by Ann B. Ross
“Maybe it did. As queasy as she’s been, I doubt that chocolate candy would sit very well. Oh, Lillian,” I said, sitting down with a sigh that could’ve easily become a sob, “I don’t know what to do. She’s bound and determined to have nothing to do with Mr. Pickens, and he, for goodness sakes, won’t unbend enough to court her. And that’s all it would take, I’m convinced of that. She needs help so bad that I think she’d jump at the chance to marry him, even though she wouldn’t touch his candy.”
Lillian came over to the table and drew out a chair. “We got to do something, Miss Julia. I don’t know if you know this, but she been making lists of what she gonna pack, ’cause she not s’posed to go upstairs yet. An’ you might not know this either, but she already showin’ an’ people gonna know about it pretty soon.”
“Oh, I do know it, Lillian, but I’m at my wit’s end to know what to do about it.” I reached over and took her hand. “Tell me what you think. Should I just confront Mr. Pickens and tell him it’s his responsibility to talk her into marrying him? And tell him why? But then, what if Hazel Marie feels I’ve betrayed her and gets upset enough to go ahead and move off somewhere? And what about Lloyd? He’s asking questions I dare not answer because that would be another betrayal. I am just beside myself, trying to figure out the best thing to do.”
Lillian patted my hand. “Maybe she have another little spell an’ have to go back to bed. Maybe the doctor say she can’t go nowhere. I know some ladies have to stay in bed the whole time, else they lose they babies. If I was you, I’d go talk to Dr. Hargrove an’ see can he do something.”
“That’s a good idea, Lillian, and I was thinking of doing that. But even if he says she shouldn’t move away, that won’t help the bigger problem of making those babies legitimate. Only Mr. Pickens can do that.” I took a deep breath to get my voice under control. “Would you believe that he’s acting like his feelings are hurt? All he does is wander around like a martyr, determined to stay away from her and suffer in silence. I could just wring his stubborn neck.”
Chapter 33
Early Friday morning, I called Dr. Hargrove’s office and told the receptionist that I needed fifteen minutes of his time to discuss an urgent matter. Of course, she went into a song and dance about his busy day, until I said that the doctor had invited me in anytime I wanted to talk to him and today was when I wanted to. She put me on hold for the longest time, then came back to tell me that he could see me at twelve-thirty.
“During his lunch time,” she said with emphasis, just to make me feel bad.
It didn’t since it was during mine, too.
Just as I hung up the phone, it rang under my hand. I answered a little snappishly since I had things to do. Emma Sue Ledbetter said, “Why, Julia, you sound upset. Anything wrong?”
A lot was wrong, of course, but nothing I could mention. “I’m sorry, Emma Sue. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Well, I just wanted to tell you that I’m bringing supper for you tomorrow night, so tell Lillian not to cook. She doesn’t come in on Saturdays anyway, does she?”
“As it happens, Lillian does work the occasional Saturday, and tomorrow’s one of them. It’s awfully nice of you to offer to bring supper, but you don’t have to do that.”
“Well, I want to,” she said, a note of excitement in her voice. “I know Hazel Marie’s getting ready to leave and I might not have another chance to do something for her. You’ll be home, won’t you?”
I assured her we had no other plans, then recalling what I’d intended to ask her, I said, “Emma Sue, while I have you, you know Cassie Wooten, don’t you?”
“Why, yes. We’re on a committee together. She’s so sweet, a little strange in some ways, but very nice. I didn’t know you knew her.”
“Well, I don’t. Not well, anyway. I just wondered what you thought of her.”
“Oh, she’s a committed Christian, no doubt about that, and I hope you get a chance to know her better. She’d be very good for you, Julia.”
I should’ve known better than to ask Emma Sue. She never had an unkind word to say about anybody—unless they were un-churched. So I let it drop, thanked her for her thoughtfulness and hung up the phone. Then I put Emma Sue aside, gathered my thoughts and prepared to go see the doctor.
