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Part VII: 1846- On Whose Bones We Built Our Glory
Beth gave Delwyn a look, not entirely appreciating he was taking advantage of his family's general depravity to get cummychummy with her.
"So, um..." she attempted, "I guess he never lacks for Vitamin D."
Had vitamins been discovered yet? Who cares? This place could go to hell. Fuck space time. You can't put unsolicited breastfeeding in front of a person and expect them to give a damn about not breaking the universe.
-Beth
"Excuse me," Delwyn raised his finger. "Vit-ah-min Dee? Now what, ah say, what do you mean by 'Vit-ah-min Dee?"
"Oh, don't worry about it, man, it's..."
But Marianne had gotten excited, "Why, I say, it sounds like a song! Yes..." she picked up her soup spoon, tapping out a rhythm against her glass as she began to sing, "Vit-a-min D/Vit-a-min D/Better than greens and barley...'
"That is quite enough!" barked Delilah, as if there wasn't currently an entire child hanging off her tit, "There shall be no singing outside of mass."
But Marianne was getting into it, "It's delicious!/Better than sweet pies/Warm and thick and juicy like cream o' wheat!"
"Wait, why does that sound like the Johnny Cash Dukes of Hazzard song?"
-Marianne, Delilah, and Beth
Delwyn was more than happy to join in, since they were clowning on his (ugh) wife. "Vitamin D/ Vitamin D/ Bringin' nothin' but taste and prosperity..."
Clearly still drunk, he got to his feet and began clapping around the table. "It's scrumptious/A mystery/Confoundin' but allurin', it can't be beat! C'mon, boy, sing along!" He shook Everett by the shoulder, before continuing his drunken, spiteful singing circle.
In case you were wondering, Ellis was still deep in his suckle.
-Delwyn and Ellis
"STOP!" Delilah roared in vain, "STOP IT NOW!"
"Vitamin-D! Vitamin-D! Thick, sweat, creamy, and good as can be..."
"Everett, if you join in this nonsense I shall disown you!"
Beth, personally, was beginning to enjoy herself, like a mad scientist observing the scale of his crimes against humanity. Absently, she began to hum along.
-Delilah, Marianne, and Beth
"Oh Pa, I would love to..." He said as he had finished scarfing down his meal, and wiping his mouth.
"But you know on Wednesdays I do my studying in town at the library, and it seems that miss Beth had lost her belongings so I will stop by the shops and pick some things up, she's more than welcome to come and assist me."
"Oh, pooh, Everett!" sniffed Marianne.
"Oh, no, you guys have that, too?" asked Beth before she could help herself. At the very least, the singing had stopped, which was a blessed comfort. She was pretty sure Everett had just stepped in front of the proverbial bullet for her, God bless him. Not that she was willing to give carte blanche to anybody in this perverted Addams Family set-up, but Everett seemed the least likely to be unbalanced, a pervert, or still be breastfeeding.
"Yeah, sure, that sounds great," Beth said, getting up so fast she spilled the (very cold) beans and barleycorn from the table, "Oh, wow, that's terrible, so sorry. Someone's gonna have to sick, I mean mop that up. Here, some napkins," she tossed some cloth squares down, "I mean, it's not like you guys don't have a shortage of help around here. It's probably bad form for me to even try doing anything to that. Nice meeting you all, sorry I couldn't stay for desert. But I do have to pick up a new, um..."
What did governesses teach with?
"An abacus. For, uh, chemistry class."
Delilah blinked, "Everett, pleased as I am that you are espousing the virtues of Christian charity, I have reservations about you going unchaperoned with the governess."
Marianne giggled again. Beth contemplated suicide. This seemed like it would be her new routine.
-Marianne, Beth, and Delilah
Delwyn ceased his clapping, very upset with his son. "Always a disappointment. Cahn't have anything Ah want..." Aggressively, he kicked one of the many empty chairs and faced the wall.
Ellis, finally satisfied, separated himself from his mother's tit. "Thank you, mother," he said, like a trained dog.
"Oh, let the boy go, Delilah!" Delwyn snapped, turning back around to face his (UGH!) wife. "It's not like Miss Beth will be givin' Ellis heah a lesson, considerin' the runt always gets drowsy after one of his sucklin's."
"I do not!" Ellis whined, eyes welling up.
