by Casey Peeler
Chapter 4
Cadence
Walking into Gran’s house is like walking into a wildlife exhibit at the zoo. There are animals everywhere but not one of them is alive. They are all stuffed. It is so gross; it’s like they are staring at me. I drop my bags on the staircase, and Gran greets me with her hands on her hips.
“Excuse me young lady, but that is not where those belong.” I expel a huge breath and roll my eyes as I pick up my things.
“Then where do I take them?” I sass back.
Gran looks at Mom. “Who is this? This is not my sweet Cadence.”
“Mom…” my mom says, but Gran cuts in.
“I know for a fact I didn’t bring you up like this, and you better pray to the big man upstairs that this one right here changes her tune quick.”
“Cadence, take your stuff to your room right now, and drop the attitude,” Mom says. I’m disgusted that my mom, who always stood up to my dad and had been a strong person, does what Gran says without question. She’s a grown-ass adult.
“Well, which room would that be?” I ask with my hand on my hip.
“Top of the steps and third door on the right,” Gran instructs while mimicking me with her hand on her hip.
Without another word, I clomp up the steps to make my grand exit. Looking at the top of the stairs I see a picture of Gramps, Gran, and Mom when she was in high school. I almost laugh. She looks nothing like she does today. She has braided hair and is wearing overalls. Did I mention she was in high school? Glancing over my shoulder I see a polished editor in designer clothes sporting a trendy hairstyle. She’s gorgeous.
Standing outside my new room, I hold my breath as I push open the door. Oh my gosh, everything is baby food pea green. The wallpaper is older than me, and what is that smell? I drop my items on the comforter that looks like a rug and walk toward the dresser, where I see a mixture of dried flowers and wooden chips in a bowl on top of the dresser. I pick up a piece and cautiously sniff it. It smells like pine trees and cinnamon. Ew, they have got to go! I empty the bowl in the trashcan in the bathroom, pull the rug off the bed and then replace it with my luxurious Lilly Pulitzer comforter. Looking around I notice the pile of boxes in the corner. It looks like my stuff is here but there is no way I’m unpacking until we get our own place. I don’t think anything is going to help the pea green on these walls. I grab my phone to check for messages, but I still don’t have service so I put it in my pocket out of habit and walk downstairs for dinner.
The smell of grease hits my nose as I walk into the kitchen. Gross. There is a fried chicken with fried potatoes sitting on the counter, and some green beans are sizzling in a pan. Well, backwoods assumption number one has been met. They fry everything.
Taking a plate I neatly arrange the items so they are not touching. Then I take a seat at the table. Gran has poured us a glass of sweet tea. I take a sip and cringe because it tastes like pure syrup. “Gran, do you have any without sugar?”
“Lord no. That’s like one of the Ten Commandments. Thou shalt use a stick of butter and a gallon of sugar.” Looking at Mom, she nods in agreement.
“Don’t you have a salad or grilled chicken?” I ask.
“From the looks of it, I think you could stand to gain a few pounds. You’re skin and bones.”
“Mother!” Mom jumps in.
“Well, it’s the truth, and you could stand a few pounds yourself missy,” she says. “Come on. Let’s eat.”
I take a moment and pray that my teeth are still intact tomorrow and I won’t gain ten pounds overnight.
“You know, there’s a dance studio about thirty minutes from here. We can go check it out if you like.”
“Thanks Gran, but I’m sure they can’t compete with my studio in New York.”
“Just ‘cause we’re small town doesn’t mean we don’t know how to move. You should at least give it a chance.”
“We’ll see,” I say, trying to get Gran to drop the subject. Looking at the chicken, I try to decipher how to eat it. I begin to grab my knife and fork, but Mom clears her throat and I know that’s the wrong way so I glance at Mom as she wiggles her fingers. Seriously? Placing my napkin in my lap for extra protection, I take a deep breath and delicately take a bite. The grease runs down my cheek, and I have to bite harder to pull the meat away from the bone. Gran starts laughing.
“Cade, you might as well quit worrying about how you’re going to stay clean and dig in. If you’re having that big of a problem with fried chicken, I hate to see what happens with a rack of ribs.”
I try to delicately take another bite, but soon realize it’s no use. Grease pops in my mouth and I am so done. I’ve never tasted such a unique flavor. And grease dripping down my cheek is just gross.
Placing the chicken back on the plate, I decide to remove the crust so it won’t be as greasy. I carefully pull the crunchy part from the meat and when the top easily comes off, I feel a sense of accomplishment. Gran takes the crust from my plate and puts it in her mouth.
“That’s the best part Cadence,” Gran exclaims.
“Doubtful.” I take the fork and knife and somehow cut the meat from the bone. Gran stares at me and that pisses me off more while Mom eats quietly. I take small bites and chew them thoroughly in hopes that I’ll be full in a few minutes and save myself some calories. As for the tea, I only drink when necessary.
