Half Past Mourning

by Fleeta Cunningham

  Thankful that she already had Peter’s promise to come, Nina waved her uncle’s suggestion aside. “Oh, Ron’s getting ready to go see his parents for the weekend, Unc. And Peter’s coming to the car show. He’ll be there to help.” She pushed back the door and hopped into the driver’s seat of the grande dame of the roadway. “I’d better be off. You’re coming in later? You’ll want to be there to collect the trophy for Best in Show, and I know we’re going to win it.”

  “Tinker’s driving me in this afternoon. I want to take a gander at the competition—not that there really is any.” Lassiter gave a small snort with his words. “Funny how a fella can get used to having somebody do things for him so quick. I didn’t think I needed a personal assistant person hanging around my place, but by damn, I don’t know how I ever got along without that boy. He’s a smart kid, Nina.” He looked up, a sheepish grin pulling at his lips. “I’m thinking to send the boy on to school, give him some courses in business and accounting, so he can take over part of the office work around here. What do you think of that, Snookie? Think the old man’s getting soft in his dotage?”

  Nina pulled the heavy door shut and started the engine. “I think if that’s what you want to do and Tinker’s interested, it’s a fine thing. Good for him and good for you. He’s got his heart set on little Buffy Michaels, you know, and it’s going to take some heavy persuading to get her family to agree to that match. He’ll need you in his corner all the way.”

  “The Michaels girl?” Lassiter lifted both hands, palms up, in resignation. “The family might as well make peace with it, then. The kids will do what they want, and the rest of us can just wish them well and give a hand when needed.” He looked at the shop clock hanging near the door. “Get on out of here, Snookie, before that parade ties up the roads till noon. And mind the finish on the Princess. Wipe her down, get the dust off, and don’t let anybody, I mean anybody, touch my car!”

  Nina waved, put the magnificent old machine in gear, and rolled up the ramp into the trailer. Months—no, actually Eldon Lassiter had spent years putting the car in mint condition—years of hard labor and careful attention had led up to this day. Nina felt a glow of pride fill her as she fastened the Princess into her private carriage and headed the pickup toward town. The spotlight was sure to be waiting for their arrival. The classic car show, an annual event in Santa Rita, always drew a large crowd. The contest, though friendly, was in deadly earnest and taken seriously by the participants. Eldon Lassiter had won three times in the past, but only by a narrow margin. He was convinced, and Nina agreed, that this year there wouldn’t be a car in the field that could compare with the ruby red coachwork and gleaming chrome of the Princess in all her restored glory.

  By taking side roads and bypassing most of the crowd, Nina was able to get to her numbered slot in good time. People were still gathering for the parade just beginning to spiral out of the high school parking lot, and she attracted minimal attention as she came across the old bridge and through the narrow road behind the courthouse. She slipped the truck into place and eased the Isotta down the ramp. Spacing was tight, and she backed with caution. As she aligned the long car and began to slip into the designated place, Peter emerged from the oleanders along the walk beside the aging building. Nina waved but kept her concentration on situating the car perfectly in the parking spot. With a satisfied grin, she checked her placement, took the car out of gear, and shut down the motor.

  “Hey, you looked like a pro putting that long hunk of machinery into place, sweetheart.” Peter held out a hand as she dropped down from the driver’s seat.

  “And had my heart in my mouth every inch of the way, as well as every foot of the road here,” she assured him. “I can drive anything I can get to run, but this lady is special. I was scared I’d hit an armadillo and bounce something loose. Uncle Eldon’s put years and thousands of dollars into bringing it back to showroom standard. I’d rather eat an earthworm without salt as tell him I put a nick in her paintwork.”

  Peter dropped a quick but warm kiss on her lips and draped his arm over her shoulder. “But you got the lady here, and in good order. Now all you have to do is sit and wait for the applause, right?”

