“Oh, Donnette, honey,” I began, “I am so sorry I interrupted y’all! I was just looking to see if you were in—”
But Donnette, being so sweet and friendly, laughed it off and let me in the door. “No problem—Tim has to go get ready for work anyway. I’m running late; I should have already opened the shop. Come on in.”
Donnette pulled a kitchen chair around for me just as casual as could be. I purposely didn’t let my eyes wander over to the table, though I was sure curious to know what they were looking at there.
“I hope I didn’t scare Tim off,” I said to her as she handed me a mug of coffee. I hated coffee but took it anyway because I needed something to do with my hands. For some reason I felt kind of uneasy, like she’d caught me spying on them.
“No, Tim’s fixing to go to work,” she said as she fixed herself a cup of coffee and leaned against the kitchen counter sipping it.
“Does he like that job at the lumber mill?” I asked politely.
She shrugged. Without any makeup on, she looked about twelve years old, not at all the glamorous girl she usually was.
“It’s okay. Just part-time. He does odd jobs there, figures up the bills and invoices and stuff.”
“Donnette, you know Mr. Harris would get Tim a job any time, at the bank or any place.” We’d been through this before.
“I know. I wish to goodness he’d go to Mr. Harris, but he says that it would make him feel like a charity case. I think it hurt him more than he lets on that, even though they paid the bills, Mr. Harris let it be known it wasn’t his responsibility to keep supporting him. That really hurt Tim’s pride, because last thing he wants is for anyone to feel responsible for him.”
“I know that, but Taylor—” I had to shut up before I could say another word, because suddenly the back bedroom door opened and Tim came into the kitchen, dressed this time. He spoke to me politely and quietly, and asked about Sonny. He’s one of the nicest boys I’ve ever known. It breaks my heart to think about what all he’s been through. And to think of where he’d be now, how famous he might be, if it hadn’t been for that accident! Life just isn’t fair sometimes. I looked away as he kissed Donnette good-bye, then he went out the door. Least he’s got her. She’s stood by him through it all.
Soon as he was gone, Donnette turned to me, and she looked really awful. So pale and worried.
“I’m glad you came this morning, Ellis,” she said. “I’ve got to talk to somebody or I’ll go crazy.”
“What is it? Is something wrong with Tim?” Lord, maybe he was having a relapse or something. I could tell by her face that it was something bad.
“No, Tim’s doing fine. Just fine, really. The doctors are real pleased with his recovery.” Donnette swallowed her coffee nervously. “I want to know what Taylor Dupree is doing back in town!”
Stupid me, I should have known she’d be worried sick over Taylor’s return. I would be if it were me. I’d been so wrapped up in my own problems I hadn’t thought about how Donnette must be feeling.
“Supposively he came back to talk to Mr. Harris about his Aunt Della, who is not able to stay by herself and is too stubborn to move in with the family, or to go to that nice new nursing home in Tuscaloosa. That’s all that any of us know, Donnette. Believe me, we all hate him as much as you do.”
Donnette looked down into her cup of coffee, as though the answers were there.
“I’ve heard that, but I don’t believe it. I’m scared, Ellis. I’m scared he’ll come around Tim again. I’m afraid that he’ll come between us somehow.”
“That’s crazy, Donnette, and you know it. Tim would never have anything to do with Taylor now, after what happened.”
She nodded, but her face was still grim. “Oh, I know that. A part of me does. But I keep thinking about how close they were, and how much Tim thought of Taylor. He was always much more of an influence on Tim than me. Taylor even chose Tim’s scholarship so that they could be together.”
“Yeah, and Taylor almost got him killed, too, Donnette. You are his influence now, honey.” I could tell that she was listening carefully to me. People respect my logic. We were silent a minute, then I thought of something.
“Has Tim seen Taylor yet?”
Donnette’s face went pale. “God, no! I’m doing all I can to make sure that Tim doesn’t find out that Taylor is in town. I like to have broke my neck at the funeral yesterday turning Tim all sorts of ways so he wouldn’t see Taylor sitting up there with the Clarks. I can’t keep this up forever, though. So see what you can find out for me, Ellis. Find out when he’s leaving, going back to school.”
