Fat Fridays

by Judith Keim

  Sukie smiled. Men today were so into helping to raise children. She remembered the many evenings Ted didn’t arrive home until after Rob and Elizabeth were in bed.

  The men moved her desk away from the corner, leaving a space for scattered floor pillows, and shifted the long table to an area off to one side, near the magazine shelf. A better place for projects, she thought.

  “How’s that?” said Cameron.

  Sukie hesitated. “Can you help me move a couple of book cases?”

  Cameron looked at Bill and shrugged. “Why not?”

  Sukie hurried to unload some of the books from the shelves. The men wrestled with the bookcases, angling them at her direction, making it easier for children to browse for books on both sides.

  “There, that’s perfect.” Sukie clasped her hands together, delighted with the effect.

  “Much better,” said Julie. “We’ve needed someone like you for some time.”

  Sukie turned to the men. “Thanks for your help.”

  Bill dipped his head and moved away.

  Cameron stood a moment, frowning. “Sukie Skidmore. Didn’t you sign up for the computer course?”

  She nodded.

  He smiled. “I thought so. I’m your instructor. See you tonight at seven.” He waved and went on his way.

  Sukie turned to Julie. “He’s the teacher?”

  “Yes. We’re so lucky to get him. He’s an independent consultant, working on a huge, long-term project for MacTel. I met him when he was looking for property. He came in to check out the library and get some recommendations for a preschool for his little girl.”

  “Very nice,” Sukie murmured.

  Julie grinned. “Very nice-looking, too. All the volunteers are drooling over him.”

  “Too bad he’s married,” Sukie said, and turned back to her new project. Her days of romance were over but she understood how others might be disappointed to learn he wasn’t available.

  Later, Sukie lugged large pillows from her car into the library. She could hardly wait to see children gathered there for her first story hour. Even if the job might not last long, she wanted to make the best possible impression. Then maybe the Board would decide to keep her on through the summer and even beyond.

  “Excellent,” said Julie, when she came to inspect what Sukie was doing. She helped Sukie arrange the bright-colored pillows in the corner.

  At her desk, Sukie leafed through a selection of picture books. It had been some time since she’d read to children and she needed to catch up on the latest books and reacquaint herself with old favorites. The bright colorful illustrations brought back memories of many happy hours with her own children, hours she hoped to share with her new grandchild.

  Funny, she thought now, she’d been excited about the news of a grandchild, but Ted had gone into a funk when he’d heard he was about to become a grandfather. He’d ended up acting like a spoiled baby himself. Looking back, she realized how many times he’d ruined happy moments for her.

  That evening, as Sukie walked into the learning room at the library, Cameron acknowledged her with a nod. Five other people sat in front of computers on desks scattered throughout the small learning center. She took a seat at the remaining empty space.

  “Thought you weren’t going to show up,” said Cameron, coming to Sukie’s side to make sure she was logged on properly.

  “I thought about it, especially after my first day at work,” she said. “But after you helped me today, I couldn’t let you down.”

  He grinned and turned to the others. “Okay, class, let’s get started.”

  The time flew by. At the end of the hour, her mind spinning, Sukie turned off her machine. She’d learned more about computer programs than she’d thought possible. It now seemed silly she’d never taken a course like this before.

  “How did you like it?” Cameron asked, packing up his teaching materials.

  Sukie smiled. “It was great. You made it seem so easy. Julie told me you’re going to be working at MacTel for a while.”

  He nodded. “It’s a good opportunity for me.”

  “I know some administrative people who work on the Executive Floor. I’m sure they’d be happy to help you if you ever need it.”

  “Thanks.” His deep blue gaze settled on her. “Are you always so helpful to strangers?”

  Her cheeks burned. “I try to be.”

  “Nice,” he said. “You don’t find that so much anymore.”

  A warm glow accompanied Sukie all the way to her car. Something about the way Cameron Taylor had looked at her made her feel special. It’d been a long time since she felt that way.

  ###

  Friday noon, Sukie pulled into Bea’s parking lot for the Fat Fridays lunch. She couldn’t wait to tell the others about her job. She was also eager to see Tiffany and Carol Ann. She hadn’t spoken to them all week.