  “Oh, wrong, my friend, very wrong. First I’ve got to get the truck and trailer out of here. Then there’s all the paperwork to be filled out for the contest. And then we—you and me, friend—need to grab the diapers and chamois in the trunk and wipe down every inch of the Princess, front to back and top to bottom, to make sure every speck of dust is gone and she’s shining. We don’t want to lose points on a little thing like a fly speck. And then we sit and keep the visitors, especially their kids, from touching anything, any little bit, of the car. Except the judges, of course. They’re permitted to touch, but they’ll have on gloves and have every sharp corner covered. Even their belt buckles will get covered so they don’t scratch. And once the judging is over, we sit and wait for the results. Uncle Eldon will be here when the trophy is handed out, but we’re the infantry. We keep the invaders at bay.”

  “A long, hot afternoon in the July sun? Thousands of people streaming by with but one desire, to put candy-coated fingers on the most expensive car in the state? Polish the paint and chrome till it gleams and keep it that way? Sounds like all the fun a man could ask for, at least all he’d ask for if he was with the girl who had his heart in her pocket.”

  The look in Peter’s grey eyes, the eyes she’d once thought cold and stern, made Nina’s heart thump till she felt it in her throat. “Oh, my, Peter, if you keep that up I’m going to have a hard time remembering what I’m supposed to be doing here.” She grabbed a paper bag from the trunk and tossed him one of the lint-free diapers. “Here, take this and start wiping while I go park the truck and trailer.”

  Before he could answer, Nina hurried away. Once the pickup was parked in a nearby lot, she dashed toward a red-striped awning at the far end of the town square. She didn’t give herself time to think about the electric moment that had passed between them. Peter could somehow reduce her to a quivering mass of need with just a look. Realizing they’d be together for hours, isolated from the other rally participants, for most of the next day gave her pause. Somehow they’d have to concentrate on the directions, keep to the schedule, and make a decent showing so Uncle Eldon’s pride wouldn’t take a pasting. All that while Peter sat within arm’s reach, the summer sun gave them a perfect reason to stop under a cool shade tree, and the chemistry stirring between them had every chance to build to the boiling point. Nina wondered how she’d keep her mind on her driving and pay heed to Peter’s directions.

  The mass of people passing around the cars on display for the show took all of Nina’s attention and energy during the endless, steamy afternoon. The judges spent far more time sliding under the long red car, peering at the perfect finish, and consulting with each other than they had with any of the other entries. While they returned, compared notes, and came back again, Nina kept the curious visitors from touching the seamless red coachwork or fingering the gleaming trim. One youngster got close enough to run grimy little hands over a wheel but he was quickly retrieved by a scolding papa who looked as if he’d enjoy a closer examination of the Princess himself.

  “Sorry, he’s a little excited. It’s his first time at one of these things,” the young father apologized.

  “No harm done,” Nina assured him and grabbed for a polish cloth the moment he was out of sight.

  “The Princess has acquired quite a following,” Peter remarked as he wiped the trace of a handprint from the fender. “She’s got the popular vote, anyway.”

  Nina looked over the hood of the car and saw her uncle and Tinker coming through the crowd. “I think the judges must be ready to award prizes. My uncle just arrived, and I don’t think they’ll leave him out here in the heat for any length of time.”

  Her prediction proved accurate. It took only minutes for the judges to announce the winners of the lesser categories and award the Best of Show tr
ophy to the magnificent red Isotta-Fraschini and its owner. The hoopla was short-lived; Nina had to get the car back in the trailer and under cover before nightfall.

  “Now if we can make a decent showing tomorrow,” Nina murmured, as she and Peter packed away the supplies they’d used during the day. “It would make Uncle Eldon’s day if we brought him the trophy for the rally, too.”

  “I think we just might pull it off, sweetheart. The other navigators may be better at this game than I am, but I’d bet our team has the best driver in the bunch.”

  Nina took his hand. “If I can keep my mind on the road and not on the man beside me.”

  “You’re having that problem, too?” Peter ruffled the curls at the back of her head. “I keep wanting to gather you up and go someplace where nobody can find us. Maybe after the rally we can have a little time together?” A gleam in his eye told Nina his thoughts were running to the same interesting activities that distracted her.

