She Only Speaks to Butterflies

by Appleyard, Sandy

  “I’m sorry, daddy.” Sherry hugged her dad. “That Lina’s got me all in knots again. I should know better.”

  “Now you’re better’n that, pumpkin.” He rubbed her back. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  “I’ll let Denise know,” Sherry said, entering the house.

  Denise was nestled on the couch, coloring in the book she got from the fire hall. “Sweetie.” Sherry knelt down beside her. “Grampa and I are goin’ for a walk, okay? You stay with gramma.”

  The little girl looked up and began to cry. “What’s the matter, baby?” Sherry wiped the tears. “Do ya want me to stay?”

  Denise walked to the corner of the room and picked up her purse. Pointing to the strap where she had been keeping the butterfly keychain that Ned had given her. Sherry looked and noticed the ring was gone.

  Sherry’s face dropped. “Oh, sweetie. Where did you see it last? Was it with ya when ya came back from the fire hall?”

  Denise looked at the floor, shaking her head slowly, like she was ashamed.

  “It’s okay, honey. We’ll find it.” Sherry kissed her daughter’s head. “I’ll check before I go out with Grampa, okay?”

  Denise pursed her lips softly, wiping away her tears as she continued coloring.

  Sherry took a deep breath, thanking God for sparing her another episode.

  …

  After looking for the key ring to no avail, Sherry sighed. “I’ll have to let Ned know. He can probably get her another at the boutique. He only gave it to her the other day, I’m sure they’ll have more.”

  “Don’t fret dear, it’ll turn up,” Kenny said as they began walking down Sherry’s street. Sherry’s house was a small two-storey structure with two bedrooms upstairs and one on the main floor, which she used as a playroom/guest bedroom for Denise. The other houses on her quaint street ranged in size from bungalow-style to ranch-style. There was a total of eight houses on the small bank where she lived; four on one side, four on the opposite side.

  “I know we’ve been here a coupla days now, but I feel like we ain’t had a moment to talk.” Kenny held his daughter’s hand. “How ya been keepin’?”

  “Pretty good, daddy.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m glad yer here, though.”

  Kenny squeezed Sherry’s hand. “How’s work?”

  “Good. I took a coupla days off to spend with you guys. Leon’s lookin’ after the store for now.”

  They continued walking when suddenly they approached Jinny Marx’s place. Mandy, Jinny’s daughter, was walking out the front door when they arrived.

  “How ya holdin’ up, sweetheart?” Sherry grasped Jinny’s hand as she leaned on the white plank fence.

  “I’m doin’ okay.” Mandy looked up at her mother’s house. “It’s sad, but the house is goin’ on the market tomorrow.”

  Sherry’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”

  Mandy’s bottom lip quivered. “Oh, I can’t afford to keep this place. It’s amazin’ momma kept it up for so long. Besides, I’ve got my place over in Little Rock.”

  Kenny was astonished. “How did ya manage to get it ready so quickly?”

  “I ain’t got much choice, sir,” she explained. “Reverend Telly’s doin’ the funeral service for free, but I have to sell the place to cover funeral costs and other expenses momma left. God rest her soul.”

  “I’m sure Reverend Telly’ll take up a collection for ya, darlin’.” Sherry patted her hand comfortingly.

  “I appreciate it. But it ain’t enough.” Mandy shook her head. “Momma never spoke about money, we was never raised that way. My brother Dan and sister Penelope, they’re too far away bein’ in Texas ‘n all. They ain’t even comin’ to the funeral.”

  “That’s too bad,” Sherry frowned. “Anything we can do to help?”

  “I appreciate the offer, but momma didn’t have much. Aside from some furniture and dishes, which I’m leavin’ with the house, all she had was some clothes and linens. I’m takin’ ‘em to church tomorrow before the funeral.”

  Mandy changed tack. Her voice was laced with conviction. “I tell ya, those son’s a bitches that ‘r settin’ fires in this town…well, they’d be best to set fire to momma’s house, it’d be worth more to me then. The only thing she had was a goddamn insurance policy on the house. She had nothin’ else worth any money.”

  Sherry’s mouth dropped open. “That’s a hell of a thing to say, Mandy.”

