“Just wanted to make sure my darlings are having a good time.” His southern accent was thicker than molasses. As he pulled out his wallet he grinned like he’d won the lottery. “And to make sure you have enough money, sweetheart.”
In a way, he had won the lottery and I was carrying his loot inside me. “I have my Visa,” Dottie said curtly. “What do I need cash for?”
“Now, sweetie. Money flies when you girls go shopping. It’s good to have a little cash. Here.” He handed his wife a roll of money. “Vada Faith, honey, this is for you.” He held some bills toward me.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t Mr. Kilgore.”
“Sure you can.” He shoved the money closer. “Now, remember. It’s Roy. Call me Roy.”
“Roy.” I backed away. “Thank you, anyway.”
“Please. I want to do this.”
I looked at his hurt face. Then I glanced over at my sister. Her expression was blank. “All right.” I took the money from him and stuck it in my purse. “Thanks.” I moved away from the rack where he stood.
“Now sweetheart, you take the girls out for lunch on me. Have a good time yourself, you hear? Get some perfume or something.”
“That was nice of your husband,” I said to Dottie when he’d gone.
“Yes, he can be nice. He can be many things.” She sniffed. “Now for tops,” she said, putting her glasses back on. “How many tops do you need?”
The last thing I heard as I started to go down was her saying, “Tops,” from somewhere far away.
I came to on the sofa in the lounge of Mother-to-Be.
“What happened?” I asked as my sister leaned over me. “My head hurts.” I tried to sit up.
“You hit your head when you fell.” Her face was full of concern as she touched my face. “Maybe you have a fever?”
“Here.” The store manager handed me a glass of water.
I took a sip. My head was pounding. “I guess I should have eaten breakfast this morning but I was excited and in a hurry.”
“You have to eat, Vada Faith,” Dottie said sternly. “For my baby’s health. You’d better start listening, do you hear.” She pointed a finger at me. “Promise me you won’t do this again. It’s foolish not to eat. My baby needs nourishment.”
“I know. I was running late and just didn’t.” I was still feeling sick and it irritated me that she wanted to monitor my every move.
“I’ve arranged for the new clothes to be sent.” The older woman gathered up my purse. “Now let’s go get some food in you. Is there somewhere we can go and get a drink? You’d like a drink, wouldn’t you?” She looked at my sister. “My treat.”
“Don’t touch the stuff myself,” Joy Ruth said, and steered us out of the store and into the mall cafeteria which was crowded. “This place will have to do.”
“You sit down,” Dottie said, pulling out a chair for me. “We’ll go through the line.”
She came marching back shortly and put a tray of food in front of me. “I don’t know why people bring children in here.” She wiped at a wet spot on her skirt. “That kid over there dropped her juice on me.” I looked up to see a little girl hide her face in her mother’s skirt. “Honestly,” Dottie complained, “I think she did it on purpose.”
“Accidents happen. This is a family restaurant.”
She gave me a cool look so I didn’t say anything more.
I wasn’t up to a confrontation with anyone. I was too sick.
I could only swallow a few bites of the chicken she had piled on my plate. I moved the potatoes and vegetables around until she was satisfied that I’d eaten enough to sustain her baby.
At home I sat down and put my feet up. The house was quiet with everyone gone and it was cool. I felt so sick I wanted to die. I didn’t remember feeling this sick with the girls but as I drifted off to sleep, I realized I’d never been pregnant with a stranger’s baby.
Chapter Thirty
“Vada Faith, Mr. Kilgore’s been arrested!” Joy Ruth came charging through the back door.
I was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. I’d slept all afternoon after our shopping trip. It was nearly dark outside now. I was too tired to look up.
“Hell-o!” She rushed past me, turning on the television in the living room. “Now let’s go to Maddie Magill,” Barry Carruthers voice shot from the TV. “She’s on special assignment over at the Civic Club.”
I dragged myself into the next room.
“There was a news bulletin earlier,” my sister said, sitting down on the floor. “Just wait. It’ll be back on. Jeez, news people. Hurry up already.”
