Forever My Hero, page 16
Carlene choked on a wail. Daddy never yelled at her. “What question?” she asked and blew her nose on the tail of her T-shirt.
“Is this letter true?” he asked. “Have you been bullying a girl in your class?”
Carlene sidestepped the question with her own version of an answer. “I never touched her. I didn’t see her fall.”
Lance went up the stairs, grabbed her by the arm, and escorted her downstairs before she knew what was happening, then sat her down in a chair in the living room. “That’s not the right answer,” he said.
Carlene blinked. He was really quiet. She’d never seen him like this. “I don’t know what ‘bullying’ means,” she muttered.
Lance glared at the two of them. “Have you been mean to her? More than once? With Judy and Ruthie?”
Carlene looked at her mother. “I did what you said. You told me not to play with her, so I didn’t. Why is everyone mad?”
Lance reeled as if he’d been gut punched, then slowly turned to his wife. “What in God’s name have you done? Why would you ever tell her something like that?”
Deidre was crying now, too. “Renée and Charlotte said Patty’s family sells drugs. They told their girls not to play with her. You know they’re my best friends, so I told Carlene the same thing.”
“And now, according to this letter, you know it was a lie. A little girl could have died from that lie, and you and your best friends have opened all of us up to being sued.” He pointed at Carlene. “Your mother told you something that wasn’t true, and now our family is in trouble. Not Patty’s family. Ours. How do you think it’s going to feel having people point fingers at us and call us names?”
Carlene started to cry again. “I don’t know,” she wailed.
“Well, you’re both about to find out. And you better pray Mrs. Conroy doesn’t sue us, because we would have to sell our house to pay for it.”
“I’m sorry, Lance!” Deidre cried.
His shoulders slumped. “So am I, Deidre. So am I.”
* * *
Unaware of all the ensuing drama after her fall, Patty Conroy limped out of her room and into her mother’s room.
Alice was only half asleep and not the least bit surprised to see her baby’s silhouette in the doorway. “What’s wrong, baby? Are you scared?”
Patty nodded. “Can I sleep with you?”
When Alice threw back the covers and patted the mattress, Patty limped to the bed.
It hurt Alice to see her daughter hurt. She was still too thin, even though their life was better off than it had been in years, and when she curled up on her side, Alice pulled her close against her belly and covered them up. Patty wiggled a little and then settled. Alice fell asleep with the sweet smell of Patty’s shampoo filling the room.
Down the hall, Booger was curled up on the rug beside Charlie’s bed and whined after a particularly loud crack of thunder.
Charlie rolled over and reached off the side of the bed until he found his dog and then patted him. “It’s okay, Booger. It’s just the wind.”
A few minutes later, the house was quiet inside, while the wind continued to blow, and the rain kept coming down.
The night passed, and the new day dawned just the way last night had ended. In wind and rain.
Chapter 12
It was 7:00 a.m., and the parking lot at the Piggly Wiggly was full of cars. Everybody was there for the same reason Dan was, although he had actually shopped for himself four days ago when the tropical storm had not swayed from its course. But he hadn’t thought about bringing in company then, so he hoped there was still enough on the shelves to feed four more.
He grabbed an empty shopping cart out in the parking lot and ran to get out of the rain, pushing it as he went. Once he was inside the teeming store, he headed for the canned food aisles. He hadn’t eaten this stuff in years, but he’d grown up on it. Vienna sausages, Spam, tuna in foil packets, potted meats, and then he moved on to the deli area, where he tossed in some rolls and bread wraps that were still on the shelves and got some prepackaged sandwich meats and several varieties of cheese, plus yogurt for Elliot. He moved up the bread and cracker aisle, which was nearly cleaned out except for the old-fashioned saltine crackers. He put some of them in the basket, then headed to the soup aisle, then to the canned fruit. He knew he could cook on the camp stove he had in his truck if he had to so he tossed in a twenty-pound bag of potatoes. There weren’t any eggs, but he had several dozen at home. The only milk still on the shelves was a few gallons of skim milk. He took three and left the rest for others in need. There were three cases of bottled water. He took two and then added canned juices to supplement. Next, he headed for the aisle with paper products and tossed in three giant packs of toilet paper, then swung by the pharmacy for extra bottles of alcohol and some over-the-counter painkillers.
One of his renters saw him in the aisle, looked at his basket, and frowned, thinking Dan was taking all that for himself. “You taking in boarders or something?” he drawled.
“Four and a dog so far,” Dan said, and walked on, leaving the man with an embarrassed look on his face.
It was seven forty-five by the time Dan got checked out and all the purchases loaded in his truck. He drove home through the rain in haste, unloaded everything, and put up only the deli meats and cheeses that needed refrigeration. He’d deal with the rest when he got back.
His phone beeped, signaling a weather update. He read it, then gave Alice a call. She answered so quickly, he guessed she’d been waiting for it.
“Hello?”
“It’s me,” Dan said. “Are you all ready?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Then I’m heading your way. See you in a few.”
