Joy in the Journey

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "Can we? That would be so awesome. I love doing mother-daughter things with you." Rebecca stopped and sat back in her seat. "Is it okay that I said that?"

  "Absolutely."

  "Is it weird that sometimes I feel guilty being so happy with you as my mom?"

  Polly pulled into a parking space down the street from the salon. She stopped the car and turned in her seat. "Your mother wanted you to be happy. What do you think she would say?"

  "She'd tell me that it's okay, that I'm supposed to move on with my life, but then there are times when it's like I forget her. No, that's not it. I don't forget her. I'll never do that. But it's like I'm not thinking about her and all I'm thinking about is how much fun I'm having. And she isn't here to have fun with me. Then I feel guilty."

  "It's not weird for you to have these feelings. But no one expects you to be sad or morose all the time because your mother died when you were so young." She chuckled. "And if you come across someone who does think that's how you're supposed to live, run away. Run fast. I was lucky to have Dad. He made it okay for me to have fun. I absolutely loved Mary Shore. She was a lot like a mom to me. Probably not as much as I am to you because Dad was still there, but we were close. I remember feeling guilty sometimes because I couldn't wait to come down in the morning to see her and have her hug me. And there were times I couldn't wait to get home from school because I had something I wanted to show her. The thing is, Mary let me do all those things and when I had questions about my mother, she was ready with answers. She let me talk if I needed to."

  "I don't talk about Mom much," Rebecca said. "It's kind of hard, because you only knew her when she was sick, so you don't know all of the things that we did before we came to Bellingwood. There's nobody that knows my mom except me."

  "Tell me one thing you remember from before you moved to Bellingwood. One little memory you have of your Mom."

  Rebecca pursed her lips and thought. "It was in the summer. I didn't have to go to school and it was really a bright, sunny day. I remember because Mom pointed it out. We went for a drive. Yeah, we went to go get ice cream. But there wasn't any in the town where we lived, so we had to go somewhere else. It was a long ways away. After we got our ice cream …"

  Polly interrupted her. "Do you remember what kind of ice cream?"

  "I had chocolate chip. Mom's favorite was weird. She got one scoop of banana and a scoop of mint chocolate chip. She always let me lick some of hers."

  "Go on."

  "We went to a park and sat at a picnic table. There were a bunch of kids playing in the play area and I wanted to swing. Mom told me we had to finish our ice cream first because it would melt, but once I was done, we went over to the swings. She sat in the one beside me and held my hand while we went back and forth. Huh," Rebecca said. "I'd forgotten all about that."

  "I'm going to put the story into my notes program on my phone and email it to you. What if you were to start deliberately thinking about little memories from your time with your mother. Especially those before you came to Bellingwood. If you're at school and don't have time to write them down, just put a couple of words on a piece of paper that will help you remember. When you get home, take the time to put the story in your journal. Before you know it, you'll have a bunch of memories that you can share with all of us and we'll get to know your mother."

  "That is such a good idea." Rebecca reached across and hugged Polly. "At least we aren't crying this time."

  "No kidding." Polly stopped her before she got out of the car. "Have you ever done any sketches of your mother from memory?"

  Rebecca looked at her hands, shaking her head. "I'm so afraid that I won't remember and it will come out dumb."

  "Maybe you ought to try it sometime. No rush. Just give it more thought and don't reject the idea. I'll bet the boys would love to see what she looked like."

  "What if it isn't really her?"

  "It will be all of her that you have inside you. That's what's important."

  "Now you're going to make me cry," Rebecca said.

  Polly chuckled. "No, I'm not. What color do you think I should have them paint my nails?"

  "Bright orange?"

  "What? Are you kidding? That is so not my color."

  "You asked. What color do you want to paint them?"

  "Clear. No color."

  "Oh, come on. We have to compromise somewhere between those two things. You should totally do a cool color. Like electric blue or some crazy purple."

  Polly thought about the colors she was going to ask for tomorrow when Mina colored her hair. Blue or purple would be terrific. "Okay, we'll talk about it. What are you going to do?"