I felt a lot of pride that Donnette needed me to do something for her, after all she’d done for me.
“Of course I will, Donnette. I’m in the perfect position to find out. As a matter of fact, Taylor came over and had supper with us the other night.”
Donnette looked up curiously. “Oh? How did he seem to you?”
“The same as I remembered him, a snob who turns up his nose at all of us. He thinks he’s too good for anyone in this town.”
“Except Tim. For some reason I can’t imagine, he has never been interested in anyone in this town but Tim. And Cat Jordan.” Donnette looked like she was about to cry, so I hurried to reassure her.
“Listen, Donnette. Listen to me. You put that out of your mind, you hear? I’ll talk to Hamilton about it, see if we can’t find out something and let you know. For all I know, he just came to take his Aunt Della to the funeral, and he’s going back tomorrow.”
I didn’t really believe that, though. I believed that Taylor got wind that me and Hamilton wanted Miss Della’s house, and he was determined that we weren’t going to get it, that’s what I believed. He didn’t care a hoot about his Aunt Della—he didn’t care about anybody but himself!
“Donnette, I need to ask you a favor, too. I hate to even mention it, though, with you so worried about Tim.” I forced myself to sip on the coffee some and glanced over at Donnette to get her reaction. To my relief, she smiled and shook her head.
“Tell you the truth, Ellis, I probably need something to worry about besides Tim. He doesn’t like me carrying on over him, reminding him of the accident. He wants to put it behind him now,” she told me.
“Well. If you’re sure. You’ll probably think I’m overreacting, Donnette, but after all you and me went through to get me where I am today, I am so afraid of anything that might come along and mess it up.”
Donnette pulled up a chair and sat next to me. “Is it Sonny? He hasn’t found out....”
“No, it’s not that. It’s Glenda.”
“Glenda? What on earth?”
Donnette looked so puzzled that I almost enjoyed telling her about what was going on with Glenda and Dink. However, she didn’t take my concern seriously.
“Ellis! Surely you don’t think that the Clarks are so snooty that they’ll hold it against you that Glenda is going with Dink! And what’s so bad about Dink, anyway?” I forgot that she really liked him. I had to be careful not to offend her.
“Donnette, you know as well as I do that Mr. Harris Clark is almost as fanatically religious as my daddy is. He’d be horrified that a relative of his is going with a divorced man.”
Donnette just shook her head. “That’s crazy, Ellis. This is 1985! Nobody is that old-timey anymore. Are they?”
“Oh yes, they most assuredly are. My daddy is, and Daddy Clark is too. They really are, Donnette. I ought to know—I was raised with it. I believe that’s one of the reasons Daddy Clark accepted me into the family like he did, even though we’re poor and not in his class. He knows that we’ll never embarrass him with a scandal like this could be, Glenda dropping Bobby Ray like she did and going off with an old divorced man like Dink. He’s fifteen years older than her, too! People are going to be talking to beat the band—I just know it. What am I going to do?”
Donnette shook her head again and smiled at me. She leaned over and took both my hands in hers.
/> “Listen to me, Ellis. We’ve come too far to let anything mess you up now. Tell you what, I’ll talk to Dink, okay? I’ll explain to him how you feel, how he needs to keep a low profile with Glenda. Trust me, okay?”
I smiled back at her and nodded. Trusting Donnette had gotten me where I was today, so how could I do any different?
Before Donnette and I started into the shop to do my hair, she stopped by the kitchen table and turned to me. “Oh, Ellis—I forgot! You’ve got to see the sign that Tim is painting me for my shop.”
So that was what they were looking at on the table before I came in. Donnette had to uncover it to show me. The paint wasn’t quite dry since Tim was still working on it. I went over to the table and stared in amazement as she pulled a large piece of plastic off to reveal a big round sign, almost the size of the kitchen table.
