by Debby Mayne
I glance at Jack’s empty ice cream bowl and shake my head. “I better put somethin’ in the oven then, so we can eat when your daddy gets home.”
Jack gets up, grabs the drivers’ test study book, and leaves me alone in the kitchen. His bowl still sits on the table. I mumble as I carry it over to the sink and run some water in it. No matter how many times I remind him to clean up after himself, he still acts like he’s got a maid. Pete says it’s my fault for pickin’ up after him, but I keep tellin’ him that if I don’t, our house will be condemned by the health department. That always gets a laugh from Pete, and then I wanna throw somethin’ at him, but I don’t ’cause I’d have to pick up the broken pieces, and I already have too much to do as it is.
I work hard on preparing a healthy meal that the family will eat, but it’s challenging to cook without so much cheese. Especially the vegetables. My young’uns grew up eatin’ all their veggies smothered in cheese, and now they act like I’m tryin’ to poison them or somethin’.
Pete comes up and puts his arms around me as soon as he gets home. “What’s for supper?” he whispers in my ear before he kisses my cheek.
“Baked chicken, seasoned brown rice, and a vegetable medley.”
He leans back, crinkles his nose, and shakes his head. “I miss the old food. Can’t you cook somethin’ good once in a while?”
I don’t see a problem with an occasional cheesy casserole, so I nod. “Maybe tomorrow night.” Should I have him talk to Renee now or wait ’til after supper? Bonnie Sue interrupts my thoughts as she practically bounces into the kitchen.
“Hey, Daddy, you need to go upstairs and talk to Renee. Now.”
When I see the look of exhaustion on Pete’s face, I shake my head. “He just got home, Bonnie Sue. Give him some time to unwind.”
She makes a smart-aleck face. “He might wanna start drinkin’ again.”
“Wha—?” Pete casts a puzzled glance in my direction.
Now that Bonnie Sue has already said too much, I nod toward the door. “Pete, why don’t you go have a chat with your daughter? It’ll be a few minutes before I have supper on the table.”
Pete looks back and forth between Bonnie Sue and me before he leaves the kitchen. I wanna strangle Bonnie Sue.
“I bet Daddy hits the roof when he finds out.”
I lift the lid on the pot of brown rice and put it back. I’m gettin’ better with the healthy seasonings, and I’ve noticed the family is leavin’ less on their plates.
“Are you givin’ me the silent treatment?” Bonnie Sue asks.
I turn around, fold my arms, and try to bob my head like she does, but I still haven’t mastered it. “Now why would I go and do that?”
Pete’s been upstairs for near ’bout five minutes, and I still haven’t heard a peep from him or Renee. That worries me. Bonnie Sue’s sittin’ at the kitchen table, flippin’ the pages of a fashion magazine she talked Pete into subscribing to for her.
I wipe my hands on the dishrag. “Keep an eye on supper, Bonnie Sue. I’ll be right back.” When she doesn’t even bother to look up, I tap on the table until I get her attention. “If you smell somethin’ burnin’, turn off the stove.”
I’m about halfway up the stairs when I hear whimperin’. “Daddy, I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“I know you didn’t, sweetie, but the good Lord sometimes makes things happen, even when we don’t want them to. Where is Wilson?”
That’s exactly what I want to know. I get to the closed door of Renee’s bedroom and stop, plasterin’ my ear to the door, but I still can’t make out what she’s sayin’.
26
Priscilla
I’ve been at Mother’s for two days, and she’s still annoyed that I interrupted her date with Mr. Barrymore. He didn’t stay long after I arrived, but he’s been back for a visit. Seeing him touching Mother gives me the creeps. I know it’s not deemed inappropriate now, but it still seems so wrong to me.
Apparently Mother hasn’t been comfortable letting people know about her new boyfriend because when I mention it at work, Sheila looks surprised. “I had no idea.” If anyone in town knows something, Sheila does. “You can’t really blame her, though. Mr. Barrymore is an attractive . . . older man.”