“Dr. Hargrove,” I started, ready to pour out my troubles as I sat across from him with the desk between us. Then, remembering my manners, I began again. “Thank you for seeing me, and I do apologize for delaying your lunch.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he said, with a wave of his hand. “How’s Hazel Marie? I’ve been keeping up with her by phone, but how do you think she’s doing?”
“That’s exactly why I’m here and, in case you’re wondering, she knows I’ve come to see you and she doesn’t mind at all. But first let me thank you for keeping in such close touch with her. Your phone calls have meant the world to her. And to me. I declare, she gave us such a fright when it looked as if she might lose those babies.” I paused to rummage in my pocketbook for the monogrammed handkerchief I’d thought to bring, feeling that I might need it any minute. “Of course at the time we didn’t know there were two to lose. Now our problems have just multiplied. As you can well imagine.”
“Yes, I can. She mentioned to me that she was thinking of moving away, but I’d like her to wait until she’s well into her second trimester. But then she shouldn’t wait too long. By the third trimester, she’ll need to be closely monitored. Not only because of multiple births, but her age is a factor, too.”
“Oh, I’m glad to hear it! Have you told her that?”
Dr. Hargrove frowned. “Miss Julia, maybe you don’t understand. This is a high-risk pregnancy.”
“I do understand, and it’s just as I thought. You see,” I said, scooting up to the edge of my chair, “I don’t want her to move away. None of us do. We want her to stay with us—both her and Lloyd. And what you’ve just said is all the more reason for her to stay put. Now, of course, I don’t want her to have any problems whatsoever, but I don’t at all mind her knowing that there’s a possibility of problems. You might mention that to her, if you would.”
He fiddled with the file on his desk for a minute, then looked back at me. “Look, Miss Julia, I can’t interfere in a patient’s personal situation, unless the patient, herself, asks. So, still speaking in general, why doesn’t the daddy step up to the plate?”
“Because the daddy, as you say, is not in the ballpark. She won’t tell him, and she won’t let me tell him. Why, she hasn’t even told Lloyd, and already she can’t wear anything but something with an elastic waistband! But,” I said, calming myself down, “I’m doing everything I can to get those two back together. So, I need time to work things out, yet time is working against me, too, for those babies are growing apace.”
“I see your problem,” he said, his mouth twisting as he recognized the burden I was bearing. “I’m not sure I have any help to offer.”
“But you could keep her here. You could tell her the complications she may have to face—I don’t mean I want you to overdo it and frighten her unnecessarily. Just make sure she knows the risk she runs by being on her own. I declare,” I said, dabbing my eyes, hoping to gain his sympathy, “if you can’t help, I don’t know who I can turn to.”
He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Consider this, Miss Julia. For what it’s worth, it could be better for Hazel Marie if she had those babies somewhere else. You know this town as well as I do, and she’d have a hard time here.”
“Oh, I do know it, and that’s why I know I’m being selfish in wanting to keep her and Lloyd here. But, on the other hand, it might be worse if she’s off by herself somewhere.”
Resigned to the fact that he had no answers for me, I folded my handkerchief and prepared to leave. “Well, I’ll let you have your lunch now, but could you talk to her? Just, you know, so she’ll know what to expect, what could happen and . . .” I stopped, struck with a sudden thought. My eyes dried up and hope
bloomed afresh. “It’s not Hazel Marie you ought to talk to, it’s him! That’s it, Dr. Hargrove, you should talk to the father and tell him the danger she’s in. Don’t you do that with your other patients? I mean, don’t you talk over any possible problems with the husbands?”
“Yes,” he said thoughtfully, “yes, I do. But Hazel Marie doesn’t have a husband.”
“Well, she would if you’d talk to him!”
“You’re sure you know who the father is?”
“Dr. Hargrove! Of course I know and you would, too, if you thought about it.”
He smiled then. “I could make a good guess. But, Miss Julia, that’d be pretty close to meddling on my part. I’d have to have her permission.”
