Kid Barlow's Ace in the Hole

Chapter 4: Ma Tells All

“You ain’t got no reason, Kid, sittin’ on that bed of yours lookin’ all red-eyed.”

“But we just buried Pa a few days ago. Can’t you never let up none?”

“Let up none? Who you thinks let’s up on me?”

“Nobody bothers you, Ma. They all keep a wide distance between you and them. You got any friends, Ma? Do you? All you got is customers and they don‘t like you none.”

“Shut up yore mouth. You better shut….”

“Don’t tell me to shut nothing!”

“Kid, you see this here Arkansas Toothpick? I swear I’m gonna use it on you. Yore Pa’s dead! Get over it.”

“Pa weren’t never nothing to you. You never treated him decent. Why, I never seen him even in yore bed. You forced him to sleep out here on the bunk under me. How’s that any way to treat a husband?”

“Humpf! You don’t know shit, Kid.”

“I know you never loved anybody in yore life…not me…not Pa…not Granny. No one. You don’t even talk to your own kin folks lest you wants something from them. And, that‘s only when they come by here. Then, you sends them away quick enough.”

“You don’t know me young ‘un or nothing ‘bout me!”

“Who‘s fault’s that? Me and Pa always gets bossed by you. You ain’t never spoke to us in any kind of niceties.”

“Why should I? You and Pa never needed nothing from me but someone to earn some money and cook fer you.”

“That’s not true. I work real reg’lar, bringing you ever penny I makes. You don’t never let me own nothing…jest hand-me-downs from Uncle White Wolf and Pa.”

“Well, just let me tell you something, Mr. Poor Me. I met yore Pa years ago when he come upon me one day washing down by a crick. My fourteenth birthday just passed. He sweet talked me into doing things I shouldn’t have oughta…I ain’t never seen a man so handsome as your pa. My papa found us at the crick and we weren’t swimming. Papa made Jess marry me. Good thing I thought since I turned up pregnant soon after. Then, Pa takes me to his ma’s house to live. She treated me worse than any black slave on a plantation. For nine months I lay sicker than any poisoned dog I ever saw…throwing up, no energy, belly hurtin’, running temperatures… Jess never made her stop abusing me. He just stayed out of the house. Always drinking, playing poker, and whoring. I ’bout died having you and swore that wouldn’t happen again. I couldn’t get out of bed for three weeks but the old woman kept naggin’ me to do my chores. Once’t I recovered I decided to make sure that didn’t happen no more. You sure the worst baby I ever saw…crying all night, every night. Me getting’ no sleep and still made to work all day. Granny screaming at me…you screaming at me…Pa screaming at me. I wanted to leave you with them both and run away. Did one night. Jess came after me and carried me back home. He said onced you growed more, I could leave. Otherwise, he'll slit my throat. Then, he won this here place in a poker game. Three nights later we left. I wanted to leave you with Granny, but Pa loved you…always did love you…never me…just you.”

“Ma, I didn’t know.”

“Well, you do now. Don’t make no never mind anyways. Just get your lazy ass outside and take care of the donkey and the garden. I got work to do.”

“Ma…”

“I mean it now, Kid. I don’t like you and never did. I will use this damn knife on you if you don’t get out…now!”

I ain’t taking this crap no longer. God help me one of these days that woman and me fixin’ to come to blows. I gotta get away, but first I gotta plan how to get the entry fee for the Memphis Poker Tournament. I promised Pa I'd win it fer him. Ma may live a empty life but that‘s her problem. I guess I’ll owe her a bit of cash when I hit it big so‘s I won‘t keep a bad conscience about that, but then I’s out of here…this house, this town, this state and my ma! God, You listening to me? I need a good and righteous sign.