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by Clifford K. Watkins, Jr.
It was the first Saturday in August 1971, in Pumkinsville, Virginia. It was
six 0' clock in the morning when Kathy woke from a dream about Mark Lindsay.
She imagined him holding her in his arms, and the image in her mind made
her feel like she was flying. Kathy absolutely loved Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Her walls were covered with cutouts of the group, especially her dream guy,
Mark Lindsay. After the dream momentarily lingered, she realized that she was
alone in her warm bed. She embraced herself and fell fast asleep.
Kathy finally rolled out of bed about noon. Her parents were arguing as usual. Her
mom was smoking a Kool Filtered King and standing over the stove. Her cigarette
had burned nearly to the filter when the ashes fell into the skillet. No one noticed,
so Gladys continued frying hamburgers. Kathy had to be at work by one, so she
headed for the bathroom to do her makeup.
The phone in the kitchen rang several times before Kathy's father Bill finally got
off of the couch to pick it up. He answered the phone rudely as he often did.
Kathy's mom Gladys stood at the stove remembering the man whom she had
loved so deeply prior to getting stuck with Bill. Gladys had been madly in love
with a man from Rhea Valley, but her mother didn't approve of him because
he was poor. Bill on the other hand had a steady job, but he didn't have Gladys' heart.
When Kathy entered the kitchen for lunch, Gladys asked if she had any plans
for the weekend. Kathy told her mom that she and Dorkus would probably go
to the Drive-In. Gladys immediately started in on Kathy about being overly
promiscuous. Kathy tried to eat her burger, but suddenly lost her appetite. She
told her mom that she didn't even have a boyfriend, so there was nothing for her to
worry about.
Kathy walked into the den where her father Bill was watching television. He
yelled into the kitchen, "hey old woman, where's my lunch? I'm tired of waiting.
Stop puffing on that cigarette, and bring me my plate." Kathy just shook her
head. She imagined being anywhere but home. As Gladys walked with Bill's plate
into the den, she envisioned him choking to death. This put a smile on her face as she
bent down to give Bill his dinner. "Here you go old man," said Gladys. Bill looked at
his burger, and got angry because there was no bun. Gladys had put Bill's burger on
two slices of light bread, both of which were heels. Bill began yelling, "what the hell is
this on my burger? You know I hate mustard. Old woman, you can't do anything
right...you're fired." Gladys shot back quickly, "well if you don't like my cooking, you
can just
leave...see if I care". Bill threw his plate on the coffee table as he headed toward the
front door. Kathy got up and followed her father to his car. Bill was talking under his
breath, "How I ever got stuck with that crazy old woman...it's beyond me."
Bill got into his Impala and lit a cigar. Bill noticing that Kathy seemed down said,
"what's the matter Catbird?" Kathy looked at the ground before she made eye contact." I
just don't like listening to you and mom fight, that's all." Bill started laughing and said,
"that's all your old mammy lives for...she ain't never gonna change! You should know
that by now." Kathy nodded her head in agreement as Bill got out of his car to embrace
his daughter.
Kathy told her dad that she loved him, and she headed to the Cavalier Restaurant where
she worked on the cash register. At work, Kathy was noticeably absent-minded. Twice
in the first hour, two customers complained that she had short-changed them. Again
Kathy began to think of Mark Lindsay. She stood at the counter lost in her head. She
imagined herself running her hands through Mark's hair. A customer had approached the
counter to order, but Kathy was staring into the register. The drawer had been open for
several minutes. The customer tried to get Kathy's attention, but was unsuccessful. The
owner now noticing Kathy's blank _expression tried to get her to snap out of the
daydream, but it became obvious that she was gone.
The restaurant owner sat Kathy down in a chair, and put a rag on her forehead. It was
obvious that something was terribly wrong. When Kathy's parents arrived, Gladys tried
to get Kathy to snap out of it, but she never did.
Soon thereafter, Kathy was committed to an asylum. The thought of being in the big
house alone with Bill was more than Gladys could stand. On a brisk morning three
months after Kathy was left in the Asylum, her mother jumped into the Holston River.
Her body was never found.
Bill on the other hand found solace in the bottle, and drank himself into oblivion.
He died of alcohol poisoning shortly after Gladys hurled herself into the river.
For thirty years, Kathy sat staring at a wall in the Marion Asylum. No one ever
visited her until the day she died. She was buried on Graveyard Hill on a cold wintry
morning as eerie clouds blanketed the sky. As her casket was lowered into the
frozen ground, a car sped around dead man's curve with the radio blaring a song
by Paul Revere and the Raiders. A small child stared out of the car's passenger
window...he would soon be lost forever.
The Osborne house still sits on Railroad Avenue. Their initials carved into the
sidewalk where only birds now venture. Children nervously pass the house en route
to the trestle. The track is gone too. Only bicycles and tourists cross the trestle
that faces the old Osborne house that once sneered from the hill.