“But that’s exactly where I am! Stymied at every turn, because she won’t give it.” I stuffed my handkerchief into my pocketbook, preparing to leave. Then I took it back out to keep it handy. “Well, thank you again for seeing me. I’ll let you have your lunch now.”
Urging me to come back anytime I wanted to talk, he walked me down the hall to the waiting room, then gave me a comforting pat on the shoulder. I left, not feeling comforted at all. No one had any help for me, although it seemed to me that all would be resolved if he’d break just one tiny part of his Hippocratic oath and talk some sense into Mr. Pickens. Which would keep me from having to do it.
“Miss Julia,” Lillian said as soon as I walked into the kitchen at home, “Miz Allen, she call and say can you come over to her house. She say she have something to tell you, an’ she got no mind to tell it on the telephone.”
“Well, my goodness, what could be that important?”
“I don’t know, but she say to come over soon as you walk in the door, so you better go on.”
“Lillian,” I said, going over and taking her arm, my heart thudding with anxiety, “do you think she knows? Could the word have gotten out? Oh, my word, what if rumors are running rampant already. Mildred has never called me over like this before. It’s got to be something awful if she can’t tell me over the phone.”
“Listen here now,” Lillian said, “you don’t know if she know a thing. Don’t be puttin’ the cart ’fore the horse, jus’ go on over there an’ see what she say.”
“But what if she comes right out and asks if Hazel Marie is expecting? What will I do?”
“I guess you do the same thing you been doin’, makin’ up one story after another.”
I slumped against the counter. “I don’t know if I can. It’s awfully hard to tell a story to Mildred. She seems to see right through me. And to tell the truth, I’ve about run out of stories, especially now that Hazel Marie has practically bloomed overnight.” I gripped her arm again. “And that’s another thing. Lloyd’s going to notice what’s happening before too much longer. I declare, Lillian, I don’t know how much more I can put up with.”
She patted my hand. “You got to leave some things up to the Lord, Miss Julia. Don’t be thinkin’ you can handle it all. Now, you go on over an’ see what Miz Allen want. You might find out you be worryin’ for nothin’. It might be ’bout yo’ church or something.”
Well, it almost was.
Mildred and I sat companionably in cushioned wicker chairs on her side porch, welcoming the soft breeze stirred up by the ceiling fan. Clematis vines wound around the Doric columns of the porch, and afternoon shadows stretched out before us on the bright green lawn. A pitcher of iced tea with mint leaves from Mildred’s herb garden sat on a table before us. It was a perfectly lovely visit, although I was too much on edge to enjoy it to the fullest extent.
I could stand the suspense no longer. “All right, Mildred, enough about your hemlock fungus and your bad knees, although I commiserate with you about both. But we’ve talked about everything under the sun except what you called me over to talk about. What in the world is so important that it couldn’t be discussed on the phone?”
“Well,” she said, “I’ve just been sitting here wondering if I ought to tell you. I was convinced I should when I called, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Oh, no, you don’t. Don’t tell me there’s something I need to know, then say you can’t tell me. That won’t do, Mildred, and you know it.”
She sighed and shifted uncomfortably in her chair, loosening the folds of the caftan she wore. Mildred had a thyroid condition that required loose and voluminous clothing to accommodate her mature figure.
“Well,” she said again, “it’s just that I don’t like surprises, and I know you don’t, either. On the other hand, it’s hardly fair to the ones planning the surprise to give it away. So if you’ll promise to act surprised and not tell them I told you, I’ll tell you.”
“A surprise!” I said, smiling with what I hoped was delight and not with the relief I felt. Mildred didn’t know a thing about Hazel Marie and had not even guessed. This was something entirely different from what I had feared. “What kind of surprise?” I went on. “And who’s planning it?”
“Emma Sue, wouldn’t you know. And she’s so excited she can hardly stand it. She’s invited everybody from the garden club, your book club, and, of course, from our Sunday school class. And, Julia,” Mildred said, leaning with some difficulty toward me for emphasis, “she’s even planning to play games. She made me promise not to tell you, but when I heard she was going to have games, I knew you’d want to know.”
