Robin Marks, Marvin D. Cloud, Marilyn Logan, Xian Berger, Loice and Cass Cottingham, Shirley Davis, Nelda Ball, La’Cretia Sterling, Aunt Doretha Hall (what a blessing) Debora Thomas, Gwenda Ambrose, Cassandria Peoples. Natural Resources Hair Salon (Tamika and Monique) and to many others who encouraged and supported me. Thanks to each and everyone.

Blessings and Joy KB

CHAPTER 1

I am the youngest of 11 children and I tell you, that is not one of the best places to be in the food chain. For one damn thing you get overlooked quite a bit, and your views and opinions don’t matter to anyone but you. One of these days I’m gonna shake them all up. Just wait and see. I have had to fight for rightful attention all of my days and frankly I am getting sick of this shit. I guess in order for you to know what the heck is going on, I should start from the beginning. Hold on to your wig because the stuff that I am about to share is gonna get real crazy at times. You ready? Let me first say that I apologize in advance for anything that I might say that could be offensive.

I live in a small Southern town which is very lovely. We have one high school, one elementary school and about two or three daycare centers. Makes you wonder what happens by the time folks get to the higher grades in school? Do they leave town or what? It seems to be more kids in the daycares than there are in the regular school. Maybe it’s just me.

By the way, my name is Sweetie Pie. At least that is what I thought it was until I started school. Parents should let the children know what their real names are before they send them off to school. That way, when the teacher calls your name you won’t just sit there like a knot on a log not answering to the name your folks actually gave you. Well, anyway my real name is Callie Greenson. What a name. I’ll tell you, I like Sweetie Pie better.

I live on a dead end street in Top Water, Louisiana and in my front yard there is this tree. It’s not just any old tree. In a way it is almost like the Tree of Life and Knowledge. Lord, the conversations that have taken place under this tree. Many major decisions were made here: marriage proposals, birth announcements, heart breaks, and other let downs, decisions to divorce, (those were not necessarily made by my family members) and news of a loved one passing away. Everything was talked about under this tree. So you see why I say it’s almost like the Tree of Life and Knowledge.

For some reason, comfort could be found under that tree. Nobody ever figured out why. Personally, I felt that the tree had magical powers. Why else would people talk about personal and life-altering things there? The old folks in Top Water say that the tree was akin to a truth serum. If you did not want to be put on the spot, you had better keep yourself and your business from under that tree because before you knew it, you would be telling all your business to who ever happens to sit with you there.

It was under that tree that I found out that I wasn’t a true member of the Greenson family. I always thought that there was something different about me, but I could never figure out what it could be. Sure, I had the same skin-tone as everyone else and the same nappy hair as all the other kids in the family. However, I had these huge eyes and get this-they were green. Can you imagine a dark-skinned child with green eyes? I was the source of so much teasing and taunting. In fact, I had to whip an ass or two because of it. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you the story about how things are in this small town. Be patient now, I’ll get to the part of my finding out about myself soon enough.

The Greenson family consisted of Papa Jack, Mama Mandy, and my brothers and sisters: J.J. (you guessed it, Jack Junior); Lady (that really is her name); Harry, Sallie Ann, Tina, Terry (no, not twins); Leland, Tyler, Ray, Olivia and then me. I am the baby of the family. We live in a modest-size house, especially since it was so many of us. My dad was a truck driver for a lumber company. Mom was a stay-at-home mom and it wasn’t because Daddy made a lot of money. That is just the way it was. There were no jobs for my mom to do other than domestic work which she would do from time to time when she wanted to buy something that could not come out of Daddy’s paycheck. For the most part, she was always home. That was a good thing for us growing up. There was always food on the table and we had no clue that we were poor. Shit, everybody in the neighborhood was poor. We just didn’t know it. It seems that some people had a little more than others, but it still wasn’t a lot.

Callie, I am gonna need you to get up out of that bed so you can get ready for school, Mama said as she walked into the room and pulled the cover from my skinny 12-year-old body. Now, I’m thinking to myself (because I dare not say it out loud), I wish you would leave me the hell alone. Instead, I asked, Oh Mama, can I just lay here for another two minutes? I put my hands up in prayer, hoping that Mama will let me be. All the while I looked at her through slightly opened eyelids.

Sweetie Pie, I tell you what. If you are not up and out of this bed when I come back from waking your brothers, I got something for you. You hear me girl? Mama said, her voice trailing off as she headed down the hallway.

For some reason, I felt that something was going to happen today and I won’t be prepared for it. For the last few days, I felt as though I were in a whirlpool and that once I finally stopped spinning, my life would be somehow altered. But I didn’t have a clue in what way. Last night at supper, Daddy was acting kind of strange. Since I am the youngest, I am supposed to be too naive to notice that the world is off-centered. After supper, we were all out in the yard under the big tree and I sensed that something was different in my parent’s conversation. They were kind of speaking in code. I guess they didn’t think any of us noticed. The conversation seemed strained.

They kept saying things like, What are they doing back here? They were to tell us if they were coming. This is the kind of stuff that happens when you don’t do it the right way in the beginning.

Now you know my curiosity was peeked. We had been taught that no matter how much you want to know what grown folks are talking about, you better stay in your place and not ask. That was a good way to get your ass whipped as well as put on punishment. I just wasn’t having that no matter how much I wanted to know what was going on. We sat under that tree for another 20 minutes or so. We were really trying to drag the time out. Once we went inside, it would be time for bed. Tomorrow was a school day and we were trying to make the moment last a little while longer. I noticed that my folks had stopped talking in code and had eased into a normal conversation. As far as I was concerned, they had lost my interest in whatever they were talking about and I felt that they sensed that I was just a little too still.