  “I’m sorry,” Mandy said forlornly. “It’s the truth. I wish momma’d been more honest with me. I coulda helped her. Instead, I’m left cleanin’ up the mess and payin’ her bills. She picked one hell of a time to die.”

  “Now hush, sweetheart.” Kenny held her tightly. “You don’t mean to say all this.” He rubbed her head against his chest as she choked back tears. Sherry put her hand on Mandy’s back. “Where ya stayin’, love?”

  Mandy lifted her head, pulling a tissue out of her back pocket. She wiped her nose and eyes with it. “I stayed in my old room last night, but some friends offered to have me stay with ‘em tonight.”

  Sherry grasped her hand. “Well, now, feel free to come on over and stay with us if you need it.”

  Mandy nodded. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”

  “Can I bring you over a casserole? Do you want to come over for dinner?” Kenny pleaded.

  Tilting her head toward her car, Mandy said. “I was just leavin’ to go meet some friends now. Will ya be at the funeral tomorrow?”

  “You betcha,” Kenny winked.

  “Do ya need any help for tomorrow?” Sherry offered.

  “No, I’m fine. But thanks a lot.” Mandy placed one hand on Sherry’s arm and the other on Kenny’s.

  “Take care, dear,” Kenny said.

  “Bye, Mandy,” Sherry said as Mandy waved, opening her car door.

  “Wonder where she gets her stubbornness from?” Kenny said sarcastically. “It’d do a world of good for that girl if she’d accept some help.”

  “She’s a big girl, daddy.”

  “Big girls cry, too.”

  …

  Sherry stepped out of the shower, smelling fresh bacon and eggs. For a moment she felt truly blessed. Her parents, God bless them, had always been there for her. There was never a moment in her life when she felt despair as long as Kenny and Gertrude were with her.

  “Momma, ya have to get back after the funeral,” Sherry sobbed. “You’ve both got work and daddy’s got his committee meetin’s.”

  “Honey, we’re staying with ya until yer on yer feet,” Gertrude insisted warmly. “There is no negotiation.”

  “We won’t feel right leaving you and the child here alone,” Kenny added. “Besides, both your mother and I are retirin’ come year’s end. There’s no worry.”

  Sherry looked in her closet, realizing she had nothing appropriate to wear to her husband’s funeral.

  “Now, look,” Gertrude said, sensing her daughter’s tension. “This black evenin’ dress, I can take it in at the bottom and add fabric where the lace is. It’ll be done in an hour.”

  There was a knock at the door downstairs. Kenny rose from the bed. “That’ll be Sarah. She’s offered to do your hair.”

  Sherry looked at her parents, fighting back another wave of tears. “What would I do without you?”

  “Never need to think about that, sugarplum,” Kenny advised.

  Sherry was pulled from her reverie. That same dress her mother altered for her for Chris’s funeral was hanging in front of her. Removing it from the hanger, she held it up to her chest, viewing her profile in the mirror. Unzipping it down the back, she slipped her feet in and used the slick zipping technique Leon showed her at the store for when there’s nobody around to zip you up in the back.

  Satisfied it still fit, Sherry walked over to her jewelry box and opened it. Her engagement ring still sat there, winking at her. She placed the diamond solitaire on her finger, above her wedding band already sitting on her ring finger.

  “C
an we go now? I’m freezing!” Sherry complained good-naturedly as Chris’s arms were wrapped around her. He was standing behind her as they looked off the pier, into the water. The trees were fiery red, yellow and copper-colored, and there were leaves sprinkled on the ground in such a distinct pattern, it was as though someone laid them that way. The fall breeze swept through Sherry’s hair, causing her nose to turn red.

  “I just love this time of year, don’t you?” Chris asked, kissing her on the cheek. “I love it when the season’s change. It’s mother nature’s way of showin’ off.”

  Chris looked at this watch. “Are ya hungry?”

  “Not yet. Let’s just stand here and watch the scenery. It’s so peaceful, don’t ya think?”

  Suddenly they heard a plane overhead as Chris broke free, turning Sherry around. “What’s this?” he asked, feigning suspicion as he wrapped his arms around her front. “Sounds like a single-engine plane.” As the plane flew overhead, Chris held Sherry close. She watched as the plane approached the centre of their view, and the attached message scribed on the tail of the plane was visible. It read. “Will you Marry Me, Sherry?”

