"I'm not taking any more pills," Sallie said. "Don't try to sweet-talk me, and don't think you're going to mix them in my orange juice. I don't want to be all drugged up when it's time to go. Throw them away."
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"Okay," Tyler S2iid, tossing the colored pills into the wastebasket.
"I like it when you do what I tell you," Sallie said. She was asleep again within seconds.
"Those were just placebos," Tyler said. He and Fanny had moved to the front porch for a breath of air. "I mix the real pills in her mashed potatoes. This is the part I don't like about being a doctor. I think that's why I decided on reconstructive surgery. My second choice would have been dermatolog)'. I can't be objective. Dr. Noble says you never learn to be objective."
Fanny found herself trying to comfort the young doctor when he sat down on the steps next to her. "I guess we have to think in terms of pain and going to a better place. You must know by now that Sal-lie is most. . . anxious to ... to go. There are days when I wonder if she was ever truly happy. She's a very simple person with few wants and desires. All the money and responsibility frightened her. That's why I think she built the sewage treatment and the power plants. I personally think it's a wonderful legacy. Would you look at what he's doing to that lawn!"
Tyler burst out laughing. He was off the steps a moment later, running across the yard. "Let me show you how a real gardener mows the lawn. I worked summers mowing lawns and delivering newspapers for eight years. You're wasting time and energy because you left strips down each mowed section. Now you have to go back and go over them." The young doctor cast a critical eye over the lawn.
"Are you trying to tell me this is a piss-poor job?" Simon said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Why don't we ask for an unbiased opinion from the young Mrs. Thornton," Tyler said. "Is her daughter really . . . you know . . ."
"That girl is one of a kind. Has SaUie suggested ... I can't believe this . . .Just remember something, my eyes are going to be on you if you meet her. I remember what it was like being your age." Simon relinquishejl his hold on the lawn mower. "Let's see you do this lawn in twenty minutes, and remember, I already mowed six strips."
Back on the steps, Simon repeated his conversation to Fanny. "He fell for it."
"See, you think like a man. He's letting you think he fell for it. Actually, he felt sorry for you, and that's why he's doing it. He probably thinks you're an old man and he doesn't want you to have heatstroke. Young f)eople really think like that. I know you're a vir-
ile, muscular man, but he only sees your gray hair. To him, you're old."
"And what are you, the female equivalent of virile?*' He winked at her.
"I hope so," Fanny said.
The Coleman jet set down at McCarran International Airport, the lone passenger heaving a sigh of relief when the wheels touched the ground. She closed her sewing basket, securing the hd with a security latch. Like a doctor who was never without his medical bag, Billie was never without her sewing.
"You can deplane now, Mrs. Coleman. There's a limousine waiting for you on the tarmac."
Billie exited the plane, her eyes searching for the Thornton vintage limousine. "Over here, Aunt Billie!" Sunny shouted.
"Darling, you look more gorgeous each time I see you. When is some nice young man going to snatch you up?" Billie said, hugging the young woman. "How's your grandmother?"
"Mom said to tell you she got up this morning and put on the flowered dress and pearls. I took that to mean time is of the essence. Mom called Dad to come up when she saw that flowered dress."
"I worry about your mother," Billie said.
"She worries about you. Is it going okay. Aunt Billie?"
"It goes one day at a time. The absolute worst time is when it's time to go to bed. My thoughts go to Riley and I know I'm never going to hear him say, 'Yo, Mam, where are you?' then I cry myself to sleep. I don't expect it ever to get better. I don't want it to get better. I don't want to forget about my son." Nothing was said about Moss. Sunny understood perfectly.
Sunny struggled for words of comfort. "You know of course that Grandma will take him under her wing, no pun intended, when she gets up there. Devin too."
"Oh, Sunny, thank you for saying that. I never thought of that. It gives me comfort."
Sunny, her eyes wild, said, "Grandma is talking about this like she's taking a trip. Don't be surprised if she says strange things. Everything has a meaning, you just have to figure it out. I haven't been up there for a week, but I call her three times a day. Mom said if I went up. Grandma would view it as hovering. She said it would
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be better for me and Billie to stay down here. Birch, Sage, and Bil-lie went up this morning."