I shudder. Who would ever look at a high school principal and think attractive? Certainly not me. The way he tries so hard to gain my approval only makes things worse. I don’t need flowers from a man I don’t want my mother dating. And to think I used to see him as a man of authority who deserves respect.
Fortunately, I don’t have any appointments until tomorrow, so I can check on Laura and see if she needs anything. Tim says he’ll be in Piney Point as soon as he can get away from the office. Apparently, his uncle plans to take a break from fishing to mind the office while Tim’s gone.
A split second after I step up on the Moss’s front porch, the door flies open, and their youngest child, Jack, runs out. Pete is right on his heels.
“Hey, Pete. Is Laura home?”
“Yeah, go ahead and let yourself in. Me and Jack’s goin’ for a drive, and I hafta get back to work before lunch, so I gotta run.”
“Okay.” I stand there and watch Pete back out of the driveway in Laura’s car. Instead of letting myself in unannounced, I knock on the door, open it a few inches, and call out. “Anyone home?”
“Yeah, I’m in the kitchen. Come on back.”
When I walk in, something seems strange about the place. It’s a little too orderly and quiet to be the Moss’s house—especially for a summer day.
Laura is sitting at the kitchen table, staring at a page in a fashion magazine. Something is definitely not right here.
“Hey, Priscilla. How ya been?”
“Um . . . ” I glance around at the sparkling countertops. “Just fine. How about you?”
“Couldn’t be better.” She fakes a smile. Ah, now I can relax. It’s all a show.
“So tell me what I can do to help with the reunion.”
She tilts her head to one side. “Aren’t you s’posed to be doin’ people’s hair this week? Last I heard, folks was gettin’ on a waitin’ list, hopin’ you’d have some cancellations.”
“Not today. I start tomorrow. I told Sheila I was working on reunion stuff.”
“There’s nothin’ to do. We got all the place cards made, and we’re havin’ it catered.” She closes the magazine and leans back. “Want some coffee?”
“That would be good.”
She points to the coffeepot on the counter. “Then help yourself. The mugs are in the cupboard above the coffeepot.”
I pour myself some coffee and carry it over to the table. “Mind if I sit here?”
“Of course, I don’t mind.”
Once I sit down, I look at her, and she smiles but doesn’t say anything. “So how are the kids?”
She scrunches up her forehead. “Why? Have you heard somethin’?”
Ooh, touchy subject. “No. I just wondered how they’re doing. Didn’t your oldest son go into the military?”
“Yeah, Bubba’s in the Army. He just left for boot camp.”
“So how does he like it?”
Laura shrugs. “We haven’t heard from him yet.”
“How about your girls?”
Her expression tenses up even more, so I know I’ve hit on a sensitive topic. “Bonnie Sue is . . . well, she’s Bonnie Sue. She hasn’t changed much.”
“Does she still want to be a hairdresser?”
“Are y’all talkin’ about me?”
I look up and see Bonnie Sue coming toward us, so I stand and reach for a hug. She practically throws herself into my arms. “It’s good to see you, Bonnie Sue.”
“I can’t believe you’re actually here in my kitchen.” The look of adoration on her face embarrasses me. “I’m callin’ my friends.”
Laura points to an empty chair. “Sit down, Bonnie Sue. She’s here to help with the reunion.”
“Have you told her about Renee?�
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“What’s going on with Renee?” I ask.
You’d think I hurt one of Laura’s kids by the way she turns on me. “What’s going on with Renee is none of your business, Priscilla.”
I’m about to apologize when Bonnie Sue laughs. “Mama, it’s not a secret no more. Wilson’s been braggin’ all over town that he knocked her up.”
“You done said too much, Bonnie Sue. Go to your room.”
Bonnie Sue gets up and grumbles all the way to the door. “It’s not like the whole world doesn’t already know.”
Once we’re alone, I turn to face Laura who won’t look me in the eye. I’d give her a hug if I thought she’d let me. “Laura, I’m sorry if I came at a bad time. Would you like me to leave?”
