by Rhett DeVane
“Donald!” She rose and rushed to the patio door, hesitating briefly a few feet in front of him. “Donald, it’s good to see you.”
“C’mere.” He welcomed Karen into outstretched arms. They embraced, rocking slightly for a few moments.
She pulled back and studied her fiancé, a question lingering in her expression. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips, and then cradled her head close to his heart.
“I have someone, actually two someones, who want to see you.” He grasped her by the hand and led her inside through the main house into her grandmother’s suite.
Taizer spotted Karen immediately and emitted a series of piteous yowls, each ending in an exclamation. She scooped the tabby into her arms and nuzzled between his ears, cooing in a soothing tone.
“The big yellow one is under Mama’s bed,” Evelyn said from the doorway. She placed two china saucers filled with albacore tuna beside a crystal water bowl. Taizer struggled to gain freedom and Tequila peered from her position on the floor beneath the edge of the quilt.
“Okay, okay.” Karen deposited Taizer in front of the proffered fish. After a quick nervous glance around the room, Tequila emerged and hunkered down to eat.
“Well! Don’t that beat all! I thought they’d be glad to see you after such a long time,” Evelyn commented, her hands propped on her hips.
“Not cats, Mama. They’re not the same as dogs. There will be a customary period of guilt-tripping before I’m allowed anywhere near their good graces.”
She turned to Donald. “Certainly, you didn’t bring both of them down in your car. You poor thing!”
“Tequila rode with Simpy in the station van. I had the extreme pleasure of Taizer’s company for five hundred miles. I may never be the same.”
“Why don’t we let the little darlings settle in while we have some lunch?” Evelyn suggested. “Donald, the guest bathroom down the hall to the right has clean towels if you want to freshen up.”
“Did you know about this?” Karen asked her mother after D. J. left the room.
“Don’t go getting upset, honey. Donald called with the idea, and I thought it might lift your spirits having your pets here. He checked with me first to make sure I’d allow them in the house.”
Karen smiled. “So, this is what Hattie had up her sleeve. Wait until I get a’hold of her.”
“I called her. Donald was going to stay in a motel uptown, and I wouldn’t hear of it. I tried to talk him into staying here, but he didn’t want to make you feel he was edging in on you. Hattie and Holston have the spare bedroom and bath. There was no need of Donald being cooped up in some dingy motel room.”
Evelyn studied her daughter for a moment. “That young man worships the ground at your feet, Karen. No matter how you feel about yourself right now, you can at least thank him for coming all this way to see you.” Her brows knit in concern. “Aren’t you the least bit glad to see him?”
“Yes, but—” Karen caught a glimpse of her reflection in the antique oak mirror above the bureau. “Look at me!”
Her mother’s face set in a determined expression Karen had seen often during her torturous adolescence. “Let me tell you one thing I know to be perfectly true, young lady. If you plan on ever marrying, he is going to have to see you at your best as well as your worst. It’s all about thick and thin, standing by each other no matter what life throws your way. Who do you think is going to bring you a cup of chicken broth when you get the stomach flu and have been hanging over the toilet for hours? Who’s going to see you first thing of a morning with your hair all matted down, night-fuzz on your teeth, and no makeup on? Huh?”
“Well. ”
“That’s right! Mama had a saying. Of course, she had a saying for just about any situation. ‘Life really is a bed of roses. You just have to learn to work around the thorns.’”
Krystle Nakoa settled into an overstuffed geometric-print chair. “Why don’t you take the wicker love seat? It’s perfect for meditation.”
Karen perched on the edge of a striped cushion. “I’ve never done this before, unless you count the visualization exercises Hattie’s been teaching me.”
Krystle shrugged. “About the same, really. Sit back and get comfortable. You look like you’re ready to bolt out of here. My hair that scary?” She pointed to the massive swirl of raven braids and multicolored cloth strips hanging like clusters of overripe grapes. “I was in a Carmen Miranda mood this morning when I got up.”
