by Ashton Lee
“I’ll admit to either one,” Connie said, surveying the table with a smile. Then the landline rang, and Connie rose from her chair. “I’ll get it.”
The others continued to chat while Connie took the call in the kitchen. When she returned a few minutes later, the shocked expression on her face and the shaking of her head told everyone that she had just received some bad news.
“What is it, honey?” Douglas said, putting down his fork.
“That was Parker Place at Cherico Memorial,” she began, her voice unsteady. “The baby came early. Two months, in fact, Parker said. They had to do a C-section, and the baby’s in the NICU. He says it’ll be touch and go for a while. Preemies are never good news no matter how much technology you have at your disposal. I was assigned the NICU once or twice in Nashville, and I witnessed some heartbreaking things that I’ll never forget.”
“Is Periwinkle all right?” Maura Beth said.
“Parker says she’s pretty doped up right now since she was just transferred from the recovery room, but she came through the C-section okay.”
“Can she have visitors?”
“He said to give her a day or two. He’ll keep us posted, and he wanted us to spread the word to everyone else.”
“What a horrible Thanksgiving for them,” Susan said. “I can’t imagine.”
“You can’t take anything for granted with babies,” Connie said. “We always assume they’ll get here without any problems, and then there’s the old adage about the right number of fingers and toes, but that’s just not the case sometimes.”
Maura Beth leaned back in her chair as far as she could, perhaps for comfort as much as anything else; then she focused on Susan and Paul. “Elise, Periwinkle, and I have truly bonded over the past several months. We’ve been going to the library and checking out every pregnancy book we can find. Our favorites so far are What to Expect When You’re Expecting and The Happiest Baby on the Block. Elise and I would be totally crushed if anything happens to Periwinkle’s precious baby. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Then let’s don’t. Positive thoughts only, please,” Elise said.
“Yes, let’s all give thanks for what we have and wish only the best for Parker and Periwinkle and their baby,” Maura Beth added.
“How about a moment of silence around the table? ” Connie suggested. And everyone followed through, bowing their heads before resuming their meal.
* * *
The next afternoon, Maura Beth, Jeremy, and Elise were the first to visit with the Places at Cherico Memorial. Parker had made the executive decision to close The Twinkle for the weekend, as he wanted to devote all his time to his wife and baby girl. Periwinkle had protested briefly, but he would have none of it. At the moment, Periwinkle was sitting up in bed looking composed with a presentable-enough smile, but it was difficult to tell if she truly was that much in control or if she just wanted to put on a game face for her friends.
“Have you seen the baby yet? ” Maura Beth said after leaning down and kissing her best girlfriend on the cheek.
“We’ve both seen her just once,” Periwinkle said. “She’s so tiny, and there are all these wires connected to her. She looked like some kinda science experiment, and we had to go in with masks on. It scares me to death, and I’m not one to scare easily as y’all know. Just call me the original Annie as in ‘get your gun.’ But . . . isn’t she lovely, Parker?”
“You’re quoting Stevie Wonder now,” he said. “I always hoped that song would come in handy for me one day. And now we have this little café au lait angel.”
“Do you have a name for her yet?” Elise said.
“We thought we’d name her after Parker’s mother— Ardenia Bedloe Place,” Periwinkle told them all. “Bedloe was Parker’s original last name before he changed it, as y’all prob’ly remember. And then we thought we’d shorten Ardenia to Denia. I know I’ve never heard that name before. Whaddaya think?”
Elise beat Maura Beth to the punch. “I really like it very much. I’m naming my little girl Celice. Denia and Celice. I like them both. A little something different in the scheme of things.”
Maura Beth raised and then waved her hand. “Don’t forget that Jeremy and I are calling our little boy, Liam. So that’s three that are off the beaten path for The Free Sample Sisters.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” Periwinkle said, brightening a bit.
Elise raised her index finger. “All for one, and one for all.”