Mama looked at us children and said, You all need to make your way on so that you can get prepared for bed, because none of you will want to get up in the morning.

Before we could even start to protest, she gave us the look that halted whatever mess we were even trying to think about coming up with. By my being the baby of the bunch, I still had to give it a try. Mama, why we got to go in now? I asked. This is the best part of the day. The street is quiet and everybody is gone in but us. We can sit out here in peace and don’t have to worry about the other children trying to come and sit under the tree using up our shade.

I was on a roll. You see, I am very territorial about our yard. It is by far the prettiest one on the whole street. The big tree is so inviting. It just beckons you to come and sit under it and that is why all the neighbors feel the need to come and do just that—sit. Mama wasn’t being patient, so she said to me, Look here heifer.

Why I got to be called that? I think to myself, of course. This is what I want you to do right now. Get your sassy butt up and go and get ready for bed. Take your bath. Get your clothes together, and another thing, when I come inside, you had better be doing exactly as I just told you. Do you understand me little girl? Uh oh. I could tell by her tone that she was not in a good mood and that it would be best if I got the heck on out of her face. Yes ma’am.

What else could I say? There must have been something heavy on her mind. Usually, she is always so calm. My Mama is one of those ladies who tend to have lots of patience, but when she is bothered by something, you and everyone around her will know it, too. I felt that it would be best that I bid them a goodnight and forget about whatever she and daddy were talking about for now. My mama’s specialty might be patience, but mine is observation and now was a good time for me to use that skill. Goodnight all! I called out.

Throughout my bath time, while I was brushing my teeth, and ironing my clothes, the thought stayed with me that there was a dead cat on the line somewhere. The stench might be too subtle right now to pin-point where it actually was, but I knew it was there. I just knew that it would be big and possibly life-altering, but, I wonder whose life?

Speaking of life, I knew I had better get up before Mama came back into the room. It would not fare well for me to be still in bed or even looking like I just got out of it. Lord knows that I’m not in the mood for school today. I am so sleepy and I now realize that I spent too much time last night thinking about something that I don’t have a clue about and now I am paying for it. Well as my cousin used to say, You gave the dance, now you gotta pay the band. I needed to get myself together and get to breakfast before those greedy-gut other kids eat everything up. They act like they don’t know how to save food for other people. They make me sick.

I finally made my way into the kitchen for breakfast and to my surprise, it was already in full swing. There are only four of us children still at home and it is never a dull moment around here. Somebody is always pissing somebody else off and I am in constant jeopardy of being placed in eternal damnation or in other words, everlasting punishment for being an inch from cussing one of those children out. It hasn’t happened yet, but I am getting closer each day to actually letting the words flow. The only thing that is holding me back (other than common sense) is the simple fact of the matter that I may never see the light of day again. As I said early on, I am not crazy. The four of us that are still living at home are Tyler, a senior in high school; Ray, a sophomore; Olivia, a freshman; and yours truly who is in the eighth grade.

As I joined my siblings at the table, I quickly looked around to find Mama’s whereabouts. Then I asked, Did you guys see how strange Mama and Daddy were acting last night when we were all sitting under the tree? I looked around waiting for one of them to answer and they just sat there as if I hadn’t said a word. So, I tried again. Did ya’ll hear me?

Tyler looked at me as if I was as insignificant as he always liked me to think that I am. What you talking ‘bout, girl? There you go again, always making something out of nothing. Why is it that you always think that folks are trying to run game on you when you can’t figure out what is going on or is being said? You need to finish your breakfast so that by the time Mama gets back in here from getting dressed, we can be ready to go because this is not the morning to be dealing in foolishness. She’s already pissed because somebody overslept this morning. So, I would suggest that you try to call as little attention to yourself as possible. Impress me and let me see you do that.

I gave him a look that said I could kick his ass all over this kitchen, but I said instead very sweetly, Okay, Big Brother. The way I said it, someone would really think that I held him in high esteem. Mama entered the room. Ya’ll ready to go? she asked? I have a lot to do today so let’s get a move on so that I can get everybody where they need to be and on time. She was on full auto pilot and not allowing anyone to hold up the process. I wondered what the hurry was today of all days, but I knew not to question it. So I did the next best thing. I gathered my books and headed for the door.

CHAPTER 2

Mandy had been back home after dropping the children off at school for at least an hour, but the only thing that she had done so far was to sit at the breakfast table looking down into her cold cup of coffee with a faraway look on her face. Speaking out loud to the empty room she said, Lord what are we going to do? Not that she expected an answer. The sudden sound of a ringing phone caused her to almost jump out of her chair. Oh shit! she yelled! Rising from her seat, she looked over at the phone hanging on the wall and walked towards it, all the time wondering if she should answer it. She was having a bad feeling in her bones. She knew that the caller would not be anyone she wanted to hear from. Taking a deep breath she picked up the phone. Hello?

Mandy, is that you? the caller asked. She hesitated before she continued speaking. Mandy, I know that I am probably the last person that you want to talk to right now, but I had to call you before I lost my nerve. I knew you would be home alone with Jack gone to work and the kids gone to the school house. She waited a moment more, hoping that Mandy would say something in order to give some clue concerning how she was taking this voice from the past.

Taking a deep breath, Mandy finally said, "Dasie, I knew that you were in town and I just didn’t think that you would contact me so soon. How is Eli? Where is