Small Town Tango (3 page)

“Katy,” Bo says, “is that you?” “Boy, you sure have grown up since the last time I saw you. Where’s your old pops at? I want one of his famous root-beer floats. Man, I remember coming here almost every day after football practice to have one of those.”

“Dad passed away a few years ago, Bo, you would have known that if you came around more. I don’t think your grandmother has even seen you in ages. What are you trying to pull by getting your mammy to move up to Dallas, anyway? Don’t you have any regard for other peoples’ lives?”

“I’m sorry about your father, Katy, I didn’t know. No one said anything.  You know about my wanting Mammy to move up to Dallas?” says Bo.

“Of course, I know about that. I was walking her home from church when we found that hoity-toity secretary of yours sitting in her car, waiting to sink her claws into Miss Viola with all of her offers of luxury this and that.”

“Just what exactly is your plan, Bo?” says Katy. “What do you have to gain by ripping her out of the place she has known all of her life?”

Feeling the tension and knowing the conversation was about to get extremely heated, Becky excuses herself to the kitchen.

“I’m established now, Katy,” says Bo. “I would like to take Mammy to live with me in my new building so that I can give her the best of everything. I am her only grandchild, I need to take care of her.”

“Your arrogance sure has not gone anywhere over the years. You would think it would at least die down a little with age.

“You probably don’t know this,” Katy states with sassy look, “but she’s doing just fine taking care of herself. I help out as much as she needs me to, which isn’t much. She is a pretty tough old lady for her age and she has all of the support that she needs right here. 

“You haven’t even been to visit in years, I don’t know what makes you think that you can just step in now and try to take over her life, like you would even know what’s best for her.”

“Well, I am on my way over there now to surprise her,” says Bo, “all I need is sweet peach tea and an apple turnover, do you think you could get that for me?”

“She prefers bear claws to apple turnovers lately,” Katy says.

            “How do you know?” replies Bo.

“I spend a lot of time with her. It will be about five minutes for your order, I have to make a new batch of tea.”

“The quicker the better,” he says, confused and completely unaware of what he had just walked in to.

Bo had no idea how close his grandmother and Katy had grown over the years. He did not know he would have her wrath to deal with in trying to get his grandmother to move into the city. This might just be much harder than he had originally planned.

“She’s beautiful,” Bo thinks to himself as he sits there at the bar, watching her mix the tea and pull out the pastries to warm them up. Just then, Martha Jenkins and Paulette Andrews come through the bake shop doors.

“Oh my heavens! Well, if it isn’t little Bo Brogan, look at you! You must have grown 5 feet since I have seen you last. You’ve turned into such a handsome young man. Isn’t he handsome, Katy?” Martha says.

Katy looks in her direction and gives a little shrug of her shoulders.

“Look at those beautiful green eyes; you look just like your grandfather did when he was your age,” says Paulette. “You’re going to have to come by the shop and let me give you a little trim, my treat.”

“How long are you here for?” asks Martha.

“About a week,” says Bo, “I took a week off of work and I thought I would come down here and see how mammy is doing.”

“Humph,” Katy says under her breath while adding ice to the tea, knowing his intentions all too well.

“Oh well, isn’t that wonderful? I know that will make Viola so happy to see her handsome, successful grandson come for a visit,” says Paulette. “Maybe you and Katy could go out to the theater while you are in town,” she lowers her voice, “and it’s been ages since she’s been on a date, you know.”

A huge smile comes across Bo’s face as Katy pretends she isn’t listening.

“Maybe so,” Bo says, “maybe so.”

“We will have two iced coffees,“ Martha says to Katy, “we are in a hurry to get to the flea market before all of the good stuff is gone.”

Katy quickly makes Paulette and Martha’s iced coffees and sends them on their way. She hands Bo his bag of bear claws and three peach iced teas in a carrying container.

“I only asked for one of each,” says Bo.

“You don’t think I am going to let you go over there by yourself now, do you? For all I know, you could tie her up and throw her in the trunk of your little pink beetle and I would never see her again.

“Besides, she owes me a turkey sandwich,” Katy says with big fat sassy smirk on her face.

“How did you know I drove a pink beetle, anyway?” asks Bo.

“Becky told me. It must take a whole bunk of money to buy a car that fits you so well,” she laughs, “now let’s go!”

Bo rolls his eyes and sighs heavily. “She sure is a beauty, but a bossy beauty,” he thinks to himself, halfway cracking a grin.

“What are you grinning at?” says Katy.

“Oh, just your annoying persistence,” says Bo.

“Becky, I will be back in a while. You should be able to handle it for now, give me a call if you need anything.”

“Aye, captain,” says Becky, giggling to herself as she watches them walk out the door. “Those two are a mess,” she says.

“So, are we walking or riding in the car?” says Bo.

“Um, well,” says Katy, “seeing as it is two blocks, what do you say we walk? She always gets up when she hears a car pull into the driveway, so she will see you before you get to the door if you drive. This way she won’t see you until she opens the door.”

“Good thinking,” replies Bo. 

“Why are you doing this anyway, trying to get her to move? She is happy here, you know.”

“I just think she needs to be near better medical care and have someone to constantly watch over her, that’s all,” says Bo, withholding the full truth.

As they come around the corner and see Viola’s cottage, Bo gets excited in seeing that it is still in such great shape, it’s not what he was expecting at all. “Wow, even the gardening is taken care of!” he says.

“We all make sure she is taken care of, Bo. She may be your biological grandmother, but she is like a grandmother to half of this town too.”

As they make their way up the driveway they glance at each other as if saying “here goes”. Bo knocks on the door and Viola quickly opens it.

“I have been expecting you,” she says in an excited but not too excited tone. ”Hello, Katy bug,” she says, giving Katy a kiss on the cheek. She gives Bo a hug and leads the two inside.

