The Front Porch

The Front Porch

You could see the jaded majesty in the old antebellum house located in the small Southern town of Maywood, Mississippi. Leaded stained glass windows surrounded an old wooden front door, worn by time. White plain glass replaced some of the colored glass showing the owner’s modest ability to fully maintain the residence. The screen door, torn in several places, allowed mosquitoes to enter the house plaguing its residents, especially at night. Open green shutters, with their peeled off paint, contrasted with thered bricks. The grand house had stood almost a hundred years.

Outside a large front porch with white columns and a gray floor wrapped around the house. A large swing hung from the ceiling. Two big rocking chairs sat on each side of the front door. The porch overlooked the English garden with its coneflowers, marigolds, and geraniums. The camellias, placed in various places throughout the yard, always won first prize at the camellia show in Meridian.

Mabelhad lived in this old house forover forty years, since 1905. Now she stooped over when she walked,not her straight self of younger days. Her face was full of wrinkles, but she still had eyes that sparkled like a young girl. Mabel showed kindness to all she came in contact with. She raised her children here, watching them grow into fine adults. Her husband retired after thirty years on the railroad. He loved to sit on the porch with her. Then he died. She really missed Morris. The house held so many memories; so many happy memories.

Every day she came out of her house after breakfast to sit in one of the rockers on the porch. She brought out a book to read when she wasn’t watching the people on the street. Today she wouldread Gone with The Wind, a Southern book. Scarlett O’Hara, her maid Mammy, her sister, Melanie and Melanie’s husband Ashley. The thread of the Civil War wove throughout the book.

Sitting in her rocking chair Mabel watched all the people walking past her door. First, the milkman, with hisneatly ironed blue uniform and a cap imprinted with the dairy name, Cloverleaf,walked up tothe porch taking her empty bottles. He went back to his truck and opened the rear green door. He jumped into the back and pulled out a largebottlefilled with milk and cream on the top.. “Here it is.” Mabel took the milk into the house, putting it in the ice box, where the ice had almost melted. Hopefully, the ice man will come soon, Mabel thought.

Mabel went back to rocking in her chair. Jane, the next door neighbor, waved. Mabel asked her if she wanted to come over and just sit in the rocker for awhile. “I’ll make some tea. Got something new from the grocery. It’sfrom a place called Ceylon. Nice and strong. You’ll like it.”

Jane strolled over the grassy lawn between the two houses. In her thirties,she had two elementary school=aged children. She kept house while her husband slaved away as an accountant for a large firm. Jane and her family had only recently moved to Maywood. She and Mabel had become close friends, sharing their love of books, talking, and just visiting.

Mabeltold her to have a seat in the rocker, “I’ll get some tea for us.” She went into the kitchen and boiledsome water. She poured it into a blue and white flowered teapot along with a teabag. She took out two sets of cups and saucers. Her husband Morris had always bought her a different set each year on their anniversary; some simple, but most elaborate. She gave Jane thelight green cup with a red rose design inside and put a black and white design cup with legs on a side table. She knew Jane liked her gingersnaps, so she put some on a rose colored plate.

“Here, Jane, try some of this. Tell me what you think about it.”

Jane slowly brought the liquid to her mouth and sipped it, tasting each drop. “At first, I didn’t like it, but the longer I keep it in my mouth, the better I like it. I really like your gingersnaps. Can you give me your recipe?”

“I would, but I want to keep it a secret until after the church baking contest. I’m sure I’ll win this year.”

They continued to drink their tea and eat cookies, rocking all the time. The summer heat had taken its toll on many flowers in the garden, even though rains watered them almost daily. No relief today from this baking sun. Jane repeatedly complained, “If it’s this hot now, what will August bring? This is only June.” Jane unfolded her fan and began to slowly wave it in front of her face.

Robert came by and picked up the newspaper from the lawn. Hethrew it onto the porch. “You know Jane, he may be a little different, but he sure does help me. Every day he puts the paper on the porch. Don’t have to go down the steps to get it.” Robert had never finished elementary school, no program for special kids.

“Let’s see if anything’s happening.” Mabel opened the paper. “Well, the mayor’s going to be master of ceremony at the July 4th picnic. I forget where it’s held this year.”

Jane said, “I think at Woods Lake. That’s where it was last year.”

“Probably. Listen, here are the new books at the library: a Perry Mason, Romance at Harbor Inn and a book on Lincoln. Well, who in Maywood’d read a book on Lincoln? What wasthe librarian thinking? She should have ordered a book on Lee. She just doesn’t fit in Maywood.”

