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I'll Stand By You

Page 6

by Sharon Sala


  * * *

  Ruby Dye turned the Closed sign to Open as she unlocked the front door of the Curl Up and Dye.

  Today was likely to be unusually hectic. Vesta was sick at home, and Ruby and Vera were picking up her appointments. No one was getting a lunch break, but they were confident they could do it.

  Ruby and Vera had already divided up the clients over the phone last night, so she began checking supplies to be sure she had the right products on hand. One of the ladies she was picking up for Vesta was Jane Farris, who ran the Before and After day care. Ruby liked Jane, although she thought she was a little uptight. It was Ruby’s opinion that if you’re going to run a business involving children, you should at least enjoy being around them. Jane talked about them like they were dirty puppies who peed on floors and chewed on furniture, which she was certain was not the case.

  A short time later, Ruby’s first appointment showed up, and then Vera and Mabel Jean walked in together and the day began. What she hadn’t planned on was an hour-by-hour playback of everyone’s opinion on the assault of Brooks Pine. By the time Jane Farris arrived, Ruby was stunned by what she’d been hearing, and Vera’s cheeks were an angry red.

  Mabel Jean was working her nail file like a chain saw and gritting her teeth to keep from arguing with the clients who were so disrespectful to a family down on their luck.

  They were shocked by the number of people who thought the whole thing should just go away.

  Mabel Jean left to run an errand, and Ruby was sweeping up hair from her last appointment when Jane Farris arrived. By the time she’d hung up her jacket, Ruby was ready for her.

  “Morning, Jane!”

  Jane waved.

  “Good morning, Ruby. I sure appreciate you working me in to your schedule. The older I get, the more I appreciate the luxury of someone doing my hair for me.”

  Ruby beamed. “And that’s just music to my ears. Come on back and we’ll get started.”

  Jane noticed Luwanda Peeples deep in conversation with Vera but didn’t interrupt to say hello. Luwanda’s husband was on the city council, and the way she carried on, you’d have thought he was one step down from being president of the United States.

  As soon as Jane was seated, Ruby snapped a cape around her neck and escorted her to the shampoo station. Jane was unusually silent, and Ruby purposefully didn’t initiate a conversation, sensing her need for peace. After she’d finished the shampoo and conditioning, they moved back to her station to blow-dry her hair. Ruby combed through Jane’s hair with her fingers, getting a feel for the texture and thickness.

  “Vesta uses a curling iron rather than rollers on your hair, right?”

  Jane was eyeing herself in the mirror, trying to remember what she had looked like when she was young, but she’d forgotten. All she saw now was a middle-aged woman with a round face, a wide nose, and double chins. She was lost in thought when she suddenly realized Ruby was asking her a question.

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  “Vesta uses a curling iron, right?”

  “Yes. I don’t have the patience for rollers and sitting under a dryer anymore.” Then she smiled. “I take that back. I shouldn’t say anymore, because I never did like to sit still. Some things never change, I guess.”

  The moment that came out of Jane’s mouth, Luwanda Peeples took her private conversation with Vera to the room.

  “I’ll say that’s right, Jane. Some things never change, like another member of that no-good Pine family in trouble with the law! I’ve been telling Vera here what a crime it is that four decent little boys were taken to jail for nothing more than a little scuffle. Everyone knows the Pines are just white trash. The mother is dead from drugs and the father is in prison, and yet that Pine boy got off scot-free after the fight and those dear boys are the ones in trouble. They all go to my church, and I think it’s a crime what happened.”

  Ruby had just brushed a hank of Jane’s wet hair around the bristles of a vent brush and had the dryer only inches from her scalp when Jane spun her chair around so fast Ruby lost her grip. The brush slipped from her hand, tangling in Jane’s hair as it dangled down the back of her neck.

  Jane could have cared less. She was so angry with Luwanda, she was shaking.

  “I can’t say you don’t have a right to voice your opinion, but if you’re going to gossip, Luwanda Peeples, then you need to get your facts straight.”

