*Author's Note*
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Sunday Sight
Novella POV:
The week seemed to fly by pretty fast and 'fore I knew it Sunday came 'round. Like every Sunday I went to church, sittin' with Tolbert and Rihanna, along with some of his brothers, in one of the pews deemed for the McCoy family. What was however unlike every Sunday was the presence of the Hatfields plus Roseanna in the church. The Hatfields weren't known for bein' a religious bunch, so them attendin' one of Reverend Garrett's services was mind blowin'.
Sadly, I spent more attention studyin' the Hatfields and Roseanna in their pews up near the front then I did payin' attention to singin' an' listenin' to the sermon. I just couldn't believe that they were here. They never came to church unless it was for Christmas Eve or Easter services. I had a feelin' the Roseanna was the reason behind them bein' in the church today.
"Have a blessed day. See ya'll next Sunday for the word of God." Reverend Garrett told his in his loud firm voice before steppin' down from the pulpit and walkin' down the aisle to open the church door.
As soon as the doors opened everyone began to pile out. Since my family always sat near the back we were one of the first to leave the chapel. We were walking towards our wagons and buggies whenever a shrill syrupy call of, "Sally, Sally!", sounded out in the distance from behind. Shit, I knew that voice from the other day. It was Levicy Hatfield.
"Get them chil'ren in the wagon, now!" Ole Rand'l ordered his older chil'dren as he gripped Aunt Sally's arm tightly, draggin' her to their wagon in a mad dash.
I watched as my older silbin'-in-laws snatched up the youn'ins and ran over to the McCoys' wagon, all the while Levicy kept callin' out Sally's name. I looked over my shoulder only t'see Levicy rushin' over, wavin' her hand in the air as she tried to gain Aunt Sally's attention. I also noticed that Johnse and Roseanna were walkin' down the path to were the Hatfields' wagon was out hand in hand. My eyes meet Cap's mismatched ones, he held no expression other then that of irritation an' indifference. His black Stetson made him look taller, if it was possible.
"Damn Mrs. Hatfield just can't get it in her thick skull that mama an' poppy ain't gonna talk t'her." Tolbert grumbled as we watched Ole Rand'l furiously snap the reigns and make his wagon fly forward as Levicy was only a few yards 'way from it. "Hurry, 'fore the bitch tries an' talk t'us." My husband said as he roughly dragged me to our wagon. Since Tolbert was holdin' our daughter an' walkin' at an extremely rushed paced she was slightly bouncin' up and down. I noticed her head turn an' rest over his shoulder. She seemed relaxed, which was a first since she usually squirmed in my husband's hold. Turned 'round quickly only to noticed that Rihanna was lookin' at Cap as he sat in the wagon nearest the church, Roseanna perched 'tween him an' her dumbass lover Johnse.
Lordy, my daughter would be mesmerized by his lone milky-white eye.
We quickly reached our wagon and Tolbert helped me in 'fore handin' me over Rihanna an' gettin' in himself. With a quick flick of his wrist the reigns were snapped and we were off. As we rode past the Hatfield wagon Tolbert looked striahgt 'head, not darin' to look at his sister, who was deemed a kin traitor and a wanton woman, by his poppy. I saw out of the corner of my eye the hurt look on Roseanna's sweet face and that Johnse's pretty-boy face had a look of disbelievin' shock on it. He was tryin' to consol her and wrapped an arm 'round her, holdin' her close. Cap on the other hand had a good pokerface, his coldness never wavered. He was infact lightin' up a smoke, not givin' a shit 'bout Roseanna's fragile emotional state at bein' cold-shouldered by her family. Devil Anse was leanin' 'gainst his wagon, waitin' for him wife to return, wit' an expression on his face that rivaled his second born son's.
"Poor Perry, man must be heartbroken seein' Roseanna wit' 'em demons." Tolbert's velvety-gruff voice broke out over the clatterin' of hooves and squeakin' of wheels in the air as he passed by my Uncle Perry and Moses as they walked home to fetch their buggy.
"You know he loves her?" I asked, astonished that my husband knew of my uncle's affections for my sister-in-law since I never once brought it up and I knew that neither had my uncle.
"Yep." Tolbert nodded his head before smoothly explainin', "A man in love knows when 'notha man's in love too."
The incident leavin' church this mornin' was never brought up at the McCoys' house. Nope, everyone just went 'bout thir Sunday afternoon like nothin' happened. I helped prepare dinner wit' Aunt Sally, Alifair, and Lissa while the men just sat 'round an' taled while the chil'ren went off an' played. Rihanna spent some time with her uncles an' gran'pappy, but Tolbert always seemed to want her wit' him. I didn't mind, it meant that he was actually steppin' up in his fatherly role. Only took him 15 months tho…
Once the food was done dinner was served. As always Ole Rand'l said the blessin' 'fore the servin' bowls an' platters were passed 'round. Everyone took their food in a tense silence. Clearly nobody knew what to do or say. Words wee spoken til Tolbert, who was holdin' Rihanna on his lap an' feedin' her from his plate, announce in a cheery, but velvet-gruff tone, "We're 'xpectin' 'gain. Come fall Ella's havin' 'notha baby."
