3 Granny Snows A Sneak

by Julie Seedorf

  Granny hung up the phone and grabbed her wine and chocolate donut. She nodded her head. Well, wine and a donut––there was a first time for everything, she thought as she started sipping and eating.

  CHAPTER THIRTY- SEVEN

  When Granny opened her eyes the day of her wedding, it was late. She knew because she could see the sunlight through the cracks in her shades. She wallowed in the warmth of her bed. She stuck her big toe out of the blanket to determine the weather. Her toe barometer was very blue. She had known since it was winter that it was not a flip-flop day, but it was her last day as a single woman, and flip-flops seemed the order of the day––inside at least.

  Granny sat up and moved her feet over the side of the bed to slip into the flip-flops. She took a moment to steady herself; her head was pounding from her freedom binge last night. Grabbing the post of the bed for support, she stood up. She shivered in the cold having forgotten that she had on her summer PJs. She picked up her warm, red chenille robe decorated with red hearts and put it in on, tying the robe tightly around her.

  Since she’d been engaged to Franklin, she didn’t have to worry anymore that she would be surprised to find her kids already here cleaning her house as they had in the past. No more did she have to listen when she got out of bed to make sure no one else was in the house as she had had to do in the past. They had turned their watching Mom duty over to Franklin.

  Flip flopping down the hallway, her eyes half open, her mind counted off everything that was going to happen today. Yawning, she was about to flip the switch on her coffee pot when she heard giggling.

  “Surprise!”

  Granny jumped and tripped over the cat and dog bowls at her feet, putting one flip-flopped foot in Baskerville’s large water bowl.

  “Surprise, surprise!” Mavis and Delight jumped up and down with glee.

  “It certainly is,” Granny remarked, shaking one flip-flopped foot in the air to dry it off. “What are you doing here and how did you get in?” Granny asked, pulling the belt on her robe tighter so she wouldn’t reveal what was underneath.

  “We are whisking you away to the new Dotty’s Glam and Dram Shop to get ready for your wedding. Franklin let us in. We’ll all have our hair done, makeup, pedicure, and sip a little bubbly. It’ll be fun and then the car will pick us up and take us to the church for your wedding. Heather and Angel will be glammed, too, although there’s no bubbly for Angel except for Ginger Ale.” Mavis’s smile gave away her excitement. “You’re getting married, you’re getting married!”

  “Ladies, this is a nice idea, but I thought I’d do my own hair and I have to give the shysters a bath so they are all cute and ruffly for the wedding.”

  “They are going to the Meow and Bark shop to get glamorous themselves. Come on, Granny, let’s go!” Mavis grabbed Granny by the shoulders and moved her toward the door.

  “I can’t go out in the snow in my flip-flops. Did you see my blue toe?”

  Delight gave Granny a slight push toward her bedroom. “Get dressed, we’ll be waiting.”

  Back in her bedroom, Granny threw on some clothes, made sure everything she’d dug out from the night before had been put back in her secret closet, and rejoined her friends. “Do you think I should dye my hair red for the wedding?” Granny teased, laughing at the thought.

  Mavis and Delight gave each other a knowing look before Mavis answered, “That’s the spirit!”

  Driving to the Glam and Dram shop, Granny noticed small snowflakes starting to fall. “It looks like Pastor Snicks may have been right about the snow. Delight, do you have that special bouquet made and is everything set up for the reception?”

  “Bouquet is ready and at the church. Rack’s and I have the reception all together. It was so nice of you and Franklin to compromise and have dinner at Rack’s with dessert and the dance at the Pink Percolator. Once everyone has had their dessert, we will clear the tables for the dance. Relax, we’ve got it all covered!”

  Dotty, Heather and Angel were waiting for them at Dotty’s.

  “This is the first time I’ve been in here,” Granny remarked, walking around the shop, noticing the large wine selection on the inside wall. Granny felt a tight squeeze around her legs.

  “Hi, my very own Granny! Look!” Angel twirled around. “See the rings in my hair? They’re not the kind of rings like you put on your fingers, but I can put my finger through the rings in my hair!”

