The Sisters Café

by Carolyn Brown

  “Got time for a break?” Marty asked.

  John wiped his hands on a towel on his way from kitchen to counter. “You two really are identical except for the hair. I’m John, and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Marty.”

  Marty shook hands with him. “Pleasure is all mine, John. Can I steal her for half a minute?”

  “Only if you bring her back. Go out the back door. It’s easier than getting through the crowd.”

  “Is everyone all right?” Cathy wiped sweat from her forehead with the towel Jack laid down.

  “Everyone is fine. Which way?”

  Cathy led the way and Marty followed. The back of the joint was the front yard for John’s trailer. It wasn’t much to look at, but if that’s what put the gleam in Cathy’s eyes lately then it was a great place.

  “What’s going on?” Cathy asked.

  “Remember me saying that I use Lynn Woodson’s room on Wednesday nights?”

  Cathy nodded.

  “She’s dating Ethan. I thought you should know.”

  It took a full minute for the news to sink in and then Cathy started laughing. “Violet has met her match.”

  “It doesn’t mean they’ll get married. They’re just dating.”

  “Think they’d like to buy a red, white, and blue cake?”

  Marty laughed with her. “That was my first thought. But you aren’t ever going to unload that thing. I’m not sure that you can list an ugly wedding cake in the classifieds.”

  “I didn’t love him, Marty. He and Lynn have so much more in common and he deserves to be happy.”

  “You’ve got a good heart, Cathy Andrews.”

  “So do you, Marty Andrews. Now I’ve got to get back to work. Don’t want John to be completely worn out from cooking and waiting the front, too. I’ve got plans for something other than sleeping tonight.” Cathy winked.

  “The good twin goes bad.” Marty hugged Cathy.

  She and Cathy had been born two halves of a whole. Cathy had the kind soul and sweet nature. Marty had the wild streak and spoke her mind loud and clear. Marty grew up protecting her nice other half from bullies and wondering if she’d ever get a backbone. Now that she had, Marty was saddened. Would Cathy not need her anymore? Would their friendship suffer with the new roads they’d taken?

  Chapter 19

  Cathy rang the doorbell and waited.

  Her finger was reaching to hit it again when Clayton opened the door.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked bluntly.

  “I would like to see Violet, please.”

  “I’ll see if she is busy.”

  Clayton almost succeeded in shutting the door in her face, but she stuck a sandal-clad foot in it before it shut. “Don’t be rude just because I threw a monkey wrench in your plans. I’m coming inside and I’m talking to Violet.”

  Her courage amazed her. Did sex make all women braver?

  He opened the door and glared at her. “She’s in the dining room.”

  “Thank you.”

  He motioned for her to follow him.

  Cathy knew her way around the house and she’d never stolen anything. Not even an engraved paper liner for coasters. But evidently she wasn’t to be trusted to walk past the credenza and down the hallway without an escort.

  “Catherine is here,” he said and remained by the door.

  Violet’s freezing stare would have intimidated her weeks before. Today it was pitiful and reminded Cathy of those women whose biggest claim to fame was being a high school cheerleader. Those poor souls who still wore their letter jackets to all the home football games thirty years after they’d graduated.

  “Did you come to apologize for your behavior? If you did, you are wasting your time,” Violet said.

  Cathy shook her head. “I came to tell you in person that I’m resigning from the club. Under the circumstances I think it’s the best thing for me to do. And besides, with two jobs, I cannot give it the time that a member should.”

  Violet sat a little straighter and her lips disappeared into a bed of wrinkles. “You aren’t dead and you aren’t moving. You cannot resign. Besides, you have to stay in the club. Your grandmother was a charter member and your mother followed in her footsteps.”

  “I can and I am quitting, Violet.”

  “No one has ever simply resigned from the club and you will not be the first. Die or move. Who will win the blue ribbons for us if you don’t keep up the tradition your grandmother started? Only you know how to grow the hottest peppers in the state. We’ll lose our standing if you don’t enter your jelly and picante. This is not acceptable, Catherine.”

