Sandra Newman - The Country of Ice Cream Star

“He talk?” say Japhet. “What he said?”

I nay my hand. “Be different words. Like fisher Panish, or… ain’t English.”

“How he kept?” John say unhappy.

Now my trickery scent its game. “Kept? Ain’t know. I guess he been in ropes, when I depart.”

“You guess?” John say. “How, you ain’t know?”

I wave my hand dismissing. “Villa there to watch. Ain’t worry this.”

“Villa?” Susannah laugh in disbelief. “You try to breed this roo?”

“Truth, Villa ain’t responsible,” say John with worry face.

“Most our children hunt these days,” I say. “But if you fearing, you can take him. Got your cellar there.”

John flinch. “Our cellar?”

“Ya, he safer here,” say Japhet exciting. “I can watch him.”

“Nay, shoo,” say John. “A roo ain’t Christly beasts, to live with people.”

“We only thought you worry,” I say unconcern. “Your cellar safest. Driver thought you maybe want him there. But if you ain’t…”

Susannah give me narrow glance. “If we ain’t, he watch by Villa?” She swipe her finger through the fritter plate and offer it to Peter to lick.

“Today he do,” I say. “But what we thought, if you ain’t want him, we go sell him to the Lowells.”

John blink to this. “You sell him? How, this roo be something worth?”

“Yo sho.” I make impressing face. “The Lowells curiose for roos. They sure to want him awful.”

“And what the Lowells pay?” say Japhet.

I shrug. “What Driver thought, they pay a horse.”

“A horse?” say John. “Is worth all this?”

“Be sure.” I make surprising eyes. “A roo be scarcer animals. But how you friends, we give good price.”

“Can pay you something.” Japhet turn to John. “What we can pay?”

To this, Susannah break in laugh. Say through her giggling breath, “You heed, Ice Cream? We take him, and we pay.”

Japhet frown. “Nay, how this being jokes? Can sell him after.”

Susannah nay her finger, grinning. “If Lowells going to buy him, Ice Cream been at Lowell mill this hour.”

John sit back frowning. “Nay, she said…”

“Be Sengle sayings.” Susannah nod to me. “Ice Cream want to rid him, so she try to fool our simple brains.”

Japhet think a moment, then turn indignant face to me. “No sho?”

“Foo,” I say discourage. “Sure, I try to fox you something. But truth, we got no walls to keep him. Ya, our children… how they is.”

“Ho, Sengles got some badness?” Susannah laugh. “Be new discoveries.”

I shrug. “Ain’t careful people. And truth, your cellar bone for this. Kept prisoners there, when it been wars.”

“And now we keeping apples there.” Susannah shake her head, put Baby Peter from her knee. “The apples you be eating, sister thief.”

“Be right.” John ease his face. “No person wanting roos. Ain’t natural beasts.”

“But he safer here,” say Japhet.

Susannah scoff her breath. “Roo living underfloors? And all our littles roundabout? No sho, we—” Then she catch her voice. Fold hands and turn to John respecting. “But it be your judgment, husband. Must ask Jesus word.”

To this, John get important looks. He mention something from their Bible book and close his eyes in thought.

This shut-eye posture mean a Christing pray advice from their stick god. But truth, their Jesus only tell them answers they already like. So I wait with plain frustration. Ask be lost, and Driver sure to blame myself somehow.

But as John bow his head, the kitchen door bang open loud. John look up in startle, ya, Susannah-Japhet stiffen harsh. Only the littles keep their jumble noise, chase without care.

CHILD IN THE KITCHEN DOORWAY be their posy wife, Jemimah. This girl gone in sickness. All herself be thin like winter branch. Face swollen out of shape, and cover thick with crusting sores. Only one eye be showing — ya, it got no white, no seeing color. Is only bulging red. Her breath come scraping, short, and she peer round her awful face, like seeking in blindness for her air.

By Sengles, when a child be took with posies, they be callen dead. No person talk to them. Ain’t speak their name. Is bad taboo. So when Susannah speak to Jemimah — like to any person — I get superstition chills.

“My sister, rest yourself,” Susannah say. “We care for this.”

Jemimah say in wheezing voice, “He gone?”

“He gone, be sure,” Susannah say. “Was only trading here.”

“Ain’t talk like I be brainless,” say Jemimah. “Know why he been here.”

John say, “Was buying cheese, for truth.”

“Cheese! He seen our Hannah?”

“No sho, he ain’t,” Susannah say. “You rest.”

“Rest? Ain’t going to—” Then Jemimah choke. Cough and wheeze her air, a sound like strangling. And something happen in my heart. Driver’s cough remind, all terrors of this passen night. I cringe and stare unbreathing to her face, her struggling chest.

Then, like she feel my dread, Jemimah push back. Slam the door behind. Can hear her wheeze, her dragging foot, as she go slow away.

Susannah put one hand soft on my shoulder. “Be sorry, Ice Cream. Jemimah never known you here. She blind these days.”

“Foo, ain’t no matter,” I say shaken. “Be your house.”

“Nay, you guests,” say John unhappy. “Wish you bone respect.”

“Be no disrespect,” I say. “But who she fearing for?”

To this, all change their looks. Get faces of disliking memory. And John say heavy, “Who been here before, was NewKing Mamadou.”

“Ya,” Susannah say in quiet voice. “Their Army queen be dead.”

Take me a breath to comprehend. Then hurt change uncanny in my blood. “You going to lose a wife, can see. Be sorry.”

“Be right.” John sigh. “He come to see.”

“Choosing.” Japhet scowl disgusting.

Susannah frown to Japhet, like she warn him from some misbehavior. “Be what it is. Ain’t tell them nay.”

“He ain’t take you,” say Japhet. “I nay him, if he wanting you.”

“Ain’t ours to choose.” John shake his head.

“Can give him Mary,” Japhet say. “Or Beanie, no one want her. John, you told him he ain’t take Susannah?”

Susannah stand up now. Her face be tired like regrets. “Child, we cannot tell him how he do. It be the Long Agreement. But sure, ain’t guess the NewKing choose myself. I got two enfants born.”

“Ya,” say John. “If Armies take her from her enfants, this been bad respect.”

Now Japhet break in rage. “They care for no respect! He ain’t! He staring at our girls like animals. Ya, their queens be bell, and all it is. Ain’t care for us!”

The littles hush, look scary to Japhet. Become a troubling silence. Then Baby Leah laugh at last and throw her fritter to the floor. Susannah stoop and take it, with her eyes still brooding on Boy Japhet. I grit my jaw and breathe in deep. Hold this sorrow breath.

“Foo conversations,” say Susannah soft. “Ain’t know until we know. Now it be guests, you going to hold your mouth. Our husband pray decision.”

THEN I MUST WAIT John’s pointless prayer, if they will take the roo. I use this time to breathe myself to semblance, though my heart be knives. Heed their last refusal of the roo with patient face.

Yo, when I leave, the sun be scarcely risen to its height, although the morning feel so long. This day feel old and tired of me.

ITIE MONEY IN OUR HORSEN FIELD. THEN I GO TO A BRIAR GULLY, overgrown and lonely, for first testing of my gun. Ain’t brave yet for Sengles. Fear they asking on my visit. Ya, ever my troubles be, this pistol be a simple goodness.