Art of Enjoyment
Y’all ever gone to a fair?
Me an’ Susie Mae don’t never go many places, but one time they wuz one uv them carnivals come up here in the holler an’ set up in the field ‘side Silas’ store, an’ Susie Mae pitched a pure tee fit fer me to take her to hit. She whinned and took on so that I final’y had to tell her that hit wuz al’rite jus to shut her up.
She commenced worrin’ ’bout she didn’t have no new frock to ware to no rale fine shin-dig like a carnival. She hacked me so much ’bout a new frock that I jus flat-out tolt her that she could ware her old one or she could set home an’ dip her snuff. That caylmed her down perty much an’ she ‘cided that her old jumper wuz al’rite.
I did put on my new overalls, ’cause I wanted them folks that’d be thare to know that I’d DONE WELL. When Susie Mae had got the paper rollers outten her hair an’ put on her face powder, we’uns loaded up in the truck and lit a shuck fer the fair.
When we’uns got to the field an’ Susie Mae seed all them lights that they had strung up, she axed me, “Jay Henry, honey, jus how much karesene you recon theys burnin’ to lite up all them lites?” She’s allways been rite savin’ and worry’s ’bout things like that.
Well’sr, we paid our quarter an’ went in the gate an’ I thinks to myself that that gal is gonna want to ride all them rides, an’ I ain’t got the money fer ‘em all so I kinda edged her over to th’ place where they had them hogs penned up an’ thought she’d forgit ’bout them rides. I ourt to of knowed Susie Mae better’n that ’cause when she sets her mind, ain’t nobody gonna change hit.
One thing she wouldn’t ride is that thar farres wheel. She said to me, “Jay Henry, honey, I knows why they got that thang in here, they wants me to git on hit an’ go up high in the air jus so’s they can stand back an’ look up my frock tail.” I ‘greed with her ’cause I knowed that’d save me a nother dime.
We’s walkin’ round in thar an’ come up on a little tiny tent whar some wemmin wuz dancin’ round in they teddeys. Susie Mae seys “Jay Henry, iffen you take airy look at them thare husseys, you can jus cn’sidder yo-self cut off fer a month.” I mos’ had ta kinda cut my eyes over in they direction un-be-knownst to her.
Atter we had seed all the sights an’ Susie Mae had rode all the rides she would git on, we got us a hot dog an’ headed back to the house. ‘Fore we left she had to ax them carnival folks iffen they wuz goin to Hotlanter an’ Jaxunville ’cause she wanted Junior an’ Rocky Phil to see all them thangs.
Ever sinse we been back frum that carnival, Susie Mae wonts to go down to the store so’s she can tell Miss Mavis that she wont skyert a’ridin them rides. Somehow though, she don’t git ’round to tellin’ them ’bout them husseys in they teddeys. I hav’ ta git Silas over in a corner an’ broch the subjec’ to him.
Now, ever once in a-while Susie Mae will ax me, “Jay Henry, honey, You reccon theys anybody ’round thats had as much fun as us’uns done at a fair?” I jus tells her that I doubt hit ’cause most folks jus don’t know how to have a rale good time. Hit do take a whole lot of practicin’ but iffen y’all work hard at hit, y’all can do hit too.
Bye now….
JAY HENRY AND SUSIE MAE
