A New Attitude

by Charlotte Hughes

  “Any doctor will tell you how important it is to do a monthly exam. It’s just part of my routine now.” The girl nodded, and Marilee wondered if she’d been able to pull it off.

  “I just wanted to let you know I made a snack for you. It’s in the fridge.”

  “Thank you.”

  The girl started to close the door. “Uh, Marilee?”

  “Yes?”

  “I won’t mention this little incident if you won’t.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CLARA, RUBY AND NELL ARRIVED at Marilee’s the next morning at ten o’clock for their weekly meeting to discuss Blessing Home. “The roof is finished,” Ruby announced. “As we’ve received no bill, I plan to drive over to Benson Contractors personally to pay for the job.”

  “I hope we have enough money,” Clara said.

  “Sam isn’t in a hurry for that money, girls,” Nell said.

  “Your son has already donated his time, honey,” Ruby said. “Besides, we don’t want Bobby Benson telling everyone in town we don’t pay our bills. Now we have to come up with the money for plumbing and electrical work.”

  “I make a motion to discuss the white elephant sale now,” Clara said.

  Nell looked excited and raised her hand.

  “You have the floor, Nell.”

  “Well,” the woman said, wearing a bright smile. “I’ve hardly been able to contain myself, I’m so excited, but I wanted to wait until the meeting.” She paused. “I checked with every church in town, including my own, and they’ve promised to help with donations.” She looked at Clara. “All we need is a date.”

  The group clapped for her as Winnie walked in to the room. She stopped short. “Does this mean y’all are happy to see me?”

  Marilee chuckled. “The applause was for Nell.” She told Winnie what the woman had accomplished in just a week’s time. Winnie gave her a high five.

  “Marilee, do you have anything to report?”

  She sighed. “I’m afraid this has been a bad week for me, but I plan to spend part of the day going by some of the businesses in town. See if I can generate any interest. I’m also baking cakes in my spare time. I should have plenty to donate to the bake sale.”

  “Good luck finding people in this town to help,” Ruby said. “I believe you’ve been down that road before.”

  “Yes, but like I told you, it’s harder for people to say no in person.”

  “I could never say no to you, dear,” Nell said to Marilee, squeezing her hand.

  “Ask her for fifty grand and watch how quickly she changes her tune,” Winnie said. Nell smacked the girl on the behind.

  Clara tapped her gavel. “Ladies, please, we’re having a serious meeting here.”

  “That’s the problem with you, Clara,” Winnie said. “You’re always so serious. When was the last time you had a little fun?”

  “I don’t have time for fun. Ruby, do you have anything for us?”

  “We should plan on doing something one night,” Winnie said. “Just us girls. All we do is sit at this kitchen table and talk about committee stuff.”

  Clara arched one eyebrow. “Have you forgotten that Ruby and I are taking you to garage sales tomorrow?”

  “Winnie’s right,” Ruby said. “We never do anything fun. We could all go to dinner one night, maybe catch a movie afterward.”

  “I know what we could do,” Nell said, a twinkle in her eye. “We could drive over to the Pickford Inn and listen to Marilee play the piano.”

  Marilee blushed. She would feel funny with her friends watching her entertain. “The Pickford is very expensive,” she reminded them.

  “They have soups and salads, don’t they?” Ruby asked. “We can afford something like that, right, girls?”

  “Why don’t we go tonight?” Nell suggested. “It’s more fun when you do things spontaneously.”

  Clara wore a pinched look and began tugging at her short hair, giving it the tufted look that clearly indicated she was uncomfortable or annoyed. “They serve alcohol in that place,” she said. “Besides, I have a previous commitment.”

  Ruby scoffed. “I’ll just bet you do,” she said. “What are your big plans for the evening, Clara? You plan to sit around in that shaggy old bathrobe and watch Elvis videos? And what if they do serve alcohol? You don’t have to drink anything.”

  “It just so happens I do have plans for the evening,” Clara insisted. “The Friends of the Library is having a book sale this evening, and I’m in charge of it. Don’t you read the newspaper?”