Mabel looked down the street only to see Mary waddling in her usual fashion. A bit late. She expected her an hour ago. Mary, herAfrican American maid, had worked for Mabel for a decade. Each yearMary’s waist grew at least one inch. Even though often late, she showed pride in everything she did, making her a decided asset to Mabel.

“Mary, how are you doing?”

“Hot, M’am. Sorry to be’s so late. You know how dem streetcars are.”

Mabel told her to start with sweeping the floors and vacuuming the rugs. “You know I bought that new fangled thing – the Bissel wonder. Don’t know if it’s any better than sweeping. Just let me know for sure.”

“Yes, m’am. I’s going to get to it right away. Does you know where da’ broom is?”

“Right behind the kitchen door. If not, look on the back porch. Oh well, I just don’t know.”

Mary opened the screen door and slowly walked into the parlor to begin her day’s work. Oh, she thought, Sure’s hot in here.

Jane and Mabel kept rocking on the front porch. Who did they see coming down the street, but the little neighborhood girls, Elizabeth, Laura Ann, Dottie, and Eileen. They rode their tricycles in a line one after the other. When they hit the bump on the sidewalk in front of Mabel’s house, they screamed with glee. They always rode over the bump, having such fun over such a small thing. They must have ridden up and down the street at least ten times before they stopped at Elizabeth’s house.

One of the girls, it was hard to tell which one, took out some white chalk and started to make a hop scotch on the sidewalk:boxes for one to nine, and a circle for ten. The girls searched the ground for the perfect rock. Eileen said she had one, but Elizabeth found a better one, bigger and rounder. The girls started one by one to jump from box to box skipping the one with the rock. When someonesucceeded in completing the run from one to ten and back, they threw the rock to the next number. Laura Ann proved the superior child today.

A whitehorse-drawn wagon bearing the name of Roman Taffy Company came down the street, clanging its loud bell. “Taffy, taffy – come get your taffy here.” The children ran home to ask their mothers for a quarter. Soon they came back. Laura and Eileen picked a pink taffy stick, Elizabeth a red and Dottie white. The taffy man gave them their choices from his large side window. Theypulled and pulled the taffy before indulging in its delicious taste.

The girls disappeared into the back yard. They loved to play hide and seek in the banana grove. They also carved out part of the bark and placed notes there for their friends to find; not good for the trees, but fun for them.

Soon Jane and Mabel noticed the preacher walking down the street. Who was he going to visit? Was someone sick? He must have been seventy years old and had difficulty walking now. His sermons had lost their youthful fervor. Now he didn’t preach about hell, fire and brimstone, butmore about Jesus and love. As he passed, he stopped to look at Mabel’s garden. “Beautiful flowers you have there. I remember when I was young, my mother used to put in a big garden like yours.” Mable thanked him for his kind words. He told Mabel not to miss church Sunday. “I’mtalking about the Sermon on the Mount.” The preacher walked two doors down and knocked on Mr. Ridgeway’s door. They wondered why he was visiting there.

“Mary, Mary. I need you to go to the store. Are you there?”

“Yes, m’am. What ya want at da’ store?”

“Well, get me some ham.We’ll have ham for lunch. Also, some bread, a steak, cookies.Oh, let me write it down.” Mabel took a sheet of paper and wrote down the items. “Mary, tell them to charge it. I’ll pay the bill on Saturday.”

“Yes, m’am. I’se be back as soon as I’se can.”

Had to be noon when the ice man’s horse drawn wagon came up the street. He stopped at each house and carried a block of ice in with his large tongs. When he got to Mabel’s house, he asked if she needed ice. “Yes, of course, Just come this way. I think the old ice has already melted.”

The ice man lifted a large block from the back of his wagon and brought it into her kitchen. Mabel opened the top section of the ice box. Indeed, she had almost no ice left. “Ice melts fast these days. I bring ice daily to most customers. See you tomorrow.”

Jane told Mabel she had to go home. “I better get my house clean and food cooked before my husband gets home.” Mabel told here “Come back tomorrow and we’ll have that tea from Ceylon.”

About then, Mary came back from the grocery lugging two big bags.

“M’am, Y’se want me to put des groceries up?”

“Yes Mary. Leave the cookies out on the counter. You never know who will come by.”

“Yes m’am.”

Time for lunch. “Mary, Mary, are you there?”

“Yes m’am.”

“Can you fetch me a ham sandwich and make one for yourself.”

“Yes, m’am.”

About ten minutes later, Mary brought out the ham sandwich with a cool glass of lemonade. “Mary. You’re wonderful. I really wanted lemonade.”

