The Taffy
by Alysia C. Anderson
Red gel rolled down Jimmy’s arm as he bit into his strawberry jelly sandwich. He always ate strawberry jelly sandwiches, but sometimes he imagined they were chicken, ham, or beef. Meat, any meat, would be a treat, but for now, he would settle with what he was blessed. As he licked the red jelly off his arm, he felt someone’s eyes on him.
Jimmy lifted his head, seeing Sunée prancing around in her dress. Sunée loved that dress and never seemed to take it off. Every time he saw her, she was in that dress, talking over and over about her sister’s wedding. He could not stand that dress, especially the color. Pink reminded him of roses. They look pretty and smell sweet, but they were full of bees ready to sting you. Sunée was like that too.
“Whatcha doing?” Sunée asked, standing in front of him.
Jimmy looked up, squinting his eyes in the bright sun, “Eatin.’ What’s it look like?”
“Oh,” Sunée replied, sitting on his right. She fixed her dress, careful not to flash her undergarments. The pink dress had many white layers underneath that made it fluff out, hitting Jimmy’s leg. Once she felt situated, she stared at him with a big grin.
He took a deep breath and tried to ignore her, but the fluffy dress reminded him she was there. He could hear his momma’s words echoing in his ear, Patience is a virtue. Jimmy was not sure what his momma meant by that, but he had a feeling patience did not exist around Sunée.
“Oh, look. It’s a giant bug needin’ to be squashed.”
Jimmy looked up; his best friend walked up behind them. He smiled as the red-headed Teat joined his side. Teat never liked Sunée. With any chance he had, he tried his best to run her off. Jimmy counted down until that moment.
“Too bad I ain’t got no boots,” Teat said, “Cuz I ain’t wantin’ your guts on my shoes.”
Jimmy smirked, trying to hold in his laughter as Sunée put her hands on her hips. Teat always knew how to aggravate her, and he enjoyed every second of it.
“Shut up, Teat,” Sunée fussed at him as she stood up. She flared her nostrils and leaned forward. Her dress fluffed up in the back, and she glared at him with her red eyes. Like an angry bee that just got swatted, she buzzed, “Shut up, Teat.”
“What?” Teat replied. “I couldn’t understand you with all that buzzing.”
Sunée clenched her fists and punched him in the arm. She was still a tough girl underneath all the fluff.
“Ow,” Teat rubbed his arm and glared. “That hurt.”
“Serves you right,” Sunée answered and turned with her nose in the air as she buzzed off.
Jimmy laughed at Teat’s face blending with his hair. “Looks like she stung you,” he said, earning him a punch in the arm from Teat. He grabbed the sore spot and bit his lip, wondering if Sunée punched Teat as hard.
“Good. Now we got peace,” Teat smirked and pulled out a wrapped object out his pocket. As he unwrapped it, a whiff of strawberries filled Jimmy’s nostrils, causing him to focus on the long, slender object Teat held.
“What’s that?” Jimmy asked with his eyes fixed on the object.
“Candy,” Teat answered, tossing the wax wrapper on the ground.
Jimmy tilted his head. He never saw a candy like the one Teat held. “Is it a candy bar?”
“No. Taffy,” Teat replied and bit into it, though he made funny faces as he chewed. “My momma always sends me taffy from New Orleans before she comes home to visit me,” he replied and stuck his finger in his mouth to pry the taffy off the roof of his mouth.
Jimmy looked back at his sandwich, thinking how lucky Teat was to always receive presents from his momma. He took a bite, but it didn’t have the same taste as before.
***
After school, Jimmy followed Teat to his grandma’s house. Teat and his grandmother lived in the woods at the end of a dirt road. Trees shaded the area, creating a tunnel, and Jimmy couldn’t help but think if this was the reason Teat was pale.
When they arrived at the house, Teat’s grandma, Mary Belle, sat on the porch, rocking anxiously in her chair. She stared and didn’t move until they trudged up the porch steps. Then she stood up, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Good afternoon, Grandma,” Teat smiled as she held a placid face. She never smiled or frowned; she just stood there with her lips in one straight line. “Jimmy’s here to pick up a jar of jelly for his momma.”
Mary Belle nodded and turned to Jimmy, “What kind your momma wants?”
“Strawberry,” Jimmy replied as he stood up straight. Teat’s grandmother always made him nervous. Mrs. Mary Belle wasn’t as old as most of the old ladies in his church, but his momma said her sadness made her age.