  Betsy hurried over to her as soon as Sukie climbed out of her car. “Sukie! You started the job. Good for you! I met Julie in the grocery store and she told me she’s ecstatic about all you’re doing.”

  “Thanks,” said Sukie, pleased nice, not hurtful, news was being spread about her. “I think it’s going to be great.”

  Carol Ann drove into the parking lot with Tiffany. They waved hello and Sukie waved back.

  “How are they?” Sukie asked, as Lynn joined them.

  “Tiffany’s been real quiet and Carol Ann has talked our ears off all week about the different men on the dating website she joined.” Censure iced Lynn’s words.

  Sukie and Betsy exchanged knowing glances and turned as Carol Ann ran toward them.

  “Sukie! Wait until I tell you about the responses to our ad! I’m so excited!” She hugged Sukie so hard, she almost knocked her over.

  “Tell her all about it inside,” said Lynn impatiently. “It’s getting late.”

  Inside, the chatter of the noon crowd rose and fell as people laughed and called to one another. Sukie followed the others to a round table. The enticing aromas of home-cooked food swirled around her. Her mouth watered at the sight of Brunswick stew, pulled pork, and Barbequed chicken breasts on the mounded plates waitresses carried by. In good spirits, she waved to a neighbor.

  During the meal, Carol Ann kept everybody entertained, telling them about some of the men who’d responded to her singles profile.

  “So which man are you going to date on Saturday?” Sukie asked, after taking a last bite of fried okra.

  Carol Ann knotted her hands together. “Well, Rodney suggested we meet for coffee tomorrow at the Mall of Georgia. I’m gonna check him out and then meet John—the one who works for the insurance company—for a drink later that day.” Her face lit up. “I never knew this could be so much fun!”

  “Be careful,” warned Lynn. “Some women have dated real losers.”

  “Oh, but Carol Ann can have her choice of dates,” Tiffany said, defending her. “Her picture on the internet is really cool. It’s that new hairdo.”

  Carol Ann trailed her fingers over the sleek chin-length haircut Henri had given her and shot Sukie a grateful look. The new style did all kinds of wonderful things to her eyes, giving her a whole new appearance.

  “Enjoy yourself, but Lynn is right,” said Sukie. “Some of these guys aren’t trustworthy. I’ve heard all kinds of stories about men stealing money away from women they’ve met on-line. That, and a lot of other crazy tales.”

  Carol Ann stuck her chin out, like a stubborn two-year-old. “Y’all, I’m going on as many dates as I can. You don’t know what it’s like sitting home night after night with my parents. Boring with a capital B! That’s over, thank God.”

  Betsy piped up. “Like Mae West said, ‘Too much of a good thing can be wonderful’. I say go for it, Carol Ann.”

  Sukie joined the rest in laughter.

  Lynn checked her watch. “We’d better head back to work, ladies.”

  Tiffany held Sukie back. “I need to talk to you.”

  “You go ahead,” Suki
e called to the others. “I’ll drop Tiffany off on my way back to the library.”

  Sukie sat back down and signaled the waitress. She came right over.

  “What’cha want, hon? More coffee? Decaf, right?”

  Sukie nodded.

  In seconds, the waitress was back with an orange-handled pot. She poured Sukie more coffee and left.

  A whitish wisp of hot steam rose from Sukie’s cup and caressed her face. Sukie inhaled, took a cautious sip and waited anxiously for Tiffany to speak.

  Tiffany leaned forward, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I’m thinking about having an abortion,” she said softly.

  The coffee turned sour in Sukie’s stomach. She set her cup down. “Is...is that what you want?”

  Tiffany shook her head. “I don’t know what else to do. If I go ahead with the baby, I’ll never be able to leave Beau. He still doesn’t know I’m pregnant. Do you know what he gave me for my anniversary present? One diamond earring. A huge one. I get the second one after the birth of our first child.”

  “That’s awful!”