Everyone paused in their eatin' to look at us, wide smiles and grins crossin' their faces. Ole Rand'l nodded his head 'fore tellin' us, "That's good news t'hear."
"Congratulations." Uncle Perry smiled before taking a sip of his coffee.
Aunt Sally just smiled at me, albeit a bit tightly, before sayin', "I'm happy for ya, sweetheart." She had a bit of a far off look in her eyes, somethin' I've never seen 'fore.
"She's getting' ready t'go into one of her mumblin' seein' shit rants." Tolbert mumbled to me under his breath.
I've heard some women, mostly the older and middle-aged ones, whisper 'bout how Aunt Sally had the sight. Ole Rand'l and all of her chil'ren along wit' Uncle Perry just waved the notion off. I heard that the sight was an ancient gift, one from the Celtic countries of Europe, and that it was all but lost. Not many were seers anymore, but some women still claimed to have it, mostly a few women amongst the Appalachians. Aunt Sally was one of them, but she never referred to it as the sight or seein'. When she had a vision or premonition she just blurted it out. I've only witnessed it once or twice tho.
This evening tho she wasn't blurtin' it out but was starin' at me like she was waitin' for the right time to speak her nonsense. Her look sent chills up my spine.
"How far 'long are ya?" Pharmer asked around a mouthful of pork.
"Bout a month." I answered with a happy smile before eating some vegetables.
"Gotta feelin' it's a boy." Tolbert proudly announced as he handed our daughter a biscuit half to chew on.
Aunt Sally snapped her head to look at us, a forlorn expression in her eyes. She forced a smile to her lips while at the same moment Ole Rand'l remarked, "Don't give yer hopes up, might come a girl 'gain."
"Ole Rand'l's right, Tolbert." My Uncle nodded before goin' on to say in a high an' mighty soundin' slick tone, "Took you too long to accept Lil Rihanna and be a good poppy to her, don't need that cycle happening all over."
My husband's nostrils flared, much like an angry bull's, before he seethed in his velvety-gruff timbre, "Don't cri'cize me an' my way of bein' a poppy, Perry. Ya never had chi'ren. Raisin' yer niece an' nephew ain't the same as raisin' one of yer own. Til yer a poppy I'll tak advice from my own poppy."
"Oh…" My uncle sighed with a flabbergasted look on his face. Clearly, he wasn't expecting my husband's sharp tongue.
Everyone 'round the table stayed silent for the rest of dinner. Nobody wanted to evoke Tolbert's temper or bitin' remarks.
After dinner it was just me and Aunt Sally doin' the dishes. Alifair's job was to tend after the youn'ins while Jim an' Lissa left to go back home to Pikeville. I didn't mind bein' alone with Aunt Sally doin' the cleanup, but I'll admit that I missed Roseanna. She always helped me and Aunt Sally wit' the dishes. Even tho it's been months since her absence it was still felt, at least by me and I'm sure by her mama.
I was dryin' up a plate whenever Aunt Sally looked at me, her hands submerged in the washbasin scrubbin' a dirty dish, and told me with a blank look, "You'll bear many sons, but none of whom'll carry my son's name."
What in the world's she talkin' 'bout?! She gone plum ass crazy?! "Aunt Sally, you're not makin' any sense."
She took her hands out of the dish water and wiped them off on her apron 'fore gently pattin' my cheek. "In time my words'll make sense. What I say's true, your sons'll never bear the name McCoy." What? Why wouldn't my sons be named McCoy? Tolbert's my husband, of course my sons'll be McCoys. "Your sons'll bear another name." I just looked at my mother-in-law like she'd just lost her mind. Poof, there went all her marbles scatterin' every which way 'crosse the flow. I didn't say a word, just looked at her with skeptical wide-eyes. "Ya think I'm crazy, sweetheart, but I'm not. I've seen it, flashes of it right 'fore my eyes after hearin' 'bout your pregnancy. It's a hard thing t'swallow, but none of your sons'll carry my son's name. It's hard an' heartbreakin' for me t've seen it an' not know why."
Okay…she's starlin' me now. Her banterin's not normal either. "Aunt Sally, can we stop talkin' bout this? It's so gloomy."
"Of course, sweetheart." She told me with a smile that wasn't reflected in her voice. Without a word she plunged her hands back into the wash basin an' went back to scrubbin' a dirty pan.
Dear lord, I think my mother-in-law's crazy. Sight or no sight, she's just not makin' any sense this evein'. Talked in circles and now she's back to doin' dishes like she wasn't just spurtin' out nonsense.
"Almost done wit' 'em dishes? Rihanna's gettin' tired an' I think we should go." Tolbert remarked as he walked into the kitchen, Rihanna fast asleep on his shoulder.
"I'll finish up the rest. Ya'll go on, take that tired girl home." Aunt Sally softly told use with an assurin' smile on her face.