"Your mother is going to be so lost. The divorce is scheduled for Friday and now . . . this."
"Mom's okay, but she's not okay if you know what I mean. She's strong, like you. I guess you know she's going away for a month."
"Yes, I know. It will do her good. Who's at the house, Sunny?"
"Dr. Noble and Aunt Bess, Su Li, Chue, and Red Ruby. Uncle Simon has been there for a while. I really don't know if Dad will show up or not. I'm so glad you're here."
"I'm so glad you met me. Sunny."
At the cottage, the greetings were subdued. "How is she, Fanny?" Billie whispered.
"She can barely talk. I know she's in pain, but she won't take anything. She . . . she says she wants to be alert. . . when. .. She's holding on very tighdy. I get the feeling if she . . . if she closes her eyes, it's all over. When I saw the flowered dress this morning I knew that today was the day."
Fanny pointed to Tyler. "Come along, Billie, say hello to Sallie. I want you to meet Tyler."
"Tyler Ford, I'm your future husband," Tyler said, loud enough for SaUie to hear. He extended his hand to Sunny. "Will you marry me?" He winked.
Sunny winked back, then looked the young doctor over, from top to bottom and then from side to side. "So what do you have going for you?"
"Not much. I owe over a hundred thousand dollars to banks for my education. I have three hundred bucks in the bank, one good suit, and a rinky-dink car that hardly ever works. I can throw in a face-lift. Later on, when you get old," he added hastily.
"What about a boob job and a fanny lift?"
"That too."
"When?" Sunny said.
"When what?"
"When do you want to get married?"
"I have a day off in November and one the day after Christmas and not another one till March," Tyler said, following Sunny's cue.
"The day after Christm2is sounds good. The day after is always a letdown. A wedding would perk things right up. I could wear red velvet trimmed in white fur. You okay with that date?"
"Fine. You got a dowry?"
"Nope, but I have more than four hundred bucks in the bank. I won't have to buy any clothes for a year. My car is four years old, but it runs smooth, real smooth. Do I get free prescriptions?"
"Hell yes."
"It's a deal. You can kiss me later. Thanks for looking after my grandmother." She dropped the bantering tone and led him out of the room. "I mean that part."
"I know you do. Sallie said you were wonderful. Besides, it was my pleasure. She's that rare person you call friend." He spoke in a quieter tone. "All that stuff. . . was just for her benefit, right?" he said nervously.
"I committed. Are you saying you don't want to marry me now?"
"No. I didn't say that. I don't even know you."
"I don't know you either, and I'm willing to marry you the day after Christmas."
"You think I'm easy, huh? Just because the day after Christmas is a letdown don't think you can use me and then throw me away like an old . . . shoe, or is that old newspaper?"
"Does it matter? I just promised to cherish you. I'm not big on that obeying part. Well!"
"This family of yours is certainly different. Your brothers sure are big. Are they typ
ical older brothers? You know, protective and all that?" His voice was even more nervous-sounding.
"Are you kidding! They're petrified of me. Don't let on you know that little fact. They still think of me as a bratty kid who could whip their butts with one hand tied behind my back. Now that I'm this ravishing grown-up, they aren't sure if my skills still prevail."
"Modest too, I see."
"Are you saying you don't think I'm ravishing?"
"Good God, no. I think you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen," Tyler said, his face and neck beet red.
"Pretty is good. I find you . . . wholesome. In a virile kind of way. You're gonna have to have two best men. I can't show favoritism."
"Wait a minute. The groom gets to pick the best man .. . men. I don't even know your brothers."
"You'll grow to love them the way I do. My sister Billie will be my maid of honor."
Tyler sniffed. "Okay, but only because I haven't made any friends here. Listen," he whispered, pushing Sunny back into Salhe's room, "I'm going to kiss you, right here, right now. That will perk Sallie right up. Don't bite my lips."
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"I'm not a damn cannibal."
