CHLOE

(Read Luke 18:31-34.)

            Jenny?  It’s me.  Did you go to the doctor?  So, what’d he say?  No eclampsia.  Just take it easy?  That’s all he said?  My, my.  I know Dr. Wangley would’ve put me in bed.  Oh, there she is.  Oh, that Chloe Fuller.  She’s a single mother, I think.  I’ve never seen a man over there.  Except the preacher and his wife.  They have a Bible study on Wednesdays over there.  Oh?  OK, see ya.

            Rhonda?  It’s me.  Well, Jenny saw him.  You know what he told her?  Just take it easy.  Can you imagine that?  I never.  These doctors.  Did you ask about that job?  Already taken.  O, well, dear, you’ll get something.  I know it’s hard.  Believe you me.  Try living on Social Security.  It’s just like that girl on the show—you know—the one where she has to sell her house and move in with her dad.  I really like her.  Well, I guess you know that Chloe Fuller is living it up over there.  How does she do it?  Always here, there, everywhere.  Won’t give me the time of day.  I say “Hi!” and she just waves.  Well, now the other day she did ask me over for coffee.  But, I mean, girl, with my arthritis, does she think I’m going to climb those steps?  Well, anyway.  What?  You were there?  For the Bible study.  Now, I didn’t see your car.  Last Wednesday?  Why, girl, I saw all those…With Martha Campbell?  Martha called you?  Oh, I see.  Well, now, you know what I’ve always told you about Martha Campbell.  Twenty-five years ago.  Yes, well, it could’ve been yesterday.  I mean she snubbed me right there on the street.  I told Harry then, you see if I ever speak to that woman again.  So…does she keep her house up?  Well, of course when you have company.  I mean if anyone ever came to see me, I guess I’d clean this place up.  Huh?  Well, OK…Bye.

            It’s me.  So, did you call the doctor?  When?  Next week?  What day?  Thursday.  So, does Jocelyn still take your blood pressure?  What was it?  That’s high, ain’t it?  Oh, well, I know the doctor wants me to keep mine below…what’d he say?  Didn’t I tell you?  I mean he wants me to exercise.  With my arthritis?  I got to be careful, I’ll hurt all night.  I don’t think I slept two hours last night.  What does that woman do with that kid?  Out there playing on the lawn with him.  And I wish you’d look at the pants she has on.  She’s after Tom Watkins, you know.  He’s right next door.  Hasn’t worked in two months.  Lets his wife go off to work.  He stays home.  A house husband, I suppose.  I know I’ve seen them talk.  She’ll hardly give me the time of day.  Oh, she’ll be friendly and all.  She came over, stood there by my porch.  Let her in?  Lord, child, I’m not going to let her see what a poor old woman like me has for furniture.  What?  Oh, I don’t know.  She started talking about the “Word.”  How she just had to stay in the “Word.”  Started talking about her church and her preacher.  I told her real straight that the church is full of nothing but hypocrites.  I don’t care if she wants to come over and keep an old woman company.  But I ain’t gonna listen to that stuff.  What?  OK, bye.

            It’s me.  What?  You got company?  Who?  The preacher?  The preacher is at…Now what preacher is that?  OK, bye.

            Libby?  It’s me.  Yeah.  You know who I just got off the phone with?  Now what’s that supposed to mean?  You got your nerve.  You see if I call you for a while.

