Gardenia Lane

By K.L. Smith

Gardenia Lane is a fictional novel that tells of the Lister family's day-to-day life when they move back to a small military town in eastern North Carolina. It is the fourth book in a series about the Lister family. Gardenia Lane continues the story where Gemmy's Dreams ends. The Lister family must make a life in a new neighborhood among unconventional neighbors. Most of them are poor. What they lack in money they make up for with rich personalities. They do not wrap themselves in layers of pretense and deceit. The Lister girls work hard and seek lives different than the one they were born into. They develop good friendships with their neighbors. They learn that their neighbors mostly have good hearts and, like themselves, want to get through life the best way possible. The story unfolds in 1956 and follows the family's life through 1967. To make ends meet Leo has to take on a second job to supplement his wages at the local furniture mill. With two full time jobs, Leo is seldom home. Conflicts often occur when the family members are faced with the challenges that arise when dealing with the mental illness of the oldest Lister offspring. This story is about how the Lister family interacts with each other, their friends, and the neighbors as they navigate their way through life trying to find the place where they fit best. The Lister girls have different goals and dreams for their lives than their parents have for them. Leo does not realize that he is raising strong, independent daughters that have been exposed to new age thinking for women. Dissensions are common when the daughters' principles clash with those of their parents. The fifties and sixties were turbulent times in our country. The Lister family see dreams and lives shattered. They see dreams restored and lives mended. They maintain a close relationship with God to give them strength and guidance through whatever life has in store for them. They maintain hope for peace and faith for better lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645158271

Book preview

1

New Home

Saturday, June 16, 1956

The Lister family said their final goodbyes to their friends in the Heartsville community. The past five years on the farm had mostly been good. The children had fit into the rural community and adapted well. They had made friends and thrived in the loving and friendly environment of Heartsville.

The last year had been filled with hurricane damages, illnesses, and Leo’s injury. These circumstances brought the Lister family to their knees. The suffered hardships made it no longer possible for the family to continue doing the backbreaking work required to maintain the farm.

With prayers and the assistance of Preacher Bill Carter, Leo found another job opportunity in Pineview to supplement his income with his job as foreman at the furniture mill. Leo’s second job of maintenance man had come with a house for the family to live in. Leo would be responsible for repairing and maintaining six houses for a widow, Ms. Sally Brown. The six houses consisted of four rental houses, Ms. Brown’s personal residence, and the house that the Listers would live in.

The family had toured the house a few weeks ago and were looking forward to moving back to town. They would enjoy the conveniences of inside plumbing and a hot water heater. The new home was larger than the farm house with more closets and storage space. It was a seven-room, one-story, white wooden house with a silver tin roof. There were three bedrooms.

Leo pulled the station wagon into the driveway of their new home. The back of the house was high up off the ground. It was so high off the ground that it allowed Leo to park the station wagon under the house with plenty of headroom to spare.

At the bottom of the back steps was a shed for washing clothes. The shed was wired for electricity. There were both hot and cold water faucets in the wash shed. The family’s agitator washing machine and double washtubs had been placed in the wash shed and stood ready to use. The Lister girls were thrilled that there would no longer be a need to boil multiple pots of water in order to do the washing. One wall of the wash shed was covered in shelves from floor to ceiling. Inside the shed was a large utility room. Leo had stored his tools, saws, and his daddy’s huge tool chest in the utility room. The family’s garden hoes, rakes, and shovels were placed in the built-in racks in the wash shed.

In one corner of the shed was a large bin holding scrap wooden blocks from the furniture mill. The family had brought one of their wood heaters from the farm. The Lister family had installed the big potbelly wood heater in their new dining room. Leo had sold the other wood burning heater to Lonnie and Lottie Byrd, the new owners of the farm. The scrap wooden blocks would be used to fuel the dining room wood heater in cold weather.

Their new home had three oil drum tanks mounted outside the house with connections for three oil heaters inside the house. Before winter, Leo planned to buy three heaters that would burn fuel oil. The oil company would deliver the fuel oil to the outside tanks. That would save the time and trouble of having to continuously feed wood to the heaters. The family had brought one of the electric space heaters from their barn church on the farm. The electric space heater would warm the family’s bathroom in cold weather.

