CHAPTER 4
After the wedding, it was late afternoon before Aunt Viv and I left Aunt Molly and Harris at the farm. Aunt Molly could tell Harris was exhausted. The years of taking care of Bob, and his eventual death, of having their apartment belongings packed up, of settling financial affairs with the bank, of dealing with the the funeral home in California and having Bob's body shipped home and the coming to Mississippi and the funeral--and the wedding--all these events had drained his strength severely. He was sagging.

"I'm gonna heat up this soup I made for you, then you're gonna go lie down and get some sleep, so get your jammies on" she told Harris. She got a pot of vegetable soup from the frige that she had made early that morning and heated it up. Soon Harris was eating a bowl of soup made of vegetables fresh from her garden. "See the beef in that soup? I raised that steer myself," Molly said. She gave him a glass of milk and cookies alongside. He could feel life and energy begin surging through his veins. But as soon as he lay down, he fell quickly asleep, barely moving as the hours went by.

After a long dreamless time, he smelled something and woke. Coffee. And bacon. He made it, bleary eyed, to the bathroom, then to the kitchen. The sun was barely rising on the horizon. Molly was at the stove. "Pull up your drawers and sit down. I've got breakfast ready." "Breakfast? I can't believe I've slept that long," he said. "Slept like a baby all night," Molly said pulling a pan of biscuits from the oven.

Harris was ravenous. Hot biscuits slathered with sweet cream butter and mayhaw jelly, bacon and eggs, coffe and another glass of that rich milk. "I'm used to drinking 2% milk--I forgot how good whole milk tastes," Harris said. "Mmmph," Molly grumped. All she knew was she had to put some weight on Harris. She wasn't gonna let Bob down. She promised to take care of Harris and that she was determined to do. Calories, cholesterol and carbs didn't interest her. "I'm going to be on the tractor in the pasture today. You're not to do anything but rest, okay. Go out to the side yard and wave for me if you need anything, okay? Eat and rest, that's it." "Yes Ma'am, I shall obey," Harris said meekly, and they laughed and were still laughing as she went out the door.

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