She turns and faces me head-on, and I see her eyes mist over before a tear trickles down her cheek. “No, you might as well stick around, now that the cat’s outta the bag. And you might as well know my life hasn’t exactly been a picnic lately.”
Laura’s life has never been a picnic, but she’s managed extremely well . . . at least, much better than I would under the circumstances. “There are worse things than your daughter being pregnant,” I say, instantly wishing I’d kept my mouth shut. “I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me.”
“No, you’re right.”
“How’s Pete taking it?”
Laura shrugs. “Much better than I am. I think he’s happy that Wilson doesn’t want anything to do with Renee.” She lifts her arms and lets them fall back to the table in obvious frustration. “ ’Cept to brag about what he did to my daughter.”
“If you want to talk about anything, I’m a good listener.” That’s something that I had to learn as a hairdresser.
“How ’bout you talk to Renee?” A flash of hope flickers in Laura’s eyes. “Maybe you can work some magic, like you did with Bonnie Sue.”
I wouldn’t exactly call what I did with Bonnie Sue magic. After she shoplifted a skirt, I brought her back to the store to talk to the manager. Chatting with a pregnant teenager is different. But I can’t turn Laura down at a time like this.
“I’ll be happy to. Just let me know when.” Maybe she’ll forget.
“How about now? She’s up in her room. We can’t get her to come out . . . not even to eat.”
I swallow hard. “Okay. Which room is hers?”
“The one with the sign on the door that says Keep Out.” She gestures toward the door. “Why don’t you go on up?”
I pause for a moment, take a breath, nod, and forge ahead. One of the few things in life that intimidates me is a child—even teenagers—unless they’re sitting in my salon chair, and even then I’m somewhat nervous. It’s so hard to know what they’re really thinking or if something I say might mess them up for life.
When I get to the top of the stairs, I clear my throat loud enough for anyone on the second floor to hear me. It takes me the better part of three seconds to find Renee’s door. I knock on the door.
“Go away.”
“Renee, it’s me, Priscilla Slater. Can we please talk?”
“What are you doin’ here?”
Um . . . I have no idea what I’m doing, but I don’t want to tell her that. “I just want to chat with you for a few minutes.”
Silence in situations like this makes me nervous, but fortunately, I don’t have to wait long before she opens the door. “Did my mama tell you to come talk to me?”
“Yes.” I’m not about to lie to a teenager who, as I remember from personal experience, will be able to see right through me at the first hint of an untruth. “I promise I won’t stay long, unless you ask me to.”
She flings the door open but wastes no time in running across her room and flinging herself over her twin bed. I stand in the doorway, not knowing what to do at first. When she doesn’t bother to look up at me, I close the door and walk toward her bed.
After another few seconds of silence, she props her head on her hand and starts talking. “He told me he loved me, and I believed him. Now look at what a mess I’m in. My life is ruined.”
“I don’t think your life is ruined, Renee. You have a family that loves you. They’ll be here for you no matter what.”
“But I can’t hang around here forever. I’m gonna be a mama. I hafta go find a job and an apartment, and . . . ” She sniffles and casts a quick glance in my direction before flopping over on her back to stare up at the ceiling. “There’s so much I hafta do, I don’t know where to start.”
“Why don’t you make a list? You might find that it makes things less daunting.” I watch her for a while before adding, “That’s not all you’re worried about is it?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know how to have a baby. It scares me half to death.”
I totally understand what she’s saying. I’d be afraid too, as I’m sure most women are. “You’re not alone, Renee.”
“Do you think Wilson will ever love me again?”
“I suspect Wilson never stopped loving you. He’s probably just as scared as you are.”
“Then why did he take off as soon as I told him I was pregnant?”
“Because he can.” I lower myself to a sitting position on the edge of her bed. “But for obvious reasons, you can’t. If he chooses not to come back, it’s his loss.” I know this deep down, but I’m not sure Renee believes me.
She sits up and looks at me with more hope in her eyes than I feel. “Do you really think he might?”
