Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

Author:T. Greenwood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Twenty-one

September 1971

Marsha gassed up at a station in Roanoke, and Ginny went into the little store and bought them each a sugary cider doughnut, and a cup of black coffee for Marsha. She asked the cashier to break a ten so that she could give Marsha some more money to help cover the expense of the gas.

Marsha kept insisting Ginny shouldn’t worry about money, but she did. She had the dwindling roll of bills that Ab had given her the week before. Each Monday he gave her an allowance from which he expected her to run the household. Because she didn’t drive, she walked to the market every couple of days and picked up the items she would need to make their meals. If she needed to make purchases for the home, she’d price the items out and then ask Ab for a little extra that week. Once a season, she took the train into the city and purchased clothes for herself and for Peyton or called in an order to the Spiegel catalog. Ab paid the bills, balanced the accounts, and told her not to worry. That all she needed to do was ask if she wanted or needed anything at all.

But now what was she to do? She could hardly call Ab and ask him for a little extra cash to help Marsha pay for gas as they fled down the East Coast. Ginny’s name wasn’t even on the bank accounts, as far as she knew. Ab had always been so generous with her; she hadn’t thought twice about it before. She flipped through her wallet, quietly counting the bills, when she suddenly remembered the Master Charge card he’d given her, told her not to use it unless it was an absolute emergency. She’d tucked it in the back of her wallet and forgotten about it. Credit cards mystified her, scared her a little, even. The idea of essentially having a line of credit at your fingertips seemed dangerous. She wasn’t even sure how much money was available to spend. She’d never used it. Perhaps it wasn’t valid anymore? She wasn’t even sure how it worked exactly.

Once they were on the road again, she handed Marsha the hot cup of coffee and said, “Is this crazy?”

“A little?” Marsha said, taking the cup and blowing across the steaming surface.

“We haven’t even thought about what will happen when we get there. How long we’ll be gone. About money. And what if Ab won’t help me?”

“Then we’ll stay,” Marsha said, gripping the wheel tightly.

“Stay? In Florida?” she scoffed.

“Sure.” Marsha shrugged. “Why not?”

“What about your job?”

Marsha turned to her. “I really, really hate the ER. Besides, I’ve been talking about this for years. Maybe it’s a sign that it’s finally time.”

“What about Gabe?” Ginny asked, thinking of her conversation with Pepper. Thinking about the baby.

Marsha flicked her hand as though dismissing an unpleasant thought.

“He’ll get over me,” she said and winked, but it seemed like forced cheer.

“I thought things were getting serious,” Ginny said, though she stopped short of asking her about the pregnancy.

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