            Phyllis?  It’s me.  Can you believe that Libby?  Says I’m on the phone too much.  Now I suppose she doesn’t waste any time down there playing Bingo.  Every afternoon.  That’s what Ted Rucker told me.  And you know who was over at Rhonda’s?  Still there, I guess.  I mean I just talked.  The preacher.  Well, I guess it’s that Liebermann.  He’s the one that comes and brings a bunch over to this Chloe Fuller’s every week.  Right across from me.  Yeah.  And Rhonda has been right there in her house.  Didn’t even come over and talk with me.  Oh, that’s all right, I suppose.  Now she’s getting all these friends over there at their church.  Chloe Fuller.  She’s from Maryland, I think.  Yeah.  Listen, that woman is more interested in showing her body than anything else.  I saw her talking right out in front of her house to that Tom Watkins.  Yeah.  No, she won’t have anything to do with me.  Well, girl, I try to be friendly.  She just wants to come over here and tell me what a sinner I am.  How I need to get in the “Word.”  She what?  That’s where she works, huh?  I didn’t know that.  You checked her out?  So, does she pay cash or check?  Fancy?  With Scripture right on the check?  Well, can you believe that?  I mean, I try to be religious.  You know, sometimes I watch that preacher on Sunday mornings.  What’s his name?  No.  No.  The other one.  Heavy set.  Yeah.  OK, bye.

            Ron?  Put Jenny on.  Hello, it’s me.  So, what’d he say?  Still just watching.  Not gaining too much?  Well, that’s good.  Are you coming Friday night?  Why not?  Well, I thought I’d make fried chicken.  Saturday?  Oh, I guess.  I was going to watch that movie.  Well.  OK.  But I thought it was going to be Friday.  What are you doing Friday?  Where?  To see a film?  At the church?  Chloe?  That woman invited you?  Now when did you meet her?  Over there?  You’re going there tonight?  Well…can you come over and just say “Hello” after you’re through?  Well, they been getting through about 9:30.  Oh, I know.  I’ll be up.  Ron works.  I know.  OK.  Well, you tell me about what they do over there, because I’ve been wondering.  You watch her, she’ll steal your husband.

            Rhonda?  Yeah.  Well, you are not going to believe this.  Oh, well, by the way.  The preacher was at your house last week.  Now, what did he want?  Yeah.  Yeah.  Yes.  You’re going tonight.  Yes, I know you went.  So.  Chloe.  She did what?  You did what?  Now, girl do you really believe that?  Now, Rhonda, I have known you a long time.  Well, I have talked with her.  She’ll hardly talk with me.  I mean, she was over here yesterday.  She begged to come in.  She brought a pot of coffee and two mugs.  My house is a little messy.  Well, you know.  With these knees of mine, girl, I can’t do, really, anything.  So, anyway, she sat there and talked about how she felt her relationship with Jesus was what made the difference in her life.  I mean, if I was thirty, and had a perfect dye job and skin like hers.  I mean, who wouldn’t be happy?  What?  Oh, I know that!  I mean, don’t you know that I watch that preacher all the time?  And those people down the street gave me some books.  I never could really get much out of all that stuff.  I know the world’s coming to an end, honey.  I know I get scared sometimes.  Well, so, we did talk a while.  Then, she just has to go.  And she hugs me and says she wants to be my friend.  So, are you going to be baptized?  When?  I don’t know.  I mean what am I going to wear?  And with my back, can I sit for that long?

           

            Jenny?  Well, what was it like last night?  It was.  Uh-huh.  Chloe.  Well, what did you talk about?  You and Ron?  Ron was there, I know he was there.  I saw you get out of the car.  Well, now, Jenny, do you have to show our family’s dirty linen all over this town?  I mean, what did they do then?  Prayed.  Hands on your head?  Didn’t you feel funny?  Are they those—what are they?  Plentycostals?  You did what?  Now, you won’t hurt the baby.  You did.  You’re going Friday.  OK.  Saturday.  OK, bye.

            Chloe?  Well, this is Sarah.  Yeah.  Across the…Yeah.  Yeah.  I, I just talked to my daughter.  Yeah.  Jenny.  That’s right.  Ron.  Well, they liked it last night.  Yeah.  Oh, dearie, I could never get up those steps.  Coffee?  Well, I guess so.  I need.  Could you come about four?  OK, bye.

