“Oh.” Said the old man, “I bet you don’t get this heat where you come from.” Doug agreed that the heat was far more severe than anything he had ever encountered in his homeland.
“Well, nice meeting you, Katie,” said the old man as he rose to his feet. “Come on Chalky. Here boy.” Chalky dutifully followed his master’s command.
“There he is again,” said Cindy as the old man reached the gate. “I don’t see him carrying a bag, and I didn’t see him use the scooper.” The Gordonston Residents Association had provided a “poopa scoopa” for the use of dog walkers in the park so that they could clean up the mess left by their animals. The tool was normally kept against the wall of the scout hut, under its veranda.
“Maybe he didn’t poop,” offered Carla.
“Oh, I doubt it!” retorted Heidi, an angry edge to her voice. “That’s it. I am composing our letter this very afternoon, and I would be grateful if you could pass it to the Association for approval.” Her request was directed at Cindy, who agreed it was time something was done about the old man’s failure to clean up his dog’s mess. While the ladies’ attention was focused on the old man, who was slowly exiting the park, with his small dog following behind, they failed to notice that Bern had just finished his business less than twenty feet from where they sat and had now rejoined their dogs in a game of chase and be chased.
Doug continued his lap of the park. While Katie was busy talking baby talk to the trees and squirrels, he was lost in thought. Though he hated having less money in his pocket than he had ever had, somehow this made it all worthwhile: the park, the people he met, the fact he was spending time outdoors with his own child—he liked it all. He had never expected that one day he would be a father and this contented. As he pushed the stroller along the path, his spirits rose. Maybe he would contact his old employers and see if they had any openings locally or maybe even some contacts he could use. He had always received praise and commendations for his work in the past.
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Bern shuffle into the crouching position that meant only one thing. Doug closed his eyes. The dog was pooping right in front of the babble of ladies that were always in the park and seemed to run the place. Doug opened his eyes, and now Bern was romping with the other dogs in the park. The ladies hadn’t even noticed. Doug smiled; maybe his luck was changing. He turned his head back toward where the women sat at the picnic table they always seemed to occupy. He noticed that one of them had really overdone her makeup and that another was wearing a dress and shoes that were really unsuitable for the park. He shook his head. Well, this was Savannah, he supposed.
Spencer and Gordon had managed to convince Elliott to take a break from his afternoon of funeral arranging and tribute gathering. Why not, they suggested to their stepfather, take Biscuit and Grits over to the park and let them run around? Elliott agreed that maybe the poodles did need some exercise, and he had led them unleashed on the short trip across Edgewood Road to the park gate.
“I was so sorry to hear of your loss, Alderman,” said the old man as he exited and Elliott entered the park. “That’s very kind of you,” replied Elliott as Biscuit and Grits inspected and sniffed Chalky. “She was a wonderful woman and will be missed,” added Elliott as the old man nodded and began his walk home.
“It’s Elliott!” cried Carla as the three ladies spotted him entering the park. They all waved at the widower as he closed the gate behind him. Biscuit and Grits ran excitedly toward the women, searching for their canine friends. “Do you think he’s coming over?” asked Cindy excitedly as she adjusted her dress and stood up. “I think he may,” said Carla as she pursed her lips and tousled her hair.
Unfortunately for the two women, Elliott didn’t approach the picnic table where the Club sat with their cocktails disguised in plastic cups. Instead, Elliott waved politely in the direction of the women and headed onto the path, walking in a clockwise direction, the opposite way to that which Doug and Katie were walking, so that eventually their paths would cross.
Cindy and Carla both returned to their seats, deflated. Heidi had not failed to notice their excitement at the arrival of Elliott or the gentle goading and banter that they had embarked on during the afternoon. Heidi, who was no fool, smiled inwardly at the petty rivalry that was developing between her two friends. Cindy and Carla were following Elliott with their eyes as he traversed the footpath around the park, and Heidi instinctively knew what both women were thinking.
“Hi,” said Elliott as he approached Doug and Katie.
“So sorry to hear about Thelma,” said Doug as he stopped strolling and greeted the recently widowed local politician.