  She put her hands up to her face, smiling and gasping, and he walked in front of her, bending down on one knee. He removed her hands from her face and placed a small black box in her left hand. he looked at it with eyes alight as she whispered to him. “I wanna hear ya say it.”

  Chris furrowed his brow briefly and swallowed. “Will ya marry me?”

  Sherry put her arms in the air, shouting. “Yes!” As he rose, hugging her tightly.

  “Now ya can have this,” he said matter-of-factly.

  The box held a diamond solitaire so sparkly in the fall sunshine that Sherry had to squint to look at it carefully. “It’s so beautiful,” she said, awestruck.

  Sherry tilted her head back, tearfully admiring the ring, just like she did that day. Only this time her tears were not joyful. Gertrude knocked on the door and entered, walking over to her daughter.

  “I wondered what was takin’ you so long.” She tucked a stray curl behind Sherry’s ear. “We’ve gotta leave in twenty minutes.”

  “I know.” Sherry wiped the tears away. “I’ll be ready. Just gotta put some war-paint on.”

  “You don’t need any, dear,” Gertrude suggested. “Besides, funerals aren’t for show.”

  Gertrude looked at her daughter’s ring. “You gonna wear it?” Her face was impassive, like her answer didn’t really matter, she just wanted to gauge her daughter’s feelings.

  “No. It’s bad enough I still wear my weddin’ band.” Sherry’s voice was matter-of-fact.

  “Ain’t nothin’ bad about lovin’ a man, sweetheart,” Gertrude advised. “Dead or alive, ya still love him. Ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of.”

  “I know.” Sherry removed the solitaire. “The therapist says if I’m ever gonna move on, it has to come off. Both of them.”

  Gertrude lifted her finger, her voice taking on an authoritative tone. “Now, you listen here. Ain’t no therapist in the world can tell ya when it’s time to move on. Only yer heart can tell ya that. Don’t force anything on yerself. It ain’t healthy.”

  “Maybe yer right,” Sherry conceded, smiling at her mom through another flush of tears. “But it don’t matter. With the ring on or off, it still hurts.”

  …

  Mandy Marx greeted Sherry as she entered the church. Kenny and Gertrude had slipped into the Sunday School room to sit with Denise during the service. Sherry nodded hello to Reverend Telly at the podium. Thankfully it was a closed casket, with a beautiful spray of white lilies draped over the coffin, and a black and white photograph of Jinny Marx resting on a tripod in front. Few flower arrangements were there, just two with a ‘Mother’ banner wrapped around them.

  About thirty people from town and some unfamiliar faces sat scattered around the congregation. Some nodded hello to Sherry as she made her way down the aisle.

  Martha was sitting by herself in the fourth row from the front. Noticing Sherry, Martha motioned her over. “Mandy says it’s to be a short service. Twenty minutes tops.”

  “She seem well? Daddy and I saw her yesterday and she fell to pieces,” Sherry whispered.

  Lina Groves strutted in, inviting herself to sit beside Martha. “Shame what happened to Jinny.” She picked up a hymnal from the wooden book rack in the pew before her.

  “You never know when yer number’s up,” Martha said conversationally.

  Lee Givens walked into the church. Both Sherry and Marsha looked up, noticing his attire. He was very handsomely dressed in a black suit and a navy blue tie. He nodded hello respectfully to the girls, taking a seat on the other side, in the adjoining row.

  “Funny seein’ him here,” Martha commented. “He didn’t even know Jinny.”

  “He had to come,” Lina added casually, thumbing through the hymnal. “He needs to be respectful.”

  “Well, of course, but—”

  “He wants to buy her house,” Lina interrupted.

  “What?” Martha was surprised. “Man, he works fast!”

  “He’s got himself a girlfriend and a house and he’s barely lived here two weeks,” Lina said smoothly, impressed with herself.

  “Greg stands to earn a nice commission sellin’ Jinny’s house,” Lina bragged. “We’re thinkin’ about havin’ one custom made after this.”

  Martha snorted. “Must be nice.”

  Reverend Telly shushed her. Almost everyone in the church heard the interruption and suddenly all eyes were on the girls. Sherry’s face was beat red as she quickly looked toward Lee and then away again.

