Deep in the Heart of Dixie

by Heidi Sprouse

  Chapter 7

  Dixie woke up feeling …happy! It was a feeling so unfamiliar she had a hard time recognizing it. She’d slept in, the sun was shining, and the smell of some down home cooking was teasing her taste buds. To have good friends, to have someone waiting for her, to have someone care about her…nothing could compare. She stretched, wrapped up in her robe, and pulled her hair up into a pony tail. Her bare feet didn’t make a sound, allowing her to sneak up on the kitchen.

  Thelma Louise and Sue Ellen were in rare form. They’d taken over the job of breakfast, figuring their hostess deserved to be pampered. “That girl needs some TLC I tell you. Something bad’s done happened to her, I just know it. I means to fix it.”

  Sue Ellen nodded, whipping eggs for an omelet and swaying to the music on the radio. “I’m on board, Thelma Lou. You have any ideas, you just let me know. I’ll help in any way I can. Between the two of us, we’ll have her right as rain in no time.”

  Dixie cleared her throat and walked in with a big smile. “It sure is nice to have people fighting over me instead of with me. Boy, something smells good in here!” She flitted to Thelma Lousie and gave her a hug, doling one out for the gypsy girl next.

  Sue Ellen grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and did a bow. “Sit down, Mademoiselle! Your breakfast is served!” She began to load up the plates, dancing as she did. A favorite song was playing on the radio, one that took hold and had her belting it out at the top of her healthy lungs.

  Thelma Louise couldn’t help but laugh. “Girl, you shake it!” She started to hum along to the radio, filling glasses with orange juice. “Ooh, I’ve got comfort food for all of us to start this beautiful day God gave us. Eat up, missy!” She nudged Dixie’s arm and set a plate down in front of her.

  Dixie’s eyes grew wide. There was bacon, an omelet, grits, toast, and fresh fruit. Obviously, someone had brought groceries to her kitchen to supplement a much smaller, modest selection. One bite and her eyes closed in delight. “Girls, whoever did the cooking…this is amazing!”

  Sue Ellen sat down, wiggling her eyebrows, and started eating followed by Thelma Louise. “Thelma Lou is the one who can teach you the art of Southern cooking. I can manage an omelet—one of my very few specialties. Most everything else I touch is a disaster.”

  Thelma Louise took a bite and grunted in satisfaction. “This is mighty fine if I do say so myself. Sue Ellen tells me you’re a wizard in the kitchen too. We’ll have to give each other lessons, honey. Make sure you eat well. You need reinforcements for that day with Mr. Jackson.”

  Dixie’s cheeks felt like they’d caught fire, butterflies starting up a mad flurry in her belly. She pressed her hand to her stomach and choked down her last mouthful. Breakfast might be making a reappearance. Glancing up, her hand was snatched by Sue Ellen whose eyes were bright with excitement. It was hard to fight a force as strong as the combined team of two big girls with even bigger hearts.

  “As soon as we’ve cleaned up we’re going to help you get all dolled up.” The younger of the dynamic duo gave Dixie a quick squeeze before getting back to the serious business of eating. Sue Ellen polished her plate and started clearing. Behind her, the sniffles began. Both visitors stopped what they were doing and gathered close. Southern girls protected their own. When the new addition came to Nichols’ Lane, she was officially adopted, ready or not.

  It was suddenly hard to swallow. Dixie stared down at her plate, everything blurring in front of her as tears threatened to fall. “Why are you being so nice to me?” Her voice was very small. “No one else has ever been as nice as you all in West Virginia—except for Mama.”

  Thelma Louise set down her fork and took Dixie’s hand, while Sue Ellen dried her hands on a dish towel and took the other. They could feel the younger girl’s trembling. A look passed between the two women, clearly concerned. “Child, why shouldn’t we be nice to a sweet thing like you?”

  Dixie shook her head and mumbled. “Not many people have been good to me in my life.” She bit down on her lip, fighting back the urge to cry. It was all so hard, going back and forth between this new life and the old. Sometimes, she didn’t think it was real. She’d wake up and find herself back in Jamie Ann Ray’s bedroom, doing a disappearing act.

  Sue Ellen hugged her, hard, joined by Thelma Louise, making a circle of friendship, giving everything they had to send Dixie their love. “Well, it’s high time they started and time you get used to it. Haven’t you ever heard ‘what goes around, comes around?’ All the good in you, just being you, is finally coming back. You’ve come to the right place, sugar, and we’ll keep it coming.” Thelma Louise and Sue Ellen both fought the urge to cry, taking in the hurt in Dixie’s eyes. Life had been rough on this girl. Someday, she’d trust them enough to tell them what happened, give them a chance to really make it up to her. Until then, they’d be patient, a net to catch her when she fell.

