The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

by Fannie Flagg

December 31, 1964

  IT WAS FIVE degrees outside and snowing when Peggy Threadgoode, a redhead with freckles, walked in the door with the mail from the PX and called out “Hey, Bud, we just got Dot’s Christmas letter.”

  A tall blond man with brown eyes looked up from the medical chart he was studying. “Oh, great. How are they doing?”

  “I don’t know yet.” After she’d hung up her hat and coat, Peggy came in and sat down beside him, opened the letter, and started reading.

  After a moment she said, “They’re doing fine. They still seem to like it down there in Fairhope. She says she got Idgie’s honey and oranges from Florida….Jessie Ray Scroggins is getting divorced again.”

  “Oh, too bad. Poor guy.”

  “Well, I’m not surprised. You know his daddy has got to be upset, poor Reverend Scroggins. And let’s see…ah, here it is. She announced that we had a baby and named her after your mother. And says she bets Idgie is happy about that.”

  Bud smiled. “That’s nice.”

  Peggy laughed. “Then she says that she and Wilbur remember us when we were just kids, running around town barefooted.”

  Bud sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Good old Dot and Wilbur. I miss the heck out of ’em, don’t you?”

  Peggy nodded. “Yeah, I do. And she also mentions your new arm, and says she misses Christmas at the cafe, and all the fun we used to have. And she also asks if people could send her some of their happiest memories of Whistle Stop.” Peggy looked at Bud.

  “That’s a hard one, we have so many.”

  “Not really. I sure know what mine would be.”

  “What?”

  Bud smiled a wicked little smile. “A certain night out at Double Springs Lake.”

  Peggy was alarmed and started to blush. “Bud Threadgoode, you’re not going to write and tell her that!”

  He laughed. “No, but it’s quite a memory, you have to admit.”

  Just then baby Ruthie woke up from her nap and started crying. Bud ran over to the crib and picked her up. Peggy laughed and said, “You’re going to spoil that baby something awful.”

  “I don’t care. She should be spoiled,” he said, as he walked around the room, cooing at her. “Good morning, my beautiful little Ruthie. Your daddy loves you, yes he does.”

  Peggy shook her head. “Lord, Bud, you would think there had never been another baby born in the entire world.”

  “Well, there hasn’t. Not like this little girl,” he said, rocking her back and forth. “She’s special. Aren’t you, sweetheart?”

  Peggy walked over and held out her arms. “She may be special, but I need to change her diaper.”

  “Oh.” Bud reluctantly handed over the baby.

  The truth was, they were both madly in love with little Ruthie. After having waited so long to start a family, they were over the moon with joy. Bud in particular. He had wished for a little girl and he’d gotten one.

  FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA

  Christmas 1970

  Well, folks, another year and we’re still here, alive and kicking. I am anyway. Wilbur dropped a hammer on his foot and broke his toe, so he’s not doing much kicking these days. But I am happy to report that he finally went and got some hearing aids, so I don’t have to shout anymore. You try playing bingo with a deaf man.

  And now to the news of the day, as they say.

  Received a darling photo of Bud, Peggy, and little Ruthie. I can’t believe how much Ruthie has grown since last year. This new one was taken of the three of them standing in front of her daddy’s brand-new Threadgoode Animal Clinic building in Silver Spring, Maryland, where they are now living. I must say it’s good to have them back home in the old USA. It looks like a very nice building and we’re so happy to see the Threadgoode name on it. Our Bud has done very well for himself, and we are all proud of him.

  And speaking of Threadgoodes, my old friend and former neighbor Ninny Threadgoode sent me another one of her favorite Whistle Stop memories. She says she remembers Saturday mornings when Idgie used to pile all the kids in Whistle Stop into that old car of hers and drive them over to Birmingham to the movies and treat them all to popcorn and a coke. She said nobody loved kids more than Idgie. I agree.

  Sad news: Grady Kilgore, who was in Birmingham over Thanksgiving, took a ride over to Whistle Stop and reports that someone must have stolen the old Whistle Stop railroad crossing sign, because it’s not there anymore. Reverend Scroggins wrote to tell us that his son Jessie Ray just got back from the service and has wrecked another car. That makes three so far.

