Page 54 of Hard Rain Coming
Once Vivian was checked in, she followed the woman into the kitchen and inhaled the kind of smells that made her stomach grumble. She helped herself to coffee and a generous helping of cheesy bacon and grits, biscuits and gravy. She tucked into it with gusto and thought, screw the carbs and cholesterol. She could enjoy this kind of decadence every once in a while.
“You’re from Montana, I see.” Miss Callie had busied herself with the food, wrapping up the leftovers and such.
Vivian nodded. “Near Yellowstone.”
Miss Callie pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and filled the large sink up with hot soapy water. “I’ve always wanted to visit that part of the country, but this here place has kept me rooted firmly in Belle Adair.” She turned to Vivian. “Why, I’ve only been to California once and New York City a while back.” She winked. “Of course, I’ve been to Tennessee. Memphis, to be exact. Any true Southern woman makes the pilgrimage to Graceland at some point in her life.”
“Elvis, right?” Vivian asked with a small smile.
Miss Callie winked. “Is there any other reason to go to Memphis?”
Vivian chuckled. “I guess not.”
“Is this your first visit to the South?”
Vivian’s smile slowly faded, and she shook her head. “No. I was here a long time ago.”
“Oh? Are you back for personal or business?”
“I…well, it’s just…” Vivian tumbled over herself trying to explain something she had a hard time explaining to herself. Seriously. What was she trying to accomplish? It was one thing to turn the page and start a new chapter, but to go back to that dark place? Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure she’d thought things out enough.
“Don’t pay me any mind.” Miss Callie got busy with the dishes. “Sometimes I talk too much. It’s a byproduct of living alone. Though I suppose it’s better than talking to myself.” She flashed a wry grin. “Something I do a lot of.”
“It’s okay.” Vivian got up and brought her empty plate over to the sink. She placed it on the counter and, over the woman’s protestations, grabbed a dish towel. It didn’t take long for her to dry the dishes. She hung the towel on the hook to dry.
“Thank you,” Miss Callie said. “Dinner is from five to seven. I only have one other guest at the moment, a young man who fancies himself a writer, though he spends more time than he should at the Crab Tree, a local watering hole. I think he fancies himself a Hemingway or a Tennessee Williams.” She moved toward the door. “Anyway, he may or may not show up is what I’m getting at.” She flashed a smile. “Do you need any information about the area? Something you might have forgotten since the last time you were here?”
“No.” Vivian shook her head. “I should be fine. Thank you for the lovely food. I’ll most likely take advantage of dinner and be back for six or so.”
Miss Callie bowed out of the room, and Vivian went back upstairs to grab her cell phone and freshen up before heading outside. She’d dressed casually in jeans, flip-flops, and a plain white T-shirt, but it was a bit cooler than she’d first thought, and she wanted to grab a light sweater as well.
And the folder.
It stared at her from the table beside her bed. She picked it up and held it for a few moments, then sank onto the mattress. Carefully, she opened it and retrieved the papers from inside. There it was in black-and-white.
Her secret.
Her pain.
Her shame.
The words jumbled and blurred as she read over the information again.
-Female baby born June 3rd, 2009, weighing 6 lb 9oz and measuring nineteen inches
-Mother, Vivian Bridgestone
-Father, unknown
-Adoption arranged by Frank Stirling, a lawyer in New Orleans, Louisiana.
-Couple residing in Belle Adair, Louisiana, are the adoptees
-Info on adoptees attached
-pictures and info on child attached
Vivian’s fingers trembled as she paged through the additional papers. The couple who’d adopted her baby were Alicia and Edmund Landry. They’d been childless up until welcoming her daughter into their home, and since then had adopted two others, a boy they’d named Frank and another girl they’d named Pheobe.