The Lister family had never heated their home at night. Gemmy made quilts for the family members to pile on their beds to stay warm while they slept. It was Gemmy’s job to get up early in winter and start the heater in the dining room or kitchen area before the other family members had to crawl out of their warm beds. Leo had to be at the mill at six o’clock each morning. Gemmy would get up at four o’clock in winter to start the heater and to cook Leo’s breakfast before he went to work.

With Leo’s new onset arthritis, he would no longer be able to sleep in a cold bedroom. It would be necessary to keep a heater burning in his room at night during cold weather. The heater would be turned off during the day to conserve fuel oil. The family usually only heated one room during the day in cold weather. The whole family gathered in the one heated area during waking hours of the day. The only time the other heaters were used in winter was during extremely cold weather or if the family had company.

The house’s front porch was deep and wide with two entrance doors. The first door on the left side of the porch opened into the living room. The living room was separate from the other rooms in the house. There was a door in the living room that opened into a closet that led through the closet to a door that opened into the largest bedroom in the house. The family thought this was strange but found it intriguing. The second entrance door at the back of the front porch opened into the long entrance hallway of the house.

The entrance hallway ran the length of the house from the front door and ended in a large dining room. Each of the three bedrooms had doors that opened into the long hallway. At the end of the hallway in the large dining room was a sitting area on the left side with a wall filled with windows. The potbelly wood heater was in the sitting area. The family’s dining table and chairs were in the dining room. The kitchen was large enough for a dining table, but the family only had the one. The dining room sitting area would probably be where the Lister family would spend most of their time in the winter.

At the back of the dining room was a sunroom with two walls that consisted of floor to ceiling windows. The view from the sunroom was of the backyard and garden area.

The kitchen was through a doorway on the right side of the dining room. The kitchen was a large eat-in kitchen with wall cabinets and a large walk-in pantry off to the back of it. The Lister’s two freezers were in the pantry. There was a large hot water heater in the corner of the kitchen. On the right side of the kitchen was the back door of the house. The back door opened onto a small back porch with a long steep set of steps that ended in the backyard next to the wash house.

The large family bathroom was at the back of the dining room adjacent to the sunroom. In the bathroom was a big claw foot bathtub and a separate shower stall. There was a linen closet in the bathroom for storing towels and other bath supplies. On the bathroom wall over the sink was a mirrored metal medicine cabinet.

The inside bathroom was a welcomed luxury for the Lister family. For the past five years, the family had taken baths in a galvanized cattle trough that required boiling pots of water to fill the trough. In summer months, the Lister family had taken baths in their cow pasture creek. Now, the family members had a choice of a shower or a tub bath with hot water faucets connected to both choices. With an inside toilet, there was no longer a need for chamber pots to use at night or in cold weather. The galvanized cattle trough and chamber pots had been stored in the wash shed.

In the entrance hallway was a big closet for hanging coats, storing blankets, quilts, bedsheets, and anything else that needed storing. There were closets in every bedroom. In the largest bedroom were two closets. One of the closets also opened into the living room. Since this was the largest bedroom, it was given to the three oldest Lister girls. Doodle’s bedroom was next to the front door and across the hall from the girl’s room. Leo’s, Gemmy’s, and Phyllis’s bedroom was next to the dining room.

The front porch steps emptied onto the sidewalk in front of the house. There was a small strip of land in front of the house next to the sidewalk. Gemmy had planted several of her flowering bushes in this space. There was no front yard. The porch was sitting adjacent to the sidewalk. Leo had hung the family’s swing on the porch. The seven ladder back chairs from the screened back porch of the farm house were sitting on the porch. Amber had painted the swing and chairs sky blue to match the newly painted ceiling of the porch.

Sky blue ceilings were a tradition for the Lister family. The color kept insects away. Insects have faceted vision and perceive the light blue color as the sky. Insects will not light upon that color or attach webs and nests to it. Sky blue is also referred to as haint blue. It was believed that spirits, known as haints, cannot cross water. Using light blue paint to symbolize water, this color, when applied to porch ceilings and doors, prevents evil spirits from entering the home.