Surprisingly, I finish all of my chicken. It was actually better than a chicken tender, but I’m not going to admit that.
“Gran, where did you buy the chicken?” I ask. Mom pauses, and Gran looks me dead in the eyes.
“Cade, it came from out there.” She points toward the back door.
“So the deep freezer?”
“No, the yard. That chicken lived in the barn.” I drop the fork, pick up my napkin from my lap and cover my mouth. I try to refrain from vomiting.
“Listen, if you’re gonna live here, you’re gonna have to get used to a few things. One being that we raise what we eat. The grocery store is thirty minutes down the road, and we don’t have any fast food. It’s how we live our lives here. You’re just going to have to accept it.”
“Isn’t that like inhumane?” I ask.
“Lord child. You’ve got a lot to learn. These animals ‘round here are treated like royalty. It’s the ones you get at McDonald’s and those massive farms you have to worry about. No added hormones here. Everything on this farm is grass fed and of the highest quality. You’d be lucky to get this at a grocery store.”
“Mom why didn’t you tell me?” I whisper.
“What? So you’d starve?” she asks with a smirk.
After we finish eating, Gran asks me to help her with the dishes, and there’s no way I’m doing those.
“You’re kidding, right?” I say and then walk out of the kitchen.
Taking my phone from my pocket, I hold it in the air as I walk around the house. Damn being in the middle of nowhere. I open the door and take a step onto the porch. Nothing. I move toward the edge of the porch and it’s like winning the lottery. I have a bar and my notifications go crazy.
I dare not move so I stand on the edge and simply read the texts and reply. Nothing from Dad. I don’t even know why I got my hopes up. I text Lauren, and as soon as it’s delivered she calls me.
“What up Cade?” she asks.
“Girl. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. Oh, service sucks here so I might lose you if I move from this spot.”
“How are you going to survive without service?”
“Hell if I know. So tell me, how was practice today?”
“It was strange without you, but Madame Amy made a few changes to the routine and I think it’s going to work as a solo.” My heart sinks. That routine isn’t supposed to be a solo.
“Oh. Do you like it?” I question with disappointment in my voice.
She pauses and I know she’s looking for the right words to
say. “It’s different. I loved our routine, but this is challenging me as a soloist. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah it does,” I say with more attitude than I should.
“Are you mad?”
“I’m not sure. I just left and everyone has already moved on.”
“I have not moved on. Do you know how hard it was for me to walk in the studio today? I didn’t have my partner in crime to prank Mary Katherine, and when Madame asked for me to come up with an idea for our piece, I drew a blank. I miss you and it’s not the same.”
Hearing her say those words makes me feel better, but not great. “I’m sorry I was a bitch, but today has been awful.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“For starters, there’s no service. I’m literally hanging off the edge of the front porch for one bar. I look like a freaking monkey swinging from a vine. My room is the color of green peas, Gran has dead animals everywhere, and I had to eat fried food.”
“Okay, so maybe your room looks like baby poop, but maybe your Gran will let you decorate your room or repaint it. As for the phone service, check to see what the people around there use. I bet there is service but you have the wrong carrier. I mean any kid our age has to have a phone. It’s like our heartbeat. I don’t know what to tell you about the fried food. I’d just beg for some salad or something.”
I smile. Lauren really is my best friend, and even though she’s over six hundred miles away I feel like she’s with me right now. We talk a few more minutes and laugh about how several of my backwoods assumptions have been correct and come up with a few more.
“I bet everyone is related like they are kissing cousins or something,” Lauren says.
“Oh, or maybe everyone’s uncle’s name is Bubba,” I laugh.
“I bet all the girls wear pearls and talk like Scarlett O’Hara.”
“That’s a good one. I bet they only listen to that awful country music,” I add.
We both start to laugh and that’s when I hear the screen door open. Gran. “That’s enough missy. Get off that phone and in this house this instant.”
Rolling my eyes, I continue to talk to Lauren. The next thing I know, Gran takes my phone, politely tells Lauren I will call her later, and then throws it across the yard where it becomes lost in the darkness.
I feel the anger begin to build and just as I’m about to get my revenge, she puts me in my place.
“You listen to me Cadence Mae Lewis. I might not be your mother, but you will listen to me and respect what I have to say in my house.”
“Whatever,” I huff with another eye roll.
“I’ll whatever you into next week if you roll those eyes one more time.” I do it again.
“That’s it. I was going to offer to take you to the studio down the road this week, but instead, I think you can stay here with me while your mama works.”
“Whatever,” I say as I move past her. She fucking threw my phone in the yard and there’s no way I can find it in the dark. Damn her and her country ways. I hurry past Mom and make my way upstairs. Wait, Mom has a job? Already? I take a scalding hot shower and crawl into bed while welcoming myself to hell.