hand downstairs, I could stand to skip a meal
every now and then. “I’m not all that hungry,” I said just as my
stomach growled loudly.
“ What was that, coyotes?
Come on, let’s go to The Hound Dog. I’m in the mood for one of
Ruby’s sloppy burgers.”
“ Why not,” I said as I stood
up. “I’m not going to be able to get much work done anyway.
Andrew’s a real jerk, isn’t he?”
“ Like father, like son.
We’ll detour the Joy property and go the back way, what do you
say?”
I grabbed my jacket. “I say let’s go.”
We walked to The Hound Dog, chatting
aimlessly about anything that crossed our minds, except for fences
and neighbors. By the time we walked in to Elvis Presley’s voice
serenading us with the grill’s name and inspiration, I felt much
better. Though I loved all my siblings equally, there was no
denying the special bond between Louisa and me.
Ruby, the owner of the diner, was dancing
when we walked in, but didn’t look the least bit self-conscious
when she saw us. “Grab a booth or a spot at the counter, I’ll be
with you in a second.”
We found a booth away from the jukebox, and
as soon as the song was finished, Ruby joined us. I’d been studying
the vast array of Elvis memorabilia on the walls. I could swear
some of it was new, though where she’d found the room to display
anything else was beyond me.
Ruby handed us a pair of menus and said, “You
two are eating a late lunch, aren’t you?”
I smiled. “How do you know we’re not having
an early dinner?”
She laughed. “You’re right, I don’t. What can
I get for you?”
Louisa ordered her burger and a diet soda.
“I’ll have the same,” I said. “But make mine an iced tea.”
“ Coming up,” Ruby
said.
Once she was gone, Louisa looked at me
steadily, then said, “So tell me about your love life.”
Oh no. Was that why she’d wanted to have
lunch? I would have rather discussed the Joy men than talk about
what was going on in my personal life.
“ You go first,” I said,
hoping that would dissuade her from the topic.
To my surprise, she said, “I’m still dating
John Labott, and you know it.”
John was one of our suppliers, and he’d had a
crush on Louisa forever, but he had always been too shy to do
anything about it. It had finally gotten so bad that Louisa had
asked him out herself.
“ How is that
going?”
Louisa shrugged as Ruby delivered our drinks.
“When it comes to love, you never know, do you?”
Ruby said, “Amen to that. Just listen to the
King.”
I waited until she was gone before I said
softly, “She thinks Elvis has the answer to everything.”
“ Who knows? Maybe she’s
right. Enough about me, though. What’s going on with
Kelly?”
“ I’m not sure. Listen, do
you really want to hear this, or are you just making polite
conversation?”
Louisa took a sip of her soda. “Ben, have you
ever known me to be polite about anything? I really want to
know.”
“ Okay, here goes then. We’re
supposed to take her daughter Annie to the Fair on the Square
tomorrow, but to be honest with you, Kelly doesn’t seem all that
excited about it. I’m beginning to wonder if she’s having second
thoughts. Honestly, I’m thinking about cancelling myself just to
save her the trouble.”
“ Benjamin Perkins, that is
exactly the wrong thing to do. Honestly, do you know anything at
all about women?”
I held up my hands. “Hey, take it easy on me.
So what do you think I should do?”
“ I think you should go ahead
with your plans. If Kelly wants to cancel, she will. You know how
strong-willed she is.”
I took a sip of tea, then said, “That’s one
of the reasons I’m so fond of her.”
“ Then give her some time,
and trust her judgment. If she’s having second thoughts about
anything, she’ll tell you.”
I thought about it, and realized that Louisa
was probably right. Kelly was a strong, independent, and assertive
woman. Until I heard otherwise, I was going to keep
every now and then. “I’m not all that hungry,” I said just as my
stomach growled loudly.
“ What was that, coyotes?
Come on, let’s go to The Hound Dog. I’m in the mood for one of
Ruby’s sloppy burgers.”
“ Why not,” I said as I stood
up. “I’m not going to be able to get much work done anyway.
Andrew’s a real jerk, isn’t he?”
“ Like father, like son.
We’ll detour the Joy property and go the back way, what do you
say?”
I grabbed my jacket. “I say let’s go.”
We walked to The Hound Dog, chatting
aimlessly about anything that crossed our minds, except for fences
and neighbors. By the time we walked in to Elvis Presley’s voice
serenading us with the grill’s name and inspiration, I felt much
better. Though I loved all my siblings equally, there was no
denying the special bond between Louisa and me.
Ruby, the owner of the diner, was dancing
when we walked in, but didn’t look the least bit self-conscious
when she saw us. “Grab a booth or a spot at the counter, I’ll be
with you in a second.”
We found a booth away from the jukebox, and
as soon as the song was finished, Ruby joined us. I’d been studying
the vast array of Elvis memorabilia on the walls. I could swear
some of it was new, though where she’d found the room to display
anything else was beyond me.
Ruby handed us a pair of menus and said, “You
two are eating a late lunch, aren’t you?”
I smiled. “How do you know we’re not having
an early dinner?”
She laughed. “You’re right, I don’t. What can
I get for you?”
Louisa ordered her burger and a diet soda.
“I’ll have the same,” I said. “But make mine an iced tea.”
“ Coming up,” Ruby
said.
Once she was gone, Louisa looked at me
steadily, then said, “So tell me about your love life.”
Oh no. Was that why she’d wanted to have
lunch? I would have rather discussed the Joy men than talk about
what was going on in my personal life.
“ You go first,” I said,
hoping that would dissuade her from the topic.
To my surprise, she said, “I’m still dating
John Labott, and you know it.”
John was one of our suppliers, and he’d had a
crush on Louisa forever, but he had always been too shy to do
anything about it. It had finally gotten so bad that Louisa had
asked him out herself.
“ How is that
going?”
Louisa shrugged as Ruby delivered our drinks.
“When it comes to love, you never know, do you?”
Ruby said, “Amen to that. Just listen to the
King.”
I waited until she was gone before I said
softly, “She thinks Elvis has the answer to everything.”
“ Who knows? Maybe she’s
right. Enough about me, though. What’s going on with
Kelly?”
“ I’m not sure. Listen, do
you really want to hear this, or are you just making polite
conversation?”
Louisa took a sip of her soda. “Ben, have you
ever known me to be polite about anything? I really want to
know.”
“ Okay, here goes then. We’re
supposed to take her daughter Annie to the Fair on the Square
tomorrow, but to be honest with you, Kelly doesn’t seem all that
excited about it. I’m beginning to wonder if she’s having second
thoughts. Honestly, I’m thinking about cancelling myself just to
save her the trouble.”
“ Benjamin Perkins, that is
exactly the wrong thing to do. Honestly, do you know anything at
all about women?”
I held up my hands. “Hey, take it easy on me.
So what do you think I should do?”
“ I think you should go ahead
with your plans. If Kelly wants to cancel, she will. You know how
strong-willed she is.”
I took a sip of tea, then said, “That’s one
of the reasons I’m so fond of her.”
“ Then give her some time,
and trust her judgment. If she’s having second thoughts about
anything, she’ll tell you.”
I thought about it, and realized that Louisa
was probably right. Kelly was a strong, independent, and assertive
woman. Until I heard otherwise, I was going to keep
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