He locked the house on the way out the door and then set the alarm. He hadn’t done that in the daytime since he’d moved in, but people do strange things in hard times, and he had no doubt there were people who would go hungry when this happened for lack of money to stock up. Some would leave to stay with friends or family, and some would steal.
The wind was beginning to pick up a bit as Dan got back in his truck. By the time he reached Alice’s house, it was hard to walk against it.
They came out in haste with Charlie in the lead carrying all three bags and Alice holding Booger’s leash.
Dan took the bags and put them in the back seat of the truck, then went back to carry Patty and put her in the back seat. When Alice sat down in the front, he handed her the box of food to hold.
Charlie ran back and came out with a big bag of dog food, locking the door behind him and then bolting toward the back seat. “That’s everything,” he said.
Alice’s whole demeanor was one of calm. “Everything that matters,” she said, pointing to her family in the back.
“Then hang on,” Dan said. “I want to get you guys inside before it blows us off our feet.”
He caught a glimpse of Patty’s face as he was looking in the rearview mirror to back out. She was staring intently at the back of his head. He smiled at her, then winked, and she put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. When he reached the street and shifted gears, he glanced at Alice. Her profile was in repose, her hands loosely gripping the box of food.
“How’s your hand?” he asked.
She lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Healing, I do believe. I never made it back to the doctor’s office. We are so grateful to be staying with you, aren’t we, kids?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Charlie said.
“Me, too,” Patty said.
“And me, three,” Alice said.
“And me, four,” Dan said, which made Patty laugh.
When Booger suddenly woofed, they all laughed. Even the old dog had to have his say. Dan turned the windshield wipers on high and accelerated.
They reached the house, and he disarmed the security system as they were driving beneath the portico, then let them in the house through the kitchen. He grabbed the bags from the back seat of his pickup truck as Charlie got his dog and the rest of his family out and into the house. Then Charlie went back for the sack of dog food as Dan went back for the box of food they’d brought to share.
Dan carried the bags with their clothes up to the top of the stairs and then set them down and pointed down the upstairs hall.
“My bedroom is the master. It’s the last one at the end of the hall on the right. I’m going to put Elliot in the one next to me on the right. You guys take your pick of the other four as to where you want to stay. Alice, I will tell you now that the one at the far end just across from my bedroom is the next largest and also has a king-size bed, if you want to keep Miss Patricia with you.”
Patty beamed. “Mama! He called me Patricia.”
“I heard that,” she said.
“I’m going to leave Charlie in charge of moving your bags so I can go get Elliot. Is that okay, Charlie?”
“Absolutely!” Charlie said. He handed Booger’s leash to Patty and picked up the bags as Dan took off downstairs.
Alice watched him go, then followed her kids down the hall as Dan slammed the kitchen door shut and headed across the street to Elliot’s house with his windshield wipers on high.
* * *
Lovey had debated with herself about even opening Granny’s up this morning, but she felt like there were too many people in town who depended on her for breakfast, and so she’d opened, but there was a 10:00 a.m. closing sign on the door, which was a warning to customers to eat fast and go home the same way.
Mercy had come to work when Lon did. It was 5:00 a.m., but she’d need every bit of that time to get biscuits mixed and baked, since Lovey usually opened at 6:00 a.m.
At 7:00 a.m. three men drove up from different directions, parked, and then walked in together.
“Table for three,” Barton Rowland said, then followed Lovey to their table. As soon as she was gone, Jack Wells and Lance Treat picked up their menus. They scanned the choices, and the moment the waitress came by with coffee and then took their orders, their conversation began in hushed voices.
Barton took the lead, because he was the one who’d organized this meeting. “So how do you guys feel about the principal’s letter?” he asked.
Jack Wells ducked his head. “Ashamed.”
Lance nodded. “Pretty much the same way,” he said.
“Then we are all on the same page,” Barton said. “I have to admit I was aware my wife had told Judy not to play with a girl at school, but I didn’t realize the girls had taken that to a whole other level.”
Jack sighed. “I didn’t know any of this was going on. I’m taking part of the blame for being a workaholic. When I’m home, I now realize I don’t pay enough attention to my family.”
Lance nodded. “Same here. Totally shocked, ashamed, and horrified pretty much sum up my feelings. I have no issues with the girls’ school punishments, but I read my wife the riot act for letting her friendships influence her decisions.”
Jack glanced at Barton. “Mrs. Winston warned us that Mrs. Conroy had the right to sue us on several counts if she wished it. I think the biggest one would be defamation of character,” he said.
Barton shoved a shaky hand through his hair. “I think we should talk to Mrs. Conroy. Not only express our horror and regret that this ever happened, but assure her our girls will never harass her daughter again.”
“I guess,” Lance said. “But when? This is hardly the time, and we don’t have any contact information for her, so we can’t call.”
“I’ll get the information,” Barton said. “I think we should call her now, while this horror she lived through yesterday is fresh in her mind, to prove our sincerity. If we wait, it would seem to me that we did it as an afterthought.”
“I think you’re right,” Jack said. “You get me a number and I’ll call her, gladly. Later on, we can have a group meeting with our wives and daughters and make them apologize to the little girl and her mother in person.”
“Oh, I’m definitely for that,” Barton said.
“Me, too,” Lance added.
“Then it’s decided?” Barton asked.
They gave him a thumbs-up, and then their breakfasts arrived. Conscious of the rising wind, they quickly ate, over-tipped their waitress for coming to work in this weather just to serve their meals, and then headed home.
The moment Barton Rowland got inside his house and into his office, he called Arlene Winston’s residence. When he asked her for Alice Conroy’s phone number, she refused.
“No. I will not give out one parent’s private number to another parent without permission. And I’m not going to even call and ask if she wants to speak with you until you tell me why you’re calling her. I won’t stand for any more harassment from any of you.”
“Oh, no! No! I didn’t explain myself properly,” Barton said. “We are horrified by what happened. All three of our daughters have lost all of their privileges at home for months to come. We support your decision and choices of punishment. We have also expressed huge displeasure to our wives about what their hateful gossip has caused. There will be group apologies from our wives and daughters, too, but not until after the storm has passed. However, Lance, Jack, and I feel like something needs to be said to Mrs. Conroy immediately to express how horrified we are. If we left it for later, it would seem to us as just an afterthought.”
“I see,” Arlene said. “Well, here’s what I can do. I will call Alice Conroy, and if she wishes, I will give you three men only her phone number. But if she says no, I expect you to honor her wish.”
“Yes, yes, that’s fair, and thank you so much,” Barton said. “I’ll await your call.”
Arlene disconnected, then got on her laptop, accessed her school records, and got Alice’s number and made the call.
It was just after 10:00 a.m.
* * *
By ten, the crew at Granny’s was dividing up the leftover biscuits and baked goods that wouldn’t survive power outages. Lovey had a small generator that was wired in to the walk-in freezer. Elvis, the fry cook, made sure it was filled up, and then they left, anxious to get home.
Lovey paused in the doorway and looked back into the dining area.
“Please God, let this still be here when the storm is gone,” she said softly, then locked the door and ran toward her car.
All around Blessings, other businesses were already dark. The neon Open signs were off, the night-lights on. And store after store on both sides of Main had been boarded up with Closed signs posted.
Blessings was as ready as she could be for what was coming.
* * *
Dan saw Elliot watching from the side door of his two-story brick home and made a U-turn in the drive, then parked so that Elliot didn’t have more than fifteen feet to walk from his house to Dan’s truck, but he hated that Elliot was going to have to walk in the rain. So he hurried to the door and knocked.
Elliot answered immediately. “I’m ready. I have a good supply of food here already boxed up. Shall we take it?”
Dan saw loaves of bread and many cans of soup and canned meats and smiled. This would definitely bolster up what he’d purchased that morning. “This is great. We’ll use it if we need it, okay? Now are these two suitcases all you’re taking?”
“Yes,” Elliot said, and buttoned his raincoat and then pulled the hood up over his head.
“Let’s get you inside the truck first,” Dan said, and went out the door, then held on to Elliot’s elbow as he walked him to the truck and settled him in the passenger seat.
“These are my house keys,” Elliot said. “As soon as you have everything loaded, would you please lock the door? It’s a dead bolt, so you’ll need the blue key.”
“Yes, sir,” Dan said, and palmed the keys as he headed back to the house.
Dan got both bags in one trip and put them on the back floorboard, then loaded the box of food into the back seat before going back to lock the door.
“Here are your keys,” he said, and dropped them into Elliot’s outstretched hand before starting up the engine.
Elliot set his security system from the truck seat, and then Dan drove back across the street. This time when he parked beneath the portico, Charlie was at the door, waiting to help.
Dan got Elliot out, and then the older man waved both of them away.
“I’ll get myself into the house and wait for you by the door,” he said, leaving Dan and Charlie to carry all his things inside in one load.
When Charlie picked up the box of food, Dan patted him on the shoulder. “You have an amazing work ethic, Charlie. I sure appreciate the help.”
“You’re welcome,” Charlie said, and hurried inside.
Dan followed up with the two bags. Once inside, he locked his truck from the steps and then shut and locked the kitchen door as he went inside.
Elliot was standing in the middle of the kitchen floor, looking all around at the familiar furnishings. “Everything is still here but Preston,” he said, and then sighed. “Ah well, such is life. Where do you want me to go?” he asked.
“How do you feel about stairs?” Dan asked.
Elliot smiled. “I feel just fine about them. My bedroom is upstairs at home. I will have no problem.”
“Awesome,” Dan said. “Charlie, just set the box of food on the kitchen counter. I’ll deal with it later. Elliot, follow me.”
“Let me carry a bag,” Charlie said, and then took one out of Dan’s hand and started toward the stairs while Dan paced himself to Elliot’s stride.
* * *
Alice and Patty had taken Dan’s advice and chosen the bedroom across the hall from his. It had a king-size bed and an en suite bathroom as well.
Charlie’s room had a full-size bed and a smaller bath, but both rooms had interior storm shutters somewhat hidden beneath curtains and drapes. Being able to close them from inside the house was a safety feature for the upstairs windows.
