Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly by Robert Dalby

Author:Robert Dalby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2011-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

MR. CHOPPY was sitting at his office desk going over the store figures one last time. It was almost ten-thirty, and he had asked Laurie and Powell to hang around after the last of his employees and the Nitwitts had finally gone home.

“My coffers tell me that we basically have the few weeks until your wedding, folks,” he told them as they sat across from him with intent expressions on their faces. “Maybe Mr. Leyton’s TV story will help turn things around, but if it don’t, I may have no other choice than to finally shut down the store. Put another way, your marriage could be the last official act of the Second Creek Piggly Wiggly.”

“Oh, that’s just too depressing to consider,” Laurie replied. “Seems no matter what we do, we can’t get your little store out of crisis mode.”

Mr. Choppy hesitated, looking somewhat disconsolate. “We could be out of crisis mode soon enough, Miz Lepanto. This won’t be no messy, prolonged goin’-outta-business sale either. Just an off-the-wall wedding of two good friends as our last hurrah and then no more Piggly Wiggly.”

“Maybe it won’t come to that,” Powell added. “Having this publicized on CNN could make a huge difference. It’ll be seen all over the country. You couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to promote yourself.”

“Maybe so.” But Mr. Choppy hardly sounded convinced. “I’ve been thinkin’ about all this long and hard, you know. If it comes to closin’ my doors, my employees won’t have a problem findin’ other jobs around town, but I keep wonderin’ what I’m gonna do with myself without this little store to run. There’s that old sayin’ about people dyin’ soon after they retire because they just don’t have anything to do anymore. I don’t wanna be one of those statistics. I don’t think I’m near ready to be an obit.”

Laurie rose and moved to his side, putting her hand on his shoulder. “It’ll all work out the way it’s supposed to, Mr. Choppy. Don’t lose heart.”

“I’ll do my best, Miz Lepanto. I’ll do my best.”

A few minutes later he bade them good night and watched them head through the store hand in hand to the parking lot.

Mr. Choppy returned to his desk, closed his ledger, and sighed. How had Lady Roth put it again? Oh, yes, Second Creek was a place for people who had wanted to be memorable but hadn’t quite made it. That was Hale Dunbar Jr. to a tee. Waiting around these last few weeks to see if indeed this was going to be the end would be a trial and a test of his emotional endurance, but at least he would go out knowing he had made two of his favorite people very happy. That seemed to be the theme of his life—on the outside looking in, nose pressed to the glass and watching others act out their dreams.

When he walked out of the store after locking up, the night sky seemed to be up to something. There were clouds swirling around in a peculiar cauldronlike effect.

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