“Have the doctors told you how long the baby will be in the NICU?” Jeremy said, injecting a serious note.
“At least a week or two. Maybe longer than that. She really is the tiniest thing I’ve ever seen. The nurse said she was less than three pounds. She was supposed to stay with Peri a little longer before coming out, of course. Seems there’s an issue with her lungs right now, but, of course, they’re doing everything they can to help her breathe,” Parker said.
“We wanted you to know that we got in touch with most of the original Cherry Cola Book Club members, and they all said they were going to visit you to keep your spirits up,” Maura Beth said. “You know you can count on all of us. As a matter of fact, Voncille and Locke Linwood are waiting to see you next. They’ll only allow so many in the room at a time, you know.”
“The more the merrier,” Periwinkle said, but her words sounded forced.
Parker did not sound particularly carefree either. “Let’s not go overboard, Peri. Visitors within reason.”
“Do you want me to tell Voncille and Locke you’re not up to more visitors right now? They could come back later, if you want,” Maura Beth said. “You’re the important one here.”
Parker echoed her concerns and exhaled. “Tell me the truth now, Peri. Are you really up to it?”
Periwinkle sat up straighter, her smile widening. “No, I’m fine. I’d love to see Miss Voncille and Locke. They’re such an adorable couple, and I got such a kick out of the two of them finding love at their age, even if they did run off and elope. I would have loved being a part of their wedding.”
“I would, too,” Maura Beth said. “But true love waits for no one, whether you’re seventeen or seventy.”
Now there was a gleam in Periwinkle’s eyes. “Or something in between like Parker and myself.”
* * *
Voncille and Locke Linwood were standing on either side of Periwinkle’s bed, solicitously smiling down at their good friend. “We won’t take up too much of your time,” Locke told her. “The nurse told us you needed your rest.”
“She really does,” Parker said, wagging a finger at his wife from the foot of the bed. “But it’s hard to convince her of it. I don’t think she realizes what she’s been through. She thinks she’s Superwoman.”
Periwinkle shot him a disdainful look. “Well . . . I am. But it’s not about me, Parker. It’s all about our baby. She’s all that counts now.”
“But I’m sure you do want to be in tip-top shape when she comes home with us, don’t you?”
“You do make a good point there. That does make sense,” she said, softening her attitude and then taking a sip of her water through a straw.
“Anyway,” Voncille said, “Locke had something he wanted to share with you. We’re both sure it will make you feel better about the baby.” She pointed to her husband with a sweep of her hand. “You’re on.”
Locke stood up tall and cleared his throat, the very picture of the snowy-haired, Southern gentleman who people listened to and admired. “What I want you to know is that I went through what you’re going through with my first wife, Pamela, may she rest in peace. Our son, Locke Jr., was premature, too. It really threw us for a loop. Back then, the technology wasn’t nearly as advanced as it is now, but our son came through with flying colors. It took a while, and we had to be patient. The days seemed like months to us, but we just kept on believing that everything would turn out all right. And it did, of course. We didn’t have the same problem with our daughter, and we were thankful
for that. But both Voncille and I are betting that your sweet, little baby will be home with you before you know it. If there’s anything at all we can do to help you out now or later, just let us know. You can count on us.”
“Thanks so much for the encouragement and for sharing that story with me. We’re naming her after Parker’s mother and calling her Denia,” Periwinkle said, reaching out to grasp Locke’s hand. Then she grabbed Voncille’s hand on the other side, linking the three of them as the genuine friendship flowed through them. It reflected both the camaraderie of the book club and years of interacting with one another at The Twinkle. “That means a lot to me.”
“You know, I think the smartest thing any of us did was to join The Cherry Cola Book Club. Maura Beth is really a genius,” Parker said. “Peri and I were a little behind the curve at first, but we couldn’t stay away once we attended that first meeting and ate that delicious food and saw what a fun time everyone was having. My mama couldn’t get over it when she joined since she couldn’t even use the library when she was growing up. If you were black, you couldn’t get a library card. Anyway, the club brought us all together in a way nothing else could have, and now we have a brand-new library and Cherico’s got a brand-new spirit because of it all.”
