Free Dovey Coe by Frances O'Roark Dowell

butterfly passing over my face.
    I couldn’t think of anything to say after that, so I leaned over and kissed Wilson back. We held that kiss a bit longer, then broke apart and lookedstraight at each other. I noticed for the first time how nice his eyes were, dark brown with little flecks of green inside.
    â€œI reckon we ought to head on back before they start to miss us,” Wilson said. He give me another quick kiss, and we walked up to the barn, not holding hands this time, because there were others about, but sort of rubbing shoulders nonetheless.
    When we got to the barn, Gaither and Luther was tuning up again, and Daddy had his guitar out. Folks was milling about, ready to move their feet again and looking forward to hearing Daddy pick a little. Just as Daddy started to head to the stage, Parnell jumped right in front of him and stood dead center on the platform.
    â€œCould I have everybody’s attention, please?” he yelled out real loud. “Folks! If I could have your attention for a minute, I’d sure appreciate it!”
    Everybody quieted down right quick. Parnell looked over the crowd like he was king of us all. “Caroline Coe, would you please come up here?”
    Caroline made her way to where Parnell stood, her head held up in the air. I could see by her shaky smile, though, that Parnell was making her nervous.
    Parnell give her a big grin, like to say, “Don’tyou worry about nothing,” and turned back to give us his announcement. “Now, when I come here tonight, I didn’t have no idea this was a going-away party for Caroline. To be honest, I had it fixed in my mind that Caroline ain’t going away. I know none of you all want to see Caroline go on to teachers college, now do you? Especially since everybody knows that a little learning is wasted on someone as pretty as Caroline.”
    Voices buzzed throughout the barn, then quieted down. Everyone waited to hear what Parnell would say next.
    â€œI think all of us would like to see Caroline spend the rest of her days here in Indian Creek, and I aim to make that happen,” Parnell said, taking hold of Caroline’s hand. “That is why I am taking this opportunity, here in front of our entire community, to make a most formal proposal to Miss Caroline Coe. Caroline, I am asking you to be my wife, here tonight, for the last time. What do you say, honey? Won’t you marry me?”
    Parnell pulled a ring from his pocket and held it to the light coming from a high window. It was clear to everyone there that it was a diamond Parnell was offering Caroline. A murmur ran through the room. Lots of folks looked over to Daddy to see if he known this was going tohappen, but he just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, his face not betraying a bit of whatever he might be thinking.
    I could tell by Caroline’s expression that she was as confused as everyone else, that she hadn’t been expecting this proposal for one minute. That’s when it finally come clear to me what she’d been up to. She’d probably figured this being a going-away party and all, Parnell would get the point and head on home. But old Parnell was craftier than that. It didn’t surprise me in the least bit that he’d decided to have the last word on the matter.
    â€œCome on, Caroline,” he prodded after Caroline had kept her silence for several moments. “Say you’ll stay here and be my pretty thing. Don’t go waste yourself on being a teacher.”
    That’s when Caroline’s confusion bloomed into fury. She started shaking her head back and forth, almost like there were a song she was keeping time to. “No, Parnell,” the words finally come out of her, her teeth clenched tight. “No, I don’t believe I’d marry you if you were the last man on earth.”

chapter 10
    W ell, you might could imagine the expression on Parnell’s face when he heard Caroline