“Tell Veronica, ‘Thank you.’ I got your condolence card this morning. Very thoughtful,” said Elliott.
Doug nodded, though he had had no idea that his wife had already sent a card of condolence.
“You know, the funeral’s on Thursday,” began Elliott. “I know you didn’t know Thelma as well as Veronica did, but you are both welcome to attend.” Before Doug could reply, Elliott spoke again, “But don’t worry if you can’t make it. I know you’ve got this little one to watch.” He flashed a smile at Katie, who beamed back. “But on Thursday evening we are going to have a gathering at the house, and I would be pleased to see all three of you there.” Doug thanked Elliott for his invitation and once again offered his condolences, before both men continued their walk along the path, heading off in opposite directions.
Doug reached the east gate and called for Bern to join him. The three women were engrossed in conversation and didn’t notice him and Katie leave, even though Bern sped right past them. “You know that she runs three miles a day,” said Cindy as the women sat around the table, resuming their normal pastime of gossiping and chit-chatting about their neighbors. “Well, she must do something to keep that figure. She is stunning,” said Carla.
“Well, he’s not half bad either,” chimed in Heidi. The three women laughed at the octogenarian’s remark. The focus of their current discussion was Cindy’s neighbors Kelly and Tom Hudd.
“Well, if she had any sense she’d stop working behind that beauty counter and enter a modeling competition,” stated Carla as she raised her cup to her mouth.
“Well, you know she’s an addict,” announced Cindy. The other two women sat open mouthed. “Not that sort of an addict,” laughed Cindy, waving her arms. “I mean, she is addicted to competitions. She’s always entering them. Crosswords, those caption things, puzzles, free giveaways, lotteries, anything,” she explained. “She’s always entering competitions. Just loves them. Totally, totally obsessed with them.” The other two ladies looked surprised.
“Does she ever win?” asked Heidi.
“I think that on the odd occasion, every now and then, she does. Maybe a free bottle of soda or coupons,” replied Cindy.
“How about money?” asked Carla.
“Not that I know of. I see her walking to the mailbox on Kinzie and Atkinson most days, laden with a pile of envelopes. They’re her entries. She is just hooked. Totally,” explained Cindy.
“I suppose it’s harmless enough,” Carla stated.
“In moderation,” added Heidi.
“Of course,” agreed Cindy, “in moderation.”
Kelly Hudd had had a good morning and felt she deserved her afternoon off. The fact that two of her neighbors had spent over six hundred dollars at her counter in less than half an hour had helped. Shmitty, her Golden Labrador, greeted her as she kicked off her shoes and entered the home she shared with her husband, Tom.
“Get down, Shmitty,” she said as the dog stood up on his hind legs and struggled to lick his owner’s face. “Stop it. Get down,” she commanded, and the dog reluctantly obeyed.
Kelly and Tom were newlyweds, both in their mid-twenties. They had arrived in Gordonston from South Savannah the previous year and were relative newcomers to the neighborhood. Kelly worked at Mac
y’s in the Oglethorpe Mall, selling perfumes and beauty products, while Tom, once a high school football star, was a firefighter, working for the Savannah Fire Department. The Hudds spent the majority of their spare time doing one of four things. Their most prevalent pastime was making love; their second was making love; their third was, again, making love; and their fourth was exercising together, running and working out in the gym. In between, of course, making love.
Kelly was indeed an avid competition junky. She entered every competition that she came upon that offered prizes. Word searches, fast-food giveaways, crossword puzzles, prize drawings—anything and everything that gave her the chance of winning. She had been moderately successful in the past, winning a few small kitchen appliances and free groceries on the odd occasion. And it was how she intended to spend her afternoon off.
Tom would not be home from the fire station for another three hours at least, and despite the fact that the two newlyweds remained in constant touch through text messaging on their cell phones the entire day, she still missed him. The beautiful couple was besotted by each other, which was to be expected of newlyweds, but when your partner was as attractive as both Tom and Kelly were, it was doubly expected. Carla hadn’t been wrong when she’d said Kelly could have been a model. Kelly had perfect features and benefited from the skills and the discounted products that came with her profession. Her blonde hair was styled like that of the young Hollywood starlets of the day, and she was always perfectly manicured and turned out. Constant lovemaking and regular exercise maintained her exquisite figure, and measuring just shy of six feet never failed to turn heads either.
