Cactus Flower 

I lost my cousin Ron yesterday and I will definitely miss him, not for his life experiences, though there were many, one experience that we shared in 1969 while visiting our grandmother, a movie we went to called Cactus Flower. 

Uncle Hal had brought Ron with him. I can’t recall if he brought his daughters too, but at any rate there we were two cousins related by the blood of our grandmother who gave birth to Hal and Mom, staring at each other, a pair of toe headed boys. I had crew cut blonde hair and his was only slightly longer brown hair. He was a couple inches taller and looked stronger than me. Upon the introduction he cut the ice by asking, “You wanna go for a walk?” 

He of course, like all my Easley clan had a distinctive southern drawl that definitely made it known how his cornbread was buttered. 

“Sure,” I replied, and we walked together into Childress, a small Texas community set near the panhandle. 

“Pa said y’all from Warshington?” 

“It’s pronounced ‘Washington,’” I corrected. 

“What part?”  

I glanced at him before replying, “The eastern part, called East Wenatchee. We don’t live in the capital, you know.” 

“Pa said you probably talk funny too. He said you was born with a hare lip like your ma?” 

I didn’t like admitting that part of my life. The cleft lip and pallet made me talk in a nasally tonal sound where my esses sounded like a lazy Esh-like sound. “Yeah, that’s right,” I admitted. 

“You talk funny, but I think I like you.” 

“It’s hot out here, isn’t it?” 

“Sure is, but it doesn’t get hot up there in East Wenatchee?” 

“No, not nearly as hot up there,” I replied as we continued going into town and along the main street where we happened inside a store. I never paid it a Nevermind as we wondered about the shelves and then went by a grandfatherly looking man wearing glasses standing behind an antique cash register that I figured was as old he was. 

“How old are you?” I asked Ron. 

“Twelve, how about you?”  

“I’ll be eleven on September 2^nd.” 

“No kidding?” 

“I don’t kid about that. You got brothers or sisters?” 

“I have two sisters. They’re both younger than me.” 

“Same here. One is adopted and the other Mom had almost two years ago,” I told him as we left the store and continued down the street, purposefully missing the cracks on the sidewalk we walked on. 

“What grade are you in?” 

Again, another personal question I didn’t feel comfortable about answering honestly. “They have a movie theater here too?” We stopped at the marquee of a theater with the colored illustrated cinema advertisements showing us young and impressionable boys promotions of upcoming movie fare.  

“Y’all wanna go see one?” 

“You think our parents will allow it?” 

“All we got to do is ask,” he replied logically. 

“What movie do you think they’ll let us watch?” I saw one that seemed a bit risqué as the advertisement showed what appeared protests and white woman wearing only a bra and a black man apparently manhandling her. The other showed Goldie Hawn and the movie Cactus Flower. “I like her,” I exclaimed. “She’s funny on ‘Laugh-In.’” I pointed at her. 

“It’s playing tonight,” Ron stated as he read the billboard. “It starts at 6:30.” He stared briefly at the billboard, then announced, “Well, let’s get back to Grandma’s and see what Pa and Aunt Mary says.” 

His use of him titling my mom and aunt took me aback briefly. I nodded and we headed back. Just before we reached the house, hearing the blowing fan of the swamp cooler, we got sidetracked by a young neighbor girl, wearing shorts and light red polka-dot blouse and flip-flops. She was about my age, and he was as smooth as Robert Redford when he said, “Hey there, what’s your name?” 

“Sue Ellen, what’s yours?” She smiled coyly. I felt like odd kid out here as I bashfully took a step back and they proceeded to talk. 

“Ron Easley, and this here is Jerry. He’s from East Wenatchee, Warshington. Don’t be shy! Say hey to her.” 

“Hi,” I said with my head down, feeling many shades of red flash upon my young face. 

“Y’all related to Ms. Lulu?” She asked. 

“That’s our grandma,” Ron exclaimed. “Where you live at?” 

“Right here. That’s my house,” she replied. 

“We’re gonna ask to go see a movie. You want to come too?” Ron was all over this and I just let him be the man about town with this cute little girl. 

“That’ll be fun! Wait here and I’ll go ask my ma.” She then ran up to the porch, through a screen door that slammed with purpose and her screaming “Ma! Can I go to the movie with Ms. Lulu’s grandsons? They’re cousins!” 

“So long as it’s okay with Ms. Lulu,” we heard her mother reply with just as loud a voice as her daughter’s. 

I looked side-long at Ron a moment hoping his assertive personality carried over to his father and my mother. Dad wasn’t a problem. He rarely said no. It was Mom I had to curry favor with to be given permission to go anywhere. And this adventure would be a first for me. I never went to a movie at night with kids my age. 

“Hey Pa!” He called out just as we walked inside Grandmas cool house. Not only was the swamp cooler going hundred miles per hour, but she also had portable fans blowing and circulating in all directions. 

“What is it?” Uncle Hal asked. 

“Cousin Jerry and me and Sue Ellen, a girl across the street want to go to a movie at the theater. Can we go?” 

“You gonna be in charge?” He asked. 

“Yes sir,” Ron replied puffing out his chest. 

“Mary Jane, are you okay with this?” 

Mom seemingly took humor in this for some reason and giggled before telling me, “You do what your cousin tells you. Don’t be naughty or you’ll get a spanking. Am I clear?” 

“Yes, mom,” I replied soberly. After all, she showed me the paddle hanging on hook near the pantry the first time we came here in 1966. 

After dinner, we dressed in our clean pants and t-shirts and cleaner sneakers. Sue Ellen showed up around that time and we sat in the parlor. I had by this time relaxed my disposition and was teasing the young girl while Ron told stories of how many different bases he and his family had gone to since he was born. 

Then, Uncle Hal and Dad took us to the theater, giving each enough for the movie and an extra dollar for snacks. I watched the movie and though there were a few funny scenes, most of the dialog went over my head, and I’m sure over the heads of my cousin and our girl friend. We sat through and left the theater. Outside was still hot though it was dark. 

A car horn blasted, and we turned to see Mom and Grandma sitting in Dad’s car waiting for us to come out. We piled into the car and none of us knew the future ahead of us or what fate awaited us. 

Sue Ellen died fifteen years ago. Breast cancer took her and yesterday Cousin Ron went to see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Rest in Peace, cousin.