The print of the therapist’s sweeping sundress was equally tropical: vivid red hibiscus, deep green palm fronds, and rainbow-hued macaws. Karen smiled and eased into the soft cushions. “I like the look.” She ran her hand across her scalp. “I’ll be happy to have hair again so I can wear some kind of funky ’do.”
The counselor reached over and rested a hand on Karen’s shoulder. “All of this will pass. In the meantime, collect a load of wild printed bandanas. The way I figured it when I was bald—people notice anyway, so why not stand out and really give them something to focus on?”
“It was just beginning to grow back. Now, with starting chemo . . .” Karen frowned. “I had really hoped and prayed I wouldn’t have to go through that again.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Six more rounds. Six more freaking rounds.”
“That’s the reason I want to introduce you to this particular meditation.” She sipped from a tall pottery mug. “I used it a lot when I was trudging through the tough spots.” She hesitated. “It’s difficult not to feel like a victim. At least, it was for me.”
“I feel like I’m not safe, and will never be safe again.”
“Exactly. You willing to give this a go?”
Karen shrugged. “What do I do?”
Krystle hit the power switch on a compact disc player. Soft ethereal harp and flute music filled the cozy, plant-furnished room. “Close your eyes. Become aware of your breathing, in and out.”
Led by the counselor’s even-timbred voice, Karen followed a series of suggestions to relax her scalp and facial muscles, moving slowly down to her toes. Her body felt leaden, sinking into the thick cushions.
“In your mind’s eye, see a house. This is your dream home, your perfect place. A safe haven to be at one with your spirit.”
A log cabin with a long covered front porch appeared in Karen’s vision. Flower beds with tall stands of Black-eyed Susans and trailing purple passion flower vine trellises bordered a slate walkway. Two split cedar rocking chairs with ivy-printed cushions awaited. The surrounding woods were a thick, lush green, but friendly—unlike the deep dark forests of the cave dream.
“You are walking up to the front door. It is unlocked, so you step inside.” Krystle’s voice coaxed her forward.
The room she entered was bright and open, filled with filtered sunlight from four tall windows. Gleaming wooden floors shone at her feet. An oval woven rag rug filled the sitting area in front of a ceiling-to-floor stone fireplace.
“In this room, you can place things that bring you joy.”
Karen noticed the cats. Taizer crouched beside the hearth holding a stuffed mouse in his paws. Tequila slept curled into a tight ball atop a crocheted afghan on one end of a pillow-filled couch. Throughout the room, plants were suspended from wooden split-log beams, and pots of wildflowers were nestled between rows of books.
“This room is your safe place, and you can visit any time to rest and feel at peace.”
Donald’s face appeared in Karen’s vision. A slight smile curled the edges of his mouth. His eyes—soft brown, filled with love and compassion. She free-floated for a time, comforted by his presence.
“When you are ready, gently allow your awareness to come back to this room. The sofa beneath you, the feel of your body healthy and calm,” Krystle’s voice said.
Karen opened her eyes.
The counselor smiled. “Have a nice visit?”
“Very.”
Krystle tipped her head. Several braids swung in time. “Anything you want
to share?”
“Donald was there.”
“My mother’s middle name was comfort. She used food, especially sweets, to mend every bruised knee and broken heart. I must’ve needed a whole lot of comforting growing up. Trouble is, I still head for the kitchen when I’m feeling down. Doesn’t take a shrink to tell me what that’s all about. Not that I’m blaming my mother for my weight issues. Not at all. Love and food just go hand-in-hand in my world.”
Big Will Cooke
Chapter Thirty
Simpy rapped on Will Cooke’s door and stuck his head into the executive director’s office. “I’m outta here, boss man!”
“Step in here a minute, Simpy. I’ve got something to show you.” Will plopped the morning edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the desk. “You seen the paper?”
Simpy shook his head. “Been holed up working on the first half of Karen’s cancer video. Haven’t seen outside in—” he checked his watch, “—eighteen hours.”
“Take a gander at the headline.” Will jabbed a finger at the bold print on the first page.
“Terrorist attack suspected at National Informant offices,” Simpy read. “Jeez!”
