Women of Washington Avenue

by Linda Apple

  She was probably watching for a taxi. I hadn’t owned a car in years. I didn’t need a car in New York. But as soon as I turned onto the driveway of 1428 Washington Avenue, she jumped off the swing as quick as a gray squirrel and fairly flew down the steps, her arms open wide. I hoped I’d be that nimble at seventy-eight.

  “Avalee, get out of that car and give your momma a hug.”

  All at once, I became a little girl again. I ran into her embrace. Only now I had to bend my five-foot-six frame over her five-foot-nothing body. “Momma, it is so good to see you.”

  “Are you hungry? Lord, I was in the garden picking peas, okra, and tomatoes at five this morning and have been cooking ever since. I’ve made all your favorites. Fried chicken, creamed potatoes and white gravy, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and purple-hull peas. I would have made those baby butterbeans you like so well, but they need to fill out a little more. Oh and for dessert I made my six-layer coconut cake.”

  Fried anything truly was my favorite food. I’d eat just about anything as long as it was fried. The problem was staying in my size six pants. In all my years of living in Manhattan, my weight never varied more than a few pounds. I had a feeling if I wasn’t careful, that would soon change.

  “Wow, sounds great. What a spread. Who else is coming for supper? Molly Kate and Lexi?”

  “It is just us tonight. I want you all to myself.”

  “All this food for two people? That’s…” From the corner of my eye, I noticed Pearly Armstrong, Momma’s neighbor from across the street, rise from her rocking chair and lean across her porch railing.

  “Cladie? Who ya got there?”

  Momma rolled her eyes. “It’s Avalee. She’s come home.”

  “Why, I’ll swan.” She grasped her cane and hobbled down the porch steps and shuffled across the street. “Child, it’s about time you came home.” When she reached us, she put her bird-like hand on my shoulder and stared at me through faded blue eyes. “Let me have a look at you.” Clicking her tongue, she pronounced, “A mite thin, but Cladie here will fatten you up.”

  Just what I feared.

  Momma didn’t want company tonight. She didn’t fool me with her plastered on smile. I could tell a battle raged in her mind, but she finally did what every good and decent Southern woman knows she must do. “Pearly, how about having some supper with us. I have plenty.”

  “Why, thank you Cladie. I’ve been smelling that chicken all afternoon. I don’t mind if I do.” She looped her arm around mine and smiled up at me. “You don’t mind helping an old woman up the stairs, do you child?”

  “No, ma’am. Not at all.” I took Mom’s hand. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving.” We walked up the steps into the heavenly aroma wafting from the kitchen through the screen door. It felt good to be home.

  Funny thing? As soon as I walked through the door, I noticed my headache was completely gone.

  Chapter 2

  AVALEE

  Momma

  After way too much fried food washed down with several glasses of too sweet tea, I shuffled to the porch. Mrs. Armstrong and Momma followed.

  “Cladie, you outdid yourself tonight. That was some mighty good eating.”

  “Thank you, Pearly. I’m glad you joined us.” Momma lied.

  Mrs. Armstrong held up the Piggly Wiggly sack. “And thank you for all of these leftovers. Why, I’ll eat on them all week.”

  “You’re welcome, Pearly. Avalee, honey, help Pearly down those steps, will you?” Could Momma have been more obvious that she wanted the elderly woman to leave? I don’t think so. I took Pearly’s sack and wrapped my arm around hers. When we reached the sidewalk, she winked a rheumy eye. “Thanks, sugar.”

  “You be careful across the street now.”

  “I will.” She patted my cheek. “Glad you’re home, Avalee. Night now.”

  “Me too. Night.” I sauntered back to the house and eased down on the porch swing. Mom sat beside me, and together we watched Pearly hitch up her steps. When she reached her front door, she turned and waved to us before going inside. I leaned back, unbuttoned my jeans, and moaned. “Momma, I cannot eat like this every day.” Then I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “But thanks. It was delicious, as always.”