Fanny nudged Sallie's spindly arm. She leaned over and whispered, "They set the date for the day after Christmas."
"I told you it would work out. He's a fine young man. Tell my attorney to pay off his student bank loans. Promise me, Fanny. Simon , . ."
Fanny smiled.
"Ash isn't coming to see me, is he, Fanny?"
"Of course he is, Sallie."
"Seth didn't show up either. I knew he wouldn't. I thought Ash would . . . Why should I be different than my mother?" Sallie said, her words a thin, barely audible whisper. "It's all right, Fanny, Ash can't break my heart. I prepared myself for this moment all my life." Fanny recognized the he in her voice, but said nothing when she saw the way her mother-in-law's eyes kept going to the road that led down the mountain.
Sallie held out her hand to Sunny as she struggled for words. "So very pretty. I love you so much, child." She was trying desperately to draw a deep breath. "Promise me ... to take care of your mother. I don't see your father . . . It's getting so dark, we need to turn on the lights. I want to go outside, on the porch, before it gets dark."
"I have to get some lightbulbs, Sallie," John Noble said as he eased Sallie up from her chair and half carried her out to the porch.
"No need, the light is coming over the mountain. Look how bright it is, John. That's so I can find my way. Oh, Mama, my dress is just like yours. Mother and daughter outfits. Fanny makes them all the time. Thank you for saying that. Cotton." Sallie's voice was suddenly high, rich and strong, carrying clearly. "I tried to do everything you asked me to do. Look at my wonderful family. There's one missing, Cotton. I'm sorry. Devin's going to carry me over the threshold. Mama. I wanted to come sooner but I couldn't. John must need new glasses, this Hght is so pretty and bright. Are you proud of me, Mama?" Sallie turned, her eyes seeking out the road leading down the mountain. "Tell Ash I said good-bye, Simon. They're so impatient. I'm coming, I'm coming. . . ."
The plaintive wails of the Thornton family's grief carried across the mountain late into the afternoon.
It was Simon Thornton, the second son, who carried his mother's frail body into the cottage.
The sun was setting behind the mountain when the family gath-
ered once again to watch Sallie Thornton's last ride down the mountain.
The small, somber group returned to Sunrise, their spirits low, their eyes sad. Fanny led diem around to the back of the house, where Mazie had a light supper spread out on a long table. "I feel like I should make a toast or. .. something," Fanny said. "I just lost my best friend. Simon lost his mother, and my children lost their grandmother. SaUie did so much for all of us and she never asked for anything in return except maybe our love. She helped everyone, friends, strangers, the whole town. Sallie didn't know what the word no meant. She was always the first one to say, what can I do? This might not be the right time to say this, but Fm going to say it anyway because Sallie... what she said.. . what she made me promise, right there at the end, which just goes to prove what I said previously . . . and Fm babbling here, was that I was to pay off Tyler's school loans. She gave all her life to those she cared about. Shh, Tyler, don't say anything, she's listening somewhere."
"You must accept. Doctor," Su Li said in her gentle voice. "To do otherwise would be to insult the kindest, the most gende, generous woman who ever walked this earth. I know firsthand, as does my brother Chue, what giving meant to Sallie. You will say no more."
"WeU ... I.. ."
"Oh, oh, I hear a car. It must be Dad," Sunny said, whirling around.
Birch, Sage, and Simon were on their feet in an instant. "Please, everyone, sit down. Fll handle this," Fanny said, getting up off her chair, her back ramrod stiff.
"Maybe I should leave," Tyler said.
"Maybe you shouldn't," Sunny said.
"You will stay, Doctor," Chue said as he clamped a hand on the young man's shoulder.
Ash Thornton, impeccably dressed in a dark suit, pristine white shirt, and colorful tie, walked up the two steps to the porch. He allowed his gaze to swivel around the table. The red-rimmed eyes, the somber faces, the uneaten food, and his wife's angry face told him all he needed to know. He was too late.
"I called you at seven-thirty this morning. Ash. You could have made it up this mountain in thirty-five minutes the way you drive. We all want to hear your excuse."
