“Are Dudley and Annie here? Have they moved in yet?” I spotted my little brother Alford lurking on the porch with his B-B gun. The summer before he had shot a B-B in my hand when I tried to take the magazine out of his gun at an ice-cream party we were having. “I can’t believe you still let him have that gun. I can’t believe you do it.”

“Don’t start a fight with Alford. Come on in, Rhoda. Everyone’s on the porch waiting to meet you. Some of your cousins. They’ve been here all afternoon waiting for you to come.” I walked up on the porch and was introduced to my cousin Martha Ann, who lived across the street, and her husband, Frank, and Mrs. Hunter Waits, Senior, from Aberdeen, and Daddy’s cousin James’s wife, Lelia. I shook hands with everyone and answered their questions, then Momma and Lelia took me to see my room and tour the house. It had fifteen rooms and an attic and a basement. It had three screened-in porches and three parlors and a den. It had six or seven bedrooms depending on if you counted the maid’s room. My bedroom was on the second floor. It was three times as large as any room I had ever had. Its windows looked out upon the high branches of a majestic elm. My cherry furniture was all arranged and a new bedspread was on the bed. A quilted spread in subtle shades of yellow. There was a ceiling fan above the bed and a braided yellow rug was on the floor. Mother stood beside the bed waiting for me to tell her how wonderful it was.

“Where’s my eiderdown comforter, Momma?” I asked. “Please tell me where you put it. It better be here.”

“It’s in the chest at the foot of the bed. That’s my old chest that held my trousseau. I’m giving it to you.”

“That’s nice. That’s really nice. Look, are all those people down there going to stay all afternoon? I’d really like to get my stuff out of the car. My typewriter’s in the trunk. I want to see if I can find a copy of that paper I wrote that won in case anyone wants to see it. I’ve forgotten what it says.”

“Of course, darling. I’ll bet you’re tired too. I’ll have the maids bring your things up and help you put it all away. You go take a bath and change clothes. You look like you’re worn out.” She was opening my dresser drawers. “See, honey, everything’s here. Right where you left it.”