Dana’s grin was huge. “Did you see her dress, all shiny and gold? She looked like a queen.” Her eyes were wide and bright. “It was like magic.”
“I think we’ll have some magical moments of our own at the Miss Dogwood pageant,” Miss Vernie said.
“You do?” I asked.
Those secret-keeping eyes twinkled again. “Indeed, I do.”
The three of us girls looked at each other, and I wondered if they felt the same rush of cool tingles on the back of their necks.
AS THE DAYS FLEW BY, I COULDN’T STOP THINKING about what Miss Vernie had said. Would the pageant be magical? I worked my hardest, practicing the baton, picking flowers, and pulling cattails. And Miss Vernie’s gardens were thick and beautiful even though we hadn’t had any rain. Grandma’s flowers were all dried up. I didn’t go back to the creek anymore, because I had pageant work to do.
I still had two charms to lose on my bracelet, but Karen and Dana each had three left, until Karen showed up breathless one morning, running up to us and shaking her wrist. “I lost my ballet slippers!”
We crowded around her on Miss Vernie’s back porch to look. “What do you think you learned?” Dana asked.
Karen shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I’m getting good at the baton?”
Dana glanced over at my wrist. “And you lost your flower.”
I nodded. “A week or so ago.”
“What did you learn, Brenda?” Miss Vernie asked.
I stared up at the clouds steaming across the sky. “People and ideas can grow on you. Just like a flower grows, you know?”
“Very good. Very good, indeed.” Miss Vernie looked proud.
I leaned against the railing on her porch. “But I don’t understand how the bracelet works, Miss Vernie. How does it know when to lose a charm? How does it know when you learn a lesson?”
She shrugged. “How is it that you know?”
I studied my bracelet. I wasn’t sure, but I did know I had two charms left and no idea what I still had to learn.
AFTER OUR USUAL MORNING ROUTINE, WE GATHERED for lunch. Karen ran her hand along her cheek. “My skin really does look good after using that clay. See?” She tilted her chin toward us. “My zits are clearing up. Better than Clearasil.”
“You do look lovely.” Miss Vernie nodded.
Then Karen stood up. She pulled on the waist of her shorts. “I’ve lost some weight too.” She was smiling as she plopped back in her seat and pushed her unfinished plate away. “I even told my stepfather about it when he called me porky.”
“He called you porky?” I asked.
“No, but he said I didn’t need second helpings of dessert,” she said. “That’s when I showed him my loose shorts.”
“Sounds like you’re standing on your own two feet,” Miss Vernie said with a smile.
“Your two feet in two ballet slippers,” I offered.
Karen’s eyes widened. “You think that’s what I learned? I thought I learned something about beauty, but we already lost the mirror. Maybe you’re right.” She looked off for a while. “My skin looks as nice as yours in that picture on your piano, Miss Vernie. The one where you look like a movie star.”
Our gazes went to the French doors where you could see her pictures on the big baby grand piano.
“So who is that man in the picture next to you?” Dana asked, which was very strange, because she had yelled at us for asking before.
The man stared out from underneath an army cap. He had Miss Vernie’s thin nose and pouty lips.
Miss Vernie took a deep breath. “That’s my Charlie.”
We chewed silently, waiting for more of an explanation. Was he her son? A brother? A boyfriend? But she said nothing.
“What happened to him?” Karen asked.
I kicked her under the table.
“Hey,” she yelped, rubbing her leg.
We were all quiet for a while until Miss Vernie finally raised her head. But her eyes were still fixed on the table. “I don’t know. I don’t know what happened to Charlie. I don’t know where he is.”
I opened my mouth to ask how that could be, but then snapped it shut. I figured Miss Vernie would tell us if she wanted to.
Even Karen knew enough not to say anything.
Dana looked at Miss Vernie with big, sad eyes. “I’m sure Miss Vernie would appreciate a break from the three of us so she can have some quiet time to herself. Let’s go back to the pond.”
We hadn’t worked there in a few days, and the idea snapped us out of our funk.
“Okay,” I said, trying not to sound too excited.
“Yes!” Karen shouted. “More mud. Can we have more plastic containers, please?”