  “Well, it is a special occasion after all. I won’t go all out like that every night.” She grinned and patted my hand. Her hair, now completely white, lay in short waves across her head making her blue eyes crystalline. And even though age had stolen the fullness from her lips, her elfin grin made me smile.

  The pink twilight sky glowed through the lacy mimosa leaves. Warm magnolia blossom air carried the raspy call of cicadas and tree frog song. Fireflies flashed on and off like tiny floating LED lights. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed watching them.

  “Lord have mercy, it’s hot.” Mom flapped her apron toward her face. “I’m so sorry for calling you home in the middle of July.”

  “That’s all right, Mom. It all worked out. My lease was up anyway. And I can finish my book here.”

  “How many does this one make?”

  “This will be my seventh.”

  “Well, I’ll be. What did your father and I do to have such a smart daughter?” She shook her head. “Whatever it was, I’m glad we did. You were the first person I thought of when I got that letter from the town council. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.”

  “Do you still have the letter? I want to have a good understanding of exactly what they are asking before I meet with them.”

  “I put it in Daddy’s desk. It is something about the new zoning laws and me running an agricultural business in a residential area. Foolishness. That’s what. Preston Gardens has been here for generations.” Momma’s apron flapping accelerated. “Why, I can’t shut my business down. What are they thinking? I don’t need them all up in my doings. Lord, what would your father think of me if I lost his family’s business?”

  “You won’t lose it, Momma. There is something called a Grandfather Clause. I will make a case for your staying here. Just give me some time to think. I’ll come up with a plan to make them realize the value of leaving you alone.” I patted her arm. “It will all work out. So what is going on here in Moonlight?”

  “Well, you remember the terrible shape this town was in when your father died?”

  I nodded.

  “A while back, Mayor Campbell had been on vacation somewhere on the East Coast and came home with the idea to make Moonlight into a tourist village. Seems the place he visited had a layout a lot like our town. Since then, he has campaigned, raised money, and advertised all over the country trying to entice people to move to Moonlight and set up shop.”

  “From what I can tell, it is working.”

  “Mmm hmm, but I’d just as soon they leave me alone.”

  The night song escalated. For a while Momma and I didn’t speak. I rocked the swing back and forth with the toe of my shoe since hers didn’t reach the floor. The evening reminded me of all the nights Momma, Daddy, and I sat here after supper when I was a child. I’d sit on the swing with Momma, just like now. Daddy would be on the rocker smoking his pipe. In no time, my eyelids grew heavy with sleep, and I’d lay over in Mom’s lap and listen to them talk in quiet voices through the buzz, chirring, and chirps in the humid night air heavy with the elixir of rose, magnolia, and gardenia scent. The next thing I knew, the sun streamed through my window waking me in my bed.

  I missed Daddy. Next Thanksgiving would mark the fifth year of his passing. I remembered the afternoon he called to say he had colon cancer and how it had metastasized to his liver. Right away I began researching for the highest rated cancer treatment clinic. Then I made arrangements for him to be seen. But after a year of treatments, he decided he’d had enough chemo. I wasn’t ready to give up. But he was. It took a while for him to convince me he was tired and ready to meet his maker. Finally, I understood. From that day on, we turned our attention to getting his affairs in order for Momma’s sake.

  When th
e doctors advised Momma to summon the family, I caught the first jet out of New York. Minutes after I arrived at his bedside, he passed. He had waited for me.

  His funeral was the day before Thanksgiving. I had to leave for Memphis a couple days later and catch a jet to Australia where I was to give the keynote at a conference. I felt guilty, but Momma insisted I keep my engagement, pointing out how the conference chairs didn’t have time to replace me, and besides, her sister Aunt Mayzel, lived just around the corner. They were the only two siblings left in the family and were very close. I knew Auntie would take good care of Momma. Even so, the guilt of leaving her in her time of need still raised its ugly head, and tonight was no exception.

  The same tension that plagued me earlier began tightening between my shoulders, and the familiar ache threatened again, reminding me of my visit with Jema at Piggly Wiggly. I reached up and massaged my neck, which actually helped this time.

  “What’s the matter, honey?”

  “I’ve been fighting off a headache all day.”

