Who'll Pick Me?

by Janice Alonso

  Earlier, on their way home from Brandon’s Hardware Store, she and Aunt Susan passed Myna’s Confections Shop. Aunt Susan explained that “confections” was another word for sweet things to eat. As they’d walked by the store, Winkie breathed in the aroma of cookies and cakes as their smells drifted from the bakery. She’d decided then and there that she’d come back later for one of Myna’s sweet treats. She was going to spend some of her garage sale money, but now she could save that for something really special and use the money she’d earned helping her daddy.

  Winkie brought her hand to the brim of the cap and lifted it from her head. She extended it toward her daddy.

  “No, no. Keep it on so your cheeks don’t get more burned,” her daddy said and then he smiled. “Just don’t lose it.”

  Winkie’s face flamed to a bright red, but it wasn’t from the sunburn she’d gotten hauling wood to the alley. She was mad that her daddy thought she couldn’t be trusted with his hat.

  “I won’t,” she grumbled.

  As Winkie adjusted the cap, she made sure her ponytail was in plain view in case she ran in to any of the girls from the park on her way to town. She had about an hour to roam the downtown of Bell Buckle before she needed to return home.

  Their bed and breakfast was on Blueberry Lane, just two blocks away from Pioneer Square. While shops and businesses lined the four streets around the town square, houses were on all the other streets. An alley cut through the backyards of the houses. People put their garbage in these alleys so trash collectors could pick it up. Back home, their trash was collected from the fronts of the houses, at the end of driveways. Bell Buckle was a lot different from the area Winkie had lived in Knoxville.

  Her old neighborhood was in one of the tiny suburbs outside the big city and in one of the countless subdivisions that made up the many suburbs. While Winkie missed her friends and her old house, she had to admit that in some ways she liked Bell Buckle

  better. A lot better. For one thing, she had more freedom and was able to go more places by herself. Everything was so close, you could walk. In her old neighborhood, her mama or daddy had to drive everywhere they went, even to the park.

  When Winkie arrived at North Main Street, she decided she would visit Pioneer Square first. It was divided into four areas. Each section had a garden that the Bell Buckle

  Garden Club had planted and maintained year round. There were also a couple of statues and an area with play equipment for toddlers to climb on. Winkie looked across the square and saw the sign for Myna’s.

  She crossed the street and walked to Myna’s. A brick sidewalk lined with small spidery plants led to the porch. A honeysuckle vine wound around one of the trees, its sweet smell riding on a soft breeze that brushed by Winkie’s nose. Blue morning glories twined in and out of the honeysuckle. She mounted the stairs leading up to the house. Aunt Susan told her that the shop was on the first floor, and Myna and her daughter lived on the second floor.

  A small bell tinkled as Winkie opened the door to the shop. Cakes and cookies lined one side of the room while the other side was filled to brimming with loaves of freshly baked breads.

  “I’ll be there in a minute!” a small voice called from a room behind the area where Winkie had entered.

  Within a couple of minutes a short stout woman with a round face and a big smile appeared. Her skin was the color of gingerbread, and her hair was in tight gray curls.

  “You must be Susan Hardy’s niece,” said the woman as she wiped her hands on the dishtowel she was carrying. “That’s all she’s talked about for the last month . . . that you and your daddy were moving to Bell Buckle. She’s so proud of both of you.”

  Winkie nodded and introduced herself. She held up her money. “How many cookies can I buy with two dollars?”

  “Three for a dollar, but since you’re new, Winkie, I’ll give you my Friday Special . . . two for one. That means you can get a dozen.”

  Winkie walked over to the glass case and studied the selection. “I’ll take chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, and lemon iced, three of each,” she said after much thought.

  While Myna put the cookies into a bag, a woman walked in from the back room.

  “Hi. I’m Marianne,” she said. Marianne’s body was that of a woman’s, but her mind was that of a child’s. Little crinkles radiated from almond-shaped eyes as a wide grin spread across her face.

  Winkie smiled. “I’m Winkie.”

  Marianne smiled back. Winkie could tell that Marianne had Down Syndrome. She and her family had helped with the Special Olympics back in Knoxville. Winkie worked with several of the participants who looked the same as Marianne.