Miss Vernie hurried to the kitchen, back to her usual smiling self.
It took a little while to get into our groove but we worked through the afternoon, silent and smooth like a machine. After a few hours, we’d cleared another twenty feet. We had finished half the pond. It was hard work in the hot sun, but it felt good. We collapsed on the shore, dangling our feet in the water. I grabbed another handful of mud to smear on my face.
“Good idea,” Karen said.
I was hoping Dana would pick some up too, so we could all be the same. But she just closed her eyes and basked in the sun, twining a piece of marsh grass around her finger. “I’ve still got three charms left.”
“Guess you’ve got a lot to learn,” I said.
“You don’t know anything about me,” she said quietly.
“But I’d like to.”
Dana thought about this for a moment and nodded. Then she got up and packed her things. “I’ve got a lot of chores to do at home. See you guys tomorrow.”
We watched her walk away.
Karen examined her bracelet. “I sure hope these charms teach us something that’ll help us at the pageant. It’s getting close.”
She was right. Even after all this time at Miss Vernie’s, I knew nothing about getting onstage and acting like a beauty queen. And how was ripping cattails out of a pond going to help? If this pageant didn’t bring me closer to my family, I didn’t know what would. Chip was gone and I wasn’t sure who I was becoming.
chapter fourteen
MISS VERNIE SET US TO WORK WEEDING ANOTHER garden the next morning. We were busy pulling out clover and thick, creeping ivy that must have popped up overnight. We had just cleared out that garden two days before. Now that I wanted to surprise my family and show them I was a pageant girl too, I wanted real lessons that would help me. But I had promised to do whatever she asked back when I joined the school, so it felt wrong to grumble about it.
After working for a while, Miss Vernie checked on us. “Girls, we need to go back into town today. I have to buy some supplies and I’d like to give you a treat for your hard work.”
We stopped weeding. The tips of my fingers were stained green.
“What kind of treat?” Karen asked. “Ice cream?” She licked her lips.
“I’m going to drop you off at the movie show while I do my errands.”
“Cool! Star Wars is playing. Everyone says it’s amazing. I haven’t seen it yet, have you?” Karen asked me.
“No,” I said. I hadn’t been to the movies in months, and I didn’t want to see some spaceship movie. But Star Wars was playing at the matinee, so that was our movie.
Miss Vernie paid the dollar and fifty cents for our tickets and bought us popcorn and sodas too. She looked at her watch. “I’ll meet you here in two hours. Have a wonderful time.” She waved good-bye and we handed our tickets to the usher.
We walked into the cool, dark theater. That in itself was a nice treat from the steamy day. I never imagined summer in the South would be so hot. We walked down the aisle, looking for a seat. There were plenty to choose from on a Tuesday afternoon.
“Dana, what are you doing, girl? Where you been this summer?” Two black girls stood up from their seats and looked at her.
She bent her head to take a long drink from her
straw. “I’ve been busy.” She didn’t look at them.
“Doing what? Babysitting for some white family?” one of the girls asked with a little laugh.
Dana didn’t say anything.
The other girl patted the seat next to her. “Sit by us. Those girls are big enough to take care of themselves.”
Dana’s eyes flashed over at us and then back at the girls. “Naw, I’m good. I’ll see you guys later.” And she led us down the aisle away from the girls’ whispers.
“It’s okay if you want to sit with your friends,” Karen said quietly, eating her popcorn one piece at a time.
“Yeah, it’s dark. We wouldn’t even know you were gone.”
Dana looked down her nose at me. “You don’t want me sitting with you?” Her amber eyes glowed in the dim theater.
If there was a wrong thing to say to her, it always seemed to land in my mouth, just like a hornet lands on your Popsicle right when you set it down. “No, I just don’t want you to feel like you have to sit with us if you’d rather sit with your friends.”
“I said I’m fine where I am.”
We were quiet then, waiting for the movie. I dropped my box of popcorn when Star Wars started—with that music and those stars shooting past me like I was out there in space too. The three of us laughed and cringed and dropped our jaws all at the same places. Karen offered me some of her popcorn and we drained our big sodas. We stood up and cheered when Luke blew up the Death Star and we kept clapping after the movie ended.