Mary Belle nodded and walked into the house without saying another word.
“Come see what my momma sent me,” Teat said as they walked inside the house and to the kitchen counter. He pulled two sticks of taffy out and showed them to Jimmy.
“Are those from the city too?” Jimmy’s eyes widened as he looked at the wrapped piece of taffy. He had never been to a city before, but he imagined every corner was packed with something new and exciting. “They must cost lots of money, like chocolate.”
“Yeah,” Teat replied, nodding his head. “They cost a whole ten cents each, and my momma got me three.”
Jimmy faked a smile. He wished his momma could buy him special treats, but his family didn’t have money. If he was lucky, his momma made strawberry shortcake for his birthday or a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving.
“Teat, what did I tell you about that candy?” Mary Belle demanded as she tapped her foot.
“I ain’t eating it,” Teat replied. “I was just showing it to Jimmy.”
“I told you not to touch it,” she fussed at him. “Now put it up.”
Teat hung his head and answered, “Yes, ma’am.”
Jimmy watched Mary Belle eye every move Teat made until satisfied. Then, she turned to him. “Here’s the jelly for your momma.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Mary Belle,” Jimmy replied as he took the jar from her. He held it up, studying its red contents.
“You’re welcome,” Mary Belle answered. “Tell your momma I need six eggs.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jimmy nodded, holding onto the jar tight. “I will.”
“Now you boys scat,” Mary Belle ordered them. “I got work to do.”
***
The next day, Jimmy walked to Teat’s house with his fishing pole in his hand and a small basket of eggs in the other. He planned to catch a big redfish for supper that night. The more he thought about it, the more he could taste it in his mouth.
Instead of Teat, he found Mary Belle on the porch, shaking her head.
“Mrs. Mary Belle, here are the eggs from my momma,” Jimmy said, holding out the basket.
Mary Belle took the basket. “Thank you. Teat’s inside.”
Jimmy stared into the older woman’s eyes. She had been crying. “Is something wrong, Mrs. Mary Belle?”
“Too much for a boy like you.”
Jimmy knew what that meant—stop asking questions and leave. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Jimmy.”
“Ma’am?”
“Thank you for asking. Teat’s got a good friend in you,” Mary Belle said, smiling. “He could use a good friend now.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jimmy said. He smiled back and headed into the house to find Teat sitting on his bed. “You ready to go?”
Teat sat, twirling the taffy around in his fingers.
“Where’s your pole?” Jimmy asked. “Ain’t we goin’ fishing?”
Teat ignored him.
Jimmy wanted to ask Teat what was bothering him, but wasn’t sure what to say. Placing his fishing pole down, he sat down next to his friend and waited.
Teat sighed, looking at a piece of taffy.
“Is that the taffy from the city?” Jimmy asked, remembering the stories Teat told him yesterday.
“Yeah, from New Orleans,” Teat nodded. “She gets it for me. She gets them before she comes home and sends them to me. It’s how she promises.”
“Your momma sounds nice,” Jimmy replied. “You think she’s going to bring you some more when she visits.”
A tear rolled down Teat’s cheek. “She’s not coming.”
Jimmy didn’t know what to say. Yesterday, Teat couldn’t stop talking about his momma coming to visit. Now she wasn’t.
“My momma promised she would come, but she ain’t,” Teat added. “She doesn’t visit me anymore. I don’t think she loves me. Does your momma love you?”
“Yeah,” Jimmy nodded, “but I don’t think my daddy does. He’s always mean to everybody.”
“At least you have a daddy,” Teat replied. “I don’t even know mine. He left just like my momma. They don’t care about me. No one cares about me except my grandma.”
Jimmy thought for a moment. “You can share my momma with me.”
“Really?” Teat sniffled, raising his head up and wiping his nose on his shirt sleeve.
“Yeah,” Jimmy smiled. “My momma likes kids. She’ll like you, too. We can be brothers.”
Teat smiled. He took the piece of taffy and pulled it in half, giving a piece to Jimmy. Together, they ate the last piece in silence.
About the Writer
Alysia C. Anderson is an English instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University, where she teaches freshman composition and American literature. Her short stories have been published in Tulane Review, Louisiana Review, Pure in Heart Stories, and Country Roads Magazine. She lives in Folsom, Louisiana, with her husband, son, dog, and farm animals.
Next (Story: Katie’s Decision) >
< Previous (Art: Father and Child)
Image is in the Public Domain.
