Free Mary Mae and the Gospel Truth by Sandra Dutton Page B

where do you think these rocks come from?"
    "I s'pect right here in this yard," he says. "You go deep enough, you'll hit bedrock."
    "Do you agree, Mama?" I say.
    "I guess. But I think they'd have been smarter to use them rocks for steppingstones."
    "Granny, what kind of rocks are these? It's something I told you."
    "I do believe they's limestone," says Granny.
    "Limestone," I say. "That's right. And shale. And what do you know, they's just a-teeming with fossils."
    "Fossils?" says Daddy.
    "Trilobites and brachiopods and crinoids and snails and sponges and starfish."
    "Where?" says Mama.
    "Come over here," I say, and I point them all out.
    "Where did you learn about this?" says Daddy. He's climbing up top of the fishpond.
    "School."
    Daddy looks at Mama. "What are we keeping her home for?"
    "She oughtn't to be learning such things," says Mama.
    "But this is our backyard," says Daddy. "Can't go walking around like an ostrich."
    "Them fossils was put in the ground to trick us, Farley," says Mama.
    "Trick us?" says Daddy. "Who's trying to trick us?"
    "The Lord," says Mama.
    "If that's what the Lord's up to, you can go to church yourself. I ain't a-going."
    Daddy takes off for the house. Mama runs after him.
    I follow them in, try to listen, but they's in their room with the door shut.
    ***
    At dinner, when the hamburger casserole comes around, I just out and say it: "I want to go to school tomorrow."
    "You ain't a-going nowhere," says Mama. "I won't have no more talk about school or fossils."
    "Lavernia, you're being stubborn," says Daddy.
    "Maybe I am, but I got to do what's right," says Mama.
    "It ain't right keeping me from learning things," I say.
    "Enough!" says Mama.
    "You're so worried about what's not in the Bible," says Daddy. "Lot of things ain't in the Bible. Cars and trucks ain't in the Bible. But I believe in 'em. Ain't no reason not to."
    But Mama's the one that brung Daddy to the Lord, so she's the expert. Mama pushes off from the table. "I'm a-calling Sister Coates," she says.
    I clear the table, then stick around, hoping to listen, but as soon as Mama picks up the phone, she says, "Mary Mae, get upstairs."
    So I go set by the register.
    I hear Mama explaining to Sister Coates all about fossils and curriculum, and then I don't hear nothing. Mama's listening. And then I hear, "But I've had some college. And I used to teach Sunday school."

16. Noah's Ark
    Monday morning Mama's at the table finishing her grapefruit and Mrs. Noah's setting on the kitchen table. Her hair's all flat on one side from being hid away. I pick her up, fluff her out. Granny's at the kitchen sink.
    "Today you better get back to Genesis," says Mama. "Review for the puppet show."
    "I ain't doing no puppet show," I say. I drop Mrs. Noah back down on the table.
    "You'll do it," says Mama. "Whole church is depending on you. Now you get your Bible out and review. Granny, you're in charge."
    ***
    "I got a good mind to put Mrs. Noah back in the trash," I say to Granny after Mama leaves for work.
    "I wouldn't do that," says Granny.
    "Why not?"
    "She might have something to say."
    "Like what?"
    "You're the one should be telling me."
    I grab Mrs. Noah by the hair, take her upstairs, and put her on that pop bottle. Then I put all my fossils in a circle around her.
    "I seen Noah's ark when it come floating over," says the trilobite.
    "Me, too," says the crinoid.
    "And I heard Mrs. Noah just a-yelling her head off," says the spiny coral.
    "Is that true?" I say to Mrs. Noah.
    "Lord, yes," says Mrs. Noah. "I like to died on that ship."
    ***
    I pull Mrs. Noah off the pop bottle and go back downstairs. "You know what, Granny, I don't think Mrs. Noah liked tending them animals."
    Granny takes a sip of coffee. "Why not?"
    I put Mrs. Noah on my hand, work her arms a little. Then I take her off and look up Noah's ark in the encyclopedia. I'm expecting a little bitty paragraph, but it's a whole big article. Three pages. Talks about the problems a boat like that