el's story

By Dezarae DUNSMUIR

Elroy Parker IV grows up on the Silver Oaks Plantation a protected southern gentleman. Forced by tradition to join the Marine Corps, El enlists and goes to Viet Nam. This story reveals El's experiences during the war and the dire effects upon his return to Silver Oaks.  Family bias and intrigue, along with El's depression and ptsd,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dragon's Press
• Release date: Jul 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781949276053

Dezarae DUNSMUIR

Dezarae Dunsmuir is a celebrated author and poet. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, she was prolific even as a child. At age 8, as a ballerina, she danced on stage with Mikhail Baryshnikov. At age 9, she hosted a television series about science. She went on to be syndicated coast to coast on radio, interviewing celebrities and offering valuable insights on issues important in Canada.

Book preview

el’s story

el, he done were a winner, shore as de day be long. Dat boy done had hisself potential; it were marked all oer him, een when he come a’screamin an a’hollerin from his mama’s womb. Elroy Lucius Hames Parker IV were a baby born wit a silver spoon in his mouth, an iffn his poppa, Elroy Lucius Hames Parker III had hisself any say bout it, dat chile were surely goin to be gettin an extra one, jes fer good measure.

Elroy were neer called Elroy, right from de git go. His poppa were Big El an Elroy were El Junior an dat were jes de way it went on de Parker Plantation done called Silver Oaks. We was all a mite proud to be workers on Silver Oaks cause it were de biggest an de best plantation seen in these here parts - an many others - too. De horse flesh Big El done owned was mighty fine, too. Big El he done run him a herd o dairy cows, jes to throw dem into de mix, you might say.

El Junior he were jes yer ordinary, well-to-do chile. Iffn he want him somethin, Big El made hisself damn sure he done got it. It din matter what it were, no sir. It could be one o dem fancy lil cars he could drive roun de plantation or it could be a flock o peacocks. Any damn fool thing he were hankerin after El Junior got, an Big El made dang sure he done got it right smart an quick, an dat be de truth, yes sir.

An Junior, weel what else, he done spoilt to de core, right on down to dem toes in his shoes. I can’t tell you de how an de why o it but El Junior were nicer dan any o dem other rich chillen I seen when deys roun Silver Oaks wit their folks. To this day, it still come real easy fer everyone, not jes his momma an poppa, to do anythin El Junior done want or need done or to give him what he askin fer. He were jes dat kind o strange boy. Shore he were spoilt but it jes neer went to his head. Things goin to his head done come on later, an dats de sorry truth o it.

Over dem passin years he growed real close to his momma, Miss Verona. I knowed dat cause Miss Carlotta, she de head o de inside help, she done tole all o us. She say it were mainly cause Big El, he were away much o de time. He alway away on business, busy keepin de plantation goin an de horses looked after right proper an dem cows was milked two time a day. He din have much free time to spend wit Lil El an El’s momma, Miss Verona.

Sides, any free time Big El had, he done devoted to his playin cards, drinkin his sippin bourbon and whorin roun on de wrong side o town. No sir, no never-you-minds bout it, Miss Verona, she were a real lady an she done her duty by havin de boy. She done provided Big El his heir for Silver Oaks, an een tho he done wanted hisself more chillen, Miss Verona were havin none o it.

For real lovin, an I means real pussy, Big El liked him de taste o brown sugar, an you might say he had hisself a mite sweet tooth. Lil El’s momma, Miss Verona, she done know bout his carousin, alley-cattin ways. But she were a mite grateful she din done have to put up wit Big El’s urges, dats what she called em.

So say Miss Carlotta an she otta know what kind o carryins on goes on in de big house. Miss Carlotta tell us she done heard Miss Verona tellin Big El flat out dat she din like him a’sweatin an a’pantin all oer her. She done produced him his heir an dat were de end o it. Let dem hussies in town service him. Miss Verona din wan no part o it. An so it went.

Big El git hisself his pussy an Miss Verona she git free o Big El. All o us workers, we could alway tell when Big El were due to git hisself to town. He done start off by gittin hisself a mite cranky and he move right on up to being downright disagreeable. It were like nothin we workers do were right. We din work fast nuff or hard nuff, we din pick nuff cotton, din take care o dem fancy horses right proper like an we wern doin right by dem cows neither, no sir.