The sign was painted white, with black letters in the center saying MAKING WAVES. But the pretty thing about it was the pictures Tim had drawn on it. Why, it was little pictures of the whole town! The stores downtown, and the library, and the school, the football field, the churches—everything, painted all around the border of the sign. Then in the center, on the bottom, was a replica of Donnette’s big old house with the sign hanging in front of it. I’d never seen anything like it.
“Donnette, this is absolutely beautiful! You don’t mean to tell me that Tim did this!” I said to her.
Donnette was so proud that her face lit up like a lantern. “Yes, he sure did. I can’t wait to hang it outside.”
“But—Donnette—this is unbelievable! Has Tim ever done anything like this before? I didn’t even know he could draw.”
“Oh, yeah, he sure can. You ought to see some of the pictures he drew when he was a little boy. But once he started playing football, that took up all his time and he quit. Coach Mills wouldn’t let him draw anymore then—he had a fit. So this is the first thing he’s done in years.”
“Well, it sure beats all I’ve ever seen! Is there nothing that boy can’t do?”
Donnette’s eyes widened, and it was like we both realized suddenly that she was still standing there in her skimpy, sheer nightie. And we both started laughing at the same time.
“I ain’t going to answer that, Ellis!” Donnette laughed. “Let me get dressed, then we’ll do your hair!”
After I left Donnette’s, my hair freshly frosted, I decided I’d go out to see about Mama and Daddy before I went home. I didn’t really intend to ride by the Zippy Mart on the way out there, but found myself doing so. I wasn’t planning on stopping, just riding by to see if Glenda was carrying on with Dinky. Surely they wouldn’t be in broad daylight, but you never know about people. If they were, then I’d stop and give them both a piece of my mind. But if not, then maybe I’d wait until I formulated my latest plan and approach Glenda again, try it out on her and see what she thought.
If Glenda was so dead set on having Dink, and working at the Zippy Mart, then maybe I’d have to change my tactics. A plan began to form in my mind as I drove toward the Zippy Mart. Maybe I’d better pretend to be on Glenda’s side, talk her into doing like I did and taking a room with a widow-lady in town. Then I could keep an eye on her. Maybe Donnette was right; if I could just keep Glenda and Dink from advertising that they were seeing each other, things would be okay. So I decided to ride by casually and check on them. As it turned out, I was sure glad that I did!
When I rode by the Zippy Mart real slow and looked in, all I saw was Glenda waiting on a couple of fishermen, ringing up purchases for their fishing trip probably. Then I saw Dinky out by the Barber’s milk truck, and he and the milkman were stocking up dairy products, milk and butter and sour cream. Nothing much there, so I decided I might as well go out and report to Daddy that I had everything under control, was working on a plan.
On impulse, I turned the car down the road that leads to the river. I thought I’d just ride by the river for a minute; I hadn’t been since Hamilton and I married. It was almost noon now, so I didn’t expect to see anybody much. I sure didn’t expect what I saw!
Actually, this time of the year is not one of my favorites at the river. It’s not fall yet and summer is dying out. Not real pretty. I rode slowly along the road that runs next to the river, looking for any sign of the leaves turning, some signal that my favorite season might be coming on early this year. I was right, nobody much out this early. There were some fishermen on the river in their boats, and a few women and little children picnicking on the picnic tables under the oak trees along the riverbanks. One little kid was at the river’s edge, poking a little plastic boat with a long stick.
I was about to turn the car around and head back when I saw a couple off to themselves, sitting on a big beach towel. They were on the sandy riverbank where it widened before a bend, sort of a private little cove. You couldn’t have seen them if you hadn’t been looking just right.
At first I glanced at them and didn’t pay them no mind. Then I looked back again, startled. Speak of the devil—it was Taylor Dupree and some woman! Who on earth was he with, out here midmorning? Guess I’d better pull over and get a better look, I thought, because from where I was, I couldn’t see them all that plain. I stopped the car and stuck my head out the window. They were almost hidden from my view because of the steepness of the riverbank at that particular place.