  “I’ve got headache powders. Those will fix you right up.” She leaned forward to stand, and I put my hand on her shoulder.

  “I stopped at the grocery store and got something. I’ll be all right, which reminds me, I met Jema today. She said she’s your neighbor.”

  “At Pigg’s? Yes, she’s a lovely person. A widow you know. Has two lovely daughters in college.”

  “We didn’t talk long. Tell me about her.”

  “She lives in the old Powers’ home across the street. She and Ray moved there about fifteen years ago. I couldn’t ask for a better neighbor.”

  “Was she at Daddy’s funeral?” I recalled the loneliness I felt during the visitation and services. My best friends Molly Kate and Lexi weren’t there. They were out of town visiting family for the holidays. If Jema had come, surely I would have remembered her.

  “No, she was with her people in Tennessee. After Ray died, she and the girls went to her parents’ every year. But now that her daughters are in college, they all come to my house for Thanksgiving.”

  “How long ago did her husband die?”

  “Oh, I’d say it’s been about ten years. A real shame too. He slipped off the dock at the hosiery factory. It was one of those humid days that made the concrete sweat. He only fell a few feet, but hit his head just so and broke his neck. He died instantly.”

  “How awful.”

  “Mmm hmm. Bless her heart. She’s struggled so. Ray didn’t have much in the way of social security. At least his life insurance paid off the house. The only reason Jema took that job at Pigg’s was to supplement the girls’ college expenses. Poor thing just squeaks by each month.”

  “You’d never know it by her smile. It’s dazzling. And her eyes. I felt like she could look into my soul. Her expression is so...so calm. Caring.”

  “You’ll never meet a better listener, I’ll vow.” Momma stood. “But she’s terrible at gossip. She sees all sides. Drives me crazy. “

  “Oh, Momma.” I squeezed her hand. “You’re a mess.”

  Her eyes crinkled up in a twinkly Mrs. Santa way. “How about some coffee?”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Another piece of cake?”

  “Tempting, but no. I think one piece a day is enough. More than enough.”

  In just a few short hours, my lifestyle had drastically changed. In Manhattan, I dodged speeding cabs and delivery trucks. Here at home, I had to dodge calories.

  Soon she returned with two mugs. The fragrant steam weaved through the muggy air. Hot coffee on a hot night. Who knew the combination could work so well? While sipping from my cup, I wondered why Molly and Lexi hadn’t come to see me. They just lived down the street. Were they out of town again?

  In the darkness I asked, “Did you tell Lexi and Molly Kate I was coming home?”

  “No, ma’am. I sure didn’t.”

  “You didn’t? Why not?”

  “Like I said earlier. I wanted you all to myself for at least one evening.”

  I had to smile. True, I’d been home less than five times in the past thirty years. I felt I had good reason though: there were too many memories and I didn’t want to face Marc’s family. In a town this small, it was a given I’d see them. On the other hand, I wasn’t a bad or negligent daughter either. During their business downtime, I flew them to visit me in the city for a few weeks. I had also taken them with me on book tours to the United Kingdom, Holland, Australia, Austria, and Germany. They saw countries that otherwise they may have never seen. Still, I understood her point.

  “I’m glad you didn’t. I want you all to myself, too.” Momma laid her hand on my lap, and I took it up in mine. Without word, my little momma let me know how much she needed me. Right then and there I vowed to make time for many nights on the porch with just her and me.

  She squeezed my hand, and I brought hers to my lips and kissed it. Yes, Lord willing, there would be many more nights just like this.

  ****

  An unfamiliar noise woke me early the next morning. It was...birds. The white chenille blanket and the softest sheets I had slept in since childhood made me reluctant to get out of bed.

  Eventually, I threw off the covers, sat on the bedside, and watched the antics of two squirrels spiraling around the pecan tree just outside my window. It felt good to be home. I really didn’t realize how much I had missed it.

  I stood and stretched. Today I would surprise Molly Kate and Lexi. The forecast called for a sunny ninety-eight degrees. Sheesh. This part of home I did not miss.