“Yeah. Take a close look at the center photo. Recognize the bubble-headed blonde?”
Simpy squinted. “Trisha Truman? I’ll be damned.” He jerked his head to flip the long ponytail back over his shoulder. “Finally, she’s made the headlines.”
“She was on the early news, too. Came out of the building supported by two paramedics. Practically swooned when she noticed the camera crews.”
“What happened? Bomb?”
Will shook his head. “Nope. Seems an envelope was mailed to Trisha containing white powder and a threat of some sort. They immediately evacuated the offices and called in a HAZMAT team.”
Simpy’s thick eyebrows shot up. “Anthrax?”
Will shrugged. “Remains to be seen. They’re processing the scene. It’s live on CNN.”
Simpy frowned. “Why the hell would terrorists target a smut rag like the Informant? The post office, federal buildings, IRS, I can see but—”
“My thoughts exactly.” The springs on his leather chair complained loudly as he leaned back. “Maybe Trisha has finally bumbled onto a real news story.”
Simpy dismissed the absurd idea with a wave of his thin hand. “Whatever. You need me to do anything before I leave for Florida?”
Will shook his head. “Just send my regards to Karen. I sure hate it, her having such a time with this.”
“Me, too. D. J.’s with her. Don’t know if it’ll make it any easier on her, but he seems more content. Karen’s another story. She’s all over the place—up one minute, down the next. If he can hang in there through this, it’ll be a miracle.”
An idea came to Elvina as she sat stewing on the meditation bench. A bolt of white-hot summer lightning inspiration struck her right between the eyes: the perfect gift for Wanda’s wedding.
She glanced heavenward. “I know that came from you, Piddie Longman, and I thank you for it.”
Wanda Orenstein had everything a body could need. And if she didn’t, Pinky Green did. Elvina was galled at the thought of wasting money on worthless gee-gaws and dust-catchers. Her gift would have a deeper meaning.
Elvina reached into the pocket of her denim skirt for a small cell phone. “Wish you’d’a lived to see the likes of this, Piddie. A telephone the size of my palm. Wonders never cease.”
She jabbed a shell-pink fingernail to access the stored memory, then dialed a number in Birmingham, Alabama.
“I need the rest of the day off,” Elvina said. She stood with her feet firmly planted, hands on her broad hips.
Mandy glanced up from the shampoo basin where Sue Ellen Sales’s soap-lathered head rested. “Hot date?”
“I got somewheres to be at two.”
Mandy massaged Sue Ellen’s hair into a frenzy of foam. “Where you off to in such a hurry?”
Elvina sniffed. “None of your bees-wax.”
Mandy tilted her head. “Dang, ’Vina. No need to go getting snippy. I really don’t give a hoot if you need to leave. The voicemail can pick up.”
Elvina’s lips drew into a pout. “If you must know, I’m going to the airport over in Tallahassee.”
Sue Ellen squeezed her eyes shut. “Hey, careful Mandy! You done got soap in my eyes.”
“Sorry hon.” Mandy dabbed her patron’s face with a white hand towel. “That’s what comes from being interrupted from my work.”
“Well! Excuse me for living!” Elvina turned to leave.
“Oh, come on, ’Vina!” Mandy called. “I didn’t mean nothing by it.”
Elvina spun around.
“Seriously, why the airport? You flying off into the wild blue yonder?” Mandy grinned wickedly. “Why don’t you just take your broom?”
Sue Ellen chuckled beneath the stream of warm water Mandy aimed at her hair.
“Miss Smarty Pants, very funny. For your information, I’m working on my gift for Wanda, one me and Lucille came up with about the same exact time.”
“Count me in, then. I can’t figure for the life of me what to get her. Let me know what you spend, and I’ll go in half.”
Elvina shook her head. “This is mine, and mine alone, Mandy Andrews. You’ll have to have your own brainstorm.” She tucked her straw purse under one arm and left the hair salon.
Mandy wrapped a thick dry towel around Sue Ellen’s wet hair and sat the chair upright.
