get her breath. She was often affected that way when I instructed her in the traditional graces of refined living.
Chapter 11
“Did you reach everybody on your invitation list, Hazel Marie?” We were driving through town on our way home, and the burden of all we still had to do was weighing heavy on my mind.
“Yessum, I got through to the last one this morning before we left. And everybody I called is coming. What about your list?”
“I still have two I haven’t reached. I declare, you’d think people’d stay home just one hour a day to receive their calls. I must’ve called the Bentons and that girl who works in Binkie’s office a dozen times yesterday. So, I still have them to invite, plus everything else we have to do.” I pulled into the driveway. “Here we are.”
“Lillian,” I said, as Hazel Marie and I came into the kitchen. “As soon as we change our clothes, we’re going to start on that silver. Will we be in your way if we use the table in here?”
“No’m. I’ll put some newspapers on it an’ get out the polish for you. But ’fore you go upstairs, that phone been ringin’ off the hook. The florist lady say do you want baby’s breath in all the ’rangements, an’ do you want some ferns hanging on the porch. The rent man say when he bring them little chairs, do you want him to set ’em up or do we want to do it. Miz Conover, she call an’ say do you need to borry her good china,an’ that Miss Etta Mae, she call an’ say nobody doin’ anything ’bout the lights where she live, an’ Mr. Sam, he call an’ say he waitin’ to he’p any way he can. Oh, an’ Miz Mildred Allen, she say she had to be away from her phone an’ she wonderin’ if she miss gettin’ her invite to the weddin’.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, that woman, she doesn’t even know Binkie and Coleman. Lillian, help me please. Call the florist, the number’s on the pad by the phone, and tell her baby’s breath is fine and so are the ferns, but that I’m counting on her to make these decisions. And tell the rental man that I certainly do want him to set up the chairs, and that I expect them to be in place no later than ten A.M. Saturday morning.” I stopped to think a minute. “No, tell him Friday afternoon, and he can bring the piano at the same time and it better be in tune. Oh, and I need to see about having the furniture moved out of the living room. I’ll do that as soon as you’re off the phone. Call Sam back and ask him to pick up LuAnne’s china. I don’t think we’ll need it, but better safe than sorry. And Etta Mae Wiggins’ll just have to hold her horses till I have time to get to her. That woman’s going to give me a case of heartburn with all her complaints. And Mildred Allen can keep on waiting.
“Come on, Hazel Marie, let’s get out of these shopping clothes and get to work.”
“I’m coming,” she said, then turning to Lillian, she asked: “Did J.D. call?”
“No’m, but he might’ve tried and not got through.”
“I hope he will,” Hazel Marie said. “I can’t wait to tell him about my bridesmaid’s dress.”
“Binkie’s keeping him busy,” I reminded her. “And I’ll tell you something else, Hazel Marie, you can’t expect a man to be interested in a dress.” Or non-dress, I added to myself. But on recalling how little she’d be wearing, maybe he would.
----
As it turned out, we didn’t get far with the silver that afternoon. By the time we all got off the phones, Hazel Marie left to pick up Little Lloyd at school. We’d heard a news broadcast on Lillian’s kitchen radio that Dixon Hightower was still eluding capture, so Hazel Marie didn’t want the boy to walk home by himself.
When they returned, Lillian put a glass of milk and a peanut butter sandwich in front of Little Lloyd. “You eat all that,” she told him. “I know you hungry.”
“Yessum, but I’ve got to hurry and get over to the church for Mrs. Ledbetter’s
Chapter 11
“Did you reach everybody on your invitation list, Hazel Marie?” We were driving through town on our way home, and the burden of all we still had to do was weighing heavy on my mind.
“Yessum, I got through to the last one this morning before we left. And everybody I called is coming. What about your list?”
“I still have two I haven’t reached. I declare, you’d think people’d stay home just one hour a day to receive their calls. I must’ve called the Bentons and that girl who works in Binkie’s office a dozen times yesterday. So, I still have them to invite, plus everything else we have to do.” I pulled into the driveway. “Here we are.”
“Lillian,” I said, as Hazel Marie and I came into the kitchen. “As soon as we change our clothes, we’re going to start on that silver. Will we be in your way if we use the table in here?”
“No’m. I’ll put some newspapers on it an’ get out the polish for you. But ’fore you go upstairs, that phone been ringin’ off the hook. The florist lady say do you want baby’s breath in all the ’rangements, an’ do you want some ferns hanging on the porch. The rent man say when he bring them little chairs, do you want him to set ’em up or do we want to do it. Miz Conover, she call an’ say do you need to borry her good china,an’ that Miss Etta Mae, she call an’ say nobody doin’ anything ’bout the lights where she live, an’ Mr. Sam, he call an’ say he waitin’ to he’p any way he can. Oh, an’ Miz Mildred Allen, she say she had to be away from her phone an’ she wonderin’ if she miss gettin’ her invite to the weddin’.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, that woman, she doesn’t even know Binkie and Coleman. Lillian, help me please. Call the florist, the number’s on the pad by the phone, and tell her baby’s breath is fine and so are the ferns, but that I’m counting on her to make these decisions. And tell the rental man that I certainly do want him to set up the chairs, and that I expect them to be in place no later than ten A.M. Saturday morning.” I stopped to think a minute. “No, tell him Friday afternoon, and he can bring the piano at the same time and it better be in tune. Oh, and I need to see about having the furniture moved out of the living room. I’ll do that as soon as you’re off the phone. Call Sam back and ask him to pick up LuAnne’s china. I don’t think we’ll need it, but better safe than sorry. And Etta Mae Wiggins’ll just have to hold her horses till I have time to get to her. That woman’s going to give me a case of heartburn with all her complaints. And Mildred Allen can keep on waiting.
“Come on, Hazel Marie, let’s get out of these shopping clothes and get to work.”
“I’m coming,” she said, then turning to Lillian, she asked: “Did J.D. call?”
“No’m, but he might’ve tried and not got through.”
“I hope he will,” Hazel Marie said. “I can’t wait to tell him about my bridesmaid’s dress.”
“Binkie’s keeping him busy,” I reminded her. “And I’ll tell you something else, Hazel Marie, you can’t expect a man to be interested in a dress.” Or non-dress, I added to myself. But on recalling how little she’d be wearing, maybe he would.
----
As it turned out, we didn’t get far with the silver that afternoon. By the time we all got off the phones, Hazel Marie left to pick up Little Lloyd at school. We’d heard a news broadcast on Lillian’s kitchen radio that Dixon Hightower was still eluding capture, so Hazel Marie didn’t want the boy to walk home by himself.
When they returned, Lillian put a glass of milk and a peanut butter sandwich in front of Little Lloyd. “You eat all that,” she told him. “I know you hungry.”
“Yessum, but I’ve got to hurry and get over to the church for Mrs. Ledbetter’s
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