Hoeing Tomatoes - C Lee Brown (acx book reading .txt) 📗

down with the big hoe. It struck the dirt just in front of the snake. At the same time, Sam realized the snake was just past him two rows over in front of his mom. He threw all caution to the wind and crashed through the intervening tomato plants. Tomato stakes were pushed aside as he bulled through the first row. Ripe red and green fruit were sent rolling in the dirt. All he could think of was to get to his mom.
As Sam crashed through the tomato rows on her left, his mom took another chop at the snake. Again she just missed and the blade of the hoe dug into the dirt in front of the reptile. It partially coiled and hissed loudly. The snake was really getting excited now. It just wanted to get away, but where? Sam was breaking through the last row of tomatoes when the snake made up its mind. It began crawling quickly up the handle of the hoe. This had an immediate effect on Sam’s mom.
Afraid it would continue up the hoe and bite her, she lifted the snake and hoe into the air. She hoped to dislodge it and be able to chop down on it as it fell. It managed somehow to wrap part of itself firmly around the handle and blade mount. She swung the hoe side to side. The tops of tomato plants were ravaged. She banged the hoe sideways against several stakes. The tomato stakes and their wire supports fell but the snake held on for dear life.
Sam stumbled into the row and was almost hit in the face by the wildly swinging hoe and snake. He fell backwards and took out half a row of tomatoes. Still the snake held on to the hoe. Sam’s mom decided she had about enough of this and raised the hoe up above her head. She planned to slam it down with all her might and catch the snake under it. At the apex of her swing the snake decided to let go and fell straight down. This resulted in the snake being draped around the neck of Sam’s mom. She wasn’t exactly thrilled at this prospect. Neither was the snake. She looked at it and screamed. It looked at her and hissed. Sam’s mom couldn’t take any more. Her eyes rolled over white as she fainted and fell straight back. A row of tomato plants and stakes helped break her fall as she collapsed into a cloud of dust.
As Sam stood up, he saw the snake tangled up in a huge black knot at the top of one of the few remaining upright tomato plants. It looked down from its coiled perch at the woman on the ground then up at Sam and then back to his mom. His mother lay on the ground beneath the snake in a disheveled heap. Her shoes were missing and her apron was pulled around to the side of her body. Her garden dress and smock were pushed up around her waist in a most undignified manner.
Sam stepped gingerly past his mom and examined the snake closely. As he suspected it wasn’t a viper. It was just a harmless black snake. Most people called them racers or chicken snakes. Sam deftly grabbed it behind the head and let it coil around his arm.
“Come on mister snake,” Sam said as he walked toward the back porch, “we need to put you someplace where you won’t cause any more trouble today.”
***
Later that evening when Sam’s father came home there was a lot of explaining by his mom and Sam about their adventure with the snake.
“He really was a brave boy,” Sam’s mom said, “he stayed with me until I came around and brought a cool damp towel to put on my head.”
“I helped ma back to the porch too,” Sam added, “Then old man Peabody from next door came over to see what all the commotion was.”
“Peabody offered to search the garden and alley,” Sam’s mom said, “but Sam told him he had already got rid of the snake.”
His dad listened with interest to their story. He picked up a shovel and walked out to the garden and looked around until he was satisfied. Most of the garden was fine except for the tomatoes. All the really big plants grew near the bottom of the rows and those were the ones that were the most damaged. He picked up a couple ripe tomatoes off the ground and brought them in the house. He knew Sam’s mom loved to eat tomatoes.
At supper there was fried chicken with biscuits and fresh vegetables. Sam’s mom washed and sliced the tomatoes but, for some reason, she didn’t feel like eating any herself. After supper they all sat around on the porch and ate homemade ice cream.
“How about an orange pop, Sam?” His father asked as he set aside his empty ice cream bowl. “You feel like sharing one?”
“Sure dad,” Sam loved any kind of soda.
“Well, go get us one out of the fridge,” his dad said as he motioned with his hand toward the back door. Sam jumped up and ran into the house.
As soon as Sam was inside, his dad put his arm around Sam’s mom and gave her a hug. “I guess you’ve had enough of the garden for one day.”
“I guess so but we really shouldn’t leave all those tomatoes that were knocked down to just lie out there and spoil.” Sam’s mom got up and walked over to the corner of the porch where her bucket was sitting.
“I’ll go see what I can salvage before it gets too dark.”
Sam’s basketball was stuck in the top of the bucket. She bent over and pulled out the ball and tossed it to her husband. She watched as he caught the ball with a funny wide-eyed expression. Then she felt something crawling up her leg. Sam’s mom looked down to see the black snake slithering out of the bucket and around her leg. She screamed and fainted on the porch.
“Sam!” his father shouted, “come here right now!” Imprint

Publication Date: 01-05-2010

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