In that second, he looked at me, knowing I had uncovered the deadly fissure in our marriage, the kernel that had led to the destruction of us. I was married to an egomaniac. And my place would always be behind him, nodding like a bobblehead. How could I ever reach my own potential as a woman, as a lawyer, when my husband would only be able to cheer for me until I caught up to him? Then, in order to make sure he stayed ahead, he would do whatever it took to hold me back, including selling out on my dream for the beloved Brooks Mansion. I knew I could never be his bobblehead wife. No way. Not me.
Although I was exhausted from fighting with a husband who had betrayed me so deeply, I actually felt stronger. I had realized a truth and it felt like a cleansing. Harry would never be my partner, not in anything. His ego wouldn’t let him. It was time to acknowledge and accept that fact.
“I want you out tonight,” I told him calmly. “I’ll stay at Mother’s while you get out of here. And Harry, I hope you’re happy. You’ve traded in our happily-ever-after for your own selfish political dreams, for your own ego. You’re just out to see what favors you can cash in, from Dallas to Judge Shamblin, regardless of who you hurt in the process. You really are a piece of work. You disappoint me.” With that, I headed back to my car and called Vivi and Sonny to meet me at Mother’s.
* * *
Everyone was sitting at the yellow table when I walked in through the back door. Even Kitty was there. I got everyone up to speed and Meridee served us coffee and made us spaghetti.
“We still have two weeks,” Sonny said.
“Yeah,” Vivi jumped in. “The deal isn’t final with the Myrnas yet, so maybe we can come up with something to stop them in time. We’ll need money. A lot of money—then we could buy it ourselves.”
“That’s a brilliant idea,” Kitty said. “The only problem with that is it’s been zoned commercial now and so in order to finalize a purchase, even to make a bid, we’d need to be a commercial entity.” Kitty did know her stuff.
“Well, we’ve got to think of something. I can’t imagine the place being torn down,” I said.
“Blake, I’m sure nobody else can, either,” Vivi agreed. “We’ll put our heads together and come up with something. Tonight I think we all need some rest. It’s been a crazy week. Don’t worry. You never go down without a fight and you’ve got the cavalry behind you here.”
Meridee looked up from her supper and said, “Look, I am not the least bit worried about this. When you get to be my age, you know everything’s gonna be just fine. Things have a way of taking care of themselves. It always works out like it’s s’pose to.”
“Hey, that reminds me,” Kitty said, “your big day is this weekend. Are you ready?”
“Ready as I can be,” Meridee said with a smile. “It’s gonna be a big party, so y’all hold on to your hats.”
Meridee’s birthday was the upcoming weekend, just a couple of days away and she had already booked the place and done the preliminary planning. She didn’t want any of us in charge. She made it clear it was her damn party, as she liked to say, and she would be running the show. It was time to think about something happy.
I had known my marriage was over weeks ago. It was true. The minute Sonny kissed me that night right here in this kitchen, I had no idea how I would ever manage to stay married to Harry. But between my feelings for Sonny, his escapades with Dallas and now the zoning vote, we had nothing left. It seemed crazy, but I felt lighter. As though a burden had been lifted and now I could move on to the next chapter in my life. I had dreaded the big separation talk with Harry, but now it was over. It was all over. All in one swoop.
There was an easiness about this night at Meridee’s supper table with Sonny there and Vivi and Kitty. It felt good between all of us. I relaxed into it and let the night wash over me. Meridee was right. Things do have a way of working out.
We finished supper and Kitty said good-night first and then Vivi went up the hall to her room at Meridee’s. She and I planned to stay with Meridee until the party that weekend was over. Sonny and I cleaned up the dishes after we told Meridee good-night.
“Blake,” he said, handing me a dish from the table, “I know you. And you’ll figure something out. I have never seen you take no for an answer.”
“This one is beyond me, Sonny. I have no idea what to do. I guess I could launch a fundraiser and try to outbid the Myrnas, but I don’t think I have enough time.”