  Dixie hugged her new friends with everything she had in her. She wanted to give something back to them but didn’t have anything except herself. Her emotions threatened to take over again but she held on. “Thank you. You don’t know what it means to have real friends. You’re my first.”

  Thelma Louise dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. “Land’s sake, I’ve got something in my eye! I’m going to rinse it out and tidy up. Sue Ellen, why don’t you help Dixie get ready? I’ll join you shortly.” She bustled off to the kitchen, muttering to herself over the mess some idiot had made of that gal. There was fear in those eyes and she figured a man put it there. She knew it had to be so because in her experience, the root of life’s troubles could be traced back to a man. If…no, when she had a chance to catch up with that son of a gun, she’d teach him a thing or two.

  Sue Ellen made Dixie sit on her bed and began pulling clothes out of the closet. “All right, girlfriend. The key is to look pretty without looking like you tried. You want to come off natural.” She caught Dixie’s raised eyebrows. “I know that I don’t look natural but someone like Jake is out of my league. Anyway, go ahead and start picking out what you like and I’ll tell you if it’s a go or a no.”

  “I don’t know about this, Sue Ellen. I’m out of his league, too.” Dixie picked out several outfits, tried them on, took them off, tried several more. The more she put on, the worse her case of the jitters. In the end, she closed her eyes and landed on the sundress with daisies.

  Thelma Louise walked in just as Dixie twirled in a circle for Sue Ellen. “That’s just perfect, child. A breath of fresh air, that’s what you is. You’s pretty as a sunrise or a meadow full of wild flowers, growing free and blowing in the breeze. That boy lays eyes on you and he’s a goner.”

  A shy smile tugged on the younger woman’s face. She was slowly opening up before them, blooming with their careful attention. “You really think so? Daisies were Mama’s favorite and I heard Jake mention that he likes them too. He’s always picking some on his way in and putting them in the window.”

  Thelma Louise nodded, gently snagging Dixie’s arm and bringing her back to the bed. “All right, now let’s do that hair and make-up. Sue Ellen, you do the make-up, I’ll do the hair. I’ve had loads of practice. I used to work in a beauty salon, honey.” The curling iron was fired up, the spray bottle was put to work, and a large toothed pick was unearthed from the depths of Thelma’s purse. While she primped, pulled, and shaped, Sue Ellen cast a spell with the hefty supply of cosmetic products in her suitcase she called a handbag. The girls went to work in earnest. When they were done, they stood Dixie in front of the mirror and stepped back to let her take a good look at herself.

  A stranger stared back at her, shining waves of red hair framing her face and rolling down her back. Carole Sue couldn’t hold a candle to the beauty in the mirror. Her new face was tastefully done, applied lightly to bring out the blue of her eyes and brighten her smile yet make it appear as if she’d been b
orn that way. She looked like someone fit to go to a Southern gentleman’s home. Dixie almost believed she was a princess, come to life out of those fairy tales she and Mama watched years ago.

  Speechless, Dixie hugged her friends, and choked out a thank you when she could speak, reluctant to say goodbye. The fairy godmother and her assistant made an exit before the prince arrived at the ball. Dixie sank down on her steps and waited, still dumbfounded by the power of her new-found friends. The words, “Cinderella’s Fella,” rolled off of her tongue again and she sang them softly while taking out snapshots of Jake that had been tucked in her mind from the first day she walked into Jackson’s General Store.

  At exactly noon, the sound of horse shoes rang on the pavement in the trailer park. A small, open carriage, its wood carved with intricate designs and padded with thick, red velvet, pulled up by Dixie’s meager home with Jake as its driver. He nearly drove it into a neighboring home, he was so taken by a sight that took his breath and yanked it away. He finally understood what all that yammerin’ on about Shakespeare meant in English class when he said Juliet was the sun. So was Dixie, with the light catching in her hair and her eyes, daisies floating around her on that dress, one tucked behind her ear. He stooped down and picked another, finally able to breathe again, and offered it to her with a bow. “My lady, your chariot awaits.” He might sound foolish but he didn’t mind being a fool for this sweet bit of something special.

