I swallow, telling myself that wolfing down a cookie in two bites won’t be putting my best foot forward with Nana. And despite the story I told my coworkers and friends back home, this move out to Mississippi isn’t just about helping my aging grandmother. I need her help maybe more than she needs mine. I have a vested interest in making this new living arrangement work out.
“Can I make you dinner tonight since you already made dessert?”
Nana smiles, the laugh lines stacking up on her powdered cheeks. Even at eighty-three, the woman puts on mascara, powder, and blush. She leans in and gives me another hug. I’d almost forgotten how much Nana loves to hug. My inhale hitches and for a horrifying split second I think I might just start crying.
“Nah, don’t you worry ’bout a thing, darlin’. Birdie’s comin’ over to properly welcome you to Heaven.”
Thankful for the conversation to push down this pesky surge of emotion I wasn’t expecting, I lean into humor. “Proper welcome, huh? I hope it’s not painful.”
“Oh hush. Birdie just needs to fill you in on the town gossip, is all. I’ve got a fruit salad in the fridge and a casserole all ready for the oven. Nothing to do but put your things away and get settled.” Nana pats my hand and moves the rack of cookies closer. “And eat cookies, of course.”
With a kiss to the top of Nana’s head, I snag two more cookies and walk outside to collect my suitcase. Probably melted all my makeup based on the surface temperature of the plastic case. Nana shows me to my room upstairs and leaves me to put my things away. The room is the same one I stayed in when I came out here at thirteen. It hasn’t had a makeover in all that time, but the place is spotless. I’ll have to ask Nana if she has a cleaner come on occasion. I can do that for her from now on.
The queen-sized bed frame is creaky, but the mattress feels like sleeping on a cloud. A tall-boy dresser allows for all my folded clothes, and the closet is full of empty hangers for the rest. It doesn’t take me long to put everything away, including my melted makeup on the vanity table. I haven’t seen a vanity table since I was last out here. The pale yellow desk skirt matches the yellow flowers on the drapes on each side of the wide window overlooking the backyard.
The heat and the long drive takes a toll on my energy not even three cookies’ worth of sugar can combat. I end up napping on top of the old quilt for longer than I planned. The doorbell ringing downstairs wakes me up a while later.
“Yoohoo!” calls an older woman.
I hear Nana making her way to the door. These old walls aren’t exactly thick. She lets her friend in and those two instantly start chatting away. I check that my eyeliner hasn’t smeared and try to fluff up my hair. All that sweating made it curl a bit and frizz on top. I’ll have to figure out a way to style my hair with all this humidity. Maybe I need new products.
Clunking down the wooden stairs in my Doc Martens, I see that both women are out sitting on the front porch, oblivious to the heat. I join them, wincing at the warm blast to the face the second I step outside.
“Well, there she is!” Nana exclaims, getting to her feet and wrapping her arm around my waist. “Birdie, I’d like you to meet my granddaughter, Betsy Mae. Betsy, this is Birdine Buckley.”
I reach out a hand to Ms. Buckley. Her bright multicolored blouse is only overshadowed by the neon green linen pants she’s wearing. I didn’t know linen came in lime green. I do know enough about the South, however, to know I shouldn’t use her first name unless she offers.
“Hello, Ms. Buckley. Nice to meet you. Nana has such lovely things to say about you.”
Ms. Buckley sets down her sweating glass of iced tea and shakes my hand. Every single one of her fingers has a big bauble ring on it. “Hello, dear. You must call me Birdie. All the folks do.”
“Oh!” Nana lets go of me to grab a glass of tea off the table between their two chairs. “Sweet tea is just what you need after your long drive.”
I release Birdie’s hand to take the offered tea. It’s already sweating down my arm in this heat. I drag a chair closer to the two ladies and have a seat. Nana and Birdie dive right back into the gossip. Something about Deuce having to chase a goose out of the shop but the poor bird smacked right into Mrs. Willowby’s cane. She would have taken a terrible tumble, but Mr. Barrett broke her fall, completely by accident. He had quite a few choice words to say about it afterward, the ol’ grump.
While I listen and try to learn who people are in this town, I take my first sip of sweet tea. My whole body instantly puckers in on itself. One eyelid twitches shut involuntarily. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, this tea is sweet! Nana shoots me a wink mid-conversation, like she knows I’m wondering how they all don’thave diabetes by now. Birdie takes advantage of the gap in conversation to put her bony hand on my knee.
“I have a surprise for you, darlin’.”
I unglue my tongue from the roof of my mouth and promise my pancreas I’ll slow down on the sugar at dinner. I hope Birdie hasn’t baked me a plate of cookies. “That’s so nice of you.”
Birdie lifts her leopard-print oversized glasses to the top of her head and pins me with a look I can’t quite decipher. “Your nana has told me all about you moving out here, so I took it upon myself to get you gainfully employed. Just one less thing for you to worry about. You start tomorrow.”
I choke and have to cough to cover it. “Oh, my. Wow.”
I mean, I’d hoped to spend some time with Nana and slowly get the lay of the land before hitting the pavement to find a job, but I guess plans can change.
Nana takes pity on me. “You’re so kind, Birdie. I know my Betsy Mae will be so happy anywhere here in Heaven.”
Birdie leans forward. “Harp and Hemline won’t know what hit ’em.”
They aren’t the only ones who won’t know what’s hit them. I don’t even know what Harp and Hemline is.
I open my mouth to ask, but the timer in the kitchen goes off and both women get to their feet, conversation on the porch over with. We head inside to eat and Birdie talks so much I don’t get to say much at all other than the occasionalohanduh-huh.
After we’re done eating, I clear the table and do the dishes, leaving Nana to talk with her friend. I’m just getting the kitchen spotless when Nana comes in and gives me a hug from behind.
“You’re such a dear. I’m fixin’ to head to bed. You better too, young lady, seeing as you’ve got work tomorrow. I’ll be up to make you a hearty breakfast.”
