by Rhett DeVane
“That’s a good thing for Elvina. She’s been a lost soul since Mama died. Used to talk to her on the phone several times a day when they weren’t eye to eye.” Evelyn turned to face her daughter. Fine lines formed around her eyes as she smiled. “You can’t grasp how very proud I am of you, honey.”
Karen’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Mama.”
“Don’t tune up and cry, now. You’ll ruin your mascara.” She handed Karen a delicate embroidered handkerchief. “I’m just so blessed to be able to come up here to share this wedding with you and Donald.”
“Mama, just because we live in another state, doesn’t mean we can’t stay in touch. There’s email, and we’ll visit, and you and Daddy are always welcome here, any time. I’ll not be a stranger to you and daddy, not ever again.”
Careful not to crush the corsage of miniature white sweetheart roses pinned on her linen jacket, Evelyn hugged her daughter. “My sweet girl, you never were a stranger.”
“This is the most important thing I have to tell you, gal. In the end, all that matters is love. Be sure to surround yourself with folks you love, and who love you. All the rest is just so much fool’s gold. Looks pretty on the outside, but it ain’t the real thing.”
Excerpt from audiotape,
the late Piddie Davis Longman,
made for Karen Fletcher
Postlude
Karen watched the pink-shirted Women’s Abreast dragon boat team file past. Most she now knew by name, if not by story. Following the success of the Journey Through documentary, she and Simpy had once again embarked on a fact-finding mission to record the intricacies of dragon boat racing, with emphasis on the women’s cancer survivor crews. D. J. and Karen’s Canadian trip had evolved into a working vacation, and the four friends had made the best of it.
“You ready?” Jason asked. Stephanie smiled from behind him, holding a heavy equipment bag.
Karen nodded and released a single pink carnation. The bloom floated on the surface, soon joining others cast into the water in memory of the ones who had fought the brave fight.
“Love to you, Margaret Bronson . . . and Godspeed.”
About the Author
Rhett DeVane is the author of two published mainstream southern fiction novels: The Madhatter’s Guide to Chocolate (Rabid Press, November 2003) and Up the Devil’s Belly (Rabid Press, November 2005). She co-authored a vampire parody, Evenings on Dark Island (Infinity Publishing, March 2010) with Larry Rock. The political thriller, Accidental Ambition (Infinity Publishing, July 2010) co-authored with Senator Robert W. McKnight, was honored with one of the Premier Book Awards for 2010. Two short fiction pieces appear in the anthologies Forever Friends (Mandinam Press, 2008) and Forever Travels (Mandinam Press, 2010)
Rhett is an active member of the Tallahassee Writers Association. She was a presenter in the 2004 Newbie Authors panel at the Harriette Austin Writers Conference (HAWC) at University of Georgia, and a session presenter for the 2007 HAWC. She presented a session at the 2010 Tallahassee Writers Conference. Rhett was the featured speaker for the 2008 Women Making Magic Awards in Tallahassee, guest author for the 2006 Gadsden County Author’s Dinner, and speaker at the 2004 Florida Professional Business Women’s Association convention in Orlando, Florida.
Rhett DeVane is a true Southerner—born and raised in the deep, muggy, bug-infested pine and oak forests of the Florida Panhandle. For the past thirty-plus years, Rhett has made her home in Tallahassee, Florida, located in Florida’s Big Bend area, where she is a practicing dental hygienist. Rhett donates a portion of her royalties to a local Tallahassee breast cancer support group.
A Few Words from Rhett . . .
“As I create a novel, I am often reminded of my mama’s homemade chicken vegetable soup. Each pot was unique, depending on the ingredients handy to the cook and her mood. Stories come to me from different sources—a humorous line here, a poignant tale there—and I blend them into the plot, mold them to the characters. Reality peeks through the pages, as it should, and breathes life into the narrative.
“Mama’s Comfort Food is the third book in a series of Southern fiction novels set in my hometown of Chattahoochee, Florida. Though the characters and plot are fictional, the setting is real—the lovely, tree-lined small southern town where my two siblings and I spent our formative years.
“When I first had the idea for this series, I considered using a fabricated setting. Then it occurred to me: what better place to play out a series of humorous and heartfelt Southern stories than a close-knit town with only two stoplights and a state mental institution on the main drag, a place where my parents lived, laughed and loved for over fifty years? Perfect!
“To the townspeople of Chattahoochee: you have always held, and continue to hold, a special place in my heart.”
Please visit Rhett’s website:www.rhettdevane.com. The door’s always open, the tea is sweet, and there’s a porch rocker waiting for you.
