The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson

Author:Todd Johnson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780061853654
Publisher: HarperCollins

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

LORRAINE

By the time we pull into the parking lot, both of my passengers are sleepin like babies. Neither one of their families even knows Rhonda except by sight, so they had to sign release papers for me to bring them to the wedding. They’re used to it, sometimes we’ll take a van to the mall at Christmas, things like that, for any of em that are able. I like Rhonda all right even though I don’t really know her that good except from helping people get to the salon when she’s there.

When I volunteered to bring the ladies here today, Bernice’s son asked me, “Do you have a car that’ll run?”

I told him, “It gets me to and from work every day.”

“Uh-huh. Okay,” he said, like he was giving a test, then he added, “You know I’d take Mama myself, but my wife and I have plans we can’t switch around, we got the kids and all.”

“We’ll be all right, don’t worry yourself,” I said as my way of lettin him know I didn’t need or want to hear any explanations. We weren’t going but ten miles down the road into the country. As for Margaret’s daughter Ann, she’ll be workin like she does every weekend showing houses, that’s her busiest time. Standing with me in front of Ada Everett, I felt like she wanted to make a point. She said, “Lorraine, you know I trust you with Mama like I trust myself. If she wants to go, I want you to take her. Ada, are you going?”

“I can’t leave here,” Ada answered, handing over the form Ann needed to sign. “We’ve got a state inspection week after next. I wish I could, I think a lot of Rhonda.”

Ann nodded. “I know Mama does too, even though she says she’s hard on her head sometimes.” She clicked down the hallway in expensive shoes. She needed to look good to sell houses. She spoke without turning back. “Bye Lorraine, I’ll see you tomorrow.” And I knew she would too cause I couldn’t think of but maybe two or three times a year when she hadn’t been down here at some point in the day. That was her way, everybody finds their own way here. Miss Margaret complains about her sometimes, but they all do. Loved ones get it the worst no matter what, but far as I know, that’s life.

They tell me Rhonda hasn’t known her fiancé but a few months. I expect she feels like she knows him pretty good to get married, and I hope for her sake she does. She wanted more than anything to have these two ladies come, Margaret barely able to walk some days, and Bernice with no tellin what’s gon come out of her mouth at any time. Rhonda asked me if I thought their families would let em go and I told her I didn’t think it would be a problem. Margaret wants to go to every wedding or funeral or baptism or any other service she can if somebody will take her.

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