Read American Heroes Series - 03 - Purgatory for Free Online

Alec was standing
behind his mother, listening to the old man. His young face showed the same
confusion as his mother’s. Elliot looked at her equally perplexed son for a
moment before turning her attention back to the old man.
    “Let me get this straight,” she
said patiently. “ Mizz Biffy saw us moving in and she wants me to come
over and visit her?”
    She said the woman’s name just
the way he did, with a drawn out ‘mizz’. In fact, she had heard Louise use the
same term when referring to the former owner of Purgatory, so it was coming to
Elliot’s attention that perhaps women were formally addressed that way around
here. It would take some getting used to, the legacy of decorum that was
evidently used in the South.  
    Old Mickey nodded fervently to
her question. “Yes’m, she does. She says to come before supper.”
    Elliot glanced up at the sky; it
was fast approaching sun down and with the moving truck having come and gone a
few hours earlier, she had a ton of unpacking to do. She wasn’t going anywhere.
With a forced smile, she focused on the old man.
    “Mickey, I would love to come and
visit Ms. Biffy, Ms. Tulip and Ms. Leon, but I… well, I’m just not presentable
right now,” she watched the fallen expression on the man’s face. “Will you
please tell the ladies that I am very honored by their invitation and would be
very happy to visit them after I’ve settled in?”
    Old Mickey was working his hat
pretty seriously with nervous fingers. “I don’t think they’ll be none too happy
‘bout it.”
    Elliot shrugged. “I’m sorry, but
I just can’t visit today. Tell them I will visit next week.”
    Old Mickey nodded but it was
clear that he was unhappy and perhaps even fearful. Alec took the steps from
the porch, ending up in the gravel.  He focused in on the very old gentleman.
    “How old are you, old dude?” he
asked.
    The old man visibly cowered from
the tall, blond young man. “I… I ‘spect I was born when Mr. Wilson was
president, suh.”
    “What?” Elliot came off the
porch, fixed on the old man. “He was president back in the ‘teens.”
    “Yes’m.”
    “Then you’re in your nineties.”
    The old man looked thoughtful a
moment. “Yes’m, I am. I’m not sho, but I ‘spect I’m ninety-six or so. I stopped
countin’ when Reagan was president.”
    Elliot looked at Alec, shocked,
before turning back to the old man.  Alec was the first one to speak.
    “Old dude, you look amazing,” he
chuckled. “I hope I’m still running around when I’m ninety-six.”
    The old man sensed that he had
somehow met with some approval and smiled timidly.
    “I best be gettin’ back,” he told
them, beginning to shuffle off down the driveway. “Ms. Biffy, she’ll be waitin’
on me. She don’t like me bein’ late.”
    Alec started to follow him, very
curious about the extremely old man. “Do you work for her?”
    Mickey was still walking as he
nodded. “I work for her mama, Ms. Leon. I worked for her husband.”
    Elliot found herself following
Alec as he followed the old man down the drive.
    “Is her husband still alive?”
Elliot asked.
    Mickey shook his head. “No,
ma’am. He died quite some time ago. Ms. Leon is one hundred and three years old
and she lives with her daughters, Ms. Biffy and Ms. Tulip. We all live at The
Bottoms.”
    “Where is The Bottoms?” Alec
wanted to know.
    Old Mickey came to a halt,
pointing off to the east. “Down there a spell,” he said. “I have to go now.”
    Alec’s brow furrowed. “There
aren’t any houses around here for at least a mile,” he said. “Did you walk all
the way here?”
    Old Mickey nodded. “’T’aint far.”
    Alec furrow deepened. “Don’t you
have a car?”
    The old man shook his head.
“Don’t need no car. I kin walk.”
    “Dude!” Alec exclaimed, confused
that the man didn’t see the issue here. “You’re ninety-six years old. You
shouldn’t be walking.”
    Mickey didn’t quite understand
the