  Ned and Kate arrived and Sherry jumped up. “I think I’ll go sit with the Bakers.”

  “But—” Martha said.

  Sherry ignored her.

  As she passed Lee he smiled quickly, turning his attention toward Reverend Telly, who was adjusting the microphone, getting ready to start the service.

  Ned and Kate sat in the row behind Lee. “Mind if I sit with you?” Sherry asked.

  Kate patted the bench. “Not at all, sweetie.”

  The service was brief but very touching. Mandy read a eulogy, bringing almost everyone to tears talking about how her mom was so brave raising three children on her own after her Pa died. The fact that Jinny never indicated her financial trouble was a true testament to her independence. Mandy closed commenting on how her mother actually sold all her prized possessions over the years to try to keep afloat, making it clear why she had next to nothing left at her passing.

  After the service, Reverend Telly invited everyone to stay for refreshments. “I better go see how momma and daddy are doin’ with Denise.” Sherry excused herself down the right side of the church to avoid disturbing the others filing down the center aisle. She walked into the Sunday school room. Denise was at the reading center. Gertrude was reading her a story while Kenny perused the children’s drawings pinned to the walls.

  “How’d it go?” Kenny asked. “Is it over?”

  “Yeah,” she sighed. “Everythin’ alright in here?”

  “Oh yeah. Momma’s been readin’ to her and she showed me all the pictures she’s drawn.”

  As people started filing into the hallway, helping themselves to refreshments, suddenly Lee appeared. “Excuse me.” He cleared his throat. “I think your little one might have lost this at the hall yesterday.”

  He handed Sherry Denise’s purple butterfly key ring. Sherry’s eyes widened with delight. “Oh, thank you so much. She was cryin’ and so upset about it.” She looked at it and handed it to Denise, who was at her side in a beat. “That’s very kind of you, Lee. Thank you.”

  Denise stared at the key ring and then at Lee.

  “It’s no problem, ma’am,” Lee smiled. “There was only one other little girl there, and she said it wasn’t hers. I didn’t think it belonged to any of the older boys. Not many boys like butterflies,” he chuckled under his breath. “I’m an exception.”

  “You
like butterflies?” Sherry was intrigued. “Have you been to see Ned’s conservatory?”

  Lee’s expression was that of a child’s who had just been offered his favorite ice cream sundae. “Oh yes, ma’am, it’s beautiful. I love it. There was one just like that in the zoo where I lived as a boy.”

  “Oh yeah?” she asked. “Where did you grow up?”

  “Texas, ma’am.”

  “Which part?” Kenny was suddenly interested. “I came from Dallas.”

  “Fort Worth, actually,” Lee blushed. “Not far from there.”

  Kenny offered him a handshake. “Nice to meet ya. Kenny Porter.” He gestured to Gertrude. “This is my wife, Gertrude. But we all call her Gertie.”

  “Pleasure, ma’am.” He gave Gertrude’s hand a gentle pump.

  “Well, I best be going,” Lee said, backing away and waving.

  “Wait a minute.” Sherry looked down at Denise. “Wave thank ya to Lee, honey.”

  Denise, who had been staring at Lee the whole time, released her mother’s waist. She ran to Lee, embracing his middle. He was so taken aback by her show of affection that he bent down slowly, holding his arms out. “Oh, darlin’, my cup runeth over.” he said, hugging her gently.

  Sherry hands covered her mouth in shock. Glancing over, Lee noticed her expression. “Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am.” He carefully released Denise. “Was that too much?”

  Putting her hands out in front of her, Sherry refuted. “Oh…no, no. Not at all.” She grinned. “She usually...” Sherry swallowed. “She usually doesn’t react like that.”

  Lee nodded, not sure what to say. “I’ll see ya later.”

  “Yes. And thank you again.”

  “My pleasure,” he winked.

  “Nice man,” Kenny commented.

  “Of course,” Gertrude agreed. “I never met a Texan man who wan’t nice.”

  Chapter 10

  “Gosh, Leon, what’re ya doin’ to me?” Sherry said to herself, looking at all the boxes of summer clothes piled up in the storage area. “It’s gonna take me a week to get these things priced.”

  Leon suddenly appeared in the back room with Sherry. “I need yer help out here. Lina just walked in and she’s not lookin’ too kindly at me.”