Crowded by Eleanor Green

Author:Eleanor Green [Green, Eleanor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 2016-10-14T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Anna

My nurse friend Emma from the assisted living center was getting married—wonderful! Mary and I were invited to her bridal shower with a lingerie theme—fun! Shopping for lingerie with an eighty-six year old—not so easy. All I heard were things like, “Good Lord, how does this go? Where does this go? Is this what your generation is into? In my day . . .”

Mary left with a post-honeymoon—post-baby if you asked me—polka dot silk pajama set. While she was paying and having it gift-wrapped, I browsed the more risqué section and found a white lace number with matching thong. I couldn’t help thinking of wearing something similar this weekend with Pratt. Did he like sexy lingerie? A giggle slipped out when I thought of coming out of the bathroom in a neck-to floor flannel nightgown like they used to wear on Little House on the Prairie. Maybe that’s what Tennessee boys preferred? Doubtful. I pulled a black lace camisole and short set off the rack in my size and tucked it under Emma’s gift. Not that you could get much by Mary, but it was worth a shot and I didn’t want to come back out to get it later.

After shopping, we lunched at a little café that offered your choice of meat and three sides. This was where I was introduced to sweet potato casserole.

“This is no vegetable,” I said with my mouth full. “It’s dessert,” I raked my fork through as much of the brown sugar and pecan topping as possible. You would’ve thought I hadn’t eaten in days by the way I was shoveling that stuff in.

“My mother used to make it exactly like this,” Mary said. Her eyes were distant as if she were caught up in a daydream of her past. After a moment, she came back to the present, her eyes trained on me again. “There’s enough butter and brown sugar in here to clog your arteries, but it’s worth it, hon, don’t you think?”

“So worth it.” I cleaned my plate and had to force myself not to pick it up and lick what my fork couldn’t get.

“How are you, sweetie?” Mary asked, worry wrinkling the skin around her soft brown eyes.

“I’m good.” I offered a half smile.

She patted the top of my hand. “You’re all I’ve got, sweets, and I’m the closest thing you’ve got to a mama. So cut the B.S. and talk to me.”

I sighed and hid a grin. The thing I loved about Mary, you knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was on your side, had your back. But she also had a streak of meanness in her, and I believed that not only did she know when I was lying, she could hold me down and whip me like a child if I told an untruth.

With an exhale, I began, letting the truth bleed out of me. “I’m just tired. Exhausted, actually. I haven’t been sleeping.”

“You sick?” I couldn’t tell by the way she cocked her head to the side if she was concerned about me, or worried she might catch something.

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