  "Something different on every fingernail. It's not like it's permanent or anything."

  They walked into the salon. Mina waved at them from her station where she was cutting a girl's hair.

  "That's Lesa Moore," Rebecca said in an undertone. "She's a senior."

  "Do I know her?"

  Rebecca looked up, chuckling. "I don't know, do you?"

  "I mean, do I have a reason to know her?"

  "Probably not. She plays basketball. She's not in band or choir or drama."

  "Do you like her?"

  "She's fine. Hangs with a different crowd, you know."

  Nonni came around from behind a screen. "Hi there. Guess who gets to do your manicures today? Me."

  "I figured you'd be busy."

  "It would normally have been Gia," Nonni said with an edge to her voice that Polly didn’t understand. "Sick or something. I shuffled schedules and made time. How's my little girl?"

  "She's good," Polly said, knowing Nonni was asking about Cassidy.

  "When she's asleep?" Nonni asked.

  Polly laughed. "How'd you know?"

  "That's what my daddy always used to say about me. I was the best little girl in the world when I was asleep." She sighed. Something was bothering her, but Polly didn’t know how to press for more information. "Come on back. We'll get you set up."

  "We're patient," Rebecca said. "This is the first time we've ever done this together."

  "I should have planned better," Nonni said. "Cakes and coffee. Made it a party."

  Polly was thinking that she certainly could have used more coffee. She'd not had near enough today. Then it hit her. "What if you got Rebecca started and I ran down to the coffee shop." She stopped herself when she saw Rebecca's face. "No, I'll be fine."

  "Really. We have coffee here," Nonni said. "It isn't as fancy as Sweet Beans, but I'd get you a cup. We also have pop in a machine in the back. Do you want something, Rebecca?"

  Rebecca looked at Polly, who shrugged. They didn't drink much pop at the house. In fact, she rarely had any there at all. Kids had really messed with her Mountain Dew habit.

  "I'd love a Diet Coke," Rebecca said.

  "On it. Sit and get comfortable. I'll be right back."

  When they sat where she'd directed them, Polly turned to Rebecca. "Why are you drinking diet pop?"

  "Calories."

  "You don't have anything to worry about. I didn't say anything in front of Nonni, but that is the last thing you should be worrying about these days. You don't diet on the sly, do you?"

  Rebecca frowned at her. "Not really."

  "Does that mean you do it sometimes?"

  "I guess."

  "Why?"

  "Everybody worries about what they look like. Kayla. I mean, she needs to lose weight. I don't ever say anything, but it's like she looks at me funny when I have regular food. And you know, girls always talk about it."

  "Well, I want you to stop talking about it," Polly said. "Do you hear me discussing weight issues?"

  "But you look great."

  "Thank you," Polly said with a laugh. "We eat sensibly and we're always doing something, keeping busy, exercising without making a big deal out of it. It is as unhealthy to obsess over your weight as it is to be overweight. Does this make sense?"

  "But what about Kayla?"

  "
Honey, whatever Kayla has to deal with, she has to make it her own. You can't fix it for her, and you can't feel guilty because you don't have the same body shape that she does. You can, however, make sure that she knows how beautiful she is. Without question. Not because she loses a pound or two, but flat out. She's beautiful. End of story."

  "Libby is terrible. She's always worried about eating real food. She brings celery and carrots to school and that's all she eats sometimes."

  "That is so bad for her. How can a person concentrate during class if they're hungry? You girls are so amazing, you don't need to be fretting about how you look."

  Nonni had walked up as Polly spoke. "High school girls and weight loss?" She handed the can of diet pop to Rebecca.

  Polly nodded and accepted her coffee.

  "It's the absolute worst thing in the world. So many girls come in here and they are stick thin. I happen to know that boys like a little meat on the booty." Nonni patted her behind. "Give 'em something to …" She stopped herself. "Never mind."

  Both Polly and Rebecca laughed with her.