“No matter what, I’m right here. Just use me as you see fit.” He smiled—hoping I would.
“Go home, big boy. I’m so tired tonight, I would fall asleep before we even got started.”
“Sounds good,” he said, “you sleepin’ on me.” He leaned down and kissed me good-night, long and soft and tender. He felt good all the way down to my soul. This is what the real thing feels like, I thought.
My sleep that night was restless as I tried to come up with ways to stop the Myrnas. When I finally did fall into a deep slumber, the ghosts of the Brooks Mansion invaded my dreams.
23
I spent the next couple of days at Mother’s. All of the women kinda moved in till the big party was over. It just seemed right for us to stick close together while we waited out this storm of events. Apart from everything else, I wanted to make sure Harry got himself well and truly out of our house before returning.
Meridee cooked for us. She loved to make a big breakfast with biscuits and gravy and grits. I could hear her deep, rolling laughter all over the house. The scent of her perfume, the smell of coffee and bacon, it all made me feel so warm. We were safe here, no matter what was going on in our world. It kept me from having to deal with my own reality. I never wanted to leave the safety of those walls.
The plans were under way now for Meridee’s big birthday party, and the phone rang off the hook all day long. She was loving it. The party would be her celebration, with her signature all over it. Meridee might have been turning eighty, but in her mind she was about to be twenty-one and Prohibition had just been lifted.
She wanted to have her party at the local karaoke bar, though Kitty had argued for the much tamer and more dignified Cypress Inn.
“A sunset ride down the river on the Bama Belle, followed by dinner on the banks of the Cypress Inn. That would be lovely,” Kitty kept saying.
Meridee would answer in her truest voice, putting Kitty in her place. “Lovely for who? Queen Elizabeth? Or maybe you, for that matter? It’s my damn party and I wanna dance and sing and throw back a few. No. The Catfish Bayou is my kinda place. I’m catering us a feast! Fried green tomatoes, fried okra, corn bread, turnip greens, boiled cabbage, black-eyed peas and lots of fried catfish! And I expect to dance all night! Now that’s my kinda party!”
“Okay, Mother,” Kitty would say, always pulling at her too-tight suit of the day. “Have it your way.”
“Why, thank you so much. I believe I will,” Meridee would answer. And she’d Charleston off.
The morning of the party, I awoke to what sounded like a circus. The phone ringing, Meridee and Kitty laughing, bacon frying and Meridee singing and dancing her way over to answer the phone. “Fletcher’s Madhouse. May I help you?” I heard Meridee say into the phone from the other room. Vivi and I hadn’t even left our beds yet, but Meridee seemed wide awake. “Great, Clara! Yes, you are RSVP’d, my dear. See you tonight!” She hung up. “Okay. That’s 102!”
Vivi opened her eyes and looked over at me.
“I hope I can be like h
er when I’m eighty. I sure as hell don’t have that kinda energy now.” She laughed.
I rolled out of bed. We walked down to the kitchen and Meridee was sitting at the table holding the newspaper. Lewis wasn’t back yet, but Meridee seemed relaxed about it. Excited even. Maybe because her big day was finally here. Maybe because she knew things we didn’t—which seemed to be par for the course these days. She turned the paper around, laid it down and pushed it across the table under my nose in front of me just as I sat down. There it was, the headline: BROOKS MANSION SAVED! WEALTHY ANNONYMOUS BUYER SAYS THEY WILL RESTORE IT AND NOT TEAR IT DOWN.
“Oh, my God!” I felt the weight of the world lift from my shoulders. I felt like I was floating.
“I thought that might make your day,” she said. “See, it all works itself out in the end.” Meridee was smiling as she reached over and patted my hand. “Quite a birthday present, don’t cha think?”
“Vivi!” I yelled down the hall. “Come here quick! The Brooks Mansion is saved!” Vivi was in the bathroom and stepped out with a toothbrush in her hand just as I called her name.
