Read Online A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Fannie Flagg
Ads: Link
decorated with hundreds of Christmas ornaments and silver and gold tinsel. When he went in the store, he asked Roy who had done it. Roy shook his head.
“We don’t know. Every Christmas it happens overnight and nobody knows who did it, but I have my theories. I think it’s that bunch of crazy women that do it.”
“Who?”
“Oh, Frances, Mildred, and Dottie; probably Betty Kitchen is in on it, too. I can’t prove it but I’ll tell you this: Anytime you see all of them wearing polka dots on the same day, watch out.”
Just then the door opened and Frances Cleverdon walked in, looking sunny and cheerful. “Well, good morning, Mr. Campbell,” she said with a smile. “How are you getting along?”
“Oh, fine,” he said.
“I hope you’re coming to the annual Christmas Eve Dinner at the community hall. Roy’s coming, aren’t you? We’re going to have a lot of good food.”
Roy said, “I’ll be there. Hey, Frances, have you seen the tree yet?” He winked at Oswald as she turned around and looked across the street.
“Well, for heaven’s sake!” she said, feigning surprise. “When did that happen?”
“Last night.”
Frances turned to Oswald. “Last year the same exact thing happened on the twenty-third. I just wish I knew who was doing it.”
“Yeah, me too,” said Roy. “I was just telling Mr. Campbell, it’s a mystery, all right.”
Walking back home Frances was so pleased. The Polka Dots had done it again! Frances and Betty Kitchen had started the club twelve years ago and the founding members, after herself and Betty, were Sybil Underwood and, later, Dottie Nivens and Mildred. They had named themselves after a Mardi Gras group over in Mobile because they wanted to have fun as well as do good works. And thanks to Dottie Nivens and her amazing ability to make delicious highballs, which they drank out of polka-dotted martini glasses after every meeting, they did have fun. When their friend Elizabeth Shivers over in Lillian heard about it she started another secret society, the Mystic Order of the Royal Dotted Swiss. They also did a lot of good work, but Frances was convinced that they could never top the Mystery Tree caper.
The Christmas Dinner
O SWALD HAD ALWAYS been shy and was no good at social events. Although it was the last thing on earth he wanted to do, it seemed that on Christmas Eve he had no choice but to put on his one blue suit and tie and go with Betty and her mother to the Dinner and Tree Lighting Ceremony at the community hall. It was made clear to him over and over that everyone was expecting him. So at five-thirty he and Betty Kitchen and her mother, Miss Alma, wearing three giant red camellias in her hair, strolled down the street. It was still about 69 degrees outside and hard for Oswald to believe it was really December twenty-fourth. When they arrived, the hall was already packed with people, and the minute they saw Oswald everyone made a point to come up and shake his hand and welcome him to the area. After about thirty minutes of being pulled around the room like a wooden toy, Oswald was thrilled to see Roy Grimmitt come in, looking as uncomfortable in his blue suit and tie as Oswald felt in his. At around six-thirty, after a prayer was said, it was time to eat and someone called out, “Let Mr. Campbell start the line.”
Oswald was handed a plate and pushed to the long table, full of more food than he had ever seen: fried chicken, ham, turkey, roast beef, pork chops, chicken and dumplings, and every kind of vegetables, pies, and cakes you can imagine. At the end sat two huge round cut-glass punch bowls of thick, delicious-smelling eggnog. One was labeled LEADED , the other bowl said UNLEADED . Oswald hesitated for a moment and seriously thought about it, but at the last second went for the unleaded. He did not want to get drunk and make a fool out of himself and embarrass Frances. After all, everyone knew she was responsible for getting him there. The long tables
“We don’t know. Every Christmas it happens overnight and nobody knows who did it, but I have my theories. I think it’s that bunch of crazy women that do it.”
“Who?”
“Oh, Frances, Mildred, and Dottie; probably Betty Kitchen is in on it, too. I can’t prove it but I’ll tell you this: Anytime you see all of them wearing polka dots on the same day, watch out.”
Just then the door opened and Frances Cleverdon walked in, looking sunny and cheerful. “Well, good morning, Mr. Campbell,” she said with a smile. “How are you getting along?”
“Oh, fine,” he said.
“I hope you’re coming to the annual Christmas Eve Dinner at the community hall. Roy’s coming, aren’t you? We’re going to have a lot of good food.”
Roy said, “I’ll be there. Hey, Frances, have you seen the tree yet?” He winked at Oswald as she turned around and looked across the street.
“Well, for heaven’s sake!” she said, feigning surprise. “When did that happen?”
“Last night.”
Frances turned to Oswald. “Last year the same exact thing happened on the twenty-third. I just wish I knew who was doing it.”
“Yeah, me too,” said Roy. “I was just telling Mr. Campbell, it’s a mystery, all right.”
Walking back home Frances was so pleased. The Polka Dots had done it again! Frances and Betty Kitchen had started the club twelve years ago and the founding members, after herself and Betty, were Sybil Underwood and, later, Dottie Nivens and Mildred. They had named themselves after a Mardi Gras group over in Mobile because they wanted to have fun as well as do good works. And thanks to Dottie Nivens and her amazing ability to make delicious highballs, which they drank out of polka-dotted martini glasses after every meeting, they did have fun. When their friend Elizabeth Shivers over in Lillian heard about it she started another secret society, the Mystic Order of the Royal Dotted Swiss. They also did a lot of good work, but Frances was convinced that they could never top the Mystery Tree caper.
The Christmas Dinner
O SWALD HAD ALWAYS been shy and was no good at social events. Although it was the last thing on earth he wanted to do, it seemed that on Christmas Eve he had no choice but to put on his one blue suit and tie and go with Betty and her mother to the Dinner and Tree Lighting Ceremony at the community hall. It was made clear to him over and over that everyone was expecting him. So at five-thirty he and Betty Kitchen and her mother, Miss Alma, wearing three giant red camellias in her hair, strolled down the street. It was still about 69 degrees outside and hard for Oswald to believe it was really December twenty-fourth. When they arrived, the hall was already packed with people, and the minute they saw Oswald everyone made a point to come up and shake his hand and welcome him to the area. After about thirty minutes of being pulled around the room like a wooden toy, Oswald was thrilled to see Roy Grimmitt come in, looking as uncomfortable in his blue suit and tie as Oswald felt in his. At around six-thirty, after a prayer was said, it was time to eat and someone called out, “Let Mr. Campbell start the line.”
Oswald was handed a plate and pushed to the long table, full of more food than he had ever seen: fried chicken, ham, turkey, roast beef, pork chops, chicken and dumplings, and every kind of vegetables, pies, and cakes you can imagine. At the end sat two huge round cut-glass punch bowls of thick, delicious-smelling eggnog. One was labeled LEADED , the other bowl said UNLEADED . Oswald hesitated for a moment and seriously thought about it, but at the last second went for the unleaded. He did not want to get drunk and make a fool out of himself and embarrass Frances. After all, everyone knew she was responsible for getting him there. The long tables
Similar Books