  “Maybe we can go one night next week,” Ruby said. They looked at Clara.

  “Okay, I’ll go,” she finally said in exasperation. “Now, do you think we can finish our meeting? I’m sure we all have things to do.” She turned to Ruby. “You haven’t even given your treasurer’s report. That’s supposed to be one of the first things we take care of during each meeting.”

  “I’ve given my report,” Ruby said. “You said you were going to Benson Contractors to pay the bill, that’s all. We don’t know how much money we have, nor have we discussed what, if any, expenses we’ve had to pay out.”

  Ruby glared at Clara, then looked at the others. “Would somebody shoot me if I agree to join a different committee after this is over?” She gave her report, and Clara seemed happy for the moment. “I’ve also checked out a couple of locations where we might hold our white elephant sale, and every place wants to charge except the VFW hall.” She patted the back of her hair. “It just so happens I have a very nice friend there and—”

  Clara tapped her gavel on a book. “Thank you, Ruby, but we don’t need a rundown on your personal life.”

  Ruby slammed her folder closed. “Now, you listen to me, Clara Goolesby. I don’t know what bug crawled up your behind, but I’ve had enough of your ill-mannered ways. As of right now, I’m resigning. And I will never, do you hear me, never agree to be on another committee with you. You’ve already run off most of our other members, so if I’m not doing a good job, take care of it yourself.”

  Clara sniffed. “I suppose we’ll have to find another treasurer.”

  Ruby smiled at the others. “Would you ladies excuse me? I have a perm in fifteen minutes.” She thanked Marilee for the coffee and left.

  “What’s wrong, Clara?” Marilee asked gently.

  The woman looked as if she might cry. “I’m just out of sorts,” she confessed. “My bad moods are driving everybody crazy at work. And this stupid Blessing Home project is taking forever. We told the families they would only have the girls a few weeks, but it’s been going on for two months now. Some of the girls have had their babies, and their caretakers spend half the night walking the floor with them because the girls don’t know the first thing about being mothers.” She sighed. “It’s just one big headache, Marilee, and I wish I’d never gotten involved in the first place.”

  “All the more reason for us to go out and enjoy ourselves,” Nell said. She patted Clara’s hand. “Things are starting to move along. We’ll have this place restored in no time, just wait and see.”

  Clara sighed. “I just wish these girls would have thought about the consequences before they made their decision to have unprotected sex, because it’s very stressful for those they’re staying with.”

  “Excuse me, Clara,” Marilee said, as Winnie stalked off and made her way up the stairs. “You just hurt Winnie’s feelings, and she doesn’t deserve it.”

  Clara covered her mouth. “Oh, my word! I was so upset I didn’t realize what I was saying. I would never intentionally hurt her feelings. I mean, she’s like one of us.”

  “She is one of us,” Marilee said coolly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going upstairs to speak with her.”

  Clara rose from the table. “I have to pick up Ruby. She may be in a huff, but she obviously forgot I drove us over.” She sighed again. “I guess I owe everyone an apology.”

  Nell stood as well. It was obvious she was uncomfortable. “I’d better be getting
home. I have a lot to do if we’re going to get this bazaar off the ground.”

  Marilee found Winnie sitting on her bed reading a book. “Okay, I know your feelings are hurt, but you’re just going to have to get over it. Clara is stressed to her limit right now, and she wasn’t thinking.”

  Winnie looked up. “I don’t want the baby and me to be a burden on you.”

  “I’m sure it’s going to be an adjustment at first,” Marilee said, “but we’ve handled tougher stuff than this.” The girl remained quiet. Marilee planted her hands on her hips. “Listen, kiddo, I’m not going to sit around and watch you feel sorry for yourself. It’s not good for me, and it’s not good for your baby. This world isn’t going to stop turning just because you’ve had a bad day.”

  Winnie looked up. “Where’ve I heard that before?”

  “So what’s it going to be? You plan to sit here feeling crummy or do you want to go with me and try to guilt-trip this town into helping us with Blessing Home?”

  Winnie brightened. “I’m going with you. I love making people feel guilty.”

