Mayella




Mayella Ewell looked outside at the pearly gray clouds that were a result of the previous night's storm. In a way she found it beautiful; the consistency of the morn’. It was something she could always depend on, unlike certain things-or people to be exact. She quickly dressed in the dim light taking care to step over the red stain on the wooden floor as she headed out the door and around the house. She knelt down beside the drainpipe and peeled it off from it’s place against the wall. As she’d suspected! The rainwater had eaten away at the wood beneath the house, she would have to fix it before it ruined the surrounding lumber. She thought of the idea of calling on someone for help but didn’t dwell too long on the idea; after all it was only a thought and she’d always done things on her own, right? It’d be foolish to go now. Not that they’d help her that is.



She pushed the rusty blue wagon ahead of her, it was heavy but all the while still manageable. Weaving her way down the path, she stopped at the edge of the forest afore the young pecan trees. Hidden in the shadow of the looming oak, she observed from a distance.It was a figure; very much like that of a person, slumped over in a heap n’th a tree. What an odd place to take a nap, she thought what an odd place indeed. She inched closer stepping lightly on the dry needles beneath. As she got closer, she saw it was a boy.Odd.Jem Finch never came around here, not since what happened last summer. A twig snapped beneath her feet. The figure stirred and she jumped back, he lifted his head opening his eyes with a haggard drowsiness. They were the most astonishing green blue combination she’d ever seen, she stood transfixed.



Gathering herself she crossed her arms indignantly “Don’t chu know you ain s’pose to be here?” she questioned. She stepped back as he moved his hand out from his shirt, it was purple and festering with puss, she looked at the rest of him and covered her mouth.Looking back at him and he stared back “Help me.” his eyes seemed to say “help me.”


Finny




Finny was back at Devon. Back in the hospital room. But something wasn’t right.Gene lay on the bed where he had been, he sat up when Finny touched him. His lips moved but no words came out, beside him lay Leper,Brinker, Brownie, Bobby, the whole gang. “What happened?” he asked as the Doc walked up beside him “What’s wrong?” The Doc shook his head “Go back Phineas, it’s not you time”



Mayella




She tended to him with all she had in her cabin. Having no neosporin at hand or any bandages for that matter, she tore up old shirts (God rest her soul should Pa haunt her for it) and tied him up with those. In two weeks time he opened his eyes and she smiled down at him. Going in and out of sleep, he yelled out in fear calling out Gene over and over again.His fever was going down and soon enough he was able to sit back in bed and eat without her help. Speaking he told her he was twenty and had come from some place called New Hampshire. A place called Devon. He was escaping the war and had come to the south to find a separate peace from the one he had known. So vivid were his stories and dreams, his wishes and hopes and she held onto every word that spilled from his mouth as if they were dire to her existence, and little did he know but she had made a decision to help him, how? She didn’t know yet.


Finny


She was scary. The way she stared at him taking it all in...it was freaking him out. She listened, then she spoke, and when she did it was a question,

“Do really think you gon done somthin right?” He started at her confused.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“ you at peace with your choice ‘o scapin to the south?”

“Of Course! I would have been drafted had i stayed”

She shook her head.

“That’s not what i meant”

“Then?”

“Your brother-”

That’s what she called Gene. She couldn’t get the idea in her head that you could care for someone so much who wasn’t even a part of your family.

“-he was dear to you.Doncha feel you’ve a’gon n done him wrong lying to him like that”

“It wasn’t really lying”.

That’s what he’d been trying to convince himself with every step he took him away from Devon.

“besides, i’ll tell him one day.”

She snorted, laughing bitterly;“That’s if there is a one day”

She blew air from her mouth making her bangs flutter in that way that he’d so come to know-and love.

Love? Where had that come from?He couldn’t be falling for her could he? Sure it had probably been a while since he’d gotten a good eyesight of a woman, let alone one his age. This was ridiculous,but then....she actually wasn’t that bad looking. Oh well, hadn’t his mum said something like,“if cupid’s arrow nicks your ass, a chance at love you must not pass.”This was his chance.

He pulled her onto his lap and chuckled at the startled look on her face.

“And what about you?” he asked;”what are you doing this one day”

“nothing particular” she said, her cheeks already aflame “lugging in the wood maybe if the snow holds off long enough.”

She got off from his lap and walked to the window.As he got up to follow her the pain that shot up his leg flung him back on the bed.She ran to his side.

“What happened?” she asked “where’s’ it hurt?”

She felt him over, massaging his leg. It didn’t help and he laughed at her concern. It was good to see she actually cared somewhat about him.Had he been in her position he would have gotten fed up and kicked himself out by then.

“I’m fine” he replied “but a little neosporin won’t hurt.”

“We don got none” she replied “we haven't for awhile.”

It was then that he became aware of his surrounding.


Mayella

She hadn't told him about papa, about the young uns either. He questioned her now as to who “we” referred to. She paused, not sure whether to tell him the truth or something cheesy like “you and me”. She decided to tell him. If he ran away now it would hurt less to lose him than if he stayed and found out through rumors or things of that sort. After all, that’s what kept MayComb alive; the circulation of truth and hellbent half lies through Miss Stephanie Crawford’s mouth.I would be better to tell him.

She talked about Pa, Tom Robinson and the court case. How Papa threatened to kill her should she say a word that would contradict his. How Papa died.How the town shunned them. How the children were taken from her. How she refused to go with anybody. How she thought Negro men were just as good as any other white, yeller, or red men.