  Dotty handed Granny, Mavis and Delight each a glass of white wine, handing a glass of ginger ale to Angel.

  “I haven’t had breakfast yet. Do you have any coffee?” Granny started to set the wine glass down. “On second thought, it’s my wedding day, one glass of wine for breakfast going down.”

  “Can you spike my hair?” Mavis asked Dotty.

  “Why don’t you add a little pink to it, too?” Granny suggested, with a sly smile on her face. “That should boost ratings for your pretend reality show.”

  “Sit here, Granny; I’m all ready for you.” Dotty moved the chair around so Granny could sit down. “We’ll do your hair and then your makeup.”

  Granny frowned. “Not much to do, just wind it up on top of my head.”

  “I have instructions, just relax.”

  “Instructions from who?”

  “Mavis and Delight.”

  “And what might those instructions be?” Granny asked, as she looked at Mavis and Delight suspiciously.

  Heather interjected, “Relax and enjoy the spa experience. I’ll be in having a massage. Let them surprise you; they wouldn’t do anything that would make you look bad on your wedding day. Would you ladies?” Heather gave them a warning look.

  “This is kind of like one of those shows on television where they surprise you with what you look like. So you can’t have a mirror. You’re in Dotty’s hands,” Delight explained, covering the mirror in front of Granny’s chair.

  “And I get to watch,” Angel said in excitement. “But I can’t tell you what you look like.”

  “Great, Granny said sarcastically. “Ok, I’ll live dangerously. Let’s do it.”

  Headphones were put on Granny’s ears and Mavis set Granny’s glasses on the side table. Mavis indicated they would be in another room getting themselves glammed up, too. Granny leaned back and listened to the rock and roll music shaking through her headphones.

  When Dotty returned Granny’s glasses, took off her headphones, and turned the chair around, Angel beamed. “Granny you look beautiful!”

  “Now, for the makeup, less is more.” Dotty began work on Granny’s face. “Now, I know you usually don’t bother with makeup, you really don’t need much.”

  Granny stretched her lips and felt the pull of her eyelids as Dotty touched here and there on her face with different brushes.

  Mavis, Delight and Heather came back into the room and all three gasped as they got a look at Granny.

  “That bad?” Granny barked in alarm.

  “No, that good,” Mavis answered.

  Granny raised an eyebrow, puzzled and suspicious. “How can a little makeup, a hair trim and a hair wash make you gasp like that?”

  “My Grandpa gave them the idea and he said you would be beautiful. I love you, Granny.” said Angel.

  “Do I get to see myself? You have all the mirrors covered,” said Granny.

  “It’s time to get dressed; our car will be here soon. Dotty has a couple of bride rooms in the back. Let’s go,” Heather chimed in, taking Granny’s arm and walking with her, talking in a whisper, “You do look beautiful. I wasn’t sure about this but you can always change it later if you don’t like it. My dad made a few suggestions to your friends. Just go with the flow and remember it’s the love that counts.” With a squeeze, she went into one room while Delight and Mavis led Granny to the other dressing room where her dress and shoes were waiting for her.

  Granny got dressed in the red satin and velvet sequined skirt, jacket and blouse she had chosen. She slipped on her shoes. There was no mirror in the
dressing room. Granny was sure that was on purpose since her friends seemed to want to do a reveal.

  The first person Granny saw when exiting her dressing room was Heather. Taking Heather’s hands, she remarked with a tear in her eye, “Heather, you are beautiful and I’m so very lucky that you will be my new daughter.” She gave Heather a hug.

  Turning to Mavis and Delight, she noticed the gleeful expressions on their faces. “Is it time for the reveal? I want to know what all of you have been gasping about.”

  Dotty led Granny over to the large mirror while Mavis and Delight tore the paper off the mirror. Granny stood in front of the mirror and was speechless.

  Angel was dancing up and down and clapping her hands, enjoying the surprise on Granny’s face.

  “Who is that?” Granny’s speech finally coming back, “I have red hair! I look like Gram Gramstead did. Whose idea was this? It’s my wedding day and I have red hair!”