“Thanks, Barry!” Maddie Magill said from the front lawn of the Civic Club. “As you know, we are celebrating the life of rock legend Elvis Presley this week.” She looked over her shoulder. “Just look at the crowd we’ve got over here.” The people behind Maddie cheered. “These fans are awaiting the arrival of Elvis Rodriquez. He’s come here from Mississippi to entertain us.”
“There’s mama!” I pointed to a blurry woman with a clump of white flowers pinned in her hair. “She’s acting like a teen ager over an Elvis impersonator.” In an instant she disappeared in the swirling crowd of women.
“You sure it was her? She loves Elvis but that’s a bit much.”
“It was her all right. If you haven’t noticed, she stands out.”
“Elvis! Elvis!” The crowd chanted and the camera zoomed in on a man in a tight white suit. He leaped onto the sidewalk from a yellow school bus and burst into song. “Don’t be cruel - to a heart that’s true,” he wiggled his hips. “I don’t want no other love, baby, it’s just you I’m a thinkin’ of!”
Mama was suddenly in front of the camera again jumping up and down, screaming like a ten-year old girl. The daisies pinned in her hair were bouncing up and down. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“Go girl.” My twin dropped to her knees and swayed to the music. “Look, isn’t that Dottie?” She stopped swaying and pointed at the screen. For an instant the woman’s face appeared on the screen and then the camera panned the crowd. “That woman is like a case of the itch.” She sighed. “You can’t get rid of her and scratching doesn’t help.”
“What’s she doing there, I wonder? Why would she want to see him? He’s not even very good.”
“She’s an Elvis fan, honey.” She rolled her eyes. “You know his fans are diehards. Just like Mama.” She pulled herself up from the floor. “Besides it’s an advantage for the woman. Makes her a little more normal. This infatuation sounds good after that nipple manipulation thing.”
“Look. There she is again. She’s waving at that singer.” She wore a wide brimmed hat that covered most of her face. It could have come from my mother’s own collection. Jackie Kennedy sunglasses completed her attire. I’d still know her anywhere with her Barbie doll looks.
“You think she knows him? Didn’t Maddie say he was from Mississippi?”
“I don’t know. Who knows? He’s waving at all the women.” Joy Ruth smoothed her shirt down over the navy shorts she wore. She’d lost interest in the concert. “Vada Faith, aren’t you worried. I told you Mr. Kilgore has been arrested. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Elvis, are those mutton chops real?” The camera zoomed in close to the singer. He was one good looking guy. As Maddie Magill held the mike to his face he mopped his brow with a white towel.
“Sure are, ma’am.” He threw the towel at the crowd and they went wild again. “As real as I am.” In a slurred voice with his lip slightly raised, he started crooning, “Are you lonesome tonight?”
“That’s it for the celebration here at the Civic Club,” Maddie said, holding one hand over her ear and talking into the mike as she walked away, “and as you can see we’ve got a crowd worthy of a true king. Elvis will perform throughout the evening. Come on down folks and join in the celebration. Now, back to Barry at the station.”
“Thanks, Maddie. For those of you who missed the news bulletin, local resident Roy Kilgor
e, owner and operator of Kilgore’s Home Improvement Company, was picked up by local police for questioning regarding charges brought by several of his former employees.”
As the tape rolled, Roy Kilgore strode down the sidewalk of his beautiful country home. Beside him walked the county sheriff.
“Mr. Kilgore, are you being charged today?” The young reporter stuck the microphone through the car window into the man’s face as he climbed into the back seat of the cruiser.
“No. I’m going voluntarily.” He held up both hands. “See. No cuffs. This is only for questioning. That’s all.” Gone was his soft southern drawl. In its place was this hard, gritty voice. “I want to get this thing settled,” his eyes narrowed as he spoke, “and get these guys off my back and off my front porch.”
“That’s it for now on this case,” the young reporter said as the car rolled away, “but we’ll keep you posted. Now back to you at the station.”