“What a miracle!” She was as excited as I was.
My cell was ringing in the bedroom. I ran down the hall and grabbed it. It was Sonny.
“Mornin’, beautiful. See the paper? What about that?”
“Oh, Sonny! I am thrilled. Any word on who it is and what they’re gonna do with it?”
“I guess it must be a business since the property is commercial, but no one’s breathin’ a peep about it. Guess it’ll be a surprise.”
“Oh, my Lord, it’s the best surprise I’ve had in a while. The weight is off me and—oh, I’ve gotta call Ms. Crabtree! She’s gotta be crazy with excitement.”
“Talk to you in a few, baby.” And he hung up.
I immediately called Ms. Crabtree. She said she was at the Preservation Society with the morning paper in hand. She said they were just thrilled that whoever it was wasn’t planning to tear it down but to restore it.
“It’s right here in the paper, Blake. It says restore. Oh, thank God for whoever it is. They are tuned in to Tuscaloosa and doin’ the right thing. I am gonna personally hug whoever it is, that’s for sure!”
“I’m so happy, Ms. Crabtree,” I said. “Now I’ve gotta go help my grandmother turn eighty today and I couldn’t be in a better mood to celebrate.”
“Blake,” she said, “thanks again for all your hard work. We are proud you are one of our members.”
“Thanks, Ms. Crabtree, talk to you soon.” I hung up and was literally skipping back to the kitchen where Vivi and Meridee were eating breakfast.
“I wonder who it is,” I said as I sat down at the table.
“Whoever it is, it is an angel in disguise,” Vivi said.
We finished up and cleared the table and made our plans for the day. We decided to start with shopping for gifts.
“C’mon, let’s get going. Meridee’s gonna need us. We’ll be her assistants.”
“Yes, the Assistants to the Queen!” Vivi said with a laugh.
“You need anything?” Vivi asked Meridee as we were stepping out the door. “We’ll be right near the Piggly Wiggly.”
“No, but if y’all are near Winn Dixie, I can use some more silver streamers. It’s where I got all my decorations for the party,” Meridee answered.
“Will do,” Vivi said.
While we were out we bought Vivi a fantastic new maternity outfit, a really sexy, clingy little navy pantsuit and new flat shoes. Her feet were already swelling.
We arrived back at the house in the early afternoon to find Kitty and Meridee visiting with the boys—Jack, Jim and Mr. Bailey for the dessert chaser.
“You girls don’t get too sauced before the cake cuttin’,” Vivi said playfully to them as we walked in the back door.
They sat at the kitchen table laughing and drinking their whisky. I had to stop a minute and just take this in. I wanted to remember them just like this: the clank of the glasses, the sound of their laughter and the smell of their perfume and alcohol floating throughout the house.
* * *
We got to the Catfish Bayou around five. The catering trucks were already there. Meridee had rented the karaoke bar out and it was being fully decked out in a “Hollywood Nights” theme from the disco years.
“She is so crazy!” Vivi said as we arrived. “This is gonna be awesome. This baby better be ready to dance the night away.”
Kitty and Meridee got out of Kitty’s white Lexus and walked across the parking lot to the entrance. A red carpet had been rolled out and red velvet ropes lined each side. A banner swung over the door. It read, WELCOME MISS MEREDITH, OUR STAR, ON YOUR 21ST BIRTHDAY. Meridee was so excited.
“Mother, I am assuming that you were in charge of signage?” Kitty said, full of sarcasm and a little laughter.
“Why, yes, is something wrong with it? I’ll be over at the bar directing traffic if y’all need me. I’ll be making a grand entrance, so somebody come get me when it’s time.”
Meridee walked over to the outdoor bar set up in the parking lot for the pre-party reception.
Vivi walked over to the table full of appetizers and I followed. There was really nothing left for us to do but greet everyone. Meridee had ordered all the food and decorations. The place was buzzing with workers and excitement inside and out.