  Myna placed her arm around Marianne. “This is my daughter. She helps me out with the baking.”

  “I put the sprinkles on the cookies,” said Marianne.

  Myna handed Winkie the bag. “You hurry back.”

  Winkie waved good-bye and went back outside. She stopped on the sidewalk in front of the bakery and took out a cookie. She bit into the most delicious cookie she’d ever tasted. She knew she’d be back soon, very soon!

  * * * * *

  After supper Winkie walked to the Lambs’ house to make sure the puppies were settled for the night. She’d fed them earlier and given them plenty of water, but she really wanted an excuse to give Squirt the frog she’d bought for her.

  The sun dipped lower in the sky, and the first of the crickets sang out their evening tunes.

  “Squirt, come here girl,” called Winkie as she entered the Lambs’ backyard.

  Quick as a flash, all the puppies bolted from the dog house. Winkie took Squirt to the lower end of the yard and sat on the grass. She squeaked the frog. Squirt jumped back and tilted her head, her ears at alert. Winkie squeezed the frog’s stomach again. Squirt leaped back once more and barked. Winkie laughed and threw the frog for Squirt to fetch. The puppy raced after her new toy, froze, and stared at Winkie. She clutched the frog between her teeth.

  “Bring the frog here, Squirt,” yelled Winkie.

  Squirt just stared at Winkie.

  Winkie clapped her hands. “C’mon, Squirt, bring it to me.”

  Squirt just stared at Winkie.

  Winkie walked toward Squirt. Squirt back away and gave a muffled bark.

  “Give it to me,” urged Winkie as she grabbed for the frog.

  Squirt ducked Winkie’s grasp and stepped out of her reach.

  Winkie leaned over and tried once again for the toy. “Give it to me,” Winkie begged in a sweet voice. When she leaned over, Squirt dropped the frog, but leaped up and snatched the hat off Winkie’s head.

  “No!” screamed Winkie. “Not Daddy’s cap!”

  Squirt raced around the yard, the Atlanta baseball cap clenched tightly in her jaws. Winkie ran close behind.

  “Give me that cap! Now!” screamed Winkie.

  Squirt ran faster, but soon she ran into the corner of the fence. Winkie had her trapped. Squirt looked to the left and then to the right behind Winkie, but the puppy knew she’d lost. She dropped the cap, her tail thumping timidly.

  Winkie picked up the cap and wiped the wet spot where Squirt’s mouth had been. “I can’t believe you’d rather have this cap than the nice frog I bought you.”

  Squirt barked and jumped in the air.

  Winkie leaned over, held firmly to the cap with one hand, and patted the top of Squirt’s head with her other hand. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Winkie closed the gate as she left the Lambs’ yard. She turned around for one last look at Squirt. The puppy had retrieved the frog and was running toward the fence. The last image she had of Squirt was her backside as she wiggled under the laurel bushes.

  When she got home, Winkie removed the cap and placed in on the bench on the back porch. She went inside and enjoyed cookies and milk with Aunt Susan and her daddy before they went to bed that night.

  A Second Impression

  It wasn’t that Winkie was afraid of meeting n
ew people. She’d always been the first one to introduce herself to neighbors when they moved in back home. But, being the new person was a whole different feeling entirely. You just weren’t sure of . . . well, how people might react to you. You might say something funny and they wouldn’t think it was funny and then you’d feel dumb. On the other hand, you might not risk being funny for fear of being embarrassed, and people might think you were too serious, or even worse, stuck up.

  Winkie took a deep breath and proceeded to the other side of the playground where three girls were playing. They were sitting under a tree and talking and laughing like they’d known each other all their lives. Winkie’s heart sank. They probably had known each other all their lives. Her heart sank even lower when she realized they were the same girls who’d mistaken her for a boy the last time. Winkie sent up a quick prayer asking God to help her say the right things.

  “Hi, I’m Winkie,” said Winkie.

  A girl with red curls looked at her and cocked her head to one side. “You look familiar.”

  “Yeah, you look like that boy Peri who was here the other day,” said another girl. She brought the straw of a slushy drink to her mouth and sipped.