“I brought you some peach tea and some apple turnovers, I mean, bear claws. Katy says you prefer bear claws now.”

“Indeed, I do,” replies Viola. “Get down to it, Bo, why are you here?”

“I have come to spend some time with you, Mammy, to make sure that you are ok.”

“Bologna!” snaps Viola. “You sent that viper of a woman, Monica, here to make me all kinds of offers to move to Dallas. It didn’t work and now you are here to try and do the same.” “I might be old but I’m not ignorant,” she says with a finger pointed toward him.

“It’s not like that, Mammy, it’s just that I don’t like the fact that you don’t have the adequate care that you need available to you here in Little Hill. Dallas has much more appropriate medical facilities, for someone in your condition.”

“What condition? I am as good as gold. Sure, I had a little old heart attack, it was minor and I have recovered well. It is nothing for you to get all riled up about and have me move across the state. Good grief, boy.”

“Mammy,” Bo tries to argue.

“Bo,” says Katy, “I am over here just about every day as to where you haven’t been here in years. I know just how well Miss Viola gets around and takes care of herself, and you don’t. You’re wrong about what you think you know, sir.”

“Sir?” says Bo.

“Yes, sir,” replies Katy. “You are all high and mighty, aren’t you? Bo Brogan, attorney-at-law, most prominent lawyer in Dallas, owner of ‘The Squire’, whoopdi doo! That doesn’t mean anything to us down here. So you can take your condescending tone and go back to where you came from.”

 “Oh gosh, I’m sorry, Miss Viola, I apologize for my hostility. I just couldn’t stand the thought of you leaving the other day when that lady showed up and started talking about you moving. I thought you had made plans to leave without telling me and I was... heartbroken.”

 “Katy, I can see that you have grown close to Mammy, but she is MY grandmother.”

“Halloo, I’m still in the room over here, young whippersnappers. Let’s not talk about me as if I’m not. If the both of you want to take care of something for me, why don’t you both go to the grocery store for me? I have a long list on the fridge and I have a stew going on the stove, I need a few more things for, oh Lordy, I must be senile, if I forgot the things I needed for my stew! Ha!” She slaps her knee, “Here’s the list and off you go!”

“I’m sure Katy can manage this by herself, Mammy. Why don’t I stay here and we can catch up?”

“Oh, I’m caught up,” says Viola. “Now get on to the store and get me the things on that list so we can have a proper meal for your first night in town.”

 Katy and Bo both let out a little sigh and grumble and give Viola a fake grin before heading out the door. 

“Well, her sense of humor is certainly still intact,” says Bo.

“Everything is still intact,” replies Katy. “She’s the strongest woman I know.”

They get to Jim’s Grocery and start searching out the things on the list.

“Yellow onions,” says Bo, “there are different colors of onions?”

“Yes,” says Katy, “red, yellow, white, purple…”

As they round the corner, none other than Martha Jenkins stands there whispering to her husband, obviously having already seen the two of them.

“Hi, Miss Martha,” say Katy and Bo simultaneously, with a little eye roll.

“Well, look at you two in here, shopping from a list just like an old married couple,” she says in the sweetest most Southern belle accent.

They laugh it off, and explain that Miss Viola has sent them on a mission together to get the rest of the things that she needs for supper.

“Oh I see,” replies Martha. “She’s just trying to keep you in good company while you’re here, Bo. With yoo-hoos like Amber Chaney wandering around this town single, it’s safer this way for sure,” she says.

 “Oh Lord, please forgive me,” she says aloud, “that was judgmental, but some things are just the truth.”

“How was the flea mall?” asks Katy.

“Oh you know how it always is, those early birds get in there and grab until there is nothing left. I guess I will have to try next week,” replies Martha.

“Nice seeing you, Martha, we are off to find ‘baby carrots’,” says Bo.

“On the other side of the deli!” Martha shouts as she walks in the other direction, once again whispering to her husband.

Katy and Bo can’t help but giggle about how obvious Miss Martha is, with her crude remark about Amber Chaney.

“So what’s the deal with Amber?” Bo asks.

“She has the same attitude she had in high school,” replies Katy.

“Ah,” says Bo, “she still thinks she’s all that and a bag of chips, huh?”

“You could say that,” Katy replies, “now that she and Dylan Jones broke things off, she’s on the prowl again, and as soon as she sees you, she will certainly try to catch your attention.”

“Girls like that didn’t catch my attention in high school and won’t catch my attention now, you know. I like the sweet, girl-next-door type.”

“Right,” Katy replies.

Arriving back at Mammy’s house, Bo puts the groceries away as Katy helps her chop the veggies. With the stew smelling delicious in the pot, Bo thinks to himself, “maybe Mammy can still cook, but what if she was to leave the stove top on next to a towel?”

 Visions of the house going up in smoke run through his mind, his worry about his grandmother growing stronger as he is there in her home seeing all of the possible dangers.

“The front steps are too steep,” he thinks, “and if she was to slip in the tub.” He thinks about stating all of these facts now but figures that he should probably keep the peace while it lasts. “Dinner will be a good time to voice my concerns,” he says to himself with a slight nod.

“What was that?” says Viola, coming up from behind him.

“Oh nothing, I was just saying how good the stew is going to be with that homemade cornbread. If there is one thing that I miss most about your cooking, it is that you always make a side of cornbread to go with everything.”

As Katy sets the table, Bo watches from the other side of the kitchen how gracefully she walks, how gracefully she sets down the plates and folds the napkins. The sundress she has on matches her olive complexion and her long flowing hair makes her look like the picture of perfection - everything he has ever wanted in a woman, if it wasn’t for her stubbornness.