The party would start at seven, with drinks, and hors d’oeuvres were beginning in just a few minutes. I pulled a chair over for Vivi and she sat down. I stood next to her, greeting and hugging everyone as they began to arrive.
Meridee’s guest list was long and filled with memories held warmly in her heart. Seeing everyone reminded me of who I was and where I had come from.
Until guest #74 walked in.
“Hi, Harry,” I said politely, “glad you could come.” It wasn’t public knowledge that we were breaking up so Dan thought it would be best if he at least made an appearance. Dan, the man, was right next to him— If he was going to get Harry to the Senate, he needed to protect his assets, so to speak. Babysit is the word that popped into my head, but I kept it to myself. Harry really had no idea how terrible he had been. He was blinded by his political ambitions and thought it was just all in a day’s work. Politics was his new world, but I knew it wouldn’t be mine. I was content to stay right here in Tuscaloosa taking care of my family and friends and being part of a community that I cared so much about. I certainly couldn’t imagine a life anywhere else but here. I suddenly realized I was the happiest I had been in years.
I smiled at Harry and bumped Vivi on the shoulder. She glanced up at him.
“Hey.” That’s all she could muster. Vivi was never good at hiding her feelings and Harry had been awful to the two people she loved the most: me and Lewis.
He tried to compliment her. “You look nice,” he said. But his comments hit like a rubber ball on glass. He walked on by.
“Hey, Blake, Vivi.” Dan leaned in and hugged us and we both shot him air kisses.
“Good to see you, Dan. Harry’s keeping you busy, I hear,” Vivi said as I shoved her on the shoulder. It was so hard for her to keep it quiet. Especially when she really wanted to let it all out.
“I do love my job.” Dan kept it going with a smile.
“Good thing,” I said. He was smooth, there was no denying that. He walked on into the party, shaking hands with everyone and following closely behind Harry.
Not too far behind, I caught
a glimpse of the bottle-blonde mouth of the South.
“Heads up,” Vivi warned. “The entertainment has arrived.”
Oh, God. How to greet her? “Thanks for coming.” No, that’s not quite it. She may take that as an invitation to come again. What do I say? “Nice to see you without your breast in my husband’s mouth.” No, that wouldn’t be right. Get a hold of yourself, this is Meridee’s party. So I simply said, “Dallas,” as I nodded. Vivi did exactly the same.
She barely stopped to acknowledge us, and she said nothing. Finally, near the end of the line, as I was hugging an old judge friend of Meridee, my eye caught on a welcome sight and I felt my shoulders literally drop in relief. Like the knight riding in on the white horse—well, maybe the cowboy sheriff on his stallion.
“Sonny,” I said when he approached, and I reached out my hand to his. He grabbed it and I pulled him to me.
“Hey, beautiful.” He kissed my cheek. “And Miss Vivi, you look stunning and you do have that glow.”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek, too.
“Save me all the slow dances, baby, that’s why I’m here,” he said to me and winked.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Arthur and Bonita arriving in style, both of them dressed up and stunning. Bonita was smiling like it was her party instead of Meridee’s.
“Hey, darlin’. You and Vivi look maaavelous,” she said in a playful tone. “I told you all of this would get solved before we knew it. I had every confidence in Sonny and myself. Now, we will see you all later. Arthur owes me a dance.”
“Ain’t she just something?” Arthur said, smiling ear to ear.
Sonny made his way up to the front near the door to the restaurant. People were already gathering around the open bar Meridee had ordered. When most everyone had arrived, Vivi and I left our posts near the door. Meridee had asked Sonny to announce her arrival. The guests, all milling around in the parking lot, were instructed to take their places for the grand entrance on either side of the long red carpet that stretched from the entryway to the dance floor. Sonny grabbed the karaoke mic, and we all gathered around the red carpet. The bar was darkened and someone turned on the spotlights and disco ball, lighting the place up like a movie premier. One spotlight was aimed at the center of the red carpet and my Stetson man stepped right into it.
The Sassy Belles Page 25