  L&M PRINTING WAS LOCATED BETWEEN the Honey Bee Candy Store and Elvin Purdy’s Hardware. Most of the stores in the little square boasted new green and white striped canopies. A salesman from New Jersey had sold a canopy to Shipley’s Art Gallery and Supplies, and suddenly the whole town had to have one. Folks laughingly called it Canopy Row. And when the Honey Bee set two massive clay pots of flowers on either side of their door, the other merchants began doing the same, as though each had to outdo the rest.

  When Winnie and Marilee walked into L&M Printing, Marilee was glad to see the place was filled with customers. It would certainly make hers and Winnie’s job easier.

  “You’re on,” she whispered to Winnie.

  “Oh, my, look at these nice message pads!” Winnie called out loudly, attracting the attention of everyone in the store. Several people craned their necks this way and that as they tried to see who had spoken. As Winnie hurried up to the display table sitting in the center of the room, she bumped it, turning the table on its side and dumping what looked to be a thousand pads with L&M’s logo and phone number at the top. They flew in every direction.

  “Oh, I am so embarrassed!” the girl said, bending over to pick them up. But her round belly got in the way, causing her to get down on her knees in order to retrieve them.

  Marilee rushed over to her. “Winnie, you shouldn’t be doing that,” she cried out. “You’re in no condition. Here, let me help. “

  Larry and Marge Mosely, the owners, rushed out from behind the counter. “Marilee, is the girl all right?” Marge asked. Several customers also tried to assist.

  “I don’t know, Marge. Winnie, honey, are you hurt?”

  “I think I wrenched my back,” Winnie said, grimacing.

  “Should I drive you to the emergency room?”

  “Maybe I should just go home and sit in a hot tub.”

  Larry looked concerned. “If you think you need to go to the hospital—”

  “No, no, I’ll be okay. I’d move that table if I were you, though. It’s in the way.”

  “How far along are you, dear?” a customer asked as Larry slid the table from the center of the room and straightened the cloth.

  “Almost seven months. If I get any bigger I’m going to have to ride in the back of Flick Rhodes’s meat truck.”

  “You’re so young,” the woman said. “I’ll bet it’s stressful for you.”

  “Heck, you think this is stressful, you should have seen me the day my folks kicked me out for getting in the family way and not having a husband.”

  “No!”

  Larry, Marge and Marilee were picking up notepads and stacking them on the table as another customer tried to assist.

  “Said they weren’t going to have an unwed mother living in their house. And them being Christians and all.”

  “Sometimes those are the worst,” another woman, who was holding a small Yorkie, added, “I couldn’t imagine putting my poor pooch out on the street, much less my own child. Where did you go?”

  “You ever heard of Blessing Home?”

  Larry looked up sharply and caught Marilee’s eye, but she glanced away quickly and continued stacking the pads onto the table.

  “The unwed mothers’ home? Why, yes, I have, as a matter of fact. It’s great that there’s a place for young girls to go when they need a helping hand.”

  “Well, actually, ma’am, the city closed it down because it was unsafe.”

  Larry paused and looked at Marilee again. “Are you the one who called me for a donation?” he demanded. “The answer is still no. Kids today need to learn to accept responsibility for their own actions.”

  The woman holding the Yorkie gasped. “Why, Larry Mosely, I’m not believing what I just heard. You’d refuse to help a young girl in trouble? What if your daughter got into trouble? And here you are, deacon of the Methodist church, not to mention one of the most successful merchants in town. Are you planning to take your profits with you when you go to your Maker?”

  “Mrs. Framer, you don’t understand,” he said.

  “I understand greed, Mr. Mosely.”

  Marilee suddenly recognized the woman. Della Framer owned almost all the convenience stores in town and surrounding areas. When her husband passed away ten years ago, she’d been devastated. Although she’d only owned a couple of stores at the time, she’d managed to acquire several more since then, including Chickpea’s only fashionable boutique, and she’d proved herself a formidable businesswoman.

  Larry blushed. “I can’t afford to give to every charity in this town, Mrs. Framer, much as I’d like to.”