“Most of us were there when Justin Brachle had his heart attack year before last,” Periwinkle added. “Becca’s told me over and over how much our support meant to them at the time.”
“Yep, I remember that terrible night, and how we all crowded into the waiting room hoping for some good news,” Voncille said, a pall overtaking her. “And then we got it when we found out Justin had been stabilized just before they took him up to Nashville to fix him up good as new. Then he lost all that weight and has kept it off ever since. Becca’s so proud of him. I think his biggest incentive has been hanging around for that precious little son of theirs.”
“Yes, Markie’s a cutie,” Periwinkle said. “He’s already being spoiled with Maura Beth as his godmother.”
“Speaking of which,” Parker began, “would you two consider being the godparents of our little Denia? Peri and I have been talking about it for a while now, and your dropping by to share that story with us seems like the perfect opportunity to ask you. So, do you need some time to think about it, or can you give us an answer now? We don’t want to rush you.”
Locke and Voncille exchanged surprised glances, but their smiles appeared quickly. “We don’t need to think twice. We’d be more than honored,” Voncille said. “Right, Locke?”
“Yes, we would. A child can’t have too many people loving her.”
Parker clasped his hands together, and Periwinkle applauded lightly. “Wonderful,” Parker said. “We were pretty sure you’d be on board.”
“Just let us know where and when, and we’ll be there,” Locke told them, puffing out his chest.
* * *
The remainder of Periwinkle’s visiting hours were sprinkled with brief drop-ins from some of her many friends: Connie and Douglas McShay, Justin and Becca Brachle, and Marydell Crumpton from the book club, and Renette Posey and Emma Frost from the library. But Periwinkle decided to shut it all down an hour early.
“I’ve had enough for one day,” she told Parker, making a playful slash-the-throat gesture with her index finger. “Tell the nurse that’s it. And I also want you to go home and get some rest and decent food. You’ve been curled up on that sofa all night, and I’m worried about you.”
“No, I’m not leaving you or Denia for a second,” he said, the defiance clearly registering on his face and in his tone.
“Please,” Periwinkle continued. “Just to please me? You know I’ll call you if anything happens. But you’ll make me feel a lot better if you’ll take care of yourself. Is that too much to ask? Living off those vending machines out there is just not gonna cut it. And I know you haven’t slept a wink. Every time I woke up, you’d be over there staring at me.”
“I wasn’t staring. I was just keeping an eye on you.”
“I appreciate that, but I have an entire hospital staff at my disposal to do that.”
Parker finally gave in. “All right, then. But you have to promise to let me know the second anything changes with you or the baby.”
She raised her right hand. “Promise, and I cross my heart and hope to . . .”
She did not finish the sentence, making a thin line of her lips as she saw the pain creeping into Parker’s face.
“I love you, sweetie,” he told her, recovering and leaning down to give her a kiss.
“I love you, too.”
Finally, he was gone, and Periwinkle lost no time in calling Maura Beth. In fact, she had not grown tired of her visitors. They had brightened her day and lifted her spirits, and she would gladly have received more until the end of visiting hours. But she had something on her mind that she just had to try, and there was no one else to turn to but her closest friend in Cherico.
Less than ten minutes later, Maura Beth stood at her bedside with a hopeful expression on her face. “You said you wanted me to do something for you?”
Periwinkle pointed to a chair against the wall. “Maybe you should pull that over and have a seat.”
Maura Beth looked puzzled but quickly complied. “You sound as mysterious as you did over the phone.”
“Sorry about that part. But you’re the only one I really feel comfortable with about this.”
“We’ve been able to tell each other anything since I came to Cherico over eight years ago, and there you were at The Twinkle to welcome me. I don’t know how I would have stuck it out at the library with Councilman Sparks breathing down my neck all the time without you,” Maura Beth said with a smile in her voice.
