I blush and stammer, “Shut up, Billy. It’s not funny. I haven’t done anything yet, and I’m not going to. Well, maybe I am. I just…I don’t know…ever since Ray left—”
Billy pulls me into a hug and says, “I think it’s a fabulous idea.”
I pull back and say, “You do?”
Bobby echoes me like a parrot, “You do?”
Billy looks at both of us and folds his arms across his flannel shirt and says, “Why yes, I do. Molly is a modern woman and she’s only like five years older than Tucker. And he’s a good guy. A little standoffish, but he does a lot in this community.”
He does?
Before I can question that, Billy continues, “Molly, Ray is a shit and he didn’t deserve you, and he surely does not deserve your loyalty now. I say if you’re into him, give Tucker a chance.”
Bobby scratches his goatee and says, “I’m sorry, Moll. Billy’s right. You deserve to get some action with a younger man.”
I swat Bobby in the head and he ducks, just like when we were kids. “You’re so funny. Seriously, I think maybe I’m ready.”
They pull me in for a group hug and Billy whispers in my ear, “Then go for it, girl. You know we love ya. We just want you to be happy.”
You know you have sensitive brothers when you’re the one who’s feeling awkward over the show of emotion.
“Okay, thanks guys. Really, it means a lot. Now let’s get in there and start sorting through these boxes. Who knows what we’ll find?”
We all march into the relatively clean room and grab a box. We could be here until Magnolia is old enough for Shawn if we don’t get started on this big pile of crap.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Magnolia, are you feelin’ sick?”
I look at my daughter with concern. She used to chow down like a lumber jack, but now she picks at her food. All I can think of is how many teenaged girls have eating disorders these days.
“No, Mom. I’m just watching my weight and this mac and cheese is like five million calories.”
She rolls her eyes for the tenth time since Tucker dropped her off.
I could really get used to him playing chauffeur but I’m not sure it’s a good idea. My brothers seemed to think me and Tucker could be a good thing, but I’m not convinced. What if I’m just acting like a lonely, foolish woman whose husband up and left her?
Zinnia shoves a big forkful of cheesy carbs in her mouth and says, “Mom provides us with balanced meals. You could skip the mac and cheese, like a weirdo, but you also didn’t eat your broccoli, which is a super food.”
Magnolia pushes her plate back and glares at her sister. “Mom, was Shawn at work today?”
I drop my fork and say, “Now I told you that guy is a grown man and you have no business being interested in his business.”
Zinnia leans forward and watches us intently. I’m sure she’d love to film this argument for her YouTube channel, but unless she’s graduated to hidden cameras, I think our domestic disputes are safe from the Internet.
“I just asked if he was at work. I didn’t say I wanted to have his baby.”
She jumps up and tosses her napkin on the table, marching upstairs in a huff.
I should force her to come back to the table, like when she was little, but I don’t have the energy. I have no idea how to deal with teenagers and I don’t know who the hell is going to help me.
Surely not Tucker.
I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.
Zinnia continues to eat as if nothing ever happened. I wish we could all have her temperament.
“Mom, I saw Shawn before supper. When I was coming downstairs.”
I sigh and say, “That’s nice, honey. But you shouldn’t spy on the neighbors.”
“I wasn’t spying. I was walking down the stairs and I looked out the window on the landing and saw him going over to the clubhouse with Ashley, Olivia and Emma. They all had blankets.”
My eyes widen and I carefully pick my next words because I don’t want my youngest to know that an orgy could be happening in the clubhouse, for all I know.
And Emma is over there with them? Dawson won’t like that. What the hell are they doing? They’re too old for blanket forts and sleepovers.
And Shawn is kind of cute for a goofy little bastard, but he couldn’t have possibly organized a neighborhood harem since Monday.
I stand up and start clearing the dishes from the table, trying to figure out what on God’s green earth they could be…ohhhh, I just realized what’s going on over there and I have to see it for myself.