  “I’m not moving. I’m not dying. If I enter my pepper jelly and peppers in the fair, I intend to put the ribbons on the wall at Clawdy’s. It was, after all, my grandmother who started winning the ribbons.” She looked around the room at all the ribbons. Grandma, her mother, and now she had won them all, and yet there they were, in Violet’s possession.

  Violet gasped. “I will not allow you to leave. We are the famous Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society, and you are going to keep the tradition, young lady!”

  “Keep me on the rolls if you want to, but I will not be attending any more meetings. Why don’t you put a clause in the charter that says if a person misses three meetings in a year, they are kicked to the curb? That would take care of me and Marty both.”

  “I knew we shouldn’t have allowed you in the club. You are more like your sister than people realize. I will not accept your resignation, but I will be very glad to talk to the club about putting a clause like that in our charter. Someone who deserves a place should be given both of you sisters’ places.”

  “You can always sponsor Agnes.” Cathy spun around and headed out of the room.

  “Don’t you walk out of that door, Catherine Andrews! I didn’t give you permission to leave.”

  “You didn’t have to, Violet. Good luck with your campaign and I hope Ethan is very happy. Maybe he and Lynn will wind up together yet.”

  “Lynn who?” Violet practically screamed.

  Cathy heard her telling Clayton to find out who in the hell Lynn was as she let herself out. Guilt washed over her for letting the cat out of the bag. While the car warmed up, she dug out her cell phone and called Marty.

  “Got a minute?” Cathy asked.

  “Always. What’s going on?”

  Cathy told her what she’d done. “Do you think I should call Ethan and let him know there’s a storm on the way?”

  “I think you should drive away from there and never look back. He can learn to stand up to his mother. You did it so it stands to reason it is possible,” Marty said.

  “Thank you. Advice taken. Guilt trip over. Going home.”

  “See you later,” Marty said.

  When Cathy got home, she bypassed the garage where Trixie and Jack were busy on the Caddy and went straight to her bedroom. She changed into her overalls, kicked off her shoes, and headed for John’s. Marty had always been the strong one who had Cathy’s back. No one messed with Marty and only with Cathy one time. After Marty finished with them, they didn’t want to cross either twin again.

  Their roles hadn’t changed so much that summer, but the lines weren’t nearly as clear. She could see a softer side to Marty, especially since that vote had been cast for Anna Ruth. Within herself, she could feel a tougher woman emerging since she’d learned to speak her mind. Would the lines eventually disappear as they grew older? Cathy brushed away a tear with the back of her hand, leaving a smudge of dirt in its wake. She never wanted to be far from Marty. It would be like tearing half her heart out of her chest. No matter how faint the lines were, she would always need her sister.

  * * *

  The bed of the truck was full of groceries, diapers, and baby things bought this week with Agnes’s donation to the cause. Da
rla Jean phoned Lindsey when she was almost to the house and she met her at the truck, Layla slung on one hip and Misty right behind her.

  Darla Jean reached and Layla went right to her. “Give me the baby and you two can unload.”

  “Don’t you be spoiling that child,” Betty yelled as she crossed the yard she shared with the house next door where Lindsey and Misty lived these days. “It’s my grandchild.”

  “Wanna bet?” Darla Jean smiled.

  “Baby can’t have too many grandmas.” Lindsey laughed.

  “But we only got one mamma and that’s you, Darla Jean. Aunt Betty even agrees to that.” Misty carried four bags into the house.

  Her bruises were practically gone. Lindsey had cut her hair and highlighted it that week. That and the lack of fear had put a smile on her face.

  “Well?” Lindsey said.

  Misty grabbed Darla Jean in a fierce hug. “I got a job! I’m so excited I can’t hardly talk about it. Before long we’ll be on our feet well enough to take care of ourselves. Betty got me a job working from three to ten at night taking care of an elderly lady from the church. She’s in a wheelchair and I get to read to her and get her ready for bed. It’s a lot like taking care of your mamma because she’s got Alzheimer’s too.”

