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“That’s funny. You landed on your left side. I would have thought that would have been the foot that hurt,” Peter said as he held his hands up in the air, as though he wasn’t sure what to do with them. His chin picked up several notches, but he seemed to be gazing down over his nose at Sally and not Norma Jean. At least, that’s what it looked like when she glanced up. She only did it for a second, because she had to focus on rolling over, putting both hands on the ground, and pulling her good leg underneath her.
She grabbed the rung of the ladder and started to push up.
“Are you okay? Can I give you a hand?” Peter said as she continued to try to pull herself to her feet, and Norma Jean continued to press herself against him.
Normally Peter was known as jovial and goofy, but he seemed rather serious today. Or maybe it was because he wasn’t used to having two women falling at his feet in front of him, and it scared him.
Sally snorted, even though the pain from her ankle pressed up her leg and out both elbows.
“Thank you. I... I just thought it’d be fun to lean on the ladder and make sure that it was still sturdy. I don’t want someone to get hurt and it to be our fault.”
She couldn’t think of any other excuse off the top of her head for why she would be slowly using her hands to climb up the ladder while not using one foot.
“You’re not putting any weight on that foot. Why not?”
“I often enjoy hopping around on one leg. I find it...helps me balance when I’m on ladders in the air,” Sally said, feeling stupid, because she wasn’t good at making up stories on the spot. She’d never been a great liar, and this felt dangerously close to being not only a lie but a completely unbelievable lie, which were the worst kind of lie. Although, Norma Jean had often coached her to tell the most outrageous lie she could possibly think of and then just pretend it was true.
“Oh, Peter. Oh my goodness. I think I... I feel faint. Could you help me over to that bench, please?”
The newly installed benches lined the sidewalk up and down the street of Strawberry Sands. They were a great addition, as were the shade trees that had been planted near each bench.
They were just saplings, but someone with a lot of foresight had taken the first steps that would make downtown Strawberry Sands a beautiful place to be, in ten or fifteen years.
Not that it wasn’t now, but it certainly would be even more wonderful once the trees had grown up.
“I’m pretty sure you were limping on your right leg before. But now it’s your left.”
“That’s because you said I landed on my left side, so it must have been my left foot that got hurt!” Norma Jean said, stomping her foot on the ground. Her left foot.
“You walked on both of them with no problem. I think you’re fine.”
“I’m not fine. That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Norma Jean draped herself over Peter, with one arm behind him, one arm gripping his front, while she again hopped on her left foot, holding her right foot in the air.
“Let me help you over,” Peter finally said, walking toward the bench and bending down so she dropped on it with a plop.
Her hands must have become untangled, and Peter jumped back.
“Let me see to your friend, and I’ll be back.”
By this time, Sally had gotten up and stood, still gripping the ladder.
She tried putting a little weight on her right foot, but the pain had gotten so bad she was afraid she was going to black out. So she lifted it up immediately.
But now, with Peter walking toward her, she kept both legs so the bottoms of her feet touched the ground, even though she wasn’t putting any weight on her right foot.
Hopefully she could fake it until she made it. That should keep Norma Jean from being upset with her.
“I’m fine. You can take care of Norma Jean. I... I was just going to stand here and enjoy the view for a little bit.”
“Once you walk on that foot.”
“I will. I’ll walk on it a lot. In fact, I think I might run up to the diner. I was excited about the strawberry cream cheese cobbler, and that’s enough to make anyone run. Even though I’m not normally a runner.” Sally clamped her mouth shut. She had a tendency to ramble on when she shouldn’t.
But she also had a tendency to be nice to the point of being what Norma Jean called a doormat. She didn’t really see a problem with being nice. She saw more of a problem with taking advantage of people who were nice. But that wasn’t her area. Her area was just to be kind, since that’s what God’s command was. And she wasn’t commanded to police anyone who wasn’t following what the Bible said.
“I’m not normally a runner either, but I feel the same way about strawberry cream cheese cobbler. Would you be interested—”
“Oh my goodness. Look at the time. Norma Jean!” Sally said, interrupting Peter who seemed to be on the verge of asking her to head to the diner and eat with him. Norma Jean would go ballistic if she heard that. Especially when she was over there waiting for Peter to get back to her. She’d never talk to Sally again.
