On the Shore of Chad Creek by Jack Matthews
"On the Shore of Chad Creek" by Jack Matthews is a poignant narrative centered around Melvin Combs, an eighty-three-year-old man grappling with the death of his wife, Maude. Set in a rural landscape, the story explores themes of love, loss, and the weight of memory as Melvin undertakes the difficult task of transporting Maude's body to the undertaker. The poignant realism of Melvin's struggle to carry her down a steep hill and across a footbridge underscores the physical and emotional burdens he faces. He reflects on their long history together, recalling moments from their childhood and the life they shared over fifty years of marriage. As he navigates his sorrow, Melvin maintains a sense of determination, despite the challenges he encounters. The narrative invites readers to contemplate the complexities of grief and reminiscence, encapsulating a deep connection to place and memory. Ultimately, the story concludes with an open-ended reflection on the past, suggesting that their shared history is intertwined with the journey of love and loss.
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On the Shore of Chad Creek by Jack Matthews
First published: 1971
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: The 1960's
Locale: An unspecified rural area
Principal Characters:
Melvin Combs , an eighty-three-year-old manMaude Combs , his eighty-one-year-old wifeWilkie Thomas , the undertaker
The Story
One spring morning, eighty-three-year-old Melvin Combs awakes to find that his eighty-one-year-old wife, Maude, has crossed her arms, turned her head to the wall, and died during the night. Because the couple live in a rural area, on a hill above Chad Creek where cars cannot drive, Melvin knows that he must take the body into town to the undertaker by himself. The most difficult part of his task is carrying the body down the hill and across the footbridge to reach the highway beyond the woods. Telling himself that his wife is not all that heavy and that it will be easy to carry her body down the hill and across the bridge, Melvin first pours himself a drink of corn whiskey and looks at the body on the bed, the feet curled around like a baby's and the head half-buried in the pillow.
He considers going for help but decides against it because his wife did not like anyone coming to the house unless she was expecting them. Repeating to himself that he is strong and that it will be no trouble, Melvin wraps Maude in a blanket and starts down the hill. Halfway down, he slips and goes sprawling; his wife's body bounces several times and rolls out of the blanket, and Melvin hurts his shoulder. He goes back to the house to get another drink and once again considers going for help but continues to repeat his determination that he can get the body to town alone.
After managing to carry his wife down the hill and across the footbridge, he drops her again and she rolls out of the blanket; her arms are still across her chest, her mouth is open, and her eyes show a little crack, as if she is peeking at him now and then to see how he is making out. After setting her in the back seat of his car, he drives into town to the undertaker. There, Wilkie Thomas and his assistant, Paul, take Maude into a back room. The conversation between Melvin and Wilkie seems inconsequential, mainly concerned with getting the doctor over to make out a death certificate.
Melvin talks briefly about having married Maude fifty-two years ago when she was the widow of a man named Chambers, who was killed in a mine accident. Melvin says he had been whoring around, carousing, and drinking before he settled down with Maude. He also talks about having known Maude when they were children, and tells of playfully pushing her into the creek once. After the doctor pronounces Maude dead and leaves, Melvin says, "Hit just don't seem like enough, some how."
He then drives back to his home on Chad Creek and lies down on the bed where his wife died. He thinks that he forgot to tell the undertaker that Maude had pigtails seventy-five years ago; he remembers pulling them, making Maude yell so loudly that the teacher made him stand in a corner. The story ends with the line, "It had all started way back then. Maybe even before."