“What was she all het up about?” Sue Ellen asked.
Mandy shrugged. “Beats heck out of me. Elvina’s always got something going. Lord knows what she’s having imported. Heaven help poor Wanda.”
“I don’t remember my mama cooking anything for me and Tameka. Maybe she did, when she was around. I mostly took care of us until we came to live with Grandma May-May. She made teacakes. They were these little puffed-up cookie kinda things, and the whole house smelled good when she baked them. May-May passed last year. Now, me and Tameka stay with my uncle and auntie. Auntie Alicia knows how to make teacakes, too. I think my uncle taught her. She made them a lot when we first moved up to Birmingham after May-May passed. I liked Auntie Alicia right off because of her teacakes. It was like a little part of May-May was watching over all of us.”
Moses Clark
Chapter Thirty-one
Wanda Orenstein peeked from the front window of the farmhouse. The dappled shade cast by the widespread branches of a live oak tree provided cool respite for the gathering crowd. Her stomach rolled. “What the hell am I getting ready to do?” She took several deep breaths.
Mandy tapped her foot. “I don’t know, Wanda’loo. If you don’t sit your butt down and let me finish your hair, you’re going to be doing it looking like a wet poodle.” She jabbed the rat tail comb toward a mirrored vanity. “Sit!”
Wanda perched on the velvet-cushioned seat. “Is this the right thing, Mandy? Me getting married again? God knows, I haven’t had such a good track record.”
Mandy sectioned off a hank of hair and curled it around a brush. “You just picked the other fellas from Loser-ville.” She spoke in a loud voice to compensate for the drone of the blow dryer. “Pinky’s the charm, hon.”
A slight smile tugged at the corners of Wanda’s hot pink lips. “He is a good guy.”
“And sweet, to boot. I’ll bet you’ve lost track of how many roses he’s sent you. And cook! A man who can cook! You are lucky beyond all belief. You could be marrying my Bull. His idea of hot romance is sweaty sex after spending the afternoon down the river fishing.” Mandy chuckled. “Sometimes, the very smell of bait makes me hotter than a three-peckered billy goat.”
They giggled like teenagers.
“You seen Elvina Houston today?” Mandy asked.
Wanda shrugged. “Not yet. I can’t believe she’s not here. She usually shows up an hour ahead of time.”
“She’s up to something big. I couldn’t wedge a word out of her.”
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Lucille Jackson grasped Karen’s hands. “Don’t you look pretty, Miz Karen. Your mama make your dress?”
Karen nodded.
“And that bandana to match. Believe that’s even better than a hat.”
Evelyn stepped up beside the two women. “You like it?” She reached over and adjusted the lace-trimmed band. “I’m thinking of starting a line of ELF-wear head wraps. I sent one to Glenda Nelson over at the American Cancer Society in Tallahassee. She liked it so well, I plan to sew up a few to donate for women who are going through chemotherapy.”
“A wonderful tithe, Miz Evelyn.” The Reverend Thurston Jackson smiled and shook her hand. “The Lord finds ways to use our talents if we take a moment to heed the call.” His ebony skin glistened with a sheen of perspiration beneath close-cropped white hair.
A horn blasted three times. Elvina Houston slid the Oldsmobile to a dust-raising halt. “Am I late?” she yelled from the car’s lowered window.
“Near to it, Elvina,” Evelyn called back.
Elvina swung her long bony arm from the window. “C’mere!”
Evelyn walked over and peered into the back seat. “Lord A’Mercy! Look who’s here!” A broad smile spread across her face.
“Help me. I need to hide them out of sight till Wanda comes down.” Elvina jumped from the car and slammed the door.
Evelyn propped her hands on her hips. “What do you want I should do, ’Vina? Poke ’em under my slip?”
“No, no. Of course not. Just check to see Wanda’s not near a window, and we’ll run up and stand on the other end of the porch till she comes out.”
Evelyn motioned to Karen. “Get up there and peek in the front door. See where Wanda and Mandy are at, then wave if the coast is clear.”