  She and Betty followed the girls into the house where she’d grown up. The floor was cluttered with Layla’s toys Betty brought from the church bank, but other than that they were doing a good job taking care of it.

  “And I can keep Layla in the evenings while Misty works and she’ll be home with the baby in the daytime. She’s been helping Betty down at the church clothes closet and everyone that comes in loves Layla,” Lindsey said.

  Darla Jean looked from one to the other. No more bruises. Clean hair and shiny skin. The haunted look hadn’t completely left their eyes, but they’d come a long way since the first time she’d seen them.

  She looked at Misty. “What would you like to do with your life? Not today or even this year. I’m glad you have a job that lets you stay home with Layla. But when she’s in school, what would you like to do?”

  Misty looked at the carpet. “My dream was to be a real nurse.”

  “Really?” Lindsey asked.

  “I gave up on that years ago.”

  “Never give up on your dream,” Betty said.

  Misty raised her eyes. “I could do it, couldn’t I? When Layla starts school, I could. I could go to school in the days and work at night.”

  “See there. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Betty smiled.

  “And you?” Darla Jean asked Lindsey.

  “I’ll be doing just what I want to do. Work with little kids.”

  “Want a classroom where you are the teacher? That would only take two years more.”

  Lindsey nodded. “It’d take a lot longer by going nights.”

  “I looked into a program that would let you do the rest of it by computer online courses. If that’s your dream, you should save your money and buy a computer. Next year you could be taking classes and there’s usually a big turnover in the Blue Ridge school system. You might work your way right into a real teaching job,” Darla Jean said.

  Betty changed the subject. “And what is Layla going to be?”

  Layla giggled at Betty’s high-pitched voice.

  “Anything she wants to be,” Darla Jean said.

  Darla Jean was pleased with Lindsey and Misty. They’d shown remarkable signs of healing and moving on in such a short time. The bond they shared reminded her of the one Cathy and Marty had. And that was a good thing.

  * * *

  The list was long and the cart was full when Anna Ruth rounded the corner in Walmart and ran smack into another cart.

  “I’m so sorry!” She peeked around the end of the buggy right into Andy’s smiling face.

  “You are forgiven, sweetheart,” he said.

  Her heart did a couple of backward somersaults and her pulse raced. “I couldn’t see over the top of the cart. Aunt Annabel had a very long list for me to fill and…”

  She always talked too loud and too fast when she was nervous, and Andy’s smile made her hot, bothered, and antsy.

  “And it’s okay, Anna Ruth.” He moved around the cart and ran a finger up her forearm. “I’ve missed you.”

  Anna Ruth was on the way to falling at his feet, throwing her arms around his knees, and apologizing for leaving him, then in an instant she realized that if she was ever to have him, she’d have to play hard to get. It was the chase he liked.

  “Not one phone call, one rose, or even a note. I wouldn’t know that you’ve missed me at all.” Her voice sounded strangely normal in her ears.

  “You are blocking the aisle!” a shrill voice said behind her.

  “So sorry!” She whipped around to see Violet shooting daggers at her.

  “For God’s sake, Anna Ruth, move your cart to one side so I can get around you. What did you stop so fast for anyway?” Her look was meant to fry Andy on the spot, leaving a mess on aisle six between the laundry detergent and the soda pop. “Oh, I thought you and Catherine were involved.”

  Andy smiled at her, but it didn’t have the same effect that it did on Anna Ruth. “Who is Catherine?”

  “I guess you know her by Cathy.”

  “No, she’s keeping company with John. He owns the Rib Joint between Luella and Cadillac,” Andy said.

  Violet gasped. “She overthrew my Ethan for that?”

  “Hello! I thought I heard my name.” Ethan started around the end of the aisle going in the opposite direction. “Are we having a reunion?”

  “Looks like all of Cadillac came out for supplies tonight. We should’ve all made lists and just sent one of us,” Andy said.