  Winkie thought about saying that Peri was her cousin and that he’d gone back to Alaska, or some place even farther away. But Winkie knew that lying had a way of coming back and bringing a pack of trouble with it. As much as she hated to, she’d have to tell the truth.

  Sighing, she giggled softly as she explained, “That was me.”

  “Then why did you say your name was Peri?” asked the girl with curly red hair. Her face scrunched into a scowl as she waited for an answer to her question.

  Before Winkie knew what was happening, she found herself sitting in the middle of the threesome and telling them everything, starting from the car crash and ending with the reason she and her daddy had moved here to live with her aunt.

  “You’re Miss Hardy’s niece?” asked the girl with red curls, whom Winkie now knew was Scarlet. Winkie knew all the girls’ names.

  “Cool!” said Maria. Maria had short black hair and large brown eyes with long dark eyelashes. “She bought that old Victorian home.”

  “I heard she and your dad are going to turn it into a bed and breakfast.” said Lynn Ann, the third of the girls. Lynn Ann had mocha-colored skin and a wide, friendly smile that revealed shiny silver braces on her teeth.

  Winkie nodded. “We’re calling it the Bell Buckle Inn. Daddy is doing all the handyman work to get it ready for guests. They’re working on the dining room and the living room first, and then they’ll work on the second floor where there are four bedrooms. After they’ve finished with those rooms, we can open for business.” She explainer further, “Once we’ve got some money coming in, we can finish up the rest of the house.”

  “I’ve always wanted to go inside that old house, but it’s been closed up for as long as I can remember,” said Maria. “Mom was afraid since it was so run down, it wasn’t safe.”

  “And David Peterson says it’s haunted,” added Lynn Ann.

  “Aunt Susan had people come in and check out the plumbing and electrical work before she moved in, so it’s safe for us to live there. She and my daddy are doing the other work themselves,” explained Winkie. Then she turned to Lynn Ann. “You’re right; it is run down, but I haven’t seen a ghost since we’ve been there.”

  “David Peterson’s full of prunes,” said Maria. She rolled her eyes. “And he thinks he knows everything.”

  “Where’s your bedroom?” asked Scarlet.

  “On the top floor. I can see the whole street from up there!” said Winkie.

  “Cool!” said Maria.

  “Don’t you get scared being up there all by yourself?” asked Scarlet.

  Winkie shook her head no. “Aunt Susan fixed it up just like my old room.” She explained about the painting and the “mysterious man” her aunt had sent to buy the picture as a surprise for her. “Would you like to come over and see the house?” asked Winkie.

  “You bet!” the three girls shouted at one time.

  “Your aunt won’t mind if we all come over without you asking first?” objected Lynn Ann.

  Again Winkie shook her head no. “She loves to show off the house!” Then she added, “But if it’s not a good time, she’ll let us know and we can do it another day.”

  * * * * *

  “It’s never a bad time to share this house!” Aunt Susan had a dab of whipped cream in her hair. “As a matter of fact, I love being able to show off God’s generosity with others.”

  Winkie laughed and touched her aunt’s hair.

  Her aunt brought her hand up to her head and felt the cream. She laughed. “I was making some Seven-minute frosting to go on the coconut cake I was baking.” Her cheeks flushed to a soft pink. “I guess some of it flew off the beaters and landed on the top of my head.”

  Aunt Susan walked to the mirror hanging over a bureau in the front hallway and studied her reflection. Reaching into her apron pocket, she removed a paper towel and wiped away the white blob.

  “There!” Aunt Susan laughed again. “Just a little sticky, but otherwise, I’m as good as new. Winkie, why don’t you take the girls on a tour of the house? When you’ve finished, I’ll have some tea and cake ready for you and your friends in the kitchen.”

  “Your aunt’s cool,” said Maria. “My mom would freak out if she thought her hair was messed up.”

  Winkie smiled as she swelled with an inward pride as she listened to the compliment about her aunt. “Where do you want to begin?”

  “Let’s start on the first floor and end with your room,” suggested Scarlet.

  Winkie guided her new friends through the downstairs, showing them the kitchen, dining room, and a large living room. Then she took them into a small area that was just off the front hall.