There was a big garden space in the backyard. Behind the garden space was a big ditch with gently flowing water. Kay and Pansy were happy to see the big ditch. It was a peaceful area that reminded them of the gently flowing brook in the cow pasture on the farm.

There were many positive aspects at their new home. The inside plumbing and hot water heater were huge assets. The location was perfect. The property was located just a few blocks from downtown. The city park was close by. The schools were a short walk away. The garden plot was large enough to grow ample produce for the family. There would be more free time for everyone in the family, with the exception of Leo. Leo’s second job of maintenance man would consume almost every second of his time away from the furniture mill.

Kay and Pansy were excitedly looking forward to exploring the neighborhood to see what new people and adventures awaited them.

2

First Day in Town

Upon the family’s arrival to their new home, the first order of business was lunch. Gemmy and Amber prepared meat loaf, mashed potatoes, beef gravy, shredded cabbage fried in bacon grease, string beans, sweet iced tea, biscuits, and peach cobbler for dessert. Pansy set the table while Kay played with Phyllis.

Kay had found that six-year-old Phyllis loved to role-play as a movie star. Kay took the role of movie star Betty Grable and assigned Phyllis the role of movie star Betty Hutton. Kay made up scenarios and stories for the two of them to play out. Since Kay was the creator and the older of the two, she was always the lead actress. Phyllis would play out whatever role Kay created for Betty Hutton.

Kay found that through acting, Phyllis would perform any task assigned to her. Kay as Betty Grable could get Phyllis as Betty Hutton to perform many chores. Through the role of Betty Hutton, Phyllis learned to sweep and mop floors, dust and polish furniture, fold and iron laundry, clean the bathroom, make beds, and many other tasks. Betty Grable and Betty Hutton accomplished a great deal of work together and had fun while doing it.

Gemmy was pleased that Phyllis was stepping up to take her share of the chores. Kay and Phyllis would often dress for their roles. Kay would tie kerchiefs over their heads in styles that she had observed in magazines and books from the school library. Kay had learned some acting techniques from school plays. When they played outlaw roles or roles as members of Alibaba’s harem, Kay would tie bandanas over their lower faces to make the roles more realistic.

As Betty Hutton, Phyllis was a pleasant person. Kay intentionally created Betty Hutton’s roles as an obedient, non-bickering, unselfish, kind, and caring person.

The two girls were well into their roles in their new home. In their roles, Betty Grable and Betty Hutton were planning a trip into the jungles of South America. The two were packing their pretend suitcases for the pretend trip.

Pansy interrupted their movie star roles by calling lunchtime. Come on you two. Let’s get lunch out of the way. Kay, after we clean up the kitchen, I have some plans for the two of us.

Phyllis said, I want to play movie star after lunch. We’re not through with our scenes for the day. Kay has to play with me or I’ll tell Mama on both of you.

Kay replied, "Phyllis, we can finish our scenes for today in the kitchen while cleaning up after lunch. We can pretend our lunch is a big dinner party held at Betty Hutton’s Hollywood mansion to celebrate the success of her new movie. After lunch, Pansy can be our director. She will direct our kitchen scenes for the movie we’re presently working on. Betty Hutton’s afternoon role is dishwasher in a busy New York restaurant. My role as Betty Grable will be clearing the table and putting up the dishes after Betty Hutton washes and dries them.

"After your scene as dishwasher is performed, your next scene will involve your coming down with a strange disease. You will need to go to bed in isolated quarters for the rest of the afternoon. You will be too sick to lift your head. You will be at death’s door.

My role as Betty Grable will be to go out searching for a doctor that will be able to find a cure for your strange disease. I will frantically search all afternoon until I finally locate a doctor that will cure you. Betty Grable will be back before Mama gets up from her afternoon nap. The doctor will cure you. We can both take our bows and enjoy the applause. Our scenes will be over for the day.