  Dixie looked up at him and couldn’t help but answer that slow smile that always traveled up to his eyes and lit them like a torch. She was finding it hard to suck in the air that he breathed, Jake was so handsome in white pants and a button down shirt that matched the summer green of his eyes. “You really know how to make an entrance don’t you?” She took the hand he offered, let him boost her up into the carriage, and admired the view as he sprang lightly into the seat next to her.

  “It’s a Southern trait, sugar gal. We have charm, we have dash, we have manners, and we always know how to treat a lady.” He leaned over and dropped a butterfly kiss on her lips. “You look beautiful, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and believe me when I say I’ve seen plenty of pretty girls in nineteen years. You can’t be beat.” He picked up the reins and drove out of the park, unaware that he had made her blush again.

  The ride was all too short. She could have stayed in that antique carriage forever, taking in the sunlight, the rolling meadows that burst with flowers, breathing in the clean air that washed away all the bad memories. All too soon, they pulled into a long, winding driveway, lined with towering trees that formed a canopy of leaves over their heads, dappling their skin with sunlight and shadows. Jake softly nickered to the horses to stop to allow Dixie time to appreciate the view. The fairy tale continued.

  The house stood before them, high on a hill. It was a large, sprawling farmhouse, painted a soft yellow with a white trim. A glory of flower gardens dressed the front, wrapped around both sides and continued to the back. “Mama’s pride,” Jake murmured, catching Dixie’s eye. Her hand came up to her mouth in awe to gaze at the large garage, well off to the side, a smaller copy of the home. Set a good ways to the back there towered a barn with a stone foundation, stained a golden brown instead of the traditional red. Pastures went on as far as she could see with horses prancing, standing, sleeping while white ducks gathered on a pond. She turned to Jake, wide-eyed. “It’s incredible…I…I don’t feel like I belong in such a beautiful place. It’s like I’m Cinderella waiting to lose my glass slipper. I’ve been pinching myself so hard I’ll be black and blue. How long has it been in your family?”

  Jake’s voice was soft, fierce pride gleaming in his eyes and evident in the set of his shoulders. “This here land has been in the Jackson family since shortly after the Revolution. At one point, it was much bigger, a grand plantation. When my great, great granddaddy came home from the War Between the States, all that was left of the big house were the charred remains. Those damn Yankees burned it to the ground.” He paused to give her an apologetic look and throttle down the anger that still burned in his gut when he imagined the destruction. Jake had a vivid imagination. It took him a moment before he could continue. “But he had my great, great grandmamma, skilled hands, and a strong back. He built the house that stands there now and it has been passed down to the eldest…or in my case, only…child ever since.”

  He gently caught her chin in his hand, all seriousness. “As for belonging here, you fit perfectly. You’re pretty as a picture, strong as stone, and you stand up for what you believe in. That describes my family to a tee.” He hopped down and reached up to put his hands on her waist. It was easy to lower her to the ground, she was that much lighter than the stock he hauled back and forth at the store on a daily basis. He tied the horses to a post for the time being and took her hand. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Mama and Daddy.”

  Dixie wanted nothing more than to dig her heels in or bolt but she did neither. What she wouldn’t give to run back to the safety of her little trailer and hide under the covers. One look at the boy beside her and she took a deep breath. These were the people responsible for her livelihood. The least she could do was be civil and meet them, even if it did scare the dickens out of her. Sensing her nervousness, Jake held her hand and led her inside, never letting go, giving her a smile of encouragement whenever she looked his way.

  James and Sara Jackson were on the patio in back, relaxing in lounge chairs and sipping sweet tea. They rose to their feet in unison and immediately set to the task of putting their guest at ease. “So, this is the Miss Dixie our son has been rambling on and on about. It’s no wonder, a sweet thing like you. I do believe you have got my son under your spell. I’m James Jackson and I’m pleased to meet you, sugar.” He bent over her hand and actually kissed it, making Dixie’s cheeks flame again. She hadn’t known people really did that still, thought it only happened in movies. James Jackson looked like he could’ve stepped out of a film, the image of his son when older except for hair the color of golden honey.

  Sara reached out and gave Dixie a hug, reminding her of Mama and making tears spring to her eyes. She smelled of flowers, like Mama always did and had big, blue eyes so like her mother’s. Her hair was a dark brown and wavy like her son’s. She wore it pulled back in a twist while her cream colored pants and sleeveless blouse made her look every inch the lady of the house. “Welcome, Dixie. Won’t you sit and have sweet tea with us?” She gestured to one of the lounge chairs. Jake sat beside her and they both settled in to enjoy the cold beverage on that warm day of early summer.

