Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [7]
“It was a wonderful lunch, Elmo. Thank you so much. I’m really going to miss you.”
“Me too,” Jane said in a choked voice. “Promise you’ll come to visit.”
The old man nodded solemnly. “Maybe in August when I close the store. Things are slow right before the new crop of students arrive. You can call me from time to time, and letters will be welcome. I do love to get letters.”
“At least one a week,” Annie promised.
“I have a little going-away present for both of you,” Elmo said, withdrawing two white envelopes from his inside breast pocket. “Open them.”
Both women opened the small envelopes and gasped. “Elmo, this is outrageous. I can’t accept this. A thousand dollars is a fortune. No, no, you have to take this back.”
“Annie’s right, Elmo. This is beyond generous,” Jane said.
“Can’t. Won’t. It’s a gift. From my heart. It’s going to be hard for the two of you at first. You need rent money, gas money, jobs. Utilities don’t come free, you know. How long do you think those ancient vehicles are going to last you? All I want in return is for you to call and write. I don’t want to worry about you. Not another word. I have to be getting back to the store now. Call me collect when you arrive. I want your promise.”
Both women wrapped their arms around the pharmacist, hugging him until he cried for mercy. “You take care of your-. self, Elmo. Remember now, if we ever get married, you promised to give us away.”
“Won’t forget. Consider it an honor,” the old man snapped, his voice gruff and choked. “You git going now before traffic starts building up on the highway.”
“My God, Annie, do you believe this?” Jane asked, waving the check in her hand under her friend’s nose.
“I love that old man, Jane,” Annie said tearfully. “Let’s make the trip all in one day. I’m so wired I won’t be able to sleep. We can drive through the night and arrive by morning. What do you say? Are you game?”
“Right now, Anna Daisy Clark, I feel like I could fly to South Carolina. Let’s hit the road. We will stop for coffee along the way, won’t we?”
“Yes. I guess we should just get in our cars and go,” Annie said.
“That’s a good plan, Annie. Let’s do it.”
Annie licked at her dry lips. “Yes, let’s do it.”
CHAPTER TWO
“Tell me again why you wanted to come to this wonderful, warm, sunny place,” Jane said as she leaned back in the booth, at the same time pushing her luncheon plate to the middle of the table. “God, I’m tired. You look exhausted, Annie. Both of us need to sleep around the clock.”
Annie sighed, a sound that could be heard clear across the room. She lit a stale cigarette, something she rarely did because she couldn’t afford to smoke. “My parents used to bring Tom and me here every summer. I remember how happy I was when I got here. My steps were lighter, my face hurt from smiling so much. I clearly remember the early-evening smell of confederate jasmine and sweet olive. I swear, Jane, the scent used to stop me dead in my tracks. My mother always said she wanted to bottle the smell so she would have it nearby once we got back to Tennessee. They call this the low country, and I swear it has a way of creeping into your sleep until even your waking dreams are filled with its spirit and you find yourself in a longing state. I always said I was going to come here and live someday. Now, I’m here. I hope you’re going to love it here as much as I do.”
“I love it already. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a glorious array of flowers. What did you say that purple hanging stuff is?”
“Wisteria. The big bushes are azaleas and the flowering trees are dogwood. The sweet olive trees are the ones with the little yellow buds. That was a good lunch, Jane.”
“We need to move, Annie, or I’m going to fall asleep. First stop, the bank, so we can open an account. It’s going to take at least five days for Elmo’s check to clear.”
“You’re right. Thank God we have our apartment. I can’t wait to see it. The landlady said she would have it all ready. All we have to do is put the sheets on the beds and buy some groceries. We have a roof over our heads for