Free Different Drummers by Jean Houghton-Beatty Page A

could. I drove straight through, hardly even stoppin’ for a sandwich. I couldn’t wait to see you. I ain’t thought of nothin’ else.”
    He held her at arm’s length, his eyes searching her face. “You’re just as pretty as ever, Baby.”
    She smiled and placed her hand gently on his cheek, at the same time aching for the privacy of their room. Just a few minutes to have him all to herself was all she needed.
    When Otis cleared his throat loudly, Bob colored and set her slightly away from him.
    â€œDaddy’s been tellin’ me about the service this mornin’ and how you didn’t seem to like it all that much.”
    â€œDon’t you be treatin’ this like it ain’t nothin’, Bobby,” Otis said in a shaky voice. “She blasphemed me in the church. In front of my congregation, and to my everlastin’ shame, she blasphemed me. And then, when I’d promised her salvation and eternal life in the hereafter, she turned and walked out.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, I blasphemed?” All Kathleen could remember were his hands pressing her head and the sickening humiliation of it all.
    â€œYou told me to go to hell. Right there in the sanctity of our church, you told the man who was trying to take you to Jesus to go to hell.”
    She pursed her lips to stem the flow of words, to stop herself from saying even a saint would have trouble coping with the likes of him.
    â€œI’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to. I shouldn’t have said what I did, but you took me by surprise.” She gave a slight shrug. “It’s not as blasphemous where I come from. It’s just well, more a figure of speech. Well, not quite that, but it isn’t taken as literally as it obviously is here. I didn’t want to go to the front and blurted it out without thinking.”
    Otis didn’t hear her. “You see, Bobby, you see what you married and brought into this house. You never did tell me she was a Catholic. I thought all along she was a Christian.”
    Bob’s face darkened. “No, I didn’t tell you she was a Catholic. When you’re away from this place for a long time, things like that don’t matter as much as they do here. Not everybody in the world is as gone on this stuff as you are.”
    He shuffled as if uncertain what to do next but moved closer to Kathleen. “Anyway, she’s my wife. She came all this way to be with me and I’m gonna see she’s treated right. Can’t we at least make her feel welcome?”
    He kept his arm around her as she snuggled against him.
    Selma spoke up. “Don’t you be turnin’ against Daddy too, Bobby. His congregation’s crazy about him but to his own son, he ain’t nothing. You ain’t been in the house five minutes before you’re takin’ up for Kathleen. Shoot, she ain’t one of us. Anybody can see that.”
    Kathleen cringed at the look Selma gave her, but held her tongue. This was no time to get into a verbal battle with her sister-in-law.
    Otis suddenly took a different tack, obviously not wanting to lose his son’s support.
    â€œOK, Selma, honey, now that’s enough. Kathleen’s Bobby’s wife, ain’t she? It’s just gonna take time.”
    He turned to Kathleen. “I guess maybe I scared you comin’ up to you like that in front of all them strangers. But you’ll see the light one day. Jesus is just waitin’ for you at that wonderful bend in the road. And I’m the one to lead you to him. Yes ma’am, I’m the very one.”
    Beulah called from the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready. Come on and eat. All of y’all are gonna feel a whole lot better after you get something in your stomachs.”
    Bobby’s eyes lit up as he saw the food on the kitchen table. “Momma, you fixed fried chicken. You knew I was comin’ today didn’t you?”
    Beulah