  "Mina and I talked about putting together a presentation on beauty for the high school next year. I don't know if they’d let us do it, but I want those girls to understand that God don't make no mistakes. Their beauty on the outside starts on the inside. And all we do is show 'em how to show that off."

  "That would be really cool," Rebecca said. "If you can't do it at the high school, what if we organized a girl's day at Sycamore House in the auditorium. You could talk to us and show us how to do makeup. Maybe like before one of the big dances. Then, girls could make appointments to get their hair done if they want. I wonder if there are speakers out there who would come talk to us about self-esteem. Really make it a big deal."

  Nonni glanced at Polly. "You're talking about an event that could be way cool."

  "We'd sponsor something like that," Polly said. "Invite a few girls to be on a planning committee with you. I know things will be busy for a while until you get into the new salon, but maybe after that."

  "Just a second," Nonni said. "I need to make a couple of notes about this so I can talk to Mina." She patted Rebecca's knee. "You'll be on the committee, right?"

  "Yeah. And Polly too. Won't you?"

  Polly nodded. "I can help find sponsors."

  "This would be such a great way for us to give back to Bellingwood," Nonni said as she walked away.

  "Where did that come from?" Polly asked.

  "Just popped into my brain."

  "I love you, my little brain popper."

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Rested and content, Polly was thrilled with how this spring break was working out. Since none of her family really knew where she was supposed to be during the day, she didn't have to explain to anyone when she took off with Cassidy Wednesday morning. She was leaving her daughter with Marie and Molly for a short time while she headed to the salon. She still wasn't sure what colors she'd end up with, but who cared? It was crazy, it was wild, and it would be awesome if she didn't talk herself out of it. She hadn't even told Henry. How had she gotten to be this old without ever putting color into her hair? What a boring person.

  Cassidy was excited to see Molly and Marie. Jessie was doing just fine, with no symptoms of a concussion. Bill had been overly protective. He loved those girls like they were his own family.

  After Polly dropped Cassidy off, she had just enough time to run to Sweet Beans for coffee.

  "Good morning," a girl called out from the counter as Polly walked in.

  Polly nodded and smiled, then looked around to see who was there. The greeting was effusive, even for Sweet Beans, so she wondered what the general consensus of the room would be. No one seemed to notice, caught up in their own conversations.

  Amber Gerassee and Barb Houser waved at her and she responded with a wave and a smile. She didn't know them well. They were part of the Girls Rule group and she regularly saw them and their families at church. Darcey Landon was seated at a table with two young girls, probably her daughters. Darcey worked at the feed store. There were more high school kids in here today. Rebecca would be disappointed that she wasn't out and about if she wasn't still in bed.

  "How can I help you?" the girl asked. She hadn't been there long enough to have a personalized name tag.

  Polly pointed at the pastry case. "I need two dozen of anything. Mix it up. Muffins, brownies, cupcakes, scones. I don't care what you put in the box. And a large black coffee."

  "You really don't care?" the girl asked.

  "Not at all. What's your name?"

  "I'm Josie. If I don't know you, it's because I just started yesterday. Are you a regular here?"

  Polly grinned. "I sure am. Sometimes more than once a day. I'm Polly Giller."

  Josie nearly dropped the box. "Oh," she said. "I should have known that. I'm sorry."

  "No need to apologize. You're doing very well for your second day here."

  "I was a barista in Iowa City before we moved to Bellingwood. This is such a nice shop."

  "Your family moved here?"

  "Yeah." Josie’s face fell. "I don't know if we’ll be able to stay, though. My husband was supposed to have a job at a plant down in Boone, and the week we moved into town, they stopped hiring and put him on furlough. Kinda freaked us out. This job will be okay for a little while, but our savings won't last long."

  Polly could have sworn this young thing was still in high school. Were her perceptions really that far off? "What does your husband do?"

  "He's kind of a jack of all trades. He had a welding job lined up, but he can do anything, you know." She sounded so proud of him, it was fun to see.

  "Construction?"

