color?”
The tires on Mama Max’s jet-black Thunderbird had barely stopped rolling before she opened the car door and hurried to Nettie’s front door. She didn’t notice that her usually perfectly coiffed hair was coming down in the back or that she wore one black sock and one navy blue one underneath her charcoal-gray warm-ups. She huffed up the steps, crossed the porch, and punched the doorbell three times in a row.
“Hold your horses!” Nettie shouted, drying her hands and walking quickly to the door at the same time. She never stopped talking as she opened the door. “Where on earth is the fire? I tell you the tru—Mama Max? Is that you running up those steps as if lightning is about to strike?”
“Lighting done struck, child, and Satan’s on the loose. Open up this here door ’cause you ain’t gonna believe what I just heard.”
Nettie quickly opened the door. The hug she meant for Mama Max’s shoulder barely touched her back as Mama Max hurried past Nettie into the living room. “Lawd, I know you ain’t got no Baileys Irish Cream but I sure could use some in my coffee right now!”
“Come on back to the kitchen while I put on a pot, Mama. And tell me what on earth has you in such a state!”
Mama Max followed Nettie to the kitchen. “We’re the only ones here, right?”
“Uh-huh. Some of the churchwomen are coming over in an hour or so, but it’s just you and me until then.”
“It’s them Noble bitches, stirring up my blood again!” Mama Max’s face contorted as she fairly hissed out this news. The Nobles were a family of beautiful, cultured, and some would say conniving women who’d lived in Palestine off and on for decades.
“Katherine?” Nettie hadn’t seen Katherine for over a year, since the former church member had relocated to New Orleans to live near her daughter.
“Worse, her sister, Dorothea.”
“Dorothea Bates? What on earth about Dorothea has your blood riled?”
“She’s here in Palestine, that’s what!”
“Are you sure? Dorothea’s shadow hasn’t darkened these parts in ten, twenty years. Besides, if she were here in town, I’m pretty sure I’d know about it. Her grandniece is my daughter-in-law, after all.”
“Well, she’s here. Heard it with my own ears.”
“From who?” Nettie handed Mama Max a steaming cup of coffee, then reached into the refrigerator for flavored creamer. “This Irish Crème creamer is as close to your Baileys as I can do.”
Mama Max was too wrapped up in her thoughts to hear her. “Now, you know I’m not one to be nosy….”
Nettie hid a smile.
“But I passed by the bedroom and heard the reverend doctor talking all lowlike. So I tiptoed into the guest room and picked up the receiver. Now, you know I’m not one to be nosy, but when the Spirit nudges me to do a thing, I try and be obedient. So I picked up that phone, yes, I did. And I heard her.”
“She was on the phone with your husband?”
Mama Max nodded. “And that ain’t all. The phone hadn’t rung, which means she wasn’t the one who’d done the calling. I just can’t believe this!” Mama Max set down her mug so hard that coffee sloshed over the sides. “How long has he been consorting behind my back?”
Nettie frowned. “You mean…cavorting?”
“That too. How long has he been in touch with Dorothea?”
“Now, Mama. It’s obvious you have some kind of history with this woman but—”
“Forty years! That’s how long it’s been since I laid eyes on her. Ever since I caught my husband in her room all those years ago. He promised me that he’d never see her again, and I believed him!”
Nettie was shocked but not surprised at Mama Max’s revelation. Unfortunately, she was all too familiar with how men of God sometimes strayed. It had happened with her own preacher husband, who’d carried on a lengthy affair with Dorothea’s sister, Katherine Noble. The two saw each other until his untimely death from a car accident. “Maybe
The tires on Mama Max’s jet-black Thunderbird had barely stopped rolling before she opened the car door and hurried to Nettie’s front door. She didn’t notice that her usually perfectly coiffed hair was coming down in the back or that she wore one black sock and one navy blue one underneath her charcoal-gray warm-ups. She huffed up the steps, crossed the porch, and punched the doorbell three times in a row.
“Hold your horses!” Nettie shouted, drying her hands and walking quickly to the door at the same time. She never stopped talking as she opened the door. “Where on earth is the fire? I tell you the tru—Mama Max? Is that you running up those steps as if lightning is about to strike?”
“Lighting done struck, child, and Satan’s on the loose. Open up this here door ’cause you ain’t gonna believe what I just heard.”
Nettie quickly opened the door. The hug she meant for Mama Max’s shoulder barely touched her back as Mama Max hurried past Nettie into the living room. “Lawd, I know you ain’t got no Baileys Irish Cream but I sure could use some in my coffee right now!”
“Come on back to the kitchen while I put on a pot, Mama. And tell me what on earth has you in such a state!”
Mama Max followed Nettie to the kitchen. “We’re the only ones here, right?”
“Uh-huh. Some of the churchwomen are coming over in an hour or so, but it’s just you and me until then.”
“It’s them Noble bitches, stirring up my blood again!” Mama Max’s face contorted as she fairly hissed out this news. The Nobles were a family of beautiful, cultured, and some would say conniving women who’d lived in Palestine off and on for decades.
“Katherine?” Nettie hadn’t seen Katherine for over a year, since the former church member had relocated to New Orleans to live near her daughter.
“Worse, her sister, Dorothea.”
“Dorothea Bates? What on earth about Dorothea has your blood riled?”
“She’s here in Palestine, that’s what!”
“Are you sure? Dorothea’s shadow hasn’t darkened these parts in ten, twenty years. Besides, if she were here in town, I’m pretty sure I’d know about it. Her grandniece is my daughter-in-law, after all.”
“Well, she’s here. Heard it with my own ears.”
“From who?” Nettie handed Mama Max a steaming cup of coffee, then reached into the refrigerator for flavored creamer. “This Irish Crème creamer is as close to your Baileys as I can do.”
Mama Max was too wrapped up in her thoughts to hear her. “Now, you know I’m not one to be nosy….”
Nettie hid a smile.
“But I passed by the bedroom and heard the reverend doctor talking all lowlike. So I tiptoed into the guest room and picked up the receiver. Now, you know I’m not one to be nosy, but when the Spirit nudges me to do a thing, I try and be obedient. So I picked up that phone, yes, I did. And I heard her.”
“She was on the phone with your husband?”
Mama Max nodded. “And that ain’t all. The phone hadn’t rung, which means she wasn’t the one who’d done the calling. I just can’t believe this!” Mama Max set down her mug so hard that coffee sloshed over the sides. “How long has he been consorting behind my back?”
Nettie frowned. “You mean…cavorting?”
“That too. How long has he been in touch with Dorothea?”
“Now, Mama. It’s obvious you have some kind of history with this woman but—”
“Forty years! That’s how long it’s been since I laid eyes on her. Ever since I caught my husband in her room all those years ago. He promised me that he’d never see her again, and I believed him!”
Nettie was shocked but not surprised at Mama Max’s revelation. Unfortunately, she was all too familiar with how men of God sometimes strayed. It had happened with her own preacher husband, who’d carried on a lengthy affair with Dorothea’s sister, Katherine Noble. The two saw each other until his untimely death from a car accident. “Maybe
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