Times
of Uncle Ernest -
Chesapeake City and Beyond – Didie
Chapter 2
"We raced through those dirt roads like the wind, and
when we came to a jolting stop at Ellen's father's house my bones were aching;
there were no shocks at all on those chariots, Moose. Mendy blew a snort on his
trumpet and there, coming towards me was the most beautiful woman I had ever
seen. She didn't run but flowed towards me. I felt a chill surge up my back and
my eyes widened at the approaching radiance."
"Take
it easy, Unk,” I warned. But with a dazed look in his eyes he exclaimed:
She was dressed in
silks of pink and white,
A gorgeous phantom
of delight.
Her
hair of gold so sweetly flowed
About
a face that fairly glowed.
"I
was captured by her, Moose—couldn't help myself. I was in the back seat of the
chariot. Mendy had sent the slave packing, and as he held taut the reins to
control the snorting, stamping horses, his face beamed as Ellen alighted next
to him. 'This is Ernie,' he told her, gesturing to me. As Ellen tossed her head
around to greet me, fine strands of golden hair brushed lightly against my
face, implanting forever her incredible scent in my mind."
"Horse
manure!"
"Aw
no, Moose, you had to be there. When she looked at me, smiled, and said, 'Hello
Ernie,' I blurted out words that until then had no meaning to me: 'A thing of
beauty is a joy forever. Beauty, thy name is Ellen.' She took the compliments
well. Flicking the hair out of her eyes and flashing me an ornery grin, she
said, 'You're a funny man, Ern; keep it up.' Her speech was expressive, lilting
and musical, the voice of an opera singer.
"Then
the horses sped off, making speech impossible. So I sat back and watched her
hair flow towards me in the breeze—a cascade of gold, resplendent in the sun.
We arrived at the races, which were held in a coliseum, not what I expected at
all. Instead of horse races it was a track meet. People had assembled to see
who would be the 100-meter champion for that year. It was the big event in Sparka, and some people had traveled hundreds of
miles to witness it.
"I
found out that they ran ten heats, and the winner of each ran for the championship.
As it turned out, Moose, the runner for Sparka had pulled a hamstring, so Mendy
asked me if I'd race in his place. I had been a sprinter for Wilmington High
School so I told him I would. I didn't have running shoes so I rolled up my
fatigues to my knees and ran in my bare feet. And, you know, I didn't have any
problem—beat that bunch easily by about five meters. The weirdest thing, Moose,
was that everybody ran naked. They all laughed at me for wearing clothes.
"But
the final race was harder. I had to race the best group of sprinters in the
whole country. Before the race I went over to talk to Mendy and Ellen, who were
sitting in the stands. They had been clapping and cheering me on. I took one of
Ellen's scarves, tied it around my neck, and told her, 'I'll win this one for
you, beauty.' She pulled me close, smiled, and gave me a nice kiss. So, Moose,
I had to win that race no matter what."
"I'll
bet you lost it, Unk. Right?" I said, sort of dejected.
Then
I noticed that Uncle Ernest's glass was empty and, sure enough, he stood up,
winked, and told me: "Sit tight. I'll be back in a jiffy." So I sat
there alone, Nina, spread out on the wooden chair under our maple tree. It was
shady but still hot, and as I gazed up into the array of crisscrossing limbs a
breeze trembled the leaves ever so gently. And, off and on, it would intensify,
shaking harder the leaves and swaying the limbs as it flowed across my body,
caressing me with its coolness. [To be continued Friday, 6/01/2012]
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