Jace handed his son to his father and within minutes returned with a flute. Nellie watched in wonder as she saw this new aspect of her husband, saw a man who had been surrounded all his life by music. Jace put the flute to his lips and began to play, just enough to accompany his mother’s voice.
The “Bell Song,” meant to show off the range and variety of a coloratura’s voice, began slowly—no words, just a voice, but a voice of such heavenly sweetness that it made one gape in wonder. Maddie’s voice played with the notes, trilled them, caressed them as she sang the song, imitating the bells, echoing Jace’s high flute notes.
Nellie and Houston stopped working, and the girl Tildy, who had never heard such a voice in her life, stood transfixed.
In the other room everyone grew silent, and even the babies stopped crying as Maddie played with each note, holding it, loving it, until her listeners had tears of joy in their eyes.
When she finished there wasn’t a sound in the house until one of the pig-dirty Tyler kids, gaping at the back door, said, “Damnation, ain’t never heard nothin’ like that afore.”
With that, everyone broke into laughter, and all the adults, kids over shoulders, tucked under arms, held by the hand, crowded into the kitchen.
“Exquisite,” ’Ring said, pulling his wife into his arms. “I’ve never heard you sing better.”
“It’s the influence of the love in this house,” she whispered against his lips.
They all stood around the table that was heaped with food, each husband holding his wife.
“Is that what’s making me so happy?” Jace asked Nellie, pulling her close with one arm, his baby son in the other. “All the love in this house?”
“Yes,” Nellie said, tears in her eyes. “I never thought I’d know this much love or be this happy. I didn’t know this much happiness existed.”
Jace kissed her.
“Here!” Kane said loudly. “If we’re all so happy, how come everybody’s cryin’? Maddie, you know any real songs? How about ‘Half a Penny, Half a Bushel’? Or ’Ring Tailed Ringating’?”
“Kane,” Houston said firmly, “I doubt very much if someone of Maddie’s caliber knows—” She broke off as Maddie burst into a rousing song worthy of any saloon singer and, laughing, everyone began to sing with her.
“She ain’t a bad singer after all,” Kane said to his wife.
Nellie, singing along, looked at her husband holding their child, then at the other people around her. It was still disconcerting to see her immaculately groomed sister snuggled up to her perpetually dirty husband, but Terel seemed to adore him, and the children as well. Nellie looked at her father, his arm around his plump wife who had just joined everyone. Her ears sparkled with the diamond earrings he’d given her for Christmas, and Nellie knew that her dress bill for this month alone made Terel’s former expenses seem nonexistent. But again, she’d never seen her father so happy.
Nellie squeezed Jace’s hand and moved closer to his side. “I am the happiest person on earth,” she said softly, and he kissed her again.
The Kitchen
Berni sniffed, then gave Pauline an embarrassed look. “I’m very happy for her. She deserves to have some good things happen to her.”
“You made everyone happy,” Pauline said, standing and leaving the room.
“I guess I did,” Berni said proudly as she followed her. “Although I meant for Terel to learn a little humility.”
“You didn’t really think she’d wash and iron, did you? Would you have?”
“Not on your life!”
They looked at each other and laughed.
“Okay,” Berni said, “so now I go to Heaven, right?”
“Not quite.”
“But I thought—”
“You really haven’t paid your dues yet.”
“Dues for what?”
“You haven’t paid your dues for living a completely selfish life on earth.”