"Ah was not talkin' to you, boy!" Delwyn slammed his hands on the table and leaned forward, face red as a beet. "Now go eat the food that was prepared for you by ouah kitchen or so help me, Ah'll beat you good mahself!"
"I don't want to!" He shouted.
Delwyn roared, throwing a plate against the wall, shattering it to a million pieces. The room was silent.
-Delwyn and Ellis
"Mother I am a grown man and have been for quite some time, I do not need a chaperon, and I can assure you that you won't be having any grandchildren from an unwed son."
Everett said, before nearly snapping his neck at the sound of a plate shattering.
"And on that note, I believe we should be going, before something very uncalled for should happen."
He said looking at his father.
"You really shouldn't put all this stress on yourself father, it's bad for your health."
"Don't talk smart to me, boy!" Delwyn grabbed his eldest son by the arm. "You let anything happen to Miss Beth in town and so help me, you'll be givin' the boy lessons yoahself!" He let go and stormed out of the room, bellowing to some slaves on the way, "SOMEONE CLEAN UP THIS MESS!" Two women promptly went to the remains of the plate and picked up the shattered remnants.
Ellis tugged at his mother's collar. "I want to go to sleep, mother," he said, holding back tears.
-Delwyn and Ellis
Beth watched in naked horror at the rapidly unfolded domestic carnage. Marianne appeared visibly uncomfortable, but said nothing directly. Delilah had buttoned her dress back up and gotten to her feet.
"And to sleep you shall go," she placed a hand on Ellis's shoulder, "Come and away."
"Shouldn't..." Beth hesitated, "I mean, can we just leave during this?" not to admit that she felt bad for these people...well, she almost felt bad for Breast Boy...but it seemed like she couldn't just hightail it and go. The way Delwyn Maddox had transformed so swiftly from a genteel old pervert to an angry authoritarian sent icy shivers through her.
It felt as though she couldn't leave, not really, no matter how she wanted.
-Beth and Delilah
Ellis took his mother's hand and was guided along by her, but not before giving a searing look at Miss Beth, as if to say this was all her fault, even though deep down, he knew this was a commonplace occurrence in this house. He stuck out his tongue and pivoted angrily, as he was gently taken out of the room by his dearest mother.
"There's nothing to do. He's always this way, and will be until the day he dies."
Everett turned to his sister, placing a hand on her shoulder and whispering something into her ear.
"Remember, straight to your room, and put something heavy in front of the door, I'll check on you when I return."
Marianne nodded stiffly as she got to her feet. She looked furtively at Beth, "Take good care in town, Miss Beth. Though I don't imagine you'll find it as much an adventure as these parts."
As they emerged from the dining room, Beth turned to Everett, "So, um...quite a family you have. Real colorful characters."
-Marianne and Beth
"My sister's alright, and I still have hope for Ellis, should he ever be cut from his cord."
Everett told her, as he nodded to one of the slaves who had brought around the carriage.
"Need help up?" He asked.
"Well, that's very gallant and everything, but I can manage," she hefted herself into the coach, pausing briefly to wonder if she shouldn't be worried that she was going into uncharted territory in a strange time with a man she'd just met. Could it be that, because he seemed most normal, he was actually the most dangerous? That's usually how it went with maniacs and rapists.
"You couldn't wait to quit that place, huh?" she began conversationally.
-Beth
"To be honest, dinner is something you'll find more and more grating on the soul."
Everett got up into the carriage and once adjusted gave a light tap of the reigns and so they were moving.
"But I have responsibilities and I intend on keeping them, as hard as it may be to stick around."
"Well, on the bright side," Beth attempted to situate herself in such a way that she wouldn't fly out of the cart at every bump in the road, grasping onto the sides of the carriage in a way that would've gotten her tossed off Space Mountain without a doubt, "Life expectancy being what it is, it's only a matter of time before Big Daddy gets gout and croaks or something, and just like that you're King of the Castle."
This was undoubtedly excessively familiar talk, but Beth felt more comfortable now that they were away from the big house, and out in the world, even if it was completely alien to her in every way.
-Beth
"No one should ever wish ill on their father." Everett told Beth, as he looked on the dirt roads ahead. He felt as though he couldn't hope or wish for that. Not in good conscience anyway. "Do you have a family."
"Only so far as everyone does," said Beth slowly, "Like I said at dinner, I, um...haven't spoken to them in a while. One too many differences of opinion."