Phyllis was satisfied. The three girls joined the family in the dining room for the first meal in their new home. Amber asked the blessing. They enjoyed the delicious food. After lunch, Pansy sat in the kitchen in her role as director. Phyllis, in her role as Betty Hutton, dishwasher, washed, and dried the dishes. Kay fulfilled her role as Betty Grable in the kitchen scene by putting the clean dishes and pots in their proper places.

On cue, Betty Hutton became deathly ill. Betty Grable put her to bed in the bedroom with Gemmy. Gemmy was taking her usual afternoon nap. Pansy, as director, told Betty Hutton to pretend she was in isolation and to ignore the fact that Gemmy was in the room.

As Betty Grable, Kay told Phyllis, a.k.a. Betty Hutton, Betty, just hang on. Rest and save your energy. I promise you that I will search far and wide until I find a doctor that will cure you. I refuse to let you die!

As soon as Phyllis was tucked into bed, Kay and Pansy went out the front door to sit in the swing on the front porch.

Pansy laughed and said, Kay, how did you figure out that you could control Phyllis through role-playing? That was absolutely genius of you!

Pansy, it was by accident. Mama makes me play with her. I remembered when we used to play grownups with our friends in the alley. We would perform the roles that were set out for us. I like the names that Turner gave his cows, Betty Hutton and Betty Grable. He told me he named the cows after movie stars. I decided to try role playing with Phyllis. I was surprised that she would perform whatever role I described to her. I discovered that I could get her to help me do my chores by assigning her a role. She loves her role as Betty Hutton. It’s more fun for me too. Phyllis is learning to do chores and she is pleasant while doing them. It’s a win for all of us, Kay explained.

Kay, I thought it would be nice to walk around the block to see what kinds of neighbors we have. Daddy and Doodle have gone to see if they can find someone to plow our garden. I heard Mama tell Daddy that we need bedding plants and seeds so we can get the garden started. Amber is in our room writing a letter to Jimmy Peel. Now that Phyllis is out of our hair, we are free to do a little exploring.

Kay responded, It looks like we have several blocks to choose from. Which way do you want to go first?

Let’s go around the block we live in, starting out to our left. I think there’s a service station around the first corner. When we were coming here this morning, I remember seeing a church and a florist across from the service station. The service station had a big yellow seashell and the name Shell Station on a tall sign. Let’s go see what all that’s about, Pansy replied.

The two girls stepped down the front porch steps onto the sidewalk and headed left. Three houses down from their house, they passed an elderly couple sitting on their porch. The girls waved, and Pansy greeted the couple. Good afternoon! It’s a beautiful day. How are you doing today?

The elderly lady returned the greeting. We’re fair to middling. Why don’t you come sit with us for a spell? We watched your family move in down the street. Welcome to our neighborhood. My name is Georgiana Ophelia Jones Meyers Wilson Brown Ham. Ham is with one ‘m.’ This is my husband, Robert Claxton Ham. He goes by the name Bob. It is a warm day. I’m glad to see the weather turn warm.

Pansy and Kay climbed the steep brick steps and sat down on the top step of the porch. Kay said, Mr. and Mrs. Ham, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kay Frances Lister. This is my sister, Pansy Katherine Lister. You are the first neighbors that we’ve met. It looks like a nice neighborhood. How long have the two of you lived here?

Mrs. Ham took her time answering. She was a short stout lady with white hair. Her hair was twisted into a knot and fastened to the top of her head. She had bright blue eyes and a lily-white complexion. Her skin was wrinkled. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Me and Bob moved to town five years ago. Bob got too sick to work our farm. We lived in a community called Heartsville. You ever heard of it? I miss the peace and tranquility of country living. I’m ninety-five years old and Bob is ninety years old. I hated having to leave our farm.

Pansy answered, Wow! We lived in Heartsville! That’s where we’re moving from. I’m glad to be back in town. I hated living on a farm. There’s too much work on a farm to suit me! I want to live in a big city when I grow up. Where did you live in Heartsville?

Mrs. Ham answered, Our farm was about two miles past Ms. Annie’s. Do you know where that is?

Kay responded, Yes, Ms. Annie’s store was our school bus stop. Ms. Annie was always a pleasure to talk to. You probably knew the Maxwell family and the Peel family.