  “We have to put in an appearance at the party afterward, Peter. That’s when they announce the winners. And we have to stay in costume till the whole thing is over, so the club can get pictures, with team names and car details.” She grinned at his dismayed face. “It’s going to be fun, you’ll see. Didn’t I go to the faculty party for you? It’s the same kind of thing.”

  “But in costume?” Peter shuddered at the suggestion.

  “Don’t be a spoilsport,” she chided. “Get in the pickup, and I’ll let you ride with the Best of Show car as far as your parking place. I’ve got to get the Princess back to the museum before dark. Uncle Eldon is afraid she’ll take pneumonia or something. You’ll meet me here in the morning? At eight for the drivers’ meeting? We start taking off in one minute intervals at eight-forty-five.”

  Peter sighed. “I’ll be here, sweetheart, in my raccoon coat, pork pie hat, waving my ‘Boolah-Boolah’ pennant.” As Nina pulled near the curb so Peter could retrieve his aging Mercury, he looked back over his shoulder. “You know it has to be love when a guy willingly submits to a costume party, a full day in the sun, and no hanky-panky along the way, don’t you?”

  Nina giggled at his expression of long-faced suffering. “Go home and get a good night’s sleep, Hamlet. We’ll take on all comers in the morning.” She put the truck in gear and prepared to pull away. “And thanks for being a true prince today, Peter. I couldn’t have done this event without you.”

  ****

  Saturday dawned clear and bright for the festivities of the weekend. Though the morning still held a hint of the night’s cooler temperatures, Nina felt the promise of full-blown Texas heat as she hurried to dress for the day’s events. The cool, watercolor dress gave her a lift, but she wondered if the sheer fabric would be limp and droopy by the time the day was over. She followed Miss Dee’s directions, tying a thin aqua ribbon around her hair and even rolling her stockings down below her knees. She didn’t have a handbag suitable to the costume, she realized. No place to carry her license or that one talisman she’d adopted for her own. Thinking for a moment of Miss Dee’s advice, she rifled through her purse and pulled out her driver’s license and Danny’s little knife. She’d kept it with her since Peter brought it back, not quite able to part with the last thing she’d given the boy she’d loved. Laughing at herself for superstitious nonsense, she tucked her license and the tiny knife into her ruffled garter. Danny would have loved seeing the Isotta on the road. She’d give his memory that much of today.

  Pirouetting in front of her mirror, she couldn’t help wondering what Peter would think of her sharing a tiny piece of the day with Danny. The thought of Peter brought a smile. He’d understand, she was sure of it. And thinking of Peter brought some speculation about what he’d found for an appropriate costume. Poor Peter, trapped in flannels and a tie. At least he can shed the jacket while we’re on the road. Poor, brave boy!

  Feeling a little superior in her flirty little dress, Nina scurried to the museum to bring the car to town in time for the drivers’ meeting. For the first time she got the chance to drive the Princess on the open road. The car was performing beautifully. The morning sent a lilting breeze through her short hair as the big car glided through the empty streets and puttered to a stop. She saw the contestants had begun to congregate, some still carrying coffee cups, others clustering to check over their initial instructions. Nina looked carefully but she didn’t see Peter’s tall figure in the groups.

  He won’t be late. He couldn’t be. Nina continued to scan the area, but no russet hair caught a gleam of early sun.

  “Looking for a navigator, miss?” The voice came from behind her. Nina turned in relief at Peter’s words.

  “Not anymore,” she answered, then took a step back to look at the sporty gent approaching her. Peter was in compliance with the rules. His costume fit the time period in all ways, but he couldn’t have looked more comfortable or more prepared for a hot, summer day. His beige linen knickers were crisp and neat. His soft shirt sported a pinstriped bowtie, and the jazzy spectator shoes in brown and white would have pleased any sheik of the Roaring Twenties. To finish the look, he’d casually draped a matching linen jacket over his arm and wore a flat straw boater tilted at a rakish angle over one eye.