Tom was just as good-looking. His rugged, chiseled features constantly drew comparisons to Richard Gere, and he had the body of an athlete. His thick, wavy black hair and perpetual tan were an excellent foil for his piercing blue eyes. Like his wife, he knew how to dress and wore chest and arm-hugging T-shirts and tight jeans that made the women of Savannah swoon. Not only was Tom a very good-looking man, he was also considered by many of his neighbors and friends to be one of the most generous and kind men they could wish to meet. He always offered a helping hand to his elderly neighbors and was always first to volunteer his assistance during the Gordonston Residents Association organized events. It was Tom who had rescued Shmitty from the Animal Rescue Shelter and brought him home as a puppy, a gift for his young and beautiful wife. And it was Shmitty who now demanded Kelly’s attention.
“Okay, I’ll take you for a walk in a minute,” promised Kelly as Shmitty paced the kitchen. “But first you need to let me finish this.” Kelly showed Shmitty the papers in her hand and the dog, not sure what they were, duly sniffed them.
They were her latest competition entries. One in particular had been taxing Kelly’s mind for a few days. The prize, though, was wonderful: a four-day, all-expenses-paid trip to a top Paris hotel for two, and twenty-five thousand dollars in cash for the winner. The Coca-Cola Company was offering the prize, and the competition entailed five questions to be answered correctly and inclusion with the entry of five Coke bottle tops. Kelly already had the required five bottle tops and was now pondering the five questions.
The first was easy. Which city is known as the City of Love? She wrote “Paris” into the space provided on the entry form. It was either Paris or Detroit, she thought. She was confident her answer was correct because the prize was a trip to Paris and not Detroit. The second question was just as easy, and the clue, of course, referenced the prize. What tall structure dominates the Paris skyline? Once again certain she knew the answer, she wrote, “the Eiffel Tower.” She toyed with the idea that maybe it was a trick question, but she was positive that the Empire State Building was in New York. The third and fourth questions had involved questions about the company’s soft drink. The answers had been “Atlanta” and “red and white.” Of these two answers she was certain; she drank Coke all the time—well, the diet variety, anyway.
It was the fifth and final question that she found the most difficult. What is the most popular, best-selling soft drink in France? Kelly had no idea where she would find such information. She racked her brain; it had caused her to miss several hours of sleep as she had churned the question over in her head for the past few days. She decided to throw caution to the wind and guessed that it was the same soft drink whose company had organized the competition in the first place.
She collected the five bottle tops and placed them in the envelope she’d allowed Shmitty to sniff, folded her entry sheet, and placed it in the envelope along with the bottle tops. “Okay, Shmitty, come on; let’s go,” she announced as she grabbed his leash from the kitchen table. “We’ll just post these letters, and then we’ll head to the park.” Shmitty circled the kitchen table excitedly as he realized he was about to embark on a walk and, hopefully, a visit to the park.
“…he used to be a high school football player, quarterback I am sure…and she really is not that bright…” The three women had been discussing the virtues of Tom and the brain cells of Kelly. The conversation ended as Elliott came into view. “Should we go over and say hello?” asked Carla.
Cindy eyed her friend suspiciously and was about to agree that they should, before Heidi spoke. “No, I think we should let him be, the poor man probably needs to be alone.” Heidi was not sure she was prepared to watch her two friends make fools of themselves in front of the recently widowed alderman, which she was sure they would do. Elliott saw the women watching him and felt it was probably appropriate to go and speak to them. They had all three sent cards of condolences that very morning, which, along with Veronica’s card, had made him suspect that his neighbors had probably been prepared for Thelma’s death as much as he had; hence the speediness of their printed commiserations.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” said Elliott as he approached the picnic table and the seated women.
“How are you bearing up?” asked Heidi, while Carla and Cindy both adjusted their clothing and hair. Heidi warmly placed a hand on Elliott’s arm, and he patted her hand.