“My goodness, Mildred, she just called to say she was bringing supper for us tomorrow night. What’s she doing having a party, too?”
“Oh, you know Emma Sue. When she decides to do something, she goes all out. Anyway, the party’ll be on Monday afternoon at her house. She’s planning to get you over there with a made-up excuse—a church problem or something. And if that doesn’t work, she’s going to have everybody show up at your house.” Mildred laughed. “That would really be a surprise party, wouldn’t it?”
Well, that certainly set me back. Emma Sue was taking on a lot, what with bringing supper for us on Saturday, and planning a surprise party for me on Monday. I couldn’t think of a thing I’d done to warrant such a celebration. It wasn’t my birthday, and I’d not had perfect attendance at Sunday school, nor had I recently been elected to anything. The only thing I could think of was the longevity of my church membership, but others much older than I deserved that honor. Not that I considered being the subject of a surprise party much of an honor. On the contrary, I thought such things were slightly tacky and, if you weren’t careful, somewhat cruel. A lot of people don’t like surprises, however well-meant, and I was one of them.
“Listen, Mildred,” I said, “I do thank you for warning me. Now help me think of a way to nip this in the bud. If she’s determined to have a party for me—although I can’t think why—let’s see if we can talk her into a nice reception, maybe in the Fellowship Hall at the church, where games would be most unsuitable.”
“Why, Julia,” Mildred said, laughing, “the party’s not for you. It’s for Hazel Marie, of course.”
Lord, my heart dropped right down to my feet. A surprise baby shower? Was that what Emma Sue was planning? And then, joy bloomed in my soul, and I gave thanks for answered prayers. A baby shower given by Emma Sue Ledbetter, of all people, meant that Hazel Marie would not suffer the scorn I thought would be heaped upon her. Tears welled up in my eyes at the outpouring of love that would be showered on her, along with an abundance of baby things she would need.
“Oh, Mildred, that is the dearest thing. You can’t know how much Hazel Marie will appreciate it, or how much I do, either. Emma Sue can have all the games she wants to, and we’ll enjoy them. I’ll tell you the truth, I have never before realized how deep Emma Sue’s Christian commitment is, but this just goes to show, doesn’t it?”
Mildred eyed me with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not sure a going-away party indicates any particularly deep spiritual commitment on Emma Sue’s part. Of course it’s thoughtful of her to want to give Hazel Marie a nice send-off, but she told me it was the perfect way to pay back her
social obligations and do a good deed at the same time.”
“Oh,” I said, taken aback by how my mind had leaped to such an easy but totally improbable outcome for Hazel Marie. And, even worse, it had been on the tip of my tongue to tell Mildred that all the guests should know, before they purchased their shower gifts, that Hazel Marie would need two of everything.
My breath caught in my throat as I realized how close I had come to making Hazel Marie the talk of the town.
Chapter 34
Walking home from Mildred’s house, I hardly noticed the late afternoon heat—except for having to mop my face now and then. My footsteps were dragging, for I found myself dreading to face again the problems that abounded at home. I’d never felt quite so defeated before. Well, yes, I had, right after I learned what Wesley Lloyd Springer had been doing during the last decade of his life. But even so, I had quickly discovered a way to handle it, unorthodox though it might have appeared. And it had worked out brilliantly, I must say.
But this, this with Hazel Marie left me with no way to turn. Oh, there was an easy solution and its name was Mr. Pickens, but how to tell him? And when to tell him? And what would Hazel Marie do if I did tell him? I fondly pictured her falling into his arms as soon as he fell onto his knees, but what if I were wrong? What if she felt so betrayed by him for getting her in the fix she was in and by me for breaking my promise, that her trusting heart began to break and she ended up a mere fragment of her former self?
It could happen, you know. You could be so hurt by those you’ve trusted that nothing, including yourself, is ever the same again.
I stopped beside a holly tree on the edge of Mildred’s yard, pretending to examine the leaves and berries in case anybody was watching. But all I wanted was to delay taking up my burdens again.