Big Cherry Holler - Adriana Trigiani [111]
“The truth?”
“Yes. The truth.”
“Twyla.”
“Well, then you have to choose Twyla.”
“But what about Leola?”
“Leola can get another man.”
“You think?”
“Yes.”
“But she done took care of me when I was sick.”
“Give her combat pay.”
“That’s true. I can’t believe you’re sayin’ this. You bein’ a Cathlick and all. Y’all ain’t never supposed to go for divorce.”
“Well, Spec, we’ve known each other a long long time. And I think I know you pretty good.” I don’t want to say what I’m thinking, but something tells me I should. “Spec, I think you deserve more than a hand job on a gurney. I think you should be happy all the time.”
Spec is a little stunned at my blunt assessment. He appreciates it, though, and twists the food IV needle stuck in his hand like a sewing needle in a pin cushion. “Well put. Well put.” Spec looks away, but I can’t tell what he’s looking at through the sunglasses. “Thank you for that,” he says, and looks toward the window.
“Spec, I read something once that helped me a lot.”
“What was that?”
“Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between true love and lust.”
“Yes ma’am, it surely is.”
“Do you want to know how you tell the difference?”
“I think it would shed some light,” Spec says from behind his sunglasses.
“True love energizes you; lust exhausts you.”
“And women will ruin you.”
“That wasn’t in the book, Spec.”
“It ought to be.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Pearl Grimes and Dr. Taye Bakagese are to be married tonight on the stage of the Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama Theatre. Pearl chose the Friday night after Thanksgiving because she knew most folks had the day off and could party into the wee hours. I am rushing around, ironing Jack’s shirt, hunting for Etta’s tights, and trying not to nick my freshly painted toenails on anything.
“Theodore?”
“What?” he says from inside the bathroom.
“Do you see Etta’s tights in there?”
Theodore hands me Etta’s tights through a crack in the door. He drove up to spend Thanksgiving with us. I convinced him that he shouldn’t miss Pearl’s wedding. The entire cast of the outdoor drama is invited, and they all wanted to see him.
Etta grabs her tights. I finish Jack’s shirt and pull the curlers out of my hair. Jack comes in from the kitchen.
“Your hair looks nice.”
“Thank you.”
We decide to go in Theodore’s car, since it’s a four-door. When we get to the theater, it looks like a sold-out show. Pearl Grimes has cast a wide net in her life already: she went to college, then she opened a second pharmacy in Norton, with a third scheduled to open in Pound. She’s amazing. As we join the folks filtering in, Otto sits by the door asking each person for tickets. Of course, everyone laughs at his joke.
“Can you believe my little grandbaby is gettin’ murried?”
“Isn’t life something?” I give him a hug.
“I mean, she’s my new grandbaby, little Pearl, since my son murried her mother. But I can claim her, can’t I?”
“Of course you can.”
As we gather onstage, the ceremony is simple and elegant. It’s a mix of Indian and Bluegrass, two cultures that have some things in common, like love of nature and family. Leah, radiant in a long red velvet dress, takes her place with Worley, who is wearing a new suit. Albert Grimes, hair slicked down, wearing gray slacks, a navy blazer, and a tie, fidgets nervously in the row behind Leah. (I think the insurance claim that the fire at the theater was caused by faulty wiring has taken the heat off of Albert.)
Taye looks at Pearl with so much love, it makes the hardest among us tear up. Nellie Goodloe runs out for more tissue (or maybe she’s jittery because the crowd is too big and she didn’t order enough mints).
Pearl’s simple white gown is exquisite. It has a scoop neck and long sleeves, the kind that trumpet out. The tiny seed pearls on the bodice catch the light. She wears the shawl I brought her from Italy over her shoulders. Her hair, soft in the cool air, curls down to her shoulders like a loose ribbon. She has placed tiny sprigs of baby’s breath throughout. As Taye puts the ring on Pearl’s hand, Otto nudges me.