  Luwanda’s eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in anger. The emanating hiss she emitted was reminiscent of a pissed-off snake.

  “That’s not gossip! I heard it straight from Buckley’s gardener who also does my yard.”

  “Well, I know for a fact that everything that came out of your mouth is a big fat lie, and I got it from Johnny Pine himself!” Jane shouted.

  Ruby wondered if she needed to stop this before it got any worse, but she was privately pleased to hear someone speaking up for the Pines, and so she said nothing. However, an unwise decision is usually recognized only in hindsight, and such was the case.

  “I don’t lie!” Luwanda shrieked and leaned forward in the chair.

  The hair spray Vera just spritzed went down the back of Luwanda’s neck, but she didn’t seem to mind.

  “So tell me how it’s okay for four older boys to gang up on one little boy who is much younger and smaller?” Jane snapped.

  Luwanda sputtered. “Well, he must have been doing something to—”

  “Oh yes, he did something all right! He got gum stuck in his hair. His brother cut it out and sent him to school, where four bullies decided not only to taunt him for it, they kicked him all over the room.”

  Luwanda gasped. “That’s not how—”

  “That little Pine boy is one of my boys. He’s seven years old and in the second grade. He’s barely past a baby and now, because of those little thugs, he has a broken nose, broken ribs, loose teeth, black eyes, and deep muscle contusions. Your little choir boys brutalized him and I, for one, am furious about it!”

  Luwanda’s lips flapped but no words came out.

  Vera was shocked. She knew he’d been hurt but had no idea to what extent.

  “Are you serious? They did all that?” she asked.

  “Yes, they did. I spoke to Johnny myself. They had to take him to the emergency room, and he can’t go to school for Lord knows how long. And Johnny didn’t call the police; the doctor did. Assault is against the law and the victim was a child. It was his duty.”

  Luwanda tore off her cape, flung a twenty-dollar bill on Vera’s counter and grabbed her purse as she took a step toward Jane.

  Jane stood, the vent brush still dangling down the back of her neck and her fingers curled into fists.

  Right in the middle of the Curl Up and Dye, the two middle-aged women sized each other up like two broody setting hens with only one nest between them.

  “I never took you for a lover of white trash,” Luwanda snapped.

  Jane’s eyes narrowed. “White trash isn’t a location, Luwanda Peeples. It is how someone acts, and in my book, you just put yourself right in the Dumpster.”

  Luwanda gasped. “I won’t forget this!”

  Jane shook her head. “I should hope not. Maybe next time you’ll get your facts straight instead of spreading lies.”

  Luwanda charged for the front door at a lope while the rest of the women watched her go. The door squeaked as she yanked it open, and then she slammed it shut behind her.

  Ruby thought to herself that she needed to oil those hinges. The silence afterward was almost uncomfortable until Mabel Jean came in the back door. She took one look at the women and grinned.

  “What did I miss?”

  Ruby looked at Vera, and then they both looked at Jane and burst into laughter.

  Mabel Jean’s grin widened.

  “Come on. Really. What happened?”<
br />
  Jane plopped back down in Ruby’s chair.

  “I’m not going to apologize,” she muttered.

  Ruby carefully unwound the vent brush from Jane’s hair and turned on the dryer.

  “And you should not. Do you part your hair on the right or on the left?”

  Chapter 5

  Yesterday it was rain that had kept Granny’s Country Kitchen busy, and today it was the elementary school scandal. Everyone had taken sides, and they weren’t shy about voicing it. Granny’s was the best forum in town.

  Lovey held an early morning employee meeting in the kitchen, cautioning her employees not to get involved in the growing disagreement, but it was all they could do to take and serve orders without commenting, because everyone had an opinion.