"I had meetings. I tried ... I wanted ..."
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"You son of a bitch! I should kill you for this, but then I'd rot in jail and you aren't worth it. Ash Thornton. Your mother waited. .. tried to wait . . . she hung on . . . her last words were your name. She said you wanted to break her heart, but she prepared herself and wouldn't let that happen. If that was your intention, you failed, you miserable bastard. You don't belong here." In her blind fury, Fanny reached for the broom resting against the kitchen door. She rammed the handle into her husband's stomach, again and again, as she exploded with every curse she knew. Too stunned to move, the others could only sit and watch Fanny poke at the man in the dark suit. They continued to watch as Ash tried to retreat, Fanny running after him. When they heard the sound of breaking glass they ran to the driveway to see Fanny throwing handfuls of pebbles at the windshield of Ash's fancy sports car. The car skidded out of control, almost hitting a tree.
"The service is at ten o'clock at Cotton Easter Memorial," Fanny yelled after him. "If I were you, I'd sit in the back pew."
The wheels of Ash's car squealed on the gravel as they sought traction.
"Is your family always this . . . explosive? Where I come from the most exciting thing that happens is milking the cows," Tyler said.
"I see. Well, don't go thinking my family is weird. Do you have a sedative you can give Mom?"
"I'm all right," Fanny said. "I'm sorry, everyone. I don't know what got into me. Oh, God, I'm sorry. There's no excuse for what I just did. Sallie must be . . ."
"Clapping her hands," Tyler said.
"There you go. See, you fit right in with the rest of us," Sunny said.
Billie Coleman wrapped her arms around Fanny. "Shhh, it's okay, Fanny. You did what every woman wants to do at some point in her life. I'm sorry for Ash. He has to live with his actions, not you. Let's get a botde of wine and go to the studio, just you and me, and tie one on."
"That's the best offer I've had in months. I need to apologize .. ."
"No, you don't. Everyone here understood. Go down to the studio and I'll bring my things and the wine. I'll explain to the kids."
"You're such a good friend, Billie."
"So are you. Do you think that broom hurt him?" she whispered.
"It hurt like hell. I saw his face. The reason I threw the rocks was
I could smell his car, it reeked of that shitty perfume I told you about. He was out with
some bimbo while his mother was dying."
"We'll talk in the studio. A nice warm soothing shower eilways works."
Fanny nodded.
21
Fanny leaned heavily on her sons as they walked alongside her, out of the small church. So many people had come to pay their respects! The church had been crowded, people standing three deep in the back. Outside, the line circled around the block, three abreast.
"I wonder if Grandma is watching," Birch whispered.
"Damn straight she's watching. She wouldn't miss this for anything," Sunny said. She adjusted her sunglasses to hide her red-rimmed eyes.
"I didn't know so many people knew Grandma," Sage said, his voice full of awe. "I don't recognize half of these people. I saw Dad in the back row. People are going to talk about that."
"I don't think anyone here cares," Sunny snapped. "Can we please hurry? I want to go home. Are you okay, Mom?"
"I didn't think it would be so heartbreaking. I want to go home, too. I need to go home."
"Uncle Simon is going to stay here with Dad to talk to those who came to pay their respects. They'll come up later with the lawyer to read the will. Whose idea was it to do something like that today? Couldn't it have waited?" Sage said.
"It was your grandmother's idea," Fanny said listlessly. "She . . . she wanted everything done quickly. To get it over with, I guess."
Birch helped his mother and Billie Coleman into the car. "Your intended is calling you," Birch said, pointing across the street to where Tyler was standing. "You're driving up with Billie, right?" he asked Sunny.
"Sure. What do you guys think of him?"
"I think he's on the ball. Grandma adored him. She couldn't wait to get you two together. I'd snap him up if I were you. That dumb
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magazine you read says someone your age is an old maid. Go for it!" Birch said.
"He was a good sport about it, going along wdth the charade,*' Sunny said.
"I like him," Sage said. "Nobody else is knocking on your door, Sunny. Birch is right, snatch him up before someone else grabs him."
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