“That was great,” Karen said as we stayed in our seats, watching the credits roll. I didn’t want to leave. I closed my eyes and imagined myself flying through the stars at light speed. Then I frowned, remembering the night at the dinner table when I’d told Grandma what Miss Vernie had said about women joining the space program. Grandma got all mad.
“Women don’t have the same opportunities as men,” she’d said. “Women will never fly in space.” And that had been the end of the conversation
“What’s wrong?” Karen asked, noticing my frown.
“It was a cool movie,” I said. “But why didn’t Princess Leia get to fly the ship or blow anything up? Most of the time they were just rescuing her.”
“But she was a princess. And she was funny. Bossy too. Man, Luke and Han are such foxes,” Karen said with a sigh. “Of course she was waiting around for them to rescue her. That’s what I would do.”
“Come on, Miss Vernie’s waiting for us,” Dana said. We got up and crunched across spilled popcorn and sticky soda.
Miss Vernie clutched a few bags and scanned the lobby. She smiled when she spotted us exiting the theater doors. “How was it, girls? Did you have a good time together?”
“It was great!” Karen pumped her arm in the air.
“Real nice, ma’am. Thank you,” said Dana.
“Hey! You lost a charm.” I pointed to Dana’s bracelet.
“The ballet slippers,” Karen said. “What did you learn? Wait, let’s think.” Karen tapped a finger against her chin. “You had to do a little tap dancing when your friends wanted you to sit with them.” Karen shuffled her feet in a quick dance.
“What’s this?” Miss Vernie asked.
“Some of Dana’s friends thought she should be sitting with them instead of us,” Karen said.
“Oh, so what did you do, dear?”
“I sat with my charm school friends,” Dana said, a tiny smile curling up the corners of her lips.
“Sounds like you stood up for what you believe in. On your own two feet, if you will.” Miss Vernie winked at Dana.
Dana looked up at Miss Vernie and smiled.
Was that what would happen for me too?
Karen chattered on about the movie as we walked toward Miss Vernie’s car. “It was the best movie ever! Well, Chip didn’t like that Princess Leia didn’t get to drive any of the spaceships. But it’s not like there are any girl astronauts. That’s for boys,” Karen said.
I jabbed Karen with my elbow. “Shhh!” I hissed. What a blabbermouth. That should be her talent for Junior Miss Dogwood.
“Why wouldn’t a woman fly a spaceship?” Miss Vernie asked as we loaded ourselves into her car. “I just read in the paper that they’re accepting applications at NASA for the space shuttle program. Remember how I told you they were testing it? I bet there’ll be women in that class.”
“No way,” Karen said, shaking her head.
“Maybe someday our Chip will be the first-ever female astronaut.” Miss Vernie studied me in the rearview mirror. Her bony fingers gripped the steering wheel.
“I couldn’t do something like that,” I said. But a little voice whispered in my head, Then why do you think you can be in the pageant? I shook my head to get rid of the thought. “What did you do while we were at the movies?”
“I had to get some new makeup for my contestants.”
I scrunched my nose because I had never worn makeup before, but then I reminded myself that I’d never covered my face in mud before either, and that had been fine.
We drove home the rest of the way in silence while my mind twirled with images of speeding stars and sparkly tiaras.
chapter fifteen
WHEN I WALKED THROUGH OUR FRONT DOOR, I COULD see Grandma upstairs, walking past the off-limits room. Inspired by the adventures in the movie, I decided I would try to get back in there soon. But I was never alone in the house. Did I dare do it again while everyone was sleeping? Probably not. Grandma had really good hearing for an old lady.
“You received some correspondence today,” Grandma said as she walked down the stairs.
“What?”
“You got mail, little sis,” Charlene said, leaning over the railing. “I think it’s from your boyfriend,” she sang.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I grumbled. But why was I blushing?
Grandma walked over and handed me a letter. It was from Billy. I recognized his handwriting. I ran to my room to read it in private, ignoring Charlene’s giggles as I dashed past her.