She supposed in a way "Miss Beth's" life was a closer mirror to her own than even she had intended. While Miss Beth had left her heretical Mormon parents to assume a new life at Miss Bodycote's School in New Orleans, Just Beth had been chased out by her heretical Evangelical parents, at which point she'd assumed a new life in Ty's Cabinet of Curiosities on the edge of town.
"Something very magical happens to most people when they reach a certain age: they realize they don't have to be like their parents and they do everything possible to stop being like them. Now, it doesn't always work...sometimes it backfires, and they become just like them or worse, like the Boomers," she paused, "That's an ethnic group, don't worry about it. But sometimes...yeah, sometimes, it does. If you work hard enough at it."
-Beth
"I know how I am perceived Miss Beth, you don't have to try to try to save my soul." Everett smiled, shaking his head.
"You're a strange duck Miss Beth."
"I try my level best," Beth smiled despite herself.
-Beth
we built this city....we built this city...
***
Having arrived in town, Everett pulled along side the building, as he got out he looked to either side of him, as if he had been making sure he wasn't being watched or followed, and then looked to Beth.
"Now I don't want to bore you with watching me study, so why don't you just find yourself something to do, and I'll come looking for you when I am finished."
"Well, are you gonna point me to the nearest rager, or is there something else a girl can do at 7:00 PM in the...approximately two blocks that exist of Lakewood, Louisiana?"
-Beth
"Well there's a dress shop down the way, open for bout another hour, ill be there in thirty minutes, so just look around and try not to get yourself kidnapped or proposed to."
Everett gave a grin, before heading inside.
"Well, if I am, you just tell the fam I left Ellis's homework on the nightstand, along with about two bottles of good ol' half-and-half," Beth smirked, starting off the down the high street.
-Beth
thirty minutes later...
Everett had finished his studiesand came walking out of the library, making a turn, and heading for the shop Beth should have been in.
Beth had made it approximately halfway down the high street when she was accosted by yet another eccentric with a shtick. Go figure.
"Bibles!" the hawker was standing on a crate at the corner, holding one of the eponymous books aloft, "Fine Bibles, with all the good parts intact!"
He was about middle-aged, in ratty tweeds and a wide-brimmed black hat. The cart he was selling his wares from was loaded up with Bibles and strange green glass bottles. The letters painted on the side advertised: 'Doug E. O'Halloran's Hopping Syrup' and, in smaller print at the bottom, 'And Bibles'.
"Young lady! Looking for some religion?"
"Ah, sorry man," Beth said automatically, "Mine's on loan."
"Ah, a sense of humor! And talking of humors, perhaps ye'd be interested in a bottle of me Hopping Syrup?" the man...O'Halloran, if any of the words on that cart were true...proffered one of the green bottles, "A surefire cure for what ails ya."
"Oh yeah?" Beth smirked, "What's it made of?"
"Now, missie," O'Halloran smirked, "If I told ya that, I'd have to kill ye."
Beth turned the bottle over, noting that, where the FDA would in her time have mandated an exhaustive list of ingredients, there was nothing but a pretty pencil sketch of a man and woman flirting to each other from opposite ends of the mouth of a huge bottle.
"So, uh...it's good for the interpersonal socialization, huh?" Beth guessed.
"Medear, I've known gentlemen with the unhappiest wives you ever did see. One sip of my Hoppin' Syrup, and you'd think they'd struck gold!"
"I'm sure the wives appreciated that," remarked Beth, sizing up O'Halloran's jaunty smirk and guessing there were more reasons than special syrup that these anonymous wives were so happy after a meeting with the traveling salesman.
-Beth and O'Halloran
Caoimhe O'Halloran peeked out from behind the cart. Well, I'll be! My little pictures must be drawing people in, by God! She was of course referring to the paintings on the cart and her own homemade inscriptions on the bottle. But was she to meddle in her father's salesmanship? She currently was messy-haired and washing her feet, but she reckoned she wouldn't be the sloppiest-looking person in this town, no sir!
So, spontaneously, Caoimhe popped out of the cart with frightening enthusiasm. "Papa's right! One of the best remedies for a failing marriage is the word of the Lord! It's a proven truth!"
Everett saw Beth being hassled by some no good down right heathen swindlers, IRISH NO LESS!
"Hear now, hear now, our marriage is not failing thank you!" He yelled as he came upon them. He had hoped Beth would just go with it.
"I was conducting business elsewhere, and now I'm to buy my lady a new dress."