  The waitresses kept Dori and Walter filled in on what was being said as they hustled in and out with orders. But the uglier the comments became, the angrier Dori became. A little boy had been seriously injured, and half the town seemed to have forgotten that. She was banging pots and clanking cutlery with obvious vehemence, voicing her opinion of the whole mess in a somewhat subversive manner.

  Walter slapped another couple of hamburger patties on the grill and then put some buns off to the side to toast. He didn’t know what to make of Dori’s behavior. Normally she was so quiet, he almost forgot she was there, but not today. He looked at her again and decided she wore anger well.

  Dori caught him looking at her and frowned.

  “What?”

  “I was about to ask you the same thing,” Walter drawled and then went back to cooking.

  She turned her back on him and began emptying the freshly washed dishes from the conveyor.

  When two o’clock rolled around, it was none too soon for Dori. She got her things and started home, then remembered she needed diapers for Luther Joe and turned left at the corner toward the supermarket.

  The farther away from Granny’s she walked, the better she felt. After yesterday’s rain, everything smelled fresh and clean. Too bad the rain couldn’t wash away the ugliness in Blessings.

  She was thinking about what to make for supper as she crossed the street and walked into the supermarket parking lot.

  Someone honked a horn and shouted her name. She looked up and saw Pansy Jones, her neighbor from across the street, smiling and waving. She smiled and waved back as she entered the store.

  Intent on wasting no time, she grabbed a shopping cart and headed straight toward the baby aisle. She turned a corner by the deli aisle and walked straight up on two girls from her old class who were there with their mothers.

  The minute the girls saw Dori, they gave her a body scan that would have made Homeland Security proud, smirked, then looked at each other and giggled. Their mothers just stared.

  Dori gritted her teeth and kept moving, hoping they would ignore her, but such was not the case.

  A curvy redhead named Jenn actually stepped in front of her cart to stop her.

  “Well, hi, Dori!”

  The last thing Dori wanted was for them to think she was running away.

  “Hi, Jenn. Hi, Leigh. It’s good to see you.”

  “Yeah, uh…you too,” Jenn said. “So how’s it going?”

  Dori smiled. “Oh, good, and you?”

  Leigh giggled and fluffed her blond curls.

  “We’ve been shopping for prom dresses. It’s only a couple of weeks away.”

  “Are you still dating Freddie?” Dori asked.

  The girls rolled their eyes at each other and then giggled again.

  “Ugh, no. You are so behind times, girl. But that’s to be expected, considering…”

  Normally the hateful tone would have sent Dori ducking her head in shame, but something had clicked in her today. Maybe she should have gotten angry a long time ago. She laughed, which made everyone stare.

  “Speaking of being behind…are you still failing chemistry? I mean, I used to tutor you, remember? But since I’m not in school anymore, I just wondered if someone else was helping you pass.”

  Leigh’s eyes widened. Her lips parted, but she was too shocked to answer. Her mother decided to take offense for her daughter and grabbed Dori by the arm.

  “See here, Dori Grant. You have no right to criticize my girl. After all, she’s still in high school and you’re…you’re not. You’re nothing but a dishwasher.”

  Dori smiled even wider as she pushed the woman’s hand from her arm.

  “Mrs. Glover! So nice to see you again. I know I’ve jumped the gun a bit on growing up, but it’s not as bad as you might think. Actually, I have already graduated high school. I passed the GED and am taking college classes online.”

  Mrs. Glover blinked. She glanced at her daughter and then back at Dori Grant, trying to figure out how all that could happen in light of her fall from grace.

  Dori just kept talking. “I’m leaning toward website design. It’s something I can do from home and make decent money at the same time. As for washing dishes, aren’t women always the ones washing dishes? The only difference between me and you is that I’m getting paid for it. I’d love to chat, but I need to finish shopping and get home. I don’t mind my job, but I sure miss my baby boy.”

  Mrs. Glover’s cheeks turned pink, but there was little she could say. She did wash the dishes at home and got little thanks for the effort, and for that matter, got little thanks for anything. She watched Dori Grant for a few seconds and then turned and glared at her daughter.