  I chose a pair of capris, a cotton tank top, and sandals. While brushing my teeth, I decided there was no use going to the trouble of make-up. In this heat it would melt off anyway. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, powdered my face, brushed on mascara, and put on a little lipstick.

  Downstairs Momma had prepared a breakfast worthy of a lumberjack. Eggs, grits, biscuits smothered in sausage gravy. She looked up from the stove when I walked in. The towel thrown over her shoulder evidenced she’d been working in the garden, probably since before dawn. “Morning, baby.”

  “Morning. Are you having guests for breakfast?”

  “Just you, me, and Felix.”

  “Felix? Oh, good. I can’t wait to hug his neck.” There were no words for how much I appreciated that man. He began working for us before I was born. I didn’t know how Momma would have made it without him after Daddy died.

  I sure hoped he still had a big appetite, because the only breakfast I could stomach was coffee and a muffin. Maybe steel-cut oats in the winter. “I can’t eat all of this, Momma.”

  “Just eat what you can. Felix is going to help me shell peas and butterbeans. He can usually finish off anything I cook by noon.”

  The grits looked good. I hadn’t had them in years. I spooned some in a small bowl, put a pat of butter on them then shook a little salt and pepper. Momma split a biscuit in half, lathered it with butter and fig preserves, and handed it to me. “You’ve never eaten anything this good in New York. I put these preserves up last week.”

  Carbs, carbs, carbs. But she was right. The buttery, tender biscuit with honey sweet figs was one of the most delicious things I’d eaten in a long time.

  Before she could slide another thing on my plate, I rose from the table and took my dishes to the sink. “I’ll be back later this afternoon to help you put up the peas and beans. This morning I want to surprise Molly Kate at her shop.”

  Mom padded over next to me and started some dishwater. “She’s moved it since you were last home.”

  “Oh? Where’s the shop now? Is it in walking distance?” Dumb question. Everything in Moonlight was in walking distance.

  “It is on the corner of Martin Luther and Main.”

  “Martin Luther?”

  “Martin Luther Boulevard. They renamed Spring Street. Anyway, Molly needed a bigger place with all the changes she’s made. The place is really something.”

  “Okay then. I’m not sure what tim
e I’ll be home. I think I’ll drop in on Lexi, too. Is the newspaper still in the same place?”

  “Yes. Thank goodness Mayor Campbell left some of the town’s cornerstones alone. I just hope they will leave Preston Gardens in place, too.”

  “I’ll check on that while I’m in town.” After a quick peck on her cheek, I left before she could tempt me with more of her breakfast for champions.

  The air felt warm, but pleasantly so. I looked forward to my walk, especially after last night’s supper. The day looked promising. It would be so good to see my friends. I’d really missed them. Who knows? I may just find a reason to stay here after all.

  Chapter 3

  AVALEE

  Ghost

  I decided to take the long way to Molly Kate’s bakery and strolled along Whispering Pines Road that bordered the Moonlight National Forest. The clean, pungent fragrance from the pine thicket filled me with a restful peace.

  The traffic along Whispering Pines was heavier than I remembered as a girl, but it was nothing compared to the seven o’clock traffic on Eighth Street in the city.

  At Martin Luther I turned right and walked toward Main. Wow. The town really had changed. More than I realized. The buildings on the square had new façades, and the old stores had been replaced by boutiques and antique and gift shops.

  I spied Molly Kate’s bakery. A Taste of Heaven flowed across the window front in beautiful script. So, she’d jumped on the renovation bandwagon and renamed her business. I liked it. The name fit. Even as a teen everything she baked was what I imagined worthy of Heaven’s dining rooms.

  A silver bell on the door jingled when I entered. The crowded room buzzed with folks getting pastries and...well, would you look at that. Lattes. Smart girl that Molly Kate. She knows how to stay current even here in Moonlight, Mississippi.

  Two teenage girls worked the counter. They looked just like Molly when she was in high school. They couldn’t be her daughters? Surely not. Grand-daughters maybe. My heart sank. We couldn’t be that old. Could we? It just didn’t feel like that many years had passed.