Miss Willie seemed to be there almost every day. The sicker momma got, the longer Miss Willie would stay. She would spend several hours in the room with Momma just talking about church, and the previous sermons Pastor Piggy preached Sunday, or how Mr. John Brown kept raising his prices on corn.
“Corn? Corn of all things!” she would exclaim. “As If the working person doesn’t have more to worry about than the high price of corn! What’s next, eggs!”
Whether Miss Willie was talking about corn, eggs or anything else, I knew Momma just enjoyed having Miss Willie by her side.
But most times, they would often end up singing Momma’s favorite song from church. Miss Willie would always start with a single note, seeming to feel the song from the depths of her soul. I’d hear Momma humming along…together they had such beautiful voices.
“Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when…”
The song rose and swelled, and seemed as if all could feel her sorrow and joy. For a brief moment, she and Momma were as one; her joy was Momma’s joy, her happiness was Momma’s happiness. You could sense Miss Willie shared Mommas’ pain. It was powerful.
And each time, with each song, hanging on each word, without pause, Pops would slowly make his way to Momma’s door……never inside, just slightly outside, listening to Momma’s cracked, slurred beautiful voice. His head pressed against the wall as his eyes slowly shut, choking back, but pushing out one slow tear after another. With each word that Momma sang, his walls-, the walls that held him up and made him strong just……collapsed. His trembling hand would slowly wipe the lone tear running down his cheek, and I could faintly hear the words stumble out of his mouth as he sang with Momma.
“Was blind but now I see.”
Pops would straighten up, and scurry back to cleaning as he would hear Miss Willie finish. While Momma drifted to sleep, Miss Willie whispered one last pray, and tucked her in.