“There’s no way for me to know since I’ve never met Wilson, but one thing I do know is that you have your whole life ahead of you. It’s up to you to come to terms with your situation and make the most of what God has given you.”
“You sound like Daddy.”
“I do?” I can’t imagine Pete saying those words. He must have changed more than I realized.
“I thought he’d kill me and then go after Wilson, but he took it better than Mama did. She says I’m too immature to have a baby.”
“The best thing you can do right now, Renee, is to prove her wrong. Show her how grown up you’ve become.”
Renee lifts the corner of her sheet and dries her tears. “I’ll try.”
I open my arms toward her. “Hug?”
She flings herself into my arms, nearly knocking me over. Once I’m past the shock, I discover I actually like being hugged by this woman-child. “If you ever feel like talking, give me a call.” I reach into my handbag, pull out a card, and jot down my personal cell-phone number. “I almost always have my phone with me, except when I’m on air.”
She smiles as she studies the card. “This is so cool. I have my very own personal TV star to talk to.”
The Moss girls are way too easily impressed by fame. “Just remember you have to work hard for whatever you really want, and if that’s what the Lord wants for you, you can have it.”
After I leave, I go to Mother’s house. It’s the middle of the day, so I’m surprised to see her sitting in the kitchen.
“I thought you were teaching this summer.”
“My first class isn’t for another two hours.”
I open the fridge and pull out some ham and cheese. “Want me to make you a sandwich?”
“No, I just had breakfast.”
The conversation between us has always been somewhat stilted, but it’s worse than ever now. I finish making my sandwich, cut it in half, and carry it over to the table. Before I have a chance to say a word, she starts in on me.
“If you don’t like my choices, why don’t you just go stay with your father?” Mother’s chin juts in a defiant expression.
Mother is well aware that Dad has a one-bedroom apartment, so my staying there is not an option. Besides, ever since their divorce, I’ve seen things differently. I once blamed the tension on Mother, but now I realize how unsupportive Dad was and know he was at least half of the problem. “I don’t want to cramp your style, so I’ll probably not be around much.” I hear how childish I sound, but when it comes to my m
other’s love life, I can’t help it. She’s always brought out the worst in me, and that’s obviously not going to change any time soon.
27
Celeste
You wanna ride in the backseat, sweetie? It’ll be a lot easier if you wanna lie down.” Jimmy looks at me with concern. Ever since I told him I’m pregnant, you’d think I was fragile.
“Honey, you know I get carsick in the backseat.”
“I got you some gingersnaps and ginger ale like that lady at the doctor’s office told me to do. Maybe that’ll make you feel better.”
“I feel just fine . . . right now. Let’s just get goin’, and maybe I won’t get sick.”
Jimmy points to a small trashcan lined with a grocery store bag. “We’ll bring that just in case.” My husband would make someone a fine mama.
All the way to Piney Point, Jimmy hounds me with questions. “How you feelin’?” “There’s a convenience store. Want me to stop?” “Need help putting your seat back so you can close your eyes?”
I appreciate all his concern, but what I really want is a normal conversation about anything but my pregnancy. It used to bug me that all we used to talk about was his company, but right now I’d give anything to hear how one of his clients had to increase surveillance on one of their employees.
“Have you been thinkin’ about names?” Jimmy casts a brief glance in my direction before turning his attention back to the road.
“It’s too early.” I sigh. “We’ll need to wait ’til they can tell if it’s a girl or boy.”
“We can make two lists—one with girl names and one with boy names. That way we’re prepared.”
“Why don’t you do that?” He obviously won’t let up on this subject, so I figure why bother fighting it. At least this is somethin’ that’ll keep him busy.
He nods. “Okay, and I’ll start now. I been thinkin’ we might wanna use family names. My great-uncle Harvey sure would be happy to have a young’un named after him.”
“Harvey?” I shudder, and then I remember he has another uncle named Gaylord. “Maybe.”
“You don’t like the name Harvey?”
“It’s a great name for your uncle, but I’m not so sure about namin’ our baby that.”
