Page 11 of The Wedding Gift
“I don’t want her to go away.” Macy’s little chin quivered. “It would make me and Mama sad, but Mindy said that Daddy would shoot him if I told anyone. And then our daddy would go to jail.”
“Well, then we won’t tell, will we?” Darla had heard about Bobby Tisdale’s overprotectiveness toward his seven daughters and had no doubt that Macy was telling the absolute truth.
Macy gave Darla a hug and then ran back to the table where the kids were putting together the puzzle. Darla hated for Andy to ruin Mindy’s life, but she couldn’t figure out how to go about talking to her. Five minutes before the final bell rang, the clouds parted, the sun came out brightly, and the storm was over, but the turmoil in Darla’s heart was still boiling hot and furious.
“I wish the guilt I feel over ever even thinking about leaving Will could be gone like that,” Darla muttered as she gathered up her tote bag and purse and took her children outside to wait on their parents or the bus monitors to pick them up.
Like always, everything was a madhouse for about five minutes, and then, when the last child had been picked up, Darla was free to leave. She made a beeline for her car and drove straight to her grandmother’s house to find Roxie waiting on the porch. She had her big black purse thrown over her arm and was wearing a pair of jeans and a cute little orange sweater set. She waved and made her way down the sidewalk, got into the car, and fastened her seat belt.
“Thank God it stopped raining, or we would have had totake Claud with us. He’s such an old bear in a clothing store, but now that it’s stopped, he’s convinced that the fish will be biting,” Roxie said. “And I’ve got gossip to share with you. Mindy Tisdale was seen with Andy Miller a couple of nights ago.”
“He sent me flowers today,” Darla blurted out. “I threw them in the trash. He’s been calling and texting and begging me to go with him to California on Friday. I guess he’s planning on taking a harem with him, not just one woman.”
“Sweet angels in heaven!” Roxie gasped. “Somebody ought to tell Bobby Tisdale. If he finds out Mindy has been conned into going with that rascal, he’ll travel all the way out there, and Andy’s pretty face won’t be fit for them porn films no more.”
“Maybe someone ought to leak the news to him.” Darla headed west out of town. “Mindy would be mad for a little while, but then she’d get over it.”
Roxie fished around in her purse, laying aside a small bag of potato chips, a package of cheese crackers, and two candy bars before she finally brought out her phone. “I’ll fix this with one phone call.” She tapped the front of her cell phone and smiled sweetly when one of her friends answered. “Hello, Mabel. Did y’all get any rain out east of town?” she asked and then hit Speakerphone.
“Lord, yes. I thought for sure it was going to flood the chicken house,” Mabel said. “Did you hear that rumor about Mindy Tisdale and Andy Miller? I heard she was going to California with him and two other women to star in them ugly movies.”
“Oh, really?” Roxie acted surprised but winked at Darla. “Who’s the other women?”
“One of them is Candace Anderson, but I can’t figure out who the other one is,” Mabel answered. “But I heard he’s run up a flower bill, sending them all three flowers. I bet his poor grandmother is giving him money, God love her soul.” Mabel sighed. “She’s gettin’ senile, so she don’t know what’s going on part of the time. I just hope that rotten Andy don’t get her to sign over her property to him.”
Darla’s phone pinged, so she pulled over to the side of the road just outside of Ravia and checked to see if maybe Sarah and Marilyn were running late.
The message read:Did you like the flowers?
No, I did not, and please leave me alone. You are one sick bastard, she wrote back, and then eased back out onto the road.
The next ping said:You know you love me, and I love the sass in you. See you Friday.
Roxie tossed her phone back into her purse. “It’s done.Mabel is going to call Betsy. She’ll tell her sister, Mary Lou, and Mary Lou is a cousin to Arlene Tisdale. Before bedtime, Bobby will know what’s going on, and no one will be able to figure out exactly where the idea started. If that sorry sucker knows what’s good for him, he’ll hightail it out of Tishomingo before midnight.”
“You are amazing, Granny,” Darla said.
“Thank you, but I like to think of it as my duty to womankind to save Mindy, just like I saved you seven years ago,” Roxie said.
“How did you do that?” Darla frowned.
“I prayed real hard and told God that Andy was going to ruin your life, and I asked Him to make Andy disappear. I told Him I didn’t care if it was permanent or if Andy would just leave the state. What I forgot to ask for was that he would never set foot in Oklahoma again. That was my mistake. I hope Bobby remembers to fix that problem when he takes care of it this time. If he needs a little help, Claud keeps two sharp shovels out in the garage, and I’ll be glad to help him dig a hole in the ground,” Roxie replied.
“Granny!” Darla exclaimed.
Roxie pointed a finger at her. “You know that God does things in His own time and in His own way, right?” She didn’t give Darla time to answer, but went right on. “Well, I prayedfor a whole year that you would break up with that kid. I ain’t got that kind of time to wait for God this time. I have to save Mindy in two days, so”—she looked upward—“pardon me, Lord. It’s not that I don’t have faith; it’s just that you’re mighty busy right now, so I’ll use the gossip vine to get the job done.”
Darla giggled out loud. “I want to grow up and be just like you.”
“You might just do that since I kept you so much when you were little so your mama wouldn’t have to hire a sitter,” Roxie said. “But be careful what you wish for, honey. You just might get it and then not be able to get rid of it.”
“I don’t think I’d ever want to get rid of anything that’s like you,” Darla declared.
They rode along in a comfortable silence until they reached the bridal shop. Darla found a parking spot close to the front of the store and didn’t even realize that she had pulled in behind Marilyn’s SUV until her sisters got out of it.
“Perfect timing,” Sarah called out as she opened the door for Roxie. “We got here about one minute before you did. Y’all ready to go try on pretty dresses?”
“I just hope mine will fit. I threw my girdle and my pantyhose away last Saturday at the anniversary party,” Roxie answered.