  “And you hate wearing a costume?” Nina stepped back for a better look. “You outdid yourself, sir. I am impressed.”

  “As well you should be. I’ve had three people working over in the costume department at school to put this outfit together. And it goes back as soon as I can peel out of it tonight, or I’ll be in deep trouble with all of them.” He put her arm through his and dropped a quick kiss on the top of her carefully marcelled hair. “You look as cool as a spring pond yourself. I like the way that dress floats around. It shows off your pretty legs, too.”

  “Enough flattery, mister. We’re going to miss the drivers’ meeting if we don’t get over there. They’ll start without us if we aren’t there to draw our number for leaving.”

  They hurried to the meeting, and while Nina listened for special instructions and made notes on the back of her copy of the rules, Peter devoted the time to reading through the first set of directions. With a few questions answered and a final word of caution, they were dismissed to get to the cars and take their place in the starting line-up. Nina had drawn number ten of the twenty-five entrants, so the Princess and her crew had only ten minutes to wait before they were flagged to the green line drawn across the courthouse drive. While they waited, Nina took advantage of the time to shuck off the T-strap pumps and slip on her comfortable driving shoes. Peter lifted a russet eyebrow in query.

  “I have to be in costume but I don’t have to be miserable while I’m driving,” she said to his unspoken question. “And it’s safer for the Princess. Those heels don’t give me as much control.”

  “Long as it’s within the rules, it makes sense,” Peter agreed.

  “It is. You’ll see the other drivers making the same change. I’ll just have to change back for the awards event.” She straightened in the seat. “We’re next.” Nina waited until the flagman motioned for her to pull smoothly into the street beside the courthouse. “Okay, navigator, where are we going?”

  “Proceed along Main Street to the intersection of Main and Virginia Avenue,” he directed. “Speed should be fifteen, distance four miles, and the landmark we’re looking for is a red barn mailbox.”

  “Oh, those tricky devils! This is going to be a long day. They’ve given us landmarks that aren’t road markers or street signs. They’re little eyesores that we have to spot. This should be fun!” Nina settled into her seat and chuckled at the challenge. “Keep your eyes on the roadside, Peter. The markers are going to be hard to see.”

  Her prediction was all too accurate. Finding the barn with six owls painted on the roof was hard enough, but locating the gate with two Texas stars almost proved impossible until Peter spotted a weathered fence behind a tumbledown shack. The gate leaned at an angle to the corner post.

  “Sneaky, didn�
��t I tell you?” Nina gleefully checked off the sighting on the list included in the directions.

  “You did mention the people who created this thing had devious minds,” Peter admitted. “This page says we’re due to take our mandatory one-hour break. Any idea where we can do that without annoying a nest of rattlesnakes or fighting our way through a bunch of blackberries?”

  “I’d feel better about taking a break in the car. No snakes, no blackberries, and no chance of scraping the paint. There’s a wide place beside that mailbox up the way. And it’s in the shade.”

  The dense shade of a pair of pecan trees felt good after the glare of the sun they had faced all morning. Peter climbed out to take soft drinks from the cooler in the trunk while Nina spread an old sheet over the upholstery and put out sandwiches.

  It didn’t take long to consume lunch. Peter, now hatless, leaned back in the seat and looked up at the canopy of trees. The dusty leaves rustled softly as if a squirrel were scampering between the limbs. Otherwise the heat enforced a silence over the day.

  “We haven’t seen another car in quite a while,” Peter mused. “Do you suppose we’re on the wrong road somehow?”

  Nina twisted in the seat and took another sip of her bottled drink. “Nope, we’re fine. The thing is, there may be two sets of directions, all leading to the same place with the same time requirements. Rally planners sometimes do that to keep traffic from getting tied up. We’re not lost. Don’t worry.”

  “You’re the driver.” He shrugged. “You let me lead you down some strange path, and you’ll have to explain it to your uncle. He knows I don’t know what I’m doing, but he trusts you with this gold-plated go-cart.”