  "Sure. He worked for a company when we lived in Iowa City. He wanted to advance, but then this job came up and since his family lives in Jefferson, it was a good move."

  Polly took out her business card and put it on the counter. "Send me his resume. I don't know if anything will come of it, but my husband's construction company is growing and we need to hire. What's his name?"

  "Gavin Riddle. This is really nice of you."

  "Tell him to get it to me today or tomorrow. We're looking at people this week." Polly slipped some cash from her pocket.

  "You don't pay," Josie said. "Camille and Mrs. Donovan both made sure I knew that."

  Polly smiled. "I may not pay, but I tip. Thanks a lot and it's nice to meet you."

  "Nice to meet you, too. I'm going to ask Camille if I can take five minutes to call Gavin. He'll get that resume right over to you."

  "Perfect. Thanks." Polly took up her box and her coffee and headed for the door hoping she hadn't just made a huge mistake. She hadn't offered anyone a job, right? Just an opportunity to apply for one. If he wasn't anything that Henry wanted to hire, she'd just let him know to keep looking. Sheesh, being an employer got awkward sometimes.

  She walked down the street to the salon and went inside. Mina was standing at the front counter.

  "Are you ready for a fun day?" she asked.

  "I brought a bribe," Polly said, handing over the box of goodies. "Be gentle."

  Mina laughed out loud. "We're going to have such a good time. Come on back. You'll never believe who's here."

  Polly frowned. "Someone's here?"

  When she turned a corner, Polly grinned. She'd recognize those long legs anywhere.

  Sal had her back to Polly and her eyes closed. The young stylist stepped back, and Polly put her hands on Sal's shoulders, making her friend jump.

  "Polly!"

  "If I'd known you were here, I'd have brought coffee to you." Polly held hers out. "Do you want to split this with me?"

  Sal leaned forward and picked a travel mug up from the counter. "I came prepared. I tote my own mug these days. Helping the environment one cup at a time. Are you checking up on me? I'm fine, you know."

  Mina pointed to the chair at the station next to Sal.

  "I have to do this with her watching over m
y shoulder?" Polly asked.

  "Might as well," Mina said.

  Sal turned to look at Polly in the face, rather than in the reflection of the large mirror. "Why? What's going on?"

  "Tell her," Mina said. "She’ll know in a few minutes anyway."

  "Mina is going to color my hair."

  "Get out," Sal said. "You? My properly frumpy friend?" She patted her own head. "Style and natural color doesn't happen by itself, you know."

  "I'm not frumpy," Polly said with a frown. "Quit picking on me."

  "When have you ever done anything with your hair? Go on. Tell us."

  "Mina cuts it for me."

  "Every six weeks whether you need it or not. You haven't changed your style since you were in college. You're beautiful and all that, but come on. Are you going to cut it, too?"

  Mina looked at Polly and shrugged her shoulders. "Depends on the client."

  "No cutting," Polly protested. "Isn't it enough that I'm adding color?"

  "What kind of color?"

  Polly bit her lips and then grinned. "Maybe blue or purple low lights." She turned to Mina. "Is that right?"

  "That will work. And blonde highlights to set them off."

  Sal stood up and, putting her hands around Polly's below-shoulder-length hair, said, "What if you were to cut it to just at the shoulder, then layer everything, including her bangs. If you really want color, do that in layers, putting the wildest colors underneath. You could put some deep reds and maybe bronzey blonde on the top layers. You're going to leave her natural color, just blend, right?"

  Mina nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

  "If you did reds, purples and bronzes, those would be gorgeous accents. It would be a great place to start," Sal said. "If you want to do something different the next time you come in, at least you'll have a baseline to start from."

  "How do you know so much?" Polly asked.

  Sal dropped Polly's hair back to her shoulders, spreading it out. "I've been reading fashion magazines and having my hair dyed my entire life. I love salons. Now that Mina's here, there's finally one in town that does more than color and style little old ladies and prepubescent cherubs." She sat back down. "Sorry, Gia. I'll sit still now."