  “This is a parlor,” said Winkie.

  “What’s a ‘parlor?’” asked Lynn Ann.

  “Years ago it was a room where people would sit when they came to visit. This place was a boarding house during the gold rush in Dahlonega back in the 1800’s. So when the people who lived here had visitors, they met them in this room to talk or play games.”

  “So it’s a game room?” said Lynn Ann.

  “In a way I guess it is,” agreed Winkie.

  Next they went to the second and third floors and looked at each bedroom. There were four bedrooms on each floor and two bathrooms, one at each end of the hall. The bedrooms on the front of the house faced the street overlooking the thick trees that lined Blueberry Lane. The rooms on the back of the house looked down onto a patio, the flower garden, and the back alley.

  “Aunt Susan is going to paint each room a different color and then name the room by its color,” explained Winkie.

  Maria began counting on her fingers. “So you’ll have a red room, a blue room, a green room, a yellow room, a purple room, an orange room, and . . .” She paused. “What color will the other two rooms be?”

  “There’ll be a pink room and a lavender room,” answered Winkie.

  “Can we see your room now?” begged Scarlet.

  “What color is it, Winkie?” asked Lynn Ann and Maria in unison.

  “I’ll show you.”

  They mounted the stairway to the fourth floor. When they got to the top, Winkie opened the door for them to go in.

  “It’s periwinkle blue,” said Winkie.

  The girls walked around Winkie’s room and admired the beautiful color.

  “Look,” said Lynn Ann as she pointed upward. “There’s clouds painted on the ceiling!”

  “Cool!” said Maria.

  Winkie laughed. “Maria, do you say ‘cool’ after everything?”

  “Not everything.” Maria smiled. “But almost!”

  “Cool!” exclaimed Winkie.

  All the girls laughed.

  Scarlet walked up to the painting of the periwinkles. “And this is the picture your mother painted?”

 
Winkie’s mouth turned downward. She felt tears forming in her eyes as she nodded.

  “How lucky you are to have so much to remember your mother by,” said Maria as she put her arms around Winkie’s shoulders.

  “Yeah,” said Scarlet. “My grandmother died two years ago and I don’t have anything to make me think of her. She lost everything in a hurricane down in South Florida. Even her photographs.”

  “You have a whole room to make you feel like she’s with you all the time,” added Lynn Ann.

  “And now you have her special name, too,” said Scarlet.

  “You have a cool name,” said Maria. “I don’t know anyone else who has that name.”

  “Cool,” said Winkie. Even though she still missed her mama, and would always miss her mama, Winkie thanked God for her new friends.

  She watched the girls as they looked through her books and chatted about the bookcase she and her daddy had built. Winkie knew she had more to be thankful for than just her new room, her new friends, and her new house. Winkie had wonderful memories of her mama and her old home back in Knoxville to last her a lifetime, memories that no one could ever take away from her and that she could build a new life on.

  Oh, No! Not Again!

  Scarlet and Maria left, but Lynn Ann remained behind to visit more with Winkie. They decided to have a picnic at Pioneer Square the next day. Winkie looked at the clock: it was past time to feed Molly and the puppies. She’d been having so much fun with her new-found friends that the time had slipped away. Winkie took off her shorts and sandals and blouse, and replaced them with an old T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Then she bounded down the stairs to get her old tennis shoes and her daddy’s cap.

  Winkie found her shoes by the back door where she’d kicked them into a corner after she’d returned from the Lambs’ house. Once she secured the laces, she went out the screened door to get the baseball cap from the bench. When she got outside, the cap was gone. Winkie scrunched her face and thought, trying to remember what had happened when she’d gotten home with the cap. She knew she’d left the Atlanta Braves cap on the bench. In fact, she was positive about it. But, the cap wasn’t there.

  She hopped down from the porch and looked around. Maybe the cap had missed the bench and fallen onto the ground below. Winkie looked and looked. She looked in the bushes and in the overgrown flower beds. She searched the area down at the far end of the yard by the alley. She even got on her hands and knees and looked under the porch. But the cap was nowhere in sight. It was as if it had vanished into thin air.