“Where we going girl?” Ludell asked, laughing as they turned the corner. “You just running yo mouth and aine said a word bout where you heading.”
“Thought we’d go down by the canal!” she said.
“Down in back o’ the funeral home?” Ludell asked.
“Yep! In back o’ the ole FUNERAL HOME WHERE THEY EMBOMB DEAD PEOPLES,” Ruthie Mae shouted.
Ludell realized that she wanted to scare Cathy, but how she wished she’d thought of another way, because she wasn’t keen on going down there at all!
When they walked across the old rotten wooden bridge it was squeaking like it would give in any minute, and Ruthie Mae wouldn’t as much as hold poor little scarey Cathy’s hand. Ludell would have had she known Ruthie Mae was going to act that way, but she was already over before she turned to look back. Having been so scared herself, she’d just been concentrating on getting over as fast as she could. She stood at the other side now, watching poor Cathy creeping along like somebody on a tightrope, while Ruthie Mae walked ahead of her humming. “That Ruthie Mae know she can be mean when she wanna,” thought Ludell.
After they’d all crossed, the three of them sat down on the ground beside the canal. The water looked slimy and green. Word was that the funeral home people dropped whatever they drained from dead people in there. Huge trees surrounded the canal, blocking off the sunlight, making it dark and spooky. Looking all around, Ludell thought the Kangaroo man’s house was the only place that could be scarier.
“Ludell?” went Ruthie Mae.
“Yes-my-darling,” she answered.
“Oh shoot, I wasn’t calling you for that mess!” she said. “I’m tide o’ that junk now. Let’s join out.”
“Okay,” Ludell said interlocking baby fingers with her. “I’m tired of it too. Lots of people at school done joined out. It’s bout gone outta style now.”
“Will you hush, so I can tell you what I was fixing to before?” Ruthie Mae asked impatiently.
“What?” she asked.
“The news,” she said.
“What news?” Ludell asked puzzlingly.
“They say some people spotted the Kangaroo man ghost in town chile!”
“Wha-aat?” shouted Ludell, before noticing that Ruthie Mae was winking an eye at her.
Meanwhile Ruthie Mae looked to check Cathy’s reaction. Seeing that she was getting her scared, she continued. “Guess where they say they saw him at?”
“Where?” Ludell asked, going along with her, even though she didn’t altogether approve.
“Right roun here,” she answered. “Riding a ghost horse and carrying a net big enough to scoop up people—you know that’s how they say them men caught him, scooped him up from the jungle; so I guess he out for pay-back!”
“Ruthie Mae, I’m getting cold,” said Cathy. “I’m ready to go home.”
“I thought you wanted to play with us ti-day Cathy,” she sang out to her sweetly.
“I did,” said Cathy. “But I changed my mind cause I’m too cold.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll take you back, but don’ be telling Mattie I ran you home. You can stay with us long as you feel like it.”
“I ’on feel like it no mo already, Ruthie Mae,” went Cathy. “I’m ready to go rat now. I’m ca-ca-cold,” she said shivering.
“Okay, you aine got to beg. I’ll take you on back, but I’m gon only walk you to ou-r street. Then me and Ludell turning round and coming back down here,” she said, giving Ludell the sign once more that she was only fooling.
“Okay,” said Cathy. “Will yall stand and watch me till I get on the porch before you turn roun Ruthie Mae?”
“Yeah Cathy, we’ll wait,” Ludell said, determined not to see this poor child suffer a minute more. She took her hand as they went back across the bridge. Ruthie Mae ran to the other side and tried to make them both nervous, shouting, “It’s gon cave in!” as they trembled along the decaying brown boards.
When they got back to Highsmith street, Ruthie Mae and Ludell stood at the end of the block while Cathy ran, looking back every few yards to check that they were still in sight.
“Come on, let’s go to the store,” Ruthie Mae said impatienly.
“Just wait till she reach the porch,” Ludell pleaded.
“Girl you better come on if you wanna go with me,” Ruthie Mae snapped.
“Okay,” she said, waving at Cathy who had reached her destination now.
“You didn’t have to scare pore Cathy so bad,” she said after catching up with Ruthie Mae, who’d switched off, leaving her behind.
“She aine had no business following us in the firse place!” Ruthie Mae snapped.
“You did make up all that bout somebody seeing the Kangaroo man didn’t you Ruthie Mae?”
“Yeah girl,” she answered laughing. “You know you scarey don’cha? Well you can be scarey all you want to but when I git the stuff, I’m going rat to the same spot we went to yesterday to eat it; so if you aine going all the way with me, let me know before I go in there buying for you!”
“I’m going,” Ludell said immediately.
“Okay then,” Ruthie Mae said, walking on into Mis Kelly’s.
Ludell wasn’t as nervous as she’d been yesterday, when they arrived at the Kangaroo man’s house. She still didn’t think it the ideal spot to eat, but was concentrating too hard on all the good stuff Ruthie Mae had in the bag to be worried about any Kangaroo man!
“Wasn’t passing you a thang till I was sure you was coming all the way with me,” Ruthie Mae commented as Ludell joined her on the stump. Their feast then began, and continued until they were both stuffed.
“Ruthie Mae why you git so much?” Ludell moaned. “We caine eat all this. What we gon do with the rest?”
“I ’on know. Just throw it back yonder in that lot over there I guess,” she said. “Seem like my eyes was bigger than my stomach, I mean ou-r stomachs,” she laughed. “I sho do hate to throw way good food like this though.”
“Me too,” said Ludell. “Maybe we could take it home and say we foundt some money—na-aww, on second thought maybe we just better gone do like you say and throw it away.”
“Yeah,” went Ruthie Mae. “I trust myself for sticking to a story, but I ’on know bout you . . .”
“What you mean?” Ludell asked.
“Oh never mind,” Ruthie Mae said. “I’m just gon gone chuck the rest away. You want any more ’fore I do?”
“You kidding?” Ludell asked, pressing her stomach. “Girl, when I finish this here, I ’on wanna see no mo food! I know I aine gon want my supper tonight—even if it’s something extra good like fried chicken, which I know better than on a Friday anyhow. Course I noticed you Johnsons were having chicken on a weekday,” she remarked, teasing.
“Girl we eat chicken during the week lots of