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“Wait, I’m not that old,” Parker whines.
“Dude, you are. You’re like, forty.” I’m totally lying, but I can see how badly he reacted to me calling him old, so I up my estimate a little more than I should. I do figure he’s in his thirties, so that’s close enough.
“I’m only twenty-eight!” he barks.
“Wow, really? You look a lot older,” I tell him, and I have to fight to hide my smile when he looks visibly shaken. If I wasn’t having the night from hell, this would be kind of fun.
“I think a little age difference can be healthy in a relationship,” Ida Sue responds, defensively.
“She’s a baby!” Parker snaps.
“He’s old enough to be my father!” I say at the same time.
“Your father?” he practically screeches. “I would have had to get your mother pregnant when I was nine,” he snarls.
He clearly didn’t like that.
“With my mother, I wouldn’t say that was entirely out of the realm of possibility,” I mumble, and then instantly regret it. My mother is not someone I ever want to discuss.
“Well, I would fix you up with my youngest, but he’s not ready to settle down. I’m not sure if he ever will. He’ll either end up with the sweet librarian who teaches Sunday school in town, or die, face down in the gutter with a ball gag in his mouth.”
“With a… Ida Sue, are you on medication?” I ask, which makes Parker laugh.
I end up giving them directions to my sad rental and letting them talk amongst each other. I just need to survive the rest of the night and put all things Mike Huntington and family behind me.
That’s it.22Ida Sue“Ida Sue, I don’t think we should leave that girl here,” Parker mumbles, watching as Violet disappears into the old door that she said was her apartment.
“I’m not exactly thrilled with it, dear. There’s something I’ve learned over the years, though,” I tell him, watching the window. Through it, I can see Violet peeking out the ragged looking blind.
“What’s that?” Parker asks and I sigh.
“That you can lead a horse to water, but you just can’t make them drink. If I could, my boy Blue wouldn’t be dragging my Meadow through hell and back.”
“Sometimes I think you speak in riddles, Ida Sue.”
“That’s because you don’t listen. Young people today don’t know how,” I chastise. “Pull up the road just a bit. Try parking behind that black Tahoe up there,” I instruct.
“Why?” Parker asks. I swat him on the back of the head, much like I’ve had to do with my own boys far too many times.
“Just do it,” I grumble.
“Ow, okay, fine,” Parker mutters.
Once he does that, I turn in the seat to look at Violet’s apartment. Sure enough, after a few minutes, Violet comes out. She’s carrying a paper plate and a soda. I quickly get out of the car, and quietly begin my way down to Violet’s. I don’t know why I’m so curious, but I definitely am. Violet has a spirit in her that reminds me of my youngest daughter. I also get the feeling that she’s what we in the south call up against it.
I know the look, because I was that way most of my life, even after I met my first husband, Orville. Hell, I’m old enough to know that it’s just life. Crap comes after you as you drive along. I thought I’d be alone the rest of my life after Orville died. Luckily, I have a good man in Jansen, the love of my life. He tries his best to shield me from the shit flying at my windshield on this road called life.
This little girl though, she doesn’t have a Jansen. I got a feeling she doesn’t have anyone, and Parker’s brother is too busy fighting his own demons. This is why I was against my daughter Maggie getting married when she was Violet’s age. You’re too young and green at that age. Maggie and her man love each other and now they’re trying to work it out. Which is one reason I’m out of town. When Magnolia gets home after I stranded her in the middle of nowhere, I don’t want to be within choking reach. That girl has a temper like I do.
I ignore the thoughts swirling in my head and focus on Violet. I hear Parker closing his door and following behind me. I don’t turn around, though. I’m curious to see what she’s doing. There’s something very intriguing about Violet. I wonder if I could talk her into coming to Mason. That girl needs help, I definitely know that.
I peek around the edge of the building and that’s when I see Violet sitting beside an old man. He’s got the paper plate she had moments before and he’s chowing down on a sandwich. They’re talking while Violet is petting the head of a rooster. Now, I like my chickens, I have a bunch of them back home. I have a thing about fresh eggs, as opposed to the high-priced ones in the store. I’ve never seen a rooster preen under a person’s touch like this one is doing, though. And now I’m starting to think my baby Hamburger might need a new friend…
