Read Online Secret Lives of the Kudzu Debutantes by Cathy Holton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cathy Holton
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cleaned up.”
Eadie put her arm around Nita. “Now calm down,” she said. “Everything's going to be fine. You should be enjoying this. I mean, this is the day you've looked forward to your whole life.”
Nita snapped, “Why does everyone keep saying that? How does everyone know what I look forward to? For all y'all know I might have looked forward to being the president of the United States.”
Eadie raised one eyebrow and looked at Lavonne, who frowned and shook her head slightly. Nita dropped her face in her hands. “I'm sorry,” she said. “It's just nerves, is all.”
Nita's mother, Loretta, saw them and came over to say hello. “She's nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs,” she said, nodding at Nita. “She's making us all jumpy.” Loretta was an upright little woman who hailed originally from a little farming town just east of Ithaca. She had a sweet face and a bad temper, and around town she was known as a good person not to mess with. She and Nita were about as much alike as a pit bull and a poodle.
Lavonne grinned. “You got your hair done, Loretta.”
“My nails, too,” she said, holding up ten coral-colored fingers that matched her dress perfectly. “It ain't every day your only daughter gets married, and to the right man this time, too. Praise the Lord.”
“I'll drink to that,” Eadie said.
“Well, from the looks of you girls, I'd say you been doing just that. You look a little wet around the gills, if you know what I mean.”
“There's no fooling you, Loretta.”
Loretta grinned. Her blue-black hair shone in the sunlight. She put her arm around Nita and kissed her on the cheek. “Come on, baby doll,” she said. “Let's get you dressed for your wedding.”
“I'll be right in, Mama. I've got to check on a few things first.”
Loretta put her hand on her hip. Her coral dress fluttered in the breeze. “Check on what?”
“Check on whether or not Jimmy Lee got the rest of those lanterns hung.”
Loretta waved her hand and stuck her chin out. “I'll take care of all that,” she said. “You leave that to me.” She sailed off across the yard like a bantam rooster attempting flight, her coral dress fluttering about her shoulders and her blue-black hair glistening in the sunlight.
Nita sighed, watching her go. “Whatever you do,” she said to Lavonne and Eadie. “Don't tell her I invited Virginia to the wedding.”
Loretta had disliked Virginia for nearly forty years. She had tolerated her when Nita was married to Charles, but now that the divorce was final, she was under no further obligation to be nice.
“Don't worry, I won't,” Eadie said.
“We're not crazy,” Lavonne said.
“I'm hoping Virginia won't show,” Nita said despondently.
“There's no reason why she should.”
“She probably just wanted to hear you ask her,” Eadie said. “You know how she is. Everything's a game to Virginia.”
Nita sighed again but didn't say anything. They watched Loretta across the yard, giving directions to Nita's tall, stoop-shouldered daddy, Eustis, who followed her around with a box of lanterns in his arms. “I told her to get Jimmy Lee to hang the lanterns,” Nita said, frowning.
“How's your daddy doing?” Eadie asked.
“He's fine. Whatever he's got, it isn't Parkinson's but something a little milder. It doesn't slow him down much. Mama, of course, thinks it's all in his head. She begins every day with, ‘Are you going to shake today, Eustis? It's up to you. Just make up your mind.’”
“Loretta missed her calling,” Lavonne said. “She should have been a nurse.”
“The funny thing is, when she's around, Daddy doesn't shake much.”
“A nurse or maybe a hypnotist,” Lavonne said.
Eadie lifted one arm and pointed behind them. “Oh my God,” she said, “is that Whitney?”
She was crossing the yard, dressed in a long flowing skirt and a pair of high-heeled boots. Nita looked at her daughter and blushed with pleasure,
Eadie put her arm around Nita. “Now calm down,” she said. “Everything's going to be fine. You should be enjoying this. I mean, this is the day you've looked forward to your whole life.”
Nita snapped, “Why does everyone keep saying that? How does everyone know what I look forward to? For all y'all know I might have looked forward to being the president of the United States.”
Eadie raised one eyebrow and looked at Lavonne, who frowned and shook her head slightly. Nita dropped her face in her hands. “I'm sorry,” she said. “It's just nerves, is all.”
Nita's mother, Loretta, saw them and came over to say hello. “She's nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs,” she said, nodding at Nita. “She's making us all jumpy.” Loretta was an upright little woman who hailed originally from a little farming town just east of Ithaca. She had a sweet face and a bad temper, and around town she was known as a good person not to mess with. She and Nita were about as much alike as a pit bull and a poodle.
Lavonne grinned. “You got your hair done, Loretta.”
“My nails, too,” she said, holding up ten coral-colored fingers that matched her dress perfectly. “It ain't every day your only daughter gets married, and to the right man this time, too. Praise the Lord.”
“I'll drink to that,” Eadie said.
“Well, from the looks of you girls, I'd say you been doing just that. You look a little wet around the gills, if you know what I mean.”
“There's no fooling you, Loretta.”
Loretta grinned. Her blue-black hair shone in the sunlight. She put her arm around Nita and kissed her on the cheek. “Come on, baby doll,” she said. “Let's get you dressed for your wedding.”
“I'll be right in, Mama. I've got to check on a few things first.”
Loretta put her hand on her hip. Her coral dress fluttered in the breeze. “Check on what?”
“Check on whether or not Jimmy Lee got the rest of those lanterns hung.”
Loretta waved her hand and stuck her chin out. “I'll take care of all that,” she said. “You leave that to me.” She sailed off across the yard like a bantam rooster attempting flight, her coral dress fluttering about her shoulders and her blue-black hair glistening in the sunlight.
Nita sighed, watching her go. “Whatever you do,” she said to Lavonne and Eadie. “Don't tell her I invited Virginia to the wedding.”
Loretta had disliked Virginia for nearly forty years. She had tolerated her when Nita was married to Charles, but now that the divorce was final, she was under no further obligation to be nice.
“Don't worry, I won't,” Eadie said.
“We're not crazy,” Lavonne said.
“I'm hoping Virginia won't show,” Nita said despondently.
“There's no reason why she should.”
“She probably just wanted to hear you ask her,” Eadie said. “You know how she is. Everything's a game to Virginia.”
Nita sighed again but didn't say anything. They watched Loretta across the yard, giving directions to Nita's tall, stoop-shouldered daddy, Eustis, who followed her around with a box of lanterns in his arms. “I told her to get Jimmy Lee to hang the lanterns,” Nita said, frowning.
“How's your daddy doing?” Eadie asked.
“He's fine. Whatever he's got, it isn't Parkinson's but something a little milder. It doesn't slow him down much. Mama, of course, thinks it's all in his head. She begins every day with, ‘Are you going to shake today, Eustis? It's up to you. Just make up your mind.’”
“Loretta missed her calling,” Lavonne said. “She should have been a nurse.”
“The funny thing is, when she's around, Daddy doesn't shake much.”
“A nurse or maybe a hypnotist,” Lavonne said.
Eadie lifted one arm and pointed behind them. “Oh my God,” she said, “is that Whitney?”
She was crossing the yard, dressed in a long flowing skirt and a pair of high-heeled boots. Nita looked at her daughter and blushed with pleasure,
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