The Perfect Dress(11)

“Me, too,” Paula said.

“What’s that got to do with having babies?” Jody asked.

“A lot,” Mitzi answered. “I plan on staying young until the day they lay me out in a coffin, so if I want to have babies after forty I’ll do it.”

Paula shivered. “Don’t talk about funerals.”

“We all got to die someday,” Mitzi said. “So my child loses me when she or he is only forty. I wasn’t even that old when I lost my mama. Or you, Paula, when your dad died.”

“Or me, when my daddy left and my mama said it was because I was livin’ in sin with Lyle. Don’t know how that could be since he left her for a younger woman,” Jody said through clenched teeth. “But the precious golden child of the church, Miss Ellie Mae, is getting married in black, so maybe they’ll pray for her instead of me every Sunday.”

Mitzi patted Jody on the shoulder. “I’ve told you for years, it’s their loss. Let’s call it a day and go home.”

“I’d rather stay here,” Paula muttered.

“What was that?” Jody asked.

“She said she’d rather stay here,” Mitzi answered. “And I don’t blame her. The minute we get home, her mama calls.”

“She has two daughters, but I’m the one she calls every day to do something. Last night it was to change a light bulb and water the plants. Then she pouts if I go home before eight and gets mad if I stay two minutes past eight.” Paula downed the last of her water and carried the glass to the sink.

“I’m glad my dad has a life and that Granny is so independent,” Mitzi said.

“Count your blessings. I think I’ll just run by Mama’s for thirty minutes and get it over with. I’ll see you at the house,” Paula said.

“Tell her that we have plans and you have to get home. I’ll get everything here locked up and shut down for the night and be there by the time you make it home,” Mitzi yelled over her shoulder as she left the kitchen.

Paula had moved in with Mitzi when they started the shop. They’d thought about living in the upstairs part of the shop but wanted to keep work and home separate. When Mitzi stepped out into the blistering hot heat, she wished all she had to do was walk up the stairs to get home—not drive a couple of miles out of town and mow the overgrown lawn that afternoon.

Moving to Celeste last winter had seemed like the right thing to do. They’d really wanted and needed Jody to join them in the new business, and there was no way she’d move to another location. So Paula had given up her job as a librarian in Tulia. Mitzi gave notice at the exclusive bridal shop in Amarillo where she’d worked in the back room altering wedding dresses. And Jody quit her job as a waitress at the Celeste Café.

Mitzi’s dad, Harry, had insisted on giving her the money that had been saved for her college education—that she’d only dipped into for one semester—to set up shop. At the time, Mitzi had thought it would be fun to have a roommate, but she hadn’t figured on Paula’s mother issue. Gladys Walker was only seventy years old, but with all her imagined problems, she acted more like ninety.

The small two-bedroom house they had rented was a short drive, but it was long enough that the van had just cooled down when Mitzi pulled into the driveway. She hated to turn off the engine and step out into the heat again, so she just sat there a few minutes. The place fit them perfectly, with a great room serving as living room, dining room, and kitchen separating bedrooms on either end of the house.

Mitzi would far rather be inside cooking than mowing the lawn, but she had no choice. It was her turn. Paula had taken care of it last week. She inhaled one last breath of cold air before she opened the car door and headed across the yard. Once inside, and before she could talk herself into putting it off for another day, she changed into shorts and a tank top. She’d just finished mowing the lawn when Paula drove her pickup truck into the driveway. She carried a milkshake in each hand and handed one off to Mitzi as she slumped down on the porch step.

“What’s this plan you had for this evening?” Paula asked.

“It was an excuse, but we could say we were planning to cook supper together.” Mitzi shrugged. “But I’m not hungry after drinking this.”

“Me, either,” Paula said. “Why in the hell didn’t we put our shop in Tulia or even up in Greenville instead of Celeste? Then Mama would be hollerin’ at my sister, Selena, instead of me, but since she lives twenty miles away and is married—” Paula stopped. “End of rant, because we’re here and we can’t undo what’s done.”

“Seemed like the right thing to do at the time. We should get your mother involved in something,” Mitzi said.

Paula finished off her milkshake with a slurp. “You mean other than sit in her recliner, watch television, and think up things for me to do? And don’t even start in on letting her come to the shop. She’ll drive us all crazy. I’m going to drive down to Selena’s place to talk to her about helping out more.” Paula looked downright glum, making Mitzi wonder if maybe she was going to talk to her sister about more than just helping out with Gladys.

“Threaten to move Gladys in with her,” Mitzi suggested.

“I want her to help, not give her a heart attack. Don’t wait up for me. I’ll probably be late.” Paula set her empty cup on the porch and stood up. “See you in the morning, if not before.”