I must say that I couldn’t blame them for wanting to hide from sight. From here I could see that they were sunbathing and that he was rubbing suntan lotion on her, very slowly and suggestively. She had on a skimpy black bikini and he had on swim trunks, like they’d been swimming already. She had her head back and was laughing like he was tickling her. Probably someone as common as Taylor is. No matter if his mama is Hamilton’s aunt and a true-blooded Clark, everybody knows his daddy was a Cajun. They got colored people’s blood. I was dying to know who he was with, so I fished around in my purse until I found my glasses and then stuck my head back out the window.
Lord have mercy! I had never in my life—I could not believe my eyes! That woman was none other than Miss Maudie Ferguson’s niece—that college professor! I had met her at the funeral home the other night, actually shook hands with her. And I remembered that Miss Opal introduced her to me as Sarah somebody, saying that she was an old friend of Hamilton’s Aunt Charlotte. Good heavens! That’d have to mean that she was probably old enough to be Taylor’s mother. If that didn’t beat all!
I have never met Hamilton’s Aunt Charlotte, but she’d have to be in her forties to have a son Taylor’s age. This Sarah woman didn’t look that old. She was really a good-looking woman. I recalled Hamilton carrying on about her at the funeral home, whispering lewd remarks to me about what he’d learn with her as his professor and stuff like that. From where I was, she looked skinny as a fashion model in that black bikini, and usually Hamilton prefers women with more meat on their bones. But I’d better be careful. I’ve heard about women like her, who go for younger men. She might go after Hamilton. He’s certainly much better looking than that long-haired, half-colored cousin of his.
Now Taylor turned around and she was rubbing lotion on his back, though he’s so dark, looked like he wouldn’t need it. He sure acted like he was enjoying it. I could tell from here that his eyes were closed and he was smiling. Looked like he was purring like a kitten. That woman leaned over his shoulder and whispered something in his ear and they both laughed like everything. Well. I could just imagine what she must have said to him!
I’ll be—right out of the clear blue Taylor opened up his eyes and looked right at me. I was so surprised that for a minute I just stared back at him. He said something to the woman and she turned to look up at me too, shielding her eyes with her hand. I rolled the car window up quickly and turned the car around fast as I could. I hoped to goodness Taylor didn’t recognize me with my glasses on. I sure wouldn’t want him to think I cared enough about his carrying-on to be spying on him!
Once I left the main river road I just kind of drove aroun
d, sorting all this out. There were plenty of country roads all around the river, and I followed one until I came to a deserted spot. I parked the car and sat a minute to think. Right now the only thing I could think of doing was going back to Donnette’s and telling her what I’d seen. I knew that Donnette was more knowledgeable about these things than me. Not that she was fast or anything; she just got around a lot more than I ever did at her age. I bet that she wouldn’t be nearly as shocked by this as me. The more I thought about it, the more I thought that’s what I should do. I could go tell Daddy Clark or Miss Opal, but something told me not to. Not just yet. I cranked up the car and started back into town to her place. Making Waves, that’s what she was going to name her shop. In spite of being so shocked, I giggled. I bet that Taylor and Sarah what’s-her-name were making a few waves right about now!
As I drove back into town, I thought about how strange it was that I’ve gotten to depend on Donnette so much lately. Ever since our friendship started, I have come to rely on her. I really owe her so much. Without her, I could not have changed my life the way I did.
About a year ago, I quit my secretarial job at the First Baptist Church to go off to business college. I don’t know exactly what made me up and do it like that. Come to think of it, I’d always been pretty much like Glenda—just a good obedient girl who never gave anyone a minute’s trouble.
Mind you, I was not like Glenda except on the surface. I was really bored and unhappy underneath, and I wanted something more out of life than the backwoods and the Freewill Baptist Church. I courted a couple of boys from my church, but never anything serious.
Then I turned thirty years old and realized my life would stay just the same if I didn’t do something about it, and do it fast. But even at that, I moped around miserable for a couple of years before I set my mind to exactly what it was that I wanted in life. That’s where Donnette came in.
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