“Oh, not so bad, Heidi,” replied Elliott. “It’s all a bit of a haze at the moment, but the boys are here, and they’re pillars of strength.” Heidi nodded that she understood.
“If there is anything, anything, I can do, you know my door is open,” offered Carla.
Cindy wondered which door she meant. Her bedroom door? She was shameless; Thelma wasn’t even in the ground yet.
“And of course, Elliott, you know that I am only a phone call away,” said Cindy as she joined in, vying for the widower’s attention.
Huh? thought Carla. Just a phone call away, from what? Why, Thelma’s still warm, and the woman is practically throwing herself at the man!
Elliott passed on the details of Thelma’s funeral arrangements to the ladies, and all three promised they would attend both funeral and wake. Biscuit and Grits joined Elliott as he walked toward the gate after bidding the ladies a good afternoon.
“Well, he is doing very well,” announced Carla.
“Of course. He’s a politician; he knows how to act in public. He is a true gentleman,” said Cindy as she tore her eyes away from Elliott and faced her friends.
“Well, I may need to buy a new outfit for the funeral,” announced Heidi “so if you two will excuse me and Fuchsl, I will go check my wardrobe.” The ladies agreed to cut short their afternoon session of their club and return to their homes to check wardrobes and plan outfits.
Kelly arrived in the park with Shmitty five minutes after the ladies had left. She missed Cindy by just a few seconds, as she was mailing her latest competition entry while Cindy was returning home. What she lacked in brainpower, Kelly made up for in looks, and as she crossed Edgewood Road and entered the park, a passing car slowed, so the male driver could admire her figure and features, before accelerating. She let Shmitty off his leash, and he charged into the park. Kelly waited by the gate and didn’t follow her dog. Kelly,
although she enjoyed the park, didn’t feel like messing up the shoes that she wore; even if she stayed on the concrete area that led from the scout hut to the east gate she still might dirty them. Instead, she watched as two trucks pulled up outside the Miller house, one containing a tent and the other containing various foods, wines, liquors, and beers—the party planners and caterers had arrived.
As Elliott supervised the alcohol delivery, Gordon, Thelma’s elder son, supervised the erection of the tent on the lawn of the big white house. Kelly wondered if she should offer her sympathy but thought better of it. She would wait until the wake; she had heard through the neighborhood grapevine that it was going to be a party to remember. Anyway, Elliott looked like his hands were full, because, appearing at exactly the same time, both Carla and Cindy had arrived from separate directions, each bearing recently prepared chicken stews that had been cooking, simmering gently throughout the morning.
Chapter 5
Thelma Miller’s funeral and wake were well attended. Over a thousand signatures filled the book of condolence that was opened at her funeral service and then continued to be filled at her wake. Mourners flew in from all across the United States to attend both events.
Her two adult sons each read a eulogy, as did Elliott. The eulogy written by Elliott was poignant yet humorous; Thelma was well known by all to possess a fantastic sense of fun and humor, and Elliott told many stories that highlighted his wife’s love of life. He recalled the time Thelma had erroneously boarded the wrong aircraft while attempting to visit her sons in Los Angeles—not only was she on the wrong flight, but she had convinced a complete stranger, also L.A. bound, to join her. It was only when they touched down in Phoenix, and both Thelma and her fellow passenger were hailing cabs, that they realized they were not only in the wrong city but also the wrong state.
The assembled mourners laughed as Elliott told the famous story of Thelma’s confusion, caused by an afternoon of cocktails in the park, while preparing a dinner at home for Elliott and some of his political backers. Elliott had planned the dinner party for months. However Thelma, disoriented by her gin and tonics, had confused the days, and not only had she not prepared food for her guests, but she had greeted her husband at the door wearing only a lacy negligée and a smile. Instead of being embarrassed in front of Elliott’s potential backers, she had simply acted as if everything were normal and that this was how she always greeted dinner guests. It was Cindy and Heidi who had saved the day, Elliott recalled, each woman rustling up food in record time as Thelma, dressed only in her negligée and running shoes, had spent the rest of the evening playing the piano and singing songs from Broadway musicals. The backers, whose support Elliott thought he had lost, all said it was probably the best evening they’d had in years.
The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club Page 7