De inside help all git dem de same treatment, too. Miss Carlotta din cook nuthin right, de house were too dusty; his shirts was laundered wit too much starch. It din matter what it were, deys all git de same treatment we outside help was gittin. Til Big El git hisself some cards, some bourbon, an a whole lot o brown sugar, there wern goin to be no livin wit him.

Dat’s de way of the virile man tho. They’s gots to get dem some pussy on a mite reglar basis or dey gits their innards all jacked up. Leastway it dat way wit us, so I’s a’thinkin it de same wit de white mens. I shorely know when I’m gittin meself all jacked up an iffn I don have me a woman, right smart-like, I swear I feel like I’m a’going to explode all over de durn county. It’s like I gots me some animal inside me dats got to come out right then and there, cause iffn it don, it done gonna eat me up alive, shore nuff. It ain’t easy bein a man, believe you me.

Women, weel, to me it seem like dem white women like Miss Verona an her kind ain’t jes proper, deys downright prissy-like. I can jes tell they don have de least bit o care bout a man’s needs an dey shore don seem to have any o dem for theirself, to hear Miss Carlotta tell it. Our women, well dey gots dem de same needs as we mens do, so it make fer some hot times in de shacks, believe you me.

De way he done carry on wit de carousin in town, sometimes I gots to wonder if Big El don’t have him jes de teeniest bit o black blood in him. Dat’s what I’s thinkin but I’s ain’t tellin nobody, no siree. Big El, he done treat me an all de rest o us right, ceptin when he git randy. But we kin take it. It don last long afore he gits hisself to town an de women.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Din dem years jes fly on by, pickin cotton, tendin dem horses and cows, season after season. After awhile, no-one done called Junior Junior no more. He were jes bein called El cause he were a strappin, fine young man now. No-one kin say when he done turn cause it crept up on us, slow-like. It seem like it start up in his high school years, best we kin figger it up. Yep, dat school an dat car, were when it all done begin.

De high school were a mite distant from Silver Oaks an El needed hisself a car to git hisself to and fro. Course din Big El done turn dis entire gittin o de car into a big to do. Sure as de moth to de flame, you could alway count on Big El to make hisself a big to do bout most anythin. Din matter what it were, iffn Big El were gonna do it, he were sure as Hades goin to do it bigger an better than anyone else herebouts. He din like nuthin better then havin all dem county folk ringin far an wide hearin tell bout how he done everthin up finer then anyone else.

So El needs hisself a car an one day, afores you knows it, din a shiny, white, convertible Caa-dee-lac show up at de big house? It were so new, de sunshine bounced right off it into our eyes an it were tied up wit de biggest red bow any o us eer seen. It were jes a’sittin there in all its glory, a’twinklin an a’sparklin, dazzlin de whole crowd o us. We jes looks at dat Cadeelac an believes we’s all seein us a dream on wheels. It were jes too purty to be drivin down dem dusty, red clay back roads o Mississippi, dat fer shore.

Since de Caddy were sittin smack dab in front o de big house on de circlar drive, it were gonna be a mite hard fer El to miss it when he come home from school. Course all us outside help, an de inside help, too, we’s all lined up in front o de big house wit Big El an Miss Verona, cause we’s all jes gots to see how El done take his surprise.

An shore nuff, when he come home din El done look like a mule done kicked him upside de head an left him stupid-like? He gits him de biggest smile I done ever seen on dat chile an den don he let out a whoop an a holler you could hear fer miles aroun. Den don he jes jump right on oer de car door an land hisself down behind de steering wheel right comfy-like, jes like a hen on de nest. El looked hisself like he were born behind behind de wheel o dat Caddy, an dats de gospel truth. An dat engine, when El done turn her over, din she sound right purty? She purred real quiet an kitten like, yes sir.

De inside helps all a’beamin een more dan us outside help cause dey spends dem more time near El. Deys a’beamin like he de boy chile o all o dem. I ain’t tellin no lies when I says dat Miss Carlotta, she be de queen o de kitchen, de house an all de inside help, an she rule it all wit an iron hand, believe you me. But Miss Carlotta, dat woman done got hersel a heart o gold, an from de git go she alway treat El jes like he her own boy chile. In a way her were cause de boy done while hisself away many an hour wit Miss Carlotta. While she doin de cookin, there he be, askin to clean de bowl fer de cake icin or stealin hisself a cookie or two an gettin his hand slapped fer doin it.

