about them both, but my favorite is the apple.”
“Well, okay, I’ll have the apple.”
“You want ice cream on it, hon?”
“No, thank you.”
When Doris cut you a piece of pie, Doris cut you a slab of pie. I have lived in Texas my whole life and I don’t recall ever seeing a piece of pie that large, not even at my grandma’s house.
Doris hung over the edge of the counter waiting for me to take the first bite. That pie was heaven in a crust.
“Oh my!” I exclaimed.
Of course, Doris was delighted at my reaction.
“Well, I’m sure glad you like it all that well. That just makes me feel so good.” She bumped the heel of her hand on the edge of the counter for punctuation.
As was typical in a small town in Texas, the owner of the local café knew just about everybody and everything going on in town and the surrounding area. I decided to find out just how much information I could get from Doris.
“So, Doris, how well did you know Addie?”
“Oh, hon, I knew her and Dody their whole lives. Why, Dody’s about eight years younger than me and I can remember when he was born. My little brother used to play with him.”
“I see.”
“Addie was a lot younger. Her birthday was just a week before mine. I always remembered that because she was born right before my sweet-sixteen party.” Doris beamed at the memory.
“Well, how about that?” I said.
“Yes. Mama and Daddy had a party out at the house and Daddy churned homemade ice cream and Mama made pie—that very recipe that I used to make the pie you’re eating right now!”
“Oh, well, what a treat.”
“Yes, it was. Mama and Daddy invited everyone in town to my party—everyone! It was wonderful. Pop was there, too.” She pointed back at Pop in the kitchen.
“Oh, really?”
“Why, yes. Pop was my sweetheart from high school.”
Then she began to tell me how Addie and Dody had begun dating when Addie was sixteen. Dody was already twenty-four by then and some people in the town werewondering if he would ever settle down. They thought Addie was too young for him, or at least too young to know what she was doing. He and Addie did marry, though, and had two children, Melissa and Emma.
“They sound like such a happy family,” I remarked. “I wouldn’t have thought that Addie would run off with someone, the way you describe her.”
“Well, she and Dody only got along because Addie wouldn’t talk back to him. I think that’s one reason why Dody wanted to marry someone so young—so he wouldn’t be challenged. I tell you, I’d have never put up with his nonsense.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was unreasonable as he could be. Grumpy, just grumpy. Didn’t like anything anybody did or the way they did it. I think Addie met Doug and just saw her savior.”
“A way to get out of the relationship with Dody.”
“Right. And you know, Addie and Doug could never have had a relationship and stayed here.”
“So, she left her kids and everything?”
“Well, that kind of surprised me, but I reckon if she’d taken them with her and all, there would have been big problems. Living through a divorce like that in a small town like this…” Doris shuddered.
“Why are you so sure that they were actually having an affair? I mean, did people actually see them together?”
“I didn’t, but I heard that other people saw them talking and looking very secretive in their talk. Also, Doug came by the house when Dody wasn’t there. In fact, he never did come by at all if Dody was home.”
“Couldn’t just have been because Dody was so unpleasant?”
She turned up one corner of her mouth. “Well…I guess it could, but why would he be dropping by the house of a married woman like that? I don’t know…I suppose it could be like you say, but that just doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. So, tell me more about Doug—what kind of guy was he?”
“He was a nice fella. I know his mama. You know Rock Hill is only
“Well, okay, I’ll have the apple.”
“You want ice cream on it, hon?”
“No, thank you.”
When Doris cut you a piece of pie, Doris cut you a slab of pie. I have lived in Texas my whole life and I don’t recall ever seeing a piece of pie that large, not even at my grandma’s house.
Doris hung over the edge of the counter waiting for me to take the first bite. That pie was heaven in a crust.
“Oh my!” I exclaimed.
Of course, Doris was delighted at my reaction.
“Well, I’m sure glad you like it all that well. That just makes me feel so good.” She bumped the heel of her hand on the edge of the counter for punctuation.
As was typical in a small town in Texas, the owner of the local café knew just about everybody and everything going on in town and the surrounding area. I decided to find out just how much information I could get from Doris.
“So, Doris, how well did you know Addie?”
“Oh, hon, I knew her and Dody their whole lives. Why, Dody’s about eight years younger than me and I can remember when he was born. My little brother used to play with him.”
“I see.”
“Addie was a lot younger. Her birthday was just a week before mine. I always remembered that because she was born right before my sweet-sixteen party.” Doris beamed at the memory.
“Well, how about that?” I said.
“Yes. Mama and Daddy had a party out at the house and Daddy churned homemade ice cream and Mama made pie—that very recipe that I used to make the pie you’re eating right now!”
“Oh, well, what a treat.”
“Yes, it was. Mama and Daddy invited everyone in town to my party—everyone! It was wonderful. Pop was there, too.” She pointed back at Pop in the kitchen.
“Oh, really?”
“Why, yes. Pop was my sweetheart from high school.”
Then she began to tell me how Addie and Dody had begun dating when Addie was sixteen. Dody was already twenty-four by then and some people in the town werewondering if he would ever settle down. They thought Addie was too young for him, or at least too young to know what she was doing. He and Addie did marry, though, and had two children, Melissa and Emma.
“They sound like such a happy family,” I remarked. “I wouldn’t have thought that Addie would run off with someone, the way you describe her.”
“Well, she and Dody only got along because Addie wouldn’t talk back to him. I think that’s one reason why Dody wanted to marry someone so young—so he wouldn’t be challenged. I tell you, I’d have never put up with his nonsense.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was unreasonable as he could be. Grumpy, just grumpy. Didn’t like anything anybody did or the way they did it. I think Addie met Doug and just saw her savior.”
“A way to get out of the relationship with Dody.”
“Right. And you know, Addie and Doug could never have had a relationship and stayed here.”
“So, she left her kids and everything?”
“Well, that kind of surprised me, but I reckon if she’d taken them with her and all, there would have been big problems. Living through a divorce like that in a small town like this…” Doris shuddered.
“Why are you so sure that they were actually having an affair? I mean, did people actually see them together?”
“I didn’t, but I heard that other people saw them talking and looking very secretive in their talk. Also, Doug came by the house when Dody wasn’t there. In fact, he never did come by at all if Dody was home.”
“Couldn’t just have been because Dody was so unpleasant?”
She turned up one corner of her mouth. “Well…I guess it could, but why would he be dropping by the house of a married woman like that? I don’t know…I suppose it could be like you say, but that just doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. So, tell me more about Doug—what kind of guy was he?”
“He was a nice fella. I know his mama. You know Rock Hill is only
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