  On a happier note: Our old pal Opal Butts said she ran into Sipsey’s granddaughter Alberta, who is now living in Birmingham, and says that she is attending a fancy cooking school and hopes to become a chef. Good for her! Maybe she will become the next Julia Child.

  Merry Christmas, gang!

  Your faithful scribe,

  Dot

  P.S. We don’t get out to the movies much anymore. Write and tell us some good shows to look at. Wilbur and I like Carol Burnett, Candid Camera, and What’s My Line? How about you?

  KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA

  November 1971

  RIGHT AFTER IDGIE opened her new fruit and honey stand, somebody called her in Florida and made her a good offer. So Idgie sold the cafe over the phone. She only made a few hundred dollars, but it was just enough to buy the little pink stucco house right next to her brother Julian’s. It had a big screened-in porch with a white metal swan on the door that Idgie loved.

  Ruthie Threadgoode had heard a lot about her dad’s Aunt Idgie, and she received a birthday card from her every year, but she had never met her. When Ruthie turned six, Idgie sent her a picture of herself taken at an ostrich farm, sitting on an ostrich. She’d signed it Happy birthday from two old birds.

  One month before Ruthie’s seventh birthday, Bud said to Peggy, “Honey, do you think we could take a week or so off? Take a trip? I’d love to go down to Florida and see Aunt Idgie. She’s been dying to meet Ruthie, and it’s been way too long since we’ve seen her. And Ruthie needs to meet her Aunt Idgie, don’t you think?”

  Peggy said, “Absolutely, I do.”

  So plans were made, bags were packed, and the three of them headed down to Florida. When Idgie heard they were coming she was so excited she danced a little jig. By the time they got there, everybody in town and thereabouts, even strangers passing through, knew that Idgie’s little niece was coming down from Maryland to visit.

  * * *

  —

  THE DAY THEY arrived, Idgie and Julian were sitting in Idgie’s front yard waiting, both tanned from the Florida sun. Bud was glad to see that although Aunt Idgie had a few more wrinkles, and her short, curly blond hair was now snow-white, when she smiled, her sparkly blue eyes were still full of spirit, still full of the devil.

  When all the hugs and hellos were over, Idgie looked at Ruthie and said, “Well, now, if you’re not the spittin’ image of your grandmother Ruth, I don’t know who is.” Idgie winked at Bud and then looked at her again. “Ruthie, your daddy may have been the cutest baby in the world, but I can tell you for a fact, you take the prize. You are the most beautiful little girl in the world, hands down. I think you deserve a bowl of ice cream, don’t you?”

  Ruthie giggled. “Yes ma’am.”

  “Well, come on in. Your room’s ready and ice cream is a-waiting.”

  After they’d unpacked and Ruthie had opened a present Idgie had for her, they all sat out on the porch, talking and drinking iced tea. Then Idgie said, “I’ll be right back,” and got up and went inside. A few minutes later, she came walking around the side of the house carrying a little white cardboard box. Bud whispered to Peggy, “Uh-oh. Here she goes.” It was the same old trick she had pulled on every child in Whistle Stop.

  Idgie winked at them, and then said to
her niece, “Hey, Ruthie, look what I just found out in the backyard. Do you want to see?”

  Ruthie was curious and ran right over. “What is it?” She stood very still and watched with anticipation as Idgie slowly lifted the lid off the box. Inside the box, lying on a piece of cotton, was a human finger. Idgie said, “Look, Ruthie, somebody lost a finger.”

  Ruthie’s eyes widened as she stared at the finger in the box. Then Idgie said, “Oh, look, Ruthie…it’s moving.”

  Then Ruthie squealed, “Oh, Aunt Idgie. That’s your finger in there!”

  Idgie laughed and looked over at Bud and Peggy. “She’s too smart for me. I can see, I’m gonna have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool you, Ruthie Threadgoode.”

  The next day they were in Florida, they all went fishing and swimming and ate lots of seafood, and Bud, Peggy, and Ruthie all got sunburned.

