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Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

“Now that’s been known to happen. A marriage aint no footrace. It’s more like a long crawl, and sometimes you’re a-crawlin one way, and other times you’re a-crawlin another way. Me and the mizzus, we had our ups and our downs. I don’t mind tellin you, there was times I was ready to up and leave that old woman. She’d get nasty, raggin on me about this and that, and I’d say, ‘Woman, that’s a damned nuff. I’ve had all I can take. Now you are goin to shut it or I’m goin straight down that old road and I aint never lookin back.’ She understood she had to shut it, because I wasn’t goin to take no more. I’d a gone right down that road and she would never see this face again. Okay, I aint much to look at, but I’m a provider, I am. Maybe I don’t put no roast beef on the table ever night like some, but we aint gone hungry, nosir. Not even in these hard times, with folks a-starvin to death all over the country. You see my old woman with a back bumper on her wide as a barn door and you know she aint gone hungry, not for a solitary minute of her life. If she wasn’t fertile as new-plowed ground, we’d have a-plenty to eat. It’s them nine little ones that make us have to stretch ever meal. Ever time I get a sniff of that woman, she’s got her belly stickin out again.”

Emaline was grateful for Alf’s chatter, for the roar of the old truck engine, for the cab with its reek of hay and sweat and axle grease, for anything to take her mind off what she had seen in the barn and what might be happening inside her.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, she had passed out. Alf Muzzy lifted her out of the truck and carried her tenderly into the emergency room. The first nurse he saw was in a hurry, but he stopped her in her tracks.

“This here little lady, miss? I run her over with my truck.”

27.

WHEN SHE WOKE, IT WAS MIDMORNING. SUNLIGHT flooded the room. Doc Baker bent over her, feeling her pulse. She could see the truth in his eyes. “I lost the baby, didn’t I?”

“I’m afraid so. We couldn’t save him. I wasn’t too sure we were going to save you either. You lost a lot of blood.”

“You said you couldn’t save him? It was a boy, then?”

“Yes, ma’am. It was a boy. I’m real sorry. But you’re a healthy young woman, no reason you can’t have another one.”

She tried to stifle the cry in her throat. The doctor had to examine her, then he explained how she should care for herself.