  “It’s time we got home. I have a thousand and one things to do yet today.”

  “But, Mama, I thought we were going to get some of that yummy banana pudding from the deli to take home.”

  “You’re always wanting to spend my money. If you were working for your money, you’d have a different idea about how to spend it, I can assure you. If you want banana pudding, we’ll make it at home.”

  Leigh was not pleased, but she knew that look on her mother’s face and didn’t argue. She glanced at Jenn and rolled her eyes, then followed her mother out of the store while Dori was standing in line to pay for diapers at the checkout.

  Dori waved at them as they passed by her, but they ignored her presence. She couldn’t remember when she’d felt this good.

  * * *

  Unlike Dori, Blessings’s youngest criminals weren’t feeling all that great. Because of their transgressions and subsequent arrests, their futures were still in free fall.

  The twins had been dropped from the track team.

  Lewis Buckley was no longer part of the basketball team.

  Coach Sharp had personally kicked his own son off the football team that he coached.

  And Peanut Butterman’s presence on behalf of Brooks Pine was keeping the parents anxious. They hadn’t voiced a single complaint about paying the medical bills and knew they would continue to be responsible for any and all medical treatments until Brooks Pine’s doctor had released him.

  They were certain Johnny Pine was going to sue them for damages and suffering, because if the shoe had been on the other foot, they would have done it to him. Because of the ages of the perpetrators, the district attorney had agreed to a closed hearing. The ruling disappointed the warring factions in Blessings. Fresh fodder would have done wonders for the fires of their indignation.

  * * *

  Two days later, Dori came home from work to find Luther Joe fussy and her granddaddy worn out. She apologized profusely that the baby had been a bother, took him out of Meeker’s arms, and told Meeker to go to bed. Meeker didn’t argue.

  By nightfall, it became apparent that Luther Joe was sick. Dori suspected an earache because he kept pulling at his ear as he cried. Shortly after midnight, Meeker was back up with her, and they took turns trying to comfort the baby throughout the rest of the night, but to no avail.

  Along toward daylight Dori f
inally got Luther to settle. He was dozing in her arms but whimpering in his sleep.

  “I’ll take him to the pediatrician in the morning,” Dori said and then looked at the clock and sighed. “Lord. It’s already morning.”

  “I can take him so you don’t have to miss work,” Meeker said.

  Dori frowned. “I don’t know, Granddaddy. I think I should—”

  “Honey, we’re in this together. I don’t clock in anywhere but here with my two favorite people. You go to work, and I’ll get him to the doctor. By the time you get off work, we’ll at least have one dose of medicine in him and you can take over from there.”

  Dori still felt guilty. “This is my responsibility,” she said.

  “And we’re still family,” Meeker countered.

  Luther Joe whimpered again and then let out a wail. Dori put him up on her shoulder and began patting his back and rocking him in her arms.

  “My poor little man,” Dori murmured and then caught her grandfather’s look and gave in. “Okay, you take him to the doctor, and I’ll take over when I come home. Tomorrow is my day off and that will give me two whole days to get him feeling better.”

  “That’s the ticket,” Meeker said. “I’m going to make coffee; then I’ll take over and you get ready and go to work. I’ll call after we get back from the doctor, okay?”

  “Yes, okay,” she said as the baby continued to fuss. She kissed him on the cheek and then started down the hall toward their bedroom. “Let’s go get a dry diaper, okay?”

  Less than an hour later, Dori was out the door and on her way to Granny’s Country Kitchen. She’d missed sleep before, and it would happen again. All she had to do was make it through her day.

  She didn’t know until she got to the restaurant that today was the day of the closed hearing at the courthouse.

  Dori could only imagine what Johnny Pine was dealing with and said a quiet prayer as she started washing a new load of dishes. Her thoughts slid back to her own little boy, and she wished she were the one with him at the doctor’s office. It was times like this when she was reminded adult life could really suck lemons.

 

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