“I just remembered that I wanted to check the holiday event sign-up sheet and see which day we should host.”
“I’ll come with you!”
“No, you need to finish your supper and then it’s your turn to load the dishwasher, and I’m sure you have homework. I’ll be right back.”
Luckily Zinnia is my more cooperative daughter, although I think the YouTuber in her is running to get her binoculars and her cell phone. I better not find her hiding in the bushes like the Pentagon Place paparazzi.
I’m so glad it’s Zinnia’s turn to do the dishes. I can’t imagine the aggravation of trying to get Magnolia to do them. I need to get to the library and pick up some books on parenting teens, but then Olivia will know my business. And since she now apparently has friends, so will a lot of other people.
I hope Tucker is in for the night. It’s freezing cold outside so if he happens to see me crossing the courtyard to the clubhouse it means he’s watching my house. It’s not that I think that’s creepy, but I just don’t know what to think anymore.
When I got home last night from Meemaw’s house I was exhausted, and my back felt like it was on fire. I’m used to physical work, but we carried a lot of boxes and there was a ton of bending over.
Magnolia’s probably right—I should stop serving mac and cheese and get us all to the gym.
At any rate, I was lugging some boxes from Meemaw’s house that I wanted to look at more closely at home, where the spider to people ratio is better.
Tucker had just dropped the girls off and walked them to the door and was on his way back to his place when he spotted me struggling.
Of course any decent gentleman would offer to help any woman who looked like she was about to topple over. So it’s not like that meant anything.
He quickly walked over to me and said, “Hey Moll, I just dropped off the princesses. What ya got there? Let me help you.”
I handed over the dusty old cardboard boxes and wiped my hands on my jeans. In addition to being exhausted and in pain, I knew I looked like crap. I didn’t exactly get dolled up to help my brothers clean out a haunted house all day.
Well, it’s not actually haunted, but it’s a little creepy. And dirty. Did I mention the spider problem?
“Thank you. It’s just some letters and papers of my grandmother’s. Billy, Bobby, and I worked on Meemaw’s house today.”
“Wow, it’s about time, huh? You okay with that?”
It’s unlike Tucker to focus on anything emotional and I know he was only trying to be nice.
“It’s been five years so it’s not like we were all crying…well, Billy was.”
We both had a laugh over my sentimental brother, and Tucker said he was sorry for all the times he teased him.
“Hey, I probably would have a better life if I’d been more like Billy.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, so I let it go.
Outside my apartment, I couldn’t help but ask, “So, what happened the other day with Ashley and Olivia? I saw they invited you in. Are they friends already?”
“They are meditation buddies.”
I wrinkled my brow and hoped that I didn’t look too hideous in my front door lighting. “Meditation? You mean like ‘chanting to Buddha’ meditation?”
I honestly don’t know if that’s what they do, but it’s not like anyone in my world was into being Zen.
Tucker laughed and said, �
�I don’t know about that. All I know is that Olivia stumbled on Ashley doin’ it in the clubhouse and got all excited that someone who was ‘lit up’ lived here.”
“I don’t think that’s what you mean, unless they were smoking something.”
“You know what I mean. Enlightened. That’s the word. Anyway, I guess that made them fast friends. You’re not jealous?”
“Um no, Olivia has always been terrible. And this just makes me think that Ashley is kind of terrible, too. But I don’t care. She’s just takin’ pictures of my dolls. She’s good at that. And we can still keep the neighborhood fun, no matter what weird crap she’s up to, right?”
“Sure, we’ll have lots of fun, Molly Mae.”
Tucker has been calling me Molly Mae since he learned how to talk, but now it makes me shiver. Of course it was colder than a frosted frog outside.
There was silence for an awkward moment while I fished my key out of my messy purse. To break the silence I said, “So did they get you meditating?”
“Hell no, girl. I don’t want them puttin’ me under a spell. I just told Ashley that we think her sign-up sheet is stupid and we should do it the old way.”
My mouth fell open. “You said ‘we’ as in you and me?”