  Every day afterward, Idgie would take Ruthie to work with her at the fruit stand and introduce her to everybody who stopped by. “This is my niece, Ruthie. She’s so smart, she might be the next president of the United States, or a movie star. We haven’t decided yet, have we, Ruthie?”

  A few days later, Idgie said to Peggy and Bud, “Hey, you two, I have a question. Could I borrow Ruthie for a couple of days? I promise to take real good care of her.”

  Peggy said, “Sure, that’s fine with us.”

  That night after dinner, Idgie came out on the porch and said, “Hey, Miss Ruthie, would you like to take a little trip with me tomorrow?”

  “Where’re we going?”

  “It’s a surprise, but I’ll give you a hint. Close your eyes and don’t look until I tell you to.” When Ruthie opened her eyes, Idgie had on a Mickey Mouse hat with big round mouse ears. “Guess where we’re going.”

  “Where?”

  “Disney World! I know a few of the people who work there, and we have two all-day passes to do anything we want. But we’d have to get up pretty early tomorrow. So, do you want to go?”

  Ruthie started jumping up and down. “Yes! Yes!” She looked over at Peggy. “Momma, can I go? Please, please?”

  At six-thirty the next morning, Idgie and Ruthie were on the road to Orlando to spend two days at Walt Disney World. A friend of Idgie’s was the manager of one of the hotels there, and as a surprise, had booked an entire suite for them. As soon as they checked in and unpacked, they ran out, jumped on the tram, shot over to the park, and hit the ground running. For two days straight they ate all the junk food they could handle. Popcorn, ice cream, candy, hot dogs on a stick, you name it they ate it. They rode all the rides, and rode Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Peter Pan’s Flight twice. Ruthie had her photo taken with Snow White, Goofy, and Cinderella, and both nights they went to the big fireworks display and drank hot chocolate.

  On the second day, after they had ridden in the giant tea cups, they were walking down Main Street U.S.A., when Idgie saw Mickey Mouse himself standing on the corner waving at people. She immediately grabbed Ruthie by the hand and headed over. “Hey there, Mickey. I’m Idgie and this is my niece, Ruthie, from Maryland. I sure would love to get a picture of you two.” Mickey answered in his little high-pitched Mickey Mouse voice, “Certainly, I’d be happy to.” While they were posing, Idgie said, “We sure love your place, Mickey. I’m guessin’ this is about the happiest place in the world.” Mickey did a little dance and said, “Thank you, Idgie, we think so.” Then they headed over to the Country Bear Jamboree.

  * * *

  —

  ON THE THIRD day, when they arrived back home, Idgie’s car was full of stuffed toys, Mickey Mouse balloons, two Donald Duck hats, a music box that played “It’s a Small World,” and a white plastic Snow White purse.

  As they were helping to unload the car, Peggy said to Bud, “Look at all that stuff she bought her. She is going to spoil her rotten.”

  Bud smiled. “Oh, let her. She’s only a kid once, and honestly I don’t know who is having more fun, Ruthie or Aunt Idgie.”

  The next afternoon, Peggy and Bud were watching Ruthie, who was sitting out in the front yard talking with Idgie. Several of the neighborhood children had come over and were hanging on Idgie’s every word, as she told them one tall tale after another.

  Bud said, “Look at her, Peggy. After all these years, she’s still the pied piper, isn’t she?”

  * * *

  —

  THE MORNING THEY were leaving to go back to Maryland, Idgie walked them out to the car. Ruthie had her arm around Idgie’s waist and looked sad.

  Idgie gave her a little squeeze and said, “Ruthie, now, what did I tell you?”

  “That I’m the prettiest, the smartest, and the bravest girl in the world.”

  “What else?”

  “Brave girls don’t cry.”

  “That’s right. And if these two ever give you any trouble, you call me and Aunt Idgie’ll come up and give them a good whooping, you hear?”

  Ruthie smiled a little and nodded and climbed into the back seat. Idgie turned to Bud and Peggy. “Thanks for coming to see me. I’m telling you, that little girl is gonna set the world on fire someday, you just wait and see. I just wish Ruth had lived long enough to meet her.”

  “Me, too,” said Bud.