“Thanks, Donny,” Barry Carruthers said with his big false smile. “Now let’s go to the weather.”
“You might want to leave that on,” Joy Ruth said as I clicked the TV off. “They might give more news on Roy Kilgore.”
“I don’t care. I’m too tired to watch.”
“You do look awful.” She looked closely at me for the first time since she’d stormed into the house. “Are you okay, Vada Faith?”
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
“Why not take tomorrow off.”
“Can’t. I’m booked. I’ll rest this week end.
“Okay, I gotta run.” She set down the gold framed picture she’d been holding of the girls. “I promised Midgy I’d make some phone calls. She needs another $500 for resetting those tombstones. She said getting that cemetery cleaned up and those tombstones restored is the hardest thing she’s ever done.”
I followed her into the kitchen where she helped herself to a cookie from my new apple cookie jar. “I guess I should do something to help out too,” I said.
“Right now you need to take it easy.” She hugged me suddenly. “I wish you’d watch out for those people. Roy and Dottie are weird.”
“Stop worrying so much.” I pulled away and tied my robe tighter around my waist. “Really.”
After she left I sipped the lukewarm tea. She was right. I needed to take it easy for a few days.
However, taking it easy wouldn’t fix my problems. Not by a long shot and now I had a vision in my head of Roy Kilgore being hauled off by the county sheriff. It wasn’t the least bit reassuring.
The next Saturday evening, I opened the door to find Bruiser standing on the front porch.
“Hey, you,” he said, looking sheepish.
“What do you want?” I had things to do that evening and I didn’t have time for a chat with him. Besides we were due at the Kilgores’ for a dinner party in a short while.
“I’ve come to apologize to you and to John Wasper.”
“Your brother will be down in a minute.” I went into the kitchen with him following. I glanced at the clock on the wall. My husband was still upstairs dressing. Dragging his feet really. He’d spent several hours that afternoon repairing part of the front porch. A waste of energy since we’d be moving soon.
He’d ignored me when I told him that. He wasn’t at all thrilled to be going to this dinner party. He’d agreed because my sister would be there and a few others we knew. I figured it didn’t make any difference who was invited. It was their party and they wanted us there. I wasn’t sure why. I did feel better than I had the week before and I was curious about their new house and the much talked about nursery. Although if they were moving to California I wasn’t sure why they were spending money on a nursery here but money was no issue with them.
Mr. Kilgore had gone to the sheriff’s office and evidently set everyone straight. The news media had quit hounding him and the scandal about his business was dying down. At least that’s what his wife said when she called to see how I was feeling and to make sure we were coming to the party.
“Coffee?” I turned to my brother-in-law who took up half my kitchen.
“Sure.” He suddenly got this little boy look so familiar to me. His brother had the same look. Both men knew when to use it too. “You still mad at me, Vada Faith?” He smiled shyly.
“Afraid so.” I placed a cup of coffee in front of him.
“I’m sorry about that hateful letter you got.”
“What letter?”
“The one saying mean things about you. That you shouldn’t be a surrogate mother and all that stuff. I swear I didn’t write that letter. If I had I’d tell you. I would have signed it too.”
“How’d you know about that letter?”
“Your sister.” He took a drink of coffee.
“Who sent it then?” I persisted. “You must know.”
“Nope, I don’t. I’ll try to find out for you.”
“Have you changed your mind about my surrogacy, then?”
“No, ma’m. I still don’t believe in women giving away their babies.”
He pulled at the tie around his neck and for the first time I noticed he wore dress pants and a white shirt. His usual attire was jeans and a western shirt. A smile crept over his face when he saw me eyeing his clothes. He was up to something.
“You’re all dressed up. You going somewhere?”
“Yes,” he said, blushing. “On a date.”
“Anyone I know?”
“I come to tell you how sorry I am.” He was ignoring my question. “Everything got out of hand. The men got carried away with excitement that day at your shop. Then I had too much to drink that night I hit John Wasper.” He ran his finger around his tight collar. “Mom said if I don’t work things out with you and him I have to move out.”