  “This tea is just perfect, Mama. That little bit of mint goes a long way in cooling a body down.” Jake winked at his mother with amusement. Her iced tea always gave her troubles and they teased her unmercifully. He wondered if someone else made today’s batch. Daddy perhaps? Far be it from Jake to ruin the secret. They all drank in silence until Dixie plucked up enough spunk to speak.

  “Thank you so much for opening your home to me and for the opportunity to work in your store. This is so beautiful, like something out of a story book. I’ve never been to any place like it before in my life.” Dixie gazed out at the flowers and the fields. How Mama would have loved it here. She could never stop talking about her vacations at her grandmother’s. Dixie wished she could find the place where Mama had found such happiness. Perhaps Jake would be able to help her find it. He knew the history of the area so well, surely he could locate where her great grandmother had lived. The longing to have Mama there with Dixie, to share this place, was so strong it hurt.

  It was as if Sara could read her mind. “Thank you, Dixie. You know, Jake didn’t mention how young you are, so young to be out on your own. Don’t you have any family up North to look after you? They must miss you terribly.”

  Dixie glanced down at her feet, a flood of heat rushing to her cheeks again. “My Daddy died the day I was born and M
ama died just before I came here. There’s no one else left. My great grandmother lived in Gerrardstown. That’s what brought me here. Mama loved it when she used to visit. Now I know why.”

  Sara reached out to squeeze her hand. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry about your family. What a heart ache. I hope you’ll consider our home yours and us as an adopted family any time you need anything, you hear?” She glanced meaningfully at her husband.

  James cleared his throat. “Absolutely. I’m sure Jake would love to have you in the family, but not as his sister. ” Jake rolled his eyes at his father who went on as if he didn’t notice. “By the way, I want to commend you for how you handled Carole Sue. We take out the trash in our store.”

  Sara nodded, a steel glint in her eye. “Regardless of the fact that the riffraff might be well dressed. That girl should have had her mouth washed out with soap years ago. I saw her mother in church and I made sure to drop a few well intended comments about her daughter’s behavior. It did not go over well, let me tell you.”

  They visited for a while longer when Jake stood up, restless, unable to sit any longer. “Mama, if we have a while before dinner, I’d like to take Dixie for a walk around the place.” The girl beside him was too much of a temptation. He had a much better understanding of the strain Adam had been under with Eve in the Garden of Eden. If he didn’t get moving, he’d behave in a way that would make his mama blush.

  Sara nodded, understanding in her eyes. “That’s your polite way of telling me you’ve had enough of sitting around with the old folks making nice. Go on ahead. Make sure you give her the grand tour. Dinner’s at three.”

  Jake bent over his mother as she raised her face to his and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Mama, you and Daddy could never be old but thanks for always knowing the right thing to say.” He reached out for Dixie’s hand and she gladly took it. Jake gave her a sideways grin with a bit of mischief in it. A wink wasn’t far behind.

  “It has been very nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. Thank you again for the invitation.” She gave them a little wave, took Jake’s gentle tug as a signal to get moving, and stayed by his side. He took his time, trying to make it stretch. Each moment he spent with her wasn’t enough. There was no doubt. She was an addiction and he had to have more and more.

  They walked through the back gardens, down a hill, and across a rolling stretch of lawn until they were stopped by the white fence that closed off pastures for as far as they could see. Dixie leaned on the top rung to watch the scene unfold before her. Horses were scattered over the land, at least twenty. Some raced in high-spirited abandon. Others grazed or slept. A mother nuzzled her colt which frolicked around her feet. A long sigh escaped the girl watching. “I wish I could be one of them, no cares, so free.”

  Jake turned to look at her, watch her hair stream behind her and her dress swaying with the wind. “I think you already are like them. Another time, when you’re dressed for it, you can take one for a ride.” He received a small smile and a blush in answer. He led her to the pond next where they dropped down on the dock. Jake slipped off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants and poked his feet in the water. Dixie shrugged, slipped off her sandals, and did the same, squealing at the water’s chill. “When in Rome, huh?” Jake asked her, tipping his head back and letting loose laughter that sounded like no one else.

  Dixie loved his laugh. It came so easily while laughter had been hard to come by in her house. “Yeah, you’ve got it. So, do you spend a lot of time down here?” She pictured if this were her home. She would be laying out here in the sun every day, riding the horses, running barefoot through the gardens.