I just nodded my head before quickly making my way over to my husband, who was standing nearby. Truth be told I just needed to get away from my mother-in-law for a bit. "We'll see ya soon, Ma." Tolbert assured the woman cleanin' the dishes before placin' his hand on the small of my back an' guidin' me 'way.
It was dark out, but not too dark to the point where everythin' was pitch black, whenever we walked into our cabin. Tolbert lit a light and plopped down into his chair while I put Rihanna to bed. She was already asleep against my chest so I had to be very gentle with my movements as I changed her. Rihanna was a good girl, she didn't stir one bit. Not even when I placed her in her crib and pulled her blanket up on her. I gave her a kiss goodnight on top of her unruly copper tangled mess of hair before walking out of the room.
"She's out like a light. Didn't stir one bit." I told my husband as I gently closed the door to our daughter's bedroom and walked over to the sofa that was adjacent to his chair.
"She's easy t'put down. 'Specially when she's already sleepin'." Tolbert remarked as I sat down and relaxed on the sofa.
"Took you a while to start puttin' her down tho." I reminded him with a keen look.
"I know, Ella, an' I'm sorry it took me so long t'treat her right." Tolbert told me in a velvet painfilled whine. He ran a hand thu his short ginger hued hair 'fore lookin' at me with depth in his stormy eyes and confessin', "Darlin', I just wanted a boy so bad that I reckon I resented her at first, but then she started growin' an' lookin' like ya. Reckon I started changin' an' bein' a better poppy cause I didn't like feelin' like she loved ya an' hated me."
"Just took ya over a year, but you're a good poppy. Ya care an' love her in your own way, I can see that."
"Bet her first word'll be mama over poppy." Tolbert chuckled smoothly, shakin' his head as a crooked grin passed over his lips. "Ya know she'll be talkin' soon. Hell, should already be talkin', but sometimes a fast walker's a slow talker an' vise verse. Least that's what mama says."
"Oh…" I trailed off, not really wantin' to hear 'bout what Aunt Sally says. I knew Rihanna was a bit slow at formin' her first word. "I talked to Aunt Betty 'bout it last time I saw her and she told me not to worry, that some babies don't say a word til 14 or 15 months and as long as Rihanna's responsive to my teachin's an' talkin's she'd surprise me one day by spurtin' her word back at me."
"Helpin' out wit' siblin's is diff'rent then raisin' yer own chil'ren."
"Yea, guess it is." I wouldn't know considerin' I only meet my siblin' right 'fore I got married so it wasn't like I helped raise Moses. Uncle Perry was doin' that all by himself. Suddenly Aunt Sally's words from earlier started rollin' 'round in my head. I couldn't help but think that I wasn't gonna have a boy. I looked at my ginger-haired husband before tentatively sayin' in my flowin' voice, "I know it's real early, but do you have any names in mind if it's a girl?"
"No but reckon if it is a girl we could call her Elizabeth or Margaret after one of my gran'mas. Use yer gran'ma's name too." If I remembered correctly Elizabeth was Aunt Sally's ma while Margaret was Ole Rand'l's. I didn't know much 'bout the old women tho. I did hear talk when I got married that Margaret was originally from Logan, West Virginia and that's how the McCoy family even knew the Hatfields in the first place, but I wasn't sure how much truth was in those whispered remarks.
"Elizabeth Nancy or Margaret Nancy then." Nancy Cline was my mama and uncle's mama. She had passed when Uncle Perry was a boy. I didn't know the name of my daddy's mother, reckon I never would either.
"Hmm, I like Margaret Nancy McCoy better." Tolbert told me before confidently and firmly tellin' me in his velvety-gruff timbre, "Won't be needed the name tho cause the baby's gonna be our Tolbert 'Tol' McCoy Junior."
"That's what ya said when Rihanna was born…" I sighed out, remindin' him that his intuition wasn't that great when it came to guessin' his baby's gender.
"I knew the last one was a boy even tho we lost him."
"Tolbert, please don't bring up Bert. Please, we've finally healed from that an' I don't wanna reopen old wounds."
"I'm sorry, darlin'. Won't bring it up 'gain." Tolbert told me as he got up from his chair only to join me on the sofa. "I know the last few months I ain't been too good, been only worried bout my grief an' pain an' I'm sorry for that, Ella." Tolbert told me as he wrapped his arm 'round me, bringin' me to rest into his side. "I love ya an' I'm workin' real t'make up for that."
"We just had a rough patch, but we've smoothed it out." I told him, assurin' him that he had nothin' to make up for, as I rested my head on his shoulder and patted his chest. It is what it is an' I don't want to dwell on the past. As long as our communication and marriage's solid now that's all that matters.
AN:
If you didn't figure it out, Levicy was trying to stop and talk to Sally so that she could give Roseanna back to her mother. Obviously, that didn't work out so well, lol. Also, in the miniseries it was alluded to that Sally had the sight whenever she foresees the New Year's attack so I chose to add that seer/sight gift. Do you think there's any truth behind Sally's words to Novella or will Tolbert get his Tol, the boy he wants more than anything? Oh and Rihanna's gonna be talking come the next chapter so…