Dearest Dorothy, Merry Everything! by Charlene Baumbich

Author:Charlene Baumbich
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2010-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

14

The Del Vechias pulled into the Lamp Post drive with only forty minutes to spare before the wake was to begin. Just enough time to freshen up, catch their breath and head to the funeral home. Even though their burden was heavy, they couldn’t have been more delighted with their room. Some time ago they’d read in the Press about the Joys buying the old place and all the improvements they’d made. Things looked just the way they’d imagined them after reading the descriptions so aptly reported by Sharon Teller. Jessica Joy, although looking somewhat peaked and tired, was much more beautiful than they’d remembered her appearing in the newspaper picture. Sarah Sue, who was in a little bouncy seat in the lobby when they checked in and whom they’d read about in the birth announcements, looked like a beautiful miniature version of her mom. Paul Joy escorted them to their room after Jessica handed them the key; it was clear they were a couple working hard not only for the money, but to make everyone feel at home while away from home. If everyone in Partonville was as dear as this sweet family, no wonder Rick wouldn’t leave.

Whether she knew the occupants or not, Jessica had handwritten notes of condolences for everyone in for Mr. Lawson’s funeral (six rooms out of twelve) and left them on the beds along with Wednesday’s Partonville Press since it contained everything she thought visitors would need to know about all of the arrangements, including directions to the locations, which Sharon had thought to provide in a sidebar. (“You had a raise lately?” editor Harold Crab had asked her when he read her submission. “No, sir.” “Well, you deserve one.” “I accept,” she’d jokingly replied. The very next week she’d received twenty more bucks in her envelope.) Sharon had also included the hours to Harry’s Grill with an asterisk that explained “*Opens 6 A.M.; Closes 6 P.M. sharp, which means SHARP!”

When Katie read the sidebar, she laughed out loud remembering the way Lester had stuck by his guns the night she and Josh first arrived in town to deal with her aunt’s estate. They were travel-weary, starving and he was the only dining establishment in town, other than the snack bar at Wal-Mart which Jessica had so warmly told her about and which Katie refused to even consider. It hadn’t mattered how loudly she’d knocked on the locked door to Harry’s Grill; all Lester finally did was come to the door and point to the sign. All anyone in the restaurant did was to stare. 6:01. CLOSED, Lester’s sign said. And that was that. It had been a terrible beginning to what turned out to be a life-altering change. She’d had no idea at the time that she would end up not only living in Partonville, but fighting for its very survival.

Some days that incident seemed like a million years ago to Katie and on other days it only felt about ten minutes ago.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.