“Yeah, and Olivia made a shitty remark, like she always does, and Ashley said she didn’t care what we did, and she’d take down the sign-up sheet, but that nut Shawn has to plan St. Patrick’s Day now, or she’ll have to leave town.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Good job, but I guess she hates us now. I hope she doesn’t sabotage my dolls.”
Tucker walked through my open door and placed the boxes in the entry hall.
“You have a very active imagination. Now is there anything else I can help you with?”
I was about to say I felt gross and needed a shower but stopped myself before I said something so suggestive and inappropriate. My daughters were upstairs, and my heart felt a little funny as it was.
“No thanks. I’m just gonna go take…get cleaned up and check on the girls. Thanks again for everything.”
“My pleasure. Good night, Molly Mae.”
And he left.
I know that’s what I basically asked him to do but I wasn’t ready for him to go yet. So I added in one more silly teasing remark.
“Hey, are you sure you don’t want to be under Ashley’s spell? She pretty attractive.”
Tucker spun around and said, “No Ma’am. I am already under a spell.”
He disappeared into his apartment before I could ask him who’s the lucky girl.
I both hope it’s me and pray it’s not at the same time.
I hauled my confused ass to the shower and bed and tried not to think about it.
Now as I scurry across the frozen land like a peeping Tom (I can’t shake my mother’s sayings—was there ever a famous peeper named Tom?), I hope Tucker hasn’t joined the meditation party.
Once I thought about our conversation last night, I realized that’s probably what they’re doing in the clubhouse.
But I didn’t want to tell Zinnia that because she would want to join them, she’d tell her sister and she’d want to join them, or I’d say something wrong and have to listen to my child explain meditation to me.
That little girl knows everything.
I tiptoe towards the door and start reading the sign-up sheet, which Ashley obviously hasn’t bothered to remove.
I really don’t give a rat’s ass about Ashley’s stupid planning but looking at it is a good excuse for me being here. After all, I am very busy, and I don’t have time to come over here and gape at the clubhouse door in the middle of the…
“Hey, Molly?”
I jump almost clear out of my skin with Dawson whispering in my ear.
“Dawson Swanson, are you tryin’ to kill me?”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and says, “I’m sorry, but I am dyin’ to know what they’re doin’ in there. I just peeked in the winda and it’s a little dark, but there’s a candle burnin’. My Emma is in there and I don’t want her joinin’ no cult.”
I hold back my smile because poor Dawson looks like he’s seen a ghost and I pat his arm. “I don’t think Ashley is a cult leader. I just think she’s into some stuff we don’t quite understand.”
“My point exactly.” He raises his eyebrows and leans in closer. “What if it’s one of those witches’ meetins’? Like a cavern? I don’t want Emma fallin’ into one of those.”
I wrinkle my face and think as hard as I can at this hour of the day. Oh dear sweet baby Jesus. “Dawson, do you mean a coven?”
He points at me and says, “Bingo! They might be brewin’ up an eye of newt stew as we speak. We need to go in there.”
“Well, I don’t see why we can’t. We live here, too. It’s a residents’ clubhouse.”
I slowly turn the knob when I almost pee my pants again as loony bird Shawn comes flying at the clubhouse.
Does that darn boy ever move at a normal pace? And I thought he was already in there.
He’s all flailing limbs and wild red hair as he wheezes out, “Did they start without me? I forgot my mat and I had to go back and get it.”
He bends over to catch his breath. How in the heck does a boy his age get that winded running across the lawn? These kids these days…I blame YouTube.
Dawson slaps him on the back and he almost eats the grass. Righting himself he says, “Are you two here for the meditation? Oh, by the way Molly, your daughter has been so helpful with ideas for the St. Patrick’s Day party. That girl is so creative.”
I am about to ask him which of my daughters has been chewing off his ear, and when has she had the chance to do that, when Dawson puts up his hand and says, “I am here for the meditation now that I know that it’s not a women-only thing.”
