This is a short narritive where truths and lies are as clear as murky waters. A man has experienced a loss he cannot get over, and jealousy clouds his perception and that of several townspeople we meet along the way, but you be the judge...

Let a Drunk Man Tell It
 by M.James Cooper

Harmon Lovejoy is a hard man, too rigid to be moved and too stubborn for convincing. I doh know why he so aggressive towards me. Hasty man with a short temper, an unbelievable stronghold on he wife and chil'ren like yuh can't believe. How he get a sweet woman like Bernadine tuh marry him, I will never know?  How'come surly man like Harmon get everyt'ing God give and dey don't know what to do wid it? And how'come woman like Bernadine Shaw give up she surname for good and never ask for it back? What meanin' dat have in it? I get sorrow from dat, but somebody else call it love. It call adherence too, since dem is catholic and don't believe it parting. Mrs. Bernadine Lovejoy might as well be one ah he own chil'ren seein' as how she does call him Daddy as well as husband. Man, I tell yuh, if he call she name, she runnin', if he tell she "Come, sit down," she pull up seat right next tuh him no matter what need doin'. She wasn't d'type of woman to crochet or read. On occasion she might sew a dress fuh she'self and comb she hair, no pressing comb, Harmon don't like it. One time, way back in '63, before d'last baby born, Harmon ask Bernadine to come cut he toenail. Well, she did leave boilin' pot on d'stove, and ice from Iceman don't put away yet, so heat from stove cause ice tuh melt. A begrudging 'Thank you' barely make it out he mout' before he could ask for some ice cold lime juice! "...and Bernadine, don't use dat dirty brown sugar, use d'white sugar. Ah buy dat not so you could keep it stored up..." Last time she try to strain out all d'dregs dat settle at d'bottom a'd'mug. Three times she run it through using cheesecloth to strain it, but Harmon still find fault, say he could see 'all kinda shit' in he glass. Debris. "There is debris in my glass Bernadine! This juice have shit in it!" So, she leave quiet like mouse and went next door by Ms. Rose to ask for some ice. House buildin' back then, young Ronald Browne helpin' haul away rubbish, fussin'' and fixin' and walls goin' up and d'electrician say not'ing will be on for at least two hours. Is Rose she'self tell meh 'bout it when it happen! Rose and she son Gregory been livin' next to d'Lovejoy's since dey married and did just move into dat oneroom house years ago. There is nobody more reliable than Rose Browne when it come to talk. "Let eyes see and tongues tell," is what she would say, "Your business is your business until is my business." Then she would laugh, raise up she hand, wave, turn around and walk off. In past days he done 'buse she for way less than juice mix wid brown sugar, so hot juice would only make it worse; d'only problem now was, wey she go'get more money from, since that ice was suposed to last until d'next time Iceman come 'round, and money doh stretch like rubber-band no time before or after today. Harmon Lovejoy is a hard man who count he money down tuh d'penny. Fat Maggie, Marcus lil sista tell meh how he is cheapskate and wouldn't spend no money on she when he did leave Bernadine fuh she durin' d'time Bertrand did have d'accident.