“Best friends forever.”
“So tell me what you want me to do. I’m about to die of curiosity.”
Periwinkle had another sip of her water and took a deep breath. “Well, it’s my mother. As you know, she didn’t attend our wedding, and she’s never even spoken to Parker. I think I told you about how she reacted when I drove over to Corinth to let her know we were having a baby girl. It just tore me up real bad the way she rejected me. It was like talking to a brick wall.”
“Yes, I was so sorry to hear about that. I know what it’s like to have issues with your mother.”
Periwinkle began to tear up. “Maura Beth, I just can’t face her—either in person again or even over the phone. But something inside me keeps saying that I need to try again and let her know about her premature grandchild. I keep hoping that maybe that’ll turn my mama around. Maybe she’ll start pulling for my baby to come through. Do you think I’m crazy to hope for that?”
Maura Beth took Periwinkle’s hand briefly. “No, I don’t think you’re crazy at all. And I think maybe you’re right to exhaust everything before giving up on her. If I were in your position, I think I’d feel the same way.”
Periwinkle took a Kleenex from the nearby table and blew her nose before answering. “Maybe this is asking too much, but this is where you come in. Would you call my mama for me and tell her what’s happened? If you don’t want to, I’ll understand, and I guess I’ll find the strength to tell her myself. But it’d sure help me out if you could do it. Parker would prob’ly have a fit if he found out I was still trying to bring her around. He thinks we oughta just go on with our lives and not worry about her, and he might be right. But what if there’s this tiny little chance she has a change of heart?”
“That’s the hardest thing in the world to change, you know. I mean, someone’s heart. And it can break your heart to try,” Maura Beth said.
“I expect you’re right.” There was an awkward pause. “But will you at least try for me?”
Maura Beth took Periwinkle’s hand again and squeezed it gently. “Yes, I’ll do the best I can for you.”
“Thank you, girlfriend.” Then Periwinkle exhaled. “Just don’t say anything to Parker one way or the other. Maybe you better not say anything to Jeremy, either. If my mama
comes around, I’ll have to work on bringing her and Parker together. I just hope I have the chance to do it.”
“Don’t worry about me talking to Parker or Jeremy. This will be strictly between us.” An impish grin spread across her face. “After all, we’re not only members of The Cherry Cola Book Club, we’re two of the three Free Sample Sisters, and that means everything.”
“Well put.”
Maura Beth held her hand out. “Just give me your mother’s number, and I’ll call her tomorrow when I get to the library. What I think I’ll do is look out over the lake from my desk and let that calm me enough to follow through for you. A big body of water always does that for me. There’s something reassuring about the way the sun hits the surface all through the day when there are no clouds. Yeah, I’ll admit I sometimes get distracted, but it’s the best kind of distraction. It gets me so energized that I think I can accomplish anything I want.”
Periwinkle’s laugh seemed almost carefree. “That was damned near poetic, Maura Beth. Like something out of a novel. I guess that’s what you get for living with an English teacher.”
* * *
The time had come for Maura Beth to make that all-important call to Mama Kohlmeyer in Corinth. But she had been putting it off since she had settled in behind her desk just after nine o’clock the next morning. The patrons and staff kept giving her excuses to postpone her promise to Periwinkle. First, front desk clerk Renette Posey came to the door with a complaint from an older man who had been unable to get access to any of the computer terminals from the minute he arrived.
“He says he needs to Google something right away and that it’s an emergency,” Renette told her boss in that sweet, teenaged way of hers.
“Did he tell you what the emergency was?”
Renette’s expression went all full of dubious creases. “Something about thinking he has a contagious disease because of his symptoms. He says he’s been coughing up a lung—his exact words now—all night and day. He’s hacked a coupla times in front of me for sure. If he does have something contagious, he hasn’t done any of us any favors by coming here and spreading his germs.”