“That’s too bad. You should be out on your own anyway. A big boy like you.” I was being mean but I couldn’t help myself.
“I am moving forward,” he said, “and making some changes in my life.” A smile covered his big broad face. He was certainly happy about something. “Soon I’ll have a down payment on a house,” he added.
I really didn’t care about his finances or his life changes. I had enough changes in my own life to worry about. Like, what was taking my husband so long anyway? He had the whole upstairs to himself with the girls already at a birthday party.
“Hey,” he whistled, looking at the kitchen clock, “it’s six. I’m late. Tell John Wasper I was here.” He stood up. “Thanks, too, for the coffee. Tell Joy Ruth when you see her, would you, that I apologized?”
“What’s she got to do with this?”
“Nothing. She just said I should keep my feelings about surrogacy to myself. That’s all. So will you tell her, please?”
“I will. You can tell her something for me. Tell her to follow her own advice and keep her opinions to herself.”
He mumbled good bye and left.
My sister was a good one to give advice. She criticized me and then she did stupid things, too.
From the window I watched Bruiser’s Jeep drive out of sight.
“Hey,” I called up the stairs, “do you want me to go to the party without you?” I almost wished he’d say yes. I wasn’t sure how he’d act since he thought the party was a dumb idea anyway.
“I’m coming,” he called, impatiently. “Just a minute.”
I’d tried to get out of going to the party but Dottie insisted. “Roy said you have to come,” she said, “or he’ll cancel it. I don’t want to cancel. Besides my sister is coming to town. I want her to see this house and hear about the baby.”
So that’s how it was as I watched John Wasper take the stairs two at a time and dab at the small cut on his face with a piece of tissue. “I’m ready,” he said grumpily. As he opened the front door for me, I could see his hand shake. He was nervous but then so was I.
Chapter Thirty-one
There was already a crowd when we arrived. Dottie had said only a few close friends but this was no intimate dinner party.
There were business associates of theirs from all over the country. Some from as far away as Texas and California.
“Our little birth mother is here.” Dottie clapped her hands gently to keep from spilling the drink she carried. “Everybody! Come on now. Welcome Vada Faith!”
Roy Kilgore leaned over and kissed my cheek when John Wasper’s head was turned. Then Dottie put her arm around me and drew me into the room, leaving John Wasper to trail behind.
This was done with care as she still had the drink in her hand.
“This is John Wasper.” She turned to my husband who’d worked his way to my side. “Isn’t he handsome?” His face turned crimson as Dottie smiled up at him.
Several men came up and shook my husband’s hand. Then they turned and slapped a smiling Roy on the back. “You sly old dog,” one of the men said.
“Oh, I’ve been dying to meet you, honey.” A woman grabbed my hand up in hers. She was an older version of Dottie. “Well, aren’t you just the cutest little thing.” She leaned close and I could smell the Chanel. “What a beautiful baby you will make. You and that big old handsome Roy Kilgore. I’m a big fan of his.”
“Vada Faith,” Dottie said, “this is my sister, Fannie.”
“Pleased to meet you.” I smiled and shook the woman’s hand. Dottie frowned as the woman kept patting my arm. Just as quickly, her mood changed and she smiled when she spotted someone new joining the party and she rushed off to greet them. I couldn’t worry about her moods. I was searching the crowd for my sister. She was supposed to be here to support me.
“I have something to tell you later, honey,” Fannie whispered in my ear as I scanned the room for Joy Ruth, “in private.”
I looked at her for some clue but she shook her head and strode off across the room. Was she going to tell me that Roy and Dottie weren’t your average couple? I knew that already. Did I have STUPID written on my forehead? I just wasn’t as convinced as my husband that they were scoundrels. In his book anyone that was hauled off by the sheriff on the evening news was BAD. I couldn’t count on their material wealth to impress him. He frowned up now at the large oil painting on the wall.
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