Yes, we knew them. The Maxwell’s had a lot of sadness in their lives. They lost two sons in World War II. Their other son moved to Atlanta. That left the two of them to run their farm alone. There were a lot of children at the Peel farm. They had a house full of young’uns. I don’t even know how many children they had. The Peels are good people. They surely helped me and Bob out a lot during our last years on the farm. We couldn’t have made it without them.

Kay said, It’s a small world. The Peel Family is a nice family. They were good friends to us. Mr. Maxwell passed away. His granddaughter, Patty, was one of my best friends. She came to live with her Granddaddy Maxwell after her mother and father were killed in a car accident in Atlanta. Her Grandmother Maxwell died a few years before she came to live with her grandfather. After her granddaddy died, Patty was adopted by Patricia Casey’s mother and father. Patricia was killed when Patty Maxwell’s grandfather ran over her by accident. Patricia Casey was my best friend.

Mrs. Ham exclaimed as she poked Mr. Ham, Oh! You don’t say so! Bob, did you hear all that? Ain’t it awful? Absolutely awful!

With Mrs. Ham’s poke, Mr. Ham opened his eyes. He had obviously nodded off to sleep. He was a slim, tall man with a head full of gray hair. His hair was neatly cut and groomed. His face was clean-shaven. You could see that he had been a handsome man in his younger days. He had dark brown eyes and a red complexion. His face was wrinkled and splattered with dark age spots. He was missing his right arm. His empty shirt sleeve was neatly pinned to his shoulder.

He shouted, What’s that, Georgiana? What did you say?

Georgiana shouted, These girls just moved from Heartsville. They said Mr. Maxwell died. They said Mrs. Maxwell died a few years before he did. His last son and his wife were killed in a car accident in Atlanta. That’s a lot of dying in one family. They surely had more than their share of troubles. I was telling them how awful it is.

Mr. Ham responded, Don’t get yourself upset over all that. We’re all going to die. It’s all just a matter of time. That’s what you and me do every day. We just sit and bide our time, waiting for the good Lord to call us home. We’ve both lived all the years God promised us and a good measure more. We are not able to do much of anything else. We’ve outlived our families and most everybody else that we knew. All we have left is my old maid niece who really doesn’t care much about us. Margaret’s in her seventies, and we both get around better than she does. Georgiana, death is often a relief. I look forward to going home to heaven.

Mrs. Ham looked at the Lister girls and said, He can’t hear worth a hoot. That’s what I have to put up with every day. He has a bad attitude, in my most humble opinion. I am glad for each day the sun rises and I realize God has given me another day on this earth. Sure, I want to go to heaven, but I don’t sit around waiting to die. I keep myself busy and I’m grateful for all the things I’m still able to do. I keep Bob bathed and clean-shaven. I keep his hair cut and combed straight. I keep our clothes washed and ironed. I cook his meals and keep a clean house. I take great pride in my abilities. I am more than grateful for all of God’s blessings.

Mr. Ham closed his eyes and nodded off to sleep again. Mrs. Ham asked, Do you girls want something cold to drink? I have some cold pineapple juice in the refrigerator. I made tea cakes yesterday. Please stay with us and have some refreshments. I’m glad for your company. We don’t have much company. Most people don’t want to be bothered with old people.

Kay and Pansy looked at each other. They silently agreed that they would stay and enjoy refreshments with Mr. and Mrs. Ham. They would take a trip around the block on another day.

Kay liked the old couple. It was a wonder that they had lived to be so old. They were both close to a hundred years old. She had never met anyone that old before. She imagined that Mrs. Georgiana Ophelia Jones Meyers Wilson Brown Ham had some good stories to tell. With a name that long, there had to be some amazing stories. There had to be some exciting stories about how Mr. Ham lost his right arm. She looked forward to hearing these stories.

Kay and Pansy sat and talked with Mrs. Ham all afternoon. She was a joy to listen to. They watched Mr. Ham with his chin resting on his chest as he napped. They learned that Mrs. Ham had been married four times. She married her first husband when she was thirteen years old. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1861, the same year that the War Between the States began. Her first husband’s name was Roscoe Ceasar Meyers.