  Mrs. Framer smiled. “Marge, honey, would you please cancel my order? I think I’ll have to take my business elsewhere. I know Ross’s Print Shop on the other side of town would love to have my business, and Mr. Ross is a generous man.”

  Marge blanched. “Oh, Mrs. Framer, I know we can work out something.”

  Larry shot Marilee a dark look. “Are you trying to ruin my business?” he hissed.

  “No,” Marilee said just as softly, feeling genuinely sorry for the man. She and Winnie had gone too far. “Mrs. Framer, please don’t cancel your order on account of us. I’m sure we’ll find the funds to renovate the home.”

  “Hey, we meant no harm,” Winnie said. She looked at Larry Mosely. “We were just going to get a price on flyers announcing our white elephant sale. The proceeds will go directly to Blessing Home, of course. Like Mrs. Abernathy said, I’m sure we’ll get what we need. The Lord always provides.”

  Mrs. Framer pulled out her checkbook. “You’re darn right you’ll get what you need. I’m writing you a check right now for five hundred dollars, twice the amount I just saved by canceling my order with L&M. Tell you what else I’m going to do. I’ll put donation boxes in all my stores. We’ve done this sort of thing before, and you can bet we collect plenty of money.”

  Marge Mosely glared at her husband, then flashed a sweet smile at Marilee. “Mrs. Abernathy, of course we’ll help. We can certainly give you an excellent rate on flyers.” She suddenly snapped her fingers. “Tell you what, if you’ll just settle for black and white on inexpensive paper, we’ll donate the flyers and even stick them in the Wednesday newspaper for free. Everybody in town will see them.”

  “Oh, Mrs. Mosely, we don’t expect you to just give them to us,” Marilee said. “We have money.”

  “That’s right,” Winnie replied. “And I’m willing to donate my time here after school in order to pay you back.” She turned to Marilee. “That’s okay with you, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know, Winnie. You get so light-headed these days that I worry about you. But if it would make you feel better—”

  “No!” Larry replied, almost knocking the table over again in his nervousness. His forehead was wet with perspiration. “We don’t expect anything in return. Why don’t you call me when I’m not so busy?”

  “Same number as
before?” Marilee asked sweetly. He looked embarrassed, but nodded.

  “Well, now, that’s much better,” Mrs. Framer said. “Marge, honey, don’t bother canceling my order. I’m proud to do business with people who care about the less fortunate.”

  “Excuse me, but I couldn’t help overhearing your dilemma,” Fred Bean, owner of Bean Electrical, joined the discussion. “I heard Blessing Home was in need of electrical work. I’ll be glad to donate a few supplies and labor. Seems only right that folks should pitch in as much as they can, when it benefits our community. Here, take my business card. When you call, ask to speak directly to me.” He handed it to Marilee, who thanked him profusely.

  Mrs. Framer motioned for Marilee and Winnie to follow her outside. “You’re both very good,” she said.

  Marilee blushed. “I don’t understand.”

  “Sure you do, honey,” she said, giving her a hearty wink. She looked at Winnie. “Are you in school, child?”

  Winnie drew herself up to her full height. “Not only am I in school, I’m on the honor roll. I’m going to study accounting at the junior college once I graduate high school. I plan to have my own accounting firm.”

  Della Framer smiled. “You did an excellent job in there, although I half expected Larry Mosely to have a stroke. He can be such a tightwad at times.”

  “I think Mrs. Framer is on to us,” Marilee said to Winnie, giving a small chuckle. “Were we that conspicuous?”

  “You were superb. Not the pro I am, of course, but I’ve had many years of practice, which is how I got where I am today.” She looked at Winnie. “So you’re an honor student, and you plan to open your own firm one day? You seem to be a very determined young woman. Many women in your condition might give up.”

  “I know what I want, and I’m going after it,” Winnie told her.

  Mrs. Framer nodded. “My name is in the phone book. Call me when you get your accounting degree. I could use a live wire like you working for me, and I’ll be happy to pass your name on to my friends.”

  Winnie and Marilee looked at one another.