  Frowning, Mavis moved forward, “Granny, what’s happened to you? Shake out if it. You like the new, you like the adventure, you like change! What did you do with you?”

  “I would have liked it to be my idea. What is Franklin going to say? Who’s going to hire an undercover red-haired old lady?” Granny asked in alarm.

  “It was Franklin’s idea,” Delight informed Granny. “He thought you liked Gram’s red hair and he thought it might give you a little more polished look for your wedding.”

  “Polished? I’ll polish him later.”

  Heather moved forward. “He loves you, Mom Fiddlestadt. You really look nice and it’s your wedding day.”

  Granny turned away from the mirror. “You’re right; it’s only hair and I always wanted to try red hair. Why not on my wedding day?”

  Angel had been watching out the window. “Your car is here, Granny! Your car is here to pick us up.”

  Granny moved forward to the window. Sitting outside was her red ‘57 Chevy Corvette driven by George. Behind the red Corvette, was Franklin’s black ‘57 Corvette with Butch driving. Mavis moved to open the door of the salon for Granny. “Franklin thought it might make you happy for you to ride to the church in your Corvette on your wedding day. Heather will follow in Franklin’s car and we’ll be right behind you with Angel.

  Granny moved through the door with a smile on her face. “I guess at least my hair matches my dress and my car. I am so color coordinated. Did anyone wrap my shovel cane in red?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  The parking lot was filling with cars when George dropped Granny off at We Save You Christian Church. While the women had been at Dotty’s Glam and Dram shop, the snow had accumulated on the streets and was falling fast. The wind was swirling and blowing, making drifts look like waves on the streets.

  “Perfect day for a blizzard,” Granny remarked to her grandson, Bernard, as he opened the door of the car to escort Granny into the church.

  “You have red hair!” Bernard proclaimed when he saw his grandmother.

  Ignoring her grandson, she moved out of the snow and into the church.

  “Look at all the people here, Granny! They made it through the snow,” Heather gushed, realizing that she, too, was going to be married in a manner of minutes.

  “It’s Fuchsia; we aren’t scared of weather.”

  Starshine and Penelope, seeing their mother, pulled her into the corner. “Your hair is red!” Penelope screeched.

  “You should have added a little pink or purple strip,” Starshine suggested, admiring the color.

  “What made you do this, Mother?” Penelope asked in an exasperated tone. “It’s your wedding day, you can’t have red hair!”

  Bristling at Penelope’s tone, Granny answered haughtily, “Angel thinks I look beautiful. Excuse me. I need to talk to Heather. Her wedding is about to start.”

  Granny moved to where Heather was waiting and handed her a necklace. “This is something old. It was given to me by my grandmother.”

  “Don’t you want to keep that for Starshine or Penelope?” Heather asked with tears in her eyes at Granny’s sentimental gesture.

  “I have something special for each of them, but this necklace seems to fit you. She was a gentle soul and showed everyone love, especially her children and grandchildren. I didn’t inherit that gentle attitude. No matter what she went through, she kept that gentleness of spirit. She gave me this necklace and told me when life got too much for me to wear it and feel her spirit. I would know she was with me. The necklace has a dove engraved on it. The symbol of peace and love, and I feel she would want you to have it because you are so much like her.”

  Heather reached out and hugged Granny tightly.

  Granny gave her a quick squeeze and moved out of the hug, taking Heather’s cheeks in her hands, “’Nough said; let’s get you and my son married.” Granny turned toward the organist and yelled, “Hit it!”

  With Granny as Matron of Honor, and Franklin as Best Man, along with Angel as Flower Girl, Pastor Snicks pronounced Heather and Thor man and wife. The entire congregation stood and clapped as Heather and Thor and the wedding party exited the main sanctuary of the church.

  Pastor Snicks indicated the congregation should sit back down. “We will have a few moments of Christmas music performed by the Cranberrys while we are waiting for Franklin and Hermiony to come back down the aisle so I can perform their ceremony. I want to thank you all for coming on this beautiful snowy winter day. The Fuchsia Highway Department asked me to announce that they are working on the roads and they hope to have them plowed by the end of the wedding so you will be able to travel to Rack’s for the reception. For those of you who live in the country, they suggest you make alternative arrangements for staying in town. Now let the music begin!