  Jake wriggled his toes in the water, startling the sunfish that had come for a nibble and scattering them. He stared into the pond but his thoughts carried him over the years. “Every day. My granddaddy taught me that fishing and being close to water and God’s green earth are essential for good health. You don’t know how many times we sat here together with our poles in hand, casting a line. Grandma would pack a sack of sinful treats and we’d spend the entire day when I was little and then on summer vacations. Sometimes he told me stories, of his life, our family, the South…the world. Other times, we didn’t say a word. It didn’t matter. We were together.” His voice became hoarse on the last. “He died last year. God, I miss him.” He blinked rapidly and turned away only to feel a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  “I know how it hurts, losing someone close to you.” Dixie’s voice trembled, her thoughts turned to Mama. It was still so raw, the hurting place deep inside. Sometimes, she wondered if she would ever heal. Being without Mama was like dying a little bit at a time for the rest of her life.

  Jake wiped at his eyes and took her hand in his own. “Listen to me going on and on. You know so much about me and I hardly know anything about you, like the fact that your great grandma lived down here. I’ll take you over to Gerrardstown one day. It’s an itty-bitty place, I’m sure we can track down your family’s home. Now, tell me about New York. Is it as exciting as it looks in the movies, you know, the lights, the hustle and bustle, where interesting things are always happening? Nothing happens around here. It’s been the same since the War between the States ended and it always will be.”

  Dixie’s eyes became shadowed and the shield came up. “New York City is three hours away from my home town. I never ever went there even though Mama and I really wanted to go, go see the Rockettes and the Christmas tree with the skaters at Rockefeller Center…”her words trailed off for a moment, lost in thought. She forced herself to continue. “My home town, it’s something between a city and a town… it’s horrible, where I’m from. It’s jam packed with people, and dirty, with nothing but noisy, ugly factories. That’s where they all work and none of them are happy about it. No one will give you the time of day, everyone keeps to themselves. You can’t breathe and nothing grows, no trees or grass or meadows. Nothing ever changes there either but I’d take your nothing new any day to mine. It’s a place I hated every day I was there. That’s why I had to get out when Mama…”she broke off. It was too close…to the hurting, to the truth.

  Jake’s hand was the slightest pressure on hers. “I’m really sorry about your mother, Dixie. Try to remember, you’re not alone anymore.” They just sat that way, unaware of time passing them by. They were quiet, comfortable enough to not say a word until Jake’s father wandered down to call them to dinner.

  Once again, Dixie was taken by surprise by the warm welcome people of the South continued to give her. Jake’s family gathered her in, set her at ease, made her feel like she was one of their own. The conversation and good-natured banter rolled over her as delicious dish after dish was passed around the table until Dixie thought they would have to roll her away. When it was time to leave, both of Jake’s parents gave her hugs and urged her back anytime. The funny thing was, Dixie believed them.

  Jake took her home the conventional way, in that it was a car but convention stopped regarding what Dixie was accustomed to. It was a cherry red, Corvette convertible. “Daddy’s first car, a 1958, all original. A gift from my Grandaddy’s collection. Ain’t she a beauty?” Jake asked her playfully, holding the door open for her.

  Dixie could only nod her head as she slid onto the white leather seat with red stripes. The wind whipped through her hair on the drive over curving, country roads. She couldn’t help throwing up her arms and giving a rebel whoop. “I have got to be sleeping. Don’t ever wake me up!”

  Jake tipped his head back and gave his own whoop, one to rival the Dukes of Hazard, taking obvious pleasure in Dixie’s. “Girl, we’ll make you a true Southerner yet.” He took the long way back to Nichols’ Lane. Over a river, and through the woods, making the ride stretch. He would have gladly traded all he had to make the day last with Dixie.

  Neither wanted the ride to end, but in all too short of a time, they pulled in fr
ont of her trailer. Once again, Dixie couldn’t shake the recurring feeling of being Cinderella just before the carriage became a pumpkin when she walked up her steps. She reached the top and turned to him. “Thank you for everything. I really had a wonderful time.”

  The wind ruffled Jake’s hair and the setting sun lit his eyes until they matched the deep green of the meadows around them. He definitely fit the role of the handsome prince. “So did I.” He dipped his head down, stole a kiss, took another and made it stretch. This one left their first at the ball field in the dust, picked up their heart beats, had them both fighting for air. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Dixie sank down on the step, her legs unable to hold her, and lifted a hand as he drove away. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough. She closed her eyes while dusk fell around her and let the day replay in her mind. Spending more time with Jake made her believe the South would rise again. Maybe it already had. Southerners, at least those that had become her friends, knew what was most important—home, family, and love. In having those things, they had it all. She hoped she’d learn their lessons well.