While eating her sandwich, Mabel noticed the mailman. He wore his usual uniform. Must be hot in long sleeves. His heavy bag slumped over his shoulder. When he got closer to the house, she saw that indeed he was hot, sweat dripping down his face.

“Hi, m’am. Got a little mail for you.”

She held out her hand and he put three letters in it. She thanked him. She saw a letter from Carol and opened it. Carol’s husband received a big promotion and they moved to Mobile. She was anxious to see how things were going. Carol’s letter said they bought a house in a quiet neighborhood. The children seemed to be adjusting to school, although they still had some difficulty with such a large class. In Maywood, only twelve children in a class. Much more attention from teachers in Maywood. Carol said several times that she missed living in Maywood. She definitely mentioned that people “don’t sit on their front porches like in Maywood.”

Oh, well. Mabel sure missed Carol. They went shopping together and just visiting. In Maywood most people visit in the afternoon. Mabel wondered if they had visiting times in Mobile or whether everyone was too busy to visit.

Her telephone rang and Mabel walked into the house. “Hello. Who is this?” The voice at the other end said, “Your daughter. Just wanted to see how you were.”

She told her “I’m fine.”

“Good. I worry about you.”

“Don’t worry Susie. I’m fine. Just sitting on the porch.”

Susie hung up the telephone telling her mother she’d be by tomorrow. “Good. I look forward to seeing you.”

Before long Jim the gardener came to Mabel’s house pushing his lawnmower. That time of the week. During the rainy summer, the grass seemed to grow an inch a day. He began pushing the mower in a straight line to make the grass look perfect. He also brought food for the camellia bushes. They probably needed a good dose for the prime growing season. It was almost impossible to find a good gardener, so Mabel felt lucky.

“Blackberries, ripe blackberries, we got blackberries?” Mable spied the fruit and vegetable man, Willie, slowly moving up the street calling out his wares. She left the porch to call back to him, “Here, I want some.”

Willie, a stout African American, in a plaid shirt and blue jeans, slightly worn by time, stopped in front of her house. “We got good blackberries, m’am,” he said.

She looked at his produce and replied, “Not today, but I’ll take some okra and green beans.”

“That’ll be seventy-five cents.”

She reached into her pocket and gave him the money. She called, “Mary, Mary, you want to get this okra and string beans? We can have okra for dinner.”

Mary came quickly and took the brown sacks from her. “Yes, ma’am. I’se be glad to do dat.”

“Now Mary, remember to put the cornmeal heavy on the okra.”

“Yes’a ma’am.”

Back to the rocker. Back and forth. Back and forth.

She looked across the street to the Gage house. Who was that on the porch with Ethel, the beautiful high school cheerleader? An unknownlanky male visitor,his prominent nose on anacned face. That’s the way courting went, sitting on the porch. Few teenagers had cars. Not many of their parents either.

Sonny, the freckled boy from down the street, came running by. “Have you seen my dog?”

“What kind of dog is it?”

“Oh, a mutt, brown with long ears.”

“I haven’t seen him, but if I do, I’ll call your mother.”

“Thanks.”

Mr. Reynard,a very proper Southern gentlemen wearing a seersucker suit with a straw hat, walked toward her house. He ran for mayor last year, but lost decidedly. His views fit those of the town, but his brusque personality turned off the people of Maywood. He came on Mabel’s porch to rail against that awful President Truman. “He’s going to take us down the road to ruin. Doesn’t he realize the threat from the reds?” Mabel just listened and asked if he wanted to sit down. He declined and walked down the steps to continue his trek home.

Then come the Lanes. It’s Friday night and the movie theater showed its special western night; a serial followed by a cowboy movie. The.Laneswalked together holding hands while their children ran ahead. It had been awhile since Mabel went to amovie. The last time she saw Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers waltzing in “Flying Down to Rio.” They sure danced beautifully.

Mabel, though, just liked to listen to her radio. She had one on the porch. Tonight was Fibber McGee and Molly. She loved it when he opened his closet door and all the “junk” fell out. Then George Burns and Gracie Allen. She certainly seemed dumb. Each night she listened to different programs. She remembers her husband Morris. He loved to sit on the porch and listen to Duffy’s Tavern and the Whistler. Oh, how Mabel missed Morris.

Mabel watched other people on their porch. The Linfields, a retired couple, sat on a porch swing. Mr. Linfield liked to read while his wife usually knitted. One Thurgood sister sat on the porch on a red steel chair while her sister, Hester, worked in the yard as long as the sun shone. Old Mr. Thomas and his daughter, Rose, sat silently. Mr. Thomas was senile and his daughter never married. She stayed home to help with both parents, but her mother died a few years ago. Now she only had her father left.