  In the back of the church, Granny paced left and right, telling herself to breathe deeply.

  “Mom, are you okay?” Starshine asked, trying to keep up with her mother’s pacing.

  “I’m getting married, I’m getting married, I’m getting married.”

  “Of course you are,” Starshine replied, confused by Granny’s pacing and muttering.

  “We’re almost ready to go in,” Penelope announced, stopping Granny in her pacing track.

  “Granny, do you like the dress you helped me pick out for your wedding?” Angel pirouetted in front of Granny.

  Granny looked down at Angel and a lump formed in her throat. “You are my Angel. Are you ready?”

  Wedding Bell Blues floated through the air. Franklin and Thor took their positions at the front of the church. Pastor Snicks joined them. The congregation, hearing the music, stood. Granny could see Mavis, George and Delight beaming. She could see Giles Graves, Ditty Belle and all the other owners of the businesses in Fuchsia smiling, waiting for her to walk down the aisle. Bernard and Penny were sitting at the front of the church with Butch.

  Penelope handed her mother the bouquet of flowers. “Delight said to tell you it’s arranged exactly as you wanted, whatever that means.”

  The patter of furry feet approached them along with the click of Mrs. Bleaty’s hooves. “They’re ready, too, Granny, they’re going to be flower girls with me.”

  Dotty from the salon was with Granny’s furry family. “I was keeping them occupied until it was time for your wedding. I hope you don’t mind, but they’ve already had their ice cream and cake when I stopped to check on the dessert at the Pink Percolator. I helped Ella with some of the details before we came here.

  Granny took the time to lean down to hug Fish, Little White Poodle, Furball and Tank, then admired the ribbons in Furball’s and Little White Poodle’s hair. Fish and Tank sported bow ties around their necks. Mrs. Bleaty nudged Granny’s arm with the flower that was pinned to her head.

  “Where’s Baskerville?” Dotty nodded toward the front. “He’s with Franklin and Thor.” Sure enough, when Granny looked, the three were side by side. Granny’s eyes misted over a little at the sight of her furry menagerie taking part in their special day.

  He
ather, being the first attendant, started walking slowly down the aisle, followed by Penelope, Starshine and Miranda. Angel, along with the furry ones, moved into place after them. Angel then began dropping petals of roses in her path and Mrs. Bleaty followed, eating them up on the way down to the front of the church.

  Granny took a big breath, a big step, and looked over the crowd that was waiting. She was about to take another step when her eyes settled on someone staring right at her with a thoughtful expression on his face. Silas Crickett was at her wedding. She faltered on the next step, took another deep breath, and walked down the aisle to join Franklin at the front of the church.

  Franklin reached for her hand, leaned over, and whispered, “You look beautiful. I love your hair. I knew you would be a bombshell in red, Hermiony.”

  Granny closed her eyes a moment before turning to Franklin to listen to what Pastor Snicks was saying.

  When it came time for the vows, Franklin turned to Granny.

  Please repeat after me said Pastor Snicks, “I, Franklin Jester Gatsby, take thee, Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt, to be my loving wife.”

  “I, Franklin Jester Gatsby, take thee, Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt, to be my loving wife.” Franklin leaned over and whispered to Pastor Snicks, “I can take it from here, I have it memorized. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in heath, to love and to cherish till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance and therefore I plight thee my troth.”

  Pastor Snicks turned to Granny, “Do you Hermiony, Vidalia, Criony Fiddlestadt…”

  Granny leaned over and whispered to Pastor Snicks, “I got this; I just heard it a few minutes ago. I, Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt, take thee, Franklin Jester Gatsby, to be my loving husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love cherish and uh, and uh,” Granny happened to look up at Pastor Snicks as she was trying to get the word obey out of her mouth when her eye caught the face of his watch. Her mind switched to the day in the cemetery when she was watching the workers exhume Delbert Delure’s grave.