In today’s installment of The Flowering Vine, we find Ma Hallie (Mother’s maternal Aunt) talking about a situation that she and her brother Babe had encountered earlier that day.
Note: Mother’s side of the family would often add the terms “Ma” or “Pa” to the first names of older relatives.
Here, Ma Hallie refers to her brother as Babe, but, Mother would have referred to him as Pa Babe just as she referred to her aunt Hallie as Ma Hallie.
Lord, y’all….. me an’ Babe done had us a day to-DAY!
Whew!
You know we had to go out Clayton way this mornin’?
Well when we was comin’ out from out there we run up on this l’il White boy in the woods lookin’ for somebody to help his granmamma.
He say they was in a accident an’ his granmamma done hurt her leg an’ can’t move.
Cos’ Babe told the boy to get on up in the Buggy so he could lead us to her.
Allie, I tell you, this li’l boy warn’t no older than Annie Maude and Ted but he led us right on through them woods to where his granmamma was.
Chile, Babe hadn’t even stopped good when that po’ creeter jumped down out that buggy an’ ran over to a colored ‘oman layed out on the ground wit’ another li’l boy huddled up ‘gainst her.
The other li’l boy was colored too!
God….Y’all…that thang know it confounded the devil outta me!
I couldn’t make no sense out it!
Cos’ I didn’t say nothin’…..that warn’t the time.
I jus’ wonder where she got da li’l White boy from?
Uhmm!
Jesus!
Anyway, she looked to be pretty bad off an’ we ain’t had no time to waste.
So, I looked at Babe an’ told him to go ‘head on an’ take dem boys to get help cause I knew this was gon’ be mo’ than a notion.
By time Babe pulled off, I looked up to the sky an’ said, “Lord, this ‘oman in a bad way, she got li’l chillun an’ she need you Jesus.”
Then I got on my knees …right ‘side her…put ma hands on her leg and said my scriptures:
By His stripes, you are healed.
By His stripes, you are healed.
By His stripes, you are healed.
Y’all I done that near ’bout the whole time.
Next thang I know, Babe done pulled up wit’ somebody….say he gon’ take care of everything.
Elvy…Allie…y’all…when I went to get up, that ‘oman grabbed hold my hand an’ look me dead in my eyes Jesus!
She held me there for the longest time…
Jus’ lookin’!
Ain’t said a word!
Then… she went on an’ let me go.
Babe say it seem like she done that to tell me “Thank you.”
I thought ’bout what he said.
So I whispered– where only God could hear me–
“You welcome.”