  “Probably his mother’s idea.” Tiffany took a deep breath. “I hate her, Sukie. And I think she hates me. No matter what I do, it isn’t right. And if I hear her talk about poor little Tiffany being a diamond in the rough one more time, I swear I’m going to frickin’ kill her.”

  Stunned by the venom in Tiffany’s voice, Sukie sat back in her chair. “Look, I know hormones go crazy when you’re pregnant but, Tiffany, I hate to hear you talk that way. Do you really mean it?”

  “About the abortion?” Tears filled Tiffany’s eyes. “Probably not. I can’t even step on ants. How could I hurt my baby? It’s just that I have to get out all my anger before I burst. I’ve never felt this way before.”

  “Have you been to a doctor yet?” Sukie studied the dark smudges under Tiffany’s eyes.

  “No, because the minute I make an appointment, Beau will know. I’ve taken three pregnancy tests, wishing they were wrong.” Her eyes welled again. “I never dreamed I’d be feeling this way. I’ve always wanted a family, in my own good time and with a man I was sure I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. How could I have been so stupid as to marry Beau? I guess I was blinded by everything—the way he looked at me, his background, everything.” Tiffany’s sigh wavered in the air, a sad note from a song gone wrong.

  “Perhaps you can talk to your minister,” Sukie said, searching for ideas.

  Tiffany warded off her words with a raised palm. “You don’t understand. I can’t talk to anyone else about it. Once Beau’s mother finds out, any sense of freedom is gone.”

  “Tiffany, you can’t hide this forever. Chances are she and Beau will find out you’re having his baby. Think about it. Then decide where you want to go from there. Maybe Beau will be so excited about fulfilling his parents’ wishes that things will be better between you.” Even as Sukie said the words, she doubted it would happen.

  “What should I do, Sukie?” Tiffany’s eyes loomed large in her fine featured face.

  Sukie took a deep breath. “Well, I don’t think you should do anything rash. How would you feel if you did end the pregnancy?”

  “Awful, just awful.” Tiffany’s cheeks drained of color. “Oh, God! I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Tiffany dashed into the bathroom, leaving Sukie shivering at the table. Her insides felt as if a frigid winter wind had blown through her.

  Pale and silent, Tiffany emerged from the bathroom. Her hand cupped her stomach. Watching Tiffany’s hand move in gentle circles over the slightest bulge, Sukie felt the tension inside her ease. Whether Tiffany was aware of it or not, she’d already begun to comfort the baby.

  Sukie dropped Tiffany off at work and headed back to the library. Her thoughts strayed to Ted and the baby he’d recently started with Emmy Lou. It seemed so wrong that he should be able to have a whole new family after ditching hers. Now that he was about to have a baby with a younger woman, he strutted around town like a glowing ad for Viagra.

  ###

  Darkening skies brought the afternoon to an end. Sukie headed home, grateful for her job. Weekends had become an agonizingly long period of time, but now she’d be busy.

  She pulled into her garage, parked the car and walked down to the mailbox. As she stood there, a white Lexus SUV pulled up beside her.

  Cameron Taylor opened the front passenger’s window of his car and leaned toward her. “I heard about the Nighty Night bedtime story program you’ve started at the library. Is it too late to sign up Chloe?”

  “No, it’s fine. The more the merrier.” Sukie leaned in the car window to talk to Chloe in her car seat. “It should be fun, honey. Come dressed in your jammies, all ready for bed.”

  Cameron gave Sukie a dazzling smile. “Thanks. It’s a great idea. ‘Gives parents the chance to have time to themselves.”

  Sukie nodded. “It’s nice for the kids, too.”

  Cameron gave her a little salute and slowly pulled away.

  Sukie watched the car travel down the road. The man did everything for his daughter. And he was hot. The way his leather jacket fit across his broad shoulders, the honey-colored hair, the slight cleft in his chin...

  She let out a sigh. “Get real, Sukie.”

  At the mailbox, she lifted out a bunch of envelopes. Bills, bills and more bills. A white sheet of paper floated to the ground. She leaned over and picked it up. Scrawled across it in bold, black letters was the single word HELLO.

  A shiver did a spidery dance across Sukie’s shoulders. The friendly word didn’t seem friendly at all.