Shawn smiles and says, “Cool, but I’m sitting next to Ashley.”
Shawn barrels past us and we follow closely behind.
The room is dark, and everyone appears to be sitting on the chair cushions from the lawn furniture set, and they have blankets draped over their heads.
“Emma honey, your favorite show is on the TV.”
Ashley pulls off her blanket and says, “You can’t talk during meditation, you idiot!”
Well that doesn’t sound very Zen.
Emma comes out of hiding and says, “Hey, don’t yell at him. Come sit with me honey and clear your mind.”
She pats the space beside her and Dawson recoils. “No way. That’s what they do. They clear your mind, and then before you know it, you’re cluckin’ like a chicken or knockin’ off liquor stores to support the cult leader’s drug habit. No, thank you.”
Ashley rolls her eyes as she turns on the light and blows out her candle.
“Okay, our sacred circle has been broken. Anyone who isn’t a clueless dipshit can come with me back to my place and we’ll continue in peace.”
I’ve got a mind to tell her off. How dare she call Dawson names?
Emma stands up and says, “Ashley, you better apologize.”
Now Olivia has popped up. I guess she was so deep in her blanket fort that she didn’t notice a brawl breaking out.
Now she’s joined the argument and Shawn is standing at the door hopping up and down like he has to pee. He’s obviously secretly thrilled that the party has moved back to Ashley’s place, and the numbers will surely dwindle.
I want to question Shawn about Magnolia, but I think he’s completely innocent and it’s my daughter I need to talk to.
Although, it would be a good idea to tell the other ‘clueless dipshit’ that a fifteen-year-old girl is lusting after him and he should probably discourage that.
When I walk outside, Ashley is apologizing to Dawson, and Emma is promising to explain meditation to him, so he understands that she’s not going to commit any crimes or fall in any caverns.
Even though it’s freezing cold, I’m not ready to go home. I sit on the bench on the lawn and rub my temples.
>
Everyone but Dawson heads over to Ashley’s apartment. He spots me in the dark and comes over to sit down next to me.
“I gotta have a smoke. That okay?”
He fishes his cigarettes out of his shirt pocket and lights up. “I know I should quit these damn things.”
I’m not in the mood to lecture anyone, especially since I need to read Magnolia the riot act when I get inside.
“So what happened? Did Emma refuse to come home with you?”
“Nah, I told her to go. They explained it to me, sort of. They said it’s kind of like prayin’ but not really. I don’t know. That Ashley’s a pistol. She’s got a mouth on her, but Emma can take care of herself. I gotta be open to new things, I guess.”
“Don’t I know it.”
I lean back and think of all the new things I’ve had to be open to lately.
My expression must have changed because Dawson says, “Hey, you doin’ okay? You’ve had a lot of change goin’ on. I mean since Ray left. I know it’s hard on you.”
“Yeah, but I do have some good things. Like the doll business. And good friends.”
“I know that’s right. Say, I’ve noticed that Tuck’s been helpin’ you out with the girls lately.”
I squirm a little and wonder what he knows, or what he thinks he knows.
“He has, and I sure do appreciate it. A guy like Tucker should be out meetin’ women and havin’ fun.”
Dawson stubs out his cigarette and puts it in his pocket. It’s so cute that he still won’t litter since the time I told him the Litter Monster would get him when he was five.
“Well Molly, I think he’s got his sights set on a certain woman he’s known a long time.”
I’m glad it’s dark enough that Dawson can’t see me blush.
I look away and Dawson says, “Earth to Molly? You know who I’m talkin’ about. He’s been in love with you since we were little kids.”
“Oh Dawson, that’s the problem. I know the age difference isn’t a big deal now that we’re adults, but y’all were like my little brothers. It doesn’t seem right.”
“Oh, I think it’s right as rain. Tucker ain’t one to say how he’s feelin’. I’m the sensitive one of Mama’s boys. But that don’t mean he isn’t a deep guy.”
Something Molly Can't See Page 5