I jumped on the bed and turned Deady Freddy around so he couldn’t see the letter. Then I tore open the thick envelope.
Dear Chip,
Things are soooooo boring here. It’s no fun playing the Coolest Thing Ever when there’s no one to show your stuff to. Thanks for the rock. Awesome! It’s in my crayfish tank. I found an albino crayfish that might actually be cooler than your baby turtle. Do you still have him?
I’m sorry to hear you don’t like it down there. I saw Star Wars—did you see it? It was so cool! I got you some PopRocks at the movies, since they’re your favorite, and stuck them in the envelope. Hope they didn’t get crushed.
Well, please come back and visit sometime.
Your pal,
Billy
I rolled over onto my stomach and stared out the window. It was so strange not having a friend I could just run outside and play with. Dana had called me and Karen her charm school friends today, but it wasn’t the same as with Billy. I missed skipping stones across the pond and riding bikes. I couldn’t remember ever feeling sad like this back home before Daddy died. I felt like a wilted flower down here in North Carolina, and Billy’s letter only reminded me how much had changed. How much I had changed.
“WHO WANTS TO GO INTO TOWN FOR ICE CREAM?” Grandma asked after dinner.
“Me! Me! Me!” hollered Ruthie, jumping up and down like a puppy.
Charlene held her hand over her stomach. “I’m stuffed. But I’ll come and have one maraschino cherry. That only has fifteen calories.”
I was pouring the PopRocks onto my tongue, seeing how long it would take for them to run out of pop. I wondered if they’d do the same thing on ice cream. It would be a worthwhile experiment even if it did mean a trip in Grandma’s stuffy car.
“Brenda, I thought I told you not to eat those. Children across America are being rushed to emergency rooms every day because that candy is blowing holes in their stomachs. Where did you get that?” Mama asked.
> “Her boyfriend,” Charlene teased.
“Not true!”
“Brenda, did you hear from Billy? How is he?” Mama asked.
“Great. I sure do miss him.” Billy would’ve known how to get back in Grandma’s room. I froze. Grandma was going to town for ice cream. The house would be empty. This was my chance. I rubbed my stomach.
“I’m full too. I’m going to skip the ice cream. I’ll be upstairs.”
“Suit yourself,” Grandma said, plucking her keys from the key rack.
As they filed out the door, my heart pounded. They’d all be gone for at least an hour, and that was plenty of time for investigating the off-limits room—I wanted to look at all the pictures and see what was inside that covered-up cabinet. I needed to learn some of Grandma’s secrets and I’d bet anything that’s where they were. Too bad Billy wasn’t there to act as a lookout.
I WAITED FOR THE CAR TO PULL OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. Then I ran upstairs. My fingers trembled as I snatched another bobby pin out of the drawer in the bathroom. I held it in my palm, giving myself one last chance to decide not to do it. But I wasn’t doing it to be sneaky. I was doing it to know Grandma better, and that was all part of keeping my promise to Mama. I blew out a breath. It sure sounded good, but it didn’t feel good. Before I could change my mind, I stuck the pin in the lock and opened the door.
The room looked exactly like it did the last time I had been in there. It was still dim, but I wasn’t brave enough to flip a light on. I scanned the walls for those animal pictures again. There were dozens of framed photos tacked up on the wall.
I stopped in front of one picture that looked just like Ruthie. I blew off the dust. This little Ruthie-Girl smiled up at the camera with lots of baby bunnies at her feet. In another picture that same little girl held onto a great big fluffy kitty. Then the girl stood with a man and a woman in front of an old truck that had DAVIDSON ANIMAL HUSBANDRY printed on its side.
I brushed off another dusty picture of the little girl and froze. There was something scribbled in pencil underneath a picture of her on a pony. I squinted so I could read it better. Nancy riding Ginger, 1926, it read.
Grandma’s name was Nancy. That little Ruthie-Girl was Grandma. That little Ruthie-Girl with all those animals! Grandma—who hates animals. I spotted another picture, with Grandma holding a ribbon tied around a goat’s neck. And that wasn’t the only picture of Grandma with animals. Live animals—not dead, stuffed ones like downstairs.
School of Charm Page 11