  Idgie peered into the back seat. “Bye-bye, Ruthie. You come back and see me soon, y’hear?”

  As they pulled away, Ruthie watched Idgie wave until she was out of sight, and then she started to cry.

  “What’s the matter, honey?”

  “I don’t want to leave Aunt Idgie.”

  Peggy said, “I know, sweetheart, but we’ll be back.”

  * * *

  —

  THEY MEANT TO come back. But Bud and Peggy got busy with the clinic, and time got away from them. And on every birthday, Ruthie couldn’t wait for the big wooden box with four jars of honey and two dozen big oranges that would come from Florida with the note

  For Miss Ruthie

  Bee happy

  Love, Aunt Idgie

  But a few years later, Ruthie removed the photo of herself and Mickey Mouse that she had stuck on her vanity mirror, and replaced it with a picture of her current boy crush. And soon that magical two-week visit to Florida became just a vague memory of a happy time.

  UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

  October 1984

  MITZI GRAHAM, A cute, plump young woman in a khaki skirt, was sitting downstairs with her legs draped over the arm of a chair, smoking a Kent cigarette and complaining to her sorority sisters about her new roommate. “It’s just my luck to get Ruthie Threadgoode, the prettiest girl on campus, for a roommate. And it’s not fair. I swear, if I had her legs and my boobs, I could rule the world.”

  She took another puff. “And then there are those ridiculously long eyelashes of hers and that skin to die for. Honestly, I have to spend at least a half hour getting made up and fixing my hair before I can show my face, and she just jumps up out of bed, brushes her teeth, throws on any old thing, and heads on out the door looking like she stepped out of a fashion magazine.” Another puff. “And the worst part is, as much as I want to hate her, she’s so damn nice, I can’t even do that. I don’t think she even knows how good-looking she is. When we’re walking to class I see all the boys staring at her, and she never seems to notice.”

  It was true. Over the years, Ruthie Threadgoode had grown into quite a beauty. She had always received a lot of male attention, but by her sophomore year of college, she had begun to turn down more dates than she accepted. The boys were either too aggressive, too dull, or too something that did not appeal to her. She realized it was going to be hard and maybe even impossible for her to find someone who would be as interesting and as fun as her daddy. And so far, the boys she had been even slightly interested in had not met her standards for the kind of man she would want as a husband. So she’d made up he
r mind to stop wasting her time and concentrate on pursuing a career. She was interested in interior design and had landed a summer job working at Southern Living magazine, and this coming year had another one lined up at Better Homes and Gardens. But all those plans were made before she met Brooks Lee Caldwell.

  * * *

  —

  ONE SATURDAY MORNING, Ruthie had her towel and soap and was walking down the hall to the bathroom to take her shower. Mitzi was trailing close behind, pleading with her. “You just have to go, Ruthie. For my sake. Please? My brother said if you would go out with Brooks, he would fix me up with Tubbs Newsome. They’re frat brothers.”

  Ruthie made a little face. “Oh, honey, you know the boys at that house are not really my cup of tea.”

  “Why not? It’s the best house on campus.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, they just seem a little stuck-up and full of themselves to me.”

  Mitzi followed her into the bathroom. “Some of them are, but not Brooks. My mother knows his mother. He’s real sweet. Just one little date? Please, Ruthie. I think Tubbs is the cutest thing. If I miss my one chance to go out with him, I just might eat six dozen donuts and kill myself. Then you’ll be sorry.”

  Ruthie laughed. “Well, all right then, one date. Just for you.”

  “Oh, Ruthie, thank you, thank you, thank you,” Mitzi said.

  “You’re welcome. Now may I take my shower?”

  * * *

  —

  BROOKS LEE CALDWELL, a junior majoring in business administration, had seen Ruthie only once. She’d been sprinting across campus, late for a class. As she ran by, Brooks punched his friend. “Who is that?”

  “That’s Ruthie Threadgoode.”

  “You know her?”

  “Yeah, I’ve met her. She’s my sister’s roommate. She’s from Maryland, I think. Why?”

  “Why? I think I’m in love, that’s why. Can you get me a date?”