Finny

He listened patiently then inched his face towards hers

“so what you’re telling me is that you won’t go and buy neosporin for a poor” emphasizing poor “sick “emphasizing sick “lost boy because you think they hate you?’

“Not think.” she blinked, heart skipping as bit as he gazed at her beneath long gorgeous lashes, “Know”.

“They don’t hate you” he said seriously.

“How do you know?” she asked.

“I just do”

“how?”

“I Just do!”

“But how”

He rapidly pulled her in, covering the little space that had consistently been getting smaller. It was a short kiss. short but deep.Deep enough to convey the message.

He pulled back, smiling.

“That’s how.”

“You really think that they care about me” she stammered

“they ought to”he replied “communities stick together and for one another”

“I don know where you gon’ n com up with that” she said “but here down south fols don go roun talkin like that.”

“You wouldn’t know what they talked about unless you were there now would you?”

“no, but-”

“no buts, lets go get me some neosporin”

“but-”

“Mayella Ewell are you going to stay a prisoner in your own town forever”

“no but-”

“then no more but-ing!”

“but what if they don’t like me?”

“Oh!They Will”

She blushed and shyly averted her eyes

“you really think so?

“Not think.” he said, lifting up her chin and kissing her tear stained cheek,“Know.”


Mayella

BY mid morning they were trolling amongst tall grasses making our way to the fair, he sat in the wagon and she pushed it from behind. As they passed the school kids stopped and stared. A young boy walked to her “Whatchu doin Miss.Mayllar?”

She began to answer-

“Got a n***** in thur?!” he blurted out. His buddy next to him slapped him across the back and they ran off giggling like the ignorant children that they were. She looked after them as they disappeared in a yellow house. Ms.Scott’s kids, they’d grown since she’d seen them last.She felt a hand squeeze her own. She looked down into the eyes of the one person she knew loved her in all the world. The one person she truly loved back.

“Are you okay?” he asked

“yeah i’m fine.”she replied squeezing back.

As she made her way down the street, a miracle happened. The first was heading her way with two grocery bags beneath each hand.The Finch’s cook, Calpurnia.

Cal caught her eye and smiled.A genuine smile.

“How yu doin Miss.Mayella?”she asked.

Mayella smiled back “fine. thank you. you need any help with those?”

“Oh no, no, no hun!” Cal huffed “I’ve been doing this for years, it looks hard but really am quite fine.”

“Are you sure”

“Yes” she replied “the house is jus on yonder, why look that’s Atticus waving at the door.

She turned and saw him, he was with the Doc. Mayella swallowed and worked up some courage

“mind if i walk with you?”she asked Cal “My friend Finny here hurt his leg.”

She looked down at Finny who looked calculatingly back “more like a beau if you ask me” he said grinning”

“FINNY!” she exclaimed

Calpurnia laughed along with him “Oh we’ve already met hun, the whole town’s met him.”

“What?!? but you were in-”Mayella stuttered.

Finny leaped from the wagon with more power than a “poor” “sick” lost boy ever should.

“I was bored.”

“You set me up!!!”she shrieked

He laughed coming in for a hug.She warded him off unsuccessfully.

“Face it you're happy i did this” he laughed

“humph!” she retorted.He tickled her.

“come on face it you’re happy!”

“Stop!” she giggled.

He continued to tickle her.

“Stop it Fiiiinnnny!!” she shrieked in between laughter.But he was steadfast.

“Not until you say you’re happy!”

“OKAY!” she yelled “I’m happy!”

“i DIDN’T HEAR THAT!” He laughed

“I’M HAPPY!!!!” she yelled “I’m so Goddamn happy you came into my life!”

and as every good romance has it, it ended with a stunning demonstration of affection on the blistering hot sidewalk so intense and electrifying that people could sizzle sausages on that same spot weeks later.


Finny

As they left to go home that evening; wagon paving a way in the moonlight, they passed the looming grove of oaks afore the house.

“Can you believe this is where it all started?” he whispered to Mayella in the glow of firefly lights.

She looked around her “yeah, i was there.”

He laughed and tweaked her cheek, they continued to walk in silence.

“Finny?” she asked as they neared the house

“ You still miss Gene like you use too? You still hate yourself for leaving him behind?

“No” he said then he pulled her to a halt.

“I’m going to say this now and I’m going to say this once.Gene is my friend and I’ll miss him, but staying with you I’ve realized there’s nothing for me to hate myself for. The bastard never gave a damn about me, he saw every achievement i did as a competition, I’m not even sure i can call what we had a friendship...it was more like a race to the grave. In the end both of us would have had to go, him to war, me along side him. I’m glad i did what i did. In a way i feel i’ve sort of sort of cheated death and i’m glad for that or i’d never have had the chance to meet you. Because at first i was locked into the Devon way, i could think of no way to survive outside of Devon. Without Devon i was nothing. Then you came along and you healed me. Mayella.” at this point he took her hands “Mayella, thank you for saving me. Thank you for freeing me.I love you more than anything in the world.Marry me.”

She smiled looking into the face of the man she wouldn’t mind spending of her life with.

“I love you too” she replied “it’s about time there were more kids around here anyways.And with those words the couple were married in the presence of forest nymphes, moonlight, and stolen midnight kisses. As for children, they were striving for twelve Summa Cum Laude.After all, Finny needed enough for a basketball team as well as baseball, and as he well told his kids in the future “you may lose the Devon school, but you can’t lose the Devon sports.”


Mayella



Her life is complete. She could never ask for more. Literally! No more kids please...or maybe just one more


Finny:

All he can say is.“Keep them coming baby. Keep them coming.In times of dout, think strike out.”