Sure as you a’goin to find ticks on a hound dog out huntin, Miss Carlotta she were El’s momma an poppa both, when dey din have no time fer him. All o us think in some way she more a momma to El den Miss Verona but no-one kin blame Miss Verona much fer dat. She done turn a mite sickly after havin de chile, an fer her health, she spent hersel a lot o time down at de house on de Gulf Coast. De ole doc he say she do better wit de sea air an all.

An Big El is jes so dang busy all de time wit Silver Oaks, it a mite troublesome to find de time to git down to de Coast, wit de plantation bizniss an all. So we alway a’thinkin dat Miss Carlotta, she done git hersel a right to de boy, almost as much as his momma an poppa. Cause even iffn he ain’t her blood, she done treat him like blood he be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

So din dem high school years jes whittle on by an El, he were done a’changin hisself, an a’changin lots. You kin say dat de Caddy convertible done went an got him out o his shell an done got him his confidence up in no time. El were fast becomin hisself a real ladies’ man. He were datin these real purty girls an havin hisself a good time, all in good fun, mind you. Dem years he done hisself right in schoolin and ain’t he de first string quarterback fer de football team, too. Wit all dem good marks an quarterbackin, dem girls were jes de icin on de cake, believe you me.

Yep, Elroy Lucius Hames Parker IV were ridin high, real high, so high dat his life seem too dang good to be true, you might say. An dats when his turnin begin. Dats when he started a’changin, with his Caddy and new found confidence an all. Dat shorely did it. Thas what wes all a’thinkin, leastways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

What in tarnation are you thinkin, Verona? Have you done gone an lost yer mind? Big El’s voice was roaring around the room of the big house at the Silver Oaks plantation.

Big El’s name suited him just fine in every which way; not just for his grandiose lifestyle. No, Big El was a big man, too, so he could roar with the best of them.

I have most certainly not lost my mind, Elroy Lucius Hames Parker III, Miss Verona always called him by his full name when she was quite fed up with Big El’s carryings on.

I am merely expressing the rightful concern of a mother, that’s all. I’m just doing what any mother would. Just as Big El was big, Miss Verona was a tiny mite of a thing, all pale and fragile in her countenance.

‘Miss Verona alway remind me of a shrinking violet, specially when Big El is a’stormin round the house,’ Miss Carlotta thought as she was listening, ear to the door.

‘But Miss Verona, despite her fragility and all, she can dig in wit the best o them if needs be and this is one o them times. She jes like a momma bear protectin her cub and she ain’t backin down, no sir.’ Carlotta pressed her ear more firmly against the thick mahogany door.

It’s quite simple, dear wife, Big El almost sneered at Verona. Your son, your little pretty boy who has always been all sensitive and all girlishly pale and peaked, until he got that Caddy, that is, Big El gasped for air before he carried on his tirade.

Your son, that pretty boy, had me a mite worried until he hit high school. I just gotta tell you that I thank God every day for that Caddy because I was beginnin to worry that our child - and my only offspring - was light in the heels and that would have all been thanks to you, my lovely.

Miss Carlotta knew that Miss Verona done hated Big El when he got all superior and nasty. That always made her even more stubborn than she was just one minute before Big El done opened his mouth and said something stupid. Despite the sturdiness of the door between them, Miss Carlotta was well versed at envisioning the scene on the other side.

‘Sometimes I think it’s a good thing Big El done inherited Silver Oaks from his poppa cause if he were startin out with nothin, like us folk, he done be starvin to death for wantin a good notion on how to survive, that for sure,’ certainty filled Miss Carlotta’s thoughts.

Why should my only child, my son - and might I remind you that he’s also your one and only heir - why should he go off to some God awful, swampy, Asian place and get himself killed? Killed over nothing, nothing!

Size mattered on this homestead, so Verona raised her chin and sat even straighter, so she would look taller and more impervious and much more indignant, when facing off with Big El.

"Because that’s what we