  She looked around, but the street was empty and no one was in sight.

  CHAPTER TEN

  LYNN

  Lynn wandered around her apartment admiring all the nice things she’d been able to gather together- items she’d bought at garage sales or at thrift shops. She picked up the small blue statue of the virgin mother from the end table by the couch and put it back down, uncertain what she believed anymore. The empty picture frame sitting nearby was a token of all she’d had and lost. She kept it out on display to remind her of the need to be careful.

  Of all the places Lynn had lived in the past, this one had become most like a real home to her. She hoped to be able to stay in Williston for a long time, but she wasn’t sure if she could. It was always that way. She’d just start to feel settled then something would come up and she’d worry about staying too long in one place and being found.

  Lynn’s heart shriveled at the idea of leaving. The ladies in the Fat Fridays group had become so dear. Their friendship was a real breakthrough for her. In the past, she’d never let anybody get so close to her. But each woman in the group was willing to accept her as she was—a woman all alone, restless and unsure of the future. Here, with them, she’d found something near contentment.

  Sinking onto the couch, Lynn hugged a pillow to her, thinking of the little girl she’d once held close. She felt tired, so tired, from constantly running and living a nightmare few would imagine.

  She wanted to stay in Williston. She really did.

  Only time would tell if she could.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SUKIE

  Sukie awoke with fresh purpose. She’d always loved books—delighted in tracing the words across a sentence, inhaling the smell of the ink on the pages, holding the weight of the pages in her hand. As a child growing up in a small town, reading had played a big part in her life. She’d found it a joy to share that love of the written word with her children, to let them witness the unraveling of a story. Now, she’d get to share that same joy with lots of other children.

  She hurried through her daily routines and went to the library, where she took up a morning post behind the circulation desk, helping to check out books, sorting returned books and answering questions as simple as the location of the rest room. It felt good to be working...until Katy Hartmann walked in.

  Sukie cringed and looked for a way to escape. Too late.

/>   Katy waved and came right over to the desk. She’d casually thrown a pink sweater over a white tennis dress, which showed her long legs to good advantage, nicely honed from Emmy Lou’s Pilates class, no doubt. Her eyes gleamed like those of a lizard that’d just spotted a juicy, fat fly.

  The memory of Katy’s’s smugness as she’d spread the news through town about Ted’s affair sabotaged any good intentions on Sukie’s part to be friendly.

  Katy fluttered her eyelashes, and Sukie thought of bees, not butterflies. “Sukie, it’s true. You are working here. I heard the news at the last meeting of the women’s club.”

  Sukie nodded and remained silent, desperate to avoid conversation with her.

  “Say, I hear there’s a new guy in town. All the women are talking about him. And, Sukie, he’s right down the street from you. His name is Cameron Taylor. Does it ring a bell?”

  “I’ve met him.” Sukie fought to control the heat that shot defiantly to her cheeks. “He seems real nice. He’s got an adorable little girl. I haven’t met his wife yet.”

  Katy blinked, and her lips spread in a sly smile. “Sukie, he has no wife. He’s single. That’s why all the women, single or not, are going gaga over him.”

  Single? Sukie’s mouth went dry. Why hadn’t he ever corrected her talk of a wife? She felt like a fool.

  “Well, I’ve got to go.” Katy wiggled her fingers at her. “Just thought I’d stop by and say hello on my way to pick up fresh flowers. We’re having a dinner party tonight. Catered, but still, I’ve got a lot to do.”

  Sukie feigned a smile. Once, she and Ted would have been included in Katy’s dinners.

  “Have fun!” Sukie forced herself to say, but the words got stuck in her throat.

  ###

  After a quick supper, Sukie hurried to the library to greet the dozen or so children who’d signed up for the bedtime story hour. There, she arranged a number of pillows on the floor around the small stool she’d chosen for herself and paced the floor, awaiting the first arrival.

  By seven o’clock, most of the children had appeared. Two overly excited boys began to hit each other with their pillows. Sukie pulled one of them aside, talked quietly to him, and placed the other boy close to her feet where she could watch him.