Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg Page B

me?”
    “Well, it just sort of happened. Mrs. Oatman asked me if we had an extra bed . . . and you weren’t there to ask. . . . I thought you wouldn’t mind. She’s about your age and, besides, you might enjoy meeting someone a little different.”
    “Different! Mother, those people don’t even go to the movies or dance or wear makeup or anything!”
    Dorothy remembered what they had looked like and had to confess, “Well, probably not. But that’s their religion, so we’ll just have to respect the fact. You can give up going to the movies or a dance for just one week, can’t you?”
    Anna Lee looked at her mother in horror. “Why do I have to give it up? I’m a Methodist.”
    “I just don’t think it would be very nice to do something that she couldn’t do.”
    “How am I supposed to entertain her if she can’t do anything?”
    “You can introduce her to some of your friends. I’m sure you can find a lot of things to do.”
    “Name one.”
    “Well, take her to the swimming pool or . . . maybe we can plan a little party for her in the backyard. Take her on a picnic.”
    “What else?”
    “Oh, I don’t know, Anna Lee, I’m sure you’ll come up with a lot of things to entertain your guest while she’s here.”
    “She’s not
my
guest—I’m just the one who’s going to be stuck with her night and day. What if she goes through all my things?”
    “Don’t be silly. She’s not going to go through your things. She’s a very sweet girl and I’m sure it will all work out just fine and it’s not going to kill you to be nice to someone for one week. We’ll talk about this later. Right now I’ve got to go and get supper started.”
    Dorothy was almost out the door when Anna Lee added, “All right, but if she shows up here wearing some tacky homemade dress I’m not taking her anywhere. She can just stay home.”
    Anna Lee had not really meant it but that last statement stopped Dorothy cold.
    Her mother rarely got upset with her but Anna Lee knew in an instant she had gone too far. Dorothy turned around and looked at her for a long moment. “Anna Lee, don’t tell me that I have raised a daughter who has turned out to be a snob. If I thought for one minute that you would ever be unkind to anyone, much less some poor girl who is probably looking forward to coming here and meeting you, it would just break my heart. I told that girl you would be happy to have her here but I guess I was wrong.”
    Anna Lee immediately felt terribly ashamed of herself. “I’m sorry, Mother, I didn’t mean it.”
    Dorothy stood there thinking about what to do, then said, “I’ll get in touch with Mrs. Oatman tonight and tell her they will have to make other plans. . . .”
    “No,
don’t
. . . I’m sorry, Mother.”
    But Dorothy turned and left the room. Anna Lee ran after her mother, pleading, “No! Please don’t. Mother, please!”
    “I’m not having that girl come where she’s not wanted.”
    “But I want her to come. I promise I’ll do anything she wants. Please let her come! I’ll kill myself if you don’t let her come.” With that she collapsed on the floor in full-blown teenage-girl hysteria. “Please! Please! She can have my entire room, she can wear all my clothes, I’ll sleep with Grandma. I’ll entertain her night and day, I promise, please don’t call!”
    Dorothy had seen these histrionics before and was not convinced. “All right, Anna Lee, get up. I won’t call today. But I’m not promising anything. Let’s just see how you feel about it tomorrow.”
    From that day forward Anna Lee made it a point at dinner to mention that she was so looking forward to Betty Raye’s visit and just couldn’t wait for Betty Raye to get there.
    Although it was not quite true, Anna Lee would rather walk through fire than ever disappoint her mother again.
    The Reluctant Houseguest
     
    A MONTH LATER , at about four o’clock in the afternoon, a dusty old four-door green Packard, packed full of people,