Free Of Love and Dust by Ernest J. Gaines

passed and Bonbon still had not showed up, the teacher thought he had better leave because the tension was slowly killing him, anyhow.
    Aunt Ca’line was thinking about the teacher when the second boy bust into the yard. Then halfway up the walk both of them threw on brakes. They came toward the gallery now so quietly, you would have thought they had never done a minute’s devilment in all their lives.
    “How y’all feel there, Aunt Ca’line?” they spoke to her and Pa Bully.
    “So-so, and y’all?” she and Pa Bully said.
    “Fine, thank you ma’am,” they said at the same time.
    They looked at Marcus but didn’t speak to him. They spoke to Tick-Tock, then they went up on the gallery where Pauline sat by the door.
    “Hi, mo’ dear,” they both said at the same time, both kissing her on the face at the same time.
    “Y’all ain’t been up to nothing, I hope,” Pauline said.
    “They was born up to something,” Aunt Ca’line thought. “What you asking them that for?”
    “No’m,” they said at the same time.
    “Y’all go in there and wash your hands and eat,” Pauline said.
    “All right, mo’ dear,” they said. They kissed her again. But this time the one who had kissed her on the right jaw before kissed her on the left jaw, and the one who had kissed her on the left jaw kissed her on the right one. Or so it looked to Aunt Ca’line. But who could be sure who did what? One was the other one and the other one was the same one. The only person alive who knew Billy from Willy was Pauline. Even Bonbon couldn’t tell them apart.
    After the twins went inside everything got quiet again.
    “Think I’ll make it on in,” Tick-Tock said.
    “Taking off, Tickey?” Pauline said.
    “Yeah,” Tick-Tock said. “Got to hit that cotton field again in the morning.”
    Tick-Tock said good night to Pauline and then to Aunt Ca’line and Pa Bully, and went out of the yard. She hadn’t said anything to Marcus.
    “Can I speak to you?” Marcus said, standing up and facing Pauline.
    “Speak,” she said.
    “Somewhere by usself,” he said.
    “What you got to say to me, you can say it in front of Aunt Ca’line and Pa Bully.”
    “Come, Mr. Grant, let’s go inside,” Aunt Ca’line said.
    “No, don’t y’all leave,” Pauline said. “Your name Marcus, ain’t it?” she said to him.
    “Yes,” Marcus said.
    “Say what’s on your mind, Marcus.”
    “I want us to speak by usself,” he said.
    “Then you better leave,” she said.
    “You ain’t even heard what I had to say.”
    “If you can’t say it in front of Aunt Ca’line and Pa Bully, I don’t need to hear it,” she said.
    “I just want come and see you sometime,” he said.
    “I didn’t hear that,” she said. “You can leave.”
    But he didn’t move. He stood there looking at her like he wanted to come closer and touch her. Pauline wore a light green dress that had dark green leaves and red flowers. She looked fresh and pretty sitting there.
    “And don’t come back, please,” she said. “I don’t want no trouble.”
    “They don’t have to be no trouble,” Marcus said.
    “No, they won’t be any,” she said, getting up. “Good night.”
    He started toward her.
    “Pauline—”
    Just about then the twins came into the doorway. Aunt Ca’line could see just the front of them; she didn’t know if they had anything behind their backs or not.
    “Y’all get back inside,” Pauline said to the twins. They moved back. “Yes?” she said to Marcus.
    “You the prettiest lady I know,” he said.
    “Thank you,” she said. “Good night.”
    “Can I speak to you sometime?”
    “I speak to everybody,” she said. “Good night.”
    She went in. He stood there a while, then he went down the steps.
    “That one won’t be here long,” Pa Bully said. “And on the other hand he might.”
    “Six feet under, you mean?” Aunt Ca’line said.
    “Six feet under,” Pa Bully said.

17
 
    Marcus got up early the next morning and went