bridge brenda

I heard you May Bell, now could you move?

Momma? Would you look at that outfit? Ain’t that the cutest thing you ever saw?

How you s’pose she sits down in a skirt like that?

Oh, Momma. Boy, if I could just have me an outfit like that for school-

We don’t have new money for new clothes this year.

Momma! I can’t show up in my old clothes. Everybody’d laugh in my face.

In the whole Virginia. You think you can be the fastest runner in America…

Momma! Would you tell that baby to stop screaming? I can’t hardly hear my channel. 

I was not screaming!

You were too. All you do is scream.

Do not.

Do too.

You go find him, Brenda. Tell him I said to milk right now. 

Oh, Momma, I’m right in the middle of my program. 

Jesse! I can’t get the dress off-

May Belle, stop foolin’ with that dumb doll so much. You’ll break it.

See what you made me do! The arm come off.

I wasn’t touching the stupid thing. I just told you not to-

We don’t take no holidays.

Guess who’s comin’ over, Jess? Carrying a package with a big orange bow. She don’t even know you gotta have red or green for Christmas. I thought she was supposed to be so smart-

I got some business I gotta…

Yeah- we know all about your business.

Right, Queen. (Lights up on Sunday Morning in Kitchen) 

You can’t make me go to church. I ain’t got nothing to wear and you know it! 

Just ‘cause you’re too fat.

Did you hear what she said, Momma? I’m gonna kill that kid.

With your daddy laid off since February we got more than Easter clothes to worry about.

Why can’t we charge nothing? You know what some people do? They charge somethin’ and wear it and then take it back and say it don’t fit or somethin’. Stores don’t give ‘em no trouble.

I never heard such a fool thing in my life.

Okay, okay. But everyone’s going to have something new- Jo Anne Timmon’s mother bought her a polyester silk blouse and a new skirt and pantyhose and high heels. I don’t expect anything like that. But just a skirt-

Momma. Leslie’s got dresses.

Do tell!

What-?

Your girl friend’s dead, and Momma thought you was dead, too. 

You better eat something. (Silence)

You don’t even care, do you? If Jimmy Dicks died I wouldn’t be able to eat a bite.

Will you shut your mouth, Brenda Aarons?

Well, Momma, he’s just sittin’ there eating like nothin’ happened. I’d be crying my eyes out if anything happened to Jimmy.

Boys ain’t supposed to cry, are they, Daddy? 

Well, it just don’t seem right for him to be sitting there eating like a brood sow. The rest of us been half out of our minds worrying about him. 

Yes May Belle, you told us.

You just said he’s gone off somewhere. You didn’t say nothin’ about no teacher.

It’s all right, May Belle.

And all the time the Sheriff’s got his men down there dragging the creek. Where was you at, Jesse Aarons? I would sure like to know.

What little girl?

Well, I never. Did you hear that, Momma?