Mrs. Ham said, Roscoe fought in the War Between the States. He was twenty years older than me. He was a good man. Roscoe was a cotton farmer. We also had a peach grove. We had two children and lost them both—Roscoe Jr. and Michael. They both died during a diphtheria epidemic. Roscoe never got over losing our babies. He suffered from episodes of battle fatigue caused by the war. War does something to a man. Having the boys took his mind off of his memories from the war. After they died, he would sit for hours staring into space. He suffered from vivid nightmares. He was a tortured man. He finally went into the barn and shot himself. That was hard on me. I was a seventeen-year-old widow. I lost Roscoe in 1878. I sold the farm, packed up, and moved to Tallahassee, Florida. I had some cousins that lived there.

Kay asked, "Mrs. Ham, did you live on a plantation and own slaves? Pansy and I have read the book that Margaret Mitchell wrote, Gone with the Wind. Do you remember what it was like in the South after the Civil War?"

Mrs. Ham sat quietly for a moment. She looked like she was very deep in thought. Finally, she let out a breath and a sigh. "No, we did not live on a big plantation. Not many people did. Most people in the South were middle-class or poor. Some of the poor folks were worse off than some of the slaves. My and Roscoe’s families were middle-class farmers with small family farms. Only the rich people owned large plantations with massive amounts of land. They owned so much land that they needed slaves to help work the land. Some plantations used white tenant farmers or sharecroppers to work their lands. I was only four years old in 1865 when the War Between the states ended. I remember what older people told me about how things in the South were before the war. I have some memories of what things were like during the war. I have a lot of memories of what life was like in the South after the war. I can tell you some stories that will raise the hairs on the back of your heads.

"During Reconstruction in the South, the North was not very kind to Southerners. They came marching into the South burning, stealing, raping, and raiding. Many Southerners had never owned slaves and did not believe in human slavery. It didn’t matter to the Northerners. According to them, if you lived south of the Mason-Dixon line, you were guilty and deserved harsh punishments. All Southerners were grouped together into the same basket of deplorable human beings.

"During Reconstruction, we had Carpetbaggers pouring into the South from the North to reap profits at the disadvantages of Southerners. We had Southerners who joined forces with Northerners against the South for personal profits. These Southerners were traitors and called Scalawags.

"I’m here to tell you, that was not a proud time for the United States of America! As long as there’s a breath of air in me, I hold a hatred toward the United States government for the way they treated the South after the War Between the States. I have prayed about it and I believe God has forgiven me for that hatred. In Ecclesiastes, there is a scripture that tells me that there is ‘a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’

I could go on all day, but it’s getting close to suppertime. I can almost hear Bob’s stomach growling. I have enjoyed my afternoon with you girls. It has been a real treat for me. Please come visit with me anytime you’re able. Now run along home.

Mrs. Ham shook Mr. Ham awake and shouted, Bob, say goodbye to our new friends. We need to get into the house and scare up some supper and get into bed before the ‘Saturday night crazies’ begin.

The Hams waved to Kay and Pansy as they entered their house and closed the front door. Kay looked at Pansy and said, What do you reckon the ‘Saturday night crazies’ means?

Pansy answered, I don’t have any idea. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

3

Saturday Night Crazies

Kay and Pansy returned home. Their first task was to awaken Phyllis in her role as deathly ill Betty Hutton. Pansy assumed the role of the doctor who would cure Betty Hutton.

Kay quietly entered the bedroom and whispered, Betty Hutton, Dr. Cure All is here. He has the magic pill that will make you well.

Phyllis roused from her nap and sat up. She took the pretend pill and the pretend cup of water and pretended to swallow the magic pill.

Gemmy was still asleep. The three girls quietly slipped into the kitchen. Pansy announced, It’s a wrap! Our scenes are completed for the day. Ladies, take your bows for a job well done!

