Bear Bob's Story as told to Edward Summer

Chapter Fourteen
An Understanding
 

"Please,” the voice in my mind said again. “Please I need a name.”

     I smiled.

      “I know the name,” I whispered at once. “I know the name, the perfect name. First, I will tell you my secret name, then I will tell you yours.”

     The small, cloth bear lay still upon my lap and seemed to listen with its ragged brown ears.

      “No one knows this but you and me and the tall man. My secret name is Kaa de Gedepoo-mee-de sein koin. Prince of Nature. Prince of nature.  And yours will be Gedepoo-mee-de sein dyi-gmo-nyo. Protector of nature. Protector. Protector. Gedepoo-mee-de sein dyi-gmo-nyo.”

     “Now it is done,” the bear seemed to whisper. “Now it is done. I have eyes and ears and mouth and heart. And I have a name. A secret name.” Perhaps a smile was on his wrinkled brown cotton face.

     Outside the dancing and the singing and the clapping continued. but there was no more whispering in the silence of my mind. The bear and I settled onto the bed and fell fast asleep.
 
 

     When I awoke in the morning, I found that the big woman had taken away the box of buttons. She had taken away the needle and thread. She had left the bear in my arms and covered us with a blanket.

     I had slept the whole night through and today was Sun Day. Sun Day.

     When I dressed I looked over to the bed. I had hidden the bear under the covers so no one could see him.

     Then we went to the church where only the brown people went. Reverend was there. Reverend spoke and we all sang quietly from our places on the long hard benches. But the whole time I thought of the little girl Mittie in her bed sick.

     Reverend shook my hand as we walked out of the church room. I think I smiled, I think. I think Reverend smiled at me for he said, “In a big hurry, boy? A big hurry to go somewhere?”

     “Yes, sir.” I said. “No, sir.” I said. “Yes, sir,” I said again.

     Reverend smiled. “You go then, child. Go now.”

     I ran all the way back to the cabin. There was no one there because they were being social. That meant they stood and talked to one another in clean clothes. They were all very polite. That was what they did on Sun Day.

     Out came the bear. I hid him in my pillowcase, picked it up,  and off we went to the big house.

     I went to the kitchen door and I knocked.

     The cook came.

     “What you want, child?”

     “Yes, Ma’am. I have something for the little girl.”

     “It is Sunday, child. Sunday. And she is sick, too.”

     “Yes. Yes, I know. I know she is sick. I have something for her.”

     “What you have, boy? What?”

     “It is a secret. It is just for her.” I held the pillowcase behind my back.

     “Hmmmm. Let me see, boy.”

     I did not want to, but I held out the pillowcase to her.

     The corners of her mouth went down. She took the bag and peeked inside.

     “Where you get this, boy? Where?”

     “I made it myself, ma’am. I made it myself.”

     The corners of her mouth stayed down, but the corners of her eyes went up.

     “Yes, boy. Yes. I will see that you take it to her.” She went away and came back a few minutes later with the man they called Butler. He was brown, too, but he wore a dress up suit like the white people.  All long black cloth with a white shirt and a black piece of shiny silk cloth around his neck tied in a bow. Very strange. He was very quiet. He was very dignified. He did not talk much to anyone, especially the white people. He only said “Yes, sir. No, sir. Yes, ma’am. No ma’am.” Mostly he said nothing.

     “Come with me, boy.” he said.

     “Yes, sir,” I answered.

     We went up the big stairs and down the hallway to the little girl’s room.

     Toy sat on the floor outside the door. Little brown Toy sat outside of the door looking very sad. She looked up at me. She did not say anything. She looked very sad. Then her eyes went back down to the floor.

     Knock. Knock. Butler’s knuckles rapped upon the door. Knock. Knock.

     “Who is there?” came Mittie’s small voice from inside the room.

     “Someone to see you, Miss.” Butler answered.

     “I’m tired.”

     “Yes, Miss. Would you like us to go away.”

     “No. No. Come in.”

     Butler opened the door and stood aside.

     The little girl saw me standing there.

     I could see that her eyes were tired and her face was thin. But then her eyes smiled.

     “Bear Bob!” she said. “Bear Bob! Why are you here?”

     Butler pushed me into the room and closed the door behind me.

     “I… I… I have something for you.”

     “Something?”

     I handed her the pillowcase.

     “Oh! What is it? That is a terrible old pillowcase! Where did you get it?”

     I didn’t say anything. I just stood a few feet from the bed.

     She sat up and dangled the case from her hand and shook it.

     The bear bounced inside.

     “Oh! What is it?” I could see her beginning to smile with excitement.

     She placed the bag upon her lap, which was covered with a beautiful quilt. She peeled off the pillowcase, and there he sat, upside-down upon her lap. The bear.

     “Oh!” she laughed! “Oh! It is the bear! The bear! How wonderful! Wherever did you get it?”

     My face became very hot and I looked down at the floor and said nothing.

     “You made it, didn’t you? You made it.”

     Now she was holding the bear in both hands at arm’s length turning it around and around and smiling so that her cheeks were pushed up almost to her eyebrows.

     “I shall call it…. I shall call it ‘’The Little Bear.’ After you, Bear Bob. ‘The Little Bear.”

     When she said it, however, it sounded more like “bayer.” “The Little Bayer.” What a funny name! Only a little girl would call a bear that! I giggled in my heart, then it bubbled out of my mouth. Mittie caught the giggle, and the bear bounced up and down on her stomach as she laughed.

     Her cheeks seemed for a moment less thin. Her color seemed for a moment less pale. And the bear bounced up and down, up and down.

     She looked into my eyes, and I looked into her eyes.

     “I understand now about all the words you taught me,” I said without saying anything out loud.

     “Yes,” she answered me silently. “Yes, I know now that you understand.”

     We smiled quietly, warmly for another moment.

     “You had best go now,” she said aloud.

     “Yes, Miss,” I said. “Yes, Miss.”

     “But I will see you outside when I am better!” She laughed!

     “Yes, Miss,” I answered. “Yes, you will.”

     I went to the door and it opened as if by magic. Butler had been standing outside all along guarding the door.

     “When I am better,” she called after me.

     Butler closed the door.

     Butler took my hand. Butler took Toy’s hand. He led us downstairs.

     Through the door as we walked down the hall I heard Mittie say: “And how are you on this fine day, Little Bear? How are you?”

     And I thought I heard a very small, soft cotton voice answer, “ I am fine, Miss. I am fine. And how are you?”

     But I shook my head. I must have imagined it, for there had been no one else in the room.