A Life for a Life by Lynda McDaniel (best selling autobiographies .txt) đ
- Author: Lynda McDaniel
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Other times, Iâd see all these folks with big groups of friends, laughing and carrying on, piling into a car to go to the movies or a music gig. Theyâd wave at me, and Iâd wave back, acting like I was real happy for them, heading off to have fun. And I guess I was. I just couldnât figure out why I was only good enough to wave at.
I always saw friendshipâlike me and Della hadâas about the finest thing in the world, and I wanted as much of that as I could get. Maybe I was trying too hard, Iâd tell myself when things didnât work out. Or, maybe I said something wrong.
No wonder, then, I was tickled that Clarice had taken a liking to me. After that first time, I saw her a bunch more at school. We hung out sometimes and had meals together, especially when her brother, Clayne, werenât round. They took turns taking care of their mama back at the cottage and, like Clarice had told me, cooked their own meals, most times. Later on, Clarice worked out some kind of deal doing odd jobs for the school in trade for some meals. âI just have to get out of that cottage, sometimes,â she whispered oncet when we was sitting next to each other at dinner.
Even though Alex had warned me that Lurline and Eva werenât as good cooks as Mama, I loved those meals. Chicken and dumplings. Macaroni and cheese. Pork chops that werenât cooked to shoe leather. And with Clarice sitting with me, I felt like somebody. Out of all them guys, she chose me. Not that the competition was that stiff. Some of the guys were kinda scruffy and some were too shy to even look at her. But for a while, I felt like the luckiest guy at the school.
â
âWell, Mister, I hate to break up this lovefest, but itâs getting late,â Della said, carrying in a tray of cold chicken sandwiches, potato salad, and coconut cake. She set it on the coffee table.
Jake and I had been tussling on the floor on an oval braided rug sheâd added since I was there last. Whenever I came home from The Hicks for a weekend, I tried to spend plenty of time with Jake. Iâd trained him to dance on his hind legs and speak for treats, and weâd go for long walks into the woods. Whenever Iâd see him after a spell of being away, I noticed how my heart felt fuller when we were together. It felt good, and I found myself wondering what happened to all them feelings when I wasnât with Jake. Were they in there, kinda dormant, like them noisy cicadas that wait seventeen years before they come back? Did the feelings build up between visits and come roaring out when we were reunited? I didnât know the answer, but I wanted them to come out more, even when Jake werenât round.
I sat up, tucked my legs under the coffee table, and started chowing down. I couldâve eaten every one of them sandwiches, I was so hungry. Della kinda nibbled on one, but sheâd probably had her dinner earlier. She let me eat for a while before asking more about whatâd happened at the school. I thought for a minute about how to answer her. There were things I wanted to share, and some I just couldnât tell her. Not yet, anyways.
âIt started when some people came to the schoolâa mother, son, and daughter,â I said with my mouth full, but Della didnât seem to mind. âThe mother was dying, and the two kids were looking after her. Theyâd moved to the school because they were evicted from somewhere in Virginia âcause she was too sick to work, and what her son earned wasnât enough to live on.â I stopped to eat for a minute, and then added, âSheâd growed up nearby our school and wanted to die as close to her familyâs home place as she could. I remember how tore up we all were listening to her story. A bunch of us had gathered on the front porch of Gate House, where she sat, talking and taking in that heavenly mountain view. It was like she was looking into her future.â
While she listened to my story, Della didnât look all that sad. âLet me guess,â she said after a while. âThey got you to part with some of your hard-earned savings.â
âAw, come on, Della. It wasnât that obvious. You had to be there.â
âOkay, youâre right. It just pisses me off that they took advantage of you.â
âIt wasnât just me,â I said through another mouthfulâthis time her homemade coconut cake. âA bunch of us were taken in. But that wasnât the half of it. Most people at the school donât even know what else happened. At least not about them stealing so much money. We all lost some, but old man Henson, the director of the school, lost a lot, and the money wasnât just his. It was the schoolâs, too. At least thatâs the story goinâ round. When someone said we should call the cops, he piped up that it wasnât worth itâcrooks like them are next to impossible to catch. Besides, he said he didnât want to shame the school. I think he just didnât want people to know how stupid heâd been with the schoolâs money.â
âSo, why are you in trouble, Abit?â
âBecause before they left, they put $2,000 into my savings account! I know that sounds even weirder, but itâs a long story.â I donât know if it was because of the food or the time of night or the fact that I was unloading this burden on my best friend, but I suddenly felt so tired I could hardly finish my cake. I yawned real big, and Della noticed.