Pansy pulled a slab of bacon from the refrigerator and a cast-iron skillet from the cabinet. She gave instructions. We’re having bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches for supper with fried pork and beans and fried potato rounds. I’ll fry the bacon. Kay, you peel and slice the potatoes. Phyllis, you pull the lettuce leaves and wash the tomatoes. I’ll get the grease hot in the cast-iron deep fryer for you, Kay. You can fry the potatoes. After I’ve fried the bacon, you can fry the pork and beans in the bacon grease. I’ll slice the tomatoes. Phyllis can spread the mayonnaise on the bread. I’ll help Phyllis put the seven sandwiches together on the plates. Phyllis and I will set the table.

The three girls went about preparing the family’s evening meal. Amber was in the sunroom, ironing the family’s clothes. Doodle and Leo were outside working in the wash shed.

Amber had been busy all afternoon organizing the sunroom as a sewing room. Gemmy’s sewing machine had been placed in the sunroom. Amber sorted and organized quilt scraps, cloth, and sewing notions. She had become very skillful at making quilts and sewing her own clothes. Amber’s last task for the day was getting the ironing done.

Kay placed a platter of fried potato rounds and a large bowl of fried pork and beans on the table. Pansy and Phyllis placed the seven plates with the sandwiches around the table. Kay and Pansy poured sweet iced tea in the seven glasses around the table. A full pitcher of tea was placed on the table with a family-sized bottle of ketchup. Phyllis ran to get Gemmy up from her nap. Kay shouted out the back door for Leo and Doodle to come in for supper.

Amber turned the iron off and joined everyone at the dining room table. The family enjoyed their meal in silence. After supper, Leo and Doodle left to check the dry kilns at the mill. Amber went back to the sunroom to finish the ironing. Kay and Pansy washed the dishes and cleaned the dining room and kitchen. Phyllis and Gemmy went out to sit on the front porch.

Amber finished the ironing at the same time Kay and Pansy finished cleaning up the kitchen and dining room The three girls joined Gemmy and Phyllis on the front porch. They were watching the sun set behind the houses across the street.

Kay said, I’m going to miss the beautiful sunsets that we enjoyed on the farm. You can’t really see enough of the sun setting here in town. The houses block the view of the horizon. Mama, Pansy and I met Mr. and Mrs. Ham today. They live three houses down to the left. They are real nice. She’s ninety-five years old, and he’s ninety years old.

Gemmy replied, That’s nice. Don’t make a nuisance of yourselves. You don’t need to be bothering those old people. They probably need their rest. Do they take care of themselves?

Pansy stated, Mr. Ham slept most of the time we were there. Mrs. Ham takes care of him. The two of them live alone. All their family is dead, except an unmarried niece who’s in her seventies. Mrs. Ham cleans her own house and cooks their meals. She gets around really good. She wants us to come back and visit with them. She said she enjoyed our company.

I guess it’s okay to visit with them as long as they don’t mind. We are going to Preacher Carter’s church tomorrow, so we need to get the baths started. Kay, you help Phyllis take a bath. Then you and Pansy can bathe. Amber can go next. I’ll go last. We should be through by the time Leo and Doodle get home. I, for one, am glad to have indoor plumbing. Bath time will be so much better here.

Mama, after I help Phyllis take a bath, may Pansy and I take a shower? Kay asked.

I don’t see why not. Just be sure to keep the shower curtain tucked in around the bottom of the shower and keep the shower nozzle pointed away from the curtain. We don’t want a wet bathroom floor, Gemmy answered.

Kay was happy with Gemmy’s answer. She remembered taking a shower at Turner’s and Ms. Gracie’s house. The shower would be like standing in a warm summer rain.

Going to Preacher Carter’s church tomorrow was going to seem strange. Kay was going to miss the church services in the barn church with the Jacobs family. She was going to miss them. She silently prayed that God would put good people in their lives here in the new neighborhood. She thanked God for Mr. and Mrs. Ham.

Pansy and Kay took showers after Kay helped Phyllis bathe. They washed their hair. Leo had bought a family-sized bottle of Halo shampoo. The red Lifebuoy soap had been replaced with Dial soap. Previously, the family had used Lifebuoy soap to wash their hair and their bodies. The Halo shampoo and Dial soap were welcome changes. Both had a more pleasant fragrance.