  Awkward silence hung over aisle six like cigarette smoke in a honky tonk.

  Andy finally asked, “How’s the election going?”

  Ethan smiled brightly. “Very well, I think. Lynn, honey, this is one of Cadillac’s policemen, Andy Johnson. This is Anna Ruth Williams who is a teacher over at Bells, and this is my mother, Violet.”

  “Pleased to meet all of you. Sorry we have to run, but we’re watching a movie at my house and it’s getting late. We just needed Pepsi and some popcorn,” Lynn said.

  Ethan picked a couple of two-liter bottles of Pepsi from the shelf and pushed the cart toward the checkout counters.

  “He doesn’t drink Pepsi or eat popcorn,” Violet whispered.

  Anna Ruth shrugged. “Guess he does now.”

  Why didn’t Violet get on around her and go about her business? Anna Ruth had moved her cart against the Tide detergent to make room.

  “That haircut is horrible and she should do something with those bushy eyebrows. Did you see her fingernail polish? Of course you didn’t because she wasn’t wearing any.”

  Anna Ruth could have strangled Andy for leaving her there to sympathize with Violet. But Violet, despite her years, was a club sister and she needed her right then. So she took two steps forward and hugged the woman.

  “I didn’t see her nails. I was too shocked. But she does need a trip to the hairdresser. You and Aunt Annabel always taught us when our hair turned gray, we should put it up or cut it off, not wear it hanging on our shoulders.”

  Violet shivered. “How could he do this to me? How old do you think she is?”

  Anna Ruth made a show of checking her watch. “Really, I expect she’s Ethan’s age and that’s premature gray, Violet. It’s just so tacky not to color it, don’t you think? I’m so sorry but I’ve got to go. Aunt Annabel has an order for a cake tomorrow and she’s waiting on the powdered sugar. Why don’t you come by the house and talk to her when you get done in here?”

  “My head hurts. I’m going home to put a cold cloth on it. I may never come to Walmart again if that woman shops here.”

&nbs
p; Anna Ruth drove to her Aunt Annabel’s house with a new purpose. She’d let Andy Johnson chase her until she caught him. He needed a good wife and once they were married, he’d never cheat again. It was midlife crisis and a messy wife that sent him into her arms. Now that the dispatcher had moved on, she could control the midlife crisis.

  * * *

  The hankering for a bowl of red beans with a spoonful of picante sauce stirred up in them hit Agnes at nine thirty. She grabbed the thick red robe that Cathy had given her for Christmas and snapped it all the way up the front. The back door was open and the kitchen empty. She looked in the refrigerator, opened several containers, and found no beans. She slammed the refrigerator door and found half a black forest cake left on the cabinet. She sliced off an enormous chunk, put it on a plate, and was halfway to the table when Trixie jumped off the bottom step and yelled, “Boo!”

  Agnes threw the plate straight up and let out a string of cussing that would have scared the hair right off of a billy goat’s chin. The swearing and the scream stopped when she saw a long brown streak sliding down the yellow daisy wallpaper. The rest of the cake slammed against the floor with such force that it splattered chocolate on Trixie’s bare toes.

  “Look what you’ve done. Gone and ruined good chocolate cake, so you can damn well clean up the floor. Marty and Cathy are crazy as hell for letting you move in here.”

  “You clean it up. I didn’t make the mess. You did.”

  “You caused it so you are cleaning,” Agnes said.

  Trixie laughed and held up her chocolate-iced foot. “Want to lick it off so we don’t waste it?”

  Agnes narrowed her eyes and then laughed with Trixie. “Scared the shit right out of me, girl. But I betcha I scared you with my shotgun. Own up to it. There was a man in your bedroom, wasn’t there?”

  “Why did you care?”

  “I didn’t. If I could’ve been sure it was you, I’d have let him slit your throat. But I was afraid he’d drug Cathy across the hall and was hurting her. I didn’t know who he had in there until you came out of the bedroom. Then I was so damn mad I wished I would’ve stayed at home.”