            Phyllis?  Yeah.  Did you just get off?  Oh, I’m just so worried about Jenny.  I don’t know if she’s ever going to have this baby.  I told Chloe yesterday she better pray, cause we need all the help we can get.  Oh, yeah, she’s come over almost every day.  Brings a pot of coffee and two mugs.  We sit here and drink coffee and talk.  I think I’m her best friend.  I hate that she has to work down there so late.  She’s hoping to become a paralegal.  That’s what she told me.  Now, she’ll be swinging in about this time.  Well, would you look at that.  No, it’s that Tom Watkins.  I saw it, girl.  With these peepers of mine.  Right out there under the street light.  Why he kissed that woman.  Oh, you know, that hussy.  Uh, Lanerghan.  Yeah, Fred Lanerghan’s ex.  Wanda.  I know it was her.  I saw her drive by yesterday afternoon.  Broad daylight.  Tom came right out and talked with her for thirty minutes in front of his house.  Now here he is—I think he’s tight—waltzing up to his front door.  He better wipe the lipstick, dearie.  No, no.  There ain’t no truth to that.  Chloe never did nothing with him.  That woman goes to work, she goes to school, she goes to church, she comes home, and takes care of her kid.  I am a witness.

            Chloe! She had it!  Jenny had a girl.  Yeah.  Last night.  Oh, Ron came and got me, and I went up this morning.  Why she’s a little doll.  Jenny was just beaming.  Oh, she’s, you know, tired and sore, but they’re fine.  Ron is a proud Daddy.  If only my Harry could have seen that baby.  Lindsey Raye.  Ain’t that pretty?  You sound a little down.  You’re what?  Columbus.  Why?  Won’t that mess up your course?  Paralegal.  Why, girl, you ain’t been here six months.  Seven months.  Whatever.  That really ain’t long.  Why I was thinking you might could run me over to the hospital tomorrow.  Ron will have to go to work.  Now, how come are you leaving?  Yeah.  Well, you come and say good-bye before.  OK, bye.

            Rhonda?  Yeah.  A girl.  Lindsey Raye.  Everybody is just fine.  Oh.  Listen, I got to hold it.  Yeah.  Ron took a picture of me holding it.  She is beautiful.  Probably tomorrow afternoon.  Yeah, I was going to go over to see her tomorrow.  I thought Chloe would take me.  I guess you heard.  She’s going to Columbus, she tells me.  Now this is awful sudden.  What?  Tom Watkins.  Who told you that?  She did?  Now what does she know about it?  The preacher did what?  Does he know for a fact?  All over the church.  Well.  OK.  Now, are you going to go see Jenny?  Well, could you come and pick me up?  Four o’clock?  OK.  See you.

            It’s me.  How’s Lindsey?  Afternoon nap.  Lord, I could use one myself.  Well, the house is closed up.  Chloe’s.  There’s a For Rent sign in the window.  Preacher said that?  In the sermon?  Well, honey, you can’t believe everything you hear.  You do?  Yeah, it was all over the Church some time ago.  People are mad, huh?  Well, what are you going to do?  All I know is that she came over here before she left.  She never said one word about what anybody said.  She’d been crying, I know that.  I said, “Chloe, what is the matter?”  She started crying.  Then, she said, “Sarah, I have been accused of something.”  Then, she said that, because she was accused, she couldn’t help folks around here any more.  I hugged her, and we cried.  Now she’s gone.  Baby’s crying?  OK.  See you tomorrow.

           

            Hello?  Oh, hello, Phyllis.  Oh, I was over at Jenny’s for a week.  Cooking.  Cleaning.  I was so tired, girl.  I just came home and sat in a chair for a week.  Yeah.  No, I don’t think I’ve talked with anybody except Jenny for a couple of weeks.  It’s been awful lonesome here without Chloe.  I was sort of used to our afternoon cups of coffee.  She wrote me.  Getting settled in, I guess.  Found her a church, she said.  Lord, how she can go back to church, I’ll never know.  Tom Watkins?  No, I ain’t heard.  Co-defendant?  Wanda Lanerghan.  Now didn’t I tell you?  I tried to tell Rhonda it wasn’t Chloe.  Went like wildfire all over that church.  Now, Chloe’s gone.  That house is over there, grown up in weeds.  And here I sit.