âYou can tell me more tomorrow. For now, hop into bed in the guest room. Itâs all made up for you.â She hugged me and said goodnight. She closed her bedroom door but then came right back out. âYouâll need to clear out by noon tomorrow. I donât want to be sneaking behind Mildred and Vesterâs backs. You can go home and make it look as though you just walked from the bus station.â
âWhat will I tell them?â
âWeâll figure that out in the morning.â
ââââââââ
Della woke me up with breakfast in bed. I had no idea what that was like, though Iâd seen it on TV. (And I sure was glad sheâd left off the rose in a vase.) At first I felt like a fool with a tray in my lap, but I had to admit, I got accustomed real fast. She helped me get the pillows right behind my back and arranged the tray just so before pulling up a chair nearby. âI called Alex, and he wants to see you.â
âOK, whenâs he coming back? Iâve got all the time in the world.â
âHe canât get away. He wants you to come to D.C.â
I couldnât speak, and not because Iâd just taken a big bite of one of Mrs. Parkerâs cinnamon rolls. I gulped it down, took a swallow of coffee, but I still couldnât get a word out. Iâd never been out of North Carolina, let alone to the nationâs capital.
Della chuckled. âJake and I were already heading up that way in a couple of weeks. I checked with Billie, and she can keep the store sooner, rather than later. We can leave Monday.â
âHow will we go?â
âIâll drive us up there. Now that I traded in my truck for a bigger vehicle, we can all fit. You can have your lovefest with Jake the whole way up.â
I nearabout started crying. Having friends help you out and a trip to Washington, D.C. bordered on a miracle. But then I thought about what a sight that would beâme with this tray in my lap and flowerdy pillowcases behind me, bawling my eyes out. That made me start chuckling. Della looked puzzled as she stood up to leave. Then she turned and added, âI donât feel good about tricking your mother. Can you tell her whatâs going on?â
âNo!â I said, nearly upending the tray. âReally, let me have a couple of weeks or so. They wonât miss me. I need to figure more of this out before I tell them anything. Theyâd be so ashamed of me.â She nodded and let me be.
I went back to eating my breakfast. Damn, Della was a good cook. Mama worried about germs and such, so she cooked her eggs dry, but Dellaâs were creamy and her bacon werenât burnt to a crisp. (Mama had a thing about pork and needing to cook it so she didnât give us ptomaine poisoning or something like that beginning with a T.) Just as I was thinking about that, Della stuck her head back round the door.
âThey willâdoâmiss you, but I see what you mean. Youâve been gone a month before. But you have to go home now and spend a weekend with them. And kiss them goodbye!â
I was dreading that weekend with the folks, so I ate real slow (something I never did). I dawdled over getting dressed, too. It was well after noon when Della practically pushed me out the door.
ââââââââ
The Roads to Damascus and other books
in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series are available at book retailers.
Books by Lynda McDaniel
â
FICTION
Waiting for You (free Prequel)
A Life for a Life
The Roads to Damascus
Welcome the Little Children
Murder Ballad Blues
â
NONFICTION
Words at Work
How Not to Sound Stupid When You Write
How to Write Stories that Sell
Write Your Book Now!
(with Virginia McCullough)
Highroad Guide to the NC Mountains
North Carolinaâs Mountains
Asheville: A View from the Top
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