All the Lister females were bathed and ready for bed by the time Leo and Doodle returned home. Kay and Pansy cleaned the bathroom after Leo bathed. Doodle took a shower and left the bathroom floor soaking wet. Doodle had not followed Gemmy’s instructions concerning the shower curtains.

Kay mentioned the wet bathroom floor to Gemmy. Gemmy responded, Just mop the floor. There is no need to start trouble. You know how Doodle is. Just leave him alone. Don’t do anything to get him riled up.

Kay did as she was told. This is how Doodle’s bad behavior had always been dealt with. Some things in life never changed.

Gemmy locked the doors to the outside. Everyone retired to their new bedrooms. Amber fell asleep quickly. Kay was wide awake. She whispered, Pansy, are you asleep? I’m not tired and I’m not sleepy. I haven’t worked hard enough today to be tired.

I’m wide awake. Do you want to go sit on the front porch? I’m not going to complain about not having to work so hard. I feel like I’ve done plenty today. I am not going to lie to you. I do not miss the farm work one bit, Pansy whispered.

Pansy, we can go through the closet into the living room. We can go to the porch from the living room door. I would like to sit outside awhile. I haven’t seen any ‘Saturday night crazies’ yet. I am curious to know what that is.

The two girls went onto the front porch and sat in the swing. Kay said, The street lights are on. They really light up the night. We’re going to have to get used to that. The lights in town are too bright. They fade out the night sky. I can’t tell if there are any stars in the sky or not. I am going to miss seeing the stars.

They had been outside a few minutes when they witnessed clothes being thrown out the upstairs window from the house next door to them. Shortly afterwards, a man came running out the front door with a woman clinging to his back. She was beating the man’s head and shoulders with her fists.

The man shouted, You bitch, get your damned hands off me! I’m leaving! I’m sick and tired of your jealous mess! Rachel and I are just friends! We work together! She’s a nice lady. She’s not a drunk like you! Let me pick my clothes up and you won’t be bothered with me anymore. Harlow, you need help. I can’t live like this anymore!

The woman collapsed to the ground, sobbing, Please, Sidney, don’t leave me. I’m sorry. I’ll help you pick up your clothes and take them back into the house. I got angry when Rachel called you. Just because the two of you work together doesn’t mean you have to talk to her every night when you get off work. I’m tired of that shit.

Harlow, Rachel is going through a bad time with her ex-husband. She needs to talk to someone, and I’m her friend. That’s all. I’m not doing anything wrong.

Harlow responded, Why can’t she talk with one of her sisters or a female friend? Are you a marriage counselor? You never want to listen to my problems and concerns. You always have time to talk to her for hours on the phone.

Sidney responded, You don’t have the problems Rachel has. She’s alone. She doesn’t have anybody. She needs somebody to talk to and help sort out her problems.

Well, she has more help than I do. She has you to help her. I don’t have that. I don’t matter to you. You never have time for me, Harlow countered.

Rachel is a good friend of mine. You need to make some friends of your own. All you do is complain and accuse me of things I’m not guilty of. You are boring. You need a life!

Harlow picked up a brick and threw it at Sidney. He ducked and the brick went through his car window. As the car window shattered, Sidney grabbed Harlow by the hair of her head and repeatedly punched her face with his fist. The blood started flowing from Harlow’s mouth and nose. Sidney threw Harlow to the ground and got in his car. As he started driving away, Harlow got up from the ground and jumped onto the hood of the car. She was beating the windshield with her fist. Her blood was flowing all over the windshield.

Sidney got out of the car and pulled Harlow off the hood of his car. She kicked and punched Sidney. Before he could get back into the car, a city police car pulled up. Two officers approached the couple. They talked to the couple for a few minutes. Soon the couple hugged and started picking up the clothes from their yard. The officers watched the couple go back into their house. They waited a few minutes and then drove away.

Pansy said, I’ve never seen anything like that before. Do you think Harlow’s going to be okay? That was a lot of blood!

Pansy, if you think that was something, look at the house across the street on the corner. There’s a man coming out of the upstairs window using bedsheets that have been tied together like a rope. I wonder what he’s escaping from?

The man that had just reached the ground pulled a bicycle from behind some bushes in