Heart of Gold by Beverly Jenkins

a price on what this town and the people here have given me in return.”
    Diane stared out her window at the passing darkness.
    â€œYou might want to think about finding a new purpose in your life, too,” Bernadine added.
    But Diane didn’t respond.
    When Roni got home, Reg was in their bedroom, packing for his trip to Seattle the next day. “How’d the meeting go?” he asked.
    â€œWe had fun. We decided to call ourselves the Henry Adams Ladies Auxiliary.”
    â€œSounds pretty old-fashioned.”
    â€œThat’s the point. We’re patterning ourselves after those old school groups. Zoey still up?”
    â€œYeah. She’s watching TV.”
    She picked her words carefully. “I talked to Paula. She said she’d be willing to sit down with us to try and help us sort out whatever this is we’re going through.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThat was quick.”
    â€œThe only thing wrong was you being gone all the time. Now that you aren’t, we’re good.”
    â€œThat why you faked being asleep when I came home Saturday night, because we’re good?”
    He stiffened.
    â€œWe’re both adults, Reggie. If you don’t want to be married anymore just say so.”
    He met her eyes, then went back to his packing. “I need to get this done.”
    â€œYou do that,” she replied icily, and left the room.
    On the heels of her departure, Reggie sighed and dropped his head. He didn’t want their marriage to end, but talking to a counselor, even someone he knew and admired like Paula, wasn’t something he was comfortable with. More than likely folks around town had already picked up on the fact that he and Roni were having trouble, but thankfully no one had said anything out loud. Going to see Paula would be to openly admit they were having issues, and he didn’t want to air their dirty laundry. It was his hope that now that Roni was home, the tensions between them would miraculously dissolve. Although he didn’t believe that, he clung to it anyway because he had no other solution.
    In light of that, he thought his first step back to normalcy would be to patch things up with Roni before leaving for Seattle in the morning. He had been feigning sleep, and although he didn’t want to discuss the reasons behind it, he did owe her an apology. She was down the hall in Zoey’s room and they were watching Leave It to Beaver .
    Zoey glanced up at his entrance. “Did you watch this when you were little, Dad?”
    â€œI don’t believe it was still on TV when I was growing up, but I do know about the show.”
    Roni’s soft smile gave him hope, and he offered her his own in reply.
    â€œWhy does Mrs. Cleaver wear high heels and dresses all the time?”
    Roni chuckled. “That’s the way some women dressed back then.”
    â€œIs she just getting home from work on every show?” The confusion on her face made them both chuckle.
    Roni said, “I’m not sure whether June had a job, babe.”
    â€œSo she walked around the house all day in dresses and high heels, just because?”
    Roni nodded.
    â€œThat’s dumb.”
    Reggie tried to explain it better. “Zoey, back then a lot of women didn’t work. They stayed home and took care of their families.”
    â€œWas it some kind of law, like when they wouldn’t let Black people vote or drink out of the water fountains?”
    He could see Roni waiting for the answer. He swore she was laughing at him. “Well, no.”
    â€œWhat did the dads do?”
    â€œThey went to work and took care of the family.”
    â€œThat doesn’t sound fair. That sound fair to you, Mom?”
    â€œOn the surface, no, but things were different back then. Men sorta ran things.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œWell, a lot of them